I decided to change how I'd do things for the next couple chapters so for this one~ I'll do a split POV for both Nick and Darkeria in the next few chapters. And possibly a few new characters as well. Enjoy~
~~~Nick POV~~~
The view would have been breathtaking if it weren't for my current mental state I'm sure. The ocean spread out as far as the eye could see, even with enhanced vision. I looked to my side and saw Azriela staring at me with a look of interest. I turned away from her and looked back towards a certain edge of the Dead Zone near the center of the city with my mana sight.
"..." Darkeria was hanging her head, her shoulders falling limp and her wings drooping behind her. I couldn't tell what her current state was from here, but.......
"..." I turned back towards the ocean once again and sighed, a feeling of uneasiness welling up from inside me. I couldn't remember ever feeling this way before and i could tell that it was going to take a while to get over it.
Created........ I..... I felt a hand on my hip and looked towards Azriela, my thoughts slowly sinking into my subconscious.
She has a sort of supportive look in her eyes and i could feel a small amount of comfort and warmth radiating off her aura. Despite being classified as a monster, I'm sure Azriela was technically human like everyone else. Well i see human but, I'm gonna call anyone who seems close to human, a human. Aevolian, beast race, human, this angel(?), all of it is human to me.
"I..... Tell me what i should do.... Azriela.... please...." I pleaded with the girl, desperate to regain something, anything, that could make me whole again.
".......You... need to find.. a reason.. yourself." But she shot me down without a care.
"....." I hung my head dejectedly and moved my vision across the ocean's surface.
"........ -sigh- ......" I slowly reached my hand out towards the ocean and clenched my fist tight before dropping my arm back to my side. I felt Azriela put a hand in my own, the soft warm sensation bringing me a little calm and composure once again.
After a few moments, i smiled at Azriela and patted her head gently. "I'm fine now... Thanks."
"....... Okay.... Let's go...?" She tilted her head slightly and i nodded before the world began to blur. Underneath our feet i could see the ocean blurring, the blue and white almost forming an indescribable mass of colour.
After what was most likely just a few seconds or so, we arrived in front of a tall grey tower situated in the middle of a forest. I could feel a huge amount of chaos swirling in the area, the mana churning and beating as if it was alive. I almost couldn't believe my ears when i heard what Azriela said to me as soon as we were on the ground.
"This is-"
~~~~~Darkeria POV~~~~~
As soon as i lifted my gaze back to where Nick was standing a few moments ago, ready to apologize for not saying anything, I felt my heart begin to crack. He was.... gone.
"I... -sob-" I began to cry as i fell limply to the ground, the tears pouring from eyes began soaking the ground beneath me.
I could feel a few gazes on me from around the area but i ignored them. No, even if i wanted to do something about them, i couldn't even calm myself right now.
"Darkeria....... Are you not going after him?" I could hear the worried voice of Chio from somewhere far away as my vision began to shrink. The tears had started to stop spilling from my eyes, but the pain in my chest only seemed to grow more painful. I hesitantly reached up and grabbed onto the area of my chest where my heart was, just above my breasts. I could feel my heart beating loudly and my breathing getting heavier.
"..." I brought my hand back down to the ground limply and choked a sob.
"Darkeria...." I could feel someone grab my arm and pull me up.
"Darkeria, let's-" I tuned out the rest of the words and just let myself be led to wherever it was that his person wanted to take me.
I closed my eyes slowly and let out a laugh at my own naivety and foolishness for not trying to bring it up.
"Ha...hahah...hah..." I opened my eyes again and saw that i was standing in front of Hailgate inn from last night.
I slowly looked to my side and saw Chio's concerned expression filled eyes on me.
"I asked Gourch if he knew where you were staying... You've been out of it for a while now.... Almost three hours..." She opened the door and dragged me inside towards the counter where Gregor was waiting. I could make out a look of worry and sadness in his eyes but i just went back to my own thoughts.
"- pretty bad"
"-ry it must be-"
"- has it i think-"
"day. I'll-"
I only heard bits and pieces of what they said and before i knew it, we were inside that same room again. I walked unsteadily towards to the bed and fell onto i face first, my head sinking into the pillows.
"I..... Thanks.... Chio" I let myself fall into dreamland and felt all the fatigue and pain slowly drift away.
~~~~~Nick POV~~~~~
"This is... Father's home.... Welcome...." She said as a small smile pulled at the edges of her mouth, the sight was enough to entrance me a little. But i didn't stay entranced for long as a single figure began to walk out of the tower, right through the wall of all things. I couldn't make out any features at all on account of the whole figure being one big mass of blurriness.
"Hello there Nick-Kun, it's been a while.... But i guess you wouldn't remember me." I could hear a strangely melodic voice drift out from that mass. It sounded young and had a soft falsetto to it, making me feel the urge to smile.
But i didn't smile. The reason being because of a feeling i had.
I slowly stepped back a little and then spoke after a little hesitation. "... Iyagi?"
Yes i had a feeling that this man(?) may very well be the god of my world's creation, Iyagi.
"Hmm. Interesting, interesting indeed. Your the first person from my world to correctly guess that." I could sense a little admiration and happiness coming from that voice. But at the same time, i could feel a little bit of frustration.
Iyagi slowly approached us and bent down a little, placing one of his blurry hands on Ariela's head.
"Have you been a good girl Rie?" His voice sounded both kind and vulgar at the same time as he said that, making me frown slightly.
"..Yes... Lot's of nuisances disposed of... Rogue monsters.... culled..." She smiled a little as she spoke.
"......... Nuisances... As in Aevolians and other races?" I asked despite feeling a slight tinge of fear.
"Hmm.... And what if it was?" He turned my way and i could feel a tiny bit of hostility directed towards me.
