Powerful surges of attacks and skills dominated their vision. Powerful flames and turbulent winds, along with scathing attacks from arrows and other forms of range attacks rained down upon them.
Each one dealt a blow to their ethereal form, and since the consciousness was barely stable after the fight, no barrier stood in place. But each attack just dissipated the moment they passed through. Such physical attacks were pointless as there was no form to hit, not truly.
But the magical ones caused a disturbance that made the entire thing nearly topple.
Zeke had done the incredible, calling upon his unique attunement to summon this massive form. But in the end, he was still a child possessing power far beyond his reach.
But even then, Zoan still awed at the immensity behind this power. This couldn’t be done had Zeke not poured in every ounce of willpower he had to manifest such a thing, damn the consequences.
Thankfully, it was all for the sake of saving one little girl that Zoan failed to protect on time. That was her mistake.
However, while Zoan knew about the strange attunement, this was the first time she saw it with her own eyes. And she nearly gasped at the complexity of it.
Or rather, the simplicity of it. It was just pure power, nothing else. If other attunements had flavors of different elements and concepts, Zeke’s attunement was just an overabundance of mana, reaching its apex and becoming something else entirely into a new form of advanced mana.
The World. This attunement wasn’t something she was privy to, another one of the things that the gods failed to notify along with the destabilized towers and the strange influence it had in the world of Tarial. She knew there were some rare and powerful attunements, but this one was too advanced and powerful, especially to a boy who had only broken into Expert just over a month ago.
It was already incredible enough as it is once it made a giant hole that found the biodome for them, but she figured it was just a one-off thing where Zeke had lost control over it. Nothing too serious, especially after what Tarial had experienced throughout history. What kind of mage hasn’t done explosive damage that affected the ecosystem for generations to come?
But this form was too much power for just one individual. An Expert shouldn’t have enough power to overwhelm a true Master-rank monster and practically beat it solo. At this rate, if Zeke loses himself in his power, destruction would soon follow.
More attacks came from the distance. As they were now, Zoan was nothing but part of the figure itself, along with Clara and Zeke–wherever he was. There was nothing but a white void, but they could see the outside, or at least she could, to find themselves surrounded by the red-gold army beyond.
Normally Zoan would just leave herself out of it, leaving Zeke to learn his lessons about the consequences of his emotions taking charge of his power. But in this unstable form, one single mistake and the entire thing would blast apart, and it would only take a mere moment to kill him. That was not part of Zoan’s duties.
Soon enough, she could see the figure that called himself a Master, or at least what’s what he pretends to be. Much like all the other Journeymen that dared call themselves that with their meager power, this Roderick was the greatest trickster. She didn’t know how such a human being was capable of even trespassing Master tier, but one thing was for sure–he was pushing himself farther than he had any right to be.
His purple flames flashed with a brilliant light as a gleam of greed showed in his eyes. He showered the figure in the flames, all the while keeping out the other allies out of the way in order to fulfill the quest the biodome has given out.
There were too many things that were unfavorable for her, but the one thing she needs to do is obvious.
She needed to stop Zeke’s attunement.
It was too dangerous, and while she had no intention of getting rid of it, she needed to at least seal it away somehow. Otherwise, this would continue to hamper Zeke’s progress, and potentially bring danger to those around him, including Mikella and Clara.
Determination in her eyes, she could sense the core of the entire figure, Zeke himself. Even in this white void, she could sense the pure source of origin floating around her. She floated upwards, her body being the great angel form she had before.
Clara was safe, tucked within a realm of protection that Zeke, despite being unconscious, created for her. No matter the troubles from the outside, the realm would protect both Clara and Brucey from ever getting hurt. Even if the figure itself would be dispersed, Clara and Brucey would be safe.
The only ones in true danger was Zeke, and Zoan intended to fix that. She floated, reaching ever closer to the bright turquoise light that hovered at the center.
It was a bright bluish green star that seemed to gleam brighter than even the efervescent white void itself. It had a sort of brightness that could consume the brightest of stars. Even Zoan had difficulty perceiving it, however great her vision was, proving just how powerful The World was.
