Part 1 –
Words couldn’t even begin to describe the phenomena that engulfed the Capital of Truebirth. It only lasted for a second, but the impact it left on those who witnessed it would last forever.
The bustling streets of the Capital suddenly froze for a moment. There were dropped fruits from stalls that seemingly floated in place, and people somehow balancing in unusual positions. Some even appeared to levitate.
Only those who were outside of the walls of the Capital managed to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon. But even in that fraction of the time, they couldn’t discern whether if it was just their minds playing tricks on them.
Afterwards, a sudden flash of light erupted from the highest point of the towering castle. The resounding shatters of glass seemingly came from every direction as soon as ‘time’ resumed.
Because of the nature of the sound – many stood around and wondered where it came from. The ears of the Demi-humans frantically twitched, for not even they could pin-point the origins of the noise.
It was eerie, and some believed it to be an attack from Di-Lock and panicked.
But the few who saw the light pointed up at the castle, and then into the night sky.
“… it’s beautiful…”
A soft whisper came from the thick crowd.
The night sky twinkled with shimmering fragments that snowed over the Captial. It was as if the stars had descended upon them, and left them speechless as they gazed into the sky with nothing but awe.
To call it beautiful or serene would only equate to half of its calming splendour. There were some who were sceptical about it, and others who quickly fell to their knees to prostrate to the miracle.
Because of the column of light that engulfed the skies nearly a month ago – they believed that this was also caused by the Exrenity.
The being who was closest to their Gods; the Children of Balance. With the war against Di-Lock, it wouldn’t be strange for the Gods to not become involved.
Perhaps this was their way of showing their support and continued blessings.
An Elf caught one of the tiny shards in their palms and watched it dissolve into thousands of blue sparks.
“It’s warm…”
They were one out of the many thousands who thought the same thing. As the inhabitants of the Capital slowly began to regain their senses – they wore bright smiles and embraced the newfound warmth and the beautiful night sky.
In the Institute of Magic, a certain professor stared out into the sky with an outstretched hand.
For once, he felt like he could touch the stars he so dearly loved.
* * *
Two days had passed since Exrite and the others had left the Capital. They were still trying to cope with the strange layout of the massive airship.
But that was the least of a certain juggernaut’s problems.
“Fuck no. You can’t take me out there, even if you drag me Exrite.”
“You can’t stay holed in here until we reach Saicry. I’ll be happy if you just sit out there for an hour.”
“Have you seen how fucking small those railings are!? Do you want me to fall!?”
Khaos gripped onto Exrite’s shoulders as the girl wryly smiled in return.
“You can’t fall if you’re in the middle you know? I’ll be with you up there just in case.”
“Yeah, but with what mana?” Khaos reminded Exrite of her predicament, making her slightly gape her mouth in realisation.
The events that occurred two days ago left Exrite with barely any mana remaining. She took every precaution possible when she used [Time] magic, because for starters –
It was a magic only the Maiden of Time could use, easily being of the [Fifteenth Tier]. Plus, she barely understood how to use it and how the concept of time worked.
A massive magic circle was created in case the magic was far too powerful for her body to handle, and she couldn’t use a chant because she didn’t know how to describe the magic.
It was a recipe for disaster.
Unexpectedly, the magic circle shattered because the magic was far too powerful for it to catalyse, resulting in her to bear the full brunt of the magic.
She became comatose almost instantly and teetered so close to a mana overload that even Uru found herself panicked when she fell flat on her face.
Her reserves were wiped entirely and was expected to recover by the time they reached Saicry.
“… you have a point, but still – what are the chances of you falling off the edge of the airship?”
“None if I’m down here.”
Exrite sighed and pried herself free from Khaos’ iron grip. There wasn’t a point in trying to convince him any further.
The two were inside of room that could only be described as grandeur. The grand architecture of the black and white hall breathed life into the room.
There were archways and a small fountain, alongside many other luxurious fixtures. The ceiling was taller than it needed to be, but it allowed elevated platforms to be installed.
But the main eye-catching feature of the hall was the mysterious crystal that floated in the centre of the room. It contained a swirling essence of black, white and yellow within its ununiformed construct.
Exrite and Khaos were the only two in this room – if they could exclude the sleeping Frosty. Every so often, she’d wince in discomfort and groan in her sleep.
Khaos noticed Exrite’s soft stare that was directed at his sister.
“Plus, I have Sis to look after. They say Frostbitten can’t get sick, so I don’t know what’s happening to her.”
“I tried to use healing magic on her earlier – with a magic circle of course, so don’t get mad at me yet – but that didn’t seem to work at all.” Exrite managed to quickly deescalate Khaos who looked as if he was about to scold her. “It’s like there’s something constantly upsetting her.”
