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image [https://i.imgur.com/LoYByv0.png]
Our forces approached what we believed was the end of the eastern wing of the palace—where Renault’s so-called throne room was located.
A large door barred our way. The whole wall and entryway were covered in sigils and a sheen of raw magicka.
Our way was blocked by a powerful barrier spell.
“Well, shit.” Julius kicked a bloodied weapon away and stared up at the door.
“Got any ideas?” I asked him.
“Blowing it up.” He replied in a serious tone.
“Sure, take us down along with the door why don’tcha.”
Akari took a few steps ahead of us and held her hand out towards the barrier.
I closed the gap between us and leaned my head down to come close to hers, “Figure something out?”
“Nope!”
I coughed, my throat caught as her quick and simple response took me by surprise.
“Um…” a small voice muttered behind me.
I turned around, finding our blonde-haired tag along nervously playing with her hands.
Oh, duh. Hikita may know something.
“Sorry, we probably should’ve asked you first, huh? Do you know a way to disable that barrier, Hikita?”
Her face lit up, “Yes—well, no, but I know how to get around it!”
“Works all the same to us, right, Julius?” I shot a look to my companion.
I was relieved to see his expression had cleared up a little. Things had been stressful between us, and by extension him and Hikita, since I’d been warped away.
“Get around it?” he repeated back, “How do you mean?”
“Exactly how it sounds.” Hikita smiled confidently, walking toward the northern wall.
She placed a hand over a seemingly bare spot and another one of those blue-lit screens appeared.
Rather than speak some sort of key-phrase, she tapped a series of nodules in order and the wall began to rumble lightly as it pulled away to reveal a hidden corridor.
“She’s like a key…” Julius shook his head, “Why in the Aether did they give the kid this kind of access?”
“Dunno!” I replied cheerfully, “Renault’s loss is our gain. Fantastic job once again.”
I praised Hikita as our soldiers moved to clear the new opening.
The passage was cleared in a matter of minutes. It was quite short, in both length and height, and free of traps or hidden enemies.
A lever stuck out of the wall at the end. According to Hikita it would release the mechanism keeping the wall flush when pulled, giving us access to the entry hall just before Renault’s lair.
We organized our raiding parties into strike groups that would begin to clear the immediate area once we breached the passage.
Hikita warned us of where she felt Renault’s presence was—apparently she had this sixth sense of his position due to the void magick they both wielded. I assumed it worked in a similar way to my SENSE FOLLOWER ability, so I didn’t press it any further.
“Final stretch.”
The words slipped out of my mouth.
They were a reflection of both my hope and desperation.
On Julius’ command, our forces mobilized and began their push through the passage.
One of the officers at the front called us over the communirune channel and relayed a confusing scene.
They encountered the enemy, but there wasn’t an engagement as of yet. Once I crossed through the entryway in the wall, it made more sense.
Renault was here, sitting on a throne. But he was motionless. He sat there holding an ominous gnarled great-staff with a dark-obsidian focus crystal fixed to its head. It was something you’d expect to see wielded by a wizened mage clad in robes, not the regally dressed figure of a king.
At the base of the stairs leading up to his seat of power were some few dozen people—all equally motionless. Lifeless, almost.
I quickly scanned the mass of people, checking for hidden threats.
TARGET
STATISTICS
VALUES
RENAULTIAN
ROYALIST
HEALTH
STAMINA
MAGICKA
200 / 200
120 / 120
0 / 0
» TARGET SUFFERS FROM NEGATIVE EFFECTS: VOID SHACKLES
The majority of those surrounding Renault looked pretty average in their statistics, with moderate HEALTH and STAMINA.
But they all had zeroed out MAGICKA values and suffered from an identical status effect, which I assumed to be related.
I recognized one name, Vincent Dumont, from a report Julius submitted early into our assault on Axio. Some commander-type personality.
TARGET
STATISTICS
VALUES
VINCENT DUMONT
The Pale Rose
HEALTH
STAMINA
MAGICKA
670 / 670
300 / 300
0 / 0
» TARGET SUFFERS FROM NEGATIVE EFFECTS: VOID SHACKLES
TARGET
STATISTICS
VALUES
JOSEF FONTAINE
Commandant
HEALTH
STAMINA
MAGICKA
150 / 150
170 / 170
0 / 0
» TARGET SUFFERS FROM NEGATIVE EFFECTS: VOID SHACKLES
I also felt like I knew this Fontaine guy from somewhere, but I couldn’t quite place it…
In any case, they both suffered the same status effect as their contemporaries and stood lifeless around Renault’s throne.
The terrible mastermind of this whole mess himself was a different story in terms of status numbers. We had intel which pointed to Renault being a spellcaster specialty, but the values of his statistic didn’t quite match up.
His HEALTH and STAMINA put him in the highest tier of warriors within the Divisionals, and put some of the powerhouses I’d brought back with us from Umbraedomis to shame.
Renault’s MAGICKA didn’t match up to what was expected either—but in a way, it did. That ever present value of triple-sixes I saw every time we encountered someone under the influence of the Void…
TARGET
STATISTICS
VALUES
JACQUES RENAULT
King of Rena
HEALTH
STAMINA
MAGICKA
1530 / 1530
1080 / 1080
503 / 666
» TARGET IS MAINTAINING ACTIVE SPELLS: VOID SHACKLES x37
» TARGET SUFFERS FROM NEGATIVE EFFECTS: W̴̰̓HIS̶P̶͒ER̶͓͓͗ OF ̵̤̩̈́͐T̵HE ̶͋V̶O̵I̴̳͂D | CROWN OF THORNS
Bringing up his status also confirmed what I’d expected; Renault was the one afflicting the members of this dread council with the VOID SHACKLES effect. I willed up a status window for the spell.
SPELL
SCHOOL
DETAILS
VOID SHACKLES
Void
Restrains the target’s mental capabilities, forcing them to follow the commands of the caster.
Requires the caster to maintain a low-level mental sigil.
» SPELL STATUS: ACTIVE
As expected, it was restricting the people around him and was the cause for the MAGICKA values already drained.
I paused, looking at the strange, twitchy glyphs and symbols obfuscating the negative status effect on Renault. I recalled the sense of dread I felt when encountering the same corrupted readouts when facing the Roses at the Renaultian gate.
This gave me that same feeling.
Creepy and eerie. I don’t like this one bit.
I wasn’t going to let that feeling keep me from better understanding what we were facing, though.
