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Tournament of Champions 3 (The game has begun!)
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New Summary - Towards the Semifinals
Name: Aeryn Nox Lockhart
Age: 24
Skills: fourth page
Weaknesses: fourth page
During your life: Only the important points from now on
Studies (14 to 20 years) - ninth page
20 age - fifth page
. First mission - Aranita, Eos Manipulator - fifth page
. Second mission - Leviathan of Magic Depths - thirteenth page (part 1 and 2)
. Third mission - tenth page
. Fourth mission - coming soon
23 age - fifth page - 3rd Captain of Kingdom's Cavalry promotion
General Memories:
. Memories: Mikhail, the Red One - fifteenth page
. Memories: The primordial forge - fifteenth page
Tournament of Champions 3:
24 age - She traveled and was chosen for Tournament of Champions 3 - third page
. Dakros x Aeryn by Jonteman93 - seventh page
. An unexpected visit (or not so much) - tenth page
. Brynn x Aeryn by Jonteman93 - twelfth page
. A victory with the taste of defeat, but with a lot of honor and mystery - twelfth page
. Repercussions of Victory - Maycon and Marian - thirteenth page
. A small premise and The Consciousness - thirteenth page
. The next day - fourteenth page
. A new course for the Tournament and for the people of Vosanova - fifteenth page
. Kiserova - the face of war (part 1 and 2) - fifteenth page
. Final route - Ovan Nova - fifteenth page
It can't be true...
Nilani's hand gravitated to one of the wounds on her leg. Her whole body still ached.
Did Akuma know how much pain it took me to simply fight? Each step I took there was pain. Each spell I cast there was pain. Even in my mind, my memories are a source for this never ending pain. Will this ever stop? How can I heal my wounds if I just let them be cut again? Every faliure is a reminder of my past. I failed to fight today.
Nilani sighed.
I could end it. I could end all this pain and suffering now. I could die. It just takes one choice! So why am I trying to fight? Don't I want to be free from this? I was never pure hearted from the beginning. I was never powerful from the start. My life has just been me trying, but failing over and over again. Why?
Nilani looked at her right hand. There were small glowing lights swirling on the surface her palm. Nilani closed her palm. Extinguishing the light.
My life has just been me trying to prove myself. Recover from Mystus and his horrifying murder. If I don't, what's the point of all of this suffering?
Then, the teenager remembered something.
Akuma...she needs me! And, my village...wasn't I born as a protector? I cast a spell when I was young to protect my village. If I died because of my own selfish reasons, my magic would die with me! My family- my whole village needs me to continue...and I'm afraid that one more failiure will be too much for me to bear.
Nilani collapsed back into her bed.
I must fight. I must train. I cannot let Squrturglus defeat me. I cannot let the Red Queen triumph.
T̴̪͠h̵͎̃e̷̛͚ŕ̵̼e̸̲͗'̵͕̓ś̴̨ ̷̹͒n̷̢̿ö̴̡́ ̷̻͆e̶͚͘n̵̰̉d̷̟̍ ̶̯̾t̶͔̀o̷̪͋ ̴͔̍t̴͍͗h̴̩͊i̸͓͠s̵̳̒ ̶̰͐m̵͓̋a̶̮̚d̵̦̂n̷͍͝e̵̬̔s̴̟̏s̸̟͂.Ý̶̙o̸̙̾ụ̶́ȓ̶͚ ̸͕̔f̴͙̓i̷̬̕g̴̣͌h̷͉̓t̴͚̏ ̴̢̔w̸͔̍i̵̼͆l̷̥̀l̷͓̅ ̴̧̂ṕ̷͈r̷̫͘o̴̰̎v̸̟͆ê̴̩ ̴̪͗t̸͚̉ọ̵̇ ̴̧͝b̷̳̅ë̷͔́ ̶̮͋j̴̼̈u̸͚̽š̸̥t̴͔͋ ̶̨̕l̴̡̂ĩ̶͉k̵͇̈e̸̝͊ ̸͓̔t̷̢̂h̷̗͊ḛ̸͝ ̴̱̀p̷̳̑ȃ̴͓s̸͚͠t̶̛̫.
It won't! It can't!
Nilani closed her eyes sadly.
Tommorow, I'll come up with a strategy before my match. I can do this, right?
(jk, best of luck to both contestants!)
Niran was suspended midair, floating amidst an inky black ocean. She could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing. She was completely alone.
Without warning, an intense light shone in Niran’s face, burning her very eyes. She flinched, shielding her eyes from its blinding glare. Slowly, Niran looked more closely into the light, and saw the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in all of her life. It’s magnificence was indescribable, as though tempting Niran to reach up towards it. But she didn’t.
Niran saw no meaning in trying to reach for the light. It would forever be out of her reach, so what’s the point? She stared despondently upwards, not moving a single muscle.
The light grew only brighter, slowly shifting into a deep blood red. Something rumbled ominously in the distance, disturbing the sea of darkness. Waves of ichor splashed against Niran, searing parts of her back. Yet Niran paid no heed to the pain, instead looking at a titanic figure emerging from the depths. With sadistic glee, the figure gazed upon Niran, surveilling its new plaything to toy with. A giant hand grabbed Niran, pulling her towards the titan. Niran stared helplessly at her gargantuan captor, who was none other than Cirrina. She gave a look of pity, yet her piercing blue eyes seethed with a freezing hatred.
“Have you finally accepted your fate, my darling violin?”
Niran did not respond. It was not like she had a choice. She could fight relentlessly, kicking and screaming to the very end, until she was finally caught and showed how futile resisting was.
Or she could give in.
“Good. You are destined for great things, Niran.”
The colossal Cirrina was engulfed in a shadowy flame, transforming her into a behemoth of secrets and enigma. It stared blankly at Niran, before two pale orbs emerged from its head along with a cruel, jagged smile. It lifted her up to its gaping maw, swallowing the forlorn violinist and leaving her in a pitch black void.
H̸̬͚̘̘͇̮̘͔̣̻̙̬͔̙́̄̉͛́́͝ͅA̴̢̢̙̳͎̦̯͓̝̞̥̠͛̒̎͜.̴̼͔̲̑̃̈́͛̅̔̍̅̌̕̕.̸̡̢̝̥͚̝̜͍̱̼̩͙̻̒.̸̼͙̘͊͆̅̉͛͆͗
“Niran!”
̴̮̮͉̄͛͌̍̃̑͒͑́̕̕H̴̘͉͔̼̱̩͎̤͈̪͚̳̻̪̤͂̈̌͗́̽̊͒̐A̷̼̙̤̪̯̣͌̏͌̇̾̇̓͠͝.̶̦͓͈̬̗̦̎̈́̉̐̑̕.̷̛̪̲̣̦̆̂͌̋̈́̾͌̈́̀̒̌̒̅̚.̵̺̑̏͆̄͊̈́̏̀̌̉͘͠ ̶̛̜̰͚͕̱͉͍̬̬͚̦̼̥̭͉̉́͂̀̈́̋͘H̷̙̭͔̟̩̱͚̲̝̯̄͐̉̂͗͊̅̓͗̕͜͝A̶̹̿̊͋͑͂̐̐̑̈́̒͒͑͠.̵̨̧̛̙̣̞̣̺͇͎̰͗͌͊̓͛͂.̴̡̟̤̪̖̫͕̥͓̜͉̳̬̋̈́̐̌̄͑̀͘͜͝͝.̴̰̙͖̠̼̋̂̈́̌̊̈̓̄͊̀́̾
“Niran, can you hear me?”
̷̢̤̘̱̘̺̫͙͖͉̰͌̇̈́̇̈́́͗͗͆̏̑̐̇̚͘͜Ḩ̶̢̡̻̠̻̦̠͚̖̱̟̐͋̂A̷̡̡̺͉̰̜̤̦͍̼̫̹͈͛̆͌͆̔͋̕͜͜͠͝.̵̜̗̠͚̫̥̣̻̰͍̜̙͉͎̌̓̓͑͋̊̓̃̾̕͠.̶̳̪͖́̊̈́͗́̒̐̾̊̕͝.̵̛͍̰̠̻̊̑̽̀ ̷̺̖͊̐̌̐̀̕̕͠H̸̢͉̜̭̱̹̆͊̀̍̊͋͑͂́̏͘͘͘A̵̜͉̅́̽̍̂̌.̴̻̝̦͍̺͆̎̽̂̒.̴̢̧̯̻̙̻͕̫̞͉̋.̸͙̀̐ ̷̘̯̺͙̤̹̅̄͌̚Ḩ̶̡̩̩͔̹̺̣̫̭̙͆A̸̓̈̏̚͠ͅ.̶̻̥̺͚̜̻̥̼̮̈́͝.̷͖̻̣̪̘̭̖̮͔̣̝̓.̵̪̳͖̠͉̬͚͒̔̍̈́͋̃̑̽̂̂͐̾́͝͝ͅ
“Don’t give up! I know you’re strong!”
̴̛̤͎̲͇͉͓͓̲̹̯̙͖͕ͅH̴̡̳̯̙̜̮̗̯̄̀̅͆͆̀͑̚͘͝A̵̢̺̟̳̦̭͓̥̺͕̒͒̂Ḫ̵̛͔͇̃̈́̆̑̊͆̉͗̽͑̈́̇̕͝A̵̡͉̬͇͈͚̖͈̹̰͛͂̌̑͐̎̅̾̀̓̓̾̕H̷̹̼̭̃̇̈́̅A̴̧̛̝̬̖̮͎̬̻͎͌̅͊̈́̎̽͛̿̿̈́̓͌̀͜H̴̨̛̳̳̪̪̯̻̃̏̊͘͝Ȃ̷͓̻̣̪̼̮̘̟͔͙̼̪̻̘̱͆̈́͊̇̂̇̃̏H̵̡̢̻͚̠͓̤͙̣̜̙̦̦̉̍́̐̒̓̿͌̉͝ͅͅĄ̴̢͚͍̮͉̬̜̦̝̻͓̖̜̂̑̐̀͑͌͒̊͐͜H̷͕̬͛̅͌A̵̛̙̹̺̰̔̎̒̏́͛̄͒̃̎̚͠.̶̭͔̰̥̖͖͍͗̆͂͋́̀̆̈̆̎͝.̵̲̠̈́͝͠.̸̦̯̮̹̙̂́́͐̈́
WAKE UP!!!
