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"What?" Drake demanded.
"You heard me," Ultear said, hands on her hips. "Undress, all of you."
Nashi had no idea what Ultear was talking about. First she'd been extremely vague about why she had taken so long too join them at the gate, and now that they had walked all the way to a different town and slept all the way until noon, Ultear seemed to be ready to share.
"I heard you," Damien said rubbing his head. "I'm just confused as to what this has to do with anything." Ultear rolled her eyes.
"Trust me, okay?" She asked. "This is going to work, I hope."
"So you're not even sure, then." Elise said, arms crossed. Ultear made a face.
"I already did it too myself, and it worked. So it's your turn now." Nashi just wanted to know what the hell she was planning on. Same as everyone else, which explained why no one was following her commands.
"Just tell us what you're going to do once we're naked, for God sake." Drake said, arms crossed as well. "I'm not just going to get naked for you without a reason." Ultear rolled her eyes.
"If I hadn't prefaced my demand with saying it could say your life I'm sure you would," she mumbled. This made Drake narrow his eyes at her. "Look, just trust me! I'm going to make us twice as strong."
"How?" Simon asked. "Ul, we're just asking for a reason." Ultear threw up her arms in defeat and looked to him.
"It was supposed to be a surprise, but jeez you guys are so questioning." She said. She reached over to the beside table and picked up her book on Arc of Time.
"Did you find a spell?" Nashi asked.
"Did I ever," Ultear replied, flipping it open to it's bookmark. "You guys have heard of our Second Origins, right?"
"That's the second reservoir of magic wizards have right?" Steph asked. Ultear nodded.
"Exactly, and my namesake found a way to use Arc of Time to forcefully draw it out of us." This caused the room to go silent. If what Ultear was saying was true, then Nashi assumed that this would cause them to gain strength extremely quickly. Nashi could only assume that Ultear's strength had gone up a whole lot, but she hadn't really felt any difference in her magic power. Was it too insignificant, or could Nashi just not feel it?
"So, it worked for you?" Damien demanded. Ultear nodded.
"Damn right it did. I'm a whole lot more powerful than a day or two ago."
"Okay so why do we have to strip?" Elise asked. Ultear turned to her.
"Because I have to draw magic symbols all over your bodies," she said. "Not over the clothes, either. So get everything but your underwear off, and we can get to work. We don't have time to be arguing about this." Silence fell over the group, but nobody undressed as ordered. After a few more seconds of silence, Drake groaned and shed his coat, and then pulled his shirt over his head.
"This better fucking work," he hissed as he pulled the shirt all the way off and tossed it aside as well. Ultear walked towards him with a smirk.
"Bashful, Drakey?" She asked. Drake scoffed and began to unbutton his pants.
"You wish," he replied, dropping his pants. This made Nashi a tad uncomfortable, along with Elise and Steph. Simon and Damien, however, didn't seem phased. Nashi watched Ultear flipping through her book, muttering to herself.
"Alright so, let's get this started." She said. She raised a hand to Drake's chest, and it began to glow. Nashi watched as she drew bright red marks across Drake's chest, and then more down his body along his abs.
"What exactly does this do?" Drake asked, watching her work.
"It's the magic symbols that help draw out your Second Origin." She said. "Don't move, I've got to draw these right." Drake seemed to be trying to stay rigid, but he fidgeted a few times that seemed to irritate Ultear. After a few minutes of drawing symbols up and down Drake, Ultear stood up and reached for her book.
"We good?" Drake asked. Ultear slowly nodded.
"Yep," she said. "We can start now."
"So what exactly happens now?" Simon asked. Ultear looked up at Drake and raised her hand. It began to glow, and soon the marks all over Drake's body.
"Now, the magic symbols will draw into Drake's Second Origin, and force it out for usage," she said. "That's what the glow is."
"Huh, I feel kinda lightheaded," Drake said, swaying back and forth a little bit.
"Once he reaches a certain point in the process, the magic will actually attempt to draw out his Second Origin," Ultear replied, reading from her book. "This is usually signalled by-"
"GAAAH!" Nashi jumped as Drake collapsed to the ground and writhed in pain, saliva dripping from his mouth. Nashi watched in horror as this process continued, the others also staring in shock. Ultear just watched with a pained expression.
"Signalled by excruciating pain that lasts the rest of the process," Ultear finished, leaning down and picking Drake up, who seemed to be in so much pain he could barely move. She laid him down on the body, and all he did was writhe and groan in pain.
"Holy fuck..." Steph whispered, a hand over her mouth.
"Yeah, it's pretty bad." Ultear said. "So, who's next?" Nobody spoke up. "Come on guys, don't make Drake go at it alone."
"I'm not super excited to be in pain, you know." Damien muttered, moving to remove his shirt. "Let's get this over with." Nashi watched him and the others slowly resign to it and remove their clothes.
She, however, didn't.
"If they ever try too, I will not promise that again."
The words of END came back to Nashi as she watched Drake writhe in pain. She had promised too not attack her friends, but how could Nashi be sure? Would END not stand for a certain amount of punishment? Was that something she needed to worry about?
