Part 5 –
A town that once flourished with life was reduced to a smouldering relic. The roads were painted in freshly spilled blood, the huts damaged beyond repair. Horses followed the ghosts of the recently fallen through the streets, their hooves but silent against the crackling sound of flames. A fire swept through from one end of the town to the other, slowly engulfing years-worth of irreplaceable memories for the original inhabitants.
Their home was destroyed, and Exrite hoped they could call the city of Saicry theirs.
All bodies and every corpse were recovered and brought straight into Black’s airships. A fleet of 10 additional airships joined the existing 3 that she possessed, bolstering the battle capabilities of the Demi-humans by tenfold.
Of course, they’d need to be fitted with underside mirrors and weapons, as well as a system to allow the near magicless Demi-humans to operate the airships to their full capabilities.
The deceased humans were taken to the limite core of the main airship to be converted into pure biomass. A cauldron of red ooze with a limeite crystal suspended over it was essentially the engine of the airship. The humans were blended into liquid paste by a small group of Demi-humans specifically fitted for the job. Though humans were enemies, not many Demi-humans wished to witness, let alone handle a task so disgustingly gruesome.
The liquid biomass was then needed to be converted into mana by White. She would consume the biomass and transfer the attained energy into the limeite core, all in the form of mana. The same needed to be done to all airships, and with the vast number of bodies they had, the cores were likely to last at least a few months before requiring more fuel.
That aside –
The injured Demi-humans were left atop the deck of the main airship, laid in rows with most resting on their stomachs due to the lack of flesh on most of their backs. The shields they had been glued to was fused with their skin, and unfortunately, there was only one way to remove it.
It was an agonising process for both the victim and the Demi-human crewmates who needed to peel it off. Thankfully, White provided enough droplets of her blood to minimise their suffering. This was the liquid that the Demi-humans dropped into the open wounds of the injured prior to operating on their backs, and just before Exrite moved in with her 5 golden spheres of [Agonised Restoration].
Each grand orb hovered over a Demi-human, and over the course of a minute, their lost limbs, ears, tails, ears, eyes – and all wounds were miraculously restored. Their eyes lit up without fail as if they had seen the world in colour for the first time, and their ears twitched uncontrollably to the sound of laughter and cries surrounding them.
Some of these Demi-humans were blinded and deafened from the moment they were born into this world. Their eyes were prodded with a needle, and their ears severed only to be made as ornaments to invoke fear for other Demi-humans. To see them consume the world and realise that there was beauty beyond their darkness was a sight that left Exrite feeling sentimental.
As she moved from person to person, from child to child, parent to parent – her eyes further glistened beneath the beautiful light of her orbs, the giant moon, and the stars above. But she never allowed herself to cry here, even though anyone could tell how close she was at a single glance.
Frosty was already stricken ill with tears, comforting the Demi-humans alongside her brother. They were kind souls. The both of them. They were far better at comforting the Demi-humans than herself, given that she wasn’t exactly the type of person who would tell the bereaved that they’d be ‘fine’.
Exrite strictly refrained from touching the Demi-humans. Unlike Bun and the 100 Demi-humans of Black’s first crew, she exercised caution. Sudden movements, or even reaching out for a head pat would appear like she was going to punish them. It also didn’t help that her appearance was identical to a human’s.
She wondered how Frosty and Khaos did it. Yellow’s reason was obvious, but not so much for the Frostbitten siblings. Maybe it was their scent? She didn’t know, and neither did she care.
After all, she could understand their repulsion of being touched.
Although –
A young Demi-human boy fell into her chest and embraced her, murmuring his thanks in a dialect she could only understand through his tears. She embraced him back, and only whispered: “It was hard, wasn’t it?” as she allowed him to weep in her arms.
– There were few Demi-humans that were able to find solace in her warmth. And once they finally touched her, the calming ticking of her body eased their worries and allowed them to just… gush.
If they didn’t see her as a Goddess before, then they certainly did now. No amount of thanks could ever begin to repay her, even though it was clearly more than enough.
The tongueless tried to speak, but having never spoken before, let alone in Ecloma – they could only whisper their thanks in incomprehensible murmurs. The words fumbled from their mouths awkwardly, and as disheartening as it was, Exrite managed to find it oddly cute.
Nav stayed by her shoulder as the hours passed. The Golden City of Saicry slowly came into view as their fleet approached with countless eager eyes that glowed in the beautiful light of their race’s motherland.
