Heya everyone!
Here's the seventh chapter, hope you enjoy it!
DISCLAIMER: English is not my first language, so please be patient with me!
Arc 1
Chapter 7 — "The Sovereign Gate."
Pieter was just your common, everyday city guard in charge of keeping the peace. He wasn't native to the region, rather his accent indicated a southern Eldemarian heritage. He had moved to Cyoria five years ago, at first lured by the prestige of the big city. After all, Cyoria was the magical capital of the continent, who wouldn't want to be here? Also, since young, Pieter had always been mesmerized by the miracles magic could do. So it was no wonder that when the opportunity to move here presented itself to him, he seized it wholeheartedly, leaving friends and family behind.
Now, half a decade later, he could confidently say that he didn't regret his decision. Though the honeymoon phase with the city had long subsided, he still liked it very much and was thankful for the opportunities it had offered him. In just five little years, he'd met and wed the love of his life, who offered him a pair of twins in return. He had friends all over and was working a job he deeply, truly enjoyed.
At first, he had thought that being a guard in the big city would drastically change his day-to-day life compared to his hometown, but for the most part it hadn't... apart for a few novelties. For example, where an explosion would've been enough to trigger an emergency response in his hometown, here in Cyoria it was more or less an everyday occurrence. Nothing dramatic of course, a few students of the academy losing control of their spells, an experience going wrong, an accident with magical substances, a magical beast escaping, etc. Sure, it was unique enough that it had caught him off-guard the first year, but now Pieter was a seasoned guard of the magical city. A young, self-centered, noble brat trying to threaten him with the name of his parents? He didn't care. An old mage trying to confuse him with complicated magical jargon to get out of a fine for destroying public property? Pieter would fine him anyway.
All in all, it was a simple and enjoyable life for Pieter. A routine he very much enjoyed and relished in. Though, there were times when this mundane routine was broken by unexpected events.
And the last week had been exactly that. An explosion had destroyed parts of the academy in the dead of night, the culprits still unknown and on the loose. Since then, his job, and the city itself, had become restless.
Pieter understood perfectly well how important and dramatic that tragedy had been. From his memories, he couldn't recall ever being so many casualties after a single incident such as this one. But still, deep down, he felt like the reception by the regime might be… maybe too extreme? Of course, he would never dare to voice such an opinion out loud.
Though he was but a simple guard, one who wasn't privy to the exact details of the investigation going on nor the reason behind the government's action, it was a fact that his country had reacted unusually fast. As swift as it had been drastic. Not even a day after the incident, a whole battalion had been dispatched to Cyoria from the capital itself. A cohort of special investigators, royal mages and other personnel he wasn't sure about had stormed the city, essentially taking control over the whole region for the sake of their investigations. With so many people mobilized, Pieter was convinced that more was going on in the background, something their administration didn't want the public to learn about. It would be hard to believe that the academy's explosion alone, as dramatic as it had been, would've been enough to shake the higher ups so much.
Seeing the big guns of the government up close had a way to make the common men —such as Pieter— gulp in anticipation and worry. There wasn't any rhyme or reason behind this sentiment. Pieter was an upstanding citizen after all, as a representative of the law both in and out of his uniform, he took his public image very seriously. But still, since they came to Cyoria, he felt like he was around a bunch of wolves and snakes. The way they looked at everyone and everything with an accusatory glance, trying to find the most minuscule discrepancy in the multiple testimonies he gave, was unnerving. It was almost like they were desperate for the smallest clue. Maybe their investigation wasn't going so well? At least, that was what Pieter thought. They thirsted for a culprit, that much was obvious. Who know what they would do if they couldn't find one? Would they report a failure to the Eldemar's council, tarnishing their names in the process? Or would they… 'find' an unlucky culprit?
Fortunately, nothing of the sort had happened. At least not yet.
Unfortunately for Pieter, their arrival also had the undesired effect to considerably disrupt his usual work schedule. Usually, he was assigned to a specific part of the city. One he was deeply accustomed to and liked very much. After all, being a guard entailed to know your environment and the people inhabiting it to the teeth. It was obvious that most guard would patrol the same area throughout the year, getting to know the local populace and having a better understanding of what constituted normalcy, and what was suspicious. While in uniform, Pieter was commonly found near the eastern part of the city center, not that far from the academy itself.
But with everything going on, those in charge of the investigation had wished for their own operatives to patrol the entire perimeter around the site of the explosion. Hence, Pieter and a bunch of his colleagues had been reassigned to new locations for the time being. At first, he didn't really mind, since it would only last for a few weeks. But when he heard where he was reassigned to, his heart sank. Pieter had been one of the few unlucky ones to be assigned to the worst possible outpost. One renowned and feared by every guard in Cyoria, so much so that it had become a joke at this point. It was assumed that only those who'd pissed off their superiors would be sent there. Not because it was dangerous or anything, there was hardly anywhere truly dangerous within Cyoria. But because it was known to be the most boring, uneventful and soul-crushing area to patrol. The Hole.
[. . .]
Pieter sighed, bored to death as usual while patrolling the surrounding of Cyoria's mana-hole in the dead of night, his burly partner leisurely following with the same grim and bored expression. It truly was hell on earth, he thought.
How did those newcomers dared to make me go there?! Pieter cursed internally. After all those years of loyal service? Did his irreproachable track record, kind and devoted behavior on the job accounted to nothing? Is that really how he was rewarded?! The nerves!
It was his fourth night in a row there. Truly, it was everything and more than what it was rumored to be. The environment was barren of any beautiful sight, aside from the lights of the city-center in the distance. All there was to witness was the obscure rocky ground on which soulless, nigh identical white buildings stood. Even during the day, there was hardly anyone around, besides the few researchers entering and leaving the many facilities scattered around the area, some students in a hurry scattering to one end of the Hole to the other.
In the evening or early morning, when there were still at least a few people to talk to, Pieter would try to strike a conversation with someone here and there, but it was often cut short due to their time imperatives, which Pieter understood completely. But still, he couldn't help but feel a little bit more rejected each time it happened.
His one and only true source of conversation was the partner he was paired with for his shifts. He was an older burly man, a veteran of the army who had retired to become a guard in the magical city, admittedly a far more cushy occupation that fitted his wish to end his career free of worries. He was an interesting guy, but patrolling for hours and hours on end with the same person in such a desolate environment had a way to suck off every last bits of conversation topic they could think of. Hence, after the first half of their shift, they generally kept silent until the end. And tonight was no different.
