Part 4 –
Gaia’s trial was an elusive paradise. The floors above were bountiful. Beautiful. So lush and full of life that there was nothing more that the Geared could ever want. But something called them. Something in the deepest recesses of their mind compelled them to descend from their paradise.
It was the yearn to find themselves. To become something more than their mere animalistic bodies. To understand who they truly were.
In a sense, the Attributed Whole was their endeavour to become ‘complete’.
But this unknown strive did not belong to them. Somewhere and somehow – the ‘thought’ of finding themselves crept into their mind. Like a slow acting poison, it began to kill them from the inside without them ever knowing it.
“But I couldn’t be more wrong. My blood runs deeper than the rivers of valleys. Auga was cursed to live for me – to be tied down to the very roots of the oak tree. To wait for all eternity for her star to be reborn. However…” The Egg spoke with uncanny sombre.
The [Solar Core] suddenly fizzled away prematurely. The Egg rapidly pulsated as a thick aura of malevolence oozed from the cavity. Heated air that could melt metal in mere seconds was instantly cooled. At the same time, the central pillars which were once destroyed by battle stood upright without a single scratch in sight.
The Egg had not only reverted itself, but its surroundings as well. Furthermore – a transparent [Barrier] surrounded it. To Exrite, Black, Khaos and Frosty it was nothing more than an additional nuisance.
But this was far from the truth. White stood still, as if frozen in time as Uru’s entire body burnt with equal amounts of terror and delight. What could have caused them both to display such unnatural reactions?
Normally, both could easily tell the tier of magic one was using. They were beings with immense mana, with the other of immense energy – though she was still technically a mage, nevertheless. Identifying an opponent’s mana capacity and reserves, as well as their strength was paramount and a task that was as natural as breathing.
It was a process that had never failed them before.
This was different, however. In the past Uru had some difficulty analysing the mana of magic beyond that of the [Eleventh Tier]. As for White – difficulty was absent in her experiences.
And now – for the first time both beings of monstrous power experienced the bitter taste of weakness. That magic was without a doubt beyond the [Eleventh Tier] – a tier of magic said to belong to only those who were the closest to the Gods, for lesser beings save for the Demi-Gods could ever dream of possessing such power.
This tier of magic included priests and priestesses, among an unknown, select-few number of others.
The highest an individual could ever reach alone was of the [Tenth Tier], far surpassing the supposed natural limit of the [Seventh Tier]. These beings were considered legends among legends, anomalies and perhaps even fiction.
In nature beings tended to naturally be able to manipulate magic beneath the [Seventh Tier], with humans being as far down as the [Third Tier]. Heroes were the most famous for naturally being able to reach the [Seventh Tier].
However, magical races – such as the Elves, Dark Elves and the Demons – were easily able to wield magic of elusive [Seventh Tier]. This was due to their ever-growing mana reserves, for they did not possess mana capacities.
Despite this, there were truly not many beings that could go further than the [Seventh Tier] without undergoing a catastrophic mana overload. Demons on the otherhand risked undergoing fatal mana depletions.
After all, they were one of the only races that did not possess a mana capacity.
Silence befell the chamber. Seconds dragged out to what felt like hours as Uru and White simply stared at the Egg. The chatters of those beside them fell onto deaf ears.
Black noticed the constrained face White made. She read her well, and instantly knew the situation at hand. Yet despite being faced with the unknown there was no fear in White’s eyes. Neither in Black’s. In fact, Black adored the newfound threat with a cunning smile.
“Frosty – try not to run into that thing. Avoid the centre at all costs.” White warned from seemingly nowhere, causing the woman to blankly blink with some confusion.
“Huh…” Frosty momentarily trailed off. “I’d normally ask you why – but considering it’s a warning from you I guess I’ll keep that in mind.”
She then turned to Khaos, who busily crushed a pillar in preparation for the next phase of battle.
“Khaos! Don’t go anywhere near the centre! There’s some sort of [Barrier] there!”
“Yeah! Hear you loud and clear, Sis!” He raised a thumb somewhere through the dust. Though he did not understand why, he obeyed the warning and kept it to heart.
“Finally warming up to us~?” Black teased.
“Just to White.” She firmly answered, causing the black-garbed Commander to laugh in a teasing manner.
Both Frosty and White rolled their eyes in response, sighing afterwards.
Then – after moments of hideous writhing – the Egg spoke.
“… the others I created – the beings that had replaced my [Gears] for beating hearts were cursed to live as me.” Its tone sharply dropped. “My memories. My hopes. My despair – they were doomed to inherit my heart. As they fell and began to understand themselves, my blood clashed with theirs. In the end, they did not know who they were. What they lived for… Why they were damned to a place where ‘up’ had no meaning. Or why they were so infatuated with the descent.”
The voice was deprived of emotion, sounding monotone like the voice of the Biomech. Yet behind every word Exrite felt crushing lament, and a despair so rich that his Eye of Despair flared up as the cavity suddenly burst with hundreds of dark golems.
The revelation caused Exrite’s heart to sink so deep into his gut that he felt like his entire body would soon follow. Everything came hurdling to him at once as the cries of battle failed to reach him, for his thoughts clogged the world around him.
Only the Egg remained stagnant in the chaos of explosions, magic, and battle.
He finally understood the true meaning of the giant [Gear]’s words which resided in the very first Reservoir; of how it held the memories of its creator. While he always knew that the Geared possessed some level of Gaia’s memories and emotions, never did he imagine that it was to the point where it skewed their sense of self.
The despair of futility, the loss of their identity, and suffering combined with Gaia’s despair annihilated every Geared that fell past the first Reservoir.
This was why none ever made it to the end, despite countless of them…
Save for this one.
It was the only Geared to have ever achieved the Attributed Whole.
Yet in the end it still did not find itself.
Exrite’s senses returned to him by tenfold. The flames of rage bellowed his heart back into his chest. No matter the despair and lament Gaia faced, she could never be forgiven. Not by him, and neither by the Geared she had abandoned and left to endlessly repeat the same futile cycle of despair.
Perhaps they were not so different after all. Both were pit into despair by the very same hand.
With his loaded sniper rifle, he pointed its barrel towards the mass of golems and tore a hole into their ranks. A wound was left in the mass, which slowly repaired itself as more golems flooded out of the unknown [Barrier].
As he loaded in another round, he noticed something was awry.
His brows wrinkled.
“It disappeared!?” He exclaimed, realising that the bullet did not reach the Egg, let alone the other side of the chamber.
It had vanished into thin air the moment it passed through the translucent [Barrier].
Regardless, Exrite continued to release round after round into the hoard of golems as the others collectively threw everything they had at them. A gallant Khaos fought beside Black in close quarters with a combination of chiselled rock and his fist, whilst Frosty and White tore many apart with their oversized weapons. Uru on the other hand was nowhere to be seen. That was until her voice suddenly appeared beside him along with a furious gust of hot air.
Without ever turning to face her, he reflexively asked:
“Uru, do you have any idea what that tier that [Barrier] is!? Even a [Ninth Tiered] [Physical Barrier] wouldn’t be able to disintegrate my bullet just like that!”
“Obviously, that means it’s above the [Ninth Tier].” Uru stated the obvious with a teasing tone.
Sensing Exrite’s growing rage, Uru continued.
