Edit (1/22/2021): I can't believe I have to say this but if anyone leaves a review that is not helpful or related to my stories, like just typing "hoouu", I will block you. I am getting really sick of getting reviews that give me no feedback.
Chapter 39- Eve Before Disaster
May 30, 3057
Morgan was sitting by the desk in her room. It was late, nearly midnight. Now that Arcanos had a general idea of where Zarc was located, it would only be a matter of time before he comes for her head. She is a twili (another name for demon-fairy), and one that has a precedent for abandoning her "allies". She still didn't understand what Arcanos and his council are plotting to do, but she didn't really care. This fight isn't really hers to begin with. She was forced to come here, practically dragged by both demon lords and forced to work to locate the False Demon King.
The twili sorceress found herself scoffing at the mere thought of that man. Every demon, even half-breeds like her, know that only members of the Umbris family can take the throne of Eternus. That family was created directly from the blood of Sinestra, the Goddess of Shadows, who she then used to create the remaining demon families, like the Morningstars and the Berlitzes. It is by Sinestra's decree that the Umbris family would govern the other demons as kings and queens, while the demon lords would serve as the Goddess's champions. The demon lords could come from anywhere, either from outcasts of society or even the royal family itself.
The demon lords were meant to defend the dark lands of Eternus, whether from invaders or from threats on the inside. However, as the War of Light and Shadow revealed, there never was any true unity behind that cause as Zarc and Arcanos joined the God of Destruction's merciless campaign and murdered their king, Teranis, throwing all of Eternus in disarray as the rest of the demons struggled to choose a side. Many did choose to join the usurpers, Lucius included, while others rallied behind Altena, Teranis's only child.
Morgan herself was rather new to the demon lord position as she had only joined their ranks a few months before the insurrection. She had been banished from a kingdom she saw as her home by someone she had loved as a sister, someone who had seen past her cursed heritage. Naturally there were other factors that caused it but it didn't quell the anger Morgan felt from being betrayed like that. Because of this, she cast her lot with Zarc to get her revenge and secure a future for herself.
After years of preparation, she was ready to spring her trap on her "sister" and claim her vengeance, but then he showed up. Right when her sister was in the jaws of defeat, Zane and his Paladins of Umbris managed to show up and turn the tables on the demon lord. Her puppet was slain before they could fulfill their duty and her sister managed to survive that terrible battle. Zane battled Morgan by himself and she was barely able to survive. He was strangely more powerful than the average demon. While he was an Umbris, it didn't really explain why the gap between their powers was so narrow.
Even after all this time, Morgan can still vividly remember kneeling on those plains, battered and broken. With her plans for revenge in ruins, she begged the Twilight Swordsman to kill her, but he refused.
"I have no reason to kill you," he had said to her as he held the Lunaris at her neck. "You may believe that you were betrayed, but is that the truth? If I take your life, how will you know if you made the right choices?"
Those words always confused Morgan. Did Zane know something she didn't? It was possible given that he was friends with her sister. However, she never got a chance to speak with her surrogate sibling that day as she instead used the last of her strength to teleport to a hidden cove, far from the front lines, to recover. Zane's words caused her to lose whatever resolve she had left and simply chose to seal herself away. She remained blissfully unaware of the war around her during that time, but there was a brief nightmare she had of her former friend fighting in a chaotic battle on some unknown highlands. However, this time her friend wasn't able to survive. She breathed her last on that blood-soaked lands, surrounded by her remaining knights.
Strangely, Morgan didn't find any satisfaction from that dream. Either because she didn't know if it really happened or she had simply lost her desire for revenge. Whatever the case, she now needed to focus on the present. As soon as the "Order of Nightfall" as Arcanos as dubbed his united forces, secure Zarc's body from the Accelerated World, Morgan's life will come to an end. Luckily she had managed to procure a trump card of her own. With it, she'll be able to make sure no one comes after her again.