Pieter lamented as his thoughts floated toward the district he commonly was responsible for. And how his current circumstances paled in comparison. Here, there was no aid to be given. No elder folk to talk to. No tourist or newcomer to inform or advise, no kids frolicking around —the same children he saw steadily growing up over the years—, no custom greetings to give, no little gift to be received. Nothing. He even came to long for the usual drunkards that he reprimanded nearly every time he saw them at the bar. He didn't think he would ever miss those ones ; how they would get heated and he would break the fight before it began, correct any of their unsavory behaviors... as rowdy and sometimes insufferable as they could be, they were still kind at heart, Pieter realized. They contributed to the charm of the district. But now, he was stuck here...
Of course, Pieter knew it was necessary to patrol this area. Most of those research facilities were publicly funded and held valuable equipment and knowledge within. Though it was rare, attempts at breaking in wasn't unheard of.
Still... What. A. Bore.
On a bright note, the night was almost over. Pieter estimated that in about an hour and a half, the first lights of dawn would illuminate the city. He could enjoy a beautiful scenery before finally finishing his shift for the day —or rather, for the night. He would come back home, reunite with his waking wife and children, and go to sleep.
Pieter grinned as he continued to walk, thinking back at his family waiting for him. Even with that horrible assignment he had been given, today was still a good day in the magical city of Cyoria! And, he thought, nothing could prove him wrong.
But something proved him wrong.
In the distance, a gigantic ball of flame had risen into the sky, akin to a miniature sun. It was an explosion. Then, just as his retinas registered what had happened, it was the shockwave that shook him. Thankfully, he was pretty far away, so apart from being surprised by the loud noise and feeling a strong gust of wind washing over him, it did nothing. If his estimation was correct, it should've happened near or within the noble district.
The flames illuminating the night vanished as quickly as they had appeared, being replaced by a dark cloud of ashes and smoke, slowly descending toward the rest of the city carried by the wind.
After a quick glance's exchange —filled with bewilderment—, both Pieter and his colleague sprang into action and started running to the nearest guard outpost to report to.
Of course, when they arrived a few minutes later, everybody was already aware of it. Who wouldn't be? Anybody awake at this hour would've seen such a bright light in the night sky. There was a moment of confusion regarding what they should do, but their supervisor assured them that the newcomers from the capital would take care of it. They just needed to return to their duty until further notice.
Pieter and his partner complied as they nodded and headed out. Even if they were asked to go over there, what could they do? They weren't even mages, nor were they equipped to fight again them. To begin with, considering the amount of forces stationed within Cyoria at the moment, nothing short of an army could actually pose a threat to the city. And, as far as Pieter was aware of, the mass teleportation of a whole army was still the realm of legends. So, they were safe.
Hence, they continued their patrol of the Hole. Thirty minute passed, yet Pieter and his partner hadn't stopped talking about it. Neither of their loved ones lived near the noble district, which was a comforting thought. Nothing worth mentioning had happened since then. No new explosion nor new orders.
They stopped near the edge of the Hole for a quick rest from all this walking.
Pieter stood straight, gazing over the horizon while his colleagues leaned on the railing, supporting his entire not-so-meager muscled body. The railing encircling most of the abyss was sturdy enough that he didn't even think of the possibility of falling into the chasm below.
"Well, I guess we got some entertainment for the end of our shift, heh?" he said, a hearty laugh escaping his lips.
"Yeah I guess. But I hope there wasn't casualties this time around. The academy was tragic enough..." responded Pieter as he looked in the distance. Parts of the dark cloud of smoke and ashes still hanging in the air. Pieter reminisced about some of the victim's families he met, how they looked at him when he had to prevent them from rushing into the wreckage of the first explosion.
"Aye, sorry. The boredom might've dulled my sense of..." his gruff partner continued apologetically, before stopping dead in his track. "HOY, WHAT'S THAT?!" He shouted, pointing his burly finger at the sky above.
Pieter looked up, and found the origin of his colleague's shock. To say his face had contorted to become the epitome of fright would be an understatement. Horror filled every fiber of Pieter's body as he saw a giant, disgusting eye appearing in the night sky. The clouds parted way to make room for it. When fully formed, it started to look furiously over its surrounding, stopping for a single second on them, acknowledging their existence but founding it wholly irrelevant. Its iris continued to shake erratically until it settled on something beneath it, not so far away from the guards themselves.
Then, by following the line of sight of the monstrosity in the sky, he caught a glimpse of five individuals in the distance. It was far too dark and distant to make anything out of them aside from their rough figures. What he did see was that neither of the five had moved, like it was some kind of stand-off between the two groups. Two against three.
Thrown into this wholly bizarre, incomprehensible and possibly dangerous situation with an abomination looming menacingly in the sky, both of their pulses heightened under the stress. They didn't even know if that thing was magic or not. They presumed it was, but they had never heard of such a thing before.
What should they do, they thought. Running to the nearest outpost? It was far enough away that they weren't comfortable with the idea. What if that thing's attention was brought back onto them because they started running? Should they approach the five individuals? No way. Pieter was by no means a coward, but he valued his life over an obviously stupid idea. They were simple everyday guards ; at worst they dealt with drunkards and petty thieves. In no way shape or form were they even remotely capable of handling whatever was happening down there.
Hence, with no right answer to give to their conundrum, instead of choosing, they simply remained where they stood, near the Hole, completely frozen solid by their own indecision. Sweat started pouring down from their body. Their throat tightened as their mouths were too dry to swallow. They braced for whatever was about to happen, praying to live another day.
But nothing did. As a minute or two passed by, none of the shadowy figures made a move, nor did the eye in the sky. Were they talking? Simply looking at each other? As the time continued to flow, the pair began to think that maybe they would in fact come out of this alive. Surely, the other guards and even the military must've noticed the giant anomaly in the sky by now? It was even hard to believe that a small force hadn't already teleported in. It was only a matter of time, they both thought.
And just as their composure —eroded by this dreadful apprehension of every second— started to get better, something happened.
Pieter caught a glance of something that almost made him question his sanity altogether if it wasn't for the already surreal nature of a gigantic eye in the sky. One of the silhouette started to rapidly contort, shift and morph into a figure at least twice its original size. Even from this distance, both sentries could make out the outline of another monstrosity, a beast of inhuman proportions.
Suddenly, that thing launched for the other two in front of it, dashing through the air at high speed, eclipsing the fairly significant distance between the two group in the blink of an eye. Pieter didn't need to approach further to understand that those two were about to be eviscerated like mince meat.
But it didn't happen.
