CHAPTER 15: THE SWORD SAINT, P4
~15.4~
*****
“What are you trying?” Liliana asked. Her black-haired sister was standing still in the palace courtyard, her hand outstretched and her body glowing with purple aether.
“I dislike being separated from Princess.” Liliana nodded and waited for Aliana to do whatever she was doing. “I have long felt the presence of something with my void powers. Void is a subtype of space. I think the presence is... another space? I have to... imagine a pathway to that space...” Her aether coalesced into the rough shape of a door.
Alethea, Adele, and Michelle were flying overhead and sensed the aether. They dropped down next to Liliana, who shushed them so that Aliana could concentrate. Now using both hands, Aliana refined the door until it could be mistaken for an actual door. When she turned the knob, it opened into a world of purple land and purple water. She turned back to her companions.
“This is it. This is our way to Princess.”
Confident, she stepped through the doorway. The air changed. On the other side, the air was heavy, and gravity was much more intense. She stumbled a little as she took her first step. Liliana, concerned for her sister, ran through and stumbled, too, but was able to stay on her feet and keep her sister from falling. The others prepared for the change and followed them through.
“What is this place?” Michelle asked. She looked around and saw only the chunk of land they were standing on surrounded by what appeared to be water on all sides as far as the eye could see. “It’s...”
“There’s an eerie emptiness,” Adele mused.
Aliana, having adapted to the change in gravity, walked forward toward the middle of the island. “This place... it feels...” She looked around. In her mind, she saw a mansion, but there was nothing there. “It feels... like... I can do anything here.”
Alethea began channeling mana and surrounded the entire island in her power. The others watched curiously. “I feel Shi-chan. She’s... not here, but I feel her.” Aliana held her hands out and dispersed the mana that Alethea was channeling before channeling her own. How did she do that?
Her mana gathered and soon took the form of the mansion she had just envisioned only a moment before. The mana solidified, and the mansion became reality. It did not vanish when she stopped channeling. Finally, understanding what she discovered, she faced her companions and greeted them, “Welcome to the Void.”
*****
When Carys said, “Begin!” Kye vanished. With Luma being completely unintimidated, Kye decided it was best not to hold back. Luma moved fast, too. Kye moved around behind Luma, and was pleasantly surprised when Luma blocked her strike. Luma twisted around and kicked. Kye sidestepped to her left and went in for a palm strike with her open hand. She hit nothing but air as Luma leaped back and poured aether into her blade. Light aether swirled around Luma and focused into her sword as she prepared her attack.
If she is really Elysia, this will surprise her. “<
So that’s how it is. Kye smirked and did the same. “<
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“<
That’s the Luma I know. Kye smirked and jumped back. The wind blades followed her, but she had a plan. She’s testing me. She wants to confirm it’s me. Then, Heide Lumen, I shall show you some of the power I used as Catherine Lancet!
In one of her past lives, Elysia lived as Catherine Lancet, a wielder of holy flames. Golden flames began swirling around Kye and she coated her blade in runes. “<
Smiling, Luma stepped back and dispersed her aether before sheathing her blade. “It really is you, Cathy.”
Kye smiled and did the same. “It’s been a while, Heide.”
The two glanced over at their audience and smiled. ““We’re done!””
*****
Back in the meeting room, Kye and Luma were enjoying tea and catching up. “So, Commander, how have you been?”
Kye took a bite of cake before answering. “Well, you know... cleaning up messes. I’m not your commander now, you know.”
“Uh, huh? Maybe not, but we went through a lot together in that life, and many others.” Luma shrugged.
“These cookies are so good!” Aisha suddenly shouted.
Luma smiled. “I expected we would be hosting a vampire, so I had our chefs whip up a special platter for you, Lady Aisha. Those cookies have a small bit of my blood baked in.”
Aisha stopped for a moment, her face betraying her suspicions. “Your blood tastes like Lady Kye’s, in terms of quality. Even in these cookies, I can tell.”
“Heh.”
“Are you a god, too?”
Kye almost spit up her tea. “Aisha, I’m not a god!”
“You are so!” Aisha refused to back down. “You created the very world!”
Luma raised an eyebrow as she listened to Kye argue with Aisha. “That doesn’t mean anything! Eve is the only god.”
“It means a lot to me...” Aisha turned away and reached for a cookie. “None of us would be here. My parents, my friends, my people... we would not exist if not for you.”
“Your...” Kye began to explain but stopped short. “Well... I guess so. But I don’t like being called a god. It feels wrong to me.” She looked up, intending to reach for her plate with cake and saw Luma’s skeptical expression. “What?”
“Your memories are still suppressed, huh?” she said, taking Kye by surprise.
Kye was so surprised that she couldn’t hide her expression. “How do you know about that?”
“I was there for it. We all were. Everyone one of us tried to talk you out of it, but not even Maya, Adele, and Adara could convince you.”
“I don’t know what to say... I... don’t remember anything about my history from then. I remember facts and such... I think. I know I was the first creation... and then Maya was the second... you were the ninety-ninth.” Kye held a hand to her head with her eyes closed, trying to recall search her memories.
“-sia.”
I want to remember more. What can I do to remember? There must be a way.
“-lysia.”
I made the choice, so I must have done it myself. If I did, then maybe I can affect it with that silvery white power. Maybe...
“Elysia!”
Shaken from her thoughts, Kye’s eyes shot open. The look in her eyes took the other three aback. Not only the look, but the intensity. They glowed white with such radiance that they appeared to be sparkling silver.
“Zen Mana...” Luma muttered.
“What?” Kye asked. “I haven’t been able to wield silver mana at will in this body before. How?”
“Elysia, hold on to that feeling!” Luma shouted. “Whatever it is, remember it! Don’t let it go!”
Kye examined her hands. Her body was glowing a bright white with a silver tinge. “What?”
“You can probably open a rift between realms with that power. You used your origin powers to create Elysium, and this is a lesser form of it. You can probably use it to cross the boundary with it.”
“You think so?” She studied her white-silver coated hand.
*****
Revision: 2024-5-15