“I guess it’s not as bad as it was yesterday. But I don’t know, maybe it’s Di-Lock that’s bothering her?”
“Like the souls?” Exrite hummed. “What if she saw a massive cluster of souls, like an army and felt sick because of that?”
It was a sound explanation, but Khaos begged the differ.
“Frosty can’t see from that far away. I want to say it’s because she’s leaving her first friend that isn’t you, but to vomit like that’s too damn strange to pass on.”
Exrite kept that in mind and managed to conclude with a few things.
For some reason, passing by Di-Lock caused Frosty to become ill. The only other time Frosty would show signs of sickness was when it regarded a giant mass of souls or flashing light.
And now that her illness was subsiding, she realised that the source is likely to be closer to one of the cities in the Great Plains of Colight; across the river from Fairant.
Exrite didn’t know what to make out of it. The information she had was so vague and mostly formed out of speculation that the whole thing could’ve just been some coincidence or unexplained mystery.
She rubbed the back of her neck and quietly hummed.
“At least she isn’t pale anymore. If you’re not going to head up, then please keep an eye on her… and come to me if anything happens.”
Exrite slowly spoke towards the end as she wondered if Khaos would even be able to reach the deck. It was humorous, but also concerning.
“Goes without saying. But… fuck – stay near the door up there.”
She laughed. “I’ll try my best.”
Exrite departed from the room through a spacious corridor. Not to be confused with the colourful living quarters, which resided on the other side of the hall.
Through an assortment of automatic doors and metal staircases, she eventually reached the deck. A brilliant breeze swept by as her black coat fluttered behind her, revealing the crossbow and grey handgun that securely sat by her waist.
Her thick trousers kept her legs warm in the chilly breeze of the afternoon, the same with her double layered shirt. Unlike her normal body, it was rather easy to become cold, especially with her legs.
The deck atop the airship was busy as usual. The air was filled with clamour.
Maintenance on the various weapons was a daily task, as well as cleaning the metal and wooden deck. She was pleasantly greeted by the few who stood by the sturdy entrance, including a familiar one-eared-bunny girl.
Exrite was rather surprised by their politeness, although she wondered how they would feel if she revealed that she was a human. In essence at least.
They only knew her as the Exrenity, courtesy of Black who though that hiding it was a waste. Funnily enough, Uru thought the exact same thing.
The two who she thought would be like water and oil were bizarrely compatible. At least for now.
She moved before the crowd could get any larger. Even the Exrenity had a significant weight in the history of Cryo. For what reason however, was something she planned to find out during they stay in Saicry.
At the front for the deck, she spotted Uru’s back and approached her with a small smile.
The approaching footsteps caused the Demon to avert her gaze from the wonderful world below, for it’s wonder was incomparable to the person beside her.
Although she wore a slightly tempered face.
“Is Khaos still being stubborn? I would expect that from a human, but he’s a Frostbitten. Although, staying around humans for that long probably poisoned him.”
Uru’s mocking voice made Exrite quietly sigh as her cheek was suddenly brushed by the Demon.
“The world below is nothing like I remember, but it’s still as beautiful as it was a thousand years ago. It would take a fool to dismiss its beauty.”
“I don’t think it’s the beauty he’s dismissing. He’s just afraid of heights.” Exrite peered over the edge and felt her blood suddenly rush across her body.
The vast expanse of the lands beneath and beyond were staggeringly beautiful. Whenever she looked out, her heart would skip a beat. From the thick fogs that enshrouded the world in the nearby distance, to the hilly plains below – Exrite could barely believe such a sight.
Yet it was there in front of her.
As someone who came from the Enthoric region and treaded through Katho – she was never accustomed to such beautiful sceneries.
Exrite warmly smiled and devoured the world with her eyes.
Because it reminded her that the world was so much more than just her tiny cage in Enthile.
“But I can’t blame him sometimes. Even I’m afraid of being this high up.”
“Ho? You were fine when we fell into the valley’s lake.”
“This is more than five times the height. Of course I’d be scared. It’s not like I can fly or levitate like you, and besides –” Exrite put on a self-ridiculing smile. “– I’m still recovering from my mana depletion.”
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Uru’s tempered face only sharpened when Exrite reminded her of the close call that nearly costed the Maiden’s life. Instinctively, Uru shot her piercing eyes onto Exrite and grinded her razor-sharp teeth.
“Don’t remind me. I still haven’t gotten over that. Exrite, I don’t think you understand just how close you were to a mana overload.”
