David POV
Leah immediately took out her spear and attacked the man. The moment Leah's spear pierced the man's chest, he vanished like smoke dissipating in the wind. No blood, no body.
"What the-" But I started, but my words were cut off by the sudden shift in the air.
The crowd around us turned eerily silent. Then, as if triggered by some unseen signal, the people lunged at us, their faces devoid of emotion, their eyes blank and lifeless. I reacted instinctively, shoving back a man who swung a basket of fruit at my head. He stumbled, but before I could adjust my stance, someone else grabbed at my arm.
I twisted free and swung a punch at the closest assailant, only to feel something snap. The man crumpled to the ground and an intense, searing pain shot through my punching arm. It felt like I'd shattered my arm just by striking him.
"I told you, don't kill them!" Leah shouted through the crowd.
"I didn't!"
"They're weaker than you think!"
"No kidding!" I gritted through the pain, switching to defensive moves.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a man standing still amidst the chaos, calm and unmoving, as if he were watching a stage play. His eyes were the first thing I noticed. The whites of his eyes were completely black. He smirked at me like he'd already won.
"That's him!" I yelled, pointing with my uninjured arm.
Leah followed my gaze, her violet eyes narrowing. Without hesitation, she pivoted and broke into a sprint. Her speed was inhuman, faster than any of the attackers could track. The man with black eyes didn't flinch. He just stood there, watching Leah close the distance. Her spear gleamed as she leaped into the air, the tip aimed directly at him.
The moment her weapon was about to strike, everything blurred.
I blinked and gasped, sand sticking to my palms as I found myself lying face-down on the beach. The chaotic market was gone. The crowd, the black-eyed man, the pain in my arm...everything had vanished.
Leah was sitting a few feet away, her spear planted in the sand beside her, and Duke stood between us, panting but alert.
"What just happened?" I asked.
Leah didn't answer immediately. She was staring out at the ocean, her expression a mixture of frustration and grim determination. Then, finally, she spoke, her voice steady and cold.
"We failed. It escaped before I could kill it." she replied, "...I remember now...I was attacked when I approached your sleeping body."
"You? Attacked?"
"...what did I tell you about Severance? The time-related thing."
"That we die after a week's time?"
"Think about what I told you, how we'd have a week before it kills us. But a week by whose time? Severance doesn't understand time like we do, yet it manipulates it. If three hours in its reality can be a minute outside, what does a ‘week' even mean?"
She then took out a watch, and the watch was real enough, so that means we escaped.
"A week," she muttered, almost to herself, "What does that even mean? I said it with such confidence, but the more I think about it, the more it falls apart."
"How do I know it's a week? Severance doesn't even understand time, so where does that number come from? Did it put that in my head? And if that's the case, how much of what I think I know about it is even real?"
"How do you actually stop it?"
"Severance does take you to its reality, and they indeed don't understand time...but the only way they can kill you is if they kill you in there...and you can kill them if you spot them and do what we did..." she answered before getting up, "And how could a Severance manipulate what I say...? It could be a mutant, but even then...we could ask Calvin."
"What rank is a Severance? I've never experienced one before."
"It's unranked, most people have never experienced one before, and we don't have enough of a sample size to gauge it properly."
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3rd Person POV
In the deepest recesses of the spirit world, where no ghosts dared to tread, the atmosphere was thick with an oppressive aura. At the heart of this abyss sat a figure cloaked in black mist, his form indistinct yet menacing, his presence a weight that bore down on everything around him. A subordinate knelt before him, a translucent spirit barely holding its form together. Its voice trembled as it spoke.
My lord, I bring troubling news. During an observation of my prey earlier...I overheard an interesting conversation." the subordinate reported to the black mist.
"Speak." it commanded.
"It concerns a supposed regressor, my lord. A mortal named David Hudson."
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"...as for their next plan," the Severance told the black mist, "They spoke of the holy blade at Phoenix Peak, my lord. They plan to retrieve it to bolster their strength, they are planning on collecting every holy blade. The regressor also plans on going after the disc-"
"Enough." The mist stopped his rambling, "A regressor…How inconvenient. Their kind always complicates matters. A single person with knowledge of the future can unravel years of planning. And yet, the gods allow such anomalies to persist...bastards."
dispatch a legion to Phoenix Peak, my lord?"
"Yes. Send the Sixth Legion. Ensure they lay waste to everything and everyone in their path. If the regressor wishes to go after the disciples, let it be over a mountain of corpses. Start a war if you must. Find the holy blade before they can."