Instead, both Pieter and his colleague were completely blinded by a blast of stunningly bright and aggressive lights. A surging pain invaded their eyes. A few seconds later, still dazzled by the imprint of the light upon their retinas, the guards only felt the aftermath of what felt like something big and sturdy crashing near them, a shockwave nearly making them stumble into the ground.
As Pieter fought against the burning pain in his eyes and opened them, he could almost make sense of what was happening in front of him. A ball of translucent white flew across the sky at unimaginable speed, countless rays of blue lightening after it as it narrowly escaped each one by a hair's breadth.
The weird magical sphere almost reached the clouds, before sharply changing its trajectory —trajectory that would've been fatal as a thunderous lance just passed by it. The orb rushed straight toward the Hole, further and further gaining momentum each second it continued to fall and accelerate at the same time. Until finally, it disappeared from Pieter sight as it entered into the chasm, into its all-encompassing darkness below. The orb eventually vanishing altogether in the meanders of the abyss.
Once Lupusregina heard the disembodied voice of Lady Nigredo in the sky informing them that teleportation and communication had been barred from the area, she didn't —or couldn't— contain herself any longer. She transformed instantly into her true form, that of a mighty werewolf whose equal were few and far between in this world, maybe even none for all she knew.
She didn't intend to end this rematch rapidly, but she wouldn't take any risk either by playing with her prey and be made a fool a second time. She knew that the Noveda kid, Zach, under the right circumstances, could channel enough power to, if not kill her, at least make her out of commission for a time.
Truly, it was impressive. Especially considering what they knew about the militaristic prowess of this country so far, which wasn't astounding in the slightest. At least at face value... their Lord had warned them about their magic system, how it seemed to rely more on versatility than raw power. How it could become a danger going forward. However, it didn't ultimately matter in the face of absolute strength, that of which their Lord wielded with unparalleled might.
Lupusregina shook the digression out of her head, as the madness of the hunt imbued every inch of her being. The hatred she had buried for a time surged back at the forefront of her mind. The memory of being humiliated, but most important of all, how this one, the scummiest of the pair, the worst offender of them all, Zorian Kazinski, had insulted the last Supreme Being. O his suffering would be the greatest. Every curses and profanities in the human language couldn't even begin to scratch the surface of what he would go through.
The mad werewolf, even as her vision tunneled in on the target of her fury, knew that the Noveda kid was up to something. He tried to hide it subtly, but it couldn't get past Lupusregina's vision. Attuned for combat, to pick up on every last details, every little changes in her environment, even as her sanity steadily worsened under the strain of the madness within. He was probably preparing for a spell, one of his pesky beam of energy that did manage to harm her human form to some extent earlier in the night. But he was in for a rude awakening if he thought that it could do more than a sting to her current self.
It angered her. It infuriated the maid of the last Supreme Being to see the two teenagers still struggling so much, still unrelenting in the face of their absolute defeat, in the face of an assured massacre. Why did they continue, she wondered? What did they think they could do aside from accepting their fate? The mere beliefs that they held on to that they might have any hope of victory against her and her sisters was unacceptable, it was but a fool's ravings. It was like spitting in their faces.
Teleportation had been banished. As was any form of communication. Kazinski was helpless, a non-threat that couldn't even fend for himself. Noveda, while he had the potential to be a threat under perfect conditions, could only become one if he had time to prepare his spellcraft for a long time. Time that she and her dear sisters wouldn't allow him.
So... what could they do? Why did they still fought? You shouldn't challenge fate when you're destined to lose. In front of absolute might, lower life forms such as them should only lower their heads and pray for a mercy that would never come to pass. It was how it was supposed to be.
Lupusregina tensed, readying herself to pounce at those impetuous children, fools of their own accord. With her powerful, animalistic back legs, she struck the ground. The rocky terrain broke under the strain of her might. In the dead of night, Lupusregina disappeared from her position, surging at the two mages in front of her at inhuman speed.
Zorian would be the first to feel his blood run out of his body.
Or so she had planned.
As Lupusregina was about to swipe at Zorian, a bright light exploded all around them. The werewolf maid was blinded for just a moment ; her vision adapted fast, the irises inside her eyes closing in on themselves akin to a feline, filtering the amount of light allowed to enter her retinas. But that instant, that single moment of less than a second was all it took for Zach to take advantage of the opportunity.
From the blinding brightness came a sphere that encompassed both humans. It had barely registered into the werewolf's mind before the thing collided with her.
The moment Zorian realized that Lupusregina jumped at him, he knew he would die. Like an epitome of his own weakness revealing itself, like a fundamental truth of the universe. He understood right then and there that whatever he would do, whatever he would think of, it would amount to nothing.
His mastery of mind magic was unmatched within his race, within humanity. Zorian could analyze information instantly from all angles, but he was still confined within the limitation of his body, within the limitation of the human race. What good does an understanding of an inevitable demise would do for him? Nothing. But it was exactly the type of conclusion he had come to.
Zorian truly believed that those were the last instant of his life. And it frightened him, which was odd. Death, for the last four years, had been of no consequences. At worst, he treated it as a mere inconvenience. Even when Red Robe had nearly caught him, the thought of his death hadn't bothered him as much as now.
Zorian understood that those instants of cognitive activities might very well be his lasts. Were he to die right now, Zach wouldn't reach the Sovereign Gate on his own. And if none of them could reach the exit, then they would surely, without the shadow of a doubt, die permanently. Either by the destruction of their minds or by that of their souls. Whatever means their enemies wished for, it was surely at their disposal.
Hence, Zorian would die. It was an inevitability. Without ever piercing the veil of the conspiracy of Red Robe. Without ever enjoying living his life after the time loop. Without protecting Kirielle from the soon-to-be cataclysm that the invasion would cause.
What a shame, he thought. How unfortunate had he been? To invest so much, and to lose it all to such a stupid decision. He wondered how life would've turned out if he hadn't searched for this name? But he let the thought go, vanishing into the void of his mind.
He decided to dedicate his last thoughts to his little sister. Apologizing silently for his failure and bracing for impact.
But before the enormous claw of the monstrosity could cleave him in half, an all-encompassing brightness exploded all around them. It blinded him, a surging pain invading his eyes.
It took him a few seconds to realize he was still breathing, as if his imminent death had dazed him. But what he heard next awoke him from his momentary stupor.
"ZORIAN, SHIELD!" his friend shouted to the top of his lungs.
Zach Noveda was powerful. While he wasn't the most humble person in the word, his confidence wasn't unfounded by any stretch of the imagination ; he could easily count on one hand the number of people who could face him in a straight combat and come up on top, each and every one of them being non-human.
