An absolute silence descended upon the cavern. Everyone and everything stood frozen in time, except for Sebastian, celebrating his discovery. Even the living embodiment of fire and darkness remained motionless, its low terrified cry and the charcoal flames the only sigh of life.
Huffing and gulping breaths, I recovered stamina. I was almost completely depleted of quint, every second counted.
The UniQue closed its hands into tight fists, and its wings, which had previously closed out of fear, reopened fully, unleashing a deafening roar. Preparing ourselves, both me and Seth were ready to continue the fight, however, in contrast to our expectations, the creature turned and, with a sturdy step, leaped up, flying directly for Sebastian.
Sebastian panicked, attacked with a fireball that exploded, and unleashed multiple smaller versions of themselves, all aiming at the beast. The beast, full of hatred and malice, opened its maw and hellfire devoured the minuscule attacks. As the black flames reached closer, Daniel appeared from a nearby pillar and, with his shield extended and the green aura around him, threw himself in, blocking the ravaging flames.
As the beast was about to conjure another weapon of fire, it suddenly stopped and froze, the flapping of its wings ceasing, its feet touching the ground. With a low growl full of fear and dread, it stumbled backward, its head fixated on something in the distance.
Seizing the moment, Seth and I caught up to the beast.
"Don't hold back on me now!" I yelled at him, gathering the remaining quint from my core and the rest of my body into my blade. Quint surged to my hand the augmentation surroundings my body subsiding.
With a final push, the quint entered my sword. The dim blue fire ignited with a wave of purple, the pinnacle of combination between fire and water. The flame grew beyond the outline of my sword, tripling in size at the very least. Yet, I wasn't done. That was rudimentary levels of augmentation. Taking it a step further, I compressed the flames back into the shape of my blade, intensifying the potency of my attack to the max.
Seth matched and even went beyond me, unleashing waves of wind and then retracting them back at the tip of his sword where a silvery light edged.
With raw, unadulterated screams, we did our best to distract ourselves from the growing aches in our cores.
I stepped closer to the beast, the echoes of my feet the only sound reaching my ears. My surroundings blurred, and my eyes focused solely on my target. My heart raced, and my blood pumped with adrenaline as I leaped and raised my sword for one final horizontal slash.
Behind me, a loud burst snapped, and my hearing returned. As my sword fell in contact with the beast, so did Seth's wind bullet. A blinding explosion of power and light shook the entire cavern, the surrounding pillars blowing away by the sheer force.
Tremors coursed through my body the moment my feet touched the ground. Everything was aching and with no quint left in my core, I was on the brink of backlash.
Thud!
A low sound came from behind me. Despite my body's protests, I half-turned to see what had fallen. A wry smile touched my lips, but even the half-turn proved too much, and I collapsed. However, it didn't matter. We had done it.
The UniQue's head had fallen.
The beast, despite being defenseless and the intensity of the combination of attacks, stood tall and mighty, refusing to fall even in the face of death, golden liquid running from its back.
My eyes felt heavy and were slowly closing.
Thud!
Another noise came. Forcing my eyes open, it was Seth, collapsing behind the fallen creature.
‘Ah… this fucker… he waited for me to fall before he gave out.’
The world slowly blurred, but before my eyelids were sealed shut, a blackish-orange-colored core shined from the back of the beast as it fell into the puddle of golden liquid.
Before drifting into unconsciousness, footsteps drew closer, along with the voices of Daniel, Sebastian, and Samantha.
...
Darkness. Absolute darkness. Everywhere… nowhere… an endless void, filled with absolute nothingness. In this emptiness, all my fatigue vanished. It was meaningless… insignificant.
Heh, how could fatigue exist in an endless void?
It was so peaceful… Feeling both nothing and everything at the same time was surprisingly serene. I felt I was a tiny speck in the vast universe, yet it also felt like all this, everything and nothing, existed solely for me alone.
A warm feeling enveloped me.
‘Wouldn't it be nice to relax and lie down? Wait… lie… down? My body! Where is my body!? Where is… my body? Where… am…I... Who… am…’
Slowly, my thoughts felt more and more sluggish, like scattered fragments left behind to dissolve into the expansive void.
"..."