She turned towards the closed door and listened intently for any noises on the other side. This military base was constructed by humans a hundred or so years ago, only to be abandoned for reasons Morgan didn't care about. This was the place Zarc used to stage his attacks on Tokyo during the Demon War, and as such, Arcanos has chosen it for whatever his plans were. He had even expanded it by adding floors underground. Morgan's room was four floors below the surface, the same floor where the male demon lord kept monsters and even a vault were precious artifacts are kept.
According to Blados, there wasn't really much in the vault besides Zarc's old sword, fragments of the Shadow Crystal, and a few things that weren't mentioning. Patrols were rather frequent on this floor, largely because of Morgan herself and the wards preventing teleportation were especially powerful. Normally she would just weaken the wards and warp out, but Arcanos was starting to catch on to her little escapades, not to mention it was exhausting to do, so that option was out. She wanted to make sure Arcanos wouldn't find out about her prison break until she has revived her new puppet. Though if she still had her beloved staff, her plan would be a lot easier, but unfortunately she was forced to leave it behind when Zane defeated her. There was no telling what the Twilight Swordsman had done with it.
However, being the master sorceress she is, Morgan has a few other tricks up her sleeve to do her breakout attempt. She dismissed her grimoire and pocketed the pouch containing the last shard of Chrome Disaster before marching to the door. As expected, she heard the next patrol unit obliviously stroll down the hall. Once she deemed the unit to be at a safe distance, she exited the room and quickly muttered the incantation for an invisibility spell, removing herself from sight.
How good the enchantment is dependent on the skill of its user. This applies to its duration, how well it covers and its detection risk. If an amateur tried this, they would most likely hold it for a few minutes and be easily detected by a decent observer. For someone like Morgan though, she can keep the spell going for hours and can elude even the most skilled watchmen. There only a handful of people that could detect her and unfortunately for her, two of them are in this building. She'll have to proceed with extreme caution.
Steeling her nerves, she marched down the hall that led to the higher floors. She was somewhat tempted to sneak into the vault to see what secrets Arcanos was keeping, but she dismissed it quickly. The vault is one of the most secure rooms in the base. It was tricky enough to sneak Blados inside. She couldn't risk being detected so soon.
The halls were rather quiet, but Morgan refused to relax. Not even her own footsteps made any sounds, though that was because of the invisibility spell. She managed to reach the stairs without any issue, however before she could ascend them, she heard a terrifying scream.
"Aaaahhh!"
It was a woman's scream, and she sounded like she was in pain. Under other circumstances, Morgan would have just shrugged it off and continued onward, but this wasn't the first time she had heard that scream. She would occasionally hear it at least once a day for the past few weeks. When she asked Arcanos about it, he refused to answer her. Lucius didn't know himself but never made a move to investigate. Blados, however, did give the twili some information, albeit barely. Apparently the Order of Nightfall managed to recover something valuable during a reconnaissance mission in Eternus about two days after Seiji was defeated by Kirito. Blados himself doesn't know what the item was, but he did mention that Arcanos was very happy about it. The demon lord has since been spending the last few weeks trying to break it in, whatever that meant.
"Gaaaahhh!"
There was something unnerving about those screams. It almost made Morgan feel sorry for her. She could only imagine whatever torment Arcanos was forcing upon her. Since this was going to be her last night here, she chose to investigate the screams just to see what was going on. She tracked the noise from a nearby room. The door was just barely open and there was a bright light inside.
"Incredible." That was Sugou, a pervert of a man that tried forcing himself on Morgan a few times, but she always made sure he knew his place. Only she decided which men can touch her. "Even after all this time, she's nowhere close to breaking. She really is something."
An amused chuckle could be heard on the other side of the door. It was Arcanos. "I told you she was special. There are only a handful of beings with such an iron will. Even I must applaud her for withstanding such extreme torture without so much as cracking."
"What is he talking about?" Morgan wondered. Carefully, she opened the door slightly to get a better look inside.
