COI C263

Somewhere deeps down from the depths of the ruin. The tidal city with its emptiness secretly had structural remains. Untouched or rebuilt from how they see it. Hidden there where the last bastion of people almost took into the influence. Armed men carrying their banners to protect those citizens from it. The Circoston invaders barely reach this far. Even they are seen at the very surface. They seem getting a hard time going through at the very gates of this place.

Deep down, it is unimaginable for the waters to flow freely upward and downward. Behaving like waves that barely know nothing of its nature. Within these places are gone, the guild stationed here to the last time. It is the 4th time since the beginning of the citizens entered the east coast. Slowly opening the wounds, the citizens have brought themselves into. In truth have finally found out as they stare down to the watery abyss. Its glow refracted the light from what the mana gives. The floating structures are going up and down as such as it was it called the tidal city.

Del’Montra Esteval, the home of the immortal one. Delilah, or her children calls her

“E’asta Ankra Delikor”

Her name was called out. Two waters coming different direction go to the warrior who spoke the name. The two clashes one another giving off the waves clashing together. The men approach as they see another two oceans battle out once more. Seek within the depths and the motion of flowing waters coming by. The sight of both mana had clear signs of rivalry. It’s been like this since they sink down.

“The Urbanites are taking their time with the ruler’s power”

“Our leader never wastes such a power. It’s been like this because those people have reached their peak”

“Yet, we have found the rest and still able to endure it”

“It was because of her. The might of her presence not losing the city she had built for many millennia”

The waters begin to move again

“The tides have shift. The influence is surging upward to the top”

“That’s impossible the moon cycle is at neutral. There are no moons to help it gain its strength. It will perish by its own overstretch will”

The influence, it corrupted the waters and it is under its control. Deep down where the demon is, daringly collecting the citizens into its side. Now it brings at full force as they see the structures are also brought up. The guild begins to blow the horns.

“The possessed have pushed out the sealed structures out from the bottom. They are trying to push their way out to the surface”

“Your orders!”

“Hold this place, we aren’t allowed to leave these people. By the order of the man carries the banner with bells, he will set judged to the last hour”

“Yes, Mi’lady!”

The woman pulls out her helmet. The woman who taken the trial back when she was given the chance. The armor of the Benedictus carries on her suit. The divine power it possessed and draws out as she enters a deep trance. Darken to see herself into the void. The magic she receives through her prayers. Along with Delilah’s permission to seek through the hyper speed realm. Everything she flashes inside her head as she sees the glass shaken into the brink of collapsing. She says it softly

“We’re too late . . .”

The man catcher and his men feel the tremble on their feet. Barely anything could sense the danger in their surroundings as it is too weak or it didn’t show any threat to them. Yet, they sense it. They turn to each other as their final thought reaches their eyes on McS4. Collecting all the information they have understood since the beginning their first meeting.

“Do you have a feeling where there is a divine plan since we have a chat with him?”

“Divine plan!? Be more of a man than holy. It is obvious from the start. He has citizens on his team”

“You already figure it out. In the name of our Lord! How long have you tried to listen to him like it was kind of fantasy?”

“Wait, you guys knew?”

“Bah! Ignore him, this feeling is not good. There are people who are influence didn’t know some of them are hosts”

McS4 raises his head “Host? Other than the term possessed?”

“Well, now you finally talk and you’re concerned too. Praise be to god, and I hope your companions know how to do exorcisms. You can’t even get rid of it because it sticks with the influence”

Tabitha hears it through her telepathy. The challenge she must face as they didn’t expect something like this. Mina, drawn into the influence as hides within a ghost who is possessing her.

She continues to listen to them as they tried to stop Mina.