Niran opened her eyes to see she was back in the manor, yet something was off. Standing at the side of her bed was a living shadow, its beady white eyes staring down at the once sleeping girl. Niran closed her eyes shut, trying to wake herself from a nightmare. Why did they continue to torment her even though she had given it everything it wanted?
“Niran! Thank the gods, you’re awake! It’s okay, it’s just me!”
Niran opened her eyes once again, and saw Bernadette standing by her side. Her relaxed demeanor was born out of relief, rather than nonchalance.
“You again? This is the second time you’ve come to visit me in this hellhole! Are you insane?!” Niran said. A wave of indignation pressed down her despair, fueling Niran with anger, if only temporarily.
“It’s honestly not that hard to sneak in and out here. These guys have worse security than my own mother!” Bernadette replied in defense.
“Your… your mother?!”
“Yeah! Crazy, I know…” Bernadette sarcastically remarked. “...She kept me locked up in my own room, only opening the door to bring in food and brush my hair. I hated it, but I couldn’t simply run out of the door the moment she opened it. No no, she had all sorts of traps and guards placed around. She had every nook and cranny secure!
“But I never gave up. Instead, I waited for years, patiently planning my escape. It was excruciating, but it paid off! I learned so many tricks over those years, and eventually when the opportunity came up—Whoosh! I was outta there.”
“I still don’t understand, why go through all that effort just to walk into another prison? They’re always watching me, surely they would’ve seen you too.” Niran asked. Bernadette’s smile faded.
“...I may not have been entirely truthful with you. You see, when I was walking out and about, I saw you staring out the window and couldn’t help but feel you for a moment there. You are just as I was, trapped and alone. I could also see a fire in your eyes; It was barely flickering, but it burned all the same. I just wanted to give you the right push so that you could rekindle that flame to reach your goals and beyond!”
“But I have no more goa—”
“And about you ‘always being watched,’ that’s just a scare tactic your warden is using to keep you docile! Well, there’s all the scry spells out and about too, but those can pretty easily messed with, if you get what I mea—”
“Bernadette, please!” Niran interrupted. “I’m not strong! I, I can’t… I can’t do it. I can’t run away from them anymore...”
Bernadette gave a reassuring smile, filled with a deep and caring warmth rather than an energetic enthusiasm. “Then don’t try to run away from what you don’t want, try running to what you do want instead! If I hadn’t held onto the belief that I could find freedom, I never would’ve left! Isn’t there anything you want?”
Niran looked down at her hands. She realized they had clenched into fists around her blanket without noticing beforehand. “...No… There’s nothing left for me to run to…”
“You at least had something you desired, right? It’s love and attention, isn’t it?”
“...”
“Sweet, I was right! What made you lose that goal?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Niran muttered quietly. Bernadette continued on, ignoring Niran’s request.
“But if I don’t know what happened, I’ll never be able to help y—”
“I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!”
Bernadette froze, shocked by Niran’s sudden outburst. Both were filled with anguish; Bernadette for having hurt the one she was trying to help, and Niran for losing control of her own emotions. Niran gazed out the window, looking away from Bernadette. She noticed that there were less people on the streets, and those who were looked paranoid and wary, as if a great blanket of fear had enveloped them.
“Please just, go.”
“...Okay.”
Niran turned around to look at Bernadette after hearing her response, only to see she had disappeared. Once again, it was like she was never there at all, except for a single piece of paper resting on Niran’s bed. As she picked it up, she gasped. In her hands was not just a map, it was the entire floor plan of the manor, including guard patrol routes and scry ward locations. Upon further examination, Niran noticed there was crude writing in one of the margins. Using her newfound literacy due to Relvas’ teachings, Niran confidently read the margin's writing.
Here’s a little gift for you, in case you wanna get out of here! I found it in some fancy looking dude’s office.
I know you’re smart, you’ll be able to figure it out.
And…
I’m sorry.
(To be continued)
(Side note: This blurb happened the day after Jelene and Akuma’s fight, or 6 days before Aeryn and Brynn’s fight.)
Storyline cards.
Second mission (part 1/2)
This would be the biggest mission that Aeryn would participate. The mission was not for knight apprentices, but she was the bearer of Nyrea, the magic sword, and that could be an asset for the troops. The mission was for Elite and Royal knights only. A major mission to invade Morgradin Castle in the northwest of the kingdom, which had been invaded and corrupted by an evil entity. Only a few Elite knights stayed in the kingdom along with the lower ranks to protect citizens.
"You'll be fine, Aeryn. We'll be there to protect you. '' Hendriksen said, crouching with one knee while Aeryn sharpened Nyrea's blade. '' I tried to convince them not to send you, but the strength and the very symbol that Nyrea brings for the knights it is very important for everyone in a battle of this proportions. ''
"Okay, I understand.", Aeryn was even excited about the big mission that had been assigned.
The evil entity had corrupted everything around it and the place was an eternal night. The remaining citizens were relieved by the arrival of the troops, mainly by the sword Nyrea and its bearer who were in front of the platoon together with the main Elite knights.
'' What exactly are we going to face? '' Asked Aeryn to one of the Elite Knights.
'' An entity of the sea at first. A soul-manipulating leviathan. See the scales at the top of the castle. Somehow he got the strength to get up and stay in the castle. This fight won't be easy, but I've had worse. '' Replied the knight with a confident smile.
The battle inside the castle was fierce. Many fish-shaped monsters escorted humans with green and blue fur, possessed by the power of leviathan. The knights barely made it to the second floor. Rubble and rubble formed with the battle.
Aeryn was surprised by one of these humans and soon struck back with the sword, but her two arms were interrupted by Hendriksen at the time of the blow.
'' Careful girl. These beings are not zombies yet, they are human. Knock them out, don't kill them ''
'' I'm not a girl, watch out for the words old man, '' he shouted amid the uproar and knocking out the man.
Tired, she returned to the makeshift camp in front of the castle.
''This is impossible. This force of the sea took many hostages and for each hostage there are ten of these monsters, '' she breathlessly told the Royal and Elite knights who were there planning the next blows. Virtually everyone ignored it.
''Patience. You are very excited. His first big mission with great knights and that's it. Is that how you look for promotion? '' Hendriksen said as he entered the camp listening to the apprentice's murmurs from afar. "We will gradually take over the castle and dispatch these beings."
A few hours later, the knights had managed to invade much of the castle and continued up the steps. Actually Aeryn was more hectic and with adrenaline from the fights and went up in front of the others without hearing the next orders. At that moment, far from the others, more debris will fall on the stairs giving a single valid way to get out, climb up to the leviathan.
Floors later Aeryn was petrified by the being she spotted in the main hall. A knight in black armor and with crevices in his helmet in red. That being was robust and fought with some of those monsters, but in the form of orders. It was not the leviathan.
"Dad!", Aeryn didn't know what to do with what she had seen.
That knight, hearing Aeryn's voice, looked coldly at her, drawing his sword and heading straight for her.
Reflexively, she raised Nyrea and brandished her swords with the knight who pushed her to the ground. That being was dead, he was no longer Aeryn's father, he was just a servant to the leviathan. Nyrea knew that, but Aeryn was without strength in a mix of emotions.
'' Don't kill her. Come to me, knight. '' A high-pitched voice spoke at the same time as a horrifying creature descended the last steps of the castle. The leviathan.
"So he is your father," Aeryn did not react to the leviathan. "He was a good servant, but I like to make others suffer rather than having good servants."
The leviathan, who was a bit of a humanoid after consuming many souls of the village's citizens, held the knight around the neck, who did not react, and opened his mouth to try to swallow his head.
Aeryn started to cry and with impulse and emotion she ran towards the monster with Nyrea sheathed on her back.
'' No, I'm not going to let you take it from me now. ''
Nyrea emitted some aura impulses, meaning it was not the best option. the sword with all its power started to get heavier, but to her surprise Aeryn resisted the magic and continued to run.
Storyline cards.
...Nyrea emitted some aura impulses, meaning it was not the best option. the sword with all its power started to get heavier, but to her surprise Aeryn resisted the magic and continued to run...
Second mission (part 2/2)
Many sounds disturbed Aeryn's ear. She was a little deaf and in a lot of pain when trying to get up. Her vision was blurred and she could hardly breathe. She felt an immense heat and soon realized that she was no longer with Nyrea on her back. Her shoulders burned.
With blurred vision she tried to look for her father and the hideous creature.
Aeryn was blinded by a flash. In front of him a woman totally covered in flames, many flames, was in front of her weakened body with open arms, meaning that he was protecting her. Nyrea was in one of her hands pointing down. Aeryn passed out again.
''Wake up! Wake up! We need to go. What happened here girl. '' Hendriksen didn't wait for Aeryn to respond and threw her between his shoulders.
Aeryn opened her eyes again and looked with difficulty between Hendriksen's shoulders, still with very blurred vision. She just saw the burning woman again handling Nyrea and cutting off the creature's head and facing the sea monsters ... and her dead father. Wreckage fell from the castle. Aeryn passed out again.
Days later
Aeryn jumped out of bed all bandaged. She was still in pain, but her vision was no longer blurred. The first thing she saw was Casimir sitting next to her bed. He woke up with Aeryn's jump.
'' You finally woke up. I'll call the nurses. ''
Aeryn didn't know what had happened, but she felt angry and sad when she remembered her father's twisted image.
Hours later
Aeryn was more stable and asked Casimir.
"Where's Nyrea?"
Casimir sighed.
'' You need to see this. ''
Casimir took Aeryn in a wheelchair to the main hall of the School of Knights.
In the center, Nyrea was again embedded in its pillar.
'' We don't know how and when, but the sword went back to its pillar. When Hendriksen rescued you, you weren't with Nyrea. He just remembers flames devouring everything around him.''
