COI C259

The screeches heard among the remaining mechanical spiders. Haunting by the past as it cheers for its release. The contemplating of joy scream from top to bottom. Those familiar words had freed the souls trapped inside its mechanical chamber. Headless as it fell to the ground, the dead souls free from their internal bodies. The Benedictus see all of them befalling willingly as the waterfalls rush down and pushes them all back into the wall, leaving them none being pulled into the current. When it is cleared, the man catcher calls out his men

“Get everyone out from this realm, we have served her purpose. Ready to move out”

The hyper speed realm disappears. The time begins to return back to normal. Everyone is finally free from the horde. The sight of the water falling again and the rest of the debris dropping down after such a terrifying incident. The time is now, as everywhere they go through the tidal city ruin. It is, by no mean, fair they will enter the state of fatigue. Dreadful may be, because of the limits of them using speed, and it is, a spell. Days without rest. The days, endless fighting without a single break took into their breaths as speed won’t recover their mortal bodies.

Unfortunately, the Benedictus didn’t receive it. It is strange for who had experienced this magic that they usually removed it. The guild begins to continue to move on nonetheless. The man catcher watches McS4 took the final deed helping them. His stance motionlessly keeps on eye at the direction where Tabitha is. As exploration of this ruin is time to an end, where this magic becomes the curse. They have no time to lose. Tabitha’s team is waiting for them. The bells ring on the banner proceed to go where they needed be.

Juela held the box, four remains and crafted by Haw himself. The glass inside sealed rare fluids containing a light inside glowing. She turns to the wall where the monster was taken inside. The circumstances to ever have happened is purely a divine intervention. The gods who are here to seek their lost children still provide miracles to whom they known their name. Aoi sits down on her knees praying as she gives thanks for this successful battle. She stands up and look at Juela, goes to her, and gives her a hug

“Thank you, Thanks all of you that it’s finally over”

Sakura gives a teary eye as the others watch them in relief. Sakura looks at Kenta acting proud what happened. She looks back only to see his annoying face. Kenta felt offended by it and leans to Toba

“You guys see that? I think she blushes me”

They look at him weird

“You?” Mina didn’t believe a word he just said

“Why not, I mean. Why I’m not even bothered with your perverted lines?” Toba quickly gives a smirk

“Aw, yeah. Right. If ever something emotional happened again. Don’t try to lean your heads on my shoulders. I only have two . . .Ouch!”

Toba hits him “Sure”

When Kenta about to leave, Toba felt something wrong in their conversation. The moment of paused gives her to remember. The sense of dangers around them quickly fades her mind to think about it. Her expression wasn’t showing any confusion at all. It is more like she has mistaken to say that to him. Toba feels the influence is roaming into her head, she keeps shaking it off like an insect buzzing down on her ears.

“Tch, why am I get a feeling I just say bad to him? Tsk, like most guys are flirting idiots. Yeah, most guys”

The fight is over and everyone is ready to go back to the camp. Silfa is looking for Fae-chan. It disappears when it flew off to the air broken its spell from the glass. She tries to use her equip skill, but it couldn’t reappear inside her inventory. She tries looking for it, and only she could see somewhere upward in the darkness. She casts her forcefield and add some light inside. The glowing orb moves around the air finding her lost doll. From every corner, to every edge of the cliffs, and to the ground that she believed sitting around are left gone to her search. Only in the air, she sees something slowly moving. It was Fae-chan.

The motion as it was still being hit and flown out of place. She tries to catch it but the speed distorted its time in motion. Two time collided where Fae-chan’s defensive rituals protected from her hand grabbing it, and at the same time the fast-moving time leave Silfa a slow in motion carry the weight of the impact. Separate their time in motion causing abnormal effects to each othere.

“Wait the minute, is it the speed magic should be over?”

Silfa rushes back to the camp and discovered she is not the only one freaking out.

The woman and the children are slowly moving as the time differentiate among the two. Tabitha’s team is confused what’s going on. Juela explains it to them

“We didn’t leave the hyper speed. We are still under its spell”

Aoi felt guilty “No, it can’t be. I thought . . .”

