ToC - Chapter 2 - Dal Sengo al Coda

Kiara lunged in first, trying to crush the being beneath her fiery blade. They moved out of the way of the attack, letting it crash into the ground. Sparks and embers flew into the air.

"Th-They're incredibly strong, Kiara!" Ina warned her friend. Kiara heard her, but did not respond. Gura took her eyes off the fight and looked back down at Ina.

"Can you make sure Calli's ok?" she asked. Ina nodded, picking herself up. Another explosion of fire erupted in front of them, as Kiara missed another strike. Ina quickly ran over to the hole that Calli had created in the building and began to call out her name. The sounds of fighting outside almost covered up the weak reply to her searching.

"O-over h-here…" Calli responded before starting to cough violently. Ina rushed over and saw that Calli was laying on her back, breathing hard. Thankfully, nothing was pinning her down or impaling her. She was trying to sit up, but couldn't get her arms underneath her. Ina helped her sit up and lay against something.

"You ok, Calli?" she asked. Calli looked over at her and blinked several times, neither shaking nor nodding her head. She coughed a couple more times, letting blood run out the side of her mouth and down her chin. This was easily the most pain she had ever been in.

"N-no…" she said quietly, trying not to agitate her cough. Ina glanced behind her, looking at the fire, water, and steam that was being thrown around just outside. "A-are Kiara and G-Gura h-here…?" Calli asked, seeing this, too. Ina looked back at her and nodded.

"They got here just in time," she said, sounding very relieved to have back up. It was unlikely they would have survived for any longer against whatever this thing was. Calli reached up and grabbed Ina's arm firmly.

"G-go with them. I'm going t-to go b-back to the Und-derworld…" Calli told her, "There's is s-something I-I need t-to look int-to…" Ina put a hand over top of Calli's.

"Will you be ok to do that?" Ina asked, concerned that Calli might stress her body a little too much. Calli raised her other hand and summoned her scythe into it.

"I-I'll manage…" she responded with a slight, reassuring smirk. Ina nodded and stood up. She walked back out of the building and observed the intense fighting happening outside.

Kiara swung one of her wings into the figure, but the fire was unable to get close enough to burn them. Her wing was partially extinguished, causing her to lose control for a moment. The being did not hesitate and tried to launch a counterattack on Kiara.

Gura leapt onto the figure's outstretched arm before they could hit Kiara. She swung the shaft of her trident at their head, but the figure leaned away and avoided it. They yanked their arm away from Gura and tried to kick her.

Ina blasted her leg into the ground with a spell. For a moment, white stockings and black high heels could be seen beneath the cloak. Gura threw herself at the figure, swinging her trident like a staff. Ina went over to Kiara to make sure she was ok. The Phoenix had landed fairly roughly.

"Calli's fine, but she won't be fighting anymore," she told her. Kiara sighed, standing back up before wincing. Her left forearm was still missing and she had a fair dozen cuts on her now. The previous fight had already worn her down to the bone, so this one was grinding those bones into a paste. She couldn't keep this up for much longer.

"W-We have to kill them, now!' Kiara panted, out of breath. She stood back up, as tall as her body would allow, and stared at the dark figure and Gura. Both were throwing punches that sent shockwaves through the air and cracked the concrete. However, it was clear that Gura was slowing down. All of them were worn out.

Ina thought hard about what they could do to defeat them. At the very least, they had to disengage from the fight. She could maybe teleport herself with her remaining magic, but doing so with Gura and Kiara would be nearly impossible. Kiara would most likely insist on fighting anyways, so them running wasn't an option.

That meant that she had to teleport their opponent away instead.

'Even if our magic worked on them,' AO-chan said, 'They are simply too strong to be teleported with our current magic.' Ina shook her head and furrowed her brow. Not only did she have to touch them and get through whatever magic immunity they seemingly had, but she also didn't have the magic necessary to even teleport them.

So they had to fight…

"Let's try our best…" Ina said, lacking any sort of confidence in her voice. She knelt down and pressed a hand against the ground. The concrete underneath the figure suddenly surged upwards and engulfed one of their legs. They were unable to move for a second, allowing Gura to land a solid blow on their stomach. They grabbed the trident and prepared to pull it from Gura's grasp.