It remained silent throughout the ordeal, and when Exrite neared the remaining few Demi-humans as the moon began to fall over the mountains of Endo, Nav finally spoke.
“From me, to the Biomech, to the Demi-humans in short succession. It’s bizarre to watch the image of my Creator tend to countless hearts.”
“It’s the least I can do for them.” Exrite softly spoke. “It doesn’t hurt to save them now that I actually have the strength to do it. I can’t easily abandon these people.”
“Unlike Her… She had abandoned us all. Even her beloved Original. And soon, maybe even you.”
“I don’t doubt it. I haven’t returned to her Domain, so it’s probably already happened. Or maybe she’s waiting. Gaia can afford to wait in there. Time moves so fast that an hour, or even less in there equals to a day here. It could be more for all I know. She’s the… founder of all fundamental magic, after all.”
Exrite ensured to speak as quietly as possible as she tended to the Demi-humans, only healing their ears after she had finished speaking. The accompanied Demi-humans from Black’s crew were either too preoccupied with feeding the injured with White’s blood, or with the golden city ahead.
Those that did manage to hear their voices were not able to decipher her words. Gaia could have been anyone, and by speaking of fundamental magic she likely meant the Children of Balance who were still believed to have created the Maidens.
Exrite knew for certain that it was Gaia. She possessed the authority to control all six of the [Fifteenth Tiered] fundamental magics. Furthermore, the Children of Balance, who had apparently created all the Maidens, were not conceived of yet at the time.
Chronologically speaking, Gaia came first. The Maidens had either come after the Children of Balance, or at the same time. Exrite wondered if it was Gaia’s plan to make it appear as though the Children of Balance had created them.
The reasoning was uncertain but considering that Gaia was actively desired by the old Gods of Corozin, it may have acted as a front for her. And it worked. The Children of Balance were, after all, the Gods that had bestowed order to Eastern Six Point through the Maidens. This was the ‘truth’ of the world.
And a lie that only Exrite and her friends knew.
“Unlike her, you refuse to abandon these people. You did not abandon me either… after my descent into madness.”
“It’s not that I refused to abandon you or these guys. I just felt like I needed to help you. You know, I was in a spot like you and everyone else here. Made to suffer by reasons we couldn’t control. None of us chose to be weak, but the world chose to despise us.” Exrite said, drawing her eyes onto a Demi-human man who embraced his weeping young child. “It isn’t fair. That’s why – I chose to help you, Nav. I once despised the Geared. I thought of them as pitiful. As disgusting spawns of the Trial. But I came to slowly understand them. Their madness. Their cries. Their despairs and their hopes – They didn’t choose to lose themselves. It was an inevitability. A cruel, ironic twist in the hopes of finding themselves.”
“… Exrite…”
“I chose to help the Demi-humans because they can struggle. If they couldn’t, then the harsher reality would be to end them now before the misery could set in. Halfway through devouring the Geared, it became my goal to end them because of their suffering. But towards the end I couldn’t even bring myself to do it anymore. It was too sad… and even more tragic when they died anyway in the golden ocean below… The final floor.”
Exrite froze momentarily.
“I’m not a hero that can help everyone in need. To absolutely save them all. I’m just here to offer a hand, not to carry them. I will kill if it means to relinquish one of their suffering. You took my hand and followed me, Nav. You didn’t bite mine. I’m glad I didn’t have to kill you.”
“Likewise… I wouldn’t have known the world beyond the Trial. Oh; how it has changed over countless eons. This is the world I could only see through her memories. I was born beneath, and now exist above; I was born in this world but was cursed to never see it myself. Until now… The Geared of the Reservoirs will never realise the beauty of the true night sky…”
Nav spoke in a voice close to the verge of tears.
“The falseness of their rooved skies.”
Exrite silently agreed, though a part of her understood the need for false hope as much as she despised it herself. No one wanted to suffer. To blind oneself, or to genuinely believe in a convenient lie was easier than to face the bleakness of reality.
“To make a home out of this world won’t be easy.” Exrite sighed. “And I’m still reaching out for the stars~ Nav, do you think we’ll be able to go to at least the moon one day?”
“A celestial body? I don’t believe that will be –”
“It’s possible, unless the escape velocity of your world requires light-fucking-speed to beat.” Black claimed from seemingly nowhere, joining the crouched Exrite with a hand placed on her shoulder. “My birth world has already claimed its moon. The space out there is tangible. Even more so with your magic. I’m just wondering why your world has gone stagnant for so long. Eons and you’re still making bread the old-fashioned way. I’m convinced time means nothing in this world.”