Nonsense breaks loose. “Huh? You mean the influence?”

Mina is in shock as everyone begins to huddle her.

“Wait!?”

People who are influence tend to suppress them in case they turned into like her older brother. Tempted by the power but leaving a curse for them to instill from its power. They allow her to do it because they thought it was a magic ritual but when she said it nervously made them suspicious.

Juela stops them “Enough!”

“But, Aoi is probably . . . eek!”

Mina and her friends stare at Juela’s angry eyes. It wasn’t powerful nor threatening, she has this motherly expression showing a strict look on her face. Because how much Juela trusts Aoi to borrow that glass, it was obvious in their heads it was her responsibility. They back out.

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to”

“Our bad, ma’am”

“I guess our attitude is a bit off again”

“What’s wrong with us? We have been together in such a long time and couldn’t even acting like friends”

Tabitha uses her telepathy on Aoi “Hey, did the magic scroll worn out?”

“No, I can still hear you. Thanks again to make it for me to have a word with my brother”

“That’s, I was the one who knows the recipe. I wouldn’t bother to use it on anyone”

“Huh?”

“Hehe, I know, awkward. Back to the point, is there more you can tell us about this curse?”

“Not anymore, when I regain my memory. It is becoming easy to forget about the curse. It was cleverly hit the right on the head of many people who tried to break free from it. The hunter’s note will probably could explain why”

Those notes, barely anything they could find in this dangerous area. They mention about those notes scattered, but hardly anything they could find as safe. Their problem now to stop the hyper speed. Juela calls out to Aoi.

“We’re glad that the threat is gone, and sometimes what we have is not what we are expecting it to be. So, Aoi do you know anything about the spell?”

“Well, uhm, well. I actually remember it”

Aoi carefully said it in front of her friends. The influence paranoia is really made them react so fast. Is this what the hunter said to her? Only if Toba is free . . .?

Aoi starts thinking, the people who will be next who has less guilty memory. Her guilt is because of her older brother. It was him who brought her here, and the influence got her is because of the offer of freedom from her abusive brother. Freed and with Tabitha’s team, she won’t be easily be influenced again. Toba, from what Aoi remembered she told her the truth of coming here at the East Coast. If it is true then, she must be the next person to free from the!!! A sudden shift as the voice calls out to Aoi.

“Good work, you’re free from the demonic influence. Yet, I am not letting you go from the spell. You must be smart from this point on. This is a compelling spell for giving you the chance to pass through all the threats lie in this ruin. You need to hurry, there is no second time to use this spell again. The wall broke open by someone of your kind. Trying to free those monsters leaving your people trapped again. Take this opportunity and go downward, where you will see the remaining waterfall still not used against those machines. It will be your guide for your friends’ freedom”

Aoi is about to fall down from the sudden mental pressure. Silfa catches her as she is getting dizzy

“I guess that other influence is not the bad guy, right?”

Aoi nods. Silfa sighs and gives her to Juela. Then she calls out to Mina’s team

“I am not the right woman to lecture you kids about the dangers of this place, but you guys did great survive and even go through hell in this hole we are end up with. It’s quite a predicament you guys go through. I have seen much of you guys acting like goldfishes”

“Goldfishes?” Kenta raises the question.

Sakura smirks at his dumb question “We have short term memories”

“What?! No way!”

Silfa reads the mood as she plays along “Oh?! Kenta”

“Yes?”

“Why not you and Aoi try sparring?”

Both of them react “What?”

Kenta continues “Wait, wait, w-wait. I am not hitting a girl”

“In this world, there is no advantages which gender you are. Magic is magic. Or, are you already got beaten by a girl?”

Kenta is looking at Silfa as she really meant it, her teasing made him more of a pushover from his own head. He is fast and very evasive when it comes to surviving. Yet, fighting is, he rarely fights because of how he mostly beat his own people. Toba made a face in front of him made him forced to do it.

“FINE!”

“WHAT!?” Aoi left silent.