Kiara flew in and blasted their head with as much fire as she could muster. Gura covered herself in water to avoid being burned. The being grunted, feeling pain from their attacks for the first time.

"Enough…" they mumbled. Gura heard this and tried to get away. She successfully got her trident free, but she wasn't fast enough to put any meaningful distance between them. Through the fire, the figure threw a powerful punch. Flames scattered all around them, littering the sidewalk, road, and exterior of a nearby building.

Gura caught a glimpse of the figure's heterochromatic eyes before the cloak reformed. They burned with self righteous fury and she was the target. Time moved slowly for her, as the punch closed in. She attempted to get her trident up to deflect or block the attack. She just barely managed it, getting the trident in between herself at the fist.

But the trident was useless. It instantly shattered under the force of the punch.

Gura felt her jaw and cheek bones crack, as her neck strained to keep her head attached to her body. She tumbled through the air until the ground met back up with her several dozen feet later. She bounced and skidded along the concrete, her skin painfully scraping away.

And then she laid there, staring up at the dark and cloudy sky. She reached a blood drenched hand upwards, as the edges of her vision slowly crept inwards. Her hand dropped to the ground and her head rolled to the side. She saw Kiara and Ina still fighting the cloaked being. Her mouth slowly opened, but the words never fully formed before she passed out.

'I'm sorry, you guys…'

Ina glanced over at Gura's unconscious body. AO-chan assured her that her friend was just unconscious, but that she needed medical attention soon. She was not going to survive if left like that.

Kiara screamed, fighting as hard as she could. But, she still did not have the strength to overcome her opponent. Even at her maximum power, in her true form, she doubted that she could win.

The figure raised their hand at Kiara, who was swooping in for another wing attack. Kiara was suddenly halted in the air. An invisible force ensnared her and stopped her from moving even an inch. Not that it really mattered, as she was frozen in fear, as well.

She was just as helpless against them as she had been when the Anchor was attacked…

The moment after she was grabbed, she was thrown back the way she came. The figure shot after her so fast that Ina didn't even realize they had moved.

The figure caught up to Kiara in the blink of an eye. The Phoenix's eyes were wide, looking the exact same as when the two had first met.

They punched her stomach, her arms, her legs, her throat, and finally her head. Kiara's body was brutalized by the series of blows.

And with a push from the invisible force, she was sent crashing into the ground below. Ina created a barrier to soften the impact, like what she had done for Calli. However, a massive explosion still erupted from where Kiara had landed. The glass of nearby buildings was shattered and the crater was at least a yard deep.

Kiara breathed softly and shallowly, having passed out even before hitting the ground. The figure slowly floated down to her, aiming to finish the job.

"HEY!" Ina screamed at them, trying to get their attention. She could at least buy herself a couple more moments to think of a way out. Maybe she could still bargain with them… The figure turned their head, so Ina assumed they were looking in her direction now. "What do you want?! Why are you doing this?!" The being floated just above Kiara's unconscious body, a wisp of dark flame dancing from their fingertips.

"I am removing obstacles that stand in the way of hope," they answered. Ina felt the tiniest bit of relief that at least they were talking.

"We aren't standing in your way anymore," she tried to negotiate, "We pose no threat to you, so leave us be and you will never see us again." Ina knew this was a lie. Even if Calli was the sole survivor of this fight, she would never stop hunting this being until one of them was dead. If anyone else survived, they would join her.

"I do not plan on letting you stand in my way," they said, cryptically. Ina felt hopelessness drip down her spine. A cold hand was suddenly wrapped around Ina's mouth. The being had moved towards Ina faster than the she could comprehend.

Their grip was insanely tight, almost caving her jaw in with the force. She was picked up off her feet and held a few inches above the ground. She tried to teleport out of their grip, but she felt the spell get pulled right out of her mind. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free from their grasp.

"LET INA GO!" Kiara screamed from next to them. The being looked to their right, as Kiara's sword was inches from slicing into their face. They didn't move a muscle and yet the flaming blade bounced away harmlessly, leaving Kiara and Ina shocked.

In the tiny space between the flames and the being's cloak, a purple barrier had appeared. They had used one of Ina's spells to defend themselves.

