But what horrifies Lou is the crystal on her head. No, it’s in her head. It’s like a crystalline stalagmite which has been sharpened from both ends, then stabbed into her head with an intent to kill. Half of the crystal has sunk in, while the other half is displayed. Also, she is bleeding from that ‘wound’ even now. Yet she seems to live like all that blood wouldn’t matter to her.
“I am ethereal to you, but I am real. What I truly want, is to bring him down to the pit where he can learn from his mistakes. And you will help me, whether you wanted it or not! Tee-hee...”
“What the...”
She tilts her head to the other side. “Welcome to the madness.”
***
An hour later, at one of Lou’s many houses, she shakes off the cloak and kicks it somewhere out of her way. Her home is a big building of which only a portion belongs to her, as she doesn’t afford to have a whole house due to owning several places. She’s living under a land lord’s foot, basically. She has three rooms in her quarters. One of them is a kitchen and living room altogether. One is a bathroom, and the last is the bedroom. Although it’s a medieval world, the Elementi have made it possible to make houses quite comfortable.
As for her other homes, they’re spread all over the country. Lou is an assassin; she needs to have hideouts where she can wait quietly, or hide from pursuers.
Lou sits down by a table in the kitchen. By no means it took an hour for her to walk back home, but instead, it took only seven minutes to do so. As to how she or anyone else can keep up with the flow of time, clocks and watches made with the Elementi of Time help a lot. Having a clock or watch doesn’t require one to be an Elementalist, but maintaining one might be troublesome.
For over fifty minutes after ‘welcoming Lou to madness’ like she declared, Lou’s been accompanied by her all that time. Though Lou’s tried to arrest her for acting like a rebel, she couldn’t really do more than hold her hand. She attempted to use handcuffs, which are part of her equipment as a government official, but she somehow opened the lock with the mere flick of a finger. She also tried a few other things as well, but no results, only embarrassment.
Once Lou gave up trying to arrest her, she heard her muttering something; “His chains still linger on you. Just you wait, soon you’ll be free.” That made no sense to Lou.
And yes, right now, as she sits at the table, she stands right in front of Lou, smiling happily, and not with an insane look to it. But the oozing blood makes her figure look that of a monster in a child’s body. Lou herself isn’t really scared of her, but she is baffled.
What puzzles her even more is the fact so far only Lou has been able to see her. It makes her wonder if she’s gone bonkers, or if this thing before her is actually real.
“So tell me, why should I go as far as killing them?” Lou asks, wondering why she should go on a rampage and kill her superiors. Hell, she isn’t even capable of doing so alone. Frankly, Louir is a powerful Elementalist, but only because she isn’t following the rules of the Elementi. Nevertheless, she isn’t powerful enough to stand alone against the Order. Three elites and she’ll be subdued.
“Because they are behind all the bad things happening in this town? The economy is plummeting because they try to fund the Elementalist Academy, and by doing so, they gradually turn this area into an Elementalist-oriented sector, which means there’s no room for other civilians. Not only that, the guards were paid to pay less attention to normal civil matters and focus on matters that involve Elementalists only, and of course, work in the Elementalists’ favor. I could go on for a while, but I bet you know the situation in this town well, don’t you?”
“That isn’t a reason good enough to turn me against my superiors.”
“Oh? I wasn’t trying that. I was just trying to enlighten you. The world is different from what we see, you know. As for the real reason; do you value your own life?”
“I do. While I’d help people in trouble, I still prioritize my own safety over the people in trouble. That’s what most of the people would do anyway.”
“Then you prioritize your own life over the lives of your superiors, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Then kill them. It’s either you or them, and that much I can guarantee.”
“How am I supposed to believe you? I’m still uncertain whether you’re just my imagination or a real thing. I’ve heard stories of people seeing things that feel real while they really aren’t. Sometimes resulting in suicide, for instance. And you’re basically proposing a suicide.”