Aeryn lowered her head and asked to return to her rooms.
"Dragons were never slaves to man, never tool, never pet.
From the moment we first flew upon them into the sky we were companions, we were partners.
No rider could ever own a dragon just like no dragon could ever own a rider.
A rider would never force a dragon to stay, a rider would never put chains on a dragon. The dragons are free and they allow us to fly with them, to share our emotions with hem, to embrace life and death with them.
When the rider is so young that she have yet to learn how to ride, she shall choose a dragon too young to even fly, and if he chooses her as well. They will make a bond, the kozhava bond.
If the bond would be broken, through treachery or death, the bond makers will return from where they came. The dragon shall return to the dragon valley, and the rider will never fly again. Unless another bond has already begun to bloom."
-Zelazo Beldanov, the iron king, founder of Beldon and the first king of Medirna.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A strong wind drew in over Kiserova from the north.
A yellow Mandylon dragon roared into the morning sky from where it stood on the roof of the Medirna fortress. Two other older dragons, a red Mandylon and a black Dormanian Royal also occupied the roof.
In the courtyard beneath, Artiem spoke with one of the riders, the formidable Lionus. On a bench nearby sat the red haired woman and crunched into an apple with her teeth. She look up as small cobbles fell from the roof where the Dormanian Royal stood.
"I am truly honored by your daughter's offer of service, but I must ask, as a father to another. Is this really a such good idea? This is not some lesser conflict she will be flying into. This is a war." Artiem said
"She is a woman. It is her decision and she does what she thinks is right."
"She does it because of you, Lionus. She wants to be like her hero father." The red haired woman shouted.
"Excuse me for asking but, who are you." Lionus turned towards the woman.
"Lionus! You break my poor heart, you were the one to break my bleeding gate but you failed to give me a gift." The woman laughed of surprise.
Lionus looked at the woman in silence for a moment before he spoke. "You are Melinda, commander Ferrun's daughter. I thought it would be your brother who would become the new commander.
"Why? Because I am called him or he?"
"I thought you were no traditionalist."
"I prefer to follow some traditions, never said I was against them. So, Artiem, will you invite me to the dinner table like the tradition says? I would like to see Lionus' dragon a little bit closer." Melinda said with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The morning turned to midday, The sun went to hiding behind grey clouds and the wind howled between the buildings of Kiserova, but it was no ordinary wind. The people in the market stopped bartering, arguing, fighting, and instead they listening. The wind was hitting the stones of buildings in waves like the air from a fan. The sound grew louder and soon it was mixed with the scream from people on top of the buildings. A red Mandylon dragon came from above the buildings and landed in the market. It roared and waved its wing so that the people would run away. Soon a second and a third dragon landed in the market, but the slamming sound of the wind did not diminish.
A shadow was cast over the towers and the buildings, and then something colossus landed in the now empty market so pavements broke and a buildings collapsed. North of the market, a yellow Mandylon dragon just landed on a roof. Lionus' daughter, Zenaida, jumped off her dragon and approached the titan with huge excitement. The titan raised its head from the dust and waved its wings so strong winds pushed it all away. Zenaida covered her face as the dust flew past her. When she uncovered herself, she saw the dragon titan, Ornauck, in all its might before her. She approached the edge of the building with her excitement only growing. Her smile began to slowly disappear and be replaced with just shock and sadness.
Huge leather straps went over its body, around its neck and mouth. Leather straps with spikes pointing inwards. Chains with sharp edges were resting inside leather covers that went around the base of its wings. The large titan rider as he was called, held a very long whip filled with spikes and small blades. Zenaida saw how blood, both fresh and old, was sipping down from multiple points under one of the leather straps. She felt betrayed. This was not what she had thought when she had heard that Amnar had managed to bond with a titan dragon. They had just forced it into submission through pain.
@Lujikul ; Please correct me if I bent the extent of Efilia's life energy magic!
Part 1/3
------
Nilani awoke early in the morning to train, at sunrise. The sun peeked slightly above the horizon, it's rays casting beautiful golden light across Kiserova. It reminded Nilani of her own magic.
Sunrise...I'm like the sunrise! I'm still rising to my fullest potential. It'll just take me time to ascend into the sky. Just like the morning sun.
Nilani stepped out of her bed.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed. Nilani's whole body still ached. It seemed as if the wounds had healed a little bit on the surface, but her muscles felt rigid and weak. The enchantress sighed. "I guess I'll have to win like this after all."
Nilani changed into dayclothes. She had another white dress that wasn't stained with blood, so she wore that. Nilani tied her hair back, still staring at the golden rays that illuminated the city. Nilani also noticed gray clouds coming into the city.
I should probably start training soon! With a storm coming, I don't think I have too much time. Should I call Akuma?
Nilani decided that she should. Nilani walked slowly towards the door. She still couldn't move as fast as she did before her injuries and moving quickly was still quite difficult.
Maybe I should see a healer after my match with the slime? Though something tells me these injuries won't be healed so easily.
She opened the door.
Yes! My arm seems to feel okay now!
Nilani smiled. "It's a new day! I need to make the most of it!" Nilani hurried as fast as she could without hurting herself to Akuma's door. She knocked loudly.
"Who is it?" Nilani heard a voice from inside yell. Nilani also heard the distinct sound of Naku Tsuki being unsheathed.
"It's me! Nilani! Wake up!"
"O-oh," the samurai responded. In a few minutes Akuma had gotten ready. She looked very tired. "Why did you wake me up so early in the morning? I forgot to sleep until late 'cause I was so worried about your match."
Nilani smiled and opened her mouth to say something when she heard a familiar voice.
"Well, I stayed up the whole night," Efilia said from behind Nilani, "I like the night! It's sort of...refreshing..."
"I woke up in the middle of the night too. I'm honestly having trouble with everything that's going on..."
"My emotional support friend is having emotional trouble? Crazy!" Akuma laughed.
Nilani knew it was a joke, but it seemed to resonate with her.
People need me! I need to stay strong for them.
Efilia smiled. "Well, I was thinking you should study some things about oozes and how Squrturglus fought last match. That way, you'd be able to prepare for your fight better!"
Nilani shook her head. "We can't go back in the past, can we?"
"But this book can take us there," Efilia grinned.
"What!?" Akuma exclaimed, clearly amazed.
"I was only joking," Efilia said, "Besides, I worte down the events of each match in this book. It's helpful, especially when I have to prepare for an opponent who killed her's."
Efilia opened the leatherbound book. As Efilia turned the pages, they crackled like when you step on dried leaves in autumn. On all the old brown pages, there was beautiful cursive writing done in black ink. It reminded Nilani of the letters she was writing to her parents each week of the tournament.
How pretty...
Efilia opened up to a page somewhere close to the beginning of the book.
Somewhere at the end, it read:
Nilani gulped. So this was the type of opponent she was to go up against. Brutal. Sneaky. Flexible. Kutos escaped with his life because he was fast enough to get out of the slime's grip. Nilani didn't have that speed at the moment due to her injuries. What was even worse was she fought similarly to Kutos. Kutos had summoned large elementals, similar to her invocations.
Is the pure and holy magic of my invocations able to ward off the slime's powers? Probably not...
"So, I've read a little about slimes and oozes. I think you could create an invocation to help you practice!" Efilia said, "With my own magic, I could manipulate your invocation so that it does what I want."
"And how would I do that?" Nilani asked.
"Let's go to the fields along the path to the forest. Of course, we can't enter the forest anymore, can we?" Akuma added.
"Okay..." Nilani trailed off, somewhat concerned with Efilia's idea.
------
The three champions went off to the field, the sky still orange and gold with sunrise colors. When they arrived, Efilia put down her leatherbound book.
"So..." Efilia said, "You've seen Squrturglus fight before... you could create an invocation, then have it become similar to the slime! Use you're twin spell!"
"No!" Nilani responded stubbornly, "I can't! I'll end up somehow managing to kill everyone here!"
Akuma put a hand on Nilani's shoulder. "Don't worry! We all have fears. It's about how you conquer them right? Besides, you're going to need it, especially if you're fighting Squrturglus!"
"Look," Nilani said, "I can't do this, what if I mess up just like before?"
"Don't think about the past Nilani!" Efilia responeded, "I was stuck in my library for so many years, and I regret it! You're young! You have talent, so much potential too!"
"Focus on the present as you fight! And the future while you continue forward. Don't you want to become better?" Akuma asked, "You have everything!"
Nilani took a deep breath. "I- I guess it wouldn't hurt to try...I am going to need to use everything I know, after all. Especially in my injured state."
Nilani closed her eyes and slowly crafted an invocation, then Nilani visualized Squrturglus. She didn't have all his features in mind, but only the important ones mattered. She felt a calm sensation flow throughout her body.
Efilia touched her shoulder. Efilia's hand glowed as well. All of a sudden, she felt as if more life was being offered to her. More power. More magic. More control. more confidence too, somehow. The invocation ahead of her glowed brightly and collapsed in on itself like before. Then, lights started to swirl around it, and the golden form of an ooze started to form.
Y̴͍̾ó̷̞u̴ ̶̺͆w̵͖̓a̴̱̓n̴͛͜t̸͔͌ ̷͔̐t̷̢͘ö̶͕́ ̸̟̈́g̷̰̓o̴̧̾ ̴̜̔t̷͈͆h̴̟̓r̸̋͜o̷u̵̽ͅg̴̦̽ḣ̷̬ ̸̻̔w̸̡̾i̶̱̚t̶̆ͅh̴̼͑ ̴̡͗t̵̛̳h̶̨̊ị̴͛s̷̥̔?̶͉̑ ̴̥͒s̸̹̐u̷̝͝c̵͉͗h̷ ̶̱͠a̷̤̔ ̶̗̽d̸̺̎a̸͓͛n̴g̶̤͋e̸̩̅ř̶͓ö̴͕́u̸̦̅s̶̹͆ ̴̺͌p̷͝i̷̧͌e̶c̵̳͋e̶̎͜ ̶̝͑o̵̰̔f̵̳͑ ̵̢͑m̴̘̓a̵̦̽g̵̉͜i̷͉̿c̵͚̏ ̶̮̾t̵͎̐h̶̡̏ä̴̪́t̶̨̚ ̴͇͋c̷͙̀ơ̷̝ư̴l̷̞̍d̴͍͌ ̵̧̉k̵̘̀ĭ̸̳ḻ̵̀l̷̛̦ ̵͔͠y̸͙̾o̴͙̔u̵̳̾r̶̯͝ ̴͈͛f̴͈̓ŗ̶͑ĭ̸̗e̸n̶͔͐d̶̩̃s̵̃ͅ?̵
I can't do this.
