||| THE PATH OF THE DELUGE: LUCIA |||
Aria(?) swung her saber, expecting a stream of red to splash to her feet. But to her surprise, there was none – not even a single drop. The princess glanced at her weapon, quickly realizing it was spotless.
“What the-ARGH!” Aria(?) cried out after a wall of water burst out of the ground before shoving her away from the young Nightingale. The Opal Sun Princess tumbled over backward with a perplexed expression and a drenched outfit.
“That…was seriously not cool,” said the young Nightingale after the watery barricade subsided.
“How? I felt the blade cut through your flesh,” Aria(?) growled as she sat herself up.
“Did you? Take a closer look,” Lucy pointed her thumb toward her neck.
Aria(?) narrowed her eyes and instantly noticed a transparent, film-like layer peeling off the female Nightingale’s throat. “So, that is what protected you from my blade. An armor, or a second skin made from...solidified water?”
“Something like that,” Lucy responded proudly before putting her hand over the wound on her left shoulder. After taking a deep breath, navy blue strands grew out from each of her fingers and started to pierce into the woman’s skin. Lucy bit into her lower lips as the thread moved about freely to close up the gash, thus effectively stopping the bleeding. Then, she placed the same right hand on her waist, creating a soothing, gel-like pad on the spot grazed by the princess's arrow.
“That’s a pretty impressive trick,” Aria(?) complimented. “Although I presume you can only do that for a limited number of times.”
“Maybe…maybe not.”
“Shall we put it to a test, then?” the princess spouted before thrusting her saber into the soil. The long-haired woman then gleefully grabbed the black bow strapped to her back and aimed it at the female Nightingale. “Ready or not,” Aria(?) chuckled as she drew the string, generating a brilliant arrow of light from out of nowhere.
Lucy immediately readjusted her grip on her dagger; her azure eyes were fixated on the gleaming projectile. In that instance, she felt the stinging sensation on her arm and waist returning which she knew would worsen if she kept entertaining the princess. “Man, what a drag,” Lucy murmured dejectedly.
Shortly afterward, Aria(?) released the arrow and it split into multiple smaller arrows – each one of them headed toward her opponent.
Lucy waved her dagger horizontally in response, conjuring blue arrowheads that flew through the air – meeting head-on with the arrows. As soon as the projectiles collided against each other, the dark forest was filled with deafening explosions of light. At the same time, Lucy spun around and deflected Aria’s(?) incoming saber with the latter baring her teeth in frustration. The female Nightingale then drove her dagger forward and sliced through the princess’s right thigh before retreating to a safe distance. Lucy took a hurried look at her dagger and noticed a familiar crimson streak on the blade, indicating she cut through the real Aria(?).
“Is that it? Is that the best the daughter of the great Sarah Gladia can do?” Aria(?) scoffed. The princess proceeded to hurl her saber forward, prompting Lucy to sidestep the blade. However, the young Nightingale caught a glimpse of the shadow beneath her feet shifting about and she immediately raised her dagger skyward to block Aria’s(?) bow. “You’re a persistent one, I’ll give you that,” the Opal Sun Princess remarked before leaping back onto the branches. “You do realize there’s only one way to end this fight? It’s either you or this friend of yours.”
“You…are talking way too much that you failed to mind your surroundings.”
“Wha-!” the princess gasped as she suddenly felt her entire right leg spasming up. Aria(?) directed her gaze downward; both of her eyes widened in shock after seeing a barely visible strand connecting the wound on her thigh to the female Nightingale’s dagger. “What the hell is this?” Aria(?) blurted out, but her question remained unanswered as blue tendrils broke out of the tree trunks and swiftly coiled around her limbs and torso. The princess frantically grappled with the cirri; however, she soon discovered her struggle only tightened the slithering restraints.
“You asked me if this the best the daughter of the great Sarah Gladia can do,” Lucy stated before pointing her right index finger heavenward. The ground around the female Nightingale began to rustle and then from between the grasses, small crystal-clear beads rose into the air; every single one of them hovered and congregated above the coniferous forest canopy.
“So, you’re seriously going to sacrifice your friend just to save yourself? That’s pretty cold, even for a Nightingale,” Aria(?) snickered.
“Oh, don’t worry. That thing up there – it is not heavy enough to kill her, but it will hurt really, REALLY bad,” Lucy sneered before lowering her arm, bringing along the massive water sphere onto the shackled Opal Sun Princess.
||| THE END OF THE PATH OF THE DELUGE |||
ɹɹ ********************************************
||| THE PATH OF CHANGELESSNESS: MARKUS |||
[Meanwhile…]
[Cradle of the Froghoppers]
[Second Floor]
[The Tower of Nexus]
Markus stopped dead in his tracks, a tiny smile appeared across his face after seeing a sign affixed to the grey metal door saying, ‘OFFICIAL BUSINESS ONLY’. “Someone is sure in a good mood today,” said the Captain of the Deathstalker before knocking on the door.
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“Who is it?” a muffled male voice from within the chamber.
“It’s Markus. You said you have something to show me, Mr. Theris?”
Loud rustling noises soon followed, accompanied by several vulgar phrases uttered by the occupant. A few minutes later, the entrance opened up to a spacious chamber filled with control panels and a large single monitor displaying images of different locations across the world of Discordania. However, Markus also realized that the usually hectic place was strangely empty for the night. Curious, he shifted his focus to the middle of the room where a medium-built man in his mid-20s stood restlessly next to a bluish revolving chair. Clad in a hooded tawny coat, Maximillian Theris, the Captain of the Froghopper greeted Markus with his sombre garnet eyes which were partially concealed by his messy raven hair.