Steeling herself, Zoan approached the star with her great wings. As she flew closer, there was a heat that persisted, invading through her powerful resistance. This was clearly a danger she has never seen before. If this level of power was able to make her feel this way, then she needed to seal it as soon as possible, no doubt about it.
Zeke is a resourceful boy. Even without an attunement, he shouldn’t have any trouble fulfilling his duties as a Support Mage. More importantly, this won’t bring any more surprises down Zoan’s head as she had enough of things going out of control without her knowing about it.
Her hand approached the core, riddled with power straight from her own core to seal the–
Her soul flinched, somehow. Her body began to shiver, entirely out of instinct. Her eyes widened.
Was she… afraid? Even if she didn’t know the full capabilities of the attunement, her kind has never felt fear before, even if death approached them.
No matter how hard she tried, however, her hand refused to move. Or rather… it couldn’t move.
That shouldn’t be possible. Zeke was still unconscious. Even if he was, he must be pouring all of his attention to the outside world, still trying to perceive it in the way he could in his condition.
So this pressure… if it wasn’t from Zeke, then who was emitting such a powerful pressure deep within him.
It couldn’t be… The World itself?
Such a thing was absurd. An attunement with its own will? They should be entirely accustomed to their owner, a part of them, like a sword to a warrior. They shouldn’t have a conscience.
And yet…
The core flashed, the brightness completely taking her vision. Before Zoan could even do anything, she felt her shoulders and arms suddenly grabbed by some force.
Her wings were tucked under the pressure, and her legs were tied by an unseen force. She opened her eyes wide to see that it wasn’t the core anymore, but a figure.
A figure that was exactly like the one making a mess in the real world. The figure, in the same size as Zeke, had its turquoise eyes opened wide and staring right at her with no other facial features present.
There was a twinge of fear that passed by her, but she crushed it with her anger and dignity.
“How dare you?!” Zoan called out. “You dare to touch me?! You?! A mere thought of the Higher Realm?!”
Zoan roared and unleashed her power, releasing her limits. No matter the cost, she must take down this attunement. If it was somehow able to take a conscious form, and even protect itself while the owner was out, then it would only end up worse in the long run.
Yet the attunement did not waiver. It didn’t even take her anger, her full power, seriously. Before Zoan could unleash her power and cause the entire figure of pure Mana to dissipate from her willpower–
It was snuffed out, a mere candle flame in front of a simple breeze.
Zoan widened, finding herself without power all of a sudden. It was then that she felt something was wrong with herself.
She was already severely limited by the system to possess the little girl to enter into this plane of existence. However, it was the sort of limit nobody should be able to take advantage of. The limits, along with herself, existed in an entirely different plane, much like being inside the soul of Clara, and the white void she summoned to bring both Zeke and Mikella to meet up back then.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
But this figure is somehow taking advantage of that unique state. It crossed into the same plane as Zoan herself, where her limits are, and it is using that limited state to its advantage. She can’t use her true power, and from there, the figure–The World–is actually absorbing it.
The World was stealing Zoan’s power.
The figure stood defiantly in front of her, his glow becoming brighter. The brightness only intensified, becoming more refined. In front of her eyes, the figure seemed to grow. Not in size, but in refinement and density.
This isn’t possible. The attunement is ranking itself up with my power? I never heard of this!
Even if the attunement came from the Higher Realms, it shouldn’t have been able to just absorb her–
She only just realized where she was at that moment. She was within Zeke’s figure–in other words, within his own consciousness. This was, in a sense, his own personal world.
And in this world, his attunement is in charge. But even then…
The figure dramatically grew in size, its large hand opening and grasping Zoan’s entire form like a doll. Zoan gritted her teeth and tried to run, to flee. Even if her pride was shattered, she still had her mission.
But there was no way to escape. It finally dawned on her that perhaps, just perhaps, she might not be able to survive.
She looked back at the figure of light, knowing full well that this was not Zeke, not truly.
It was something else entirely. A will within Zeke’s own. A will that is clearly much more defiant, aided by Zeke’s anger and rage against anything of authority.