The room was rather small with a handful of machines and ancient runes. Arcanos and Sugou were in the center, with the latter messing with a keyboard and monitor (which was most likely infused with magic), while the former simply stood beside him. Their backs were turned from the door so there wasn't much risk of detection, but she still needed to be careful. At the end of the room was a strange green crystal that hovered a few feet above a red rune. Something about the crystal seemed familiar but the twili couldn't remember why. However, the strangest part about the crystal is that if she looked closely enough, she could just barely see the vague outline of a woman with her arms and legs chained. The woman seemed to be slouching, likely exhausted from the extreme treatment she was forced through.
"Strange. I can't tell what that person looks like. I can't even tell if they're human or not. Just what is Arcanos planning?"
"This can all end, you know," Arcanos said cynically. "All you have to do is join us."
Even though it was just a vague outline, Morgan could tell the woman was glaring at the male demon lord. Whoever she was, she sure had a fire in her.
"Never," the woman said, her words filled with venom and anger. "He couldn't break me then, and you will not break me now. I will never help you with your mad schemes."
Arcanos sighed in exasperation before smirking sinisterly. "A shame," he said nonchalantly. "I guess you can make for some mild entertainment then. Sugou, raise it to level 10."
Now Sugou was sneering in anticipation. "With pleasure, my lord." He raised the bar on his control console, causing the rune to light up. The woman cried out in pain as she struggled against her translucent bonds, all while Arcanos and Sugou cackled in amusement.
It was honestly disgusting to see such behavior, especially from a demon lord. Morgan may have had her issues, but she never harmed someone so defenseless for her own pleasure. Unfortunately, she couldn't even attempt to do a rescue, as strange as the thought was when it popped in her mind. While she was more than a match for Sugou, Arcanos was the real threat. Not only is he a demon lord but he can easily call for reinforcements and overwhelm the sorceress.
"My condolences, whoever you are," Morgan thought mournfully. "But I must prioritize my own survival. I need to find my place in this world, where I really belong."
She sneakily walked away, making every step count. By the time Arcanos looked over his shoulder to glimpse at the hall, Morgan was already gone.
"Strange," he mused to himself. "Could've sworn I felt someone watching us. It better not be than damn Lucius or Lelouch. I won't let anyone know how valuable this prize is."
Lelouch Lamperouge was sitting just outside the Nighfallen base, admiring the night sky. It has been a long week for him, especially since the Order had raised the security level as soon as Scathach revealed herself to Lucius. Such a thing was natural given that the Witch of Dun Scaith is one of the most feared women in all of Eternus. Even Arcanos knew better than to fight her unprepared.
Unfortunately, despite being part of the Order for five months, he has still been unable to deduce Arcanos's plans. Locating Zarc was only a part of it, while everything else was unknown to the half-demon. It was clear that the demon lord was prepping for war, but there had to be more to it. Why else would Arcanos bring back the Earthbound Immortals if he wasn't plotting something bigger?
He looked to the south, where he could faintly see the lights of Tokyo at the horizon. What he wouldn't give to go visit his old friends like Zane and Kirito again? Then there was her. The girl that won his affection during the War of Light and Shadow. Lucia Umbris.
It has been over seven millennia since he last seen her. Despite losing her father and one kingdom at a young age, as well as getting separated from her brother, Lucia managed to endure the hardships of that terrible war. Lelouch, on the other hand, was barely able to survive the Purge of Obsidia, but his sister and mother weren't so lucky. His father, Charles vi Britannia, was known for having many wives during his long life, leading to many children as his potential heirs. The Britannia family was a high-ranking noble family within Eternus and had a close relationship with the royal family. Charles's betrayal to Teranis simply added more fuel to the fires of hatred Lelouch had for his father.
The man didn't even bother protecting his human wife, Marianne, the mother of both Lelouch and Nunnally, much less the half-demon children themselves. A few of his own siblings even participated in the massacre. It was because of that tragedy that he refused to use his father's last name, instead opting for his mother's maiden name "Lamperouge".