"Nashi, get undressed." Nashi was torn from her thoughts as Ultear said this. She turned to see the girl drawing marks on Elise's legs. "We don't have all day, you know."
"...I-I don't know if this is a good idea," she said, putting her hands up in front of her. "It looks pretty painful."
"It is," Ultear replied, meeting her gaze. "But we don't have a choice, so get naked." Nashi gulped at this. She needed a second to clear her head. Ask END, even.
"I-I need to get some air," she said. "I promise I won't take long." Ultear looked concerned for her, and Nashi guessed it was pretty apparent she was acting weird. That didn't really surprise her in the slightest, the past week or so had changed her life completely.
"...Alright, fine." Ultear conceded. "Take five, and then come back. You're not getting out of this, got it?"Nashi nodded weakly, and made for the door without looking at any of the others. She knew she'd made them worry. But at the same time she felt she had very little choice. Besides, Nashi had hope END wouldn't make this too hard on her.
Escaping the hotel, Nashi walked down the street and weaved in between all the locals. She wasn't sure if she needed to concentrate in order to talk to END, but she'd rather get into a more secluded area just in case she did. Looking around, Nashi saw a small garden area ahead of her, and she decided that would have to do. Walking towards it, Nashi took a moment to appreciate the flowers and trees. It was a rather nice looking area.
Walking towards a bench she saw near her, Nashi sat down and took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she did her best to concentrate and think about END. She needed to talk, and sooner rather than later.
"You wish to speak with me?" Nashi's concentration was nearly thrown out the window from the sudden response echoing in her head.
"Uh, hi." Nashi managed weakly, murmuring to herself. "I, uh, didn't think you'd respond so quickly."
"And why not?"
"Uh..." She really didn't have a reason why, she just figured. It just hadn't seemed this easy in her mind. "Not really any reason."
"As you say," she replied. "What did you wish to talk about?" Taking a deep breath, Nashi hoped END would see logic.
"Well you said that you see and hear everything I do, so I assume you heard what Ultear was saying about Second Origin."
"I did."
There was silence in Nashi's mind after this, and it confused her greatly. Was that all she was going too say?
"...And?" She asked.
"And what?"
"What do you think? I need to go through with it in order to defeat The Olympians, but it's going to cause me unbelievable pain. And given what you've said about me being in pain, you'd go after Ultear for it. What should I do?"
"So in order to defeat these Olympians, you believe in necessary to undertake Ultear's spell."
"Well, yeah." There was silence again, and Nashi waited for END to say something.
"I see. In order to protect yourself more efficiently, you must go through opening your Second Origin." She said. "I do not see a problem with this."
"...R-Really?" Nashi asked. "You're okay with it?"
"I am not excited about having to sit idle while you are in pain, but I understand that this is something that must be done." She said. "How painful is it going to be?"
"Well...Pretty bad," Nashi replied. "Drake can't even move from the pain, and I assume the others are suffering just as badly." There was silence at this. "Is that okay?"
"...Than we must do this," END said. "I'm not going to try anything. Also, I had a thought."
"Want to share?" Nashi asked.
"You wish to be strong enough to defeat The Olympians," She said. "Do you not believe that I am strong enough to take them on?" Nashi didn't reply to this right away, as she was unsure what she believed. She knew, at least she assumed, END was very, very powerful. But was she stronger than The Olympians? She didn't know.
I...I don't know," Nashi replied, wrapping her hands together tightly. "But I'd rather be as prepared as I can as oppose to taking a risk on you."
"I see. Quite a logical approach to the situation." END replied. "If you wish to open your Second Origin, then do not worry. I won't act out due to the pain." Nashi smiled weakly.
"Thank you," she said. "I appreciate the cooperation."
"Shall I do so against The Olympians? Or will you handle that on your own?" Nashi's smile faded as she considered this. She wasn't sure what to say, but END was waiting for an answer.
"I'll...I'll hand over control if I need too," Nashi replied. "Please don;t just take it from me."
"Understood. Is that all?"
"Yes, that's it. Thank you again." Nashi got no response at this, so she assumed their conversation was over. She sat there by herself for a moment, pondering their conversation. She knew she should head back to the hotel, as she had promised Ultear she wouldn't take long. Standing and making her way back, Nashi felt much calmer knowing that END wasn't going to cause her any trouble.
Once she'd opened the door to their hotel room, Nashi was greeted by the sight of five of her friends writhing on the beds and the floors, none of them being able to move. All of them had the glowing red markings all over their bodies, and Ultear was sitting on a chair in the corner, nose buried in her Arc of Time book. Nashi closed the door slowly, and Ultear looked up.
"You're back," she said. "Are you ready?" Nashi nodded weakly.
"I suppose so," she replied. "Are you?" Ultear nodded, so Nashi started by taking off her scarf and discarding it too the side.
"Don't worry," Ultear said with a smile as Nashi removed her shirt as well. "It'll be over before you know it."
"I get the feeling that isn't entirely true," Nashi replied, chuckling weakly. Ultear shrugged.