“Ah, right. Since other people can’t see me, you don’t trust me. Tell me, if I went outside and let myself be seen by everyone, would you believe me then?”
Lou glares deep into her eyes, considering the offer. If she were seen by the public, Lou’d confirm she hasn’t gone nuts. However, if she did prove it, Lou’d also have to take on the whole Order. Not only because she wants to honor the promise, but also because her life does appear to be in danger because of the Order. She’d fight them. Death doesn’t sound too appealing to her.
However, why would the ‘girl’ want to help her? Lou goes through some possibilities in her head, and two come to her mind. First, the girl wants to get rid of the Order for her personal gain. Second, she needs Lou’s aid for who-knows-what reason, and for that, she needs to keep Lou alive, hence the whole idea of destroying the Order, which threatens Lou’s life, apparently.
“Let’s assume I managed to destroy the Order somehow, what then?”
“Then we do things I really need your aid for.”
“And that’d include what?”
“Umm, I don’t know yet. I have a general grasp of what, but it isn’t enough to clarify you of it. It includes quite a few things, but in short, the whole plan is to bring chaos.”
“Why?”
“To bring him down.”
“And who is this, he?”
“Err... just an old acquaintance of mine who likes to play a game he doesn’t understand. Trust me, you won’t like him after getting to know who he really is. Or more like, what he seems to be. So, will you accept the offer?”
“If you prove your existence real.”
She smiles like a devil. In a moment’s notice, she has begun to walk towards the exit. Lou follows her all the way to the front door of the medieval apartment complex. She’ll watch from a window as the girl—nay, the devil proves her existence.
The devil girl walks with proud steps, still invisible to the people. Once she is in the middle of the street where people pass by regularly, she turns around to see Lou behind the window. She raises her arms exaggeratedly to show off, her manifestation visible to all.
At first, the people shift their gazes to her, baffled, bewildered, or just surprised, everyone with their own expression. Once the ladies realize that she has a magnificent wound on her head, they begin screaming out of terror. Children hide where they think it’s safe. Men act differently.
The main point is that she does exist.
Lou can only believe it, and now she can’t help thinking she’d just witnessed her own life become a mess.
For some reason, I feel like the end is near.
***
When the Sun descends, and the Moon ascends, a traveler on horseback is riding to the capital of Poer Haem: Hantor. The city is vast, and the houses are built of timber. The King’s castle is enormous. Its highest tower is a hundred yards tall. Quartz is the main material, white and gorgeous.
The road is lighted by the flames of the Elementi, brought to life by the traveler. Her hair and eyes are golden as she attunes Fire.
She began her journey right when the last light of the day was gone. Like she promised, she’ll purge the Order from inside. The reason that drives her the most is her own life. She could try hiding from the Order instead, but a promise is a promise. Also, she does have confidence in her ability. Furthermore, the devil girl has a plan.
As a side note, Lou has decided to call her a de
vil girl.
“Will you come with me to Hantor?” Lou asked her earlier.
“Later. For now, you’ll have to do without me. Travel there and spend one night in a tavern. I’ll find you. There are other people I need to convince. Tee-hee.”
Lou’s home isn’t far from Hantor, so she’ll reach the city before dawn. Though she was told to spend a night there, she doubts the devil thought Lou’d reach Hantor early enough to have shelter for tonight already. Of course, by the time she gets to Hantor, it’ll be early in the morning, but it’ll be dark nonetheless. She should be able to sleep for a few hours, however.
Lou prepared dried rations for five days. In addition to that, she also has the basics needed for long-term survival such as a knife and rope.
The cold night breeze brushes her as she rides. Whereas the road is illuminated, the forest around her is dark. Lou doesn’t have her eyes used to the darkness. The flames of the Elementi prevent her from gaining the natural night vision.
“As for the plan, you should prepare yourself for sewer crawling.” The devil told her before departure.
“I can handle that.”