Had the magic been any more powerful, Exrite would’ve suffered from the irreversible curse. Not even a Maiden was spared from the fate of a mana overload, and Exrite was lucky to not be the first of her kind.
Exrite was well aware of how close she was to dying. She was remorseful and took the full brunt of everyone’s backlash. To worry them to such an extent – how could she not feel guilty?
“… I know that.” She slowly rubbed an arm and returned Uru’s gaze. Exrite wanted to smile, but she didn’t want to anger Uru again.
Instead, she wore a neutral face.
“Then you’ll be wise enough to postpone the use of [Time] magic until you’ve understood the concept. You targeted the entirety of the Capital, so it’s no wonder that the mana cost was absurdly massive.”
“Yeah…”
“Exrite.”
“Hmm?”
“Would it bother you to respond properly? No matter how much you were in the wrong, at least sound like you’re bothered by it.”
Uru suddenly caught Exrite’s chin and pulled herself closer.
“Or, does it mean that you’re willing to offer more favours? You costed me a day’s worth of unrest, so I may need some form of compensation.” She brought her vined hand onto Exrite’s cheek and lightly drew circles onto it.
“That’s if you don’t mind, of course.”
Uru’s smile was mischievous, but Exrite couldn’t see why she wouldn’t add another favour on top of the one she already owed.
“Go for it. I’m always being pushed around anyway. Just don’t stack them all together and ask for something unreasonable.”
A sudden hum left the Demon’s lips.
“But you never said that in the beginning.”
“I might as well say it now before it gets out of han – “
A dark thumb firmly shut Exrite’s mouth mid-way.
“You’re sly, Exrite. Do you think I’ll easily let you change the rules this far in? These favours I’m saving aren’t for anything major, I assure you. I just want to be closer with the Maiden I hold so dear.”
If it was just that; then Exrite was fine with it. The only problem was that she didn’t want Uru to be too ‘touchy feely’ with her, especially as a Succubus.
Although she remembered Uru mentioning that it was how the Demons of Demora greeted each other, and how ‘feeling’ the entirety of their companions was a normal thing. Perhaps she was being considerate and wanted to use the favours as an excuse to enact those customs of her race?
Exrite didn’t know.
She was a human to begin with, so her understanding of the Demons was limited.
“… like I said – “ Exrite shook Uru’s thumb away and spoke. “Don’t ask for something unreasonable.”
Uru’s smile was uncannily pleasant. She lightly cupped Exrite’s face with both hands and lightly squeezed her cheeks.
“You have my word~”
“… really? I don’t feel like I do… But honestly.” A hand plopped onto Uru’s head, surprising the Demon. “You wouldn’t do anything that’d make me hate you. I know that much at least.”
“Ho? What makes you say that?”
“Just the impression I get from you. You’re always warning me about yourself, but you’re really just looking out for me. Thank you.” Exrite’s blossoming smile caught her by surprise.
She was stupefied for a moment. Captivated even. As a Succubs, her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit that was the case – but for some reason, she couldn’t resist.
It was just her values and upheld beliefs as a Demon that kept her away from encroaching on Exrite. Her desires as a Succubus was far to stimulating, especially in the presence of the being she and her race loved more than anything else.
Her fingers seemed to caress Exrite’s face, causing the girl to lightly squirm and wonder what was going on with the Demon.
They were like that for some time.
Beneath the far-reaching sun of the early afternoon, the airship made a steady pace towards the Golden City of Saicry. They were expected to reach the city by nightfall.
As they passed through the secluded lands between the Shallows and Endo – they finally entered the borders of Cryo.
But before Exrite could utter something, a one-eared-bunny girl approached her.
“Umm, Exrite? There’s a man looking for you.”
Exrite pulled herself free from Uru’s hands as she turned to the airship with a curious look.
“Sorry, who is?”
“The giant guy with the giant sword.”
It was too simple of a description, but there was only one person who fit that criteria.
When she looked at the rectangular hut near the rear of the airship, she spotted a muscly arm sticking out of the metal door.
A wry smile formed on Exrite’s face as she softly sighed.
Needless to say, that was probably Khaos.
* * *
Part 2 –
Somewhere along the Great Plains of Colight; in the dark recesses of an ancient place, a source of malevolence sweltered. North of Palvel, the depths of the catacombs rustled with dragging footsteps and the sound of rattling bones.
This was the burial grounds of the dead for countless of centuries. It was one of the few mass burial sites that were created for those who fell during Di-First’s invasion of the old Kingdom.
However, their ancient rest had come to an abrupt end. The hoards of Undead aimlessly stalked the narrow corridors of the desolated labyrinth.
Their numbers were in the hundreds – thousands even.