Suddenly, she felt that negative energy be pushed away. Efilia was shaking. She was using a significant amount of her power to help Nilani. Nilani smiled. She was breakig through her fear, albeit with someone's help, but it was a start. She felt Efilia's magical energy drain back out of her. Then, she opened her eyes.
Nilani saw a golden ooze in front of her. Nilani held her hand out. There was now a golden aura around her hand.
I did it! But now - y̵͍͒o̴̺͆ȗ̶̹ ̶͍͝m̸̝͗ú̷͕s̷͇̐t̴̹̽ ̸̪͂n̴̟͌ô̸̧ṱ̴̍ ̸̙͒ļ̸̏ò̵̟s̸̙͛ê̴̥ ̷̗͆ć̷̪ô̵͓n̶̮̓t̵̫͆r̷̍ͅo̷̞͝ḻ̵̀,̶͚́ ̴̧͂ṵ̴̈́n̷̲̔l̸͔̉ẽ̵̗s̵̹̊s̸͚͑ ̶͖̉y̶͙̏o̸̡̚u̷̱͒ ̸̮͝w̶͈͂a̴̢̛n̸̩̍t̵̝͋ ̸͍̅y̵̬͝ò̷̻u̵̪̔r̴͙̔ ̶̹̕f̶̹̃r̵̡͋ì̴̭ē̸̮ṇ̸̌d̶̟̓s̴̖͌ ̶̡͑d̸̬͘ē̴͜ȃ̷̝d̸͇̅... I can't keep it under control!
Tired, Efilia willed herself to manipulate the life energy within the invocation. Nilani was freaking out now, as she didn't know what to do with the huge invocation she'd created. Finally, the golden light around Nilani's hand jumped to Efilia's. Both of them were exhausted now, one physically and the other mentally.
"Now," Efilia gasped, "We can train."
-----
Efilia waved her hand, causing the slime to separate into multiple different smaller ones and surround Nilani. The enchantress quickly created shields, but they were almost devoured by the golden slime. They closed in on the enchantress.
Nilani's muscles tensed as she got ready to jump out of the circle, when one of the parts rushed forward at her. Nilani was knocked off her feet, then Efilia waved her hand. The slime retreated back.
"Shields won't work against an ooze!" Akuma shouted to Nilani from the side, try blasting them back with magic. Only create shields so that they can form into invocations to protect you!"
Nilani nodded to Akuma. "Ready!"
The ooze-invocation approached Nilani again. She quickly fired magical blasts from her spot, keeping them away. Finally, one blast exploded it into pieces. But Nilani was horrified to see what happened. Each golden bit moved independently, sneakily throuhg the grass towards Nilani.
"Run," Akuma shouted, "That's your only option!"
Nilani nodded as she readied herself for the intense pain from the wounds. Nilani ran, gritting her teeth as the wounds seemed to torture her. Nilani's body was screaming for her to stop, but her will kept her running.
I'll have to do this during my match. I must try.
"Whenever you can't see the slime, run for your life because, the pain is worse than being caught. 'Cause when you get caught, you're dead," Akuma pointed out.
"But I can't run continuously!" Akuma yelled back, "My body won't allow it!"
"The slime is slower!" Efilia added.
"You'll have time to recover if you're careful!" Akuma encouraged Nilani.
"When the time comes, you need to start playing offensive, so that Squrturglus isn't able to attack back," Efilia said.
"Then BAM!" Akuma shouted happily, "You're invocations save the day!"
Nilani smiled as she dodged an attack from the slime. She had an invocation beside her now.
"They key is not to attack the slime directly," Efilia instructed, "If you do so, it will be able to absorb and destroy your invocation."
Nilani nodded, still suffering from immense pain. She had her invocation strike the ground in front of her golden ooze-invocation that was controlled by Efilia. It was sent flying into the air. When it did, Nilani blasted it with multiple blasts of golden light. It absorbed ever last one.
"How am I supposed to defeat the ooze?" Nilani asked as she ran away from the falling slime.
"With itself, of course!" Efilia said, "Create a copy of this ooze to capture it!"
"N-no, I can't do it! Is there any other way to accomplish this task?"
"That's the best-"
"There is!" Akuma interjected, "You could surround it with your own magical energy. Trap it like that, then you can slowly compress it!"
Nilani nodded. "I hope that works."
Efilia shook her head. "That's a much weaker spell. It has a higher chance of failing."
Nilani looked at Efilia. "How can I use something I can't control?"
Akuma stepped in. "You can! You don't have to be tethered by your past so much that it limits what you can do! Believe in yourself! I never could gain honor until I believed I had it! You can't unlock your powers if you don't believe in yourself! Trust me. If you don't feel comfortable right now, don't use it. But when the time comes you can't be afraid of your own power."
Gray clouds started to roll in from the dark gray sky. It suddenly started to rain. All three of them paused. Efilia let go of her control over the invocation, and the magic transferred back to Nilani.
"Go ahead!" Efilia said, "Destroy it!"
Nilani took a deep breath. She unwove the invocation as quickly as she could. The slime collapsed in on itself. It stayed as a golden ball of light, then transformed into the shield it started off as. Then, the light faded away. Both Nilani and Efilia dropped to their knees. Efilia was exhausted.
"Life Energy. I never thought it could be this useful, let alone used in this way. Your invocations are the embodiment of life, Nilani, that's why I could control them."
Nilani's body ached. Her mind pained. Her memories were all swirling at the front of her mind. Both of them got up, ready to end the training. Efilia walked slowly to pick up her book as Nilani staggered over to Akuma.
"I think I'm done for today," Nilani smiled. Efilia came next to the two friends. "Thanks for everything, you two! I couldn't ask for better friends."
There was a huge gust of wind, then a loud noise came from the city. Then, the three champions walked back to the lodgings. As they arrived in the city, it was surprisingly dark because of the storm. There were cracks in the ground. There was blood too! And above, two dragons circled with a warrior atop one of them.
"What in the name of the abyss could be happening?"
Niran sat in the corner of a dimly lit room, straining her eyes as she read a small book by herself. The room was silent save for a monotonous chopping sound resonating throughout the walls. There was a foul chemical stench emanating from the work area, as Relvas toiled away preserving corpses and reanimating them through abyssal magics. Not that the smell bothered Niran; she had smelled worse in the gutters of the streets.
It had been a week since Niran had last seen Bernadette, and it had been torture, day in and day out. Not only did she have to listen to the Archbishop’s preachings for hours, she also had to take his tests. Even if she got one question wrong, Niran was punished through the tattoo. Meanwhile, her training was nightmarish. She was no longer mentored by Cirrina, but rather someone else more loyal to the Pontiff. While her new trainer was not sadistically cruel like Cirrina, she was far from merciful and kind, pushing Niran far beyond her limit every single day. At some points, Niran couldn’t tell which was worse: Her tattoo, or the sheer intensity of her training. The meals themselves were turmoil, as Cralmarov himself would eat with Niran, and punished her whenever she did or said something that displeased him ever so slightly.
The only saving grace from this hell was Relvas, who had somehow convinced his master that teaching Niran would be beneficial to his plans. Over the course of the week, Niran learned how to read at a surprisingly fast rate, enthusiastically consuming whatever book Relvas put in front of her. She even began to practice writing, with the help of both Relvas and the vast knowledge she acquired. Gradually, Relvas shifted from reading along with Niran to simply grabbing whatever book he thought would interest her and using their time to work on his tasks, occasionally stopping to help Niran whenever she got stuck. Soon enough, he began to steal books forbidden by his master, allowing Niran to gather new perspectives previously hidden by her cruel puppeteers. She was deeply thankful for all of the books, but she was also concerned. Relvas was risking his life just to get Niran new books. She just didn’t understand why he would go out of his way to help her like that. She didn’t understand why anyone would want to help her, especially after what she had done.
Niran! Thank the gods, you’re awake!
Niran closed her book shut as a wave of guilt washed over her. Her thoughts swirled in her mind, only able to focus on her regrets.
“Is everything okay?” Relvas asked, turning back to look at Niran. He put his tools on the table and grabbed a wet towel, then walked over where she was sitting while cleaning his hands. His face grew increasingly concerned as he saw Niran’s pained expression.
“No… I… I…” Niran hesitated, looking towards the ceiling for any sign of runes. Seeing none, she sighed a breath of relief, then continued on. “I just can’t. I can’t do this anymore. I need to leave, but I’m scared that I’ll get caught again and it’ll all have been pointless. I… don’t have what it takes to push through.”
Relvas silently contemplated what Niran said. Gears whirred in his head as he tried to remember someone from his past, a boy who was not much unlike the girl who sat in front of her.
“I will help you, but only if you truly want to escape this prison.”
Niran gasped, flabbergasted by Relvas’ response. “But, why? Won’t you get in trouble if you help me?”
“Perhaps, I should tell you a story when I was younger, it will help you to understand,” Relvas sighed. “There once was a young boy who was used as a slave due to his talents, much like you. Secretly, he wanted to flee his tormentors, so he carefully plotted his escape. But when an opportunity finally came, he… did nothing. He was so scared of what would happen in the future he refused to even take the risk in the first place. He thought it was better to suffer in what he knew than to confront the unknown... like the foolish coward he was.”
“That boy, was he you?” Niran asked. Relvas looked away from her, his eyes filled with regret.