"I guess it wasn't so bad though," Lelouch admitted. "If it wasn't for that, I probably never would have met Lucia. Plus I did manage to get revenge on my terrible excuse of a father."
He still didn't understand what happened to Lucia after she and several of the Paladins of Umbris disappeared one day to look for Zane. Lelouch would have joined the search as well but Eternus was in shambles after the war and needed strong people to put it back together. They needed their prince, the firstborn of Altena, to take the throne. But the war hero simply vanished from his quarters one night with not even a note of where he could have went. However, Lelouch has his suspicions on why Zane disappeared. Even now, there is still a power struggle happening in Eternus, with a few nobles trying to seize power for themselves, ignoring the will of the Goddess. There are also those who hate the Twilight Swordsman for abandoning them when they needed him the most.
Both Zane…no, Marth, and Lucia need to return to Eternus soon and put a stop to the conflict, otherwise the land of shadows will destroy itself from within. If Arcanos really is plotting a war, then the Umbris siblings need as many allies as they can get. But can the two of them unite those who despise them?
"I'm sure they can," Lelouch said to himself. "They'll have the support of both Rias and Scathach. Those two can easily keep the nobles in line. Plus, my powers can offer some persuasion."
Despite these words of comfort, the half-demon knew that it would be a very up-hill battle for Marth and Lucia to restore the respect and authority the Umbris family once had. Of course they wouldn't have this issue if Altena was still alive. She was the strongest demoness to ever live. She was respected and loved by everyone. No noble would dare try to seize power if she were on the throne. Sadly, Altena met her end by Zarc, the man who murdered her father and became the False King. Her body was buried by a lake near the Tailtein Plains. It would become a tradition for demons to visit her grave and pay their respects.
Strangely enough, there are rumors that Altena didn't actually die and instead retreated somewhere to recuperate, but Lelouch dismissed that as hopeful wishing. He had seen the body after that terrible battle. There's no way even she could survive such terrible injuries. Demon lords may be powerful, but they are not invincible.
"My, my," a new voice spoke up. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Lelouch immediately tensed up and stood at alert, only to see that he was alone. Hold on, no he wasn't. A familiar blonde twili suddenly revealed herself before the half-demon, with her having a faint smirk on her face.
"Morgan," he said cautiously. "I take it you're finally leaving the Order?"
"You catch on quick," she replied with a nod. "Now that Zarc has been located within the Accelerated World, my usefulness has come to an end. There's no doubt I will be executed the moment his body is recovered."
"I wouldn't put it past Arcanos," he agreed. "You'd think he would try to recruit you since you're a demon lord like him. It's rare for even pureblood demons to have enough aptitude to become demon lords. Since Rias and Scathach are on the enemy side, you'd figure Arcanos would want as many powerful allies he can get."
"True, but how many of them have stabbed him in the back by deserting? It's just not safe for me to stay here anymore."
Lelouch couldn't help but agree with the sorceress. While they were on opposite sides during the War of Light and Shadow, he could tell that she didn't have the same ideals like his father or Zarc. He was even present when Zane chose to spare her life, although he did call the prince crazy for doing that.
"Why did you reveal yourself before me?" he questioned. "You could have slipped by me without making even a whisper. How do you know I won't signal the base that you have escaped?"
Morgan simply smirked at that. "Simple. Because you're actually a mole for the Witch of Dun Scaith." She then laughed at the half-demon's surprise. "Don't be so shocked. Why else would you be here other than to spy on Arcanos, someone you fought against during the last war?"
Lelouch found himself panicking. After a few moments, he managed to regain a cool composure. "How do you know I haven't had a change of heart? Maybe I decided to fight against my former comrades and wipe out the humans."
The sorceress rolled her eyes at that. "And risk fighting the girl you love?" she refuted. "What was her name? Lucia, or does she go by another name now?" She then shrugged and folded her arms. "No matter. I may not know you personally, but I do know that you would never betray her, no matter what happened. Bonds like that aren't easily severed after all."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Morgan was known for lying and deception. She would even topple an entire kingdom to get her revenge on one individual.