She could only stare in disbelief before the figure opened its large mouth and swallowed her whole.
…..
Claws descended against her sword blade, a resounding clang deafening her ears. Mikella swiped her blade aside to disrupt Zyler’s swing and then aimed for his neck with a fluid swerve.
With unnatural grace, he twisted it just slightly ajar before swiping with another horizontal claw. Mikella retreated, returning back to her usual combat stance.
Zyler followed after her, pouncing on her at every step. She now realized why Zeke had so much difficulty trying to get away, if he could at all.
Despite being injured, he was fast. Too fast even for a Journeyman with as high of Strength and Endurance as he was. There was too much of a gap between them in pure stats and levels, causing Mikella to keep fighting on the edge.
She couldn’t help but think about that as she defended against Zyler’s constant strikes. She also realized that throughout all this, Zyler hadn’t just made ordinary attacks all this time. Each one was surging with power, proving that each strike was a skill.
Or rather, it must be a Class skill. His attunement must have something to do with the synergy of the class as she could sense each attack being aided by something outside of himself. It was only proven more when Zyler got through Mikella’s defenses and slashed at her forearm, creating a gout of blood that poured out.
Pain overtook her senses for a moment, but she managed to keep fighting as her wounds visibly healed at an unnatural rate. This was due to her two Class regeneration skills and the boost to her Vitality just earlier. Her wound was already sealing up, enduring her body being recovered enough to keep fighting.
It was surreal, as though Zeke himself was healing her throughout the battle from far away. Still, she knew the difference well enough to realize that she can’t keep taking those hits like that, however small they were.
Zyler had no intention of holding back. Even when the rest of the biodome was in disarray, Zeke was getting attacked by the soldiers, and everyone was constantly trying to get the upper hand against the invading force–the two were caught in their own world, fighting for supremacy.
Normally, she would be thrilled by this. She likes to fight. She loves the idea of not thinking about anything else but the thrill of combat. But this…
She wasn’t having fun. Putting aside the massive difference between them, there was something off about Zyler. Unlike before, he seemed more calm and composed, as though accepting something.
It wasn’t as though she liked him better earlier, but this somehow became worse. As she prepared for another onslaught, Zyler spoke up.
“You ever know what it’s like to be treated as a fool your entire life?”
Mikella perked her ears up at the sudden question. Zyler stood upright, facing her directly. There wasn’t anything like malice in his eyes, and he didn’t seem like the sort to try trash talking with something like philosophy.
She stayed silent, letting him continue.
“Despite that no matter how hard you work, nobody really treats you any better than before? All they see is a wild animal asking for a fight? You ever felt like that, lil’ girl?”
She wanted to scoff, but she remained still. She already hated the fact that she felt that way as well.
Not in this world, but in the old world. Due to her upbringing, nobody would’ve taken her seriously, even if she had a scholarship ready and everything. If anything, she was about to throw it all away before suddenly getting taken against her will along with her little sister.
So in the end, she stayed silent again. Except for one thing.
“It’s not ‘lil’girl’,” Mikella spoke with mild contempt in her tone. “It’s Mikella.”
“Hah, Mikella…” Zyler smiled with his wolf-like face. “A nice name. And for what I said-I am the same. We come from different backgrounds, probably from entirely different realms… but I know how much you wanted to be free.”
He extended his arms wide, his head hung back as though ready to howl at the sky.
“So did I! I want to be free! To just be done with all this political frolicking! But no, that’s just not in the cards. Not for the both of us. Even if we settle things here and now, it won’t make anything easier. Even if Bastion is out of the picture, there would always be more forces ready to take this biodome from under your noses. My dear old pops is the impatient type. But there’s gonna be dozens of others ready to do whatever they can to get their hands on this place. So, in the end, nothing ever changes.”
“What are you trying to say?” Mikella finally asked, having enough. “Are you saying you wanna just quit? If so, just say it!”
“What I’m saying is, Mikella, if you wanna prove how much you truly want to live, then show me what you really got!”