Not when Renault was sitting quietly on his throne and we had all this time to prepare.
I willed a status window into my vision.
S̶̢̖͉̙̭̠̘̲̈́̉͂̃͊̾͘͝P̷̡̱̜̭̘͓̖͍̜͎̦̀̃̈́́͒̽̐̈̈́̐̏̎̾̒͋͗̚͜E̵̛̳͎̝̊͛̑̾̊̈̚͘̕L̵͈̻̺̠̖̳͕̲̭͉̻̻̪͍̹̳̋̐͌͛̚͜L̷͍̘̹͙͙͌̒͐͛̄̔̅̊͌̽̏̒͑̾̅̚͝
S̷̢̨̙̬͈̤͕͎̲̤̋̔̃̎̇͆̚͝C̴̯̻͙͎̓̿̋̒̎̓͒̕̕͝͝H̴̲̤̭̍͆͋Ǫ̷̗̻̼̘͚̫̲̟͍̮̲̪̾̓͐̂͑́̓͋̋̚͜͜͠Ǫ̵̢̨͔͕̲̤̹̬̠̬͈͉͎͔̞̂̀͝ͅĻ̷̗̺̭͙͙̫̩̯͖̩̏͛̈̒̃͆̈́̽͒̕͝͝͝͠
D̷̢̠͔̲̩̳̜̟̹̲̠̭͖̱̜̖͑͒͌͝Ȇ̸̥͉͙͆̓͆͘͝T̸̬͍̫̞̫̪͇̩̫́̾͋͑̌̾̏̀́͒͂́̈́̒̃͝͝A̴̝͋Į̸̩̪̗̣̖̖̘̣̼̦̲̿̓̀̽͠ͅL̷̡̛̮̠͚̰̫̗̜̎̓́̊̓͌̌͗̿̿̆S̵̳͇̖͓̺͌́̏͊̈́͆̋͘͘
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W̴̰̓H̷IS̶P̶̞͒͘E̴͝R̶͓͓͗ ̷̝̃O̸F̴̛̠ ̵̤̩̈́͐T̵̆H̴̎̃E ̶͋V̶̲̋͛O̵̪͆I̴̳͂D
V̵̲̻̦̻͇͎̣̻̻͖̭̘̹̐͛͋̚ͅơ̸̢̢̖̼̲̳͔̺̗̘̺̝̣̞̱̑͆́͌͜ì̶̢̩̪̳̪̤̪̱̞̽̇͛̾̒̅͋̅̃͘͜͠ḏ̷̨̼͔̯̲̬͓̤̞͚̯̪̜͚͇̈́́̀͌
Ḓ̴̷̶̶̴̵̸̬͂́õ̸̴̸̶̀ ̶̴̶͋n̵̶̴̸̴̵̴̙̲̾͑o̷̶̸̵̷̷͈͂̑t̷̸̵͒ ̸̶̸̷̊f̷̴̴̷̸̱͑ȁ̶̵̷̴̷̷̴̰̯̅i̶̷̶̷̵̍̀l̶̷̷̵̶̷̝̈́̑.̵̷̷̊ ̴̴̶̂D̷̛̖̂o̶̼̤̊ ̸̥̇n̶̖̐̒ŏ̴̡̹t̴̘̄ ̸̕ͅf̴̧̭͑ä̷͉́i̸̯̗̚͠l̷͔̪̅͝.̸̼̽͝ ̵̹̇̀D̵͎̳͆̃o̷̡̪͂ ̴͎́̎n̸̨͆̋ō̷̫͂ẗ̸̨̖́͗ ̸̥̍͜f̵̯̥͋ạ̸̘̾i̷͍̿l̴̺͉̕.̸͙̘̿ ̵̫̥̔͂D̸̪̓̀o̷̺̪͛ ̸̤͍̍n̵͇̝̎o̴̗̭͒t̴̻̹̏͋ ̵͌ͅf̸͇̽à̸̪i̶̻̳͛̆ľ̴̘̘̾.̵̦̄ ̴̠͋̅D̴̹͕́̾o̷͈͗̏ ̸̼͋͠n̸̠͍͝ö̵̞́ẗ̴͖̫́ ̷̦̔͂f̸̖̄̾a̴̭̹̾̎ì̶̗̔l̷͍̈.̷͈͝ ̵͖̗̐͑D̸̜͈͒ó̴͝ͅ ̴̘̳̍n̶̛̖̖ồ̶̫t̴̲̍͜ ̷̠̯̀́f̵̱̞̉̑ą̴̀i̴̝̗̅l̴̝͝.̴͙̅͒ ̸͇͍̿D̸͍͛̑ͅỏ̶̝ ̸̨̰̿̄n̴̺̠̏͘o̷̲̮̾͝ṱ̶̺͌̄ ̵͔͌f̷̧͇͝a̸̩̋̈́ḯ̸̟̚l̴̻͘.̴̭̀ ̶̡̃̅D̸̨̗̒̈́o̶̢̎̑ ̶̦̔n̶̮̑o̵͔͚̔̄t̷͍͈͐ ̶͎̍͑f̶̢͉́̂ḁ̶͋i̸̹̒̄ͅl̴̮̓̚.̵̦̄̕ ̸̬͘D̷̻̒̈ͅỏ̸̬ ̸̢̛̙ņ̸͗͝o̷̫̔t̸̹̺̑ ̵̼̻̀͐f̷͉͌͠a̷͉͗̽ì̶̳̳ĺ̷̢̤̍.