“Brother…?” Saria speaks in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock.
image [https://i.imgur.com/EJQFg98.jpeg]
“Hello Saria, it’s been 300 years since I last saw you,” the man waves his hand and smiles terrifyingly. His smile sends a chill down my spine. Did he just say 300 years? How old are they?
“You should be dead!” Saria shouts angrily, her fur bristling.
“And you’re wrong, I’m very healthy right now,” he says, taking slow, deliberate steps towards Saria. She slowly takes a step back, her eyes never leaving him.
“Hello sir, don’t you forget about us, please,” Noarin steps in front of Saria, her voice steady despite the tension in the air.
“Who are you?” she asks, her eyes narrowing.
“Ah, where are my manners?” The man stops, a mocking smile playing on his lips. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Belzad, Saria’s most beloved brother.” He bows theatrically.
“Most beloved my ass, you killed mom and dad for your own purpose!” Saria shouts again, her voice trembling with rage.
“And thanks to that I can continue my research freely,” he laughs maliciously, the sound echoing eerily.
“What is your purpose in opening a breach? Why do you spread ornaments in this world?” Saria demands, her voice filled with a mix of anger and desperation.
“My goals have never changed, sister,” he says, pointing at Noarin. “To find an ‘Absolute’…”
“What are you talking about…” Noarin asks, confused, glancing between Belzad and Saria.
“Oh, Saria didn’t tell you?” Belzad turns to Saria, his tone dripping with mock disappointment. “You are so mean sis, you know I have been searching for it all my life. But you hid its existence and want to have it for yourself.”
“I’m not like you, brother. You just want to use the Absolute to create more chaos!” Saria’s voice is firm, but I can see the pain in her eyes.
“Chaos is great, you know? We can see the purity and true nature of the human heart!” Belzad laughs again, his eyes gleaming with a maniacal light. This man is a mess.
“No one from our world can use the Absolute to its full potential. I was about to give up when I accidentally sent one of my ornaments to this world. I let it go, since ornaments can only travel between worlds once, but then I saw the ornament awaken, and it became The Absolute!” He continues, his voice rising with excitement.
“And that’s why you are sending more ornaments to this world…” Saria mutters, the realization dawning on her. Belzad smiles, a sinister grin that promises nothing but trouble.
I don’t understand anything about what they are talking about. The Absolute? What is that? What has it to do with Noarin?
“Now I have to do one last thing before I can take the Absolute,” Belzad snaps his fingers, his eyes gleaming with a malevolent light. Tempest suddenly runs towards me and attacks, his movements swift and deadly.
“What the-” Reflexively, I teleport a few steps back. That was close. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest.
“Ooh? Looks like you’ve mastered your technique,” Tempest grins, his eyes locked onto mine.
“Thanks for the compliment,” I smile sarcastically, trying to mask my nerves. I summon my bow and get into position. Noarin summons her sword and leaps at Tempest, her blade gleaming in the dim light. Tempest blocks her attack with a casual flick of his wrist.
“Now hold on girl, I can’t kill you now, so you have to stay… there!” Tempest kicks Noarin in the stomach with brutal force, sending her flying and crashing into a tree. She lets out a cry of pain as steel tendrils wrap around her, immobilizing her.
“Gah…!” Noarin struggles.
“Noarin!” I run to her, panic rising in my chest. Tempest suddenly appears in front of me, his scythe glinting menacingly.
“Don’t look away from the fight!” Tempest swings his scythe in a wide arc. The blade whistles through the air.
“Tch!” I quickly teleport and shoot some arrows at him. He parries the arrows effortlessly.
“Hello Grim Reaper, remember me?” Kai yells, appearing out of nowhere and hitting Tempest with his chain whip. The chains wrap around Tempest, pulling him off balance.
“Agh!” Tempest stumbles backward, surprise flickering across his face. I won’t miss this chance! I quickly shoot an arrow at him, aiming for a critical hit.
Suddenly, a portal appears in the path of my arrow, sucking it in and disappearing. Then it quickly reappears next to Kai. The arrow shoots out and hits his left arm.
“Aaakh!” Kai falls to the ground, clutching his arm.
“Kai!” I yell, feeling a surge of anger and fear.
“I told you not to look away from the fight!” Tempest quickly approaches me, his scythe raised high.
“Damn it!” I teleport next to Kai, my hands glowing as I try to heal him. The wound is deep, and I can see the pain etched on his face.