“Yes, yes he was. But you are different. From the moment I met you, I could see a sense of fiery determination that was buried under fear. No matter what others tell you, no matter what you tell yourself, you are brave. Far more brave than I could ever be. Yet conviction is worth nothing without direction, which you lack. If you don’t have a goal, you will only wander aimlessly as you run, and eventually you will begin to wonder why you were running in the first place.”
Don’t try to run away from what you don’t want, try running to what you do want instead!
“Bernadette! I need to find Bernadette!” The epiphany struck Niran as hard as lightning. The urchin had tried her hardest to give Niran a sense of direction and meaning where there was none, and all Niran did in return was push her away. She wanted, no, she needed to apologize to Bernadette, to make amends. Niran jumped out of her chair, but was stopped by Relvas just as she was about to leave.
“Wait. There is one more thing you need to know before you go. As long as you have your mark of a slave, you will be unable to leave.”
Niran was furious. “Then why did you tell me that I should try to escape?!”
“Because I know exactly how to remove it. Over the course of my life I have learned that the Abyss can erase anything it touches… including itself.
“With your powers, you can unmake the Archbishop’s curse and free yourself from this place. It will be difficult, but that is exactly why I am aiding you. Could you play your violin?”
“Oh, I left my violin in my…” Niran cut herself off as she looked down, seeing her violin resting next to the chair. Strange. Niran thought. Not wanting to think about it too hard, Niran picked up her violin and began to play a calm solo. She instinctively knew that she would need all of her concentration to perform this feat.
An ephemeral spear manifested from the violin, growing sharper and thinner the longer Niran performed. Soon it was as sharp and delicate as a surgical needle, whereas 1 week prior it was a crude point. Niran tried to probe her mark with the needle, yet it was deflected by protective magics.
“My master’s marks are designed to consume any magic that comes in contact with it and fuel itself. He prides himself on this design for its unbreakable nature,” Relvas stated. Niran sunk a little inside, but continued playing. “But that pride is also his ultimate downfall, for he never considered his slaves to take another option: To unravel it from the inside.”
Niran faltered slightly in her playing as she looked at Relvas with visible confusion on her face.
“Try to picture the mark floating within your mind. All enchantments have a core of magical energy, acting as an artificial soul of sorts.” Niran understood more clearly what she was meant to search for. She shut her eyes, diving deep into her mind with the needle until she arrived at the Abyssal sea.
Forgotten scraps of countless souls drifted just above the murky waters, a grim reminder of the hell Niran’s trainer put her through. They were remnants of only animal souls, yet Niran knew it would’ve been a matter of time before she was forced by her masters to rip the souls from other people.
Niran looked up from her graveyard of souls, noticing her arcane quarry. It was a mass of interwoven threads, each shining a magnificent golden light. Tendrils of the abyss were slowly absorbed by the threads, further strengthening its core.
“Did you find it?” Relvas asked. Niran slowly nodded, not wanting to lose her focus. “Good. Cain likes to weave his magic on top of itself, creating a complex tapestry. Cut the seams that keep it together, and the tapestry will fall apart.” Niran closely scrutinized the threads, looking for an enticing thing to cut.
There.
On one of the corners of the core was a massive amount of threads interlacing each other, providing a great amount of structural integrity for it. Without a thought, Niran’s needle shifted into shears as she willed it closer to the corner.
Snip.
Niran watched enthusiastically as the loose strings fell into the abyss, returning every ounce of its energies to the sea. Suddenly, Niran felt a bit stronger, as though a forgotten strength had been returned to its rightful owner. Overjoyed, Niran eagerly continued to tear the core down thread by thread, paying little attention to where she was cutting.
Snip.
Snip.
Snip.
What had once been a grand and intricate design now laid in shambles. It’s former golden brilliance only flickered pitifully, all the while the sea welled in newfound strength. Niran raised her shears, ready to wipe away the thing that had caused her so much suffering.
“Niran, wait! If you don’t finish off Cain’s magic carefully there will be disastrous res—”
Snip.
Instead of dimly falling into the ocean to be forgotten by existence itself, the core violently exploded in a flash of light, breaking Niran’s concentration. Her mind was forcibly returned to complete consciousness, finding her back in Relvas’ room. She caressed her neck and felt no sign of the tattoo, as if she had never been marked in the first place. She was utterly ecstatic, having just successfully defied her former masters. Yet ecstasy quickly turned to concern as she looked at Relvas’ face.
“What’s wrong?” Niran asked.
“You have to go. Now,” Relvas said sternly. He rushed over to the opposite side and recklessly toppled the bookcase, revealing a hidden pathway blocked by a small bag. Grabbing the bag, he walked right back to Niran and pushed her towards the passage. “This manor is full of secrets not even Cralmarov himself knows about. I discovered this years ago when we had just moved into this building. It will let you bypass most of the guards, but you will have to reenter the manor in order to escape.”
“Wait! I can remove your mark too, and then we could run away together!” Niran exclaimed.
“There’s no time. Destroying the curse released a blast that surely gathered their attention. Here, you’re going to want to take a—” Audible footsteps could be heard getting closer to the door. “Shit. I’m sorry kid, but you’re gonna be on your own. I’ll hold them off for as long as possible. Now go!”
With only the slightest hint of hesitation, Niran bolted down the passage. Relvas watched as she was enveloped by the darkness, until she was no longer in sight. He turned around, and grabbed a vial filled with black ichor hidden in a separate area.
“To think I would ever use this after giving up so many years ago…” Relvas muttered to himself. “...No matter. She is far more deserving of freedom than I am.”
Snatching a knife from the table, Relvas cut his hand, dripping blood into the vial. The contents within began to bubble, shifting from a black to a deep, ominous red. He poured the liquid into the corpse and stood back, watching as it violently stirred to life. It sat up silently and stared blankly at Relvas, patiently awaiting his command. Not soon after the door burst open, revealing an angered Cralmarov and his panicked Archbishop, along with countless acolytes. Relvas simply turned around, bravely staring down his oppressors.
“Get up. We got work to do.”
(To be continued)
Niran swiftly snuck through the halls of the manor, taking cover in the shadows from nearby guards and wards. She looked at her map constantly, making sure she was going the right direction. Thankfully, she had studied it over the week despite the feelings of hopelessness formerly weighing down on her. It was a way to spend her sleepless nights, after all. Niran turned left, then right, then left, and so on until she saw sunlight coming from a doorway. She ran straight for the doorway, her hands outstretched for the sun. Yet she was quickly pulled back into the shadows. She turned around frantically, trying to get a better look at who her captor was. It was…
“Bernadette?” Niran whispered. Bernadette motioned to be quiet, then looked out to the hallway. A guard walked into the hall out of nowhere, surprising Niran. She realized that had she not been pulled back, she most certainly would’ve been caught.
The guard walked past the two without noticing them. Bernadette signalled to Niran that they could go, and together they ran straight through the open door and into the streets. They vanished into the narrow alleyways, finding solace within an abandoned cart. As the adrenaline wore off, tears began to well up in Niran’s eyes.
“I thought you never wanted to see me again! I, I hurt you when you tried so hard to help me! I-I-I’m so sorry!” She bawled. Bernadette gave a smile, yet her eyes were filled with sadness.
“Hey… It’s okay! I forgive you! Please, you don’t need to apologize for me!” Bernadette replied. Her smile slowly dropped. “In fact, I should be the one asking forgiveness…”
“What do you mean? You were only trying to help me!”
“I was, but I was just so pushy about it. You were right to snap. It wasn’t my place to pry, so I shouldn’t have tried to pressure you into telling. And then I thought you wanted to be alone, so I gave you space. But that only made it worse! I’ve been such a terrible friend.
“I-I promise that I won’t ever leave you, even in the worst of times! And… you don’t have to forgive me, but I’ll always be there for you!” Bernadette began to cry as well.
“O-of course I forgive you! I never want to hurt you like I did before! I… I promise I’ll never lash out at you ever again!” Niran replied. The two girls rested together, weeping away the rest of the day as they both tried to cope with everything that had happened that week.
Or are you a slave?
No, I am neither.
I am not an instrument for any master.
I am not a horror bound by impulse.
I am the composer of my own fate.
(It is finally done!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!)
It had worked. The titan, Ornauck, had put fear into the heart of Kiserova's people without killing a single one. Some pavements and structures had to be repaired but it was a small price that the Kiserova citizens willingly paid, just to avoid Ornauck's return.
When the titan and three dragon riders had loaded up on supplies, which Kiserova was already low on, they and Zenaida flew towards Grailine. The location were the titan after so many years would finally prove its worth. The crimes caused by the citizens against Medirna reduced significantly and finally there was peace, for a while.
The air was still humid from the recent rain. Most of the citizens were keeping themselves inside so not many were roaming the drowned streets. The last wagons carrying promised supplies set off towards Gwendolyn, no more would be needed as soon the kingdom would break like a castle of glass and then reforged by the flames of a titan. Almost a beautiful tale if it had not been so close to be true.
The contenders gathered at the entrance to the prison dungeon. The dungeon was completely silent as the prisoners had been moved to work on the fields. Only Lady Miljivan, Magus Ialis and their guards were waiting for them. Daniel and Denise had traveled south recently, Nadja and Pjetro were somewhere unknown, and Valierielle had not been seen since the 8th match. It was as if the hosts were also giving up on the tournament. Was there even any meaning behind it anymore?
Lady Miljivan spoke to Nilani.
"Just go in there and do what you are supposed to do. Not to take sides, as I should be neutral, but I hope you win." She said with a smile which Nilani could not decipher.
"You will be given a head start, when I say go, you go into the dungeon, okay?"
Nilani nodded.
"I just said go, so go."
Nilani, confused, half-ran into the dungeon.
Magus Ialis looked at Squrturglus.
"... Uhm? When you win I really need to take some samples of you. Don't you dare resist, mr goo. I will have my sample."
Squrturglus made no indications that he listened, he made no indications of anything.
"A minute should have passed now. You can start."
As Squrturglus went into the darkness of the dungeon, the hosts shouted.