“Don’t ask me. I didn’t even know there were different kinds of stars until an Otherworlder professor told me.” Exrite admitted. “Things like black holes… are those real?”
“Look up there. See that? That isn’t a black hole. Neither is that, or that. Do you know why it’s called a black hole? Because you can’t fucking see it. The immense gravity bends light, and – believe it or not, time itself.”
“How very insightful of you, Otherworlder.” Nav grumbled sarcastically.
“You’re welcome.” Black replied in a similar tone. “I thought you should know~”
“Huh… so space can alter time?” Exrite wondered how this was even possible.
“Time is relative, apparently. Don’t ask me why, to who, or to what. It’s just common knowledge back in my home world. Could be a saying for all I know.”
“I see.” Exrite nodded despite not understanding. “… I still don’t get it.” She tilted her head slightly.
“Does that mean my Creator is a relative of you, Exrite?” Nav took the concept a little too literally, causing Exrite to scowl in sudden disgust.
“Don’t ever say that again.” She scolded with vice, her face hardly resembling her abrupt spite. The last thing she wanted to do was to frighten the last remaining Demi-humans.
“What the fuck are you even talking about?” Black almost instantly regretted interacting with them. “But that’s an interesting train of thought, I will say… oh? Those are… ah~ My cute candidates are coming over to say hello.”
“Cute?”
“Very cute.” Black added as she stood up straight, earning an array of respectful salutes immediately by the 10 candidates who were present with Bun days prior. “Speak.”
“We have all 500 prisoners locked across all airships. 100 here, and the rest spread in batches. The initiation can begin immediately if you say the word.” A cat-girl answered.
“Good. We’ll wait until we make touchdown on Saicry. Keep them fed. They need to be in good condition for our new friends.” Black commanded. “Bun. You’re lagging behind.”
“I – I’m present now!” Bun heavily panted, appearing from behind the group suddenly with a certain pale-haired child. A black, towering object lumbered over their heads. It was a pole of some sort, or a barrel depending on how one saw it. “I’m sorry Commander Black! I was trying to get Pale to let go of this. This is yours, isn’t it Exrite?”
“Heeey~! Exrite! Why do you need a gun this big!?” Pale asked cheerfully.
“P-Pale! Be careful with that!” Exrite exclaimed all of a sudden when Pale finally waddled from behind the group with a tired Bun. In her arms was an impractically large weapon, coated in black matte material. One would easily mistake it for being constructed from metal, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
A stronger material existed. It was Exrite’s bone. Her femurs, now dozens of times stronger than when she created her first sniper rifle, made up almost the entirety of the weapon. The weapon stretched out as far as 2 metres, with most of the bulk being in the chamber that contained bullet constructed of crystalized blood about half the size of her forearm.
Its approximate weight was around 200 kilograms, so it was a bizarre sight to see the child-sized Pale lift it, even if she struggled to. The Demi-humans beside her were forced to weave and make way just in case she lost her grip.
The weapon itself was simple in design, reflecting no light and baring little cosmetics, aside from a [Gear] Simplex that served no other function than to carry its enormous weight, as well as to lock its trigger. A safety mechanism, courtesy of White who determined it as an absolutely necessity given its destructive potential.
It had not been tested yet, but considering the bullet was denser, larger, heavier and was paired with a fistful of explosive powder; the destructive yield was enough to make Black blush.
Additionally, depending on how Exrite’s bones contained the explosion; not only was it a weapon to cause damage from afar, but also in its immediate surroundings. For reference, a 2 to 5 metre radius was the absolute lethal zone of her previous sniper rifle.
The lethal zone for this was expected to exceed up to 20 metres if her bones could not contain the blast adequately. If it could, then the bullet’s power was exceedingly more devastating than she could have ever imagined.
It was a win either way.
This was why Exrite suddenly panicked when she saw it in Pale’s tiny hands. The objected was carefully pried away by the power of her [Gears], promptly lifted into the air beside her shoulder.
“… I need to put [Control] on this thing.” Exrite sighed. “Pale, please don’t touch what doesn’t belong to you. Didn’t Auga teach you that?”
“She only sung for us. Isn’t it natural to forage for new things?” Pale stated innocently. “Plus~ I wanted to see it work! It’s huge!”
“It’s dangerous. It’ll kill everyone aboard, so please, don’t touch anything of mine.”