On the ring, Aoi and Kenta readies themselves as the rule is being placed.

“Alright, there is one rule. Each fighter hits their opponent once. First should be Kenta”

“Hold on a minute. Ok, you want me to challenge Aoi, then you let me gives her the first hit. I am no pushover but this is not even a normal fight”

“Oh, believe me, we are not going to this fight long. You’ll see”

“Hmph! Aoi, I hope you agreed with her too”

“. . .”

“I am not going to apologize if anything happened to you”

Kenta gives the first swing and punches her to the gut. Aoi felt the pain as she vomits. Tabitha and Juela were shocked as they whispered to each other

“A gentleman with horns. Tabitha, your people are not throwing anything light”

“I forgot how kids are brutally honest like this. Especially what you said they will literally do it”

Aoi stands up after his punch. Readying her arms while her other hand is holding her gut. Kenta holds himself from apologizing. Silfa shows no remorse as she watches the fight. This happened because they called them goldfishes, where is the example?

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It’s her turn. Aoi hits him on the face. Kenta feels her hand and the mana burst forward into his face. The powers she wielded is not her possessing unbelievable magic. The surge of mana going through his face as he should be knock directly out of orbit. This is not the case, the pain goes through the inside of his mana capacity, bursting out and quickly drained all out of his mana. Slowly, he backs away then quickly goes down like the mechanical spider.

“Oof! What a punch! Aoi, are you really that strong?”

Aoi’s friends were astonished while Tabitha and Juela are actually shaken their heads from what Silfa is trying to explain to them. The awe just made it worst for Juela

“This curse made them forget even before our last fight with the living machine”

“Living machine? Why are we giving it names? It’s a monster, never mind. It is also a buff from the hyper speed too. Those kids are really had a memory of a goldfish”

“See. I told you, he is also the same kid that helped you too. Now behaves like an idiot”

“Maybe it was just luck”

“Boys are very creative when it comes to fight. Heist is the most popular on that subject and he plays well as a DPS”

The awkward silence, Aoi should’ve explain to them she still has the power of the voice she heard. Able to hit the mechanical spider by a mere punch in the face and able to roll out from its body is the most obvious sign she was given monstrous help. Even she tries to frenzy kicking it on her own to stop it from killing her. The voice had provided her the power. It also means she remembers why she is able its voice, a purpose. She confronts Tabitha about their situation.

Tabitha, Juela, and SIlfa never would imagine having this power, and it is also wanting to help her. They must go first to visit the source of the voice and free the remaining kids in front of them.

“One by one you say?”

Juela carefully tries to understand instead of having a mass cleanse instead. Aoi can’t say anything except for vouching to Toba. Silfa is not convinced, but understands the situation

“Their background, we shouldn’t be taken them lightly. Even with the woman over there slowed down. There is a reason why she got here in the first place”

“However, you still want to save them, Sifla”

“Yes, and always do. They don’t deserve this place either”

“Then it is decided” Tabitha stands up and says to her friends and Aoi

“If we are going to be smart, then every opportunity we must go through to skip a few traps or so. Juela, you’ll be staying here and create a magic pathway so those people who are here can go to us safely, ok?”

“Of course!”

“Silfa, I hope you’ll bring Fae-chan into your inventory when this hyper speed is over”

“Right!”

“Then I’ll try to contact them again with telepathy. Let’s hope we can finally meet Lady Constantine’s men”

“YEAH!”

They set off, leaving Tabitha say her farewell to Juela preparing the magic circle for the people remained in a slow motion. Silfa stares at Fae-chan in slow motion into the air hitting by the monster’s void magic. She chuckles for a bit for how durable the doll is and at the same time thanking it for protecting the children very well. She turns around thinking about this woman named Yui. If there is a time they could meet, she would ask her for any advice to help her sibling a thing or two and their goblin and beast doll.