Remembering the exchange of words, a sudden thought comes to Lou’s mind. She halts her horse, looking behind as if there was something she forgot to pick up.
Just what drives me to do this so hard?
She is puzzled. She’d have never accepted such a task without further proofs. She was merely told this and that, not given any evidence.
It felt like I wasn’t in control of my own body.
She is risking her life, and the risk is truly high. Yet she’s been riding so eagerly. She’s horrified of her own determination to bet on her own life, especially now that she feels like she’s gained control over her body again.
But... still...
But still. Lou feels like she is about to do the right thing. She cannot comprehend it herself, but she must do it for reasons she doesn’t know yet. She urges the horse on.
For that unknown sake, I’ll raze the HQ.
***
Once Lou has reached Hantor, she is leading her horse in the streets of the city to a tavern where she’ll rest for a few hours. The inn is called ‘Mind’s Realm,’ meant for Elementalists only. She rides her horse into a stable next to the place. She then enters the saloon.
“Get me a bottle of rum! Haven’t drunk in a while.” The beer Lou drank in his hometown doesn’t count as a drink to her. The rum she’ll get soon will most likely be the last in a while for her.
As she looks for a place to sit on, the saloon turns quiet for the most part. Lou has no idea why, but once she sits down, she, too, can’t help but be mystified, for there is a figure standing in the middle of the room, dressed in dark robes, her face covered with a bandana. She doesn’t look foreign, as her skin color is as pale as Lou’s. Although most of the Elementalists think she is a woman, they can’t tell for sure.
But those eyes...! Lou is alarmed, just like everyone else. And that hair color!
The mysterious Elementalist takes a look around as if she was amused. The Elementi she is currently attuning dyes her eyes dark violet, whereas her hair looks black under the hood, but those with keen eyes can tell her hair is dark violet as well, so dark that calling it black isn’t far-fetched.
The Elementi of dark violet, the one that’s banned all around the world. The moment someone is caught using it, it’s an instant death sentence, regardless of the country.
“What’s the matter? Am I not welcome?” After hearing the sinister Elementalist’s voice, anyone can tell she is a woman. In fact, the voice sounds familiar to Lou, but no matter how hard she tries, she can’t remember anyone with such voice.
Those who aren’t drunk prepare to fight her and those who aren’t sober try to comprehend the situation. Since it’s a tavern of Elementalists, even the owner is prepared to call forth the powers of the land.
“You ain’t welcome here!” The owner speaks rudely.
For the past centuries, no one has reported of a violet Elementi attuner, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that no one has sighted such an Elementalist. After all, it’s an Elementi that seeks to annihilate the world, and thus if someone saw such a person, they’d be killed by the attuner most likely.
One of the Elementalists grows anxious. He casts a small, molten arrow, aimed at the woman in dark robes. His colors were brown just a moment ago, but now he has the colors of Molten Elementi: dark red.
The spell hits the mark, skewering the woman by the chest. The others, including Lou, watch in horror as the woman refuses to fall. Her eyes speak of her pain and wrath. She should be dead. Her lungs have been punctured, and the heat is burning her innards.
With a raspy voice, she speaks. “You... went too far!”
The male Elementalist, who has shot the spell at her, has his belly burst open as if a bomb were detonated, his guts splattering all over the floor.
“Next!” The sinister Elementalist shouts.
She waves her right hand like she was motioning the nearest customer to come over, and a female attuner is forcefully pulled to the dark Elementalist by the power she harnesses.
Two other Elementalists try to stop her by executing a common spell combination to stop her. The other one removes air from her lungs with the aid of the Elementi of Air, and the other casts a spell of Fire, causing a burst of fire in front of the woman, and due to lack of air in her lungs, she inhales the flames reflexively. The bandana doesn’t protect her nostrils, and therefore, the heat is sucked in.
The arrow is still stuck to her, and her lungs are burning. She cries madly, yet she doesn’t fall.