As such, it wasn't a stretch to assume that Zach was currently the uncontested champion of humanity. The pinnacle of their specie. The strongest human on earth.
Of course, such a claim was purely theoretical in nature, entirely based on competency regarding magical combat. In the real world, fair duel hardly existed. The main components of a victory was preparation and how you could deceive your opponent. That was why Zach greatly respected Zorian, despite the world of difference in their abilities.
Zach's main reasons for his strength were twofold. Firstly, he was inherently talented at offensive magic. Mages were generally wired toward specific branches of magic, and he happened to be lucky enough to follow his family's tradition of militaristic inclination. Secondly, and most important of all, Zach had had time. So much time.
Truthfully enough, Zach didn't know how old he was anymore. He had stopped counting the number of iterations he had lived through a long time ago, and couldn't even say with certitude for how many years he had roamed around the time loop. When asked, he would simply answer 'decades', not because he didn't want to elaborate, but because he truly did not know.
And that was only what he could recall. As Zorian had stated before, the odds of Zach being the original time looper were astronomically high. As such, it was inconceivable that he wouldn't remember how, why and what started this whole ordeal. It was unthinkable that, at some point, he didn't know who Red Robe was and how he had managed to become another time looper. Hence, the most likely explanation for this anomaly was that his memory had been tempered with by the enemy at some point. Considering that, who could really tell how many years had Zach lived since being entangled into the world of In-Between? How much of his past memories had been erased? Years? Decades? Centuries? More?
All of that to say, Zach had had time to dedicate to his mastery of magic. It might not be obvious by his demeanor, but the last scion of the Noveda household was as powerful as he was old. Calling him an arch-mage was only scratching the surface of his actual capabilities. Some might go as far as call him an arch-mage among arch-mages, that of which could rival the legends of old, such as the millennial lich himself.
As an experienced veteran of countless battlefields, he had a wide variety of spells to deal with most situations. And among them existed what he called his trump cards. Ultimate spells of his own design that generally assured him victory.
When Lupusregina and her sisters had appeared in the distance, Zach understood immediately how out of their depth they were. He knew that their chances of victory against the three maids were simply outside the realm of possibilities. Even at full power, he doubted he could even come up on top against a single prepared Lupusregina. And his instincts screamed the same danger signal about the other two, the dark haired one in particular.
Battle-maniac as he might sometime be, Zach wasn't a fool. He knew that if either of them were to die at this juncture, their chances of survival were extremely low.
Fortunately for them, a certain spell in his arsenal might just be what they needed, he thought. Another of his trump card. One he didn't think would kill any of those monsters in front of him, but one he hoped could buy them another chance at reaching the Sovereign Gate.
The spell in question wasn't hard nor long to cast ; its difficulty lied with how it operated and the cost of maintaining it. Thankfully, if his plan worked, they would plunge into the Hole, where ambient-mana was abundant.
It wasn't as impressive as 'Ten Stars of Dawn' but it was still plenty marvelous in its own way. It was a combination of a multitude of spacial spells merged into a single instance of magical prowess.
The preparations were already finished when the disembodied voice in the sky sealed their only means of escape. Now, either they succeeded in reaching the exit and triggering the restart, or they died. There was no going back. It was simple and straightforward.
When Lupusregina suddenly lunged at them, already transformed, Zach sprang into action. While he was taken aback by the speed of the werewolf, it wouldn't be enough to thwart his plan.
In a heart beat, magic bent to his will and a brilliant explosion of light lit up the surrounding area. The flash expanded into the open air, banishing away the night and blinding its inhabitants —except for Zach himself. Instead of dissipating though, the all-encompassing radiance rapidly changed, shifting and molding itself around the two humans. It congregated around them, millions upon millions of infinitely thin and long tendrils of light layering themselves on top of one another, forming a perfect orb of milky-white complexion.
The process hadn't taken even a second.
Upon completion, the translucent magical construction suddenly surged forward through the air, Zach and a still dazzled Zorian floating within. Its acceleration was absurd, akin to that of a bullet. For all intent and purposes, the two teenagers' lives should've ended right there, crushed by the sudden inertia of their own spell, rendered into nothing more than a grotesque amalgamation of broken bones and minced meat. But it hadn't happen, and there lied all the beauty and marvel of Zach's creation.
Any mage knowledgeable enough in the field of spacial magic would've had their mouth agape by now. It was a miracle, a wondrous invention that spoke of the level of expertise of its creator. The concept, while simple at face value to understand, wasn't something the magical community had considered past the theoretical stage. The idea behind it was to create a two-layered space whose interactions with the outside world would differ from one layer to another. The first layer, the outer shell, would harden and gain momentum. It would accelerate at unimaginable speed by shaping the mana around itself, meaning that the operator needed considerable mana control capabilities to begin with. The second layer, the interior of the orb, was the most complicated and tricky part. Its function was to preemptively nullify any shift in vectors coming from the outside world. Effectively creating an artificial stasis. Hence, whatever shock the outer layer would sustain, the person inside wouldn't be affected —within a certain threshold, of course.
It was a spell capable of killing a fully grown dragon midair before he could even realize its own demise. Of all Zach's arsenal, this one came the closest to the concept of an unstoppable spear.
And this same spear was mere inches away from the werewolf when it activated.
Lupusregina hadn't regained her sight when she was struck by the full force of the orb. The outer shell connecting directly with her and brutally sending her sprawling through the air. She came crashing down near the Hole.
The course of the orb hadn't slowed down in the slightest, continuing its explosive dash toward the Hole. If things had been simple, they would've reached the gaping entrance in a matter of seconds. But the dark-haired lady who was straight in their path wouldn't allow it.
"[Maximize Magic: Dragon Lightning]," she said, pointing a slender finger at the rocketing orb, unbothered to be in its line of devastation.
Zach didn't bother evading, trusting in the durability of the orb. A decision he would soon come to deeply regret.
What transpired next humbled him.
When creating this spell, Zach had made certain that the outer shell was as sturdy as he could afford to make it. Encasing it into a highly potent shield of his own design. Not even Quatach-Ichl had been able to destroy it —though, for the few times Zach had used this spell against the lich, he had never really tried to. Yet, as the electric spell in the form of a mighty dragon connected with them, he felt the structural integrity of the orb deteriorate dangerously, nearly collapsing altogether.
A cold sweat rolled down his temple as he realized the idiotic error he had committed. They couldn't withstand much more.
