Soothing... Indeed, this environment was so serene, even if I could still feel pain inside. Fortunately, it was slowly disappearing, becoming nothing more than a mirage. Soon, it would become a distant memory, a strange, unfamiliar sensation, as if I'd never experienced it. Or I'd never really experienced it at all?
Who could say whether the sensation had been mine and not that of the Void? I didn't know the answer, nor did I want to. For now, I was relaxed, thanks to the Void. A Void which, each time, submerged my entire being all the more. What would happen when I became one with the Void? Would I finally have reached my Ideal?
And I could only love that thought; it was so comforting. It would allow me to reconcile my Ideal with my Void's use, with this power that had saved me so many times. Of course, I was aware of the negative repercussions of using Void's energy on myself and my apostle, but I couldn't help wanting to be engulfed in the Void. Even if the effects are more substantial each time.
Last time, my apostle had lost his ability to run, and so would I when I made a new Body for myself. And now, what side effects would there be? The thought alone dissuaded me from waking up, aware that the damage would have been more significant with greater recourse to Void's energy than on previous occasions.
Nevertheless, there was nothing for me to do in this place today, and I had to wake up anyway. And as my consciousness drifted away from the Void, I could only contemplate its warm glow, testimony to the sending of its energy all over this space, even if primarily to my apostle. But unfortunately for me, all things must come to an end, and I was permanently removed from this fabulous spectacle.
The first sounds I heard were my sister's deep groans, a sign of her unfinished awakening. It took her a good five minutes to regain awareness of her surroundings. And I couldn't blame her since we'd been through a rather traumatic experience. Although, in some ways, it had been beneficial. It had shown me the depth of my incompetence as a leader.
Of course, my apostle had also lost his way in the situation, but I was the one who usually took the decisions. So, my case was more serious, and I could only feel more ashamed. Even though I knew full well that I had to keep a cool head during fateful moments and be a reliable pillar for my sister, I was failing. My only realization was to let myself be tempted by useless emotions.
And worst of all, I was trying to convince someone else. Was it the others? Myself? Or both? And for what purpose? Was it really for the better? Or to make excuses and lock myself into ever more disgusting denial? Feelings of failure swirled around me relentlessly, reminding me of my inadequacy.
So much so that I was only interrupted from my ruminations by the soft cries of my apostle, who wore a pained expression. She had, after all, trauma and bodily pain to digest. And with our current situation, where we had no idea how to turn back, there was no shortage of time.
That's why I left her to weep while exploring the possible scenarios we might encounter on our walk. Of course, my thoughts of ineptitude hadn't disappeared from my mind, but we still had to get out of this world for the time being. Afterward, I could always return, as I still didn't feel mentally prepared to face all these threats.
Mainly, the dangers we'd encountered so far must have been small compared to the rest of the world. Indeed, just like the first world I'd explored, except for the far-fetched location of my awakening. The two assailants hadn't used any spells, and the people we'd seen from the dark alley didn't seem versed in the art of magic either.
Yet I remained convinced that some of the humans here possessed magic, making our current location a gathering of society's scum. It was a sort of slum or shantytown. At least, the general atmosphere matched the descriptions in some old-time books I've been lucky enough to read in my long life. These books undoubtedly changed my view of the World.
But, hey, those readings would only take place in a later chapter of my life. For now, I was just a naive, foolish child who hadn't yet experienced the atrocities life had to offer. Am I critical of my own past? Yes, but at the same time, who hasn't felt disgust at their past choices and actions? Many people would likely choose to remain silent on this question. But hey, let's stop dithering and get on with it!
Many hours passed, but I wasn't sure exactly how many. Eventually, Systalia's cries disappeared, leaving us to admire the restful silence. And so we stayed for a long, long time, with only the sound of my apostle's steady breathing. I could almost doze off and had to restrain myself from forgetting our current mission.