Meanwhile in the real time sequence, Fae-chan’s senses to whom it protects is moving quite rapidly. It confused it senses trying to commit itself to stay on guard but it flew up to the air all collecting the connection between it from Silfa and Aoi. It mumbled within its own spirit what to do as these few moments will collide into a flash torrent of information happened to them. Yet, that’s not all it observed through its spirit. People who are coming, coming from the surface, knowing who they are, leaving the mark with familiar origins both here and Ender’s bridge.

Travel deep into the depths of the ruin. All of the waterfall disappeared as none appeared with every step down below. Monsters other than those mechanical spiders, the same monsters they venture down from the shore. It is the sea creatures and new ones they didn’t recognized. The slime water is here, fogging everywhere into a pool with enough area to fill with its thick fluid like air. Wither their intense speed, they move like snail but at the same time in a group panic. Signs of back-and-forth fight at the same time gores spreading all around, proving that there was a fight here. Terrifying.

The deeper they go down the less they could see what this city used to be, there is nothing left to see just flat clean marbles all around. The rest are made from stones alongside with the marble showing they were replaced by the rubbles. Tabitha tries to find any note they left. Sadly, only stripped her time is how well hid it is. Voldemyr and U’ecin are truly the best to keep the information preserved as possible. More while, she hears McS4 and R-cord contacting each other.

“Testing, testing. Tabitha, if you’re reading this, our tech can’t be used for contact. Please, advice for direct contact and mustn’t respond through telepathy. Someone is listening”

“S4, S4 can you read me? This is code RH-0 status B3PC3K, no repeat . . .”

Tabitha almost calling them out the moment she able hear them in the hyper speed. The warning they put out in their heads. Including a code for RH-0, status B3PC3K is a beat confusing for her but the word ‘no repeat’ means she must not repeat what they’re giving the message. Then who is the one interfering their communication.

R-cord continues “. . . Notes found in a cloth same one from the altar . . .”

Tabitha urges to reach him. He deliberately reports about the note she desperately wants to know about the East Coast. This is not the right time for him mention about it. Yet, he continues

“. . . Report shows citizens are coming back here. But got out after weeks of searching the survivors. This is an advance ‘heads up’. Someone from Isekai City. I am sure whether is true or not. The leads I could find is the Enders reports”

Tabitha thought he wasn’t helping to give her the note like that, except for the last part. This made her think about what happened earlier. They were influenced leaving all the survivors having those loose memories. They can’t remember anything valuable except for their daily survival bases. If it is true, the Isekai citizens should inform them about the rescue. Then Silfa shouldn’t be in this position coming along and alone without her best team with her. There is one logical explanation who would definitely going to get the survivors. The defectors. Her realization puts her mouth shut, if they found out she is also the found who free the Fuku City residence. They will come to get her at this opportunity.

“. . . No repeat . . .”

Her mind doubts she would say that to her friends. She trusts them, but all this preparation is from her own team. Yui, Lady Coheld, and Myrrkei have prepared for her wish to save these people at the East Coast. She mustn’t make this rescue fail because of a rumor.

“We’re here” Aoi points out where in motion as the torrent of water cyclone itself into a circular motion. A bright light blinded anyone who are not affected by the hyper speed. There are people at the front, Circoston invaders from how they wear. All of them are humans.

Silfa wants to see their faces, but their faces are covered with masks and other protective gears with their divine items in place. Out of curiosity, she reaches it. Then the divine item absorbs the hyper speed around her and enter their state of time. Without giving a single moment, the woman quickly attacks. Raising her hands forcing Silfa down as her equipment are controlled by her spell. Tabitha picks a card and uses her wand phases through the divine item and pushes off from the time state. The woman returned back to their time pace leaving Silfa shaking her head in frustration.

“Ok, now I’m mad. How in the world did she just control my body? Like seriously”

Silfa tries to throw something at her, but quickly stops. Imagine, those times she had to be meeting with those warriors. This making her scratching her head to how to deal with these threats. To think, someone like her younger sister’s friend, the shield student or Miyusuki be able to deal people like that. She turns around and Tabitha slaps her face.

