Every step I took I could feel Kazu's presence beside me, the way his aura seemed to slowly shift. There was something strange about it and oddly enough I felt like the walk down from this height took longer than expected, like no matter how long we walked down, we couldn't seem to make it to the bottom of the mountain, in fact I could swear I had passed the same trees or rocks several times before I even realized it.
“Huh, I feel like we've walked this same path a thousand times now," Kazu spoke up again with a light sigh, causing me to look over to him in a bit of confusion before my mind finally began to catch up to me.
"y-yeah I was starting to think the same thing," I remarked, and it was then when I realized how quiet the air had grown. It wasn't like the silence was uncomfortable but there seemed to be an odd feeling in the air that wasn't there before. “It feels weird, doesn't it?" I asked as we walked under the night sky.
"Weird? is an understatement." he said with his usual flat expression, stopping in his tracks to examine our surroundings, while I stood beside him.
"Is something else, wrong?" I asked with my gaze fixated on him, wondering if this was the feeling he had.
"Well for one we’ve been walking down this path forever and made no progress at all, and it feels like there is something lurking in the air, watching us." he began as his amber eyes cast off as he looked around. "It's almost like we're stuck in an endless loop, that's what's bugging me," he said knowing exactly what was happening.
"Endless loop?" I questioned which caused him to sigh, before looking at me with his amber glare.
"Yeah, an Endless loop. Something is making us walk down this path forever. We've already passed these same trees a dozen times now. Earlier today it felt we had walked into something similar to a Mana Art, a dimension that has swallowed us unknowingly.” he said which caused my own gaze to wander.
I didn’t know what to think of that, but Kazu did seem confident about his deduction. “Well, it’s not a secret the mountain ranges of Mythral are enchanted, the Xios once resided in these mountains, it was their place to meditate and uphold the Tian Sovereigns will.” I said to Kazu who only seemed to narrow his glare, looking as if he had an idea of what could be causing all this.
"Heh. That explains a lot," he said which left me confused before his next steps resumed this time up the mountainside.
"W-What? What do you mean that explains a lot? Kazu what are you doing!?" I asked growing a bit irritated by his sudden actions and lack of explanation, but he ignored me completely, as if it didn't even phase him.
I however followed him regardless with a pout on my lips.
“It’s pretty simple, Isabelle if we can’t go down, whatever this is clearly wants us to go up." he remarked which left me scratching my head.
"I suppose you have a point, but what if that doesn’t work!" I said still not completely understanding the full extent of what was happening, but Kazu still carried on.
“Well, if it doesn’t work, I guess we’re stuck here till it passes or Theitus comes to our rescue, there’s no use standing here all night," he remarked which left me sighing beside him and following him further up the mountain, with his amber eyes casting into the dimly lit path ahead of us.
Regardless of the fact that this endless loop could only be something malicious in nature, we continued to walk forward seemingly to make progress, the sounds of our steps seemed to echo through the darkness that had consumed the path behind us.
But nothing ever came. No sudden attack, no ill will or any kind of retaliation, only the wind that blew through the mountain range ushering us further up the mountainside.
Eventually, we found ourselves reaching the summit of the mountain, and what was even more strange is the sky had become an unnatural shade concealing the stars and moon from our sight. But despite this, light was able to make its way through the unnatural shadows of this place.
We could see a fair bit of our surroundings, albeit, not far. Still upon reaching the top we found ourselves the flat summit of the mountain.
The area was large, well suited for a place of meditation and the ancient signs that the Tian Sovereign guardians had once been here. But this place had been overtaken by the unnatural shadow that shrouded this place, it was like someone had painted the sky itself with ink and formed an impenetrable black canvas that held us hostage, in its darkness.
"Huh. It's pretty interesting." Kazu said with a light sigh as if it was nothing special, his amber glare observing the starless sky above, which left me looking up at the same sky he was.
"I’ve never seen anything like this, it's almost like someone cast a spell over the world," I said before Kazu glanced down at me.
“… that's what they did, but instead around this mountain,” he remarked.
"What? What do you mean, Kazu? Just tell me what's going on," I said with frustration filling the air as he let out a sigh.
"I'm not really sure myself, but we are definitely in someone’s Mana Art… but who’s? I have no clue. This presence is rather new to me. honestly, I’ve grown to dislike being suffocated by Mana arts, it makes my skin crawl, it disgusts me.” He remarked flatly and clearly displeased by this. I was glad he finally told me what was happening, but I still had no idea what I could do about it.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
"S-so what are we going to do?" I asked which left him staring at the sky in thought for a long moment as if he had some genius plan up his sleeve, which seemed like it.
“… Nothing,” he said after a long while.
"Huh!? Nothing?" I exclaimed loudly and extremely disappointed in his answer after having such high expectations, but he only brushed my worries aside.
"Yeah, nothing. I don’t know much about this mana art stuff… last time I was in one, that wasn’t Theitus’s, Well, let’s just say I was trembling behind the man who actually knew what they were doing. " He remarked before he let out a soft sigh and walked off towards the center of the area, and I followed him after a moment.
“You! Kazu of all people was trembling!?" I asked a little louder obviously not believing that, which caused him to look over his shoulder at me with an even flatter expression.
"I don't recall allowing you to make fun of me. Still, we’re in their domain and we don't really have any option but to wait. In a way it's pretty simple Isabelle, they led us to the top… clearly whoever cast this Mana Art wanted us to get to this place. but I haven’t sensed the presence of anyone around us, only their magical energy that this place emits..." he explained as if his flat words were giving me an explanation I could understand.