“Aw… Okay~!” Pale saluted, forcing Exrite to wryly smile back.
“I’m sorry. She left my side the second I looked away.” Bun bowed apologetically with a hand on Pale’s head.
“It’s fine. Pale is still a child.” Exrite felt somewhat conflicted when she said this about a thousand-year-old living machine. “In heart, at least. It’s nice to see you all again. No one’s hurt, right? Aside from… what happened down there. I’m sorry for your losses.”
“Don’t be. I’m sure they died happy knowing that they saved so many. Their deaths weren’t in vain. Saicry is their home now.” A fox-woman assured, garnering nods and pleasant, bitter-sweet smiles from the others.
“Exactly. We weren’t even a hundred strong and we managed to secure a victory.” A wolf-girl spoke proudly of their achievement. “Our tactics and victory were of course, by the intelligence of our Commander. Not ours.”
Black didn’t say a word and simply grinned at them with folded arms. She didn’t need to speak to relay her message. Everyone was aware that this was likely the last time Black, and White would steer the wheel for the foreseeable future.
Their journey into the Depths took priority above all.
“… not for long, though.” Bun whispered, acknowledging this shared sentiment aloud. “Um… Exrite. The Exrenity actually… thank you for watching over us.”
Exrite remembered those same words that were spoken to her the very first time she had met with Bun and smiled. After briefly healing the final Demi-humans in silence, she moved to Bun and placed a warm hand on her head.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“You know, you never asked me to help when we first met, despite me being the Exrenity. I’m happy you recognise that this is your war to fight. We will keep watching. Black and White can keep commanding.”
“… you can’t fight for us, can you?” A Demi-human from aside asked, overhearing the conversation.
“I can’t.” Exrite said. “Unless Saicry is on the brink of collapse, you won’t see me lift a single finger. But that doesn’t mean I won’t at least help if things go awry. I’ve made friends here. It would hurt me to lose them.”
The Princess of Saicry came to mind, as well as Milkazako and Yellow. Bun was one of them as well, despite how little she actually knew her. But that did not matter, because she did not rank them by importance. A friend was a friend. No royalty, title, merits or even a God could alter how she saw others…
Aside from her closest friends, though she was not afraid to admit that.
Exrite turned to look over at Black. She read her eyes like an open book, and with Black raising a bemused brow, she continued.
“The Exrenity cannot represent the Demi-humans, otherwise, you’ll never be recognised by the world as a capable race.” Exrite admitted. Although her tone was cold, it was the harsh truth.
Aside from Black and White, no one else could stay and protect them like it was their life’s calling. They had their own aspirations, goals, dreams and wishes to achieve like anyone else. Therefore, they could not stay here forever.
The Demi-humans desperately needed to build their strength and reputation, else they’d forever be depicted as weak and exploitable by the world. They had to stand strong alone, even as a Godless race.
This was Black’s endgame; although, it was but only a fragment of the entire picture.
“And because we’re Godless as well…” Bun uttered. “But if the Exrenity can watch over us then I think that’s better than having a God.”
“Oh yeah! For sure!” Another blurted out.
“Exactly. Maybe the old Exrenity were our Gods in the first place.”
“I feel like people already see you especially as one, mister… um, misses Exrite.”
“Your healing magic is a miracle. They’ll remember you as a Goddess without a doubt.”
“Like you guys haven’t already…”
“Not in the same way as you, creep.”
A small commotion broke, leaving Bun and her candidate friends to converse with each other as Exrite proudly watched on. Slowly, she removed herself from the group with a small wave, receiving a respectful array of salutes before she returned by Black’s side.
“See Nav? I told you they were cute.” Black hummed.
“Conflict always begins with the young. I’ve seen the internal conflicts of the Beastkin in my Creator’s eyes.”
“It begins before birth.” Black clarified. “We all have our own casus bellis to justify our inherent savagery. Especially our beloved humans. Isn’t that right, Exrite?”
“That’s the same for every race.” Exrite retorted. “Humans aren’t alone in that regard. The Demons and the Beastkin are just as bad… but I don’t remember the Beastkin having a presence past the Depths 30,000 years ago. It was… maybe hundreds of thousands, to a million years ago. Probably eons?”
“You fucking believed that shit? One. Million. Years? An eon? Exrite? Hello?”