“Yes, although is weak. It is also harmful to the host. Many of us tried to exorcise it, and succeeded thankfully. It won’t last long as the host is feeling the guilt of that said soul. This is not the influence she is willing to remove it. There is another soul who is stick close to her like an apparitional parasite. The only thing that host is going to do is to deal with it”

“The hardest thing about it is . . . we have no idea how those citizens deal with them. As if they are in a trauma”

Silfa steps aside and able to parry Mina down to her feet. The curse is decaying her body leaving every moment of her body drying up her flesh into dust. She casts her forcefield around her. Mina abnormally reacts as her body pulsing inside the influence filling inside her mana set to explode. Unstable amount of magic ready to kill herself.

“This girl is killing herself. Is this how people got possessed really made them go suicidal?”

Sakura shakes head “That’s not it. There is no way for the influence desperately want us”

Mina is shaken as her face aged like a shriveled old woman. It is killing her in the inside. Aoi sees her in a such a bad state as she is forced to heal her. A healing spell is cast and Mina grabs the spell link to Aoi. Aoi was pulled in as the influence and the mana is trying to surge back into her. Juela comes in and break the mana line.

“AAH!”

Mina shrieks like a banshee hurting only Aoi, Toba, and Sakura. Juela measures the weight of the counter spell.

“That’s weak. How is it hurting them?”

“Those girls got dropped dead on the ground. Are they alright?”

Tabitha rushes to them as she pulled them in with her wand. She waves her wand again and created a barrier.

“They are safe. Their resistances are very bad. The influence is probably manifesting together with Mina’s attacks”

Silfa turns to face Mina “Those monsters are really wants them so bad”

“That’s not the issue here. Mina is dying, look at her state. She is possessed”

They observed Mina. She couldn’t do anything as her body draining her life away. The aura around her is toxic giving off a haunting spirit inside of her.

In a short moment, Mina is calling out to them

“Help me! A ghost is controlling me and my powers are melting down my flesh. Help me! I beg of you”

Tabitha is in a dilemma as they don’t have any idea how to deal with it. She desperately checking her deck for anything of use. She shuffles it very quickly adding her own cards to increase her speed. One card after the other, reading as fast as she could. She stops at one card that meant for Haw. She reads

“Test Subject: Matrix Bypass. What!?”

Juela heard of it “No way! Did Yui actually made that card?”

“You know about it”

“YES! It is good a card for Mina”

“But I don’t know if this card will affect her. I’m not using an offensive card or any offense cards in my deck”

“It is meant for Haw. It does mean Haw know how to do it. We have to take the risk or Mina will die at this rate”

Tabitha didn’t hesitate to use it after she re-shuffles then pull it from her deck at a fast pace. The card is played and gives it to Juela. The powers of the card onto Juela as she places her hand on the ground. With her handicraft forced her hands to carved on the ground, it pushes further as her sash moves right on Mina’s feet.

Mina’s mana is cut and shared both the apparition who possessed her and Juela herself. Full force on the ground as Juela casts it opened a rift into Mina’s head. Juela reaches out to Tabitha’s head.

“Let’s go! Silfa, use the potion Haw made when something comes out of Mina. Please restraint yourself from healing her. It will trap us inside her head”

“Alright”

“Thank you”

Mina’s body lies down surrounded by her mana and blood dripping down from her skin scattered all around used as a magic circle preparing to bring both Tabitha and Juela in. Siphoning into the existence of their bodies as reality broke bringing them elastically into Mina’s mind.

The mind is empty. Waiting and moving on its own, there is an essence of magic left behind. A familiar spell that both of them recognized. A figure had arrived, short and giving off for the first time that they didn’t actually see such an expression. Yui is acting guilty. Her pre-recorded voice within the card plays her message.

“I guess I have done the unthinkable. Sorry for, bringing back the bad memories, Haw. I know you’ve read my letters for this special card I made. Out from your old guild’s small little piece of hard chip, or what you called making you do stuff you wouldn’t do. This is for Tabitha, you save those 4 citizens back then, why not doing it again? twice”

Yui’s message have brought them to hear about Haw’s past. It is hardly anything Juela know about. But for Tabitha, this is something she only heard but starts to get curious.

She asks Juela “Is Haw . . .”