In the distance, a faint sound was heard.
‘For an empty void is sure is noisy… Wait! Noise?’
Suddenly my drowsiness disappeared, the fragments connected, and my body snapped into place. But something wasn't right. The body-my body, felt strange, foreign, as if it wasn't mine. Clenching and unclenching my hands, I was met with profound numbness.
The distant sound grew into a low whisper.
"...Back."
"Give.... Back."
Panicking in the absence of my senses, I started pinching and slapping myself, but still no sensation. Then realization struck me like thunder.
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If I have my body, then I have my core.
As if the space around me listened to my command, my tattoo's outline lit up. Releasing quint through my body, my form gleamed, my senses sharpened, and I reconnected with my physical self.
"Give... it... back…"
Once my sensations were fully back, the light I exuded deemed, however, in the far distance of the unending darkness, a dim light emerged akin to the soft glow of a start in the night, and I was drawn to it.
The closer I reached for the star, the whisper solidified into a crisp voice, increasing in frequency. The shine intensified and a growing pain surged through my body. Initially, I brushed it off, thinking it was my senses returning, however, it soon became clear; the pain was very much real and wasn't planning on stopping.
"Give it back."
It became overwhelming. I tried to stop, to stay away from the light, but I couldn’t control my body. The more I struggled, the faster my body moved, and with it, the pain escalated. Soon, red cracks began forming in my arms, resembling tree branches, reaching deeper into my body.
"Give it back!"
The growing voice became a thunderous scream, its agonizing wails piercing through my mind.
Desperate, I pressed my hands against my ears, but it offered no respite; the screams seemed to sear through my very flesh. Amidst the torment, I clenched my eyes shut, bracing myself for the worst.
Abruptly, the voice ceased, replaced by an intense, crimson light that seared my closed eyelids.
"Give it back!" It roared, more deafening than ever.
"...light."
"Give it back!"
My eyes were forced open to a scene more hellish than the deep depths we just ventured. The crimson light had grown into a blazing inferno, and the voice resumed its relentless cries.
"Give it back!"
The burning agony intensified as I watched chunks of my flesh peel away and erupt in flames.
"Give it back! Give it back! Give it back!" The voice's demands became a torment of their own.
"...light."
"Give it back! Give it back! Give it back!"
More and more of my skin peeled off. My arms unrecognizable from what was left of them as more cracks formed and more flesh peeled off the rest of my body. I screamed in torment, but the voice continued.
"Give it back! Give it back! Give it back!"
"Twinlight."
"Give it back! Give it back! Give it back!"
"Give what back!?" I yelled back in agony, but no new response came. My form, unrecognizable only small fragments left of it. The rest burned away into nothingness as I screamed in desperation, unable to do anything to save myself as the screaming and yelling continued.
"Give it back! Give it back! Give it back!"
"Twinlight."
"Give it back! Give it back! Give it back!"
"Twinlight!"
Jolting up, I gasped for air, drenched in sweat. A moment passed before realizing there was no crimson, fire, or pain and the surroundings came into view. I was back in the UniQue's lair.
‘It...it was a dream? But it felt so real… And those ravings… give it back, give it back…’
Before me stood Seth, Daniel, Samantha, and Sebastian, each wearing a different expression. Daniel and Sebastian looked shocked, while Samantha was dropped on the ground rubbing her temples. Seth… this bastard had this calm expression, but deep down, I knew he was the most worried out of everyone else.
"H-how long was I out for?" I stammered, still shaken.
"A little over fifteen minutes," Daniel answered, his face still withdrawn.
"Are you alright?" Seth asked, concern in his eyes.
I pressed hard on my nasal bridge. Closing my eyes, I focused on my senses, meticulously checking every part of my body, the terror of the nightmare still hunting me. After confirming that my senses and the rest of my body were intact, I let out a sigh of relief.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine."
Reopening my eyes, they landed on Sebastian, who clutched that peculiar rock with an almost possessive grip.
Samantha made a gesture with her wand, and I gave her a nod of confirmation to heal me. Once her incantation was finished, I flinched at the sensation. Slowly, starting from my right, the aches and exhaustion I had felt intensified, spreading throughout my body. Then, with another incantation, green lines formed across my skin, just like the ones in my dream. This time, instead of having my flesh peeled off and burned, the pain gradually subsided.