Before anything else could be said and done, Zyler’s body began to surge with a different color. There was a tint of red and orange surrounding his entire body, and before long the dark fur on his werewolf body changed completely, becoming a mixture of red and orange.
Mikella gasped softly, taking a step back. Compared to before, the power generated from the aura alone was just… incredible.
She could feel something burning at the edge of her senses. Barely there, but it practically licked at her own aura. It demanded to consume, to burn it all and swallow it whole. It was then she realized this type of power.
His attunement.
Surprisingly, the man had not used his attunement at all. Now she knew why–it didn’t fit his current setup. Even as he practically looked like a burning werewolf, there was a sense of wrongness. Zyler twisted and groaned, the pain of the temperature rising from Myra’s attack nothing compared to the pain he was going through now.
Before she could realize what she can do, Zyler lunged at her, trails of flames burning from the tips of his claws. She blocked with the blade, but her hands burned from the intensity, even when she blocked the actual attack.
It was the proximity that truly dealt the blow. Her body couldn’t last as she was pushed back, her back landing straight at a stone wall and crushing it to pieces. Her vision blurred before another attack came by, forcing her to dodge for her life.
Her heart beat faster when he approached at a more ferocious pace. If this keeps up, she’ll end up turning into burnt tinders.
Each time Zyler attacked her, his attacks left a powerful burst of flames that just burned up its surroundings in an instant, leaving nothing but charred remains of what it once was. It completely outranked Myra’s own flames, hers being a stable source while Zyler’s was like a bomb ready to explode. She was lucky that her sword managed to survive, still being of that high quality from the tower.
But each time she blocked, it started to diminish in durability. She could feel her own weapon screaming along with her body each time she blocked one fast attack after another. It was devastating. It made their half-stalemate/half-disadvantage to her now just a timer before the end. There was no other choice in the matter.
She had to finish this. Her Mana churned, lightning surging through her. It was already on full blast trying to dodge, but she needed more.
Her mana was already draining to the point of not being able to pull out her various weapons, but she did manage to learn a simple trick with her Lightning Mastery.
Mana swirled as she commanded the electricity with her will. As Zyler approached, stamina coursed through her body and headed straight towards her hands.
There, she demanded her lightning to adhere to her stamina, her more powerful kinetic energy, and it obliged. Of course, this came at a cost as she felt her body surging with more energy in ways she hasn’t used before. Her channels started to burn, and her mind was whirling in white hot pain from the excess energy.
But she gritted her teeth as she forced the metal of her sword to do one thing–to become magnetic.
And if she knew her electromagnetics, she knew that it was possible to do the opposite. She roared, all her buffs and skills in full effect as she reacted faster than Zyler could ever predict.
Her sword’s tip reached to where the last remaining vestiges of Zyler’s dignity remained–his pants. Or rather, at the belt buckle keeping his pants together.
The belt buckle that was made entirely out of metal, as far as she knew.
The sword’s tip clashed against the belt buckle before Zyler could strike her down. With all her energy in full effect, a powerful propulsion burst out between the two metals, lightning and air pressure surrounding them both as the two were blown away from each other.
Stone shattered and broke, and any surrounding enemies, whether Bastion soldiers or surviving monsters, were taken down a peg as the force collided and crashed against one another.
Mikella wasn’t quite sure what happened after that. All she knew was that she landed near somewhere, hitting a wall most likely, and feeling an intense amount of pain unlike anything she ever felt before.
All she could recall is a memory of the time when Zeke explained how he managed to survive against the Master in their first tower.
Using physics with magical powers was certainly not something Mikella ever thought of using. Creating a magnet out of her sword and using the damn belt buckle of all things took too much out of her to actually maintain, causing all sorts of pain to riddle her body from the underused way she used her attuned mana. She even felt a bit of coldness seeping through her bones, the hint of Mana Deprivation hitting her a little.
Still, Mikella chuckled with a hint of delirious excitement. “That actually worked… gotta tell Zeke I did something smart…”
She cursed as her eyes closed for a moment. She also cursed that she can’t actually faint and just let sleep take over, the pain suddenly not as bad anymore. She needed to go and get to Zeke as fast as possible..