̶̭̣́ ̵͉̓Ḏ̸̴̵̸̶̢͇̙̻̯̖̫̹̥̤̻̤͉̹̩͕̤̱̰̥͖̣͓̦̮̌̏̾̔̐͊̋͊̅͗͗̓̏́̉̇͗͑͋͛͛͐̀͊̀̌̓́̊͘̕̕͝o̶̸̸̷̶̵̸̢̧̧̧̢̡̧̠͉͉͕̺̤̠͎̞̗̘͔̖̬̟̰̞͎̙͎̮̘̫̮̘̘̞͎̲̘̻̙̥̻̘͔̙͍̮̙̩̩͎̭̯̘̟̗͉̤̣̭̩̮͋̒͌͊̔̐̔͛͋̓̈̐̈́̏̈́́̋̈̉͂͋͐͊͊̈́͒͂̋̋̋̒̒̈́͋͐̑̀̔͐̉̈͒͑̍͘̕͘̚̕̕͜͜͜͝͝͝͝͝͝ͅ ̴̴̶̵̵̶̧̡̡̡̛̞̹͚̺͔̱̞͙͕͉̞͚͕̦̹̦͓̹͉̳̣̞̠̲̠̮͔̭̪̯̫̻̪̠̲̟͉̠͚̜̟̮̪̝̠̰̻̌̋̌̐̍͂̽̌̅͋̊̽̿͌̾̌͊̆͂̌̈́̓͂͋̉̓̏̋͑̒̈́̓̿̆͗̉̐̍̓̆̎͌̽̔̾̒̈́͗̅̂̀̕͜͜ͅn̷̵̴̶̷̴̨̛͔͇͔̺̞͙̦̙̣̫̭̰̪̫̜͔̭͚̩̤̗̠̼̞̹̫̘̥̱̪̳̼̩̹͔̞̣̜̭͚̞̈́͐́̿̑͆̔̋̈́͑́͐̄̊͑̀̈́̿̂̄̾́̀̓̋̑̿͑̔̔͐̈́̈́̓͘̚̕̕͜͜͝͝͠͠͝͝ǫ̷̵̸̸̶̸̷̨̛̛͎̩͓͎̬̼̭͇͇̫̦̼̪͉̝̪̺̱͔̥̤͍̥͚͇̜͙̭̲̦̝̹̣̳̮̬͓̰͈̪̩̙̙̀̅̏͌͛͆̾̀̎̏́͒̇̄͛̿̆͗̃̉͛͑́͐̉͗͌̇͊͋̈́̒̅̽̌͂͗̅͑͌̎̾̅̊̔̅͐̑̋̇̔̂͋͆͐̀͒́̑̅̚͘̕͘̚̕͜͜͝͝͠ͅͅt̷̶̷̶̷̡̧̢̢̛̛̜̯̗̮̦̬͍̟̝̩͈͇̲̖̗̩̝̳̟̫̝̭̺͙͎͎̱̼̬̩̦̥̯̖̹̫̞͑͂̔͗͌̅̉̎͗͛̅̎̎͌̐͌̈̏̓̂̽͋̃̑͌̅͊̍̒̄̕̚̚̚̕͝͠͝͝ ̷̷̶̵̶̢̨̡̢̨̙̭̘̖̘͍̫̪̱͍̜̠̟̙͎̱͇̤̟̹̣͙̝͙̞͕̲̬̯̲͕̲̜̖͖̞̗̰̳͇̤͉͖̻̺̅̉́̾̉̄̑̌͋̆̈́́̏̂̊̑̇̅̀͂̈́̒͑́͗̊́̓͂͐̓͌͊͊̑͌͛̀͘̕̚͜͜͠͝͠͝ͅf̴̷̵̴̶̢̡̨̛̛̳̣̜̞͙̝̘̪̫͔͖̳̟̫̲̯͕̰͂̐͐͒̈̐̋̊̓̉̀͊͆͆͆̾͗̀͛̀̉̆̓̑̉͌͌̎̃͊͐̈́̅̽̕͘͘͜͝ͅẫ̴̴̵̶̷̧̧̨̡̫͍̺͙͔̬̜̭̙̮̞̬̘̖̭̫͔̹̭̠̟̼͕̻͈̜̬̻̞̱̱̬͔͎̝̠̘͚̳̈́̊̄̂̂̌͂͌͊̈́̈́̆̀̅̈̾͌͌̇̑͌̊̒͌̔̍͊͒̀̃̇̇́̿̓̾͗̈́́̓̚͜͝͝͝ͅͅǐ̶̴̵̶̴̴̸̢̡̡̡̢̢̧̢̧̨̬͔͓̰̘͓̯̺̰̳̮̪͕̣̜̙̪̘͚̬̳̼̘̝̫͓̠̱͓͉͓̦̖̩̩͔̜̜͔̭̣͔̼̟̳̪͉̰̮͈̞͍̣̬̮̩̦̼͕̯̪͓͎̤̱̗̩̠̻̂̾̋̓̓̃̀̃͒̅̀͐̄̓̄̈́́͋̿͒͊̇̑̎̈́̾͂̍̂̄̏̎͑̏̈́͒̀̃́̀̕͘͜͠͝͝ͅl̵̸̵̴̶̴̸̢̡̧̨̛̘͖̥͙̗̺̹̱͎̤̳̯͙̹̤̹̯̩̳̲͈̱̫̯̹̦̺̬̲͙̽̉̋̿̾̿͊̋̈́̊̓̃̍̋͋̇̓̿́̿̉͊̈́͘̚͜͝͝ͅ.̸̴̸̴̴̸̸̧̨̨̢̧̢̛̜̮̲͕͙͓͎̮̜͉̖̹̙͉͙̭͈̣̞͎̦̜͇̮͍̠̲̪͙̪̜͎̘͎̟̬̬̯̘̝̪̮̦̝̳̖̂̀̾́͆̂͑̋̌̈͆̓̓̽̈́͋̎̌͐̏̊̍́̽̒̂̏̂͐̇̎̇̏͋͂̿̒̀̅̓̔̓̀̋̇̑̇̉̀̇̌͊̋̌͑͑͋͋͑͘͘͘̕͝͝ͅ ̸̸̴̵̷͍͔̖̮̝̲̞̻̦̝̰̬̘̟̞͍̙̞͎͎͖̮̰̞̱̓̆͂̌̌̀́̓͋̄̈͆̑͑͊̈́́̽̈́̋̒̍͛̇̔̔̐̌̓́̃̅̀̆̈̽̅̂̋͘̕͜͜͠͠͝͝͠͝ͅD̴̶̸̵̴̢̧̛̥͔͍̞̹̦͉̻̩̝̪̣̘̰̜͎̖͉̪͉̩͙̺̼̮̹̭̪̗͙͎̼̯͎͍̙̻̘̤͓͑͛̏̍̈̈͂̒͊̈́͊́̎͌̇͋̏́̀̈́̕̚͜͜͠͠ͅǫ̶̷̷̷̴̴̨̛̛͖̫̥̥̼̩̗̼̙̰͓̦̖͈͚̳͔̖͖̯̯̳͓̠͕͔̺̭̭̻̳̱̬̘̰͈̖̘̳͉̫̥̭̟̯͍̓̎̆̈́̿͗̓̇͒͐́̇̉̌̽͒̿̌͊̔̇̐̈̈̈́̍̃̿̌̌̌̈́̓̇͂̒̾͗́̊̀̐̉́̀͋̏̕͘̕̚͠͝ ̸̷̷̴̶̧̨̨̢̢̢̧̛̛̻̝̗̜̼̼͓̻̘̗̣̭͖͕̹̪͉̟̠̜͎̬̯͚̱̼͈̞͒͗́̾̀̈́̈́͊̊̈͌̂̄̈́̀̈́̑̿̽̀̈́̆̏̄͐̎͒͊̂͌̎͂̀͊͐̅͘͘͜͝͠͠͠͝͠ͅǹ̷̵̶̸̷̨̛̦̮͕̬͎̯̫̯͇̻̗̳̰̖̝̩͕̯̦̥͈̜̘̟͖̜̲̖͈͖̯̲̞̜͔͎͇͎̃̐̆̊̍̄̀̓̀͑͋̀͐̈́́̂̐̀͋̈͜͜͠ơ̶̷̸̵̴̸̧̨̡̧̧͚̘̩͎̲̦̻͍͔̞͈̘̤̫̦͚̳̟͓͉̩̟̲̭͍͍̯̰̻̓̇͛̾͌̐̂̏̐̈́̀̎́̇͐̄́́̓̽̓̿̀̽͐́̑̋̀̈͘̚̚͝͠ͅͅͅţ̴̵̸̴̶̵̷̡̨̡̢̨̧̨̡̨̥̰̥̹̣̼̳̻̣̩̪͇͓̱̟̺͎͙͉̞̙̳͔͕̮̙͓̺̝̱͉͙̹̳̫͇̰̪̝̞͎̩̞̜̬̻̜̰͓͚̦̣̗̱̱̙̣̺͔͔̠̼̂̀́́̒͗̍̑̐̽̂̈́̌́͒͑͋̈́̓͐̌͛̑͋͆̚̚̕͜͝͠͠͝͝͝ͅ ̴̶̸̷̴̵̨̡̨̢̢̞̜̬̱̠̮̞͉͉͙̬̩͇̺̲͍̖̖̦̯̠͎͇̺̖̪̙͚͔͙̻̺̮͓̣̤͉̯̪͈͕̘̟̻̺͍͕͖̺̮̰̻͑̀̎͗̈́̔̌̋̆̈̉͌̒͊̉̄͂̎͑͑̔̉̉͒͂̀̒̀͑͑̈́̄̄̌̀̈̿͛͘̚͘̕̕̕͝͠͝͝͝͝ͅf̴̵̵̴̴̷̨̧̧̛̛͕̣̥͍̲͉̪̳͕̱̖̙̳̘̠̳̗̳̱̯͓̘̠͚̝̣͓̝͈̖̥̳̮̺͕̜̳͙̮̹̦͙̼̭̹͙̳̤̼͑̇̒͌̑̌͗͊́̆͗͋̓̽̽͗͌̂͂̌̑̐́͑̐̊́̋̃̊͗̀̍̃́̍̔͑̐̐̈́̋̑̊̈́̆̂̀̐̊͆̑̊̄̽̃̽̑̋͘͘̚͘̕͜͜͝͝͝͝á̵̴̴̵̴̵̡̡̨̨̯̻̹̠̟̫͖̦̩͙̟̺̼̞͇̜̞̺̮͔̰̟̼̖͎͕̙̳͒̌́͐̈̓̑̀̾̑̒̒̾̄̈́̇̈́̋̀̀̿̏̔̕͘͜͜͜͠͝͠͠ͅͅi̵̷̶̸̸̶̧͔͖̦̼͔̣̗̙̲̼̱̼̩̤̣̮̯̫̮̬̪̺̭̹͖̙̳̜͇̼͕̪̲͓͚͓͖̺̠̹̊͌̀̀͋͛̇̐̂̓͌͌̇̇͆̉̽͂̊̉̄̊̓̊̈́͌̒͒͂̓͒̔̓̍͒͘̕̕͘͜͝͠͝͝ͅͅl̶̶̵̶̸̴̢̨̢̧̢̡̞̥͍̝̥̱̥̪͓̬̖̫͚̻̱͙̬̖̝͇̝͇̱̯̩̙̥͙̳̩̼͕͇̱̮͈͋͋̓̋̄̊̋̇̆́̆̈́̆̄̈́̽͋͌̋͌̋̇̿̐̎̂̿̑͘̕͘͜͠͠͝ͅͅ.̴̵̵̶̴̵̨̨̢̧̧̛̛̫̫̪̗͕̻̜̘̝̮͕͖̥̝̼̣͙͖̘͔̟̫̥͎̞̲̝͋͂̓͗̆̈́̉̾͒̆́̅͒̏̈́̈́͗̑͒̾͛̐̇̊̂̈́͐̀̐̊̓̒̌̒̀͆͗̏̿͘͝͝͝ ̸̶̴̶̵̷̢̢̡̢̢̧̡̢̛̛̮̝͔̺̜̮̰̙̻̟̳̤̙̭̯̼͖̠̮̖̖̩̣̣̲̱̻̭̰̣̘̻͖̻̳̘̤̝̞̥̘̗͖̻̼͚̟̖̭̓̌̋̈́̌̈̐̐̄̈́͛̈̑̐̃͐̇͐́͗̈́͗͆̀̐͛̋̍̄̔̔͊̎̋̆̆͗̾̾̍̊͒̎̇̉̓̐̾́̏̂͂́̾̽͋̌́́͂̚̚͝͠͝͝ͅͅD̷̸̵̶̴̴̡̨̡̢̧̨̧̨̡̧̢̛̛̤͉̘̱̠͇̥͙̪̠͙̻̘̜̘̮̦͉͕͖͓͓͓̼̺̻͍͙̱̬̼̯̭̱͖̦͖̤̖̜͑̑̃̑̑̅͂͌̑̆̄͐̉̽̐́͋͗̓̀̉̔̃͛̐̅͑̋̅́̄͂̑̐͐͆͒̈̎́͊̕̕̕͜͜͝͠ͅơ̴̶̸̵̵̡̡̧̠̮̣̝̝̟̺͔͚̥̤̯̣̹͕͇̗̮͕̹̞̝͓͎̘̘͕̯͚̪̠̱̳͔̲͌́̈́̎̂́́͗̆̊̒́̂̿͌̿́͒͊͌̈́͆͐͘̚͝͠ͅ ̶̵̶̶̶̴̡̨̢̧̛̱̰̰͕̪̪͙͇̣̦̟̣͓̠̥͕͔̯͇͕̘͍͖̲͙̜̱͎̩̘͍͙̯̜̺̟̫̱̩̹̳̽̉̆́͗̓̌̄̌̓̉͛̾͛̓̒̑̈̍͒̋̃̈́́̍̄̔̒̔̚͘͘͘̕͝͝͝͠͠n̶̴̵̵̸̴̶̢̧̧̧̠̟̘̳̝̫̖̗͖̗͎̜͎̪̳̞̖̺̰̘̞̱̹̰̟͕̹̤̩̥̖̬͍̜͔̯͔̮̹͍̭̞͊̈̾͊̆͛̀̈̃̈͌̀̓͒́̑̾̈̈́́̽̈́̿̑͑͗͆̽̏̄̽̀̀̕͘̚̕͜͝͝͝͠͝͝͝ͅơ̵̷̶̶̶̴̡̡̛͙̠͙͎̜͉̣͖̗̱̮̠̖̯̼̮̥͕̟̼̲̣̲̟̳͖̱̲̠̦̗̫̻̜̟͙̼̱̭̻̊̊͛͌̿̈̌́̿̎͒̈́̔̂͊̑̉̿̏̂͋̊̆̑̂͆̂̃͒̅͘̕͜͝͝ṫ̶̸̶̴̴̨̛̩̳̞͇̜͍̩͓̤͙̯͇͎̖̼̹̮̺̞̞͈̫̰̲̩̞̲̰̥͙͚̤̲̳͇̥̈́̃̾͊̌͑̓̉̔̋̓̓̑͒̀͒̈́̆̆̃́̄̆̌̋͌̍̃̈̌̿̓͗̄̀̄͐̈͑͐̈́̊͐̂͒͊͘̕̚͘͜͜͝͝͝͝͝ͅͅ ̵̶̸̸̷̶̶̨̨̨̧̡̧̛̛̛̫̰͚͈̭̦͈̺͓̺̥̰͔̯̫̰̺̟̗̪̙͇̯͕͚͉̞̰̼̭̘͎͇̯̠̣͕͍̱̖̝̪̽̽͐̓͌̌̏̆̒̔̀͋̇̀̆̍̾̾͋͒͌̂̔̾̽̀͗̈́́͐̏̀̀́͂̾͜͜͝͝f̷̸̴̴̶̸̡̧̧̧̬̮̖̰͇͎̘͔̘̞̩̭̟͖̠̱͕̞͍̩͈͙̘̤̭͖̹̼̝̗̲̤̹̣͈͔̺̼͇̬̰͔̮̥̺̦͕̜̲͕͚͕̬͓̭̔̉̔̆͐̒͛͂̀̃̀̍̓̽͐̅͂́͗͐̀̒̐͊͌͂̋́̋̅̓͐̽͒̕̚̕͜͜͠͝͝͝͝͝͠ͅͅą̷̷̸̵̵̵̢̢̡̢̧̧̱̲͈̞̙͎̝͙̮̰̻̟͎͍̹̠̘͚͙͓̙̭̱̬̮̋͂̏͑̏͗̋̔̾͐͊̑̑͒͑̇͂̾́͑̂̓̌̐̔͋̋̔͊̆̊͛̊̈̈́͋̂́́͊͑̈́̓̈́̐͂̑̋͑͋́͒̏͂́̈́͊̋̚͘͘͘͠͝͠͝͠͝͠͠ȋ̵̸̸̴̸̧̢̧͓̹̤͔͈̦͔̯̮̭̭̙͍̲͎̟̰̳̩̹͚̭̭͚͙̫͉͙̣͎̗̲͛̿̀̔̾͆́̐́̾̽̀̈͒̀̒̒̔̋̓̍̕͘͜͝ͅͅl̴̸̵̸̷̷̶̡̡̨̧̛̗̪͕̜̹̰̱̜̲̥͖̬̯̯̤̰͈̦͎͇̩͙̖͈̲̬̖̼͇̱̰͎͈̙̱̺͕͖̜̰̻̭̯̣̹̯̳͔͕̹̝͇͈̩̬͛͆͒̓̇̋̾̀͋͋̃̀̃͒́̾͒͆͊̽̈́̏̇̊̂͗̍̈́́́͆̈́̈͋̉͆̐͂̅̏̆̀͛͆̍̔̀́͑̀̈̓̍̄͗̊͆̒͘̚͘̕̕̚͜͜͠͝͝͠ͅ.̷̶̸̵̶̢̧̛̰͓̙͉͍̬̘̜̤̻̭̯̗̝͖͔̥̝͍͈̪̻̦̣͖̠̺̺̩̝͙̹͓͆̒̂̄͌͑̈̓͋͐̉̿̓͌̈̎̓̃͊̓̍̅̊͑̾͋͘͜͝ͅ ̵̸̵̷̵̷̡̧̨͖͇͙̜̩̦̹̮̯̘̱̟̘͚̰͖̤̬͎̙̰̹̪̭̺͈̗̞͔͙̩̳̣̑̀̆́̂̎͗̊̂͗͊́̃́̓̿̍͐̅́͂̈͑͌͊͊̊̀̉̽̅͌͌̍͗̄͊͗̎̉̚͘͠͝͠͝͠ͅͅD̸̷̴̵̴̨̨̧̛̰͚͍̠̼̲͕̘͙͙͚̲͍̠͉͈͚̗̻̤̝̪̰̭̠͍͙̣̳̙͍̹̲͍̠̥̟͗̐́̐̂́̿̐͊̑̏̀̂́͛̃͐̀̍̅͛͐͊̾͋͆͑̂̕̚̕̚̕͠͝͝ͅö̷̷̸̷̵̵̡̡̡̢͉͚͚͙͙̫̺̙̭̘͚̯͚͙̰̩̥̮͖̬͈̺͍̫͈̹͚̤̺̣͎̗͚͇́̒̆̈́̅̉̔̈́̄̅̓̏̿͛̓̅̅̔͊̈̃͊͒͐̔̔̀͋̆̅͊̉̈͌̋̏̈́̕̕͜͝ ̸̶̶̷̴̴̷̢̢̥̮͈̯̥̘̜̬̼̗̪̫͇̗̱͔̙̦̭̦͔̞͈̮̺̫͇̳̹̝̤͇̙͍͎̤̤̟̘͎̺̘͕̓̿̀͒̈́́̄̆̏̉̔̌̽̒̀̍̉́̀̊͗̈́̉͆͊̃̀͐̊́͂̋͑̄̀̿̋͒͐̇̅̎̒̍̀̌͛̐̈̕̚̚͘̕̕͝͠͝n̶̸̴̶̴̵̢̨̡̪̞̳̟͓̩̖̣̘̞̘̲͓̳̪̹̪̜̤̬͚̳̜̮̳͎̩͎̘̟̗̫̩͖͓̻͖͎͒͒̓̔̒̈́̀́͒͋̈̇͌͋͛̑̿̇̀̉̄̄́̃̅͛̚͘̚̕͘̕͜͜ͅo̸̷̸̴̵̴̢̨̧͚̖͎̟͇̬̮̘̩̰͔̭̭̱̳̥͉͕͉͈̙̭͇͕̭͈̻͖̣͓͈̰̰̥̭̬̜̍̂́͑͒̉̂͊̀̉̓̅̾̾̆́̂͋͗̽̐̾́̇͒̽̀̉̎̂͒͂̋̃͒̕̚͘͜͝͠͝͠ţ̷̶̵̶̸̴̡̛̯̠̖̝̭̜̬̯͔̜̖̥̘̱̼͈̮̼͉̦̼͉̝̳̳̹͚͎̘̪̺̬͙͓̖͈̞̦̩̳́̅͛́̈̀̒̌̉̀̌͆̉̾́̒̓̿̽̓͑̿̌̆̌́̊͛̐̈̌̏̔͋̉́̐̕̕͜͜͠͠ͅͅͅ ̵̶̵̷̸̴̧̨̡̨̖͈̳̟̩͇͓̠̻͚̣̠͕̼̤̭̝̝̝̪̟̩̦̬͖͓͈̘̰̼̯̩̺̙̮̘͉̜̠̜͎͙͕̯̫̥͈͋̈́̐̿̾̃̀̓̃̈́̉́̍̓̋̍̓̊͑̾̽͒̅̒́̇͂̏̈̉͌̂̍̐̔̚̚͘͜͝͝͠͝ͅͅf̶̵̸̴̸̴̨̡̢̡̢̧̛̘̞͖̻͚̖̹̫͚̝͕͙̝̠͇̣̰͙̻͕̝͍̤̙̬̫̝̣͉̬̲͇̹͎̲̭̬̦̳̞͇̯̹̭̹͓̳̜͈̭̝̘̮̃͒̓́͌͑̂͒̊͂̈́̾̇͊̂̓̃̊̓̽̏̔̉͒͂̆̈́̈́̎̒̂͐̏͋̃̌̍̎̃̒̔̏̐͑́̅̏̀̽͘̚͜͠͝͝͝ͅͅä̵̸̶̶̶̷̢̡̨̢̡̧̺̥͈̞̥̮͙͕̟̳̮͕͈͖̞̱͚̤̗͈͖͓̤͈̪̜̹͕̖̜̪̰̫̹̦̯̻̩̳̠̠̭͙͙̥̮̲̺̣͉̞̳́̍̎͊̑̊̓̄̽̽̑̏̆̅̍͋͒̈́̉̈́͐́͂̓̌̓͋͂͑̂̈́̈́̎̾̓̊͐̈́͑̽̕͜͜͜͜͝ͅͅi̸̵̷̷̷̶̧̧̡̞͍͓͍̳̺͎̫̟̯̥͍͓͍̬͖̖̦͖̭̫̗̫͇̖̬͍͖̝̝͍̘̪̬͈̻͙̟̮͇̙̬̯̿͗͋͋̃͂̍̎̋̔̀͑̏͛͊͐̌̈́̀͂͆̓͋͂͂̃͌̂͊͛͋̈́̓̈́̄̽͂̉̌̈́̀̎̈̕͘̕͜͜͝͝ͅl̶̴̵̵̴̵̨̡̨̛̬͓̫̘̘̙̺̫̪̯̞̻̗̤̞̰͕̮͚̙̬̗̠͎̦̝͎̬͋͌̃̈́̉̂̃̿̌̇̏̓͋̅͂̈́̄͐̃͗̈́̐͗̅̔̏̃̑̅̃́̇̈́͂̀̒̈́̓̚̚̚̕͘̕͘̚̚̕͜͝͝͠͠͠ͅ.̶̵̴̸̵̷̢̛̖̫͙͚̱̬̺͓̬̻̘̫̯̠͚̪͉̞̼̙͎̖̖͎̤̓̒͒̅̏͐̾͂̏̽͛̏̀̐͋̒̋̄͑̓͂̑̅͐̍͂͐̚̚͘͜͠͠͠͝ͅ ̷̸̶̴̸̵̴̡̢̡̧̨̨̧̨̢̨̛̲̝̱̱̺͈̘͓͕͇̣̼̩͍͙̩̹̹̲̭̗͖̙̘̱͉̟̰͙͖̻͎̖͙͎̮̜̞̭̪̣̟͕̘̻̬̙̪͍̞̂̔͒̆̐͒̃̉̽̾͐̆̑̅̔̇̉͗̾͐̈̾͌̈́̀͂̈́͛̽̅́̄̔̂̈̀̑͑̎̇̐̒́͘̚̕͘͜͠ͅͅͅD̶̪͠ǫ̷̔̃ ̷͎̿ń̵̜ö̷̧́͐t̵̢̗̐͠ ̶̪͂͝f̵̳̊̈́a̴͕̒̄i̷̳̠͠ḻ̶̡̽.̵̧̈́́ ̶̱̳͊D̸̨̤́ó̶̘ ̵̧̲̑n̴̟̹̑̈o̷̲̱̕t̸̲̍ ̶͎̠̒͋f̸̧̃͝å̷̘͘í̸͉l̸̹̈́̚ͅ.̶̝̓ ̸̳́͑D̷̹͛ȍ̷͈̔ ̶̺͎̉͊n̸̗̩͘o̷̰̐͝t̶̡̹̕ ̶̰̜̓f̵̦̃͝ẳ̸͙i̵̝͑̂l̴̝̅̃.̵̘̪̾ ̸̨͙̈́͘
»̴̞̇ ̵̜̺̅S̸̠̠̚P̸̃̍͜E̵̙̅͜L̶̬̗̕L̵̢͙̀ ̸͍͇͂͂S̶̛̟̹T̷̩͔̀̀Á̷̹̪̈Ṱ̶̖͆Ǘ̵̦S̴̻͕̎:̴̧̢̐̄ ̴͎̂̕A̶͉̒C̶͔̊T̷̆̀ͅȊ̵̥V̷̻͒E̴̠̊ͅ
“Fuck!” I screamed in agony, grabbing at my head.