“There is no need to explain at this time, Tabitha. Let’s talk about it later”

“Yeah, but . . .”

“For Mina”

Juela didn’t move an inch from her expression. Strict and direct as she displays her the seriousness for this young girl. They both agreed and retun to Yui’s message

“. . . This matrix bypass is created by one of the researchers. She didn’t tell her name, but she is blonde and quite beautiful if she keeps her mouth shut. That name is the only thing I barely remembered”

“So, anyway. This is your preparation room inside someone’s mind. I am just glad you let Tabitha use it on you. It was that very card is negating all of her offensive magic cards. Those non-archscience stuff. Remember the letter I have to explain it to you, this is the first time I have to listen a Dexter guildmember that would drive out the souls trying to control the living. It is most common for demon’s puppets having the ability to possess others other than the source itself. Although it is easy to exorcise them, but I have a hunch that there is called guilt. Your rival guild had spread their news and I was able to get it. This is how the ghost comes back to the host. It negates their resolves”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Luckily, you are in my ancestral domain. No matter what stakes you are in, my beloved 1st head will never leave anyone alive. Even in death, she will access your very being. Use what did our first head provide you from the start. It will share the effects what the card used . . .”

Yui vanishes as the message was finished. Both Juela and Tabitha only answers the only thing that break the influence

“The trial”

Tabitha continues “Even at this moment, can we do it inside Mina’s head?”

“Let’s see how Yui wants us to do. There’s nothing else we could do”

Juela starts the trial. The essence around the card gives the powerful aura. Delilah, who left them, have sense a bit of the descendants’ handiworks. Angry because of one girl’s past. She thought she would leave them at the chaos of Mina’s ludicrous memories like Toba did. The card though, along with its magic confidently reassures her from its multiple magic spells into one. This pleases her and at the same time felt so new for the first time. The presence of the chip gives her a motherly look trying to figure out her descendant’s bold craftsmanship.

“Such a lie, you twisted young woman. Dodging the wits from not bringing offensive magic will kill the people they are trying to save. Because my will bless her cards”

If it wasn’t for Yui providing Tabitha her offensive magic. Delilah will intentionally empower it and hurt those people at her own whim. An example at view, if those five young teens are set into the trial, even Tabitha trying to use her magic. She will definitely hurt them and they will die. Except only for one person, Aoi. Her heart to her parents is immeasurable to show her mercy. But for them, they deserved it. Even Toba. Delilah’s view shows nothing to care about their perspective and problems.

The trial formed. The memories didn’t set off like Toba did. It shows to the two critical moments both in their home world and at the East Coast. Mina shows herself watching her past self with a girl who is kneeling before her. Combining both her memories and about the trial. She grieves at the idea to do it

“I’m not going to reconcile a girl like you”

She stares at the kneeling girl who cries right in front of her and her friends. Tabitha quickly understands what happened.

“Mina was a bully. A terrible bully”

Juela sees the bullied girl battered “Such a poor girl, this explains why they are having a hard time picking who will take the trial. Kenta, is he the worse than all of them?”

Mina is having a great time bullying her classmates. Along with her friends to bring living hell, this specific girl had it worse. Her belongings taken, getting picked around, being ordered what to do, forced the things she don’t wanted to, and many more. When the time the poor girl fights back, Mina brings the worse to her almost bringing the poor girl to suicide. Multiple attempts were made as Mina always made fun of her. Mina shows her true color in the past. Greatly lowers Tabitha’s willing to save her.

Pushes forward at the Horsin world, this same poor girl was with Mina since they entered this world. It was that very day, the time many people have save Mina from the poor girl getting possessed by the demon. The demon controls her the moment as Mina release her stress on her. Voices of rage into the poor girl’s head and the last voice she hears is the voice of the demons. The victim was under control because of her sufferings. The people didn’t know the abusiveness the girl had and letting Mina saved from the clutch of her revenge. That’s why she left. This strong sadistic girl left the city because of the guilt she had.