“Growing up surrounded by it, how could I not? I didn’t really question the integrity of our truths until only recently.” Exrite regrettably admitted, looking out at the approaching Khaos and Frosty. “Something huge happened 30,000 years ago and we don’t even know what. Uru might. Milkazako might as well. But the far eastern Regions haven’t a clue. I always thought the war between mankind and the Beastkin was dated back so long ago.”
“So? What the fuck makes it so surprising then, Exrite?” Black hissed impatiently.
Exrite took a moment to prepare herself. The thought of it all caused her forehead to lightly wrinkle as she tried to make sense of it herself.
“Angels. They exist in the Domain of the human Gods. The 25 Heavenly Realms. That man claimed Archangels were a part of that war… and an Archangel needs to be directly appointed by one of the Gods there. But that should have been impossible with the Domain of Realms still active. As far as I can tell, only the Domain of the Children of Balance can be physically crossed.”
“And that means?”
“I don’t know. But it sounded like humanity had some way of interacting physically with the Gods. With whom though…? If the Archangels are combatants, then maybe Azar, the God of Conquest? But then again; Malum the Correct is the only one who can invoke an order to create an angel. The lesser God Seria creates them by his command.”
She spoke her thoughts in a small voice as she raised a hand to greet the Frostbitten siblings.
As a royal-born human from Enthile of all places, Exrite knew well of the Empyrean Rise; the sacred name that encompassed the 25 Heaven Realms, the Gods of mankind and everything holy to man. It was their religion, enforced by all the human regions from Endo, the Enthoric, partially Katho, and most importantly, Skathow – the human empire.
Surprisingly, Skathow was not a theocracy. It was important to distinguish the difference between the civilisation of man, and the civilisation of the Empyrean Rise which both operated in a symbiosis for the later part of the last millions of years, with some evidence going as far back as to the first interaction being eons ago… a length of time Exrite could barely believe anymore, given that these Gods were likely around when Gaia first arrived, alongside humans and the other races from a time that predated time itself.
But she digressed.
The Empyrean Rise required the vast quantities of worshiping souls, converted into mana that allowed them to exist and fuel their holy domains as Gods. In return, humans were granted protection against the other more malevolent Gods and races in a time where civilisation was no more than a torn page in the book of thought.
A hierarchy, much like the Angels, existed for the 25 Gods of the Empyrean Rise, who were fragmented across the human Regions. The 25 Gods were separated between the 7 Supreme Gods, with Malum the Correct being one of them; 14 Gods who served under the umbrella of the Supreme Gods; and finally, the 4 Lesser Gods who, for the most part, functioned to maintain the integrity of the Empyrean Rise. Surprisingly, some of these lesser Gods resided on higher Realms than most Gods, for their services were crucial.
Seria, the creator of the Angels, who served under Malum the Correct, was an example. They resided on the
Of course, this was but scratching the surface of the Empyrean Rise; the sworn enemies of the Zelmori Fall.
“If Angels were brought forth, then maybe that’s why the Children of Balance are desperate to break their seals. There’s a chance it was already falling apart. But that also doesn’t make any sense.” Exrite finished, even more confused than when she began.
“Convoluted to hell… In other words, we’re going to need bigger fucking guns. Hmhm~ Makes you wonder why those Angels haven’t shown their faces yet.”
“Angels can’t exist without the light of the Heavens in the first place. So long as the Domain of Space exists then they can’t cross beyond Endo’s borders. The Domain of Realms stop them from appearing in the first place.”
“A reverse Vampire is what I’m thinking of… Maybe a giant sun-umbrella sounds like a better investment. Block out the light and watch them… die, I guess? Oh, and speaking of a Vampire.”
Exrite was about reply, but a sudden voice answered in her stead from behind just as Khaos, Frosty and White arrived.
“Ho~? They’d become Demons, no?”
Indeed. Angels that were cast out of the light of the Heavens were turned into Fallen Angels, otherwise known as Demons. But these particular Demons were known as the Fallen – Lesser Gods, Goddesses and Lords that operated directly under the rule of the Zelmori Fall.
“Huh? Not Fallen Angels?” Frosty replied, overhearing their conversation.
“They’re the same thing.” Khaos stated. “Right? Fallen Angels and Demons?”
“A Fallen Angel refers to the stage before they become a Demon. Oh how your Gods can so easily cast out one of their own like it’s nothing.” Uru lightly spat. “However, it is how our race originated. The Zelmori Fall were the first ever Angels to be cast into the darkness beyond their 25 Cursed Realms. A cowardly display of your blasphemous Gods.”