A sharp, raw pain ripped through every nerve in my body and the status interfaces I’d pulled up in my vision disappeared in a blinding flash.
“Airis!?” “Momma?” “Your Eminence!”
I was swarmed by my attendants, and the clanking of metal indicated the knights had moved into a guarding position around me.
“I’m fine.” I strained through clenched teeth, “Little bit of whiplash from void shit. All our Initiators should avoid using any inspection magick on the enemy.”
My outburst hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Renault was no longer sitting on his throne in a slump, he was now looking at us. His gaze was fully alert, and he looked on edge.
He stood from his seat, “How did you get past the barrier? That entryway should've been sealed, my magick was impenetrable!”
His voice carried through the hall, it sounded dry—hoarse as if from yelling too much.
I shrugged, “Side door was unlocked.” I indicated with my free hand in the general area behind us where the wall had closed back up already.
Renault seethed. His expression twisted and contorted in every foul look one could imagine.
Hatred, contempt, disgust, shame, and even something that resembled fear for a split second.
His attention seemed to be solely focused on me, and none of his shackled puppets moved an inch.
“You planning to stay up on that throne forever?” I taunted, “All our actors are in place to finish this awful production you started. Come on down.”
Renault remained standing at his throne.
“I’ve always despised your family.” he sneered down at me, “Born into a world that offered them unlimited potential. A lofty title and crown handed to them—an empire that spread from sea to sea, ripe and fertile lands which yielded abundant grain. In contrast, we had nothing. Yet your family pushed to take more and more. Crushing us under heel for hundreds of years.”
What is he on about…?
Before I had a chance to cut in on his rant, he lifted his arms up and began to shout.
“The Empire’s mismanagement led to our demise! Demons swarmed in from the Strifelands… those damned creatures that tore us out from our homes, forcing us into the hands of you imperial scum. And what did those lowborn do? Mandatory conscription. My people were forced to march out and meet death under the war banners of our enemies.”
Renault leveled his gaze back at me. His eyes flashed unnaturally with an empurpled glow as a wave of magicka surged around him.
“The hopes of reviving Rena died upon the battlefield, along with her people.” He continued, “That is, until I took the hand of a greater being—a God. A real one. Not those false idols preached by your foul church. A God that will save humanity!”
“You’re the betrayer of humanity, Renault.” I spat.
His brow furrowed.
“Hah ha! Heh, isn’t that wrong though?” He cackled in an uneven tone, “The last remnants of humanity know Airis Vanixi and her traitorous family as the ones who betrayed this city.”
I could tell my companions were shifting around behind me. A handful of spells had been readied by our casters—a thick blanket of Aethermist was settling around the room.
Renault’s expression slipped, revealing a sinister grin that didn’t seem to fit his face.
“Soooo much effort~” he teased, “All for what? Sure, you've managed to disrupt my operations moderately, but that's all it's been worth. I have thousands of weapons left at my command, being prepared at this very moment. You won't be leaving these hallowed halls of mine, rest assured. I’ll finally achieve the peace Rena deserves. A world without the filth of imperial dogs and their overlords.”
Julius stepped ahead of me, shield at the ready, blocking Renault’s view, “If your idea of peace is our erasure, I’ll have to decline your hospitality. We have quite a few things to do once we’ve taken care of you.”
“Renault, you talk too much.” I added, beginning to cast my area buff spells from the safety of Julius’ back, “As if words could've solved any of this.”
I finished my spell-cast, and we were washed in a silver-glow opalescent light.
A flash of purple magicka erupted next to me, and I recoiled. Initially, I thought Renault had gotten the jump on us, but I glanced over to find Hikita with her swords at the ready.
“You’ll never know peace, bastard.” She spat.
Renault exploded in rage, “You dare wield that half-breed thing against me!? Baaah, what difference could that knife-eared mongrel—”
I let loose a CHAOS BOLT toward Renault’s face. It impacted against some kind of barrier, shattering into fragments and striking the floor around the throne.
Renault kept on talking, as if nothing had happened, “That thing is nothing without me! It’s just a doll to be used as I wish. Nothing but a disgusting puppet. I control the strings. Me!”
His voice echoed through the hall as he shouted.
He turned his attention to Hikita, “You will be made to obey me again. My power is absolute!”
Hikita was gritting her teeth, “You’re the disgusting one! I’ll never follow your sick orders again.”
She leveled both of her blades at Renault. Her expression twisted in a tormented scowl.
“In your rush for vengeance,” Renault laughed, “did you assume there could ever be meaning behind your actions. How preposterous! You dare be so brash!?”
Renault let out a maniacal cackle, “Ha! Ahaha! AHAHAA!”
His sickening grin warped his face further as he pointed a finger at Hikita, “I could crush your insignificant spirit with—”
“You’re a raving lunatic, Renault!” I shouted, cutting him off, “You underestimated my people and our power at every turn. Hikita is no different. Who are you to stand in our way?”
I lifted Dáinsleif to join Hikita’s dark blades, its luminous flames roared hungrily, squaring up to his accusatory finger.
Hikita’s voice resounded through the hall, “I’ve walked the very realms of the dead. Peered into the endless ebon void that stands guard over the souls of the damned. There is not a thing you could say or do that would frighten me anymore.”
“No more secrets. No more games, Renault!” I cried out, “Now, you will face judgment for the suffering you’ve spread. All divisions, fire volley!”
Flashes of all kinds of magicka flew through the air. Fireballs, spears of ice, and blinding streaks of lightning assaulted Renault and his minions.
“Your struggles mean nothing!” Renault's voice cracked, hushed beneath the thunderous crashing of spells. “The power of a God is at my command, behold!”
A building storm of void-magicks engulfed his position atop the throne, and a moment later it came hurtling toward us.
I steadied my resolve and focused a surge of magicka through my mana circuits. Together with a fiery barrier, multi-colored light covered our position, splitting the sea of void energy away from us harmlessly.
My spell continued to move through the room, washing everything aglow.
Renault snarled like a wild beast as my divine-imbued magick reached him.