To the day when the poor girl’s soul come out and haunt down Mina is when the caves sink down to the East Coast. That’s when it lures into her head. The influence prevents Mina’s death. Now without the influence protecting her body, the ghost finally fulfilled her revenge. Mina sees it all as she is being surrounded by the haunting spirit of the poor girl. Resisting it to say to reconcile with this girl. She felt disgusted and no remorse ever trying to convince herself to change her mind. The poor girl’s soul manifest and Mina quickly punches it out releasing smoke. When the smoke clears, she sees Tabitha and Juela watching everything.

“!!!”

Tabitha looks disappointed

“Mina, that poor girl. Did she die?”

“No! her body consumed by the demon. I’m telling the truth, she got possessed and her very flesh turns to ashes and become a ghost”

Mina is staring at their faces. Tabitha is angry, but Juela didn’t. She looks like she is not impressed how she did. Mina points at her

“Tabitha, your friend. Take a look at her, she is not”

Barely anything she says made sense. Desperately trying not going to break from the guilt. She stood there trying to collect herself from the pressure.

Juela says to Mina “All you’ve done, and yet. The monster you created is going to kill you”

Mina and Tabitha were shocked “WHAT!!!?”

This is absurd, why did Juela says something like that? Mina had done terrible things and she says it like the victim is a monster.

Tabitha scolds her “Juela! What it gone into you?”

Juela ignores her and pushes to Mina. She grabs her by the collar filling with the matrix bypass’ magic effects and casts her sash for only the of them will hear.

Mina was confused and acting all spite at Juela “Are you crazy? You see what I did. Everyone is going to hate me because what I’ve done. Everyone will look at me in the eyes, that I tortured that girl. AAH! Now she haunts me after what I did. But you, you look like you’re not impressed with me”

“I am” Juela says it strictly.

Mina looks dumbfounded “What?”

“What else you’re going to say? That poor girl is no longer human. Those who joined the demons are the same as monsters”

“You don’t get it, do you? I created a monster! You see what I’ve done . . .?”

The looks of Juela’s eyes were unphased at the matter. As if she didn’t care for the poor girl. Mina tries to open her mouth but Juela’s eyes staring through her as if what Mina done to the young girl was right.

“Are you kidding me?”

“At first, should’ve be. Now,”

“You’re not even listening . . . urgh”

Juela is not convinced by Mina’s regret. Mina herself said it. She doesn’t want to apologized. However, the guilt is driving her crazy. Through those unmoved eyes are calling her to listen, ignoring what she is trying to say. Silence drove in her while being hold in place.

Juela whispers to her ears. The usual pleasant voice left and returns with a tone she barely recognized if she is her.

“You refuse to face her, you confess what you’ve done, and you only did that because we saw it. Tell me the truth, is that really how you feel? Or you reacted out of fear?”

A bad example for Mina to confess what she had done. This reason is not showing her the sympathy and the remorse needed for her to accept it. She couldn’t say a thing. Juela response hits her

“Coward”

Inside Mina hits her, her life surviving at the East Coast drove her insane to be called as a coward. She did what she did to survive and become the exemptions among her group. She is able to resist the influence even her own victim haunting her to this day. A coward, hah! She will laugh at the joke. Until, she remembers. The guilt inside her spoof her so suddenly. The sweat she drips down was she almost get caught. The second time, she was too late. The ghost already knew what will happened next. It was that moment to blame.

“No” She whispers “NO!”

Then she gets louder “Like hell will I ever let that weak girl trying to get a hold of me!”

Mina shouts as she enters the time she begins to get from the influence. The poor girl is right in front of her, wrathfully as she haunts Mina in her cold dead body. The two both split her memory apart as the poor girl’s mind is trying to merge into her head. Mina smiles at her pitiful effort.