“So far beyond the [Ninth Tier] that not even I can begin to comprehend its majesty. It’s beautiful. Such benevolence was only recited in in scripture and in battles predating countless generations of Six Point!”
She almost sang, continuing soon after.
“Although, that [Barrier] is not quite a [Physical Barrier]. Look closely. I’m afraid it’s worse than we think.”
He carefully peered through the fog of battle ahead. With the eyes of a hawk, he noticed oddities with every magic, every bullet and every little spec of scrap that dared to enter the [Barrier].
“A [Hybrid Barrier]!?” Exrite wondered aloud, quickly taking notice that the [Ice Shards] Frosty constantly hailed upon the battlefield were also disappearing once they ventured past the [Barrier].
What made this strange was that Frosty’s [Ice Shards] were only of the [Third Tier], yet they were still passing through its ‘wall’.
“Wait… no. That doesn’t make any sense. [Hybrid Barriers] are meant to disperse unrefined mana in magic beneath the [Seventh Tier]. It’s supposed to be stopped before it enters the [Barrier]!”
Indeed. [Barriers], whether [Physical], [Hybrid], or [Magical] all operated like instant, portable walls. Their purpose was simple; prevent whatever they were intended to stop from penetrating their walls. In rare cases they were used to prevent things from exiting, like a magical-makeshift trap.
There was no other function. Once something passed through its protective walls then there was nothing else it could do. Yet here Frosty’s [Ice Shards] easily passed through the [Barrier]’s walls without resistance, only to disappear immediately once inside.
The same was true with his bullets, and whatever shrapnel or golem was launched into the bizarre [Barrier].
Realising this; the prospect of a [Hybrid Barrier] – or any contemporary [Barrier] he and Uru knew of was completely ruled out.
If this were a monstrously powerful [Hybrid Barrier], then both his bullets, [Blue Bullets] and Frosty’s [Ice Shards] would have been reduced to thousands of pieces the moment it grazed its wall.
More than anything –
“It’s almost like Melody’s [Dimensional Barrier].” He admitted, causing Uru made a distasteful sound, signifying her disapproval. “Almost. For all we know it could be a [Time Barrier] – however that works.” He added.
Uru pondered for a bit before a satisfied hum roused from her.
“I believe you may be correct. The other side would have to be completely disconnected from this reality. But that isn’t what’s happening here. We can see the golems spill out from the Egg within the [Barrier]. Like any ordinary [Barrier] its walls are a window to the inside. A [Dimensional Barrier] on the other hand won’t ever let you peer in. That alone severs the possibility of [Realm] magic, to our dismay. Bizarre. The only thing that bares any similarity is when something enters it disappears. I can only imagine why~”
Uru tested Exrite, wondering if he too had an idea on what the magic in play was. Unsurprisingly, the answer fell into place as naturally as he breathed.
“So [Time] is our only answer again… Makes sense. There’s only one [Gear] capable of holding [Tier Fifteen] magic and we already confirmed it’s [Time].” He sighed, digging a hand into his ammunition pouch.
He was quickly running low on ammunition. With a click of his tongue, he loaded in one more bullet and spoke.
“Uru, correct me if I’m wrong but if the [Time] [Gear] was constantly keeping the Egg in a state of perpetual repair, then couldn’t it do the same on a larger scale? I can see that working like a [Barrier] or a field of some sort if paired with the right [Gears]. Well, that’s only if that thing really is a [Time Barrier].” He eventually came to call the magic as such.
“A fitting name. Indeed. That would explain the sheer magnitude of its majesty. Unbelievable… to think I’d witness so many events showcasing the power of the Maiden of Time…” Uru reached for the [Barrier] as one would towards the glistening stars in the darkest of night skies.
“As cursed as we are, this is truly a blessing in disguise. Wonderful.”
“You’re awfully happy about this. For once you’re the one with the hopeful outlook. Ah, I think can see why I tend rub you the wrong way sometimes.” Exrite sighed, releasing a bombardment of [Blue Bullets] against the ever-growing hoard of golems.
“Ho? Implying that you see no way out of this?” She teased.
Exrite couldn’t help but to smirk at those words. With eyes that not even fate could topple, he spoke from the bottom of his heart.
“Would I even be me if I didn’t think we’d win?”
His words were simple, burning with an inextinguishable flame. It resonated within Uru’s fiery heart, causing the Demon to briefly smile.
“Stubborn to the core. Truly a foolish human. But – I’ve grown to adore that part of you!”
Suddenly, the lines riddling her body beautiful illuminated like streaks of lighting. Massive purple magical circles formed above her like the feathers of a peacock, reaching into the dozens.
Everyone stopped to stare at it for a second amid their battles before instantly, and perhaps out of instinct, retreated to the second ring of pillars, abandoning the golems entirely. The golems paused momentarily, wondering what had happened before they simply chased them down with no regard for what was to come.
The others instantly knew what those magical circles were. Just one of them were formidable enough. Five or so was fantastic spectacle of destruction. But a few dozen was terrifying to put it lightly.
The magical circles were, of course, for Uru’s [Seekers].
The mana required for such an enormous magic was utterly staggering, amounting to nearly 2 [Solar Cores]. In context, a single [Solar Core] required at least a percent of Uru’s mana reserves… when she was in her prime a thousand years ago.
Her reserves were currently beneath a fifteenth of her past self. Relying on such powerful magic was unsustainable and idiotic at best. However, this mana did not directly come from her reserves.
Uru was far from stupid…
No, she was a master at her craft.
The mana was syphoned from the chamber itself, powering the magical circles containing at least 400 [Seekers].
Uru only needed to utter a single phrase to consume an enormous amount of external mana, resulting in a temporary mana vacuum in the immediate area. To cast a vast amount of [Seekers] in an instant through a single phrase displayed Uru’s level of mastery over her magic.
… No. Perhaps mastery was also an understatement.
As Exrite stared up in awe at the spectacle, all 400 [Seekers] fired from the magical circles simultaneously like the arrows of a hwacha, save these were a thousand times more powerful.
Each one targeted an individual golem, ripping both them and neighbouring ones to nothing but seared dust and, if they were lucky, fragments. It was like watching the tentacles of a giant purple jellyfish sting its countless prey from above with an explosive toxin.
The combined explosion was so great that the floor shook for nearly ten seconds straight. For a moment Exrite thought that the entire chamber would collapse.
During this, he noticed that the Golems which were launched back by the shockwave did not disappear when they fell into the [Barrier], yet those that were presumably killed disappeared as did everything else.
The thought distracted him as he endured the most painful ten seconds thus far.
Thankfully, his heart could be at ease again as the chamber settled soon after. It was now reformed with a massive moat of molten metal which immediately surrounded the Egg’s [Barrier]. Additionally, there was no golem in sight, excluding the ones that were already within the [Barrier].
“That’ll buy us some time to brew a perfect a plan.” Uru said afterwards, her voice echoing in the disturbing silence.
“… yeah…” Exrite slowly brough himself back. “I didn’t think about it before, but you never had the chance to stretch your magic. Shit… was the dragon really that weak?”
“Are you forgetting our battle already? The dragon only had one phase that was susceptible to magic. Not even the pitiful Phase was met with my greatest magic. I don’t mind being excessive, especially in the gauntlet blessed by the Maiden of Time. But neither do I enjoy wasting mana. External mana is precious, particularly here.”
