“Doesn’t answer my question! What would we have to do?” Ronard repeats what he said.
The devil answers, “To defend from the invasion of Rajash and fight those who fight for him. You’ll know by watching who will try to attack you and who don’t. Whether it’s your friend or family, they may fight for that bastard. So, what say you? Would you like to die? I wonder how easy it’ll be to rip your throat open with my nails. I’ll do it, you know.”
“Why must we either die or join you?”
“Because if you didn’t join me, you’d be in our way, and I don’t like that. If you joined us, on the other hand, you’d be of great help. Understand? I want freaking results, not problems. However, if you promise to leave us alone, I won’t eviscerate you with my nails.”
Guards have found the hole Lou and Ion made. Swearing and shouting can be heard from up there. They can’t come down through the Lightning field, nor can they make a new hole, as it can cause the place to collapse. From the sounds of it, they’re sending men to open the doors downstairs. And in fact, they can get in that way, using the Elementi to move the mass Lou has used to block the entrances.
“So, we would have to kill our own kind, just like you are doing? On top of that, we must defend from Rajash? Tell me, Louir, is it all worth it? You have gone as far as betraying your own kind. Do you regret it even a little?”
Lou doesn’t answer, for she fears that her answer may anger Ronard. She doesn’t hold any lingering emotions, and the raven figure above her is draining what’s left of her soft character.
“Why so silent suddenly?” He inquires.
The devil speaks, “Fine then. I’ll make a better offer. You and your imbeciles will follow the King’s orders like you always do, except that you ignore Lou and Ion. Don’t bother them anyhow, and that way, you’ll live, until the apocalypse claims the lives of those who must die.”
Sweat dripping, the leader of the Order nods. “I promise you that no one from the Order will ever cause you any trouble. However, if you start trouble on your own accord, we will act accordingly. Are we good?”
“Sure. It’s a win-win situation. You’ll live, and we won’t run into further trouble with the Order.” She appears to be happy.
“We really aren’t killing them?” Lou asks.
“Nah. The reason why we came here was to ensure your and Ion’s safety, was it not? I did say that we should kill these old farts, but as you can see, they’ve agreed to let us be.” She isn’t lying, but neither is she telling the whole truth.
The leaders of the Order hang their heads, seething. They’ve never been humiliated before, not like that. They can tell the girl before them is powerful enough to kill them all, even without the aid of Lou and Ion, so they won’t risk fighting. They’ve also gathered she isn’t just a child; she is far older than the world itself.
But if she is as old as they think, why is she acting so aggressively? A being that has lived for eons should be wise beyond measure, yet the girl speaks like a psychopath. However, her reasoning is strong.
Chapter Nine
Destruction
With its eternal sorrow never ending, the colossal destroyer of the world marches on, its dark figure ever so steady. It has stomped towns and cities alike on its way to the Heart of the World. It’ll stop at nothing.
Suddenly, without any apparent reason, the Titan stops. It stands still, just gazing at the horizon. Slowly, it starts kneeling, corrupting the land underneath it. Once in the kneeling pose, its massive figure disappears into thin air, only to appear a hundred miles closer to Poer Haem.
Thus it resumes its march to the Heart. However, there’s a city next to it. Everything must be expunged, but instead of stopping to destroy it, the Titan shakes, dropping millions of small black dots. It looks like a rain of darkness to the humans nearby.
Upon landing, those dots turn into monsters, some with four legs, some without legs, and some with several arms. All of them share two things in common if nothing else: the sharp killing tools, and the dark Phantom body. Those monsters aren’t separate creatures. They are part of the Titan.
Without minding all the death taking place in the city nearby, the destroyer keeps advancing. The Old One is urging it on, but the two trapped souls resist the call. However, no matter how hard they try to stop the body they’re supposed to control, they just can’t. The Seed is too powerful for them to handle.
The Seed in the First World was a rock. In this Third World, it was the same. Now, the Seed is part of the Titan. Nay, that’s how it’s been ever since the creation of the Titan. The Supreme God of this replicated world was used as the construction material for the Titan, and the Seed was integrated into it. To ensure that it has a mind, two mortals were embedded into the dark colossus to serve as its mind. If not for them, the Titan would’ve destroyed the world long ago.
The two souls, trapped in eternal torment, aren’t from this world. They barely remember what it was like when they still lived. In fact, the other remembers only one thing: his darling. The other can still recall vague images of her life from her childhood until her death when she was an adult.
They both share one thing in common; they know a girl, the girl. However, neither can remember her name. After all, it’s been 16,916 years since they were taken from the First World.
Chapter Ten
Raven
Without their consent, Lou and Ion are Teleported out of the Order’s headquarters by the devil girl. She doesn’t use Arcana to cast it, which is making Ion puzzled. Now, they have only two enemies, the army and the Rajash invaders.
Ronard and the elders are sitting silently in the gathering room. With Lou far away, the Lightning field in the hole disappears, and the guards rush in, checking on their leaders.
“Sir! Are you okay?”
“Should we bring medics?”
“Where are the rebels!?”