After all, we couldn't stay in this place forever, as every extra minute increased our chances of meeting a human. And it was an understatement to say that we weren't in the best conditions to meet people. That's why I had to remind my sister of this fact, who reluctantly stood up, acknowledging the validity of my words.
However, a complication soon arose: my apostle could barely stand. Even when she walked only short distances, she was out of breath and nearly fell over numerous times. Her balance and stamina had both become deficient to alarming levels. Indeed, it was no longer even the running but the walking that was becoming arduous!
I could only despair for our future, which did not look bright. With such a crippling handicap, how were we going to fight? And I wasn't just talking about here, but also in the lower world, where our physical handicap would prevent us from escaping if our opponents were too strong and/or too numerous.
Even if this disadvantage was the source of future problems, I could only complain once we returned to the Refuge alive. Survival was beyond question, and we had a homecoming to earn. Such was my renewed confidence in this desperate situation.
As we tried various techniques to enable decent walking, we observed the room in more detail. We seemed lucky in our misfortune, for we had stumbled into a small warehouse. And not just any warehouse, for there were spell scrolls of all kinds! So, here, too, there was a traffic in scrolls of intriguing provenance.
But why hadn't our two assailants ever used them since they undoubtedly possessed them? I could only come to one conclusion: arrogance and sadism. They were staring at us as if we were weak, and rightly so. However, they also seemed to have a preference, whether in the choice of weapon or the manner of killing.
In any case, while rummaging through the boxes of parchments, we discovered a curious object. At first glance, it was nothing more than a worn bag, and we wouldn't have dwelt on it any longer were it not for a disturbing detail: geometric shapes. No matter how hard I scrutinized these peculiar patterns, there was only one conclusion: they were mana circuits. We were now the proud owners of a magic bag. Although we had yet to determine its purpose.
I tried to examine the bag, but my evaluation skills only displayed the Statuses of people, not objects. Was there a need for a separate skill for items, or could a simple upgrade increase the range? In any case, we were quickly disillusioned when we realized we didn't have the requirements to use the magic bag. Our Authorities were only Level 1.
Nevertheless, we took it anyway, as it would come in handy later on, given that Systalia didn't have much storage capacity to spare, especially not in these disastrous physical conditions. And we could forget to use a wheelbarrow like last time. Consequently, we needed to compensate in some way for the storage of "requisitioned" goods.
As for the scrolls... we could only take two with us. In exchange, we had to leave all our current scrolls behind, as my apostle's diminished strength made it impossible to carry them, in addition to The Book, which we obviously couldn't sacrifice. Especially as the latter weighed a considerable amount compared to the other books in the Refuge. The magical technology contained within its pages must have had much to do with it.
In conclusion, we left the room even more helpless, weak, and exhausted than when we arrived. And as we could only move slowly through the dark and sinister corridors, we took the opportunity to increase our vigilance. Thanks to this, we were able to note patterns that had previously gone unnoticed and which could help us find our way through this quagmire.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
First, there were the street lamps, which were omnipresent, although their various shapes and sizes concealed most of them at first glance. The hardest part was spotting them in the dark corridors and rooms, as the streetlights were mostly switched off. Especially when we found ourselves alone in the street. We could only deduce the cause: our situation as outsiders in this world and society.
Therefore, we had no Class and no right to set foot on this world's soil. As a result, the System didn't recognize us as inhabitants of this world, and as the first message we received upon entering this world pointed out, we had been granted an exception. I could only interpret this as tolerance, not acceptance of our presence here.
In short, it was only logical that the System wouldn't help us or that we wouldn't receive the accommodations that the natives might have. We could only wait for the System to welcome us into this world when we had completed our first primary objective.
However, we understood that acquiring a Class was more complex. Otherwise, we would have already witnessed it among the people of the dumped city. But that had never happened. Moreover, their resigned existence, as if death in this town was their only possible future and Class acquisition wasn't even glimpsed as an option, wasn't encouraging.
