Aren walked around the area, inspecting the dead with his eyes. His face twisted to that of a grimace from the thought of all the lives that has been claimed in this place. From his estimation, there seems to be about more than 40 skeletons and corpses scattered around. There was a faint smell of rotten flesh from the dead bodies from the yet to be fully skeletonized corpses. Seeing this much dead bodies for the first time was an awful experience for the boy. It made him feel sick just watching all of these. It didn’t help that they probably died from deprivation since they must’ve been in the same circumstance as them.
If that were the case, then it must mean that they too did not know how to get out. But why? From the equipment they left behind, they shouldn’t be short in preparations. Granted that nearly all of the corpses are still newbies judging from these equipment. There he paused, racking his brain to come up with an answer.
Misha was full of worry, but no one can see her frown hidden behind her hand. The scene before her was breathtaking in a bad way that she could not think properly. Her heart throbbed faster and her breathing became haggard as she discovers more and more of the dead. However, seeing Aren calmly assessing the place gave her resolve. She held her chest, and slowly calmed herself. This was not the time to get all worked-up. They are all dead, and there was nothing she could do about it. All she can do is pray that their souls could rest in peace.
Seris, on the other hand, only watched silently. Deep down however, she was conflicted and in deep regret. She believes that she is the reason why Aren and Misha are trapped here. They were doomed to this fate before them, and she didn’t know any better. It would’ve been fine if she was the only one to disappear, but she could not accept that two innocent people would go with her. Unable to contain her emotions, silence was broken through one word.
“No…”
Seris fell on her rear, despair showing through her face. Both Aren and Misha turned around to find her eyes start to water again. The thought of indirectly murdering her newfound friends, her only friends, could not stop herself from weeping. Yes, she had already considered them as her friends from the short amount of time they have interacted. The Seris who hungered for company was devastated realizing that she would be the cause of her own and other’s misery.
“Because of me, we will...”
She started losing it, trembling and shaking from the horrible future that awaited them.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
The same words came out from her mouth again and again as despair slowly seeped through her. She could only hold herself and cover her crying self as she repeatedly apologized. Misha, heartbroken after seeing Seris blame herself, tried to open her mouth and say something, but she was nudged aside by Aren. Her eyes immediately widened when she saw how he lifted Seris off the ground. He grabbed her by the collar, with Seris staring at him with wide eyes.
“Aren! Stop tha-”
“Listen here!”
But before Misha could stop Aren, he had already started to talk. Seris mind immediately halted, dumbly staring at Aren’s infuriated face. He did not allow her to mope any longer, whether it was for good or for bad.
“Do you think that’ll help?! Do you think being like that will make us feel better?!”
Aren’s intense expression was something Misha has seen for the first time. Why is he so furious? She has never seen him like that before, as if he was a completely new person. Despite her time with him, there was still things she didn’t know about him. All this time she thought that he knew him very well, but this moment only proved to her otherwise. Because of this, she couldn’t even let out a word or do anything to stop Aren. She simply didn’t know how to deal with him. He’s not the Aren she used to know.
“B-but… It’s my fault that you-”
“Bullshit!” Aren cut her off “Just because you think it’s true, doesn’t mean it’s absolutely true!”
He immediately let go, leaving Seris to fall back and look at him with dumbstruck eyes.
“Did you really think we would blame this on you? You’re the only one doing this to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up for a reason that doesn’t even make any sense!”
Aren couldn’t hold his anger this time. He hated anyone who cries for the wrong reason, at least in his own definition of what is the “wrong” reason. Not because he despised the idea, but because he could see his past from such action that he hated it. Only memories long gone ran around his mind, reliving those moments that he tried so hard to forget. He couldn’t stand it.
“B-but...” Seris was still in deep resentment of herself “I’m the one who dragged you along with me...”
He was about to explode.
“Who said that?”
But Misha intervened, surprising even Aren.
“We were the ones who followed you here by our own will. You did nothing to us at all.”
It was time for Misha to step in. She spared a quick angry glance at Aren, causing him to flinch and looked away. She could not stop him, so the only thing she could do was intervene and grab the conversation to herself. She didn’t want to continue this any longer. Thankfully, Aren can regain some of his composure through an angry Misha.
She then lowered herself at Seris’ eye level. Her tearful eyes met hers that were kind and reassuring. For the longest time, Misha had wanted to properly talk to her. Despite this was the highest peak of her emotion, she had to act now or it would all go downhill thanks to a certain somebody. Aren only knows how to solve a problem, not teach it, so she was always there to fill up what he was lacking. This time, she’s going to be the support she has always been.
“I don’t know what you think of us. It could be strangers, acquaintances, or maybe friends. But, please remember, it’s not so wrong to rely on others. Don’t try hold everything by yourself.”
Misha held her hand, her soft and warm skin soothing Seris. Her gentle look contrasted with Seris’ awestruck expression. For being a ten years old that looks like thirteen, she awfully acts too much like a mother would. This allowed Seris to ease up and cease her tears, finding comfort from Misha’s caring presence.
“I can’t promise anything, but I’m here to listen.”