“Don’t stop, keep attacking. Kill him,” Belzad orders Tempest, his voice cold and commanding.
“Alright!” Tempest leaps at me again, his scythe slicing through the air with deadly precision. I parry his attack and teleport away, my mind racing. The air around us crackles with tension, and the smell of blood and steel fills my nostrils. I can’t let my guard down, not for a second.
Now that Belzad can suck my arrow into his portal, I can’t shoot Tempest with it. At worst, he could redirect my attack to me or even my friends! I have to think of a way to deal with this situation. I imagine my bow again, but now with some sharp edges on it.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Tempest rushed towards me again, but before he reached me, my bow changed its shape. I parried his attack and managed to scratch his face. Blood trickled down his cheek, but he only laughed.
“Hahaha! You’re really a surprise!” Tempest’s eyes gleamed with excitement. I gritted my teeth, my mind racing with questions. What are their goals? Why can’t Tempest kill Noarin now? Does it have something to do with the Absolute they’re talking about? And why does Tempest continue to focus his attack on me? My breaths came in ragged gasps; my stamina was waning.
“All right, time to step up,” Tempest called forth his steel projectiles, which floated around him ominously, and conjured a wind blade that swirled with deadly intent. Damn, I forgot he has two ornaments.
“Dodge this!” he shouted, launching his attacks. I kept teleporting and dodging the projectiles, sometimes parrying them with my bow. My movements were becoming slower, my reactions dulled by fatigue. I needed to try something drastic. I refracted myself, making myself invisible. I teleported behind Tempest and swung my sharp-edged bow.
Clank! He managed to parry my attack.
“Wh—“ I stumbled backward, shocked by his reflexes.
“Playtime ends here!” Tempest declared, his voice cold and final. A steel spear moved quickly, piercing my stomach with brutal force.
“G…akh..!” I gasped, collapsing to the ground. Fresh blood poured out of my wound, soaking the earth beneath me. Pain radiated through my body, and my vision blurred. Am I going to die?
“ARUTAAA!” Noarin’s scream pierced through the haze of pain and fear. Her voice was filled with desperation and anguish, the sound echoing in my ears as my consciousness faded into darkness.
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My body is shaking. I can’t move an inch from where I am. Seeing them fight while I can only watch hurts me. But I still can’t take another step forward. When Noarin is pinned to the trees, I can only watch. When Kai was shot in his left arm, I could only watch. And now when Aruta was stabbed in the stomach, I can only watch! I can’t do anything but stand here!
“Aah…” Noarin suddenly makes a sound.
“It’s starting,” Belzad grins.
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Noarin starts to scream. Suddenly she emits fire from her whole body, destroying Tempest’s steel restraints. Her eyes glow with an intense light, strange lines cover her skin, and some of her hair turns fiery red.
image [https://imgur.com/J7DmtEL.jpeg]
“There it is! The awakening of the Absolute!” Belzad shouts with joy, his eyes widening in anticipation.
Noarin leaps at Tempest with incredible speed. Tempest parries her attack but is thrown quite far. Noarin leaps at him again, her movements a blur, and continues to attack with relentless fury.
“Rishia, you should run,” Saria suddenly appears next to me, her voice urgent.
“Eh?” I turn to her, confused.
“Noarin is in a rage state now. She can’t control her anger, and her power takes over her. It’s too dangerous to be here,” Saria explains, her eyes filled with worry.
“But…” I turn to Noarin. Her face shows no expression as she continues to assault Tempest. She’s losing her mind because she saw Aruta injured so grievously in front of her.
“Aru…ta…” I hear Kai’s voice, weak and filled with pain. He’s crawling towards Aruta’s body.
“Kai!” I yell and run towards him.
“Rishia… help Aruta… He might still be alive…” Kai speaks slowly, his voice trembling with desperation.
“But what about you?” I help him stand, my hands shaking.
“I’m… fine! Aruta’s wound… is much more fatal. We have to do something!” Kai insists.
“But he might be already de—“
“I won’t let that happen!” Kai yells, his eyes blazing with determination.
“Rishia, don’t give up yet! We have to help him,” Kai stares at me, his gaze unwavering. I wipe away my tears, then nod. I support Kai’s arm and walk with him to Aruta.
I crouch down and begin to examine Aruta. I put my ear to his chest and check for a heartbeat.
“His heart is still beating!” I call out. Kai nods and tears off his clothes.
“Use this to stop his bleeding!” Kai gives me his shirt. I quickly press it against Aruta’s wound, trying to staunch the flow of blood.