Uru was correct. This place was first and foremost a confined space, sectioned off from every place save for the strange hole above the Egg. No matter how vast it was no external mana could ever leak into this chamber, meaning that the mana here was limited.
“You may not sense it, but my magic has already consumed a considerable amount of mana. It’s hardly sustainable in this kind of environment. It was never plentiful to begin with. Not only that, but my magic does not discriminate between friend or foe. The risk of ‘friendly fire’ in Black’s vocabulary is significant when used like this.”
Before long, the others quickly returned to the forefront of the battlefield, decimating the golems just as they appeared from the [Barrier] with frightening efficiency.
They would be insane to allow the golems to number in the hundreds again. However, their efforts were not enough to completely keep them at bay; even with Exrite’s endless barrage of [Blue Bullets].
He could not afford to continue wasting the precious time Uru had bought for them. They only had minutes before the scattered golems return to the size of a small army.
His composure returned as he quickly spoke.
“Uru. There’s one question we still haven’t figured out. It’s also our biggest clue to overcoming that [Barrier].”
“I’m listening.”
“The golems. Time is constantly being reset yet the golems can freely move inside. As far as I can tell they’re only erased once they die, just like everything else.”
“Ho. Our plan already has a central key then. What matters now is how we’ll use this key. Or –” Uru turned to him with a hand reaching for his face. “Perhaps it’s a matter of who uses it.”
Her [Seekers] aided in the battle. They were far from the splendour of 50, now numbering in the few digits for obvious reasons.
“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Exrite asked.
“Nothing. With what little time we have left not even I would play such a daring game.” She affirmed before setting her attention back to the [Barrier]. “Their construction bears no significance to the [Barrier]. Since the golems disappear when they’re torn apart, that means their existence is what exempts them from being erased.”
Suddenly, Exrite’s eyes widened.
“… like some sort of a condition. That probably explains why it hasn’t used it’s beam yet. It can’t pass through the [Barrier] at all! If that’s the case, then the golems are the only things allowed to enter and leave.”
Uru then hummed with a tone that said otherwise.
“You’re only half correct.”
“… what do you mean?” He slowly turned to her with a face riddled with confusion.
“I suppose [Golemancy] in the human world is severely under practiced considering you of all people don’t know. The eastern Regions are pathetically human-centric.”
She jabbed before explaining further.
“A ‘golem’ isn’t necessarily the whole construct. It’s an amalgamation of parts. All of them – no matter how miniscule – are considered ‘golems’ in the ever-growing lens of magic.”
Precisely. Golem were essentially constructs of many smaller ‘golems’. The more golems that were a part of the bigger picture; the more complex and proficient it was. Skilled Golemancers blessed with suitable mana capacities and outfitted with intricate knowledge of their art were able to push it to its absolute limit.
Liquids like water and the finest powder of pulverised iron were the smallest known ‘golems’ that could be used to create a construct. However, this magic was immensely powerful. To create a construct out of such tiny materials required hundreds of thousands, even millions to create a sizable golem.
Usually, these golems required hundreds, perhaps even thousands of esteemed mages to erect.
One such magic capable of this was a [Ninth Tiered] spell called [Elemental Flux].
But what did this all mean in the end?
It was quite simple; the reason that the golems were not being erased was because the condition was not ‘golems’, but something else. If it were then their torn-off parts should not have disappeared inside of the [Barrier].
The realisation was like a gust of wind. The strands of thoughts in his mind were thrown away as he scrambled to pluck something – anything from the air.
Then, he caught something.
As if directed by fate, both he and Uru arrived at the same conclusion.
However, Uru was the one to voice their exact thoughts with a voice so drenched in emotion that the etchings in her body flared in response.
“As much as I refuse to utter these words, I have no other choice; the Egg believes that it is the Maiden of Time. You’ve heard that insolent usurper recite Her memories as if it were its own… tch. And if that’s truly how warped it is – then the condition isn’t the golems. It’s her creations. The very things She created. The golems are no different. The Egg is no different either.”
Exrite didn’t say another word. Neither did he have time to. Within seconds, Uru spoke once again.
“Exrite. Perhaps you may be able to bypass that [Barrier]. The previous Maiden of Time’s heart lives within you, and you are the current Maiden of Time. The [Time Barrier] should not affect you.”
“No. That’s not how it works, I’m afraid. Look at me Uru. I’m a human. If you told me that in my other body, then I’d agree. My authority over [Time] doesn’t extend to this body. It’s just the [Gears].” He sternly answered.
Then, a small smile grew on his face.
“But – that doesn’t mean I won’t charge in there.”
“Ho? Even though you know well that only those created by Her can enter?” Uru questioned his sanity with a perplexing look. “… what could you possibly have in mind now?”
“You said it yourself earlier. The golems are our key.” He reminded her as he dropped his weapons. “I just have to bring one along with me.”
She could not believe the nonsense that left his mouth. His words were beyond indecipherable. However – Exrite had reason to believe that this may just work.
On the <40th Floor> Exrite had experimented with the effects of [Time Magic] on a lesser scale. During his observations he noticed that the slow-falling snowflakes returned to their normal speed as soon as they touched his palm, which was also within the field of [Delay] – his time-slowing magic.
Basically, Exrite believed he could resist the effects of the [Time Barrier] if he were in contact with something that was immune to it; just as how the snow resumed time as soon as it touched his Maidenly palms.
He explained all of this in detail, athough it was not enough for Uru’s to remove her shadow of doubt which remained casted over him like a looming storm.
“To twist my words in such a way… I suppose you are a human after all.” She painfully sighed.
“Was there any doubt? Aha. Uru – I understand the risks. All of it. Worst comes to worst, I’ll completely disappear. But –”
Exrite turned to her with eyes brimming with confidence.
“I’m immortal right now. realistically, I’ll end up going through a loop of being erased and revived. And in the best case I’ll die and transform.”
The Demon was rendered speechless. Never had she encountered such madness before. His sheer recklessness knew no bounds.
Before she could utter a word Exrite continued with an oddly comforting voice.
“Uru. What other choice do we have? Out of all of us I’m the most likely to survive this.”
“… you fool. Your consequences are fantastical speculations. Fate is worser than that.”
“Fate doesn’t mean anything to me. You know that by now. I’ve endured a pain far worse than anything the Gods ever had, over and over. Being killed and revived until you guys eventually find a way to break the [Barrier] doesn’t sound so bad. That’s if I fail, that is.”
Precious seconds phased by as an agonising silence choked the Demon. Muddled in thought, Uru hesitantly agreed with his sentiments.
“… I didn’t realise your sense of self-preservation was this incompetent. But you’re right. Out of all of us you’re the most likely to succeed. For your sake and the rest of us – do not fail.”
Uru hissed as she cupped his face in between her palms, her grip tighter than any vice known to man. He could only stare into the golden pupils of the Demon.
And with a voice brimming with utmost confidence, he spoke.
“Of course. Leave it to me, Uru.”
“… let me believe you also have a plan once you’re through.”
“Vaguely, but I’ll figure something out. For now – I have my eyes set on the [Gear].”
“Ho? Explain.”
“Its magic isn’t casted. Remember, they’re all imbued onto [Gears]. If I get close enough, I just might be able to take control over it and disable the [Barrier]. I’m sure you guys will know what to do after.”