Shit! he screamed internally as he caught a glimpse of the girl channeling another spell. He sharply changed their trajectory, the orb suddenly exploding up, toward the night sky at a ninety-degree angle.
That's insane! Zach thought. The power demonstrated by the maid should not be possible. At least, not without proper channeling. Nor he or even Quatach-Ichl would be able to unleash that kind of destructive spell in such manner, with a simple flick of their fingers. The natural law that governed magic simply wouldn't allow such an amount of energy to be gathered and released so rapidly. Yet, there was the undeniable proof, the outer shell's protection nearly shattered.
It settled into his mind that this one, the dark-haired disdainful lady, was another monster among monsters.
"[Maximize Magic: Dragon Lightning]," she said again, another flash of blue erupting from the tip of her finger. She hadn't moved a single step from her initial position.
SHIT! Zach repeated himself. While in command of the orb, he couldn't do anything else. He adjusted the course of the sphere suddenly.
"ZORIAN, SHIELD!" he shouted.
Zorian reopened his dazzled eyes, founding himself levitating in the orb, which he hadn't even registered. Though he didn't know exactly what Zach had done since he'd been blinded by the flash of light, he understood immediately what his partner wanted him to do. He obeyed and erected shield after shield around the orb with his remaining functioning hand.
The orb continued to ascend into the sky, zigzagging erratically to evade every spell that came their way.
Sparks of lightning dangerously flew past them without rest, the mere proximity of which was enough to obliterate most of Zorian's newly conjured magical protections. Admittedly, his weren't on the same caliber as Zach's, but they were still plenty enough to cushion most damages. For them to be so easily destroyed by something that didn't even connect bordered on the absurd.
While Lupusregina was a monster of close quarter combat, this dark-haired lady was a just as dangerous at long distance, they realized. If that one had come after them earlier in the night instead of Lupusregina, they knew they wouldn't have made it. The only reason they survived against Lupusregina to begin with was because they successfully leveraged distance against her. But against that horrifying mage below? It wouldn't have worked at all.
Before reaching the cover of the dark clouds above, Zach witnessed a straight lance of lightning rushing toward them. He yet again forced their trajectory to suddenly shift. Without losing an iota of momentum, the magical sphere stopped its ascension and shot straight for the Hole in the distance.
Thanks to their inertia and the force of gravity, each second that passed multiplied their speed immensely. But it didn't stop the incomprehensible powerful mage below to continue her assault though. An arch of lightning just nearly struck, its passage destroying yet again the protection Zorian had reconstructed.
Spell after spell ran down from below —where she still had yet to move— each necessitating of Zach to reorient and adjust the orb's path, wasting a significant amount of mana at every correction. The maid, for her part, did not seem to be bothered in the slightest, continuing her barrage of lighting-based magic unconcerned about the strain of such effort, her mana reserve seemingly infinite.
Even as the luminescent sphere reached a speed most would judge too fast to even attempt at targeting, the dark-haired lady continued to miss by just a hair's breadth. For such scary and strong magic to be so easily and precisely controlled was scary.
"KEEP THE SHIELDS COMING! UNTIL YOU FAINT IF YOU HAVE TO," Zach shouted again at his partner.
Finally, after another close call, they successfully reached the Hole of Cyoria and dived into its dark abyss.
Zach and Zorian let out a heavy sigh, but just when they thought they earned a few minutes of respite, Zorian looked behind them and saw the enemy giving chase. Two of them, the aranean-shifter and the monstrous lightning mage.
Both were flying at incomprehensible speed. It again spoke volume of the esoteric magic they wielded ; neither Zach nor Zorian had ever witnessed any mage flying so fast before.
"DON'T SLOW DOWN, THEY'RE FLYING AFTER US!" he informed Zach, as another spark of lightning zapped past them.
Thankfully, Zach's spell gained ground with every second. As they continued to fall, they would slowly lose them. They might just make it, they thought.
Narberal Gamma clicked her tongue, she was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. This night seemed to be never ending. What should've been a straight forward enough mission had become a hassle she'd rather take no part in.
Their orders were crystal clear. They needed to bring the two human kids to their Lord. Alive and before the end of the night. Making Him wait for even a second too much would be unacceptable. Yet, there they were, giving chase into an unknowingly deep chasm.
Since the beginning of their assignment, something gnawed at the back of her mind: why had they been chosen for this task when there were so many others candidates far better suited for this kind of operation?
Is it another test from Him? Why send us in particular? she asked herself internally.
None of them were particularly well-equipped to handle discreet or subtle mission such as this one. Especially if the target could struggle as much as those, which had been quite an irritating surprise.
Lupusregina, though she could use invisibility, was prone to play too much with her prey and lost her temper at the first sign of slight to her pride. Even if she reassured them again and again that she wouldn't kill the targets, it was obvious that she gravely overestimated her own self-control. Truthfully, if not for that blond kid, Narberal knew her sister would've killed the other insect. It would've been disastrous, and she wouldn't fail to reprimand her as soon as they returned home. Or even tell Yuri.
Entoma was there to support them and be the first point of contact with the targets —the reason why she'd personally been named for this by their Lord was still an unknown inside the doppelganger's mind. But her support was largely unwarranted since the target couldn't withstand a direct fight against the three of them.
And finally, herself. The main reason of her current frustration was because she was unsure what manner of tier those insects could endure without dying. As such, she had largely kept herself from casting anything higher than the sixth tier, but doing so gave them enough agency to evade.
Did he predict our current difficulties, and chose to send us nonetheless?
It wouldn't be the first time. Nearly everyone had been tested in such a manner at some point in the past century, she thought.
Narberal continued to fly downward in pursuit of the targets, launching a slew of [Dragon Lightening], [Electrosphere], [Lightning Spear] and some other such spells in order to disrupt their flight and prevent them for gaining too much ground. She was only half trying to hit them, though ; after all, killing them by inadvertence was a real possibility. She preferred not to take the risk and wait for them to either exhaust themselves or reach the bottom, where they would be at their mercy anyway. Aside from a further waste of time, it was of no difference for her.
What are they trying to do? She pondered. Going further down the abyss wouldn't help them. Teleportation would still be impossible, no matter the depth they fled to. Did they think it wouldn't? No...if they truly wanted to escape from Lady Nigredo, they wouldn't have plunged into this chasm. A trap maybe? Were they stupid enough to believe it would work? Probably, yes.
As uncertainty ran deep within this operation, Narberal weighed her options. Specifically, she wondered if she should ask her master for guidance. But she couldn't bring herself to do so. What if it was their Lord's goal to put them in unusual circumstances and force them to think outside the box by themselves? Contacting him right now would ruin the lesson he tried to teach them...or maybe, it was simply their own inadequacy that prevented them from meeting the expectation their Lord had for them. The thought made her shudder.