“We have to get him to the hospital!” Kai suggests, his voice breaking.
“What about Noarin? We can’t leave her!” I argue. Besides, how are we supposed to explain his situation to the doctors later?
“Damn it! What should we do…” Kai hits the ground in frustration.
I look at Noarin. She is still fiercely battling both Tempest and Belzad, her movements a blur of fire and fury. I look at Aruta again, his life slipping away with every passing second. His heartbeat is getting weaker. I want to do something to help, I want to save Aruta, I want to save Noarin, I want to save Kai, I want to help them…
I want to support my friends!
I feel something stirring within me. My palm starts to glow, and something else glows too. It’s the necklace my mother gave me when I was a child…
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It's all my fault.
I should have told Noarin what she really are. I should’ve told them about the Absolute and the secrets behind the ornaments. I should’ve checked if my brother was really dead. I should’ve realized my brother’s whole plan to spread the Ornaments in this world.
It's all my fault.
Right now, I don’t know what to do in this situation. I wish I could transfer my real body to this world. I’m really powerless in this form. I can only watch as Noarin goes on a rampage and fiercely attacks my brother. I can only watch as Aruta is stabbed in the stomach. If I had my power, I could save them.
I turn to Rishia and Kai. I saw Rishia’s palm glowing and her necklace emitting light. Some of her hair turns blue and her eyes glow. I flabbergasted.
She awakened an ornament and became the Absolute.
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“A…ta…” I heard a voice. I slowly regained consciousness, a tremendous amount of pain radiating from my lower body. I try to remember everything that has just happened.
“Aruta!” I heard it again. The voice is calling me.
Slowly, I open my eyes and see Kai and… Rishia? Part of her hair has turned blue, and her eyes are glowing. Bubbles float around us, shimmering in the light. What happened?
image [https://i.imgur.com/7gDS1eQ.jpeg]
“Thank God! You’re alive! Please don’t move for a second,” Rishia says, holding her arm out to me. I look down at my lower body; there’s some kind of water slowly healing my wound.
“You have an ornament now…?” I ask, bewildered.
“We’ll talk about that later. We should do something about Noarin,” Kai says, looking behind me. I turn around and see her.
“Noa…rin…?” I am stunned. I see her attacking Belzad and Tempest all by herself. Tempest is already battered, scars covering his body. Belzad looks exhausted. Noarin continues to attack them mercilessly. One look at her, and I know she’s not herself anymore.
I stand up, clutching my stomach, and slowly walk towards her.
“Aruta, wait! Your wound is not healed yet!” Rishia yells, trying to hold me back.
“I have to… stop her…” I say, determination in my voice. I keep walking, healing myself as best as I can.
Noarin has knocked down Tempest. Belzad is already on the ground, unconscious. Noarin raises her sword, preparing to deliver the final blow.
“Noarin, stop!” I hold Noarin’s body from behind, and she halts her movement.
“Aru…ta…?” Her flames disappear, and she drops her sword. “You’re… alive?” She stares at me in disbelief. Her eyes began to tear up.
“I am. So please, that’s enough,” I say, hugging her. She starts to cry, her body shaking.
“Unbelievable…” Belzad stands up slowly, his voice weak. “I did not expect another Absolute to be awakened. This is great…” Belzad grins, though it’s clear he’s struggling.
I pick up Noarin’s sword. Somehow, I can feel her magic flowing into me through the blade. I imagine a flame covering the sword, and it glows, radiating fire. I point it at Belzad.
“Do you still want to fight?” I threaten him. He looks flabbergasted.
“No… there’s no way…” Belzad takes a step back.
“Aruta… you…” Saria looks stunned as well.
“This power… this form…” Belzad trembles.
“Haha… You are an Absolute Resonator…” he continues. I take a step forward.
“All right, I’ll stop for now.” Belzad quickly opens portals below Tempest and behind him.
“But remember, I’ll be back to take everything I want. See you later, sis.” He turns to Saria and grins, then enters the portal. The portal disappears, and he’s gone.
“Gkh…?” I kneel on the ground, clutching my stomach again.
“Aruta!?” Noarin holds me, her voice filled with concern.
“Ahh… I feel like I’m going to faint again…”
“It’s okay, get some rest. I’ll continue to heal you,” Rishia comes towards us, her expression determined. I look at Noarin, who smiles and nods reassuringly. Then I close my eyes, my consciousness fading quickly.