"Oh really?" he questioned with a smug expression. "I seem to recall that you were betrayed by one you considered family. I believe their name was Ar—"
He knew he made a mistake when Morgan suddenly unleashed a fierce gale, knocking him off his feet and landing flat on his butt before finding a spear of lightning poking at his neck. The hairs at the back of his neck were standing up from the static electricity in the air. He found himself looking up at the sorceress, his blood running cold from the icy stare she had in her eyes.
"Care to finish that sentence?" she said in a scarily calm voice. "We're not enemies, but we're not allies either. I'd be careful with what you say if I were you."
Lelouch could only curse himself at his stupidity. He should have known better than to even try to mention her name to Morgan. There's no way he can take her own in a head on fight by himself, even if she was missing her staff. Even his powers wouldn't help because demon lords were among the few that were immune to it.
Hesitantly, he raised his hands in defeat. "My mistake," he said slowly. "I spoke out of turn."
A tense few seconds passed by before Morgan let out a deep breath and canceled her spell. "I'll forgive you this once," she passed off. She then turned around and began to walk off.
"Hey, wait!" Lelouch called out in a hurry. "What are you planning to do now? Where will you go?"
Morgan halted in her tracks, but kept her back to the half-demon. "Like I said, we are not allies. As such, I have no obligation to tell you of my plans," she replied. "However, I will tell you one thing. Maintain your guard if you choose to stay here. I may have caught on to your true intentions, but that doesn't mean the others haven't as well." She tossed him a glance over his shoulder. "Your time as a spy is coming to an end quickly. Use your remaining time wisely."
Surprisingly, Lelouch found himself smirking at that. He figured his cover would only last so long. Plus he has noticed the guards have become more on edge whenever he walked by in the last few weeks. Luckily, he has already prepared a few escape plans for such an occasion. "I never expected such wise words from a witch," he said flamboyantly. "It seems there is still some kindness left within you, Morgan le Fay."
The sorceress smirked at hearing her chosen name. Her father was a member of the Berlitz family and she was given the name "Morgana Berlitz" upon her birth. However, because of her fairy heritage on her mother's side, she was forbidden from inheriting her father's position and banished from her family's territory. She would end up in the care of a wandering mage who taught her how to use magic, which she had a natural gift for. She then found herself within a certain human kingdom and ended up befriending its future ruler. That friend even helped her come up with her chosen name. Those were probably some of her happier memories before it was all taken away from her. But like all good things, it came to an end.
"Think whatever you want, Lelouch Lamperouge," she replied. "Farewell."
Black translucent wings suddenly emerged from her back. She then kicked off of the ground and flew off into the night. Lelouch was half-tempted to pursue her just to see what she was planning. However, he ultimately decided against it. Whatever it was, if it was a threat to his friends, Marth and the others could handle it. Who knows, maybe this could be just the thing that can awaken Lucia and allow her to find her true self.
"Why did I bother talking with him?" Morgan wondered as she flew under the clear night sky. "Maybe I've grown soft because of my long slumber." She then found her thoughts turning towards certain male half-demon. "I wonder how he'd react if he saw me. I doubt he would even remember me though."
She found her thoughts towards the Dark Swordsman becoming more frequent as she continued her observation on him. She even witnessed his recent battle against Lucius, though it was hard hiding her presence from both him and Scathach. She never would have thought that Marth and his friends could get their hands on cards containing the spirits of reincarnated divine beasts. She had heard that her fellow demon lord had gotten his a few years ago after Arcanos awakened him from his slumber. The twili sorceress wouldn't be surprised if a certain mage had his hand in delivering the cards to the Black Legion.
Once she was a good distance away from the Nightfallen base. She landed gracefully on the earthen ground, her wings disappearing the moment her feet touched the ground. She then readied a magic circle and brought out the last fragment of Chrome Disaster. Even without her staff, a divine weapon bestowed upon her when she became a demon lord, she should be strong enough to perform this ritual.