“Well, they weren’t my Gods to begin with. Neither are the Children of Balance.” Exrite murmured as Uru closed in to cup her cheeks from behind. “By the way Uru – do Archangels undergo the same process?”
“Exrite, why the interest all of a sudden?” Uru asked, pulling her into an embrace as she monopolised the ticking of her body.
“I heard something happened 30,000 years ago.”
“Ho? 30,000 years ago? Exrite – nothing happened 30,000 years ago.”
“So what the fuck was he talking about then? Their leader mentioned a near extinction event for humanity against the Demons and the Beastkin.” Exrite relayed, wondering if Uru could clarify.
“Nothing. If you are referring to the Epochal Total War between my kind, the Beastkin and the humans – then that occurred far longer than we can even begin to imagine. A time when the fog of the Shallows had yet to exist. Else how would have the Beastkin traversed?” Uru claimed. “I implore you; do not believe a single word of theirs.”
“I know… but I couldn’t help but to wonder. The Children of Balance desperately need the Maidens to go down. So do I… I can’t help but to think this might be linked to it.” Exrite reasoned. “Still – I doubt the Beastkin attacked 30,000 years ago. My issue was with the appearance of the Angels.”
“I’ve seen stranger things. I wouldn’t doubt it myself, given how far from the truth the world is. However, I’ve passed through Endo in person, but there was no holy light to smite me as I traversed to Colight. It is false, and I thank the Zelmori Fall for it.”
“I see…” Exrite sighed, falling back into Uru’s chest. “And here I thought we’d finally start to figure something… anything out. I still don’t fully understand the motivations behind the Children of Balance.”
“Does it matter?” White questioned, glaring at any Demi-humans that dared to approach.
“Not at all. But it would have given us some additional insight into what their goal is. What the state of our world is truly like beneath all the lies we have always believed were truths. That’s why – I want to know. We need to know.”
She ranted unexpectedly, deeply exhaling afterwards.
“I hate not knowing anything.”
“The Maiden of Wisdom, Exrite. She has all of our answers, I assure you.” Khaos nodded to himself. “That is the goal of our journey. Like you, I also wish to know the roots of all this conflict… and where our parents disappeared to. I’ve been thinking that maybe if we just spoke to one another –”
“Bullshit.” Black intervened. “You can’t talk when they’ve decided you’re an animal. Open your eyes Khaos. This is the rule of nature. Your world is the perfect example of it. Compassion is an illness.”
“… even so, it wouldn’t hurt to try. That’s what I believe in. My heart will never sway.” Khaos clenched a fist, solidifying his resolve as he expected Black to berate him again.
However, and to his surprise –
“Good to know we’re not all on the same page~ And I mean it. I’d hate for my friends in arms to bore me. Exrite’s already gotten used to my whims~” Black hummed, wrapping an arm around Khaos’ forearm as Frosty felt a chill run down her back at the notion of being this person’s… friend.
“I get you’re tall, but you keep looking down at me I might have to shorten your height in one way or another.”
“H-hey –”
“Please keep looking down at her. She won’t do anything rash. Not while I’m around.” White let loose of a lengthy sigh.
“Exactly~ So long as she’s around.” Black added with a hint of sadism.
“… Idiots.” Frosty whispered, unamused by their commotion. “Hah… Exrite. Look at me.”
A pair of crimson eyes suddenly appeared in front of Exrite’s face, concealing the stars she had lost herself in. After a few blinks of confusion, and a small head tilt, Frosty seemingly confirmed something and spoke.
“Are you tired?”
“Am I ever?” Exrite joked.
“Huh? Sounds like I need to slap you to sleep then.” Frosty warned.
“Sorry… I was just thinking about how much more we don’t know. The whole situation with Gaia, the Maidens and the Children of Balance left me wondering what else is out there waiting to be found. Not the beautiful scenes like we saw above the Trial. I mean the truth of our world.”
“Is that why you look so starstruck?” Frosty moved a hand to Exrite’s forehead. “… Warm… I miss the times you actually fell sick. When we travelled through Katho? You made me feel like an older sister.”
“I bet you still do.” Exrite stifled a laugh.
“Are you kidding me? I feel like your mother now. Back then you were getting sick from taste testing everything we came across… Tch. Now that I think about it, you haven’t changed at all. Idiot… the both of you, making me worry all the time.”
“How come I’m being called an idiot even when I haven’t said anything?” Khaos complained.