“’Might’… I think I can sympathise with Frosty and Khaos now. You’re far too reckless for your own good.”
‘Might’ was an understatement. Quite frankly Exrite did not know whether it would work or not. The only lead he had was the fact that he possessed the Heart of the Maiden of Time… the very heart that once belonged to Gaia herself; the creator of the Geared and the [Gears].
But even so – it was still a gamble.
A gamble he was more than willing to take.
“As cheesy as it sounds – nothing’s going to change if no one braves head on.”
“The absence of fear is not bravery. Don’t mix it up with stupidity. However – I don’t disagree with you.”
Her hands fell to her sides as they turned to the Egg with hopeful eyes.
“I pray for your success. And –” She poked his cheek. “Remember to add a few hundred ‘favour points’ to my collection.”
With a brazen smile and an unbreakable demeanour –
– Exrite nodded.
“But first, there’s something I need to do. A lot of my tricks are going to be useless inside. So – I’m going to have to improvise.”
“Improvise? With what?”
“Just some unused crossbow bolts.” He grinned.
* * *
Part 5 –
The battlefield stood silent for the first time. The explosions that once riddled the chamber disappeared without a trace, the blue and purple streaks of light nowhere to be seen.
Although silent was an odd way to describe the chamber. The screams of severed metal and the countless heavy steps which trampled over the remains of the golems were nowhere near quiet.
Regardless of this, four that fought bravely at the edge of the molten moat could not help but to feel like everything around them had suddenly went mute.
Khaos looked around, scouring the floor in search for a certain duo. Nothing but the sprawling golems filled his vision as he crushed those around with his bare fists, tearing their bodies apart like slow-cooked meat.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
He looked again. Nothing still. The others soon began to search the chamber for the two but to no avail. Confusion quickly plagued them as they wondered where they had disappeared to.
But that was only for a moment.
Suddenly – and from seemingly nowhere – a creature snatched an unsuspecting golem straight from its pack. A turbulent release of hot air swept through the area where the golem once stood, heating the clustered black constructs to a faint orange glow.
One turned to fifty. Fifty became a hundred. The heat transferred like a plague, reddening their metal bodies as a massive haze of distortion concealed that part of the chamber, rendering it impossible to see through.
Black watched the chaos unfold, her hands moving on their own before she stared up at the creature which held the capture golem in its talons.
A sadistic smile fell onto her face.
“Just what on Earth are you two up to now?”
Those talons were arms. Human arms. Ones that belonged to none other than Exrite. Additionally, [Gears] aided in the restraint of the golem.
The golems were an odd construct, comprising of multiple gear-shaped objects. Not only that, but they spun with enough force to shred their enemies apart. Holding onto them with his bare hands was futile and quite frankly an odd way to have his organs churned, so he used his [Gears] to jam each layer of its spinning body.
This prevented it from struggling. As for its arms – a thick, black vine strapped them to its body. This was one of Uru’s charcoal tentacles which her true body was composed of. A single glance at the Demon revealed a severed hand with writhing tentacles acting as her newly formed digits.
In short, the golem was rendered utterly helpless.
Uru soared through the chamber with Exrite hanging further down on her tentacles. Before long, the others took notice of the bizarre sight and couldn’t help but to pry themselves away from battle. Most were an effort to make sure they weren’t seeing things.
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this.” Frosty murmured to herself.
“Hey… aren’t they coming here a little too fast?” Khaos spoke in another end of the battlefield.
“Far too fast. They can’t be thinking of trying to pass through the [Barrier]!” White, who was the closest to him, blurted out. “What kind of plan does he have in mind!?”
“Dunno... But if there’s anything I’m certain of – he’ll see through this ordeal to the end. I believe in him.”
“You sound confident. You’re not worried that this might end unexpectedly tragic?”
“No.” He answered sternly. “What kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t believe in him? Make no mistake – my brain’s shouting at me. Screaming at me to freeze and brace for the worst. But I’ve been with him long enough that my heart can only beat at a steady pace now!”
Khaos erupted unexpectedly, his voice shaking the air like the rumbles of thunder. The skulls of golems disintegrated in his grip one by one until he stood alone in a small clearing of headless constructs.
Without turning, he spoke.
“Am I worried about him dying? Yes. Believe me when I say this; seeing him die with nothing but that damn smile of his is the worst. But am I worried about him failing? No. I’ve never seen him fail. He might’ve lost over and over in the beginning, but he eventually overcame it all because he persisted even after his countless deaths. That is not failure in my eyes!”
White patiently listened to him as the flying duo grew closer to the [Barrier].
“Besides, I’m in no position to tell how strong that [Barrier] is. This is probably what they mean by ignorance is bliss.”
Khaos hid his smile as he wiped the sweat and dirt from his face.
“… that’s not supposed to sound convincing.” White sighed defeatedly as she too stood still in a clearing. “But I’m also not complaining. We were the ones who roped Exrite into this in the first place. The fact that Black… and I believed Exrite had a fighting chance against the Maiden of Realms is even more insane.”
“It’s hard to judge us when you’re also in the same boat, haha- Oh- Er… sorry.”
White instantly shot him a look of what he thought was distaste. The smile disappeared from his face in an instant, fearing that he had incurred the wrath of the Colour.
However, this was far from true.
She was not that menacing. Not like a certain other Colour. That was at least when she donned her blue eyes.
Her gaze mellowed for a moment as she shrugged and pulled her attention back to the zooming duo.
“No. You’re not wrong.” White softly smiled. “Companionship does strange things to people. Colours aren’t immune either, as heartless or cold as we might seem, unfortunately.”
Her gaze softly moved to Black’s back.
“Anyway, we’re going to need a whole lot more of it if we want to get anywhere near our end goal. For better or worse.”
“Spoken like one of us, huh.”
White only smiled in response.
Seconds later the sounds of battle returned as the golems quickly swarmed the vacant space, only to join their fallen comrades among the broken ground.
All they had to do now was wait.
* * *
They flew towards the [Barrier] at a speed that shattered the air around them, creating ripples as they passed like a giant bullet.
With their plan in action, Exrite braced himself as Uru propelled herself towards the blazing haze. The heat she discharged earlier was not for show. Neither was it an effort to cleanse as many golems as possible during their brief absence from the battlefield.
It served a purpose. The thick, illusive haze was near impossible to peer through, distorting everything around it. This was nothing more than a simple guise to conceal Exrite’s imminent approach.
They’d have little to no warning of his arrival.
This was perhaps the most vital part of the plan, aside from entering and reaching the cavity containing the [Time] [Gear]. With the golems unaware he’d be able to cover some ground with minimal resistance.
Also – he could not afford to be stopped the very moment he entered. Not when he was alone against the full brunt of the golem menace with most of his tools rendered useless.
Therefore, he needed as little resistance from the golems as possible. Even if it was only at the beginning. Just a single free second was enough.
From there all he had to do was push forward and reach the cavity…
Although, believing it was anywhere near easy was wishful thinking. The cavity was where they spilled from in the hundreds. It was beyond an uphill battle. He was up against an immovable mountain.
Yet nothing but an unstoppable flame burnt in his eyes.
“… I pray that your wager pays off.” Uru said. “We’ll begin preparations once you’re through. Do not let it all go to vain, Exrite.”