"As you command, my lord."
"And the regressor? What is his name?"
"He introduced himself as David Hudson. They appear to be allied with a man named Calvin Silver. Additionally, there are mentions of two others, Sophie and Boris, but their identities remain unknown."
"Calvin Silver…Silver..." The mist then repeated the name until it then started snickering to itself, "A name I have heard before...the defect."
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"David described him to be one of the only person in the world who managed to deal significant damage to you in your future empowered state."
"All the more reason to kill him. Place his name at the top of our list. Send spies. Send assassins. If the regressor and his allies are as dangerous as you suggest, I want them dealt with before they can interfere further. Investigate these Sophie and Boris. Find out their names and go after them too. Leave no stone unturned."
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David POV
"...No matter how much I want to accept this...you are giving such strange sightings."
Currently, in front of me is Leah, one of the strongest and scariest fighters in the future, sitting on Calvin's lap and wrapping his arm around her from behind with his head out over one of her shoulders.
"What's strange is that my supposed student of mine has no preparations whatsoever." he retorted, "Why do you think I have all sorts of knickknacks with me? I got goggles, a watch, and all sorts of tools to deal with different ghosts, you should also be doing the same."
"Well, as for my excuse, I have never dealt with Severance before and I blame my teacher for never telling me of such a thing."
"We can get to that later, for now...I've never heard of a severance being able to manipulate someone's words..." he then turned to Astrid, "Can you write that in for me?"
He then pulled out his book and pen and handed it to Astrid, who flipped to Severance's page and wrote it down for him.
"I've personally experienced it only twice before." Calvin said, "Not a lot of people have the money to buy a watch, a watch in itself is cheap, but this world relies on mana crystals, and even though a cheap one doesn't cause that much either...recharging it is out for many, and so they'll have to rely on those who can, whom usually overcharge for such a thing...so Severance would usually target poor villages, especially the ones with a majority of people with no mana...so it's even stranger that it would target here...even stranger, it managed to escape from Leah in time..."
"By the way, Calvin, I resigned from my job." Leah announced.
"What? Why? I thought you loved being a self-defense instructor. Did those merchant families mistreat you?"
"I do, but I thought about taking a gap year to get closer with the other 2...but ever since David here talked about this end-of-the-world thing, I reckon I can just travel with you."
"That can work." Rose commented as she placed down snacks, "I would love the idea of getting closer to you since we haven't spent that much time together, but it would be more reassuring to know that you'll be with Calvin, what we're doing is beyond the realm of exorcism."
"Are you 3 not close?" I asked out of curiosity.
"I mean, we sort of are, since we are all married to Calvin, but unlike Astrid, whom I've grown up with, Leah is rarely home." Rose answered, "We all have different professions after all. I also accompany Astrid to her work since she can't take care of herself, so even if she's home, we're not. I've known her for 3 years now, but the time we've spent together is only about a year."
"Thanks for telling me."
"A holy sword is at Phoenix Peak, right?" Astrid asked.
"From what Sophie said, she said she found it there, I've never been there before since the location is a secret only known to future Sophie and the phoenixes, but I got a good clue, one thing that I can confirm is that it's somewhere in the Heart Kingdom, but every mountain peak should be explored and discovered already...it's going to be a bit difficult."
"Difficult? Calvin is raised there." Astrid answered.
"...What?"
"How does future Calvin tell you so much and yet so less at the same time?"
"Calvin, are you a phoenix?"
"Only a quarter." Calvin answered casually, "I heal better than humankind, but nowhere close to the others. Seriously, did I tell you nothing?"
"Blame yourself for being secretive! Besides, I thought you want privacy...what about the other 75% then?"
"Oh, those are secrets. I can't risk a mind-reading ghost to extract that from you."
"...Is the story of your parents dying true then?"
"My mother died, but my father...he was killed."
"Sorry to bring that up."
"Don't worry, I only hide the description of what happened, but the fact is something I never hide."
"Let's not talk about that." Astrid intervened, "Anyway, I don't think that there is a holy sword there, if there was, Calvin would know."
"Well, it's worth a search." Calvin shrugged, "I suppose we can go there right after our break."
"Just go there tomorrow afternoon and join Linda for dinner, she hasn't seen you for a very long time after all." Leah suggested, "There's a chance that the Severance might round up its friends to go look for it first, you'd never know, it is an intelligent one after all."
"Why tomorrow afternoon specifically?" I chimed in.