Kiara did not stop, using her newly reversed momentum to throw a kick at them. This time, they moved their free arm slightly to project a barrier. Kiara's kick bounced off just like last time. She tried to swing her sword in for another attack, but the being moved their hand right up to Kiara's face.

Dozens of magic circles filled with an incomprehensible amount of symbols and glyphs appeared. Ina knew the last two barrier spells had been stronger than she could ever hope to achieve. However, this was far stronger than even that. Dark flames flowed down their arm and combined with the spell.

Kiara stared wide eyed at the spell being formed in front of her. She tried to move, but the invisible force once again held her in place.

She was going to die if that hit her.

Permanently.

The spell erupted into a bright beam surrounded by dark flames. Kiara felt the skin on her face and arm begin to boil from the heat. Even the hottest flame she could create wouldn't so much as singe her, so that heat was beyond even her. She looked over at Ina, knowing this would be the last thing she ever saw.

But Ina wasn't going to let Kiara die here.

She barely wrapped her fingers around the being's arm and pulled with all her strength. It moved the tiniest bit, but it was enough. Kiara closed her eyes and tensed her muscles.

The beam still hit her, but not head on. She cried out in pain, as she was thrown up into the air and crashed through a building window. The entire ride side of her body had been scorched, but she was alive.

The rest of the beam flew up into the air, catching the edge of another building. The portion that the beam hit directly was atomized by the heat and the areas near the beam melted to slag. The spell faded to small embers of light and dark flames.

The being immediately grabbed Ina's arm and twisted it behind the Priestess' back. Her wrist and lower arm cracked, making Ina cry into the cold hand that was still gripping her mouth.

"Your spells are quite interesting. I have never met a Priestess face to face before," they said, sounding pissed off that Ina had prevented them from killing Kiara, "How you have withstood the Ancient Ones' corruption I will have to figure out myself." Ina felt a sharp pain shoot through her skull and she passed out.

Ina felt the all too familiar sensation of a cold, black liquid slowly rising up her legs. Her breathing became erratic, as panic began to truly set in. Small tears ran down her face.

Her mind was being invaded again.

"Ina!" the voice of AO-chan called out to her. Ina looked up at the black void above.

"AO…" Ina started to call back, but stopped halfway. She had been here not too long ago and had been played like a fiddle. She did not want that to happen again.

"Let us have control for a moment. We think we can-"

"I'm not going to let you escape like the last ones did!" Ina interrupted her patrons. The liquid had already risen up to her hips. She had very little time.

"If you die we will be set free, but that thing is not planning on letting any of us survive!" AO-chan replied quickly, "We think we can turn the tables and invade their head instead! Maybe we can stun them long enough for you to escape!" Ina thought about that for a moment. There was no way she was going to leave any of her friends here.

"Teleport that thing away while they are stunned," Ina said, "I don't care how much magic it takes."

"In your current shape, that could kill you, Ina…" AO-chan said.

"Why would you care? If I die and there's no threat around, you'll just find another human to corrupt. You won't even have to listen to their commands." The liquid was nearing Ina's shoulders, but she didn't care right now. These could be the last words she ever spoke.

"We do not want to leave you, Ina," AO-chan responded, surprising Ina, "When you first met us, we were desperate. We had no idea how we had become injured and were looking for anyway to survive. Our Priest gave up his body in the hope that we would survive and carry him as a part of us."

"My name is Henry." A singular voice spoke out from the rest. Ina recognized it as the voice of the Priest. The dark liquid splashed against her chin and she smiled.

"Do what you gotta do." Ina took one last breath and was submerged beneath the liquid.

Gura's eyes slowly opened. She could feel a dull, but intense pain lurking in the back of her mind. It was going to get worse eventually. She put her elbows underneath herself and shakily sat up. Stings of pain shot up her arms, as her wounds pressed against the broken concrete beneath her.

The world around her was hazy. Her vision was out of focus and wobbly at best. Everything around her blended into a cloudy mess of basic colors and shapes. There was one that stood out from the others, though.

There was a small purple blob a fair distance away from her. Her eyes were drawn to the shape, as it became more clear what she was looking at.

A darker shape split from the purple one. It looked like it was holding the purple one up, actually. Something about this scene did not sit well with Gura.