“That goes without saying. I’ll be back, Uru. Watch me.”
Uru sharply hummed to herself in response, the rushing air nearly silencing her. The [Barrier] was now close enough to engulf every corner of their eyes as Uru prepared to fling him straight into its untouched heights.
“With pleasure.”
With one swift motion, Uru suddenly flew upwards, and Exrite was propelled like the boulder of a trebuchet straight into the [Barrier] with the golem tightly pressed against his chest.
He began to utter something beneath his breath as the Egg spoke.
“The golden bed that was meant to welcome them became the grave of thousands. I witnessed the death of a thousand of stars, suspended indefinitely in an unmoving mirror of the night sky I loved.”
It all happened in an instant. The sudden explosion of air instantly disappeared once he passed through the translucent wall. The scenery hadn’t changed the slightest. Somehow, he felt like he was gliding through the air far faster.
Many golems beneath failed to notice his approach. Only few airborne squads noticed and gave immediate chase. But they were too slow to keep up, trailing behind as his speed quickly picked up during his gradual descent.
Only a hundred metres of air separated him from the ground, and another 500 separated him from the endlessly spilling cavity. From this distance it looked like a wound gushing with black, writhing blood.
The ground rapidly approached. 50 metres were covered in the blink of an eye. In his last few seconds, he shoved the golem behind him as he braced himself for his crashlanding.
I only have one shot at this!
With grit teeth and his entire body motioning for impact, he crashed against the ground with a shattering quake. The trajectory of his landing was like that of a meteor, and as a result, Exrite trailed across the ground with the soles of his shredded leather boots crushing the stone as he gradually came to a halt.
However, he did not allow himself to stop.
Shoving his bare foot into the stone, he poised himself forward and instantly launched himself forward. The trails and cracks of the stone disappeared as quickly as they appeared, the fumes of dust returning to air as if it never existed.
Not a single scratch was left on him, although this was nothing compared to the grand heights of the <46th Floor>. But even so, it was a testament to his strength.
Few of the airborne golems crashed into the ground, unable to redirect their speed into his direction. They did not expect him to be so agile, especially with a golem glued to his back.
However – Exrite was not faster than them.
The sound of marching metal ceased all around him for a split second before suddenly growing closer. Suddenly, every golem began to target him, completely ignoring the others on the other side of the [Barrier].
They responded far faster than he anticipated.
Their eyes burnt a violet red, the bizarre clanking of their metallic bodies reaching ear-splitting levels as they all began to converge on him. He saw them come from every direction, with the golems spilling from the cavity flooding straight for him like an avalanche.
There were thousands. They were immovable. And he was only one.
The scene was like a tale from legends, where the hero would undoubtably slaughter all his countless foes with a single strike.
But Exrite was no hero.
Neither did he have any means to annihilate them all with the flick of his wrist.
Once one tore off the heroic lens from this scene and peered through the lens of reality, they’d see nothing more than a man with a death wish…
Though neither were the case.
Exrite was – first and foremost – a human trying to survive the cruel talons of fate.
And to escape it, he needed to delve deeper into its clutches, right to the very heart where all the golems spewed from.
The clanking grew closer. The avalanche also drew near. The impending blackness promised to swallow him with one exaggerated gulp. As the golem reached for him with a blade-like hand from behind, he instantly dropped his speed.
The blade missed him by mere inches as he collided with the golem. In that split second of mass confusion, a pale bone was punched straight into its chest. Amid the clanks and mechanical clamber, there was a faint hiss emanating from the bone.
This was of course the sound of a burning fuse.
The golem looked down at its indented chest with a perplexed expression, a split second before Exrite tore himself away by leaping into the air. A string of confusion littered the surrounding golems one by one, some frozen by the bizarre attack while others stared at the Exrite who cruised 10 metres into the air above the oncoming avalanche.
Out of all things they expected the puny human to do, this was easily among the scraps at the bottom of the barrel. They did not expect him to be able to be capable of such a grand leap.
They flocked to him immediately, many throwing themselves to swat him out of the sky through brute force. Hundreds rose from the ground in an instant, some curled while others directed their drill-like feet towards him like missiles.
His [Threat Detection]’s scream rattled his soul as he grit his teeth. Escape seemed impossible. A human like him had no natural means of manoeuvring in the air.
However, that was assuming Exrite was an ordinary human. He never looked down at the inevitable, but instead firmly kept his eyes on the cavity. Only less than 500 metres separated him from ending this all for good.
There was of course only one thing to do.
… 30 seconds… that’s all I need!
Exrite began a mental countdown as he ripped his second largest [Gear] – [Blue Beam] – from the captive golem. It swirled onto the soles of his feet as he crouched down further than he ever had, tilted forwards, and then –
– He launched himself forward.
His body disappeared in the blink of an eye as the golems collided with one another, resulting an explosion of metal filings. They quickly scrambled towards the human bullet after an embarrassing recovery.
Gravity was no longer pulling against him, and with the strange lacklustre resistance in this [Time Barrier], he was propelled nearly fifty metres forward.
But that wasn’t enough. If he didn’t maintain his pace he’d quickly be overrun. The uncontrolled gear of the golem strapped to him began to violently spin, its teeth grinding into his flesh as he fell into a lightly concentrated section of the chamber.
25!
He instantly pulled out his bone bolts from the only limeite box on his hip, one in each hand as he punched them straight into the chests of whatever golem crossed his path. From two to a dozen – to 30 bone bolts. Until he scraped the bottom of his limeite container did he leap once more into the air as the concentration of golems grew too thick.
This time, their resistance was staggering. They were going to stop him at all costs. A giant net of golems converged at his point. Even if he propelled himself forward again, he’d be met with enough force to knock him straight back.
It was like being at the bottom of massive tidal wave. Yet Exrite could only smile brazenly at he tore another [Gear] from the golem. This one was his largest, and the last that could act as a footstool.
But he wouldn’t need to. Exrite, firmly holding the shredding golem in front of him, reached far behind him with the giant [Gear] in hand. If his speed was not enough to break through, then he simply needed to be faster.
Explosively faster.
That’s why – he detonated his precious [Gear]. The [Explosive Orb]’s shockwave dragged him by the gut as he barrelled through the net of golems, crashing into numerous with destructive force. The golem in his arm suffered majorly, missing massive chunks of its body, with the rest beginning to emit a soft glow. It wouldn’t survive another collision, let alone another explosion.
15!
Only 200 metres remained. He needed another golem. Exrite desperately looked around for another one to snatch as soon as he landed, but none chose to approach. Instead, every golem before him retreated into the cavity, alongside the hundreds that he had already passed. They flew above and beside him like a fleet of bats, darkening the chamber until they all converged at the cavity.
The golems were at their thickest concentration now. Black dots riddled the world ahead. It was like looking at the surface of a cluttered hornet’s nest; every single one of them crawling above one another until they fit perfectly into a giant spherical lattice.
This was their final stand. Seeing them so desperately defend the cavity – and the [Gear] in extension – caused him to nod with satisfaction. Relief surged through him, combating the wariness of his nearly broken golem at hand as he couldn’t help but to softly smile.
The ‘might’ in his plan to take over the [Gear] was all but certain now.
They clearly saw him as a threat to the [Gear], meaning the ‘might’ in his plan – his reckless gamble – was correct after all.