"Simple, I haven't seen him in months." Leah answered, "And it's not often that I can receive help from the other 2, so I plan to have some fun tonight and rest tomorrow morning."
"Fun? What...oh...um...about Phoenix Peak..."
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"You look like you've lost weight." I commented once I saw Calvin.
"Try having 3 thirsty wives, you'll look like this often." Calvin sighed.
"I'd rather not."
"Good."
"Good?" his 3 wives exclaimed at the same time.
"Anyway, let's get going." Calvin changed the subject, "Grandma Linda would love us joining them in time for dinner. Don't forget to put a barrier on our house before you go, you two."
Calvin then opened a portal, which Duke and Leah went in first, he then gave them both a hug and I bid them farewell before walking into the portal.
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We arrived at Phoenix Peak, though the sky was already unnaturally dark. Maybe it's because the sun was covered by the towering walls of the supposed extinct volcano loomed over us, enclosing a place that seemed far removed from the mortal world. Inside, it was no barren wasteland. Instead, it was a vibrant town nestled within, its streets paved with smooth, shimmering stone that seemed to reflect the faintest traces of light.
The people walking through the streets caught my attention first. They looked human, at least at a glance, but something about them was...wrong. Or maybe too right. Their beauty was unnatural; flawless skin, perfect symmetry in their features...they were beautiful. But I knew better. These weren't humans. They were phoenixes in human form. They turned to our portal and gave this weird expression.
As soon as Calvin stepped through the portal, the atmosphere shifted. The phoenixes nearby turned their heads, their perfect faces lighting up with recognition.
"Calvin?!" one of them gasped, her golden eyes wide with delight.
"It is him!" another chimed in, a man with auburn hair practically beaming, "Welcome back, little fledgling!"
Before Calvin could utter a word, a small group of them closed in, their movements swift and graceful.
"Oh, look at you! Still so small," one teased, ruffling his silver hair.
"You're thinner than last time. Have you been eating enough?" another asked, poking his arm.
"Do you still have those adorable tantrums? I remember when you used to stomp around when things didn't go your way," a third said, her voice dripping with mockery.
Calvin's face turned a bright shade of red as he stepped back, trying and failing to regain some semblance of dignity.
"Alright, alright, that's enough! I didn't come here for this!"
"Looks like you're quite popular here, fledgling." Leah smirked, clearly enjoying the sight of him squirming.
"Stop," Calvin muttered, his flustered tone betraying his frustration.
"Alright, let's meet Grandma first before we go looking for this sword," he sighed, running a hand through his hair as the phoenixes continued to chuckle at his expense.
Leah raised an eyebrow. "Do you not have a good relationship with her?"
"I do," Calvin admitted with a resigned groan. "It's just...well...I don't visit home often. She's going to be pissed."
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Linda was...striking. A woman with flowing orange hair and bright yellow eyes. She looked very young, like a woman in her prime age, her beauty was radiant in a way that almost felt otherworldly. And right now, all of that energy is focused on Calvin.
"You useless brat!" Linda snapped, crossing her arms as she loomed over him, "How many years has it been, huh? I thought you'd visit more often now that you've gotten stronger, but no, you're too busy gallivanting around the world!"
"I visited last year, besides galli-what? Is that even a word?" he replied, only for her to smack him right on top of the head, "Ow!"
"Don't you dare say you were busy! You don't even send letters! Do you know how many times I've had to hear about you from other people instead of you coming home to tell me yourself? It takes one second, or a day if you approach the other phoenixes blending in nearby. And don't even get me started on the mess with you do you even call them? Wives? Lovers? I've lost count! You're a phoenix, Calvin! Not some indecisive human man who can't make up his mind. Choose one! ONE! Do you hear me?!
"Ah, David, welcome to our home. And you too, little one." her tone changed immediately once she turned to me before she then bent down to pat Duke on the head, "And Leah, it's so good to see you again!"
For a moment, it was peaceful. Then her gaze snapped back to Calvin, and the scolding resumed as if nothing had interrupted it.
"And YOU!" she barked, "You should be ashamed of yourself! Look at how much trouble these nice people have to go through because you can't even manage your relationships properly!"
"Can we not do this now?" He pleaded
"No!" Linda retorted, jabbing him in the chest with a finger, "We're doing this right here, right now, because you never visit, and this is the only time I get to lecture you!"
"But they approached me with the idea, I didn't-"
"And why is that, you indecisive bastard?!"