She turned to her sister.
"Tell me, En-chan, what do you think they're trying to do?" she asked amidst the deafening gusts of winds whizzing past them.
The insectoid-maid cocked her head slightly.
"I don't know Nar-chan. Maybe they're just dumb? Or it's a last desperate attempt?" she answered leisurely, unbothered by the strain of the chase. "Why do you ask? Once we caught up to them, it will be finished anyway."
Narberal nodded silently. Before she could voice her agreement, Entoma spoke again with renewed enthusiasm in her voice.
"Ah! Lupu-chan just sent me a [Message]. She's on her way. She took a bit of time to perform her [Blood Sacrifice] on the surface."
"How? Where did she find the sacrifices? Weren't we alone?" Narberal inquired.
"I think I saw two humans by the Hole when we rushed in. Must be those."
Narberal sighed. Her werewolf sister was already a handful to manage in her true form. And now that the blessing of the hunt had been bestowed upon her through [Blood Sacrifice], it would only get worst.
She felt for her, though. From what she told them, she had a rougher night than them. Even the more well-mannered Pleiades would find it hard to cope with being humiliated by two insects multiple time in the same night.
Please Lupu-chan... Just don't kill them... she prayed to the Supreme Beings.
"CAN'T THIS THING GO ANY FASTER?!" Zorian screamed, briefly overcoming the cacophony of the surrounding pandemonium, channeling shields after shields like his life depended on it —and it did—. A loud and thunderous lightning spear crashed on a nearby wall, barely missing Zorian's head by a few centimeters ; but still obliterating most of his defenses that he'd just erected. "SHIT!" He cursed loudly at the dark-haired mage as he conjured yet another shield, continuing the never ending cycle of creation and destruction.
The time travelers dashed through the air at an unimaginable speed ; straight down toward the dark chasm of the Hole below. They could feel and hear the wind wheezing past them, like an angry banshee out for blood.
Their bodies shook violently as Zach's evasive maneuvers became more and more erratic, rash and desperate. The abruptness of the motions would've costed Zorian's breakfast if he had taken time to eat one.
"SHUT UP! DON'T TALK SHIT ABOUT MY BABY!" shrieked back Zach, his face contorted by the effort of his spell.
A roar shook the air behind them, sending shills down their backs.
"ZACH! THAT DAMN SHIFTER IS COMING BACK!" Zorian shouted, widening his eyes in horror at the sight of the monstrous brownish-red werewolf appearing in the distance behind them. The eyes of the beast were shining amidst the darkness, a scarlet unspeakable fury inside them. As if cursing their very existence, it roared again, bursting every animal's eardrums in its vicinity.
The speed with which Zach and Zorian descended down the dark abyss was so fast that most would've missed them if they blinked. But still, that abomination gained ground on them by lunging itself further down from one side of the hole to the other continuously, breaking the rocks under its powerful thrust and producing small craters each time.
"DAMN IT, HOW?! I WAS SURE SHE WAS OUT COLD!"
Another bolt of lightning flashed toward them, blinding Zorian. Zach barely reacted in time and moved the white sphere they were in to their left, nearly crashing into the wall before adjusting back right before impact.
The arch-mage groaned in exhaustion. His spell wasn't meant for such quick and fast deviation. The mana toll each time he needed to evade was immense... and their mana-reserve were emptying fast. Way faster than what they could absorb, even in this mana-saturated space.
"I THINK WE'RE CLOSE TO THE OBJECTIVE. WE SHOULD—" Zorian said, before being cut off.
"WE'RE CRASHING IN!" Zach shouted, his gaze scanning the ever-changing environment in search of the building they were targeting.
"WHAT?!" Zorian shouted in a hurry, still channeling whatever defenses he could to cushion the attacks of the attackers. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! IT'S A SECRET GOVERNMENT RESEARCH FACILITY, IT'S BOUND TO BE FULL OF THE BEST DEFENSES ELDEMAR HAVE IN STORE—"
"WE'RE CRASHING IN! WE CAN'T AFFORD TO SLOW DOWN WITH THOSE MONSTERS ON OUR BACKS!"
A dangerous and reckless choice, but a calculated one. Zorian could understand Zach's logic, even in this chaotic situation that generally muddled one's mind. If they slowed down now, their pursuers would catch up. If they rammed into the facility, they would face the worst the government had to offer, but so would the monsters behind them. With a bit of chance, and if they survived the initial encounter, they might buy themselves just enough time to find the Sovereign Gate.
Finally, the time research facility appeared in their distant field of vision. The orb's speed exploded, courtesy of a last ditched effort by Zach. He wanted to cause as much destruction as possible upon the initial impact. The surrounding air shook violently as they accelerated to a speed never reached before in human history.
As Zorian braced for the imminent impact, he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if they hadn't been pursued by the minions of some stray god? Maybe, in another life, in another universe, they would've infiltrated this very base free of the chaos currently surrounding them. Oh, how he envied this distant Zorian, so carefree and innocent of the realities of the world they lived in.
Then, a second later, the orb of light made contact with the governmental secret facility.
To say the shock had been brutal would be an understatement. Even in the confine of the artificial stasis, Zorian thought his internal organs would burst out of every pore of his skin. He even stopped breathing for a few seconds before regaining control of his lungs. Zach wasn't any better, probably nigh completely exhausted from any mana left in his immense reserve. Nonetheless, they needed to move.
A giant cloud of dust hid their surrounding from their view, yet they could hear screams. Most were cries of agonizing pain. Many must've lost their lives upon impact, even more were probably injured.
Finally, since the start of this dreadful night, Zorian felt the familiar feeling of his empathy touching unprotected minds. Without missing a beat, not even moving from his initial position, the mind mage reached for them. He needed to find where the Sovereign Gate was. The facility wasn't big, but they couldn't waste a single second searching for it.
Fortunately, the two poor souls he invaded first did have the answer. They were researcher here. One called Krantin and the other Aread. While they were highly-trained mages, they were specialists of time magic and therefore had no real mental defenses, at least nothing above the very bare minimum. Which was no different given Zorian's competency in his field of predilection. In just a few seconds, theirs minds were scanned, stripped of any thoughts before they were sent into a mindless stupor. They fell limp on the ground.
"Can you walk?" he hurriedly asked Zach, who was still panting heavily on the ground.
"Yes, lead the way," Zach answered as he stood up with some difficulty.