“That’s how you do it to me. You’re going to possessed me? You have the power to take me down and you just want my body. Disgusting”

Juela sees the horrible side of Mina. The honesty of Mina grew confidently and willing to push the poor girl’s soul from her. There is no choice. The poor girl is under control of the demons. She doesn’t know who is controlling her, but possessing someone else’s body is forbidden to all of the livings. The poor girl is no longer sane and become a monster, neither for Mina if she continues like this.

“I’m sorry, Tabitha. Mina will have to succeed this way in her trial. Sakura had hide hers, why not Mina too”

The two breaks apart. The whirlwinds of memories go around as the memories drowned into unrecognizable pool of nightmarish sceneries. Memories and nightmares are twirling to no end, losing its meaning and blurred into non-existent. Tabitha picks up Juela

“What are you trying to say to Mina? I heard you’re apologizing to me behind my back”

Juela stood there quietly as she never expects for her to hear their conversation. Did she also hear Mina bad mouthing at the poor girl?

Tabitha continues “You see her memories as a bully and her guilt was hurting that poor girl. And you calling her a coward. What’s the problem with you?”

Tabitha didn’t hear what Mina said. It was all badmouthing and this kind of insults will make Tabitha really angry. But she didn’t hear Mina. Without even a second, Juela realizes it was her card. The card, what did it stops her take private conversation with Mina. While Tabitha, she reads the card precisely what it said. There is also a note if she tilts it. It was kind of impressive and never thought Yui could do a reflective card. The note says

‘When Haw is during that state. Would you mind ease drops inside his head? I’m really curious how his mind is stable after all he is been through’

It was an actual mind reader side effect.

The surrounding quickly sends them back out as they see Mina and the ghost are battling out. Mina takes her first time pushing the ghost out her mind. Tabitha and Juela pushes out as they fly out by the strong psychic blast. A mental ability after shock using that card. Their brain numbs after it uses. The two lies down silent as they can only watch Silfa quickly uses the potion at the apparition. The ghost gets hit by the strange fluid with the light as it sinks into it. The poor girl’s soul manifest and hardens into crystal from the ground.

Mina’s memories come out as she grits her teeth to let everyone to see what she was like. Then nothing happened, Mina sees her surrounding being setback and absorb by the ghost’s body. The memories being absorb to her making her the scapegoat to hide her past. Mina sees this opportunity to keep it a secret longer. Silfa looks at the apparition

“Wow, that’s one scary looking ghost. Did the demon really going to possess you with this”

Mina gently push her aside as she looks at the poor girl.

Petrified, giving no chance to give the fight the ghost desperately deserved. Both shows no holding back as their past leading them to this fate. Mina uses her magic, encircled around them to never let anyone to misheard them. Clear as day, to this moment. Mina is willing to admit all of what the poor girl will going to say. While she herself is telling them the truth after what the ghost trying to do to her. Finally, the poor girl finally speaks

“. . . You! You! You’ve ruined my life and you still never beg for forgiveness”

Everyone hears the ghost voice. Clear without the ghost wails with her terrifying voice. It was all in emotional tone as if she is finally open up to them.

“Since middle school, why did I make you hate me? We never even met and all of your friends and including you put me through hell. I am just an ordinary girl who have a peaceful life with my mother. Everyone knew I don’t have a dad. Yet, you, all of you came at me like they were divorced. He was an abusive father. I told you everything, and . . . you treated me worse than he had done to both me and my mom. Still! You didn’t know any sympathy”

“. . .”

“And you still didn’t say a word. You’re just grinning at my suffering, aren’t you?”

Mina never holds back at her smirk. Her sadistic personally hidden away since the day she left the city. The guilt is truly there, but she can’t help herself to stop to see someone she hated suffer. For no reason, why she acted this way. Does she love to play the devil? Or she’s been like this and lost her sense of sympathy only to this poor girl. Mina never shows remorse and will not going to apologize to her. Her hands are tickling to want to hurt this ghost girl. The magic flows on her body carrying the mana received by Delilah herself.