“Was I interrupting something?” Markus inquired.
“No, not at all,” Max replied, a hint of nervousness could be heard in his voice. “I just…I didn’t expect you to come so soon.”
“Well, you said it was a matter of great importance, and, um…where are the other?”
“I’ve sent all of them on an errand. With the recent incident in the Edge, I dispatched my crew to keep an eye on the hotspots, just to make sure there wasn’t any...funny business happening on those locations,” Max retorted.
“Funny…business?” Markus repeated, his forehead wrinkled.
“Uh-huh. For example,” Max briskly pressed several buttons on the panel and an image popped up onto the monitor – an image of a giant standing on a hill with multiple arms attached to its trunk-like torso.
“Is that…?” Markus was at a loss for words. He slowly approached the monitor with a sullen expression, smacking his lips together in disbelief. Somewhere deep inside of him, he hoped the image was fabricated, but alas, he realized that was not the case. “Where and when was this taken?”
“About 24 hours ago, near the outskirts of the Edge,” Max responded. “It appeared during a night Raid – the same one the Empyreans were involved with.”
“And not too long after that, the massacre of the Edge happened, correct?” Markus asked and the Captain of the Froghoppers nodded his head in return. “First, the Prison of the Four Winds, now this?”
“There’s, um…actually more, and it's the main reason why I called you here.”
Alex clicked on a button, changing the image of the Hecatoncheires to that of a murky forest. Thin, subulate leaves dangled from the branches, and like a lantern, each one of them gave out a weak, silver glow. Bushes of various sizes and shapes rested at the base of the tree trunks, their translucent leaves were white as cotton and ghastly yellow orbs of light resided between the shrubs.
“The Devouring Forest,” the words flawlessly slipped out of Markus’s mouth. A brief moment later, a humanoid figure emerged from between the trees clothed in a black tattered robe while his face was hidden behind a sinister stag skull. But, what captured Markus’s eyes the most was the viridescent pole strapped to the stranger’s back. “The Hallowed One,” Markus stared at the weapon in awe. “How long has it been, Mr. Theris? Twenty? Thirty years?”
“Twenty-five – more or less.”
“Twenty-five years, huh?” the Captain of the Deathstalker let out a humorless chuckle. “Who would have thought the long-lost Core Blade of Erica the Purifier would reappear right in front of our eyes. Have you identified who that person is?”
“Nay,” Max exhaled loudly. “We’ve tried looking for different angles, but this is the best we got. Also, in case you’re wondering, this was taken six hours ago.”
Markus crossed his arms together and began to grumble. What is going on here? He thought to himself. His mind was racing, struggling to find the common denominator of the unprecedented events. Unfortunately, much to his chagrin, he could only draw a blank.
“It’s a funny business indeed,” said a female voice, prompting both Markus and Max’s heads to dart toward the corner of the room.
“How...how long have you been standing there?” Max asked Tulip, who was leaning against the wall.
“Since you showed the image of the Hecatoncheires,” Tulip answered, her glinting mulberry eyes briefly cycling between the two men before finally settling on the monitor. “The Hallowed One; how intriguing.”
“Just get straight to the point, Tulip. What brings you here, to the Cradle?” Max said impatiently.
“Rumours, Max. I’ve heard rumors that Markus sent Edelweiss and the Nightingales to the Land of the Opal Sun without the Faceless Lord’s knowledge.”
“He did what? Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Max grunted.
“Now, now, you two. There’s no need to panic, I’ve already sorted out everything with Daedalus. It will all be just fine,” Markus replied calmly.
“No need to panic?” Tulip countered. “Permission aside, you dispatched three novices to go against the Empyreans; one of them is a candidate for a seat in the Council of Eight. Not only that, your former proteges went inside the Forest of the Bandit Lord. Even if they have the Spool, they are still no match for that wretched place.”
Markus then scowled at Tulip, causing the woman to shudder. “In case you forgot, Miss Leonard, I know them longer than you. They are far more capable than you give them credit for.”
“And that is what worries me,” Tulip muttered. “Your faith in them is praiseworthy, Markus, but allowing your feelings to muddle with your judgment is a dangerous thing, especially in your current position.”
“Are you saying I’m emotionally compromised, Miss Leonard?”
“I’m saying your obsession to prove the Prophecy is wrong will end up being your own undoing.”
The entire room went silent in an instant. Then, Markus started to smile which confused both Tulip and Max. “Your honesty is appreciated, Miss Leonard,” Markus countered. “But I didn’t do it simply to satisfy my…obsession.”
“No, you want to show the Council that the Edelweiss kid is not a threat – that with proper guidance, he can be the solution to our perpetual struggle. In a perfect world, you might get what you wanted but sadly, it is not.”
“True, but there is still a slight chance for that to happen though. So, I think that’s good enough for me,” Markus smirked which only exasperated Tulip even further.
“Just give it up, Tulip,” Max interjected while scratching his right cheek. “You know how Markus is when he’s dead set on something.”
Tulip glared at Max, her lips parted a little as if she intended to rebuke the man, but for some reason, the ill-tempered woman suddenly changed her mind at the very last minute. “You know what? Forget about it. I should’ve known better than trying to dissuade the Captain of the Deathstalker.”
“It is a good attempt, I must say.”
“Don’t push it, Max,” Tulip lashed back, shortly before looking over to Markus once again. “So, you really believe they’ll pull it off?”
“Yes, Miss Leonard – and you should too.”
||| THE END OF THE PATH OF CHANGELESSNESS |||