Hah! What should I call this? Luck? Fate? Whatever it is – I’m going to need more of it for the finale!
Exrite seemed abnormally ecstatic. The wall of golems before him was not as lenient as the last. It was the physical manifestation of a [Physical Barrier], tuned to the highest degree. Of course, this was all because the golems were clustered so closely to one another…
And that was precisely why he was ecstatic.
His luck didn’t only stem from his gamble, but also from the golems themselves. 30 of them carried an explosive payload. In comparison to the bullets of his sniper rifle, they were far, far more destructive.
In the beginning he had expected them to take a final stand at some point. However, he did not think for a second that all golems would choose to defend the Egg. Not to this grand extent.
Simply put – this was a blessing in disguise.
And if there’s anything he had learnt from this trial–
5!
– It was that the explosive powder in those bone bolts superseded the one the world knew of.
Exrite threw himself into the air one last time with his fellow golem, which never ceased grounding his flesh and organs into mince. With an arm thrust behind him like last time, it was finally time to end his awaited chant.
“– [Explosive orb]!”
A pale orb of condensed heat formed in his palm for a split second before it abruptly detonated. It propelled him forward with the same force as his late [Gear], sending him straight for the wall of golems ahead.
How was Exrite able to cast the [Explosive Orb] – a [Sixth Tiered] magic – in near under a minute?
It was simple.
The [Explosive Orb] he casted was what scholars of magic considered ‘incomplete’.
In magic, it was possible to perform what is known as a ‘half cast’, or more commonly called an ‘incomplete cast’. As the term implied, an incomplete cast occurred when one managed to cast an intended magic but with the incorrect chant.
This was by far the most common mistake in students and beginners of magic. While the concept could be had, it was up to one to recite them as perfectly as they understood it. Unless of course, they were geniuses who were able to perform a chantless cast.
One clear-cut way of replicating this was to ignore a section of a chant, meaning the casted magic would lack said attribute of the intended magic. An example would be [Water Spear]. Ignoring the chant related to the spear part would create water which lacked any form.
In Exrite’s case, he ignored the [Explosive Orb]’s… ‘orb’ part, hence why it did not retain its form for more than a single second.
In any case –
3!
– He braced himself, already breaking through 50 metres. Just 150 more remained.
2!
100.
1!
50 –
*KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
The sound rippled through his bones. One fireball multiplied to several more before combining into one massive orb of flames. The sheer amount of metal significantly reduced the shockwave, allowing him to cruse straight into the flaming cavity with his red-hot golem in his only arm.
However, it was unfortunately just enough to knock his last two [Gears] from the golem.
But that mattered little. By now it had already stopped struggling.
The heat disappeared as quickly as it appeared, the same with the countless golems it decimated. An empty void filled separated him from the [Gear] now.
Nothing could stop him.
He fell straight towards the base of the cavity, right where the giant [Gear] rested and spun. Golems appeared from seemingly nowhere high above him and instantly gave chase, one managing to thrust an arm straight through his stomach right before he landed.
It’s right there! Just… A FEW MORE STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPS!
Exrite grit his teeth to its absolute limit, fracturing the steel bones of his jaw as he trudged through the golems that desperately gave it their all to destroy the man who knew no fear nor death.
Death did not desire him. Not yet. In fact – it feared him. His steps were heavy, moving the weight of countless kilograms as more than dozens of blades had already skewered him, some penetrating the flesh of his face and neck.
Under normal circumstances, Exrite could have easily lunged for the [Gear]. His injuries were trivial. However, there was something else that took a bigger toll than the golems.
It was a mana overload.
There was no possible way a human like him would be able to walk away after using [Sixth Tier] magic without a magic circle. Yet he did. The very fact that he was still able to stand upright was a miracle…
No. Miracles are granted by the Gods.
And there was no God that could withstand a mana overload.
Exrite was in a different realm of tolerance.
The tempering of his soul on the anvil of Gaia’s trial, pummelled by the hammer of despair and bellowed by the flames of the past forged his unbreakable fortitude.
Physically? Yes and no. He was on the verge of collapsing.
Mentally? Most certainly so.
The golem in his arms fell as he reached out for the [Gear] with twisted fingers.
“PUUUUUUUUUUUUSH!” He hoarsely gargled.
With one final creep forward, the sensation of a connected limb shot through his heart like an electric current. A flash of bright light consumed his Eye of Hope, then his entire body as the [Gear] fell to his authority.
There was no other climatic scream or joyous cry.
He simply did what he needed to.
He stopped the [Gear] from spinning, completely deactivating the [Time Barrier].
When the light softly died, the very first thing to be revealed was the figure of a certain Demon, who was surrounded by countless metal fragments. In that short amount of time, she had shredded the golems around him a dozen times over.
He smiled.
Behind Uru’s face of nothing but relief and pride were countless purple magical circles…
Enough to fire 800 [Seekers].
“… aha… and I thought… 400 was going all out.” He spoke, the wounds already healing.
Uru pressed a finger on his lips, erecting a purple [Physical Barrier] around him.
“Save your strength… you showed me a good sight. Truly… a good sight…”
Was it pity he saw in her eyes? Admiration? Inspiration? He didn’t know. Whatever it was, it compelled Uru into casting all the [Seekers] she could muster.
Uru intended to not just kill the Egg once and for all, but to utterly obliterate it.
A twenty-sided [Physical Barrier] materialised above him. Demonic symbols elegantly ran across its entire surface in a beautiful spiral-like pattern. Many more similar [Barriers] were erected around him, completely shielding him from the golems.
At the same time – a pale [Physical Barrier] surrounded him, as did another blue [Physical Barrier]. Looking down past Uru’s shoulder, he saw Frosty and White, both staring at him with burning eyes.
“… Exrite. Please hold on just a little longer. So long as you’re standing the [Gear] won’t be able to prevent its death. As heavy as it is for me to say this; you must endure to the very end.”
Uru began with a heavy voice before moving her only hand to Exrite’s cheek.
“We’ll end this as quickly as possible. For your sake.”
“… do it. I came here… with the conviction to die. Ack… how many times will that make it now, Uru? Three times you’ve killed me now? Four?”
The Demon’s eyes widened, then, they softly closed as she backed away.
“You’re truly unbelievable. Joking whilst undergoing a mana overload… I’m convinced you lost your humanity long before we met.”
“Don’t make me laugh… this is exactly… what makes me human.” His voice was groggy, like the croaks of a dying man, yet the emotions within resounded with utmost clarity.
Uru couldn’t help but to softly sigh in response. Then, with a small smile, she retreated from the [Barriers], shattering a few before quickly erecting them again.
“Precisely. Do not fall, Exrite. You’ll finally be able to rest soon enough.”
With that said, she parted ways and retreated to the others, who were already unleashing countless barrages of bullets, magic, and massive pieces of stone. As much as they desired to take down the Egg with the knuckles of their fists and the edges of their weapons, none of them were able to come close.
Not when Uru intended to annihilate every fibre of the Egg’s pitiful being.
The [Physical Barriers] silenced the world outside. Frosty’s mouth spoke yet no voice reached him. But even so, he smiled as if understanding those absent words.
“… sorry for always worrying you, Frosty.” He whispered, pivoting his head towards the [Gear] above.