The elders remain silent. Ronard holds his face, sweating. He never thought he’d be overwhelmed by a little girl in front of his brethren. No, it’s wrong to call that devil girl just a child. She is like an adult whose body hasn’t developed. And in fact, she is very, very old.
“Do not look for them. Do not hunt them. Do not trouble them.” Out of the blue, Ronard gives his orders.
“Excuse me, sir?” An elite asks.
“Do as I say.”
“Yes, Sir!” The Elementalist nods. “The Void attuner is gone, Sir.”
“Hmm? Did she flee?”
“Yes. She disappeared right in front of our noses, Sir.”
“I see.”
***
In the good old cabin they spent hours earlier, Lou and Ion appear through a portal. Ion is sick of all the Teleporting. There is no telling when he makes a mistake and dies on the spot, although the portal isn’t his doing. The devil did it, and she is with them in the house.
“A nice little house you found,” the devil speaks.
“Agreed. Though I’d like some pillows and a good bed,” Lou shares her opinion aloud.
“My thighs agree with her.”
“I can make it happen. Think of it as a reward.” The devil smiles.
They stare at her with doubtful looks. They aren’t really expecting her to bring a bed over, but if she does, it’s all the better.
“I don’t think you can get it here before the Titan gets here,” Ion says.
“Oh, don’t worry, I will get you a bed before that happens!”
With that, the devil steps out to get a bed for them. Lou makes up her mind to start cooking, her hair and eyes now white only, and not twin-colored. There is an old frying pan and a few pots Lou can use. She’ll make a soup today. Lots and lots of meat included. She attunes Fire to do the cooking.
He’ll eat all of it, I bet.
Ion removes the excess clothes and tries to sleep on the floor. As he does, he glances at Lou, and there’s something about her, like she was missing an important aspect unique to her.
Soon enou
gh, he gathers what it is; the raven is gone, and he has no idea what happened to it, or what it was in the first place. Thinking back on a few things, he sits up, deciding that he can’t get any rest on the floor. He wants to ask a few things anyway.
“Lou, why didn’t you mention that you’re the dual attuner?”
“Because it was supposed to be a secret, but since I ran into elites, I kinda had to start breaking things.”
“Then how do you do it? You oughta have a special gift, am I right?”
“Well, in short, I’m a mutant in a sense. When I was a kid, I accidentally drank a potion only adult Elementalists can drink, as it can kill non-Elementalists, and especially kids. What it did to me kinda surprised even the alchemist. I got the power to attune Elementi at a young age, and two of them at the same time, at that. So yeah, the Elementi never gave me their powers. I took their powers. That’s why I can demand horrendous spells from them with ease. And by the way, the alchemist was my foster family.”
“What does the potion do?”
“It renews Elementalists. Basically, it’s filling up the energy storage, I suppose. Anyway, some people combine it with alcoholics. It sure serves as a good refresher if done so.”
“How’s the casualty rate of drinking it for non-Elementalists?”
“Well, I’m the first to have survived drinking it, apparently. There are no recordings of anyone else getting the same results.”
“Oh...” Ion remains silent for a moment, watching Lou as she cooks. “What about the bright light you made during the infiltration? I didn’t dare to look at it directly.”
“I merely made use of my dual attuning. With Fire, I made a flaming sword. With Air, I boosted it by adding extra oxygen. The result is a white flame.”
“You can’t really make such combinations with Arcana. I’m jealous.”
“But you can be invisible with your powers.”
“Yeah. It’s useful.” Ion doesn’t sound too enthusiastic.
“I mean, isn’t it a dream of every man to get such an ability? Stealing looks at naked women—wait, forget what I said!” For a moment, she forgot she is a woman too. However...
“What for?” Ion is a blockhead, and Lou knows it.
Phew, Lou is relieved by his lack of common sense.
“Sorry for the wait!” The devil girl steps in, carrying a wide mattress with her. “I have pillows and a blanket outside. Ion, go get‘em.”
“You said you’d bring a bed, but brought a mattress instead!? And only one!? What are we, a couple?”
“Listen, Lady I-Want-to-Be-Peeked-at, if you aren’t happy with this, then help yourself and go get a real bed yourself.”
“I’ll sleep with him,” Lou states fast and firmly. She doesn’t like the idea of dragging a bed from who-knows-where. Even with the Force Elementi, it’d take a while, and they don’t have that kind of time.
“Good girl.”
Ion comes in with the pillows and the blanket. “Why would you want to be peeked at?” Asking Lou, Ion tilts his head.
“Say that one more time, and you won’t eat for days. End of the discussion.”
“Huh? And I was merely curious...” Ion is a really smart gentleman—definitely not.
“Okay, so,” She begins, “I want you guys to wait here until I’ve settled some things. Take a nap or something.”
“I’m content with that,” Ion says.
Lou just keeps cooking.
***
Once the food is ready and Ion is digging in, Lou is munching on a dried piece of meat, watching through a window. She had her share of the soup already. She has nothing else to do. Also, dawn has come.
Come out.
“Huh?” Lou exclaims.
“What is it?”
“Someone asked me to go outside.”
“You just hear things. Auditory hallucinations, you know?”
“No, it’s—yeah, whatever.”