Of course, the humans there might not be aware of the process required to obtain Class, but even so, statistically, a few should have managed to acquire it and leave their world. And even if they were sent to the upper world as soon as they had obtained their Class, others must have witnessed the scene and conversed in an attempt to unearth the secrets of the world-changing individual.
Especially as gangsters were always in groups when I saw them, whether in passageways, outdoor rooms, or living quarters. There were always at least two of them, and I'd never observed a single exception to this rule.
Returning to the lampposts, their size and shape were correlated to specific characteristics of the environment, essentially the dimensions, surface area, volume, and function of the room and surrounding corridors. We must have identified hundreds of configurations, if not almost a thousand. Knowing that only specific configurations could exist, it was almost a language.
A surprisingly apt analogy when I later learned some of the secrets of this world and the natural function of street lamps. But that's a story for another day because a severe problem was looming. We had the distinct impression of being followed shortly after leaving the warehouse. Even if we didn't know why, we hadn't interacted with anyone apart from the two sadists.
The only opportunity for someone to tail us would have been to have witnessed our fight in the warehouse. But why this person hadn't killed us at that moment puzzled me? Either one of the premises of my reasoning was wrong, or the objective was our capture. Or, although less likely, our pursuer was sadistic, wanting to revel in our suffering in various ways.
And I sincerely hoped it wasn't the latter, even if I had to admit that fate had never listened to me. Our capture certainly couldn't have been imminent, given that we were moving slowly and hadn't been caught. Or, even if it was a little more far-fetched, our tracker was wary of us and afraid to engage in combat.
This presupposed that the adversary knew of our prowess and, therefore, was aware of some, if not all, of our powers. And I dreaded this possibility because otherwise, we'd be in considerable trouble. If I'd possessed a body at that moment, I'd have been frankly sick to my stomach with goosebumps and a pale face, so terrified were I of the implications at the time.
I'd been talking about one tracker for a while, but in reality, there were several, as I soon realized as I scanned the surrounding area. So I counted three, which was a little; we'd faced far worse. Unfortunately, in thinking that, I had greatly underestimated the enemy. Unfortunately, we didn't realize it until it was too late when we urged them to come out.
Shortly after noting the presence of the troublesome individuals, my sister and I conversed for some time before finally agreeing on the course of action and coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the corridor five minutes later. We then turned right without hesitation, choosing this building for its narrow space and to prevent our opponents from having as much room as possible to coordinate. The aim was simply to hinder their teamwork a little.
I was wondering whether the enemies had realized that this terrain would be unfavorable to them and that we'd notice them because one of them saw fit to appear in front of us. I was still unsatisfied – there was only one brave human for every two cowards. Nevertheless, we had to force them out of their hiding place.
So, seizing two of the few scrolls still in our possession, my sister activated them, creating a frenzied wind with her left hand and a torrent of flames with her right. Or at least, that's how it must have looked from the outside. Because you might ask, "But when can you activate two scrolls simultaneously?". And to that, I'd have only one answer to offer: "Never".
Indeed, even for me, it was impossible at the time. In fact, our starting point was quite simple: we could each take a scroll at the same time and only have to manage one spell and one mana flow. So why didn't we realize this feat earlier? In fact, I lied a little, making the manipulation seem simple when, in fact, it was extremely complicated to achieve.
In fact, Systalia's mana and mine were passing through her body to reach the spells, so she had to manage two of them. Or at least she had to concentrate on both because once inside her body, her mind instinctively wanted to take control of my mana. The trick was to untrain his body of such an instinct so I wouldn't suffer any interference when I pushed my mana toward the parchment. And the number of sessions required for the task was astronomical.
Moreover, even with our sessions, my sister had to concentrate fully to control her instinct and prevent it from interfering with the operation, which could prove dangerous in a fight. Although our assailants were still far enough away, this was not an immediate detriment.
My explanation here did not concern Our Will, as the Void's energy of which it is made is not mana. In fact, my apostle's body could not feel the Void's energy flowing through it, even if he should feel its effects. In conclusion, we had a new trump card, provided it was really effective.