"Now then," she said confidently. "Time for your big return."
Meg didn't know where she was. She was on a strange highland with glowing blue grass everywhere. It would look beautiful if the land wasn't soaked in blood. The sky was covered in dark clouds with purple lightning dancing in the air. The entire area was in complete chaos. There were countless dark beings swarming the highlands. Some looked humanoid and wielded shadowy weapons while others had strange spear-like limbs, dark skin, and an unnerving sideways smile with no eyes or nose. Something about the latter freaked her out to no end. There were a few people on the battlefield that looked more human, thankfully.
The first was a young man with black and white hair and blue eyes. He wore a black and white tunic with blue accents, black pants, thigh-high armored boots, and a short white cape with a black edge. His left arm had a gauntlet and wore a set of faults around his waist. A white scabbard hung by his left side. He wielded a white longsword with a blue hilt in his right, black-gloved hand.
Fighting beside him was what seemed to be a girl with their long pink hair braided behind their back. They wore a long-sleeved black tunic, a white cape that was red on the inside, silver gauntlets with gold accents, a gold and red skirt, black socks that went up to their thighs, and finally white leather boots. They also had a scabbard strapped to their left side of their waist. For some reason, Meg got a feeling that person wasn't actually a girl.
They both looked to be overwhelmed as they tried to fight the strange creatures. They were badly injured, their clothes torn and wounds bleeding. The first figure gritted his teeth before raising his sword up.
"Joyeuse," a dozen swords materialized behind him, the ones on the right were white while the left were black, "Ordre!" He swung his sword forward, prompting the other swords to fire beams of multicolored light at the incoming monsters. An explosion of light soon followed, the air rumbling from the shock. Most of the monsters that were caught in it were killed, but some managed to survive. Not to mention that more were still coming.
"Are you kidding me?!" the second swordsman exclaimed in frustration. "Don't these guys know when to give up?!"
A barrage of light arrows descended upon the incoming horde, wiping a good portion out. A woman with long golden-brown unkempt hair with green bangs and green eyes hurried over to the duo. She wore a green and black dress, black gloves, and thigh length black boots. She had black bow with gold accents in one hand, meaning she was an archer. What was strange about her was that she had cat-like ears on her head and a tail.
"Nice shot Atalante," the first man said.
"Thanks, but I was hoping to take down more of them," she said dismissingly. "These things are tough."
"No kidding," the second person replied. "I don't think even Artoria and her knights can handle this horde."
Artoria? Who was that, and why did it remind her of the Arthurian legends? The sounds of battle continued, prompting Meg to continue examining the battlefield. She soon saw a woman dressed in an armored blue battledress. Her blonde hair was tied in a bun and her green eyes were focused on the battle. She wielded a white longsword that had a golden hilt with blue accents. Her armor was in tatters and her wounds looked deep. A golden light seemed to be attempting to close those wounds but they just kept getting reopened whenever she attacked or got hit.
She had three armored figures fighting beside her. One was a man with blonde hair and silver armor while wielding a silver greatsword. The second was a man with long purple hair and armor and wielded a purple longsword. Finally, the third man had pale white spiky hair and black armor as well as a black cross-shaped shield. They all seemed exhausted and were all covered in injuries.
"So many of them," the woman said grimly as they took a brief respite.
"My king, you must flee while you still can," the blonde man spoke up hastily. His face was all bloody. "The three of us will cover your retreat. Our people need you. You must survive."
"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "I will not abandon my remaining knights to save myself. We're here to save one of my dear friends and we will return to Camelot together!"
The knights looked hesitant, but they clearly knew that they couldn't talk her out of it, so they all nodded their heads in agreement, vowing to protect her with their lives. It was strange to hear a woman being called "king", but Meg pushed that little detail.