"Let the eleventh match begin!"
The match will take place tomorrow.
"Nilani!" The enchantress turned at the sound of her name to see Akuma running toward her down the street.
"Akuma? What are you doing awake this early?" Akuma came to a stop before her, out of breath and with flushed cheeks from the morning cold.
"You think I'd let my friend wander into a dangerous battle without some parting luck?! I came to give you this." Akuma took an object in a rolled cloth from where it was tucked under her arm, and unrolled it.
"You're letting me borrow Zylekta?" Nilani asked. Akuma nodded solemnly.
"It saved my life in my match against Jelene. I hope you never have to use it, but if you do... I hope it serves you well." Nilani took the short sword, running her fingers over the hilt.
"Thank you, Akuma" She looked at the sky, the sun beginning to peek over the tallest buildings. "I should probably hurry to the grounds."
"One last thing" Akuma said. Nilani turned toward her.
"What?" she asked.
Akuma stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Nilani on the forehead.
"Where I come from in Takenuma, a blessing such as this is said to provide safe passage through dark emotions that would try to cloud your mind." Akuma grinned.
"Now go kick that slime's ass!"
I'll need to be able to run later, when Squrturglus eventually finds me. Does Squrturglus know about the hidden door at the end of the dungeon that Efilia discovered? It might be a good idea to hide there...then again, that evil magic might be bad to be around for awhile.
Nilani turned a sharp right into dimly lit tunnel. Nilani took out Zyleta and held it close to her chest.
"Akuma..." Nilani whispered to herself, "I'll come out alive. I'll come out with a victory. I promise you..."
Nilani looked back once more, then headed down the tunnel.
I̵̼͘ṫ̷̼ ̴̳̾l̸̘̍ó̸̻o̶̬̊k̸̻͆ṡ̷͎ ̴̬̿l̶͕͋i̵̙͘k̴̝͆e̵͔͠ ̶͙̈́y̶̛̟o̵̱̿ṵ̴͐'̸̨̅v̵͍̿e̴͚̍ ̵̛̪f̸̲̋i̶͖͌n̵͔̈́ȃ̴͔l̸̺͗l̸̙̀y̶̲͂ ̶̯͌m̶̽͜e̷̙̋ṫ̴̠ ̷͚̀y̴̡̐ọ̵̈́u̸͕͒r̵̻͗ ̴͇̒e̵̳̚n̸͈̉d̴̯̽.̸͚̚.̴͙͐.̴̣͌
No! I'll make it out of this mess. Just leave me alone for once, will you?
H̷̰̀ȁ̶͓ḧ̵̡́a̶̛̘h̴̹̚a̴͇͠h̴͈͛a̴͔͌.̶̺̍.̸͈͗.̷̯̒Ĺ̸̺e̴̟̋a̷̧̿v̴̬̉ĕ̸̮ ̴͓͝y̸͉̓ȯ̸͕u̶̝̓ ̵̝̄a̶̳̎l̵̘̄o̵̩͊n̷͓̈́e̴̯̽?̶̨̀ ̸̢̛I̶̦̾'̷͉̍v̷̤̀e̴͎̐ ̴͈̊b̸͖͆è̸̱e̷̙͋ṇ̵͑ ̸͇̆w̷̘͛i̴̗̚ẗ̶͔ḥ̷͝ ̶͉̈́y̴̻̿ö̸̼́u̴̲͗ ̴̬͝f̶̝̀r̶̈́ͅo̵̭̓m̷͔̽ ̶̬͐t̵͓̂h̶̢͊e̶̞̓ ̵̨̽b̵̻̿e̵̅͜ğ̸̼i̸̫͗n̷͎͂n̴͕̉i̶̟͋n̸̝̉g̵̤͒,̸̩̏ ̷̤̓s̵͇͑i̸̻͝l̶̹̂l̵̬̆y̵̼͗ ̴̗̋g̶̨͝i̴͖̓r̶̥̊l̷̳͑.̴̳̽ ̶͇͛Y̶̲̌o̸̩͒u̴͖͂ ̵̰͒o̸͖̿n̷̲͛l̵͙͊y̴͜͝ ̴̈́͜e̵̼̊x̵̖͌ḯ̴̤s̷͙͂t̵̨̆ ̷͕̊b̶̝́ȅ̷͎c̴̳̕a̷̗͑ů̷͇s̶͖̾e̴̹͂ ̵̭̈́o̶̟͑f̷̖̃ ̸̒͜m̸̩͊e̷̺͝!̷͖̈
What?
S̷̰̈h̴͖́a̷̻̚l̵̡͐l̵͓͒ ̷͉̂ẅ̷̱́é̸̹ ̴̰̌c̶͙͑o̴͍͠ǹ̵͎t̶̡̿i̴̫͛n̷̨̿u̵͍̍e̴̢̿?̵͍̚ ̶͕͝Ọ̶͒ḣ̴̻,̶̺͗ ̷̡͂ṱ̴͐h̸̫̾ḯ̴͕s̸̰̅ ̶̯̇i̶̲̾s̶̩͛ ̸̜̈́j̶̬̃u̷͘͜s̸̟͐t̶͊͜ ̷͙̈́ț̶͋o̷͉̊ŏ̸̱ ̴̤̈́m̴̮̅u̴̹͂c̷̖̑h̶͙̒ ̶͚̍f̸̛͙û̵̩ǹ̵̟!̸̥̍ ̸̲̅Y̸̗͒ò̵̡u̸̧͊ ̵͒͜c̵̦͒ä̵́ͅn̸͋ͅ ̷̳͠f̶̨̾o̷̖̒c̴̪͑ư̴͎s̵̖̾ ̶̪͠o̷̞̿n̵͇͗ ̴͕͘b̶̯̈́ĕ̵̜a̵̙̐ṯ̸̋i̵̧͂n̶̫͆g̶̝̾ ̵̹̆t̴̼͑h̶͉͝â̷͍t̸͔́ ̵̙͛s̶̗̑l̵͈̀i̶̩͌m̵̗̈́ë̷̖́.̸͈̈́ ̸̜̌M̴̼̿ẏ̸̢ ̴̌ͅt̸̳̆i̴͇͒m̵͉̓e̷͚͛ ̸̬͌ẅ̸̲́i̵͉̊l̸͕̈́l̷̥̈ ̶̘͐c̵̰̃ő̶̖ḿ̵̯e̸̮͊.̶̧̀ ̷̇͜J̶͔͂u̵̪̽s̵̨̈́t̵̜̂ ̶̡̇y̷̠͗o̸̙͊u̴͕̿ ̷̪̔w̸̙̕a̷̼̎î̵̞t̴̼͝.̵̖͑.̵̦͊.̸̣͋
Nilani shook her head and continued down the dim hall. This was going to be a long battle, that was for sure...
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
@Jonteman93
Just to make things easier:
Strengths-
Her magic is much stronger now. She can make larger invocations about half the height of one of the trees in the forest. She is also learning to hone in on her powers with her Hope Twin spell, which creates a golden clone of her opponent. She is afraid to use this spell however, but she has reassurances from Akuma.
She also has a strong will to keep fighting
Weaknesses-
As of now Nilani is mentally weak as she is suffering from the abyss, the approaching war, and the presence of the Red Queen.
She is also physically weak, as she was attacked by the Red Queen and has sustained some major injuries that hinder her endurance, speed, and ability to do some normal tasks. It causes her pain to run in may cases.
Here is Nilani hand her signature cards:
Guardian of Hope is Nilani's go-to spell. She is comfortable with using it and she can use if for a variety of different purposes.
Hope Twin is Nilani's last resort. If she has no other option, she'll use Hope Twin. She's scared that she might lose control of it like she had done before with it though there's no doubt that it's a powerful spell, especially against a powerful opponent.
Good luck to you @Temurzoa
Storyline cards.
...Nyrea at that same point shone brightly wanting to say something, but Aeryn's emotions did not allow her to open up to an astral relationship. Nyrea continued to shine, to the point of consuming the entire clearing and swallowing it all with white light and a dull explosion of runes on the sword...
Repercussions of Victory - Maycon and Marian
Aeryn had been hit and had a bad wound on her arm. Maycon and Marian in the stands were left with a mixture of apprehension and surprise. Until the angel manifested herself.
"Hosts of the tournament. I ,Brynn, surrender!"
After the lull, both riders will leave the arena. The streets were busy and they stood near one of the entrances on the sidewalk, without disturbing the flow.
'' In addition to all this, now Aeryn is gone. When the news of victory arrives in the kingdom, the way it was, they won't like it at all. Thankfully, no one from the kingdom came to follow the tournament. '' Maycon said with his arms crossed.
'' They really won't like it, but you're wrong, three Elite knights have been in town since the tournament started. The news will be quickly passed on, '' Marian replied.
Maycon became suspicious as she knew it by frowning.
"I have my contacts, you should already know that," Marian smiled at the suspicious knight. "Let's wait for what will happen."
At that moment, a tall knight with silver armor and golden trim aboard the two of them leaving through the access gate.
'' You are right. The kingdom will not like the way Aeryn won. '' The knights were not frightened, but turned to see the three Elite knights behind them. Two of them did not stay to talk and followed the opposite direction of the street.
''Demetriz. They sent you to follow up then. They didn't want you in the kingdom to bother them, right? '' Maycon was abused with the knight who had a reputation as a troublemaker.
'' I will not take offense and fight with someone of high rank. I only started talking because I came to this dirty city for a single mission. '' Demetriz pulled out a scroll wrapped with three rings. '' Congratulations, you were promoted. I only came to that, in case Aeryn reached the semifinals.
At that moment a carriage appeared with the other two knights. Demetriz after handing the scroll to Mirian, went upstairs and before leaving said.
'' Be careful in this city. We will not stay for the rest of the fights. A war is coming and I don't want to stay to see what will happen ... And of course, everyone will know of the shame that Aeryn brought to the kingdom.''
Maycon clenched his fists, but was quiet. Marian was calm and did not get carried away by the provocations. The mission now was to find Aeryn. The horses neighed and headed out of Kiserova.