Connecting the dots, I reached for my forehead. Peeking through my fingers, thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed my embarrassment. What made me tremble in fear was nothing more than Samantha's spell… The pain and numbness can be explained by my emptied core.
‘Damn… good job Twinlight…’
My eyes fell back on Sebastian, who was fully absorbed in the mysterious rock.
‘What is that thing, anyway? It is just a normal rock. Why can't I take my eyes off it?’
Looking closer, my eyes widened.
No, it wasn’t a normal rock. Other than its rainbow color, it emitted a pressure no ordinary rock could. Previously, it was hidden by the rich quint present in the lair, but now that I paid a closer attention to it, it was clear as day.
How did Sebastian find it?
Feeling a yawn coming on from my sudden waking, my lips parted. However, before my mouth could open halfway, my eyes shot open, and I promptly clamped my mouth shut, dispelling the sweet sensation.
With half-opened eyes, I saw the rock move. It moved! No, it was more like the pulse of a heartbeat. My brows knit, but before I could see any closer, Sebastian hid the rock behind his coat, shooting stern glares at me. It was then that I realized my hand had unconsciously extended toward the mysterious object.
Quickly retracting it, I averted my gaze.
Pushing my thoughts and questions to the back of my mind, I closed my eyes and concentrated on my treatment. Gradually, I could feel my body improving, the aches fading away one by one. When I reopened them again, my gaze turned to the UniQue. The creature stood tall just as I remembered it, however, the core that shined in the puddle of golden blood was missing.
I frowned, remembering the end of the fight. At the time, I didn't pay it much attention, however, now that I thought about it, what did it see that made it frightened to the point of freezing in place? Moving my gaze into the direction of its now empty eyes, I felt my blood turning ice cold.
"The… the…" I mumbled out loud, trembling in horror.
Far into the distance of the vast darkness, the same light I saw in my dream was there. Just like in the dream, like a small star, it lit the void in a faint gleam.
My heart raced, my breathing quickened, and a knot formed in my throat, making it hard to swallow.
"We have to get out of here."
Everyone turned with weirded-out expressions.
"Now!" I snapped, my worry and nervousness leaking from my voice.
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Seth was the one to ask.
I cast a nervous glance back, and my heart skipped a beat as the once-dim light now grew brighter, drawing nearer by the second. "There's no time to explain! Gather up and go now!"
Heading to my urgency, they all listened.
If reality mirrored my dream, if we failed to escape, it would be better to end our lives than to suffer the fate of being consumed by those flames. The exit wasn't hard to locate, but the distance was another matter. It took too much time—time we couldn't afford to waste.
Behind us, despite our increasing speed, the light continued to draw nearer. The dormant pillars illuminated as the light passed through them, and soon enough, every pillar present was glowing. However, nothing happened. No searing heat, no marks on our bodies, no peeling flesh. Nothing.
Sebastian stopped. "Ranger Twinlight, what's going on? Why are we running?" His tone underlined irritation.
‘Fool, you are putting everyone in danger!’
"The light…" I said breathlessly, pointing behind me.
"What light? What are you talking about?" He retorted with obvious annoyance in his voice.
Confused, I turned back to look. Besides the now-illuminated pillars, there was no light coming in our direction. There was only the darkness.
Turning to face them, my jaw dropped, and my strength left my body.
I was mistaken. It wasn't a light; the light was a byproduct of its presence.
Above us, it radiated with white flames that eclipsed the UniQue's shadow fire. Its form was sleek and graceful, royal even, shimmering in a mesmerizing dance of crimson, orange, gold, and white.
Four expansive wings stretched across the cavern ceiling, lighting up the darkness and revealing its full height in a fiery white tapestry. As it unfurled its wings, each of its feathers resembled flickering tongues of flames and embers scattered in all directions, creating a dazzling cascade of sparks of different colors, further illuminating the surroundings.
Meeting its eyes, two suns stared back at me, and I quickly averted. That glimpse was enough to tell me these fiery orbs of intense heat would sear one's retinas if stared for too long.
"A... Phoenix," I muttered in awe.