Next she saw two women battling back to back against the never-ending horde. The first had platinum blonde hair and amber eyes. She was wearing a pearl-white thin battledress with gold accents, white gloves that went up to her shoulders, and heeled gold boots. She was wielding two razor-sharp dual swords that were the same color as her armor. The second woman with long brown hair and aqua blue eyes. She was wearing sky blue armor, including a short chain-metal skirt, as well as metal gauntlets of the same color. Like the others, they too were slowly being overwhelmed by the relentless monsters and were badly wounded, with shining blood covering their armor and wetting the ground. Despite the huge disadvantage, they kept on fighting. It was admirable really.
Meg then finally looked herself over and saw that she was wearing an outfit that she doesn't recognize. Her attire consisted of a green and black battledress with red highlights, green fingerless gloves and heeled boots. In her right hand was a rapier with a blue and white blade and a gold handle with a knuckleguard, its scabbard attached to her waist. The blade seemed to be radiating stardust.
"What's going on here?" she wondered aloud.
She suddenly heard a snarl followed immediately by footsteps. Something was rushing at her. With inhuman speed, a speed that was greater than any of her avatars, she narrowly avoided being impaled in the chest by a spear-like arm from one of the creatures. Not losing her momentum, she hopped sideways a few times before unleashing a flurry of rapid thrusts before the monster could even react. The tip of her rapier easily pierced through the hard skin and killed it instantly. The unknown creature let out one final, weak screech before falling limply to the ground and dissolved into stardust.
"Raaaaa!"
Meg let out a gasp. She recognized that voice. It couldn't be. Was he here too? She looked around in a blind panic before finally spotting her target fighting someone on a hill. He wore a black overcoat with twin tails, as well as red and gold trimming, red gloves, and black pants and boots. He was wielding a black and gold longsword with a wing-shaped pommel pointed towards the hilt. His shoulder-length black hair clung to his face from both sweat and blood.
She couldn't quite make out what his opponent looked like, but them did feel familiar, like she had met them before. Both fighters were badly injured, their clothing in tatters. They clashed their swords fiercely, the sounds echoing in the air. Suddenly during one sword-lock, the first fighter became surrounded in a dark aura and his hair became an unnatural white. His strength seemed to have increased as well as he was able to repel the other sword seemed to have gained the upper hand, but his opponent refused to yield any ground and continued their assault.
They both seemed to have abandoned any sense of defense and were focused solely on killing the other. It was a pure battle for survival. In the end, the battle reached its climax where they each readied their final blows. The first swordsman performed an overhead swing, aiming right for the upper chest, while the second lunged his sword right towards the heart. Meg found herself dropping her rapier in shock at what she witnessed next, something she never wanted to see in her entire life.
"NOOOOO!"
Meg woke up with a start and found herself in her bedroom. Her breathing was ragged and she was covered in sweat. She quickly looked around and saw that she was safe. It was still nighttime out, likely around two o'clock.
"Are you okay?"
She turned her head and saw Yuna looking at her, concerned. She must have forgotten to take off her Neurolinker before going to sleep again. Similar to C.C. choosing to hang around her brother, Yuna has decided to tag with her. But unlike C.C., who had a physical body, Yuna was simply a digital being, so she wasn't an inconvenience to the female demon.
"Y-yeah," Meg said hesitantly, trying to calm herself down. "Just a bad dream."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Meg was reluctant to answer. The AI idol could tell that whatever it was about clearly bothered her. She couldn't stand seeing her friend in such a depressed state.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Yuna said cheerfully with a forced smile. "Whatever that little nightmare was, it wasn't real. If anything bad did happen, you've got a big brother and two of the strongest women in Eternus here to protect you."
The half-demon found herself chuckling at that. "Thanks, Yuna. I needed that. I think I'll try going back to sleep now."
"Okay! I'll see you in the morning." Yuna then dissolved into data as she entered a sleep mode before Meg removed her Neurolinker.
What she had witnessed from her dream was outright terrifying. She had never seen a battle like that ever in her life, even during the Demon War thirty years ago. The thing that terrified her the most though, was seeing those two fighters looking ready to kill each other and the first fighter's strange transformation. For some reason, she found herself worrying over her beloved brother again.