I couldn’t help but to scowl and huff at him, still clearly upset about the fact that we weren't doing anything about the situation at hand.
"Kazu! How are you so calm about this!?" I shouted before one of his rare smiles spread across his lips.
Until that smile disappeared almost instantly and his sharp gaze shifted, seeing something far beyond me.
"W-What's wrong?" I asked before finally looking in the direction he was.
And it was then, my heart skipped a beat.
Or more precisely, my entire body seemed tense as if a presence had overcome me, almost as if my every fiber was ready to fight or run, but my feet never moved as if I was calmed by the overwhelming intensity of Kazu’s presence, while he stood facing what had taken our attention.
A serpentine of scales, that shimmered in the eerie light of this place, it slithered forth in the air. And yet it’s disturbing maw of flat, pale teeth and eyes that pierced through me. I had no idea what it was, but I felt a chill run down my spine as I stared at it with my wide eyes, truly frightened of this creature.
“… who are you…?” Kazu muttered flatly with his gaze focused on this creature, like it was nothing compared to him. “There’s no way something like you created this Mana Art… its actually impossible, because you have no consciousness…”
A sudden growl of this creature caused my entire body to shiver before the creature once again slithered forth towards us, with its scaled body and pale teeth.\
But it wasn’t like I had much to say. And I couldn’t even begin to understand Kazu’s reaction. And yet he took his first step towards the creature, leaving me standing there in complete disbelief.
The serpentine creature let out a roar, before its long body of scales lunged at us with a snap of its jaws, but Kazu stood unfazed by this.
As his boots shot from the ground, in an almost blinding motion, regardless on not having a weapon, he used the martial arts of Zenki Ryu, that formed a blade of wind at his will and sliced through the creature's shimmering scales, a cut that followed its entire length and left blood to drip off of Kazu’s arm.
This creature was quite literally split in two and fell to the ground lifelessly, its body being nothing more than a stain on the stone that formed this place.
Kazu now stood a few steps away, his back to me, before he looked over his shoulder. "What are you doing, Isabelle? don’t tell me you're scared of something like that," he remarked as if anyone wouldn’t be, and yet I didn't say a word, standing there.
Kazu only scoffed at me, "Trust me, I’m telling you… whatever these things are, you are more than capable of dealing with them. Their literally braindead, without whoever cast this Mana Art" he said, causing me to raise my head to meet his amber glare, still full of confidence in me.
But I did wonder why he was telling me after he had just Annihilated it in such a quick motion, but that was quickly answered as he turned his gaze forward again.
There were many more of these creatures appearing from the shadows of this place. Slithering forth from thin air.
I gulped thinking this couldn’t possibly be real.
And yet it was, Kazu only narrowed his glare at them, almost waiting for me to join him in this fight.
As if on queue with my own will, I stepped forward, but I had little idea on what to do other than Kazu's simple directions.
"Try to keep up, I’ll be watching,”
In that moment, I felt like my blood was set ablaze. Enthralled he wanted me to follow him, I knew I wouldn't fall behind, not this time, not now, I refused to let Kazu down. I would show him the strength he saw in me.
The air around me shifted, as I channeled Zenki Ryu and my available magical energy in unison, before I burst from the ground with speed, the wind whipped through my crimson hair as I used the strongest element Zenki Ryu attuned to me.
Lightning, wrapped around my arm in a violent display as I threw it towards the serpentine creatures that advanced on us.
I found myself impressed with my own power as the sheer force of my attack destroyed one in a blast that filled the air with blood, and yet even more came forth from the darkness.
On the other hand, Kazu was like an unstoppable force that seemed to have no limit. His every move was so swift, yet so calculated that the creatures didn't have the slightest chance of ever harming him, each falling apart at the slightest touch of his aura and his blade of wind that formed around his arm.
Even as our endless battle went on, I felt both my strength and magical energy beginning to dwindle. But Kazu never faltered as if he didn't feel any fatigue at all, to the point he was practically making up for my lack of strength with his own.
I had no idea how long we battled against this endless horde of creatures, and I understood why Kazu muttered something about them having no consciousness, they were practically fodder with no real tactics or intent, just thrown at us like someone was toying with us. but Kazu's expression never changed as we fought side by side, he was an absolute force of nature.
But there was no end, in an instant, I hit my limit. My body froze in shock, like every ounce of energy was sucked right out of me.
I began to tremble in place unable to move.
The creatures came at me, but before they could, Kazu flashed in front of me, with his body now engulfed in his overwhelming intensity.
A frightening Aura, but to me it was everything.
“You did good, Isabelle,”
I couldn't see his expression but the words he said alone were enough to leave me speechless.
The air around me began to shift as he glared at the endless horde of creatures, and for a split second they froze in their tracks at the next words that left Kazu’s lips.
“Gate” (open)
he held no emotion but yet amusement lingered in the air as a black flame danced at his command, a liquid of heat the dripped from his hand as it bent to his will.
And it was in that moment that he pulled it back like he held a bow, and the flames of a primordial blast shook the entirety of this place completely annihilating everything in its path.
I watched in awe at the man I looked up to and admired.
He was a complete mystery, he never seemed to care about anything around him, completely free from anything and everyone. And yet in this moment I was absolutely convinced he was the strongest.