"Well, you'll lose track of time because the pain's so intense." She replied. "Is that close enough?" Nashi frowned as her pants dropped to around her ankles and she kicked them aside.
"I suppose so," she replied. Ultear chuckled and leaned forward, her hand glowing. Nashi watched as she drew the red markings across her upper body, stomach turning as she did so. The muffled grunts and groans of pain next to her wasn't making this any easier to agree too. Ultear took her time drawing the marks, only stopping to occasionally check the book in her other hands to make sure she hadn't messed up.
"Alright, I'm done." She said after a few minutes had passed. "You might want to sit down, Nashi." Nashi nodded and sat down in the second chair in the room, sighing and leaning back a little.
"Let's just get this over with,"she muttered. Ultear nodded and snapped her fingers, which caused the marks to glow. At first Nashi felt light headed, which almost felt nice. Almost therapeutic given how stressed she'd been recently.
After that, well, Nashi couldn't even tell once every one of her senses ignited in pain.
"Drake? You there man?" Drake felt a groan escape his lips. How long had he been out for? All he remembered was Ultear activating the spell, and feeling a little lightheaded. After that, nothing but darkness. And pain.
"What?"He asked. weakly. He heard a chuckle.
"Sit up you big baby." Drake didn't want too, because his instincts told him it would hurt. Regardless, Drake did as he was told and slowly sat up, He felt a little sore, but otherwise okay. Opening his eyes, Drake saw Ultear kneeling over the bed in front of him.
"Ul?" He asked. She smiled.
"Morning sunshine," she said. "Or should I say good night?" Drake made a face.
"So, did it work?" He asked.
"You tell me," she replied, moving off the bed. "How do you feel?" Drake rubbed his neck, assessing himself.
"Good," he replied. "Great, actually." Ultear nodded, smiling.
"Use a little magic, make a ball of poison in your hand." She said. Drake nodded and exerted himself slightly. He yelped in surprised as poison exploded outward from his hand, bigger and more powerful but still very much controlled. Drake played with it in awe before it disappeared.
"Woah," he said. "I barely did anything." Ultear nodded.
"You're welcome," she said. "Now, get up and get dressed. So we can make more room for the others." Drake looked up and noted that all the others were still out. All of them were covered in red marks and writhing around on the one other free bed, but Nashi was in the seat on the other side of the room. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she was gripping the armrests tightly.
"Wow, it looks as painful as it felt," he said. Ultear nodded.
"It is, we would know." Drake agreed. He barely remembered the true extent of the pain, but he knew it was bad. "Now hurry up, I need you to help me with Simon and Damien." Drake did as he was told and grabbed for his clothes, throwing them back on as quick as he could. He wanted to take a shower, but he'd do that once he was done helping Ultear. He sensed she wouldn't let him just walk off.
Once he had gotten himself dressed, Drake walked over and helped Ultear pull Simon off of the bed and put him on the other one, and then Damien.
"Fuck they're heavy," Drake grunted as he did his best to hold Damien up. Ultear nodded.
"Which is why I needed your help," she said. "I couldn't have lifted them on my own." Drake finally managed to get Damien onto the other bed and sighed, wiping his forehead on his sleeve. It had been pretty hard work, but he;'d gotten him onto i-
"Gah!"
Drake made a face and turned around, looking at Ultear and the others.
"Did you say something?" He asked. Ultear turned, making a face at him.
"No," he replied. "Why?" Drake frowned.
"I could've sworn I heard someone grunt..." He replied. "I heard it pretty clearly."
"I think your hearing things," Ultear replied, raising an eyebrow. "Things that aren't actually here, I mean." Drake frowned.
"I suppose so..."
"Ah, shit..." Drake then heard this voice curse. Who was talking? "I know she said this would hurt, but I didn't think it would be this bad."
Drake knew the voice.
Drake looked over at Nashi, watching her closely. She didn't react to his gaze. She still had her eyes clamped shut and probably had no idea what was going on. But why did Drake hear her voice?
Walking over, Drake knelt down in front of Nashi. She once again didn't react, but he kept his eyes on her. He knew it was her voice he heard.
"Nashi?" He asked lowly. "Are you there?"
"I promised I would protect her, but I didn't think I'd have to sit through pain like this..."
"Nashi?" Drake asked louder. "Nashi, are you there?"
"Drake what the hell are you doing?" Ultear demanded from behind him. Drake looked over his shoulder at her.
"Nashi's saying stuff," he said,. "I can hear her." Ultear rolled her eyes.
"Drake, she isn't saying anything." She told him. "Your magic got stronger, so your Sound Magic did too. You're probably listening to her mind right now without noticing it. Please work on that."
"Oh, right." Drake felt stupid now. Of course it was Nashi's thoughts and not her speaking up. But why was she saying such weird shit? Was she caught up in the pain? Must have been it. Looking back at her, Drake scanned her pained expression for any sign of cognition. He saw nothing, so he turned and returned to helping Ultear. He also made a conscious effort to shut off his sound magic.
"I'll handle the pain. For you."
...What the hell is she thinking about?
That's good for now. Hopefully a notification goes out. I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try to get five!
Chapter 272: Long Road Ahead