Something crashed into the ground behind the shapes. A shape vaguely similar to a cloud of dust rose into the air. A small orange dot approached the purple and black shapes from the other side.

Gura's vision began to sharpen faster. The purple and orange shapes morphed into the more recognizable forms of Ina and Kiara. The black shape stayed mostly a shape, but it became clear what it actually was.

Primal instincts gripped her limbs, forcing Gura to stand up from the ground. She cried in pain, feeling her bones creak and her muscles ache under the stress. But this was fine with her.

She needed to help Ina.

Kiara stumbled towards Ina, as well. To say she was pissed would be an understatement. She was furious. Most of her magic was used by this point, so the heat radiating from her was pure hatred for the being in front of her.

The stump of her left arm pressed against her right shoulder, stopping the flow of blood from getting too bad. Her right arm hung limp at her side, covered in raw, bubbling skin. Most of her right side was badly burned, but not as bad as her arm. The right side of her face was burnt, but her eye was fine. Blood dripped down her chin and onto the ground, creating a small trail behind her.

She had jumped off of the building out of instinct. Her wings hadn't opened like she had expected, so she ended up crashing into the ground painfully. It was nothing compared to what she had just gone through, though.

The tiny amount of magic that she had left was being channeled into her sword. She held the grip of it in her mouth, as both her hands were out of commission by this point. The flaming blade flickered, threatening to extinguish at any moment. But Kiara wouldn't let it go out. Not yet…

Not while they were still alive.

Kiara got to the being first. She tried to swing her sword at their neck, but as soon as she got within a couple feet she was thrown backwards. It wasn't a very aggressive force, especially when compared with what she had experienced earlier. However, it was enough to stop her attack and knock her over. She fell to the ground. The sword dropped from her mouth, clattering onto the concrete next to her.

Frustrated by this, Kiara stood up and threw herself at the being. To her surprise, she wasn't repelled by the invisible force. She crashed into the being, who didn't so much as flinch from the push. Kiara rolled off of them and landed back on the ground.

Gura noticed this and picked up a piece of rubble and threw it at the being. It was also not repelled, smashing into their arm. It didn't deal any damage, but they could hit them now.

Kiara grabbed her sword with her teeth again, but did not put any magic into it. She swung it again and successfully hit the being in the head. They moved slightly under the impact.

Gura threw another piece of rubbled, hitting them in the leg this time. She quickly closed the rest of the distance between them and punched the being in the jaw. Kiara tried to hit them with her sword again, but Gura's punch was finally enough to garner attention from them.

Both girls were knocked backwards by a shockwave. They both landed hard on the ground, feeling the pain of their injuries slice through their bodies. The being looked at Gura before turning to Kiara, eyeing them up.

"If you wish to die so quickly…" they said, raising their free arm towards Kiara yet again. Even without the force holding her in place, she had no way of avoiding the attack.

"You're not finished with us, yet," Ina said. However, this voice was not Ina's. It was a mix of hundreds or even thousands of others that overlapped each other. The being turned back to Ina and saw that the Priestess' eyes had turned completely purple.

A small tentacle wrapped around the being's free hand, pulling it away from Kiara. When they tried to move it, they were unable to. Another tentacle removed the hand that was covering Ina's mouth. A final, larger tentacle smacked the being in the face.

Their cloak suddenly fell away into a dark mist, revealing their entire body for the first time. Their clothes were a gradient that shifted from white to black. A Reddish-purple skirt sat on their hips and several similarly colored ornaments hung from various parts of their clothes. Six crystals formed small white and black wings behind them. Two large, black horns and a star-filled halo adorned the top of their head.

Both their eyes were wide with surprise. The left one was dark blue and the right was light purple.

A dark purple mist enveloped them.

And they vanished into it.

The purple mist dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

Ina dropped to the ground, joining her other two friends.

It was over.

Author's Note: Well that was kind of brutal. I almost feel bad for them :) This fight was Myth's biggest obstacle so far and they just barely escaped. Gura's trident is now completely shattered and half of Kiara's body is badly burnt. It could have been worse, though.

The little moment between Ina and AO-chan was my favorite thing to write so far. It doesn't seem like these Ancient Ones are the same as the last.

I wonder where IRyS got teleported...?

Next Chapter: Caesura of Despair

Any feedback/criticism is appreciated!