He began a new rant, sounding crazed as he referred to himself in plural, “Our will is our own! We control the powers of the Void. We alone will redeem this world! We will save it from the grasp of evil—from witches like you!”
The maddened king brought down his great-staff against the marble staircase with incredible force. Fragments of the obsidian jewel in its headpiece exploded out in a nova.
Impossibly, they froze in place a few yards out from Renault and began to glow an unsettling violet hue.
One by one the shards retracted, piercing the King’s body. With each shard, more dark energy swirled around him. By the final shard, he wasn’t even visible anymore behind the vortex of void magick.
I called out to my companions, “We’ve not come this far to falter now! Whatever dark powers he aims to bring, we’ll overcome.”
From within the swirling storm of void magick, Renault’s amplified voice called out, his pitch twisted and strange, “Our birthright is to be king. One who sits above all others. We’re the king of mankind. The heir to humanity!”
“Then you shall be a king in name alone,” I imbued my voice with sound-amplifying magick for all to hear, “A hack sitting atop a ruined throne. The only heir to humanity is me!”
I roared in defiance as Renault’s spell reached its apex, unleashing a burst of magicka through the hall. The wave of power drove cracks through the marble floor, supporting pillars buckled under the weight of the gaudy room and the roof started to rain down on us—not discriminating between my soldiers and Renault’s puppet army.
Darkness began to set in, and I was engulfed in an unsettling mist. A discomforting feeling spread through my body, as if I’d been knocked over and fell at high speed.
A heavily armored knight rushed me from the shadows with no warning.
I barely managed to raise my blade to parry the attack, deflecting its path away from my throat.
The knight’s weapon, a greatsword seemingly made of intangible void, glanced across my shoulderplates. A thick, gooey remnant was left behind.
» YOU ARE AFFLICTED WITH CURSE OF THE VOID RULER (SUCCUMBED DUE TO LOW WILLPOWER)
The notification flashed in the center of my vision, and I immediately felt my grasp over my weapon loosen.
My knees felt weak and my shoulders heavy.
I quickly collapsed on the ground as my breathing shortened.
Shit, what in the Aether is this? How can I—
Before I could finish my thought, in a split-second, I was standing in an empty white space. My weapon, armor, and clothing… were missing.
Staring at me with glowing eyes was a shadowy doppelgänger of myself. The figure was a dark-crimson color, a hue between the orange of chaos magick and the red of blood.
My doppel remained quiet, though, her eyes seemed to slowly study me.
The oppressive scent of void magicka was completely gone from the space we were in, and I could feel that this was a place tied to me—not some falsity created by the void-knight’s curse.
“You don’t seem like Atë.” I said to the shadow figure, “So, which ego are you?”
PONOS.
The bloody-tinged shadow me’s voice was a lot different compared to what I was used to with Atë. Ponos’ tone was languid, as if she were recovering from a bout of exhaustion.
“I vaguely remember Atë relaying your thoughts before. What’s going on? Why am I… here, right now?”
ARE YOU TIRED?
“I am, actually. But—”
THEN WHY NOT REST?
JUST FOR A MOMENT.
LET US TAKE THE REINS.
“...I'm more afraid of what could happen if I agree.”
Ponos tilted her head and closed the distance between us. She leaned in… and sniffed me.
HMMM.
FEARFUL INDEED.
HASN'T STOPPED YOU YET.
HESITANT FOR WHAT REASON?
CERTAINLY NOT BECAUSE OF US.
YOU HESITATE BECAUSE OF YOU.
AND YOU ALONE.
“That doesn't make sense.” I bemoaned, waving a hand dismissively. “You're me and I'm you, right? That's what Atë has been preaching.”
WE ALL MAY BE ONE IN THE SAME. YET, EACH ONE IS ALSO THEIR OWN.
I AM BUT ONE FACET OF YOU, THIS IS FACT.
The shade of myself slipped her crimson fingers over my skin, leaving a streak of red as if painting my body like a canvas,
CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCE OF THAT TRUTH:
YOU ARE BUT ONE FACET OF ME—MANY FACETS OF US ALL.
OF THE MANY-SIDED FACES OF THIS JEWEL WE CALL US, WHICH IS THE ONE YOU FEAR THE MOST?
THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE, IT’S YOUR OWN.
“I don’t…”
JUST SIT.
REST THAT WEARY HEAD.
CLOSE YOUR EYES FOR BUT A MOMENT.
WHEN YOU AWAKE, I'LL HAVE HANDLED EVERYTHING FOR YOU.
As Ponos’ words drawled on slowly, I found my eyelids feeling increasingly heavy.
I tried to fight it, but a drowsy sleep eventually overcame me, no matter how hard I fought.
----------------------------------------
TIME TO WAKE UP~
A sing-song voice resound in my head.
“Atë…?” I grumbled, my mind still clouded in fog.
THE ONE AND ONLY.
“What in the Aether happened?”
My memories were slowly coming into focus. Renault cast some spell, and a knight leapt out of the void and attacked me.
Then I…
Then… I…?
What did I do?
Flashes of conflicting memories rushed into my head.
One where I took a blow to the shoulder and fainted under the effects of the curse. I succumbed to the void and the outcome was uncertain.
And the other where I took that same blow, but pressed into the attack and fought a fierce battle with the knight. I saw myself drenched in blood at the end, standing over my enemy’s corpse.
The memory was interrupted as a chunk of debris crumbled down from the roof above, landing nearby. My eyes followed it down, catching on an ever-growing puddle of blood on the ground.
The streak of red ran down the marble stones, coming back toward me.
My eyes darted down, and I found myself standing over a mangled corpse of twisted metal and slimy, void-colored goo.
“Y-You’re… a… monster….”
The figure beneath my foot struggled to speak.
WELL, WHAT ARE YOU HESITATING FOR? FINISH IT OFF. WE PUT IN QUITE A BIT OF EFFORT TO DELIVER THIS TO YOU.
I was gripping onto Dáinsleif with my left hand, my grasp was so tight that feeling in my fingers had begun to go staticky.
As if guided by another’s hand, my blade slowly sank down. It pierced the void-knight’s neck.
A final gurgling breath cursed at me from underfoot.
My vision shifted, and I was overcome by that discomforting feeling from before. I felt as if I’d been forcefully moved.
My companions came back into view, they also looked uneasy, as if they’d experienced a similar feeling.
Up atop the throne, Renault’s figure returned as well.
His dry voice stung my ears, “Oh for the—won’t anyone rid us of this meddlesome girl?”