The hooded orc sitting next to her tries to shuffle over. "Locomotify your buttocks elsewhere" she garbles.
Lady Firgwitz opens her mouth to intellectually deflect the orc's courtly malice, and instantly regrets it. The smell could make her toenails melt.
Forgoing subtlety, the orc slides Lady Firgwitz against the corner of the wall, craning over to see the scrying sheet.
Lady Firgwitz could see brightly colored lights flashing where the scrying sheet stood. The roar of the crowd hiccuped, then returned as harsh whispers.
Asmira watches the young fleshy-flesh pacing the screen, golden magic trickling from her fingertips. Then facet by facet the great crystal transitioned to display the great ooze. She and Morten had spent the morning sequestering the barrels into the dungeon. Not even Nilani would know how large the Squrturgle was now.
Lady Firgwitz snivels. She tries sniveling louder. Asmira ignores her.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Good idea @shadow123! Also for @Jonteman93, here's a convenient list of strengths and weaknesses for the Squrturglus:
Strengths -
- The Squrturglus can also commandeer corpses/incapacitated foes by eating their brains. Doing so takes up a fair bit of their essence though.
Weakness -
- The Squrturgle Omnificentae is arrogant to the point of cheerful delusion. Failure is simply no longer a consideration for the Squrturgle's indomitable god-complex. They greatly underestimate Nilani and her petty hedge-magics.
- Not even the Squrturgle knows that their essence is extremely flammable.
- The Squrturgle Omnificentae fights to the death.
@shadow123 vs @Temurzoa
Kghhh!
Krhhh!
The last of Squrturgle's puppets finally fell to her invocation. "Had not the dungeon been emptied on prisoners already?" Nilani thought as she hurried after the trail of blood and acid slime.
Kghhh!
Krhhh!
Gravel and broken stones fell from the tunnel roof as the quakes shook the dungeon.
She was unable to run so she kept her invocation searching the connecting tunnels before her in case of an ambush .
Deeper into the dungeon she went, following her guardian of hope.
Kghhh!
Krhhh!
For each fight that had passed in the quarter finals, the more obvious it became for her that someone was interfering in the matches. Someone with some kind of connection to the abyss. If it had not been clear before, the blood was the proof she needed. It had a scent that was not similar to any human or animal, a scent of fire. Dragon blood, lots of dragon blood.
Kghhh!
Krhhh!
"A dragon had been killed just to lure Squrturgle towards what was too obvious. Who would do such a thing and why?" More sand fell onto her head. "No I must think about the now. What will I face, what will Squerurgle have become? Will it be just an illusion or will it be real?"
Kghhh!
Krhhh!
Further down into the depth she went. The quakes had suddenly stopped. It did not ease Nilani's mind, instead she prepared herself for the worst. After some time she came to where the hidden door should have been, but it was not. Instead there was a large hole in the wall, surrounded by acid slime. The blood trail led inside towards the black cold. Powerful and cold energy sipped from within. Nilani put her hands on her head. SHe could defend her mind and body from the abyssal corruption, at least for some time. When ready, she followed her invocation into the dark.
Each step she took felt and sounded like she was walking over wet moss. Carefully she reached out her hand and put a finger against the wall. It was wet of some black liquid and oozed black smoke. She wiped her finger on her dress and followed the invocation down the stairs.
She arrived in the room with books, all covered in the black liquid. She looked at the silver door that stood completely open with small traces of acid slime on it. The invocation went through the opening and stopped inside the darkness where it was barely visible for the black smoke that filled the hall. Nilani waited for a few seconds during which nothing happened. Then she walked through the opening.
She came into a small room with a circular area a little further ahead and no further doors. She looked around on benches and shelves, filled with artifacts, seeds, vials and other items that all omitted abyssal energy but the real source of energy came from the circular section. A few steps more. A large broken urn stood upon a small pillar in the middle of the section. The floor descended into a pool of black liquid.
Nilani stared and the pool. The energy was almost overwhelming, almost breaking through her barrier and if she waited too long it would. Squrturgle had went down there and nothing could tell what it would return as, almost certainly something that she could not possibly deal with. She had to go down there, but then she would not be able to resist the corruption. "What if I don't resist? What if I protect that which makes me, me? I could recover if only my mind and body becomes corrupted but I protect my spirit. But then, with a corrupted mind, will I even try to recover? Will I even want to?"
She stood there for some time, thinking about the choices she had.
"Come to me, Nilani"
She put her hands over her chest. The cold darkness began to sip into her mind, into her lungs. Numbed in her mind, she and the invocation fell into the pool into the abyss.
"Why would you choose to be a monster, a slave, when you can be pure, be free. Don't resist, become pure and you will no longer serve as a monster, as a slave. For there is only one pure monster, one pure slave."
...Nyrea at that same point shone brightly wanting to say something, but Aeryn's emotions did not allow her to open up to an astral relationship. Nyrea continued to shine, to the point of consuming the entire clearing and swallowing it all with white light and a dull explosion of runes on the sword.
"Search for the slave beyond the monster"
She could not stay for too long or she would be corrupted beyond recovery.
She's slowly falling down into the endless darkness of the abyss.
Through smoke filled air, through black liquid she's descending.
She cannot breath in the liquid yet her lungs are filled with the black smoke.
Her body felt as it was turned to ice and it felt as if she was dying, maybe she actually was. She fell deeper through the thick abyss that was both smoke and liquid, a wet and heavy air. Her thoughts begun to be erased, her memories became clouded in smoke.
After some time she finally landed on the floor. Even felt the floor was wet and cold, like a sliver of water on stone pavement. She put her hand on the floor to help her stand up, she stopped still. Her hand had turned grey and a crack had started to form on it but it was not bleeding.
She raised herself up on her grey legs. It was not as cold down here as it been further up, nor was it either as dark or as filled with smoke. Maybe it was just her. She looked around and saw only endless dark, but it was filled with shadows of people, animals and other creatures. Within the darkness she saw irregularities in the smoke, like floating holes that twisted the air around them.
Nilani began to walk as she had no better options. There was nothing there except twisted holes and shadows. No source of light, no structures or building, no monsters, no Squrturgle. Some familiar shadows smaller than her ran towards Nilani. She prepared to fight them by summoning her invocation, but the shadows just ran past her. She realized they were shadows of children. She looked at her invocation that was not formed of light but shadow and smoke. The invocation did not attack the shadows, instead it just looked at them.
Nilani continued forward while she looked at the shadows. They resembled just ordinary humans and animals doing their ordinary tasks. Shadows of a man and a woman were dancing, other were chatting, playing or working. Dogs were running, birds were flying, cows were eating from the ground. Nothing here resembled anything evil, there were just shadow and darkness. She approached one of the floating holes. Inside she saw a ruined city covered in snow or ash. She walked into the hole.
She came out in the streets of the ruined city. Buildings were collapsed and broken into pieces. Snow or ash covered the streets and the destroyed buildings. In the sky, a dim lighted star was shining upon the city with cold light. The city felt familiar but she could not recognize it in this destructed form. She walked around the city when she kicked something in the ash. She began shoveling and backed off when she saw that it was a corpse. She looked around and could see many more covering the streets. She continued to walk until she came to a very familiar building, an arena. It was Kiserova which she stood in. She put her hands on the door at the entrance. There had formed even more cracks and some of them were glowing yellow. She had to hurry. She ran inside the arena and found another hole in the middle. She walked inside.
She went through many different visions or whatever they were. Ruined cities, landscapes, holy cites, battlefields and many more. One more door she walked through and appeared what seemed to be where she started, in a endless dark room. But here were no shadows or holes as the one behind her shut close. In the sky a black sun was burning and she felt an overwhelming power in the darkness before her. There was no mistakes here, the shadow of a colossus moved and from it a creature rose up. A malformed skeleton covered in black liquid, smoke and glowing cracks all over it. The godlike creature of the abyss reached out its hand towards Nilana.
Chains were slamming against each others. Even though her thought were all but erased, she had purpose here. She could not get caught by this monster and have her spirit and heart be corrupted. She had to flee. She ran away as the monster slammed its fist in the ground. Chains were slamming once again. She realized that there were no chains on the monster, there was something or someone else inside that room. The monster swept its arm towards Nilani, she tried to run but she was too slow. Chains were slamming again. Then a hole appeared before her. She ran into it just before the monster could get her.
"I shall welcome you if ever decide to return."
Snow was falling from the black sky. One again the moon was shining its cold dim light.
A large single temple stood upon a hill, almost seemingly untouched unlike the other ruins she had seen. Black smoke was filling the area. Shadows of people were walking towards the temple. They all were weak, starved, wounded, almost dead. One after one they fell as more came walking over them. Adults and child alike. The ground was filled with corpses of skeletons from soldiers, civilians, children and animals. Nilani walked towards the temple and stumbled upon something. She looked down and took up the thing into her hands. A burnt wooden horse, a child's toy. She held it close to her for chest. She heard she screams and fire as they devoured the land. She saw the soldiers fight, she saw a silver horse rise, she saw the people flee, she saw the banner of Vosanova burn. The wooden horse turned ash in her hands. Shadows began to surround her. Her eyes were glowing, burning. Her hands were completely cracked with yellow and orange light glowing within them.
The smoke was lingering around her, growing thicker and thicker. Nilana summoned a golden light that soon turned to golden smoke. The voice was laughing as the golden smoke flew away and manifested itself into the skeleton of a knight further away. The skeleton knight began to move and rose up with golden light shining from its eyes, mouth and chest, Squrturgle. The black smoke disappeared and the other skeletons began to rose up as well, filled with black smoke. Squrturgle's new form approached Nilani and drew a silver great-sword. More shadows gathered around Nilani. One the shadows walked between them and took Squrturgle's strike. The shadow vanished into nothingness.