Countless golems appeared again, all trying to break through the impossibly thick array of [Barriers]. They worked spectacularly at repelling them. Unfortunately, however, they were not intended to protect him from the golems.
It was all for the sake of defending him against the wrath of 800 [Seekers].
His body repeated an endless loop of destruction and repair, his muscles tearing at the seams, his bones snapping like twigs. The heightened sensation that accompanied the mana overload was not one that was easy to ignore and only continued to get worse.
But his demeanour never changed. Whilst he winced and growled to combat the soul-tearing agony, his mind remained crystal clear and focused on nothing more than to simply stand.
And then – the lights Uru’s [Seekers] engulfed the chamber. In batches of 50, the [Seekers] splendidly cruised through the air compactly, appearing like a giant purple comet which smashed straight into the vulnerable surface of the Egg.
The world shook. Each hit caused the inner walls of the cavity to tear under its sheer destructive might. 200 quickly passed and the Egg bared more craters than the surface of the moon, each bleeding and pulsating with something darker than the abyss beneath.
Uru’s [Barriers] shattered without fail each time. Not even the combined strength of Uru, Frosty and White was able to withstand its might as the fireball, heat and force reached him in the depths of the cavity.
A few lone [Seekers] even attacked the cavity directly, alongside precise bullets and deadly [Ice Shards], and within less than a minute, the cavity had become grotesquely damaged.
Black sinew held broken pieces of its waxy flesh, dangling precariously, and swaying with each explosion. Fallen chunks crashed into the [Gear], the ceiling drooping dangerously as the Egg was on the verge of collapsing in on itself.
The [Gear]’s vibrant blue colour quickly decayed to a dead-grey, cracks beginning to riddle its impossibly powerful structure. To see a [Gear] capable of wielding magic of the [Fifteenth Tier] cracking under its sheer weight surprised Exrite immensely.
What kind of pressure… no, what kind of force is needed to destroy a [Gear] like that?
None of the magic or attacks they used were able to dent it. It was simply the sheer weight of the Egg that was destroying it.
In contrast, the hundreds of [Gears] scattered within the gaping maw of the largest [Gear] were all but destroyed thanks to their relentless barrage of attacks. With no [Time] [Gear] to repair their damages persistently, their deaths became inevitable.
Seeing this all up close, Exrite suddenly realised the rules dictating resistance of the [Gears].
Every [Gear] seemed to be equally as susceptible to magic as they were to physical force. What allowed them to resist damage was simply dictated by what tier of magic the [Gear] was capable of handling.
For example, a [Seventh Tiered] [Gear] would not be able to resist [Eight Tiered] magic, nor any physical force akin to that kind of power. However, [Sixth Tiered] magic would do little to nothing. This was because the [Gears] possessed a limitless pool of mana.
It was akin to dropping a match into an ocean.
An example was Frosty’s [Ice Shards] which failed to inflict anything meaningful to most of the [Gears], whilst Uru’s [Seekers] decimated many.
But there were some exceptions, most notably Exrite’s [Gear] which was easily capable of [Eight Tier] magic yet was destroyed by a mere [Explosive Orb] – a [Sixth Tiered] magic.
The reasoning behind this was unknown.
In any case, the [Gears] seemed to function like mana capacities with the bonus of resisting physical damage. It perfectly explained why Uru’s [Seekers] were unable to destroy some of the larger [Gears], whereas Black and White’s bullets easily shattered them.
With that all aside – the Egg spoke.
“In the process of trying to save Auga – I damned countless. And in the end, I failed, repeating the very same thing I did to her. The creatures that thrived below my home were never destined to see the light of day, never to become the stars to fill our desolate night skies.”
Its voice croaked, black chunks of its body falling like tears. By now 750 [Seekers] had ravaged the Egg, rending all its pale exterior down to its darkest innards. It dripped disgustingly with viscous black blood…
And as it further collapsed into itself like a dying star, its dark blood turned red. The [Gear] shattered. A metallic roar instantly shattered every [Physical Barrier] surrounding Exrite as everything came crashing down.
The Egg’s final moments were upon them. And similarly, so was Exrite’s. He closed his eyes, his arm finally falling to his side limply.
“We did it.” He whispered just before the world turned dark.
* * *
Everything disappeared in that moment. The Egg collapsed into itself, forming a spherical ball of darkness. Silence instantly filled the chamber as it hovered there, unmoving to any further stimulus.
No one spoke in these final moments. No matter the emotions that were at the verge of rupturing deep within their chest, they could not afford to celebrate too soon.
Not until they were certain that the end was upon them.
Then, as the group slowly began to retract their attacks, the Egg spoke its final words.
“I was naive… I was a child. The world above compared not to the Shallows I enshrouded, or the Trial that sat beneath my home. If none could ever make it to the surface – then maybe it was for the best… as much as my heart tried to swallow it all.”
Silence befell them once again. Seconds became agonisingly long minutes.
It continued.
“Wishes don’t exist. The stars were already long gone before Auga came to this world. The magic I cultivated in the tabletop above the Shallows hid the nightmare of the void where the stars once shone. I unveiled the illusive curtains from the skies of the Biomechanical Garden and she smiled… she promised that she’d wait at the base oak tree for the stars to return… and for her beloved Creator to be reborn.”
And then – they heard Gaia’s voice.
“I made a wish and departed from the Shallows. Auga would one day see the stars again. I promised her that. But I wouldn’t be among them. I was never a star to begin with, no matter how much life and light I gave to my dear… dear Auga.”
The black Egg began to crack. Fissures ran from each length across, a violent glow of white shining through. Sounds of broken glass resounded from its core as the cracks continued until it was at the verge of crumbling.
A faint feeling of accomplishment began to spread among them, some shedding smiles, and sounds of relief.
But none ever dared to pry their attention from the Egg. They had played Gaia’s game long enough to understand that the end was never so simple. Believing this was the end would only submit them to a rude awakening.
Yet they hoped this was the end. It should be the end… it had to be. The Egg was certainly defeated. However, nothing changed…
Not until the pale light within began to shine a light blue.
They instantly recognised the light. It belonged to Exrite. One by one, the broken shells of the Egg collapsed onto the gear-shaped platform beneath, revealing a holy light that caressed the entire chamber.
That bright light hovered in the air like a giant orb.
A figure fell from the light with a faint glow that somehow rivalled the orb above.
That figure was unquestionably Exrite.
Uru instantly launched forward, catching her with elegance unsuitable for her immense speed. Beneath the orb of light Uru hovered in the air with Exrite in herarms, her entire body exploding with nothing but pure elation.
After all, the naked being in her arms was the Maiden of Time…
And maybe it was also because this was simply Exrite, although she tried to deny that possibility. She was happy regardless. The tender touch, the ticking – how long has it been since she felt this bliss?
The orb returned to its pale colour. The light slowly shrunk to a single faint point. No one knew what was to come next. Uru was precariously close to the light, but she felt – no, she knew that their fight was already over.
Its energy dwindled rapidly, the luminosity dying like a pitiful ember. Then, before the light disappeared, a voice spoke.
“… who… am I…?”
Uru’s blinked twice. The voice wasn’t the previous Maiden of Time’s. Neither was it the stale monotone voice that she had grown to despise. No. This voice belonged to someone else.
It belonged to the Geared.