The two spells were combined into an even more destructive one. A chain reaction was set in motion, and the fire quickly gained ground, feeding on most of the objects on the ground. In this way, the fire had both the fuel and the oxidizer it needed, enabling it to quickly assume Dantean proportions. Flames over five meters high were spreading, engulfing everything in their path.
The spectacle was fascinating and revealing, to say the least. The dance of these magnificent flames thrilled me, thrilling my being and my Void. That day, I saw a new kind of beauty: the splendor of boldness. At any rate, that was the image these flames and their fervor reflected back to me with their graceful movements, even if part of me couldn't refrain from feeling sorry for the fire.
Much to my regret, this feeling spoiled my pleasure a little, frustrating me with my inability to understand its origin. In any case, one thing was sure: I could only rejoice at the two sources of our creation. Indeed, the scrolls here were incomparable in effect and power to those in the dump town. I continued to contemplate these fiery flames with my sister until...
Until the three enemies emerged from the flames, coughing violently and coughing up blood from the toxic smoke. My sister, on the other hand, feared neither heat nor flames since the materials she was made of had a melting point far higher than the temperature of those flames.
At least, in theory, for in practice, Systalia seemed just as affected, though to a lesser extent than our assailants. I could only put the blame on her increasingly fragile body. This experiment was nevertheless interesting, even if it brought bad news, as it showed that the debuff's range was more expansive than expected.
Indeed, the Void's debuff could modify the properties of certain materials, which seemed an outrageous power that I had to appropriate by any means necessary. I couldn't hide my growing wonder at the Void's energy, which appeared to possess infinite versatility. In these moments, I managed to capture a piece of the magnificence and aura of my beloved Void.
On the other hand, my sister was unaffected by the noxious smoke since she didn't need to breathe. In fact, her breaths were merely an added function to better blend in with the humans. This was a relief, as the decline in her physical stats obviously had no bearing on whether or not she needed to breathe.
But we weren't out of the woods yet, for no sooner had the three humans faced us angrily than spells were directed at our position. And since my apostle didn't have the strength to stand, we watched helplessly as bolts of lightning split the air and slammed into us, and balls of water doused our flames. But even with their many water balls, our flames were unstoppable.
The lighting, on the other hand, was a different matter. We were lacerated and crushed by the force of the indomitable lightning. Indeed, the scrolls here consumed far more mana than those in the city dump, so we were almost out of mana. And while my sister could still deflect a few spells before running out of mana, there was also a limit to how much magic she could deflect.
If the spell's level was higher than that of her magic or Authority, its deflection was ineffective. This meant that our opponent's spell could quickly strike us, having no barrier to stop it. And to our great dismay, that's precisely what happened. My sister was pierced by lightning bolts, her limbs sufficiently damaged that she could no longer respond.
Systalia collapsed to the ground, her legs unable to support the weight of her body, her arms and hands unwilling to move. As the flames grew ever more menacing, our enemies soon appeared to be at the end of their tether, gradually suffocating from the unfit air and having already coughed up a prodigious amount of blood. At least we'd manage to finish them off, I thought bitterly.
Nevertheless, our suffering was not over, as the three assailants offered us a most unpleasant parting gift. From behind, they sent magic around us. Confused at first by this seemingly senseless move, we didn't understand the purpose of their action until it was too late. And all we could do was watch helplessly as flaming debris from surrounding structures rained down on us.
Having been caught unawares, I didn't even have time to prepare my magic or call on Our Will to eliminate them before they buried us. My only comfort was the last view of this infernal landscape before sinking into unconsciousness.
There, I briefly saw the collapse of these humans, who seemed about to join the dead. As the flames receded, the water slowly dominated them, blocking their pathways to the other rooms.
And that was the end of our second battle in this town, but not of the day or our excursion. We still had so many answers to get about our pursuers and more disturbing questions.
And above all, to involve ourselves despite ourselves in the overall plot of events that would change the World forever...