They started to run, leaving the covert of the dust cloud.
To their surprise, they hadn't been obliterated to smithereens right away. Given the secret nature of the site and its importance for the government, they had thought that the security would be far more advanced to be honest. Nothing stopped them at all as they entered the white corridors of the facility. No highly trained guards, no invisible traps, no nothing. Maybe Zach had struck a fundamental part of their security system? Maybe they were still too confused to form any kind of response? Maybe they didn't even think an attack like this would ever happen at all?
Not to say there wasn't anyone putting some kind of resistance along the way. They did pass by some guards, but they weren't anything worth mentioning. Zorian alone could have handled them on his own if he so wished to. But, for the sake of time, he let Zach dealt with them. Even nearly completely exhausted, the arch-mage was still far more of a menace than Zorian was. They all fell unconscious before being able to conjure a single spell.
They heard rumbling behind them. The loud roar of a mad beast resonated throughout the facility, followed by the enerving sound of electricity buzzing around. They were here, the duo of time travelers realized.
Cries of pain echoing the corridors redoubled ; obviously their pursuers weren't as kind as them in the manner with which they disposed of their opposition. It was almost as if they relished in the wails of agony. They didn't simply kill, they critically injured and let their victims live the last moments of their life in agonizing pain. A wicked and sinister concerto ensued, filled with howls of despair and the wet sounds of innards and blood splattering around.
Zorian gulped. Aside from the terrifying and straight up evilness of their pursuers, they had initially bet on the fact that the security of this place would be enough to slow the maids down, but it obviously wouldn't be the case at all. Reaching the Sovereign Gate would now be a matter of seconds.
They could hear the low growl of Lupusregina approaching closer and closer ; she didn't even mind the concrete walls in her path, blasting through them without an ounce of hesitation. She easily tracked them down thanks to her superior senses.
"YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME, SCUM," She articulated, madness overflowing out of her guttural voice.
A few seconds later, the boys arrived to a grand circular room. And there it was.
A large black cube of seemingly unknown materials stood there, in the middle of the room. The thing was massive, four meters long on each side, complex patterns engraved amongst every inch of its surface. There was a door-like depression of the side of the cube. Carved deeply into it was a very familiar geometric diagram — a horizontal line with an upturned triangle balanced in its middle. It was the depiction of the world of In-Between, of the time loop!
It was the Sovereign Gate.
If not for the urgency of the situation, Zorian would've bounced in place at the realization that all of their efforts hadn't been in vain after all. The artifact they had been searching for all this time, even before they even knew of its existence, was right there! Zorian could actually touch it!
"There it is," he said.
"How do we activate it?" Zach asked in a hurry.
"I don't know, let's try touching it and channeling mana into it, it should respond to our nature as time looper," Zorian responded quickly, placing his palm onto it. It was cold, maybe too cold to be natural considering the warmth of their surrounding. Maybe an intrinsic characteristic of this mysterious alloy. "At least I hope. We can only pray."
The sound of destruction was closer than ever before, almost deafening.
Both started channeling mana into the immemorial artifact.
Two seconds passed, but nothing happened. The Sovereign Gate showed no sign of activation whatsoever, no light or sound escaped from the device.
"Shit!" Zach cursed, a tint of panic in his tone. "Nothing's happening!"
"No, don't retract your hand. I can feel something," said Zorian as he concentrated on the deepest part of his soul. He could feel something reaching for him, trying to access his marker. Almost like it asked for... confirmation?
Zorian felt one of the marker's switches glowing amidst the darkness of his soul, begging to be activated. It wasn't the kill-switch, nor was it one of the few he knew the effect of. At first, Zorian was reluctant to trigger something he didn't know the properties of, but when he heard the wall nearest to them shattering, and the blood-red shining eyes of an insane beast gazing at them with madness and thirst, he stopped all reasoning and flipped the damn switch.
The mysterious force reaching out from the cube immediately rushed into him.
Everything went black.
.
.
.
Zorian half expected to wake up in Cirin again, with Kirielle jumping on top of him and wishing him a good morning.
But he didn't. He was instead floating in a black, featureless void. And Zach was right beside him.
The duo looked at each other with dumbstruck expressions, neither of them capable of entirely processing what just happened. Where were they?
"Are we... are we safe?" Zach spoke, looking around with an unreadable expression. "What happened?"
"I think so," Zorian answered, not without a tinge of doubt. "The cube wanted me to give it some confirmation of some sort. I said yes, and here we are."
A silent settled for a moment, before Zach began laughing. It was a weak giggle at first, but soon became a thunderous explosion of joy as time passed by.
Probably his nerves... Zorian thought. Not to say he wasn't feeling the exact same elation. Though, he wasn't as expressive as his friend, Zorian couldn't help but let a wide smile form on his face.
"Yes! YES! YES! You did it, Zorian!" Zach exclaimed.
"You did most of the work," Zorian snorted, though he appreciated the praise.
The two continued to laugh among themselves, their nerves finally able to loosen up.
"Though, that doesn't tell us where the hell we are. I hope we're not permanently stuck in this weird void," Zach said.
"It was either that or Lupusregi—"
Before Zorian could finish, another person popped into existence in front of them.
No, it wasn't quite right. It wasn't a person per se. The being in front of them was only vaguely human-like. It was a crude depiction of what a humanoid was ; it had no features, no cloths, no genitals, no hair, nothing. A translucent silhouette whose only attribute was its blank face where two eyes —devoid of irises— glowed a gentle white light.
"Welcome, Controller," the entity said, its voice soft and emotionless.
Zach reacted faster than Zorian, pointing his palm at the thing. Zorian mimicked him, but neither of the two boys could manifest anything. Though they could feel their mana-reserve, any attempt at interacting with it proved impossible.
"Who are you?" Zach demanded. "What is this place?"
"I am the Guardian of the Threshold," the entity said, as apathetic as its face. "And this is the control room."
"I don't think this is a physical place," Zorian noted. "Notice how our clothes seem to be a part of our bodies."
Zach frowned as he tried to roll up his sleeves and failed.
"We're must be some kind of projections," Zorian said. "As is the entity in front of us."
They both stared at the entity in front of them. It seemed to interpret their attention as some kind of prompt.
"What is your request, Controller?" the Guardian asked.
Controller? Zorian pondered. It was probably another term for time travelers. At least, this entity recognized them as such. And given how courteous the Guardian was, they could probably glean some information from it.
"Could you tell us what can the control room do regarding the time loop?" Zorian asked.