“Ouch”

“Would you please to be more careful? Those people are too prepared against anything than all of us. We are provided what we needed, to rescue our people, not fighting”

“Sigh, it was an accident. Who knew they could react the moment I step closer?”

Aoi also responds to her “That’s why they freely come and go whenever they pleases. You don’t know what really happens here until you finally remember everything”

She turns to the cyclone water and listens to the voice “We were saved many times, but the enemies wouldn’t let us leave. Those people, I remember what the main purpose why they left the city. Becoming the vessels who were slain here”

Both Tabitha and Silfa heard her without even a shed of fear or emotion. Like this is what Aoi said in the beginning. After, saying it. The light covered them and pulled them inside.

Once inside, Aoi breaks from the trance as she covers her mouth “Tabitha, Silfa! It wasn’t me!”

The two didn’t hear and was in awe inside of this room. Both of them says the name of the city

“Del’Montra Esteval”

Where the emblem shows above them. Right in front of them, there a woman sitting on her throne. Hidden away from the horror of this place and portrays the old civilization that once stood. The woman’s aura gives away a powerful presence, same as a demon, but she glows more than just neutral mana around her. It feels more of her own identity.

This eternal woman responds from their reaction with a simple nod of authority. Her eyes go straight to Aoi’s friends and Aoi herself is nervous from her serious stare. She then introduces herself.

“My name’s Delilah, from what people call us demons, correct?”

Tabitha wasn’t convinced and thought something else

“Sorry, but demons giving this kind of aura only reminds me of a certain heavenly demon . . .!”

Delilah was shocked to hear a title spoken from her mouth. The supposed authoritative woman shows deep fear of that title.

She reposes her stature with great dignity “Ahem* It is rude of me to be less elegant. It is plausible to hear people like that such as you people dare to enter my old domain”

“No! Not at all, but I do listen to one of my friends to never mention about it, again”

The long pause after those words. Delilah smiles to hear such tone plays so differently but the phrase is still there like they were her people. The room phases into her grasp. The water she casts corroded through their bodies from the blessing they received in hyper speed. Everyone forgets their position as they face a powerful being.

Aoi bows down to her knees and said “Please! We’re sorry. We didn’t mean not to be formal . . .”

“Enough!”

A loud voice erupts from Delilah’s voice. Water spread around splashing like the tidal waves hitting all the walls as the center of the strong current is her.

“I have brought you here because of the changes happened to you, Aoi. Your friends are already frozen in place because of a certain enemy won’t keep me spread my piece of the influence”

Silfa turns around and sees Mina and the rest remained still, realizing they weren’t involved from the conversation. Glowing all around their heads, raying down with light from their heads and mouths. This what Delilah meant about the influence.

“Influence, that’s right. Everyone here is a little short sighted and couldn’t remember a thing after a few days. I want to know what keep them this way”

Delilah shakes her head as she refuses to answer. Tabitha encourages her

“Please! You must help us. If we don’t know how to solve this curse, we can’t bring them out from this realm”

Delilah didn’t respond and sits at her throne looking at Aoi. Aoi needs to explain to them.

“Actually, you guys. I think it is better of if you help me save my friends”

Silfa turns to her “We’re already here and you told us there will be someone is going to help you friends. Now we have nothing to ask aid from her after coming this way”

Tabitha cuts her off and said “There’s no need to”

“What!?” Aoi and Silfa were surprised

“I am sorry if I can’t explain say anything to you, but at least you should trust me on this”

Tabitha follows a gesture as she bows elegantly right in front of Delilah. Delilah sits on her throne remembering her people who pose like Tabitha.

A deep silence goes through inside her mind. Seeking the dolls among the spirit she made a long time ago. Searching into the ruin to where as proof as Tabitha is acting on, she finally finds it and the doll fly in the air in slow motion. Marked by the void magic left it into the normal time state. She calmly stops herself and quickly goes to the point. The hyper speed boosted into their minds. Fragile to the point of breaking, this is a sensitive cure only for the most careful hearts. If they fail, the repercussion is massive. If they succeed, then this both a cure and a blessing.