What was left of its light died off unceremoniously. In its place fell a black object. It tumbled in the air, falling onto the chest of the sleeping Exrite in her arms.
The object was a single black hand-sized [Gear].
“Ho?” Uru curiously touched it, feeling an intense ticking laying somewhere within the [Gear]. It ticked like a beating heart. Whether it was actually Exrite’s heart she could hear or the [Gear]’s was unknown.
Though that didn’t matter much. There was something far more important than a little [Gear].
Her gaze fell to the others.
Yes. Her fellow companions – the Exrenity – were infinitely more important.
There was a triumphant roar.
“AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IT’S OVER! WE FINALLY WON!” Khaos erupted, striking the air with enough force to create turbulence.
“Yeah… yeah we did.” Frosty solemnly smiled before her brother’s uncontainable energy began to rub off on her, causing her lips to further widen. “Like we’d ever fail. We’re one step closer to reaching our goal!”
“Damn right! Haha! See what I meant, White!? Doubt only leads to defeat!”
“No, doubt leads to precaution, so no one has to die needlessly.” White spoke with a small sigh, quietly chuckling soon after. “But those are rules for normal people. I’ve learnt that we’re all not as normal as we think the hard way. Just make sure to yell at him for me. You two are good at that.”
“Good at knocking, but he’s just not good at… well, retaining. You know, I sometimes wonder if he does it on purpose.” Frosty complained, laughing, though there was a part of her that spoke out of true concern. “… but it’s like Khaos said – it’s hard to doubt Exrite. It’s just that it’s easy to worry… yeah… I’m going to yell at him. Probably beat him senseless this time.”
They laughed, even somehow managing to wrestle a stifled laugh from Black.
Frosty stared at the figure in Uru’s arm, then, she stared up at the ceiling.
“One step down, a couple thousand more to go. It feels like… we can finally reach it now.” She said, her tone suddenly becoming sombre.
“Hm? I thought you always believed you could.” Black inquired.
“No. I mean… this feels more like a… how do you say it? Like an achievement? A victory? No… what was it?”
“The word you’re looking for is probably confirmation.” Black said.
“That’s the one… yep. Like a confirmation. You know, we never had any way of knowing if we were headed in the right direction… until you guys came along… however stupid that sounds…” The pauses between her words gradually became longer as her breathing became laboured.
“You ok Sis?” Khaos offered a hand to support her.
“I’m fine… I think my fatigue’s finally catching up to me.”
“Even with all that strength?” White said with surprise.
“Sorry to disappoint you… but this is… an expected side effect… when being strengthened… with magic… mana… whatever… especially when… things… die… down…”
Indeed. Strengthening oneself with magic or through raw mana was a double-edged sword and was often used as a last resort. Other times it was a means to finish a battle quickly or was used very mildly.
Every living body has its limit. Magic allowed for one to bypass their physical limits with spells such as [Body Strengthening] and [Body Enhancing] magic.
However, if one pushed beyond their limit then they’d reach another limit faster. This was stamina. Although the body was significantly stronger, it did not mean that their tolerance or stamina was improved.
Furthermore, the following strain and fatigue would be devastating depending on how powerful the magic was.
Of course, there existed some magic that allowed one to bypass this flaw, but they weren’t nearly as powerful. The strongest known kind of physical-strengthening magic was called [Override]; a magic belonging to the [Sixth Tier].
Needless to say; its side effects were gruelling.
“Don’t say anything Sis. C’mon. I’ll carry you.”
With a nod, Khaos carried her in her arms, only to find himself suddenly struggling with her sheer weight.
“W-woah!? When did you get so heavy!?”
If Frosty had the strength to hit him, she would’ve undoubtably done so. A vein popped on her forehead as she glared daggers into his soul.
“H-haha… just kidding.”
The scent of victory was fresh. No matter how debilitated Frosty was, or how relieved that this trial was finally over – they could not help but to cherish this moment.
After Exrite’s scattered equipment was recovered, they began to move towards a patient Uru in the centre of the chamber. Looking at the platform now, and the hole situated above it, they could tell that this was without a doubt an elevator.
Where did it lead to?
The surface.
There was no doubt on their minds that this will bring them out of the dungeon once and for all.
“Finally…. We can finally leave this shit hole. I can’t believe we spent – what? 3 months cooped down here?” Black complained, crushing stone chunks in her path. “3 months… 3 fucking months. FUCK!”
“You seem happy.” White said uncharacteristically playfully, only to be ignored entirely by the marching Black.
Surprisingly, White wasn’t joking when she said that. No matter how bitter Black’s emotions were, there was a significant amount of other strange emotions that outweighed it.
The strongest one was relief. Not because the trial had finally been conquered. No. It was because of Exrite.
He did not break even when faced with overwhelming odds… even to the very end.
Their situations were vastly different, and suffering was all relative to the person subject to endure it. However – that did not change that they both were pit into a world that required them to surrender every ounce of their humanity to survive.
Exrite was a human pit into the worlds of the Maidens and the Gods.
Black was a human thrown into a world where combat defined one’s existence.
The night they spent on the very first reservoir returned to her like a nostalgic memory.
No matter the pain. No matter the suffering. No matter the emotions that had unquestionably consumed him – Exrite did not break. He was still Exrite through and through.
She loudly sighed.
“… you’re one stubborn human. Maybe you were there in the Colour Plane with me, I probably wouldn’t have lost so much of myself. But that’s all just one big fucking fantasy. Hopefully yours stays as a reality. Don’t you dare lose it on my watch, Exrite.” She muttered, shaking her head. Between the strands of swaying hair, one could see a faint grin.
A hand dove into her breast pocket. What she pulled out was a small 12-sided insignia.
“Hmhm~ Exrenity does have a nice ring to it, now that I think about it.”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to ‘play’ Exrenity?” White said.
“Who knows. We might as well use it while we’re still in this world. Remember White – after Melody’s gone, we’ll have to find the others as well before we return to ours.”
Black pulled out the colourless compass and delicately brushed a thumb over it.
“Exrenity goes hand in hand with the Children of Balance. Think about it. Pathfist Commanders? The Commanders of Pathfist? What does that mean to the Kingdoms far outside of Colight? Now slap Exrenity into the mix and we’re suddenly either feared or looked up to. Wouldn’t that make future endeavours a little more… interesting~?” She hummed and boarded the elevator.
White paused for a moment, staring at the back of the departing Black. Then, for un unexplainable reason, she smiled.
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?” Her whisper thankfully went unnoticed.
Soon, everyone was gathered at the centre of the platform. A black and white obelisk laid in the middle of them all. Uru gently placed Exrite’s hand on it –
But nothing happened.
“Well, you know what to do. Everyone put your hands in!” Black yelled.
One by one their hands met with the warm surface of the obelisk. It activated with a single, resounding tick. Instantly, the white ate away at the black until the obelisk stood a glowing pale.
Unsurprisingly, Gaia expected all the Exrenity to make it to the very end.
After all, they were only as strong as the individuals that made it.
The platform shifted upwards. With smiles, a few tears and faces of hope – they all began to ascend.
They had finally achieved the Attributed Whole.
They were finally going to leave Gaia’s trial.
“Rest well Exrite.” Uru hummed, brushing the hair away from the face of the Maiden in her arms.
All that awaited now was Gaia’s home.