“An idiot is an idiot… but you’re both my idiots, so I guess that makes me one too.” Frosty mellowed before her eyes. “Get some rest Exrite. I know you don’t need it, but I’ll be damned if I stop telling you to.” She gave her a rare wink.
“Yeah… thank you Frosty. I mean it.”
“When don’t you mean something? Also – Uru – aren’t you holding onto Exrite a little too tightly?”
Uru’s arms interlocked by Exrite’s abdomen, just below her chest. Her arms were caught in her dominating embrace, pinned to her sides as Uru gently pulled her closer. Exrite quietly speculated why Frosty asked, but quickly realised that she was worried.
And she knew exactly why.
In the past whenever a hand even slightly grazed by Exrite’s, stomach the trauma of her past would arise. A burst of rage usually consumed her as a result. However, it was different this time. And it had been for a decent while.
Since returning from the Trial, or more specifically, when she overcame the gear and mana overloads – she had reached a state of catharsis regarding the agony of her 10 years of suffering. She was no longer trapped in her cage, and the concept of pain was scrubbed from her entirety.
This was why she did not react when Uru embraced her so greedily, like she was a lover she hadn’t seen for decades. In fact, Exrite found it pleasant. Warm. Comforting even.
But – if Uru dared to intentionally constrict her – then Exrite would certainly lash out. Not because she feared being touched, but because her body could not differentiate it from being trapped within a confined space.
After all, she was still irrationally afraid of tight spaces… even if it was nothing more than an overly aggressive embrace.
In any case, Exrite wore a blissful face as she allowed herself to relax for the first time in a while, her eyes wandering into the night sky. It was strange. The skies of Cryo including the moon were different from the other Regions. Much larger. Vibrant… wonderful.
It was disparity that only the curious were destined to notice, and for the impassioned to seek to understand. Not many knew that the skies were different, aside from the positioning of the moon, and the fabled nine suns of the Scorched.
The world was one, but it was also fractured. Divided; almost yearning to be whole again.
If the Domain of Space fell, will we all be able to see the same one sky?
She wondered and slowly closed her eyes, listening to the warm voices of her closest friends.
Also – it turned out that it wasn’t Exrite’s trauma that Frosty was worried about as she had concluded.
“Are you perhaps envious of my beloved Exrite? Do you wish for me to embrace you too?”
“From a lustful Demon like you? Not a chance.” Frosty winced at the thought.
“Ho? Was our bathing session too stimulating for you? Be at ease – I thought you had a pretty body –”
“HUH!? Shut up! D-damn pervert! You’re lucky we’re both girls or I would’ve – gah! Is there something wrong with your head!?” Frosty unexpectedly burst out with a reddened face, easily amusing Uru.
“What’s with that reaction? That was merely the equivalent of a handshake from my birthlands. If you’re interested, I can show you the equivalent of a hug.”
Frosty’s heart sank. Every hair stood on end as an electric current ran through her arctic veins. At that moment she knew that she needed to protect Exrite at all costs.
“Exrite – get the hell away from her!”
“Hmm~ I apologise, but I was granted the highest honour of indulgence. Mind you, [Tenth Tiered] magic does not come free.”
“… you know, if there was a time to use my status, it’d be now.” Exrite joked in a soft voice.
“Shall I release you then?”
“No. Don’t worry about it. I’m just happy you two get along so well.”
“You’re joking right? Right?” Frosty exclaimed.
“I’m inclined to agree myself. Comrade.” Uru hummed.
“Friend~” Black chimed in, teasing the poor woman.
“… geez. Yeah. I guess we are, huh?”
“Ah. Very believable with that face you’re making.” Black said, watching Frosty’s face contort as she reluctantly admitted Black was a… friend of some sort. “But we’re both seeds in the same soil. Different breeds, different growth, different methods of survival. Don’t cast them aside though. We share the same common ground in the end.”
“Until we don’t.” Frosty sighed. “But – You know… you’re not as scary as I thought you were.”
“Hmhm~ Khaos, is that true?” Black looked up to him with innocent, glistening eyes.
“T-that’s a matter of… er… perspective. Ha-haha.” Khaos’ awkardly locked up, averting his gaze at all costs.
“See Frosty? Why would you lie to me like that?”
“Ah geez… you’re so damn annoying. Can’t you be more civil like White?”
“Civil? White?” Black nearly scoffed as she pointed with a thumb back at her. A sudden pressure caused her to immediately drop her gesture and tug at the collar of her garb. “Ahem. Perhaps in a different lens. White is complex. Let’s leave it at that. Hmm~ What’s wrong White? Did I happen to offend you?”