Delilah voices inside Aoi’s mind “I have waited your freedom in a long time. Get the notes they left behind, let those friends of yours open up as the influence tempt them back in. Those men have chiseled you to your finest hardened heart. Now your sibling is gone, there is nothing for you to be tempted on. Free them, as they carry more than just guilt. This called hyper speed is still in place as you will not be interfered from those lowly creatures, especially those monsters you faced before” “Faster than them” Aoi feels relief.

The room disappears and they are back out from the water cyclone. Aoi’s friends free and, Tabitha and Silfa lost from presence of Delilah.

Silfa asks “What was that?”

Tabitha is certain “This is meant for them, Silfa”

“What?! Only Aoi is the only one is with us moving and talking”

Aoi’s friends shaken as they return back to normal “Hey, Aoi. Where is the place you mention?”

Silfa adds to the argument “See! It is like they are getting messed in their heads”

Tabitha shakes her head and told her honestly “I’m sorry, if I have the time to give you an explanation for that. It would be difficult for you to understand”

“Tabitha? You knew!?”

“Not exactly, more like it pieces me together. Yui and Myrrkei have given me a guess”

Enemies right beside them, Tabitha didn’t bother to notice them as she shows to everyone what she figure out. She says Delilah’s true name

“Delikor, E’asta Ankra”

They fill her presence wildly grows inside of them. The blessing she gives enhanced further to ruin Tabitha’s straight of mind by calling out her true name. Those who hears her true name diluted from their mind to stop speaking the correct pronunciation of her name. Tabitha’s robes and other items diverted it giving an aura that Delilah reluctantly stops. Silfa and the others were in shock.

“Cough* These overpowered beings. Why would they offered to help then hurt us at the same time? I don’t understand”

“So much to explain, we can’t have it all day, Silfa”

Tabitha looks around from top to bottom. Ruins, fell into the forgotten place beneath the sea and the sea shore. Many years of how could a sane being to watch this world fall and forever trapped in a place she had created for. Delilah is less goddesses, eternal, nor powerful being and more of a human that Tabitha initially thought. But she can’t say it anymore. Delilah is already listening. She is not right on the head at this moment. As of now, they have to go through Aoi’s trials.

Back in Enders Bridge, a certain community goes around town whereas with their children, mostly daughters started crying at the same time. Many of them calling out an emergency meeting to their close relatives who are under their culture. One of these places visited is the Raker Mawn guild tower. Her name roared out from the echoing floors

“OUE!”

Everyone in the guild watches the echoing wails of the visitor going through like haunting spirits searching for someone by their sheer voices.

“WWHAT!”

Echoes return back down as they begin to go to her as soon as possible.

The archives forced open, letting a visitor to enter such preserved sacred place of the guild turned troublesome. For Yui, it is troublesome from the very beginning. She’s there writing on her book and sees her relatives rushing towards her. Her aunts approached her with the ‘she gets into trouble, again’ vibe. They stood there and let Yui writes as she finishes after a few phrases. Yui looks at them angry as she returns the favor. She responds again

“What!” Witted by her own tone.

They show them their family doll. One of the dolls who was not given to the daughter yet. Yui sees the internal wrath coming from the inside voicing out the phrase in response.

“Again! I heard here in this ruin. One of my adopted names: Del’kr! E’a! Ankr! You bring a non-relative to speak my words”

It was obvious it was Yui who is the suspect. Her own guild member is the only one who is actually close to their family. Beside Fay’mae who is with a citizen young boy. It is absurd where there is no way that boy would be allowed, since he is a boy. A girl, Yui’s friend is a girl. Tabitha.

They said to her “What did your friend want from our family’s 1st head, Oue?”

Yui couldn’t stop smirking as Tabitha made it into her family’s predecessors. Especially the first head of their family. The immortal, the being who found the original society for Del’Montra Esteval. The first and forever ruler. Yui proudly whispers her name

“Delikor, E’asta Ankra. Please bring her home safely as she bears your children’s family emblems”

Her aunts begin harassing her as they have found out from her obnoxious expression.