Seris gazed down on the ground, averting Misha’s eyes.
“I’m… weak… inferior to everyone else.”
Misha lost her smile as she focused on listening.
“My siblings, even those who were younger than me, were always better than me. When I do something, another would always overshadow me.”
Misha could only be silent. Aren was also oddly silent, and none of the girls knew of the expression he was making.
“Even the abilities I am so proud of, wasn’t enough to even defeat one enemy. Maybe I was just too ambitious, but it shows how naive and weak I am. I don’t think I’m ever needed if there are always people that could do a far better job than me.”
Misha, knowing full well the fallacy of her own actions, wanted to tell her that’s she’s been wrong on her view of things. However, she also knows the effect it will have on her. Saying it will only prove the point Seris made more, so she refrained from doing so.
“I’m just a burden, useless. Even now, I needlessly dragged you in to my business. I am the worst.”
“But you are not.” Aren finally spoke up.
Both Seris and Misha looked up at Aren, whose fury was nowhere to be seen from his face anymore. Instead, there was only empathy and determination left on his eyes. He was finally back to the Aren that Misha knew, causing her to inwardly smile.
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No matter how Aren looked at it, he simply went too far. He could’ve just did the same thing with less anger and more control, but he still let his emotions take over him. This was unlike him at all that he even refused to believe it for a moment. But what has happened has already happened, there’s no taking it back. Because of this, he wants to make it up to her.
“And I’m going to prove it.”
Aren’s words rang through the mind of Seris. It was bold of him to declare something like that, even Misha could temporarily not believe what he said. However, Misha knows better than that. Aren would never declare to do something that he can’t do.
“P-prove it?” she asked dumbly.
“Yeah.” Aren clenched his fist. “By finishing what you ought to do.”
“W-what?!” Seris shot up, doubting her ears. “You already know it yourself! Even I can’t touch the abyssal! How will you be able to prove anything?!”
“She’s right Aren.” Misha stood up, calming Seris down. “How are you going to do this?”
Though she trusts his decision, doubt can still come up considering that even Seris was powerless against the abyssal. She can imagine that the situation would still be the same even with the three of them.
Aren, however, has already figured out a way. It’s easy to imagine that the previous victims did not know how to get out, so there was a certainty that the key to the exit is hard to find. But after thinking about it for a while, Aren began to focus on the why. Why did they not know how to get out? Some surely must have made a trip around the area once to try and find some kind of device that would allow them to get out. If it’s an isolated space like he think this place is, then there’s no doubt there’s an anchor to keep the place stable. If it’s the same as Stan’s [Silent Keep], then the anchor must be in the center. That’s when he realized it.
It's not that they did not know. It was because no one could do anything about it. No one was able to get out, because the anchor was the abyssal itself. In order to leave the place, they must confront and kill it, and no one was prepared to do so. So the answer was obvious; kill the abyssal.
“There’s a reason why you still faced that abyssal head-on despite knowing the disparity between you and it. Am I right?” asked Aren to Seris.
However, to do that, he’ll need the help of Seris. Not just that, he must have the help of Seris. This was crucial to the plan as he needed to make sure that Seris would deal the final blow for the best result. Misha, sensing that Aren was unto something, decided to trust him like she always has.
Seris flinched as she realized that Aren had already deduced the reason why she fought needlessly. Ashamed of her own mistake, she answered meekly.
“Y-yes… abyssals are deathly weak against anything holy, that was why I was foolish enough to think that I stood any chance against that thing.”
“I see.” Aren muttered.
Aren closed his eyes for a while before opening them to scour the area. The corpses and skeletons were still there. Yet, some things caught his eye amidst the equipment that littered the area. He turned around to face both of the girls.
“But fortunately for you, you now have us and this goldmine of equipment, which means we have increased our chances.” Aren crossed his arms and grinned. “Plus, I have a plan.”
Aren pointed at Seris, prompting Misha to hold her shoulders and surprising her. "And you cannot back out of this one, whether you like it or not."
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In the lonely and grim silence inside the isolation barrier, a lone abyssal senses three holy presences approaching, two people and one weapon. The dim lighting of the area did little to hinder this abyssal, as it is Jriv’Filt the Shapeshifter. Among its brethren, it was the only one who can freely shift its body to its liking. As such, giving its eyes night vision was a simple task not even worthy of mentioning.
But even with this ability, Jriv’Filt was known as an “exception” of the abyssals. Not in a way that it is resistant to holiness, but the fact that it wasn’t natural born. Every abyssal are formed from the heresy and negativity of Alterea, giving them particular abilities that denote the kind of heresy or negativity that mostly composes them. But as an exception, Jriv’Filt was different. Whereas something like Zeckabar is the embodiment of slander, Jriv’Flit does not even know what it’s supposed to be. Without knowing what it's supposed to represent, this led to it turning into the only abyssal to be able to shapeshift freely.
However, despite this, this particular abyssal does indeed have a preferred shape; the horned snake, its original body. An artificially born abyssal will always have an original body, unlike the pure mass of atrocity that is a true abyssal. It might be an abyssal, but it still retained its infantile-like memories from its original body. Thus, making the horned snake its default form was for its comfort rather than convenience.