"Why do I have a feeling that something bad is about to happen to him?" Meg thought to herself. She then shook her head. "No. I can't think that way. I lost my birth parents. I won't lose my brother as well. If anyone tries to take him from me, then I'll cut them down!" She gripped her covers tightly as a dark aura surrounded her. Her eyes became bloodred and her hair a pale white before they reverted back to brown when the aura faded.
A boy in black and a girl in green. The boy had black hair while the girl had pale white hair. Who were they, and why did Altina keep dreaming about them? Were they here parents? Not likely. They were too young for that. Then were they her siblings? Yes that seems more likely. Then where are they? What are their names? These were details that she found herself longing to know.
Do you want to meet your brother and sister?
A voice, male by the sound of it. She wasn't unfamiliar to hearing people talk outside her pod, but most of the time she struggled understanding them both because of the glass and the liquid inside. This voice, however, is much clearer than the others, almost like it was being projected into her mind. She pondered over the question for a few seconds before deciding to give her answer.
"Yes. I want to meet them. Are they here?"
Unfortunately no. But I can take you to them. This place isn't safe for you, but I know one that is. If you so wish, I can get you out and bring you to your family.
What did he mean by safe? Were the people outside her pod bad people? If so, why was she with them? What were their plans for her? These questions and more surged through her mind.
"Are you being truthful to me? How do I know you're not lying and want to use me too?"
A fair question. While I am bit of a misfit every now and then… oh shut it Cath Palug! Anyway, I am being genuine about my offer. For your sake, I hope you accept it.
Altina had no reason to trust him, just like the other beings on the other side of the glass. However, she could feel a sense of honesty in his words, like he truly means what he says. She doesn't understand how she came to be in this world or what her brother and sister were like, but every time she thought of them, a strange pain came to her heart. Was this feeling…longing? Against her better judgement, she nodded her head.
"Very well. I will accept your offer."
Excellent. Now brace yourself. I'm opening the pod.
A hissing sound could be heard before Altina found herself falling forward. Thankfully she felt like she landed on something soft. With some difficulty, she slowly opened her eyes, which were struggling to adjust to the bright lights in the room. She felt weak at first, but found herself regaining some strength, enough to at least sit up.
Apparently she had landed on a blanket of pink flowers, which must have cushioned her fall as she had felt no pain anywhere on her body, while the pod liquid was sprayed all across the floor. The wires that were attached to her were now just hanging within the pod, unattached to anything. Both her skin and hair were damp. She will likely need a shower to rinse herself off. A large shadow appeared over her, prompting her to crane her head to look.
The shadow came from a tall man with long, messy white hair that that fell to his waist, the tips multicolored, and purple eyes. He wore a white robe that had a hood and sleeves that draped down his arms, a black tunic underneath and pants, as well as black boots. By his ears seemed to be multicolored flowers. In his right hand was a black curved staff that had a sword strapped inside, the handle pointing to the ground. By his feet was a strange fox-like creature with white fur.
"Wh-who are you?" Altina said, her vocal chords feeling strange for finally being used.
The man simply smiled at her. "My name's Merlin, and I'm here to bust you out of here." Suddenly a black shirt, jacket, white undergarments, a black skirt and shoes, as well as white thigh-length socks materialized in front of him. They were all strangely her size. She looked up at him curiously. "It might be best if you get dressed. I may be a womanizer, but even I've got some morals."
To be continued
What's this? I actually updated three days early?! In all seriousness, I just felt the motivation to write today and decided to take advantage of that. If I try forcing myself to write, I don't think the end product goes so well. That's part of why my updates are so inconsistent. Anyway, the plot thickens. Morgan is abandoning Arcanos and is plotting to revive Chrome Disaster. I'm sure that's gonna go well, especially since Disaster may or may not be really pissed at Marth for defeating it. Hope you guys are all safe and enjoyed the chapter. See you guys next time!