Squrturgle laughed as more shadows appeared before him and began to face off with his own puppets. One after one the shadows were struck and vanished but more and more arrived, invocations made from Nilani and the souls shadows of those who had died there. For every ten shadows she lost, they broke down one of the puppets. Nilani continued to walk towards the temple while the shadows kept Squrturgle busy. Around her, the shadows of soldiers, men, women, children and animals rose up with her help to join her. Squrturgle even outnumbered, easily cleaved through the invocations, the shadows of once living people.
Nilani disappeared into the temple while the battle of the dead continued outside. Squrturgle made his way through the endless horde of shadows towards the temple but he arrived long after Nilani. He walked through the empty room filled with statues and an altar that had been moved to the side, revealing a hidden stair. As he walked towards the stairs, the floor beneath him began to crack with yellow and orange light coming from the cracks. The floor rose up and broke open, and Squrturgle flew back as a huge silver horse burst through the hole. Yellow, orange and black light and smoke was escaping the many cracks in its hide. The corrupted silver horse grabbed Squrturgle with its mouth and threw him out of the temple. Squrturgle landed in the middle of the battle and saw the temple broke open as the silver horse came through.
Squrturgle raised his hands and a cloud of black smoke descended upon the horse, melting and corroding its outer layer. The silver horse charged toward Squrturgle who dodged the first hove but was kicked by another so he and the sword flew in different directions. Squrturgle could not fight the silver horse but all he had to do was to prevail as the horse was corroded by the smoke. Nilani appeared at the temple entrance. She raised her hand. The shadows around Squrturgle attacked him relentlessly. He punched them, threw them and ripped them apart. Then someone pierced his chest with the silver great-sword. The shadows ripped and teared into his golden core. He began to fall down as his core grew weaker and weaker. Then the core was destroyed and he died, but the real Squrturgle was the smoke that was attacking the silver horse.
Nalani raised her hands again and soon a huge amount of bird shadows flew towards the smoke cloud. Every bird that entered the cloud was quickly broken down but replaced by two new. There were too many. The cloud of smoke began to ascend, still attacked by the never ending birds. The cloud grew smaller and smaller as Squrturgle grew weaker and weaker before it finally vanished and became ordinary smoke again. She saw no escape from the abyss. There were no doors. Nilani's resistance towards the corruption had begun to fail as she felt her spirit became corrupted. She did not know if it was her mind being corrupted or if she just did not care. There was something calming about the abyss. It was not evil, but it could be so ferocious, so filled with wrath. It was not good, but it could be so calming, so peaceful. The abyss was like a fire, like water, like wind, rocks, steel and nature. It was not evil by choice. It was what it was.
Kling
Chains were slamming against each other, and a hole appeared before her.
The hole was completely black but it she trusted it so she walked through it.
"Go back and if you ever need to return, do so with purpose and you will never be a slave."
@shadow123
Congratulations!
Nilani managed to protect her spirit long enough and find her way through the depth of the abyss to find Squrturgle in time and thus she wins the eleventh match.
Nilani may now prepare herself for the semi finals.
You may now make a choice.
- increase Nilani's maximum mana cost to 5
- add a new signature or companion card.
You may change the cards you already have as long as they follow the restriction put on them by the choices you've made.
I wish you good fortune in the continuation of the tournament.
"Being corrupted does not have to be mean the same as being corrupted. Death does not have to be the same as being dead."
@Temurzoa
If one must always win, one must always lose.
Squrturgle lost today, it was by far the most original character design in the tournament.
The cards were also great but it was in the story where Nilani walked the furthest.
It is fun and much more interesting to have anything that is not a human, sadly that was not enough.
It has been very interesting to have Squrturgle fight in the tournament but it does not have to be over yet. There are still many important things that can be done.
Otherwise I hope that you want to stay to continue participate in the game, even if so only to read. The more the merrier.
Thank you!
Match 11 - Aftermath
Nilani woke up in the circular section of the room behind the silver door. The pool was gone, as was the black liquid that had covered the walls. The urn behind her was once again intact. She looked at her hands. They were still grey but the cracks were almost gone. Her thoughts, even though dim, were still her own and her memories were hard to remember but they were there. She could recover but she felt that the small corruption in her spirit would never go away. Maybe she could live her normal life with it, maybe not.
"Squrturgle may have been defeated and also destroyed in the battle but there is always something that can be done with the leftovers" Magus Ialis said as she walked through the tunnels of the dungeon. At one point she went down on her knees and took out a glass vial. "Is it not so, my interesting friend." she said as she scooped a bit of acid slime from the wall and put it into the vial. "Soon we can get to work, I hope you like dragon meat." Ialis turned back towards the dungeon entrance.
This took way too long to write. I absolutely need to write the next match today or tomorrow. So I will write the introduction today and either most of or the whole fight.
It will also be a much shorter fight. Probably only one page.
I will take up more of how we will do the conclusion (the semi- and the final plus eventually the bronze final) of the tournament after the next m@Lujikul
@MonkeyPirate2002 & @Lujiku
If you want to write anything more, today is the time.
I will write up something to follow up this match soon!
Thanks for liking my character @Jonteman93 !
N̶̳̱͑̀i̶̢͉͌̇l̸̰̄ȁ̵̼̈n̴͊̏͜í̴̢̮,̷̧̥̈́͗ ̷̤̫̀d̸̖͒͑ö̶̠̟́͑ņ̵̠͘'̸͔̈͌t̴̫̒̂ ̶͍̙̃y̴̢͛o̶̠͑ṷ̸̱̍̕ ̵̻̳̆̂w̶̓ͅa̶̻͊̏n̷̻͖̎̇t̶̳͆ ̸̜͇͑͝ť̴̢̹̕ȯ̴̘͝ ̷̟͛k̴̠̩̏̕n̵̮̅̐o̸̘͘w̴̱̿ ̵͖̀̄m̴̗̖̊̆ó̴͖͓r̶̲͂̕e̵̤̿́?̷̉ͅ
Nilani summoned an invocation as she stepped into the light, as herself, at last. There was something different about it though. Nilani felt like she could see a shadow- something buried deep within the invocation. It seemed darker at its core. As Nilani exited, she paid no heed to the citizens wanting to congratulate her. Nilani walked straight to Akuma.
Akuma ran up to Nilani and hugged her. "You won you really won!" She was super happy.
Nilani smiled weakly. "I need to talk to you, Akuma," Nilani whispered.
Akuma frowned a little bit. It was odd for Nilani to say that after winning such an important match. "Sure, what about?"
Nilani took Akuma to an alley in between two large buildings. She handed Akuma her dagger back and said, "I need to tell you something."
"What is it?" Akuma was a little nervous now.
"You see, down there, during my fight with Squrturglus, the abyss intervened." Akuma gasped. "I had hid in the same room Efilia did. Excpet, there was something different. The magical seal that kept whatever it was behind was broken. There was no door anymore. Only a hole of pure darkness. Of course, I needed to hide from Squrturglus, so I went in."
"So?"
"So, I found another door. It was left ajar. I went inside, curious. At that point, there were voices- so many of them." Nilani's voice was quivering now. "And a black pool. I thought I could resist the abyss. I thought I could keep myself from that crazy power, but of course, I couldn't. I let myself fall into that pool."
Akuma gasped again. "And you're okay?"
"Yes. After that, I couldn't remember much, but oddly enough, I felt at peace, somehow. Like it was calming. It felt like the abyss wasn't evil- like it was only a force." Nilani stopped. Akuma had stepped back from her a little bit. "Am I going crazy, Akuma?"
Tensely, Akuma stepped forward again and hugged her friend. She was afraid of the abyss- how could she remain friends with someone who embraced it? Yet, she still offered comfort to her.
"I feel like the abyss has become a part of me, Akuma," Nilani said, "I'm scared...why didn't I want to resist it. Everyth-thing I've worked for in my life seems like it has changed. Is this who I am?"
Akuma looked at her friend. "You are an embodiment of life. A master of hope. and if what you say is true, so be it." Akuma paused. She was also shaken. She put her hands on Nilani's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I'm afraid of the abyss. Its corruption. Its madness. Everything. It's a part of me now, maybe in a different way than it is for you. You've always strived to make life better for everyone else, so how can you let the abyss define you? Look at Brynn and Aeryn- they were driven mad by its power. You remained in control. You have a pure heart, Nilani, and I believe that it would be impossible for anything to taint it. I won't let the abyss destroy are friendship. We belong together, no matter whatever tries separates us. If you want me to help you discover more, I will. Ever since the beginning, I've felt like an outsider. Someone who fight differently. Someone who killed another out of cold blood. You showed me light, and even if your soul is filled with the darkness from the abyss, I know your light can prevail."
Akuma looked up at Nilani. There was concern in her eyes.
"Of course," Nilani smiled, "Our friendship is the most important thing here. And when the time that challenges our friendship comes. I promise I won't let the abyss stand in the way."
Nilani suddenly remembered what Efilia said: "Life Energy. I never thought it could be this useful, let alone used in this way. Your invocations are the embodiment of life, Nilani, that's why I could control them."
Nilani shakily waved her hand. Creating her Hope Twin, except this time it targeted herself. For some odd reason, Nilani felt more comfortable casting such a powerful spell.
The enchantress spoke. "See there? That's me. Efilia said that my magic is the embodiment of life, so that means that I should be able to see myself through this spell."
It lit up the whole dark alley in golden light, but Nilani was right. In the center, it looked as there was a shadow inside of the light. Like a hole in space that somehow seemed to be holding the light together. It was just like her. With a shaky hand, Nilani collapsed the invocation. Instead of collapsing into a bright ball of light, the light seemed to be sucked into the shadowy hole. Then it faded away. Nilani breathed a sigh of relief, she had successfully cast that spell without harming anyone. Maybe there was hope.
Nilani and Akuma stepped out of the alley. "You want to talk later?" Nilani asked.
"For sure."
With that both friends hugged and walked away. Through the corner of her eye, Nilani saw the alley flash with red light, then it became dark again.
What was that? Was the Red Queen watching me the entire time?
'' How long have you been waiting for that moment, Aeryn. I finally managed to make contact with you. Officially, nice to meet you. As you may imagine, I am Nyrea, the bearer of ancient powers. ''