"....... I don't know.... But.... I don't like it." I couldn't really tell what this feeling in my chest was. Was it love? Hate? Fear? Disgust? Or was it all of them? I couldn't find the answer to that question in my current state.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Well to be frank. Yes, it is as you say. The only reason i am here and spreading all this chaos around is because-"
~~~~~Darkeria POV~~~~~
"Darkeria. It's me, Holysia." I opened my eyes slowly after hearing a nostalgic voice inside my head.
I wasn't sure just how much time had passed since i fell asleep but judging by the faint light coming from the window frame, it was night time.
I could feel a calm and warm aura coming from beside the bed and looked over to the desk a little distance from where i had slept. Sitting there was a young boy i had never met before.
He was of the Dragonias species, that much was obvious. He had pale blue skin with dark blue scales adorning his arms and neck as well as a little of the face. He had a large pair of sapphire blue scaled wings on his back that glistened in the moonlight. I looked into his face and almost gasped. The mark of a true pure-blooded Dragonias, rainbow colured eyes that glowed faintly in the darkness. Offset by his short, unkempt purple hair, it was rather alluring.
I took careful note of his attire just to be sure and as i thought, he wore a one piece tunic of black and white, embroidered with patterns of flames and crystals. The attire of a pure-blooded ruler of the Dragonias species. I was surprised though since he looked to be 12 or 13 years in age, rather young to be ruling.
He slowly stood up and a long, scaled, coiling blue tail whipped up from the ground and began to slowly shake from side to side. He bowed once to me before moving to the other side of my bed and standing behind the other guest of the room.
Tall, glamorous and beautiful. My oldest sister, Holysia.
Wearing a one piece dress of pure white, no attachments or patters on it at all. A pair of white fluttering wings shook a little before settling into place behind her back. Long, white hair kept in the so-called "Twin Drill-tails" style beside her head gave off the impression of a rich girl. Her silvery-grey eyes seemed to penetrate my very soul and i could see a faint longing and sadness in them.
"Darkeria......... I'm sorry." She bowed her head to me and then opened her mouth again.
"I.... bring troubling news. Your partner.... Nick.... He...." She seemed like she wanted to start crying but held it back and hesitated before saying.
"He's joined Iyagi's side...... He's currently attacking what's left of Sourga in the south of the Central continent. I came here directly from the Dragonias capital as soon as this one here freed me." She slowly turned towards the young noble and smiled a little.
"..... Kurth Vaihk Dragonias.... A pleasure." He introduced himself quietly and bowed once before nodding at Holysia.
"I was freed around 3 months ago by Kurth and have been helping him free the East continent from the control of the chaos. It was around 2 days ago that i felt a huge burst of mana and elements travel from the Central continent to here in the South continent and then back to the Central continent. Not 3 hours after that, a huge burst of mana surged from the Central continent and i sent my spirit there. What i saw was.... Our brother laying waste to everything in sight."
Brother..... In a sense i guess that's true. I thought of the circumstances involving myself and Nick and sighed once before finally understanding what she was saying.
"Nick..... Laying waste to the survivors of the mana calamity? Why?" I could feel myself start to grow fearful and depressed.
"......"
"......" They both looked at each other and didn't say a word. After 2 minutes of silence, Kurth opened his lips and said.
"Iyagi has brainwashed Nick into believing this world as trying to invade Iyagi."
~~~~~3rd Person~~~~~
To the people of Sourga, Nick was seen as a demon of hell, prowling the air and sending massive waves of magical energy hurtling at any poor soul caught in his range of vision. No matter if they were a boy or a girl, young or old, all were indiscriminately put to death the moment his eyes captured them.
A group of 3 children, 2 boys and 1 girl were hiding in the rubble of one of the destroyed houses in the outskirts of the city. They were all 11 years old and wore rags as clothing. Needless to say, they were from the slums.
"What can we do now?" The girl asked, her clothes getting soaked from both her tears and her sweat.
"We can only hope he doesn't find us right?" One of the boys said.
"Are you crazy!? That crazy monster can easily sense anyone hiding from a few hundred meters away." The last boy said.
They trying to keep their voices as quiet as possible to avoid detection but the next moment all that remained of their shelter, was dust.
"..........Found some sinnnnerrrrrsssss......" A cold maniacal voice reached their ears as a shadow loomed over them.
"nnnnooooooo oooooonnnneeeee shallll huurrtttt mmmmyyyy fffammmmillllyyyy......." Before any of them could utter a sound, they were reduced to small splatters on the ground.
The figure slowly began to hover into the air and begin aimlessly wandering in the air again.
"Fufu." A small, evil smirk formed on the figure of a man nearby. To anyone who saw him, he was a blurry existence, almost like he wasn't there at all. A hazy existence that oozed chaos and evil from every pore on his body.
The man, Iyagi grinned widely and laughed.\
"Kakakaka. My poor, poor child. You shall become my tool of destruction in this filthy world. Let it bathe in blood and serve as a foundation for our conquest into other worlds." As the man finished speaking, a small voice entered his ears from below.
"....Father.... Is this..... Really okay?" The girl, Azriela, asked her "Father" nervously from on the ground.
"........... Are you questioning me!?" He roared back angrily at the girl.
"No. I was just-" -stab- A small knife embedded itself in the girls chest and she fell forward to the ground.
"Keep quiet and don't question me again..... Otherwise next time i'll be sure kill you."
Well well~ Cliffhangers are fun aren't they? Also sorry for the short chapter QQ got tired part way through~
I'm planning on doing backstory chapters for Chio, Nick and Kurth in the near future so look forward to those~.
Here's another chapter for ya~ Might be busy tomorrow though~ Got one of my friends coming over for the day~
Thanks for reading~ <3