Lou gives up. She can’t convince him no matter how hard she’ll try. After all, he never heard anything.
I won’t wait forever.
The masculine voice rings in her head. She tries to answer the voice with her thoughts. Who are you?
Your ally.
Flustered, Lou inquires further. Where are you?
Outside.
What do you want?
You.
After a sigh, Lou replies. I’m not interested in you.
As an ally?
Thinking again, she might be. Depends.
Then come outside.
She makes up her mind to meet the mysterious party. She walks over to the door. Ion is wondering what she is up to.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
Opening the door, she checks the surroundings for an ambush. When she is certain it’s safe, she steps outside, looking for the other party. Ion is following her with his eyes, very curious about her behavior.
Lou loiters in the yard, but she can’t see anyone in the vicinity. Show yourself.
As you wish.
Suddenly, something perches on her left shoulder. She jerks her head, only to find a raven staring back at her.
Nice to meet you. The voice is clearly coming from the raven, though it also sounds like it was inside her head.
Are you a bird?
A raven. Not just a bird.
A moment later, Lou notices the violet eyes of the raven. She knows what that raven is. Every single Elementalist knows it.
V as in violet.
V as in violence.
V as in Void.
One of the destroyers of the world is right there, perched on her shoulder. Her heart is racing. She doesn’t know what to say or think. Few do when the doom is so close.
Don’t be so scared. I’m your ally.
Even if you say that, you’re still an evil existence.
That may be so. But for now, I need your help.
With what?
With the end of the world, of course. There is a certain Mage that poses a threat to us.
Lou is puzzled. Why would the Void use the word ‘us’? Who is this Mage? And what threat does he pose?
Do not worry, I am not talking about your friend. This particular Mage is the heir of the Elementi Slayer, the legend who killed one of the Elementi lords long ago. He is on his way here, and his name is Wraithian. He is the one who united all those Mages that are part of the Rajash army, and he is the one who pressurized the sovereign to assault Poer Haem. He wants to get rid of all the Elementi.
I knew it. Rajash empire never had such military power. So where are the Mages coming from? The Kingdom? And where is this Wraithian?
The Void answers, They come from the Kingdom, yes. He is still in Rajash with his troops, but he will cross the border when the darkness descends.
In the evening? Where?
He and his army of two thousand Rajash warriors and a hundred Mages will launch an attack on the Fort of Tereon soon. Preferably, I want to see his downfall before he can conquer it.
The pieces are coming together. So Rajash army is trying to siege us from two cardinal points? They’ll send their main force to our Southernmost fortress, Balia, and in the meanwhile, a smaller force is going to conquer Tereon that’s far more inland to Poer Haem. Losing Balia is one thing, but Tereon? Poer Haem army would crumble.
Exactly. The raven demands, so do as I say and stop Wraithian at Tereon before the end of us both comes.
“Lou, what are you doing?” Ion asks from the door.
Tell him to come with you. He is powerful.
“We’re leaving! Pack your things. We’ll defend the Fort of Tereon with all we’ve got!”
The confused Ion nods, eating what’s left of the soup. He doesn’t want to point it out, but he’s immediately recognized the raven as the very same one he saw last night. However, now the raven is smaller, even realistic. Nay, it is real.
By the way, you will need a ride, the raven reminds.
***
Instead of a ride, Lou is making use of her dual attunement. Life and Force attuned, she’s enhanced their bodies with Life, and with Force. She’s made their bodies lighter and much stronger. They are dashing through the wilderness at the pace of thirty-five miles an hour. What she can’t do, however, is reducing exhaustion and thirst, so they need to stop three times per hour to drink and rest for a moment.
“Am I wrong, or is that raven jealous?” Ion wonders.
Of course I am not. I am the Void. I have powers the others do not.
“Yeah, it’s jealous,” Lou ignores the raven.
How come the feared destroyer is ignored!? The raven can’t help but be amazed, even dismayed.
At their pace, they’ll get to the fort in time.
***
In one of the underground rooms of the Order, a team of elites is resting and tending to their wounds they got when they fought the Void attuner. Their faces are grim. No one utters a word. Some of them groan in pain when liquids and medicines are poured into their wounds.
They’ve seen the horrors the Void can do, and most of the elites are dead because of it. Not only that, they heard the order; no one is allowed to trouble Louir in any way, even though they know that she is somehow affiliated with the Void Elementalist. They thirst for vengeance, but they can’t make it happen.
Ronard checks on the elites, only to be shaken by the view. The wounds aren’t just wounds. Some have corrupted limbs. They’ll be executed or amputated today, depending on their wishes. Being corrupted by the Void is as good as being exiled and hunted.
Thank goodness we didn’t lose all of them.
Instead of grieving for the fallen, he finds relief in the fact that some may live. The elites say nothing. They don’t even salute upon seeing their superior. With such morale, he can’t utilize them for a while.
“Sir! A message for you!” An Elementalist rushes over.
“What is it?”
“One of the guards found this envelope from the tower. He said he saw a raven drop it there. As you can see, your name reads on it, Sir!”
Apocalyptic Life (Era Series Book 2) Page 11