“The hell is she!?”
“Can’t you tell by looking at her eyes!?”
“Kill her while we still can!”
As they plan to destroy the monster before them, the sinister Elementalist casts a shockwave around her, knocking everything over—except Lou.
“Die! Die you all!”
She goes ballistic, casting a horrifying spell upon the one who removed the air in her lungs. His head starts bulging, growing until it’s exponentially bigger, resembling a rotten piece of meat, totally malformed. Then, the head opens, or rather, the mouth of the unrecognizable thing gapes. It swallows the other Elementalist who summoned the burst of fire whole. Once it has consumed him, the cursed Elementalist hunts for more to devour.
Most of the Elementalists cry in terror and the rest try to fight back by destroying the abomination. As they’re at it, the cause of the horror casts another spell, summoning a violet orb in the midst of several drunken attuners. The sphere sucks those around it within, disappearing after swallowing eight. They cease to exist with that.
“Die!”
The sinister woman casts more spells, sending forth violet arrows that won’t kill on hit, but instead, those hit by the arrows age so fast it takes only ten seconds for them to grow old enough to die on the spot.
She flails her arms repeatedly to hurl more and more spells, the molten arrow still stuck in her. With each waving of her hand, someone’s head explodes. Some of the gore paints Lou’s face. She is frozen still in horror. She herself has butchered countless criminals and assassinated important people on behalf of the Order, but she never did something as brutal as that.
What’s going on...? Lou thinks to herself.
Why is that woman here? She feels like she’s seen her before.
Her instincts take over. She starts fighting the sinister woman herself, calling forth the Lightning Elementi, dying her bloodied hair red.
“Take this...!” Lou cries as she summons a red Lightning whip that crackles furiously.
Before she can swing it, the violet attuner warps somehow, teleporting behind Lou. Her heart skips a beat. Her death is nigh. However, for some reason, the dark Elementalist woman doesn’t kill her on the spot, but instead, she whispers into Lou’s ear...
“To think that I’m a fool.”
Puzzled by the words, Lou’s gri
p on the whip loosens. A tear streams down her face. She knows she’ll die a brutal death. But then again, she had it coming after killing so many.
“Now, be a good girl and sit tight.”
Stunned, Lou obeys her, closing her eyes as she does. She hopes she won’t become a monster like the one that’s rampaging and consuming the others in the saloon even now. Though it has absorbed so many already, it doesn’t grow in size at all.
However, the dark woman won’t kill her. She keeps butchering the others instead. Lou’s vision grows hazy because of horror. Heads are severed, more brains splatter, limbs are torn off, and guts are spilled. Lou can hear the screams, but nothing else.
Why!?
A piece of flesh lands on her face.
Why is she...!?
A spell flies past her, cutting some of her hair with it.
Why does she kill so earnestly...!?
A spray of blood paints her further.
Why won’t she kill me!!!?
And then, all the cries die out. No more gore is splattered, and with it, Lou’s mind goes blank. She can’t tell what’s going on, or even understand the very fact she is a living human. Her eyes are round open, red like the Elementi she is harnessing. Thanks to the shock, she can’t even feel the terror.
There she sits, waiting for something she can’t picture, staring at nothing in particular.
“...!”
“...?”
“...”
Some loud noises resound, but Lou can’t hear them. Her ears are shutting out all the voices for the sake of her sanity. However, she is starting to see eyes all around her, eyes that stare at her with empty gazes, eyes that look evil, eyes that inspire chaos.
Then something hits her, making her go unconscious.
Chapter Two
Shadow of the Titan
Far to the South, in a land where winters are cold, and summers are barely warm, there is a ring. It’s larger than one might imagine from hearing the word. It’s a plain piece of land, covering miles. The ring is formed by eight hills that constitute a ridge altogether, surrounding the level field.
Apocalyptic Life (Era Series Book 2) Page 2