Today, a particular set of humans entered its territory. At first, only one easy prey came in and was almost devoured, but another set of annoyance came barging in and damaged Jriv’Flit. Resentment and rage welled up inside the abyssal not only because of the disturbance, but also because of the destruction of its eye. What’s worse, it cannot regenerate it with its own shapeshifting ability. This has permanently hindered its vision. It tried to create another eye to replace it, but it cannot even form it properly. It would’ve understood if it was low on mass, but it wasn’t and its shapeshifting wasn’t helping.
Then, whatever or whoever hit it, must have something greater than being holy. It didn’t want to accept it, but there was no other possible answers. One of them has divinity. It wasn’t stupid enough to deny that fact. Only those favored by the heavens can inflict this kind of damage on an abyssal. And now, one of those favored is at its doorstep. This was the worst situation it could ever come up with its whole five years of life.
However, it still had a chance. The best equipped of them, the one with a holy weapon, could not even touch it even with the little brat’s incredible speed. It would also seem like she was very vulnerable to magic, as it was able to increase [Soul Terror]’s effect and inflict paralysis on her through its [Abyssal Bellow]. If it’s the same for the others, then it would be easy to get rid of them. Even if it did not work, the abyssal’s power far surpasses that of the intruders. It wasn’t worried in the slightest bit when it concerns with its power. That was why, it was confident.
“Hello! How’s it going?”
But that confidence got completely overshadowed by the arrogance of this one boy. This boy nonchalantly showed itself in the clearing, clearly confident and unafraid. He must’ve known that hiding won’t help it because of the holy aura its emitting, even if it’s faint. Behind him was another hidden presence with a stronger aura, but it knows there is one other.
“Let me introduce myself, I’m-”
“Sssilence!”
Its words echoed throughout the area, anger clearly evident from the tone.
“Where are the othersss? I know there are three of you, fool.”
“Ahahaha!~ Right!” Aren shrugged. “Welp, you heard him.”
Out from the bushes came two, one who it fought before with the strongest holy aura, while the other doesn’t even have a speck of holiness with her. This was advantageous for it. Now that they have revealed themselves, they don’t have the element of surprise anymore.
“Resssissstance isss futile. Your pain ssshall end quickly.”
The girl with highest holiness is visibly shaking from fear. This would only be natural since it did beat her badly. Jriv’Flit inwardly smirked at the stupidity of bringing someone who is afraid of itself. Its view shifted to the other girl, and was momentarily inwardly surprised. She was the same as the boy, there was no fear that it could sense. It figured that they are this way because the two of them haven’t felt pain from it yet, so it planned to thoroughly make them experience what an “abyssal” really is.
“I’m sorry to break it to ya, but we’re not planning to die so easily by the likes of you.”
“Imprudent brat!” The abyssal’s voice rang throughout the area, routing the wind as it did so. “Do not ssspeak asss if you have a chance againssst me!”
“Well, we actually do. After all, you can’t move from your spot; the center of this isolated space.”
“Keen obssservation…” admitted the abyssal “But you’re too foolish and hasssty.”
The abyssal soon started to convulse, surprising the trio. In the next moment, a large chunk split off from the abyssal like a mass of goo, and another one fell of soon after. The abyssal became significantly smaller, but next to it were two giant black golems of similar size. Knowing its major advantage, it unconsciously let out a wicked and abhorrent grin toward the trio, unbefitting of a snake.
Meanwhile on the side of Aren, this wasn’t completely in line with his plan.
He had prepared Misha and himself by looting the dead bodies of their equipment. As a result, he has now proper full plated gauntlets, better sword and daggers, and clothing that didn’t come from the homeless. Misha as well found better mana stabilizer gloves, and a brand new but low grade grimoire. This grimoire is currently revolving around Misha, closed and on standby.
Yet despite their preparation, they were still caught off guard by the abyssal’s division.
“Well this is an unexpected development.”
Cold sweat dripped down from his forehead, and seeing his uncertainty made Seris doubt him more than she arleady has. Misha’s hand held her shoulder, which made her turn her head to face her. Unlike her, she can see the complete faith she has for Aren. Even though she saw Aren like this, she would still be willing to believe in him? Seris understands that they have been friends for a long time, but isn’t this already considered as blind faith? No matter how she would look at it, this much trust in someone shouldn’t be even possible in this kind of situation. Just what kind of person Aren is to have Misha trust him that much?
“Just stick to the plan.” Misha whispered to Seris. “From what I can tell, our objective is still intact.”
Her eyes focused on the objective in front of them. She’s right, it’s still there. Looking at Aren, who was earlier having cold sweat, is now on a full grin. Seris widened her eyes at the sight. How in the world did he achieve this level of confidence? Nevertheless, Seris kept strong as she fought off her fear. She doesn’t completely trust Aren, but seeing Misha place her complete faith in him, she can’t help but somewhat do the same.
“Operation: Prison Break, begin!”
And thus, Aren commenced the plan of action.