The crystal imprisonment is broken through, freeing the ghost girl as she fights out of rage. She gets hit by the gut and the mana repels her manifesting body. Mina felt its pain surging through as she can feel the misery of the ghost girl. It is never a doubt that her powers and memories returned without any flaw. The poor girl’s body finally returned in flesh with her body let into the control of the demons. She is on her knees gasping for air after that single hit.

“How?”

Mina kicks her to the side. The poor girl pushes to the side.

Silfa grabs Mina by the shoulder “What are you doing? This is enough. We only need you to free from the curse”

“Oh, really? Then you should know I have already finished my trial, right? Juela”

Silfa turned to Juela as she gives her a serious nod. “It’s true, Silfa. She had already passed the trial”

“Trial? What did she pass?”

Mina points out her trial. It was the ghost. Without a single second to react, Mina summons a big spear to both of her hands, then lunge forward piercing through the poor girl’s chest. The spectral blood flows out. The trails flow out demonic aura. The poor girl turned to stone crumbling down then fell into the fading wind.

The spear reveals to be an Enders weapon. A spear carved with monstrous pole carved up to the spear head. The spear head is made out of ancient bones clearly meant to drove away the accursed souls. As everyone recovers, Juela finally makes it clear

“Tabitha, Silfa. We didn’t make the trial for them. It was prepared by U’ecin”

Tabitha was shocked “How did he know?”

“My guess was Sakura from the start. U’ecin might have found loop holes from those trials. Maturity, Independence, and . . . Mina, tell me the truth. It was all him”

“Him . . .”

Mina turns around and looks relief, with the spear on her hand wielding enchantments possessing mystical powers.

“Yes, I remember him. The hunter, he told us to do this. Whenever our memories returned and only be freed what this powerful being despised us. We have to accept that fact. The truth is, we won’t be saved by her anyway. The trial you’re all hoping to setting us free are meant to those people who already want to change for the better. But you all know our people won’t forgive us what we have done. Same goes for me, you see what I did. From the beginning up to the end, this poor girl I bullied made it this far and I turned her into a monster. With this spear, handed over by that hunter. This is his way to solve my problem”

Toba shouts at Mina “But you know it is wrong!”

“That’s right, I show it to you because this is going to be the honest portrayal of myself. Sakura didn’t show because she knew it will turn like this”

Sakura disagrees “That’s worse than I could’ve done. You embrace something so evil”

“And yet, the hunter is the one who saved me. Tabitha, you’ll see the real people are slowly succumb to the demons. I’m almost become one of them. This is the result for how long we have been here”

Silfa almost raises her voice, but turned to Juela “Is this the right choice, Juela? It feels like everyone is going mad”

“People here are lost. Only way for them to be saved is out from this terrible place. No mortal will remain sane. All of you, even Tabitha. This the world that will change your life from the slight areas you come across, it will lead to your demise. We have one more youth to free him from the influence”

Juela is right. Those must be the people shouldn’t return to their home world, but they couldn’t want to leave them. No matter how evil they can be, there is a chance to change. This world made them stop changing when powers provided to them as divine. They have to leave this place or all of their efforts will be indulged in this madness.

The ground begins to cracked as the crystal floorings are breaking apart. Kenta broke free as his memories returned. Tabitha sees their hyper speed is fading.

“The spell is wearing off. What about Kenta?”

“We need to leave before all of us going to fall to the ground-”

Then suddenly the side effects kick in. Everyone who is been in the hyper speed in such a long time quickly dispersed all of their energy. They black out as every one of them fell to the ground. Kenta fell to the ground barely keeping an eye open.

One after the other, they fall into the crackling ground. Shattering its crystal floor down to the depths of the ruins. Gushing upward is the influence they have hope escaped recapturing them before they will wake up. Kenta then hears the sounds of the bells. A soar of hymns reaches to him, this far.

“Hear that may fall, the might of god hears your call”

The sounds of drums out of nowhere, they are here. They finally meet.

“Regrouping is in progress” McS4 is here, bringing the men for this rescue.