The Undead warded off any creatures that dared to enter the depths of the catacombs, regardless of their intent. For the Undead cared for nothing but to devour the mana of all living beings.
After all, they were creatures without mana to begin with. Without mana, much less a mana capacity, one could not be ‘alive’.
“HUUUUAH!”
A scream echoed. It resounded within the heart of the catacombs and reached every branching dead end with unnerving clarity.
In a vast chamber, an armoured man was pinned to a pillar of bones by a group of rotting Undead. His back plate shattered a few skulls as he broke the bones of the weak Undead that grasped onto his body.
No matter how hard he struggled and kicked them away, another would soon take its place. They didn’t kill him – not just yet. A mysterious power had reign over their minds and ordered them to only hold him taught.
“L-l-let me go! LET ME GO!”
His struggles were futile. There were too many fresh Undead for his measly strength to handle. A handful would’ve been bearable, but a dozen was too much to ask from D-ranked adventurer.
Footsteps suddenly approached. They were metallic, and were accompanied with a scraping, dragging sound. The chamber was too dark for him to see anything past two meters away from the only light source above him.
The footsteps stopped just before it entered the light, when two limp bodies were casually thrown by his legs.
They toppled like puppets who had their strings cut loose. It was a woman and a man – the members of his party.
“W-what…? Who- Who… Bastard… YOU BASTARD!” He shouted with all his might, flaying recklessly around before suddenly –
His legs were cleanly sliced from the knees down. An assortment of rotting limbs and bones fell with his armoured legs as he hoarsely screamed in pain.
The Undead beneath him weren’t spared from the attack.
If it weren’t for the Undead pinning his arms to the pillar, he would’ve joined them below.
A soft laugh came from the shadows, enjoying the man’s wails of suffering.
“That’s a refreshing face. You didn’t pass out like the other two. You should be proud of your endurance.”
A tantalising voice came from the shadows. While the figure didn’t reveal itself, the voice was more than enough for the pale man to imagine that it was a woman.
“B…bitch…! T-they were planning to retire and get… married after this… why… w-what are you after!?”
“Don’t worry about it. They’ll be together soon enough.”
The voice was now behind him.
“Like I said – what are you after –!?”
A jagged bone split through the pillar as a tearing pain shot from his chest. He weakly looked down with trembling eyes to see the serrated edge of a bone protruding from the centre of his chest.
“Dog! You’re only a human! Have some respect for the Overlord, would you!” A groggy voice shouted from behind, which was followed with the rattling of bones.
The figure of a man shrewdly slithered into the dying adventurer’s vision. He moved like a snake, and his back was brutally arched and disfigured. His face screamed with pure ugliness that not even words could describe.
A hideous grin formed on his face as he quickly pulled out a bluish-pale orb from beneath his black cloak, which hung like the leaves of a willow.
“I leave for only day to Palvel and come back to you intruders. If it were up to me, then I’d send you off to hell! I wouldn’t keep your filthy soul in these orbs the Overlord graced Di-Lock with!”
In the man’s dying tremors, he glanced at his fallen companions and felt an unparalleled rage swell from the depths of his heart.
“… I’ll kill you… I’LL KILL YOUUUU – ! Bwargh!” Blood violently spilt from his mouth as another long bone was shoved through his body.
“Enough of your insolence. You’ve tarnished Lady Desire’s work with your blood. Be grateful that your soul will be put to use!”
His life suddenly flashed before his eyes. All he wanted enough money to buy a gift for his comrade’s wedding. What did he ever do to deserve such a cruel fate?
As his life left as quickly as the spurting blood, he heard the woman’s voice again.
“Doesn’t it hurt? You were so close to reaching the smiles of your beloved friends. Truly, you didn’t deserve this sort of fate.”
This time, the woman’s voice was soft. It was sweet, compassionate… understanding…
“It was because you were born in Corozin. The world was never going to let you find happiness since the beginning. But I can help you.”
“…help…”
“DON’T SPEAK, HUMAN! You’re in the presence of the Overlord of Desire and her humble servant! I’m glad I abandoned my humanity when Lady Desire graced me with her tender words!” The deranged man stabbed him with another bony spear.
It shredded his throat and left him there gurgling with what remained of his life.
“Turn your hatred towards that man, and to the world. If the world is the problem, then we’ll get rid of it together. You and I – we’ll destroy everything and everyone. Fate will no longer cause anyone to suffer in our brand-new world.”
The words of the Overlord of Desire were like honey to an ant. It was irresistible and was further enforced by a peculiar magic.
The [Curse of Desire].
As his life finally came to an end, she seemed to smile in the darkness satisfied with the outcome.