“Keep your mouth shut. The Demi-humans don’t need to hear your nonsense.” White rubbed the back of her head as she moved to Khaos’ side. “Anyway – now that you’ve all finished – Exrite, how was it?”
“My arm? It’s perfect. I couldn’t be happier. Oh – thank you.”
“Took you long enough. But that’s Good to hear. Every bit counts now. Especially against her. Exrite – how much time do you need before you’re confident you can take Realm Melody down?”
“A lot. But I don’t want to delay our departure by too much. I’d rather we get stronger in there than here.” Exrite admitted. “The Depths is massive. We’ll have time before we reach the Domain of Realms…” She trailed off, her eyes wandering off into the distance.
“Because we don’t know where it is to begin with.” Black finished, rearing her head slightly in frustration. “She didn’t give you any pointers, did she?”
“Nope.”
“Tch. Typical. Melody is a complete psychopath. Rich coming from me, I know – but I’m a saint compared to her. Good luck~”
“… good luck is all we can really say.” White said almost apologetically.
A momentary silence settled in. Aside from the clamours of the Demi-humans, the sounds of roaring engines and the hails of winds – there was no other noise to leak from them. A sudden, strained tension rapidly built as Khaos and Frosty wondered why they all simultaneously fell silent.
They followed their eyes into the distance, and while they saw nothing, they felt as though something was there.
Something big.
“… are you sensing something, Exrite?” White asked, a hand reaching for the pale sniper rifle on her back.
“Ho? You can see it too?”
“So it wasn’t just me… Exrite, wanna show us what that sniper rifle can do?” Black said, folding her arms as she tried to decipher what exactly that thing that rapidly approached them was.
“Wait… isn’t that –?” Exrite suddenly broke free from Uru’s embrace, squinting to ensure what she saw was not a figment of her imagination.
“Can someone please tell us what’s going on? What do you see!?” Frosty exclaimed.
“Hey, everyone on the ship starting to get unsettled.” Khaos pointed out.
The Demi-humans on board noticed the presence of the approaching being and quickly scrambled in fear. The trained crewmembers swiftly moved to man the main cannons as the others picked up their arms and pointed it in its direction.
“You have about ten seconds to tell me if that’s an enemy or not.” Black warned.
“It’s… It’s a dragon. But I can see Inkshard on its back.” Exrite uttered, unable to believe her eyes.
Indeed. What approached was a pale dragon, illuminated beneath the moon like a fleeting comet. It radiated a magnificent aura of purity as it carried a figure worthy of complementing it. The Priestess of Balance, Inkshard, rode a dragon towards them.
“Inkshard…? That little pip – Tch. Halt! Unman your stations! It is not an enemy that approaches!” Black commanded, her voice easily reaching the ears across the entire deck. “Uru –!”
She did not need to ask. The task was obvious, and a much needed one at that. At once, Uru flung herself away with a powerful blast of air as the rushed to the neighbouring airships to cease their imminent attack. The disturbed air left Frosty disorientated as she sought for Exrite to clarify what she meant.
“Inkshard!? Why is she here!?”
“The Priestess… what could have happened to Truebirth?” Khaos wondered, also seeking an answer. “You don’t think she’s come here for help?”
“That’s the likely answer. Why else would she be here… that dragon… is that Phase?” Exrite questioned.
“Huh!? That’s Phase!?” Frosty exclaimed in surprise.
“She was able to turn into a Facipod. The Spirit of Balance can turn into whatever they kill. If the legend is true, then that dragon is most likely one of her forms…”
“Sounds interesting. Alternatively, do you believe that pipsqueak managed to tame one of those?” Black said. “Seems like our absence was too much for them. Anyone have a bingo card for whatever the fuck happened back there at the Capital?”
“Di-Lock probably invaded. But isn’t the Spirit of Balance immensely powerful? More than us, I presume?” White brought up.
She was right. If that was the case, then there would not have been a need for them to seek reinforcements. Phase would have easily been enough alone.
So then why were they here?
“An event that Phase couldn’t handle. That would not be the first for that insufferable brat.” Uru spoke with uncontrolled vitriol as she returned to Exrite’s side with a thunderous landing. “Although, it appears that they are not alone. That is one of Colight’s acclaimed Heroes, is it not? The blonde one.”
“Lizen as well…” Exrite grit her teeth as the dragon’s visage came into complete view.
The Lizen she saw boiled her blood.