"Time loop?" the Guardian mouthed uncomprehendingly. Its eyes flashed for a moment before it refocused on them again, presumably understanding the meaning behind the term of 'time loop'. "You aren't authorized for that information."
Zach and Zorian exchanged a confused look.
"As Controller, aren't we entitled to some information?" Zorian continued. It was useless to speak to the Guardian if there was nothing to gain.
"Of course you are," it responded swiftly. "What is your request, Controller?" the Guardian repeated.
"Can we leave this place?" Zach asked.
"You can leave the control room at your leisure, Controller. Would you like to?" the Guardian answered.
Almost in unison, both time loopers shouted "NO!", horrified at the prospect of returning into the crux of their nightly despair.
The Guardian, not taken aback in the slightest, simply nodded and waited for further instruction.
"Don't scare us like that, man!" Zach said. "Rather, I should've asked are we safe from the outside world? Can anyone other than us come here, or harm us in any way?"
"You are merely a projection in this place, hence I cannot guarantee that your physical bodies won't suffer from the hazards of the outside world. But rest assured, would your bodies sustain any kind of critical damages or would any tempering of your soul take place, I will withdraw your souls inside the Gate for safekeeping until the next iteration of the world. Your time here will remain uninhibited, though if such a situation arises and the sanctity of your physical vessels cannot be assured, you won't be able to leave without triggering the reset as I cannot re-anchor your souls back to your bodies if they are not sufficiently intact.
Furthermore, no one except the Controller can access the control room uninvited."
A weight lifted off their shoulders as the Guardian finished his explanation. They were safe. Finally, out of reach from the clutches of the maids.
"Is this the exit of the time loop? Is it possible to leave the world of In-Between from here?" Zorian asked.
The Guardian shook its head.
"I'm sorry, but the gate is barred."
"What?" Zach protested. "What the hell do you mean 'the gate is barred'?"
"The Controller has already left the time loop," the Guardian explained. "It's not possible for anyone else to leave."
There was a brief silence as Zach and Zorian processed this claim.
"But I thought we were the Controller," Zach protested.
"You are the Controller," the Guardian agreed easily.
"But you just said the Controller has left the time loop," Zorian frowned.
"He has," the Guardian confirmed.
"Why is the time loop still in existence, then?" Zorian asked.
"The time loop cannot end while the Controller is still inside the time loop," the Guardian said.
"So the Controller has left the time loop, but you can't end the time loop because the Controller is still in the time loop?" Zach asked incredulously. "Don't you realize how stupid that sounds?"
"I don't think we're dealing with a sapient being," Zorian said. "It must be some kind of animated spell performing its function and getting confused that there are multiple Controllers when only one is supposed to exist. Like we theorized, you must be the original time looper. Red Robe and I were probably just accidents, bugs in the system. Guardian, how many people are you talking with right now?"
"Only the Controller can access this place," the guardian placidly answered.
Well, fuck.
"So wait…" Zach said in a trembling voice. "You're saying…"
"Red Robe... he must've found a way to trick the control room, passing as the original looper," Zorian sighed, massaging his temples. "We were right... he already left long ago. And now we know why he was in such a hurry, even though it seemed so stupid at the time... No one else can leave now..."
Just when I thought things were getting better...
Suddenly, the entire void trembled violently.
It shook, a deafening sound resounded within the ethereal reality as if being battered repeatedly by an almighty god. The assault was unrelenting, getting worst and worst with every hit. The very darkness that encompassed the featureless space seemed to scream. The stillness of the abyss broke apart as hues of every shade of black shifted and merged chaotically without rhymes or reasons. Almost like the world itself tried to prepare for whatever was to come, or maybe contorting in absolute agony as it was trashed mercilessly
Then, after what felt like an eternity, a crack in their reality appeared. Barely noticeable at first.
Another thud made the entire world jolt.
The fracture widened. As it did, something began to seep through its interstice. Nothing physical, only a sensation. The prelude of catastrophe.
When the aura reached the time travelers, the boys felt their hearts drop into their chests. Almost suffering from catatonic shock. Every hair on their immaterial-bodies stood up as their muscles and throat tightened up to an absurd degree. Barely able to move at all, they could only witness in horror the true monster that slowly descended upon their realm.
No, the term monster wouldn't even scratch the surface. A monster was still a concept human psyche could comprehend. This...that was something else. Something that utterly overshadowed anything they had ever seen, ever heard, ever imagined. The combined might of Quatach-Ichl the millennial lich, Oganj the mightiest dragon-mage and of the monstrous maids would hardly even amount to a speck in front of the calamity that was approaching.
Yet again, a deafening strike made the void tremble. It was now possible to roughly make out the forms behind the fissure. A mosaic of deep purple hues swirled rapidly.
The Guardian of the Threshold hadn't moved from its place. It seemed frozen, erratically shifting from time to time before stopping dead in its tracks, completely incapable of determining what course of action it should undertake. Almost like something was preventing it from moving in accordance to its instructions.
Finally, a last thunderous and almighty blow shook the world one finale time as the fissure shattered, exploding into a gaping hole in reality. The menacing oval shape of purple illuminating faintly the darkness of the void now clearly visible to everybody.
From the meanders of this purple abyss, He appeared.
As He set foot upon the domain of the Guardian of the Threshold, the tumultuous and chaotic world regained its former stillness, afraid to attract His attention.
A torrent of power washed over the void. One of pure malice, unbridled despair and absolute evil.
The almighty being stood grand and tall, far above the rest —literally and metaphorically. A long and magnificent robe of unknown materials flowed gently behind him, that of which even the gods would be jealous of. In his hand was a golden scepter —depicting intertwining serpents with gems in their mouths— radiating impossible powers, seemingly distorting the very air around it with its vile aura. Within his torso laid a red orb, it pulsated with life as if countless souls of innocents swirled within. Its body was that of a skeleton. Not a decrepit pile of broken bones barely held together through necromantic means, but rather impossibly sturdy and impeccable pearly white bones whose, under other circumstances, would shine gloriously under the midday sun and bring glory to entire nations.
Zorian did not need to think to understand who it was. The name, erroneous as it may be, inadvertently escaped his lips as the boy shivered like a leaf in a tornado.
"Ain Ol Gon—"
Voilà!
Hope you liked it.
Next chapter, we'll finally switch to Nazarick's POV in this whole ordeal. I should've done it sooner, since some confusion about past events/characters seem to have slipped through the cracks of the story. My bad!
Thanks for the reviews, I try to answer to most questions/comments by DM (Ashkyy *wink**wink*).
It's all for tonight! See you next time! ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