“What a rude human. I’m so sorry for that, my lord. My dearest Overlord who reigns above all.”
“Pay no heed to it. He was only a mere stepping stone to our goal.”
Desire’s violet eyes shimmered in the dark for a brief moment.
“Exactly. He was a pebble on the side of the road, but even the small things add up. You’re truly the wisest and most compassionate for using something as useless as him.”
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, but I’m surprised that you’re already spiting your original race.”
“It’s because I have nothing but admiration and respect for you. I abandoned my humanity and became an Undead for the wish you promised me, and for your praise.” He bowed after slipping the orb into his cloak.
The Undead feasted on what was left of the man’s mana, turning him into an Undead almost immediately. He fell face-flat beside his comrades and squirmed before his intestines spilt from the wounds and became make-shift legs.
“I didn’t come here to listen to your unsavoury words. We’ve wasted enough time with the intruders. Tell me – what do you want?”
An exuberant chill ran up his spine.
“I-I want to inform you that I’m nearing the end-stage of my plan.” He rose and shifted closer to the darkness. “The orb gets stronger with each passing second! But –! We’re still short of the mana we need to power the Well of Wishes!”
That wasn’t his only problem however. There was unrest in the outer cities of Di-Lock. No matter how much they were assured of supplies and food, it never arrived. Instead, the King himself would promise their salvation in the form of death.
And those who didn’t buy into it – were the first to be absorbed into the Well of Wishes.
“You’re far ahead than I expected you to be. No need to rush any further, else you’ll be further under scrutiny. You’ve done a marvellous job so far, my loyal servant.”
“Ah… Ah-! Your words are nothing but music for the soul!” He wore a disgusting grin and trembled in his bow.
“Rather than bowing – continue the work. The Well of Wishes remains dormant until it reaches the required mana. I’m expect nothing less from you if you want your wish to be fulfilled.”
“Of- of course!”
The Overlord’s glowing eyes suddenly disappeared without a trace from the shadows. Her abrupt departure left the harrowed man’s groggy voice to echo in the near lightless chamber.
The sound of snapping and disgusting splurges came from beneath. It seemed like the newly Undead creature had inserted its intestinal legs into the navels of its dead friends.
It devoured their innards through the bright-red tubes. The single overhead light made it easy to observe what organs were being sucked through.
“Lesser Undead… be glad that the Overlord of Desire has considered your measly worth. At least you now know your place, rat.”
He turned from the blood-stained pillar and stared into the void before lunging himself into it. The darkness was like light to an Undead, and he scoured through the chambers as if it was under broad daylight.
[Night Vision]. It was an innate ability of the Undead. What was perceives as darkness by the pitiful races was like light to them.
But as a consequence, light was like the dark – blinding and concealing.
It would explain why his stabs never reached the man’s heart.
His draped robes were dragged behind him like chains.
“What insignificant souls. The Overlord of Desire’s truly the most compassionate to allow such disgusting trash to embark in our new world.” He spat.
Along the dilapidated chamber, he followed an obsidian path. It was guarded by an array of ancient bone pillars. The blue-flame torches illuminated the path eerily as the thick dust hung in the air.
At the end of the path, resided a set of enormous black doors which rose until the ceiling. Its majesty was far being even those of Di-Lock’s castle; the place he once admired with all his heart.
His mere presence caused the door to tremor and awaken from its slumber. A howling gust blasted him and threw his robes into the air like ribbons.
An indomitable presence surged from deep within the room.
“It’s beautiful. It’s perfect! The Well of Wishes is truly a marvel to behold!”
With outstretched arms, he praised the object within. He was ecstatic, and no matter how many time’s he’s seen the object – it would always fill him to the brim with pleasure and awe.
It was an orb –
An orb so dark, that even the light that managed to seep in was absorbed into the empty void. It was as if there was a hole in the vast space.
As quickly as he could take another breath of its splendour, he pulled out the bluish-pale orb from his cloak and held it out in front of him.
Soon, the orb cracked in his fingertips and shattered into thousands of pieces. It slipped like fleeting sand onto the cracked ground.
“More. The Well of Wishes requires more mana before it can finally be used to grant my wish. The famine, the diseases; the war – all of it will finalise Her greatness’ gift.”
He creepily rubbed his hands together and scurried out of the vast room.
“Palvel will be the birthlands of the new age. All those who stand in our way shall join the souls within the Well of Wishes and grant me my ultimate power.”
The massive doors screamed as they closed behind him. Their ear-splitting roars caused the air to vibrate and the chamber to quiver. However –
A soft laugh could be heard from within the room.
But it was far from reaching the ears of the deranged man.