《Voidscape Archive: TA-003》 Love Burns Brightest The metallic door squeaks as it tries to close but there just isn¡¯t enough magnetic force channelled through. A¡¯krozni sits by the wall with Nimriksi in his arms. Her shallow breaths got so fast she¡¯s barely holding on to consciousness. He can¡¯t stand this scene. Everyone¡¯s barely keeping themselves standing. They lost Amoli¡¯ab on the way here as he bought them some time to escape. No one says anything and he thinks it¡¯s because everyone has the same grim thought in mind. Vezirva keeps by the door, watching the corridor in silence and a distorted expression of rage painted all over her face. The 7 of them have various injuries, from deep still-bleeding wounds, to punctured lungs, and everything in between. They were already tired when they returned. But it was somewhat of a calculated risk. The item they were looking for was acquired and everyone involved was more or less dealt with. A classic retrieval mission couldn¡¯t possibly go this wrong. Something followed them back. ¡°Use an N28 on the pulse.¡± What? Is she serious? ¡°Boss?¡± Sinia, the one holding the Serverous Pulse, is equally confused by this. ¡°We can¡¯t fight that thing in our current state.¡± ¡°But...we can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s either we die protecting it and this place sinks, or we live and this place sinks¡­¡± She doesn¡¯t turn her face towards her people. This is an exceptionally terrible decision she has to make and it enrages her. ¡°There¡¯s at least 600 people essential staff!¡± A¡¯krozni shouts with his own rage. ¡°They¡¯re not my responsibility!¡± ¡°They asked for our help.¡± ¡°Well they should¡¯ve done so sooner¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°We can and we will!¡± Sinia starts to run his fingers along engravings in the cube he¡¯s holding. ¡°You guys are okay with this?!¡± A¡¯krozni is met with shameful silence. ¡°We can¡¯t just¡­¡± He stops before he finishes his complaint as he feels a small hand clutching at his arm. He looks down to be met with grunts of pain from Nimriksi. How can he object to survival¡­ They know they had their last moment of silence as they hear echoes from beyond the corridor. Metal distorting suddenly and heavily. Clunks that would otherwise be background noise suddenly bring terror to their hearts as it gets closer and closer. ¡°How long?!¡± Vezirva readies her sword with the little energy she has left. Everyone, who could, raises their wrists and aims at the door. Encroaching death makes its presence known to everyone¡¯s hearts. ¡°Just a few more¡­¡± The sound of distortion now became a loud noise of penetration. The walls are clearly breaking beyond the corridor. ¡°Barrier 9 at the end of the corridor!¡± From the 7, 3 of them twist their bracelets as they glow. The leader stands her ground by the door. The injured girl rests. The carrier continues to run his fingers around the cube. And Tav''Taroush has a sad smile on her face. It all happened so quickly. The wall broke as a large projectile passed through it. It hits an invisible barrier that stops it to a halt. With the shock of the hit, the barrier breaks and the 3 get their energy sapped from them. A black metallic ball with a reflective orange core that looks like an eye floats in the middle of the path. Spider-like legs, black and metallic, with streaks of fire through the cracks between plates, float beside the ball before promptly embedding themselves into the wall. A wave of energy leaves the cube and with them, most of their injuries turn to scars of the past. Vezirva, with new found energy, readies her hand back for a swing. Before her sword was activated, a beam of energy had already engulfed her entire arm. This was as coordinated as they could get. Within a single second, they had guarded, healed, and were about to make a blast attack. Yet this metallic creature is not only unfazed, but had shot a light-bending beam that took away the would-be-attacker¡¯s right arm. It was very obvious, this was probably the end for them. Vezirva can¡¯t gauge this thing¡¯s durability or ability. She lost both her arm and her sword. Frankly, it¡¯s not looking good. If she were alone, maybe things would be different, but as she¡¯s responsible for this ragtag group of complete fucking morons with too much combat skill for their own good¡­ she¡¯ll try one last thing. Afterall, she¡¯s running on borrowed time anyway. She starts running towards the metallic monster. If it could strike her down while her heart¡¯s a safe distance away. She didn¡¯t advance more than 3 steps before a blinding light covered her, like a comfortable blanket. Everyone is standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking the sunlit ocean. It takes them a few moments to realise that they¡¯re not dead and have escaped somehow. Such a pristine scene cannot go by unappreciated. Just the right amount of green around them that suddenly cuts off to a crystal clear ocean below them. The small town of metal floats amidst the beautiful colours of the deep coral reefs below, like a small iceberg of manmade steel. They can see small bursts in the metallic hull by the horizon. An explosion can be seen expanding at its own leiger as something black streaks across the sky towards the unknown. The small town slowly sinks down towards the unrelenting abyss. Many lives were lost. Just like that, a once powerful body will never see the light of day again. They¡¯re brought back to reality as they hear a grunt amongst them. Vezirva¡¯s tall figure single handedly holds another by the collar. Her face spells untold rage and pain. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.¡°WHY?!¡± Why is she so desperate when they had just miraculously escaped. Even Nimriksi that could barely move is now standing fine and in good health. This was the miracle scenario. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t afford losing you¡­¡± Tav''Taroush does not resist and merely takes in her boss¡¯ anger. They stand below a large symbol, written into the air with sparkling blue light. A rune that they¡¯ve never heard of. ¡°AND I YOU?¡± Vezirva starts to shake. It could be from her heart breaking, or the phantom pain getting unbearable. Possibly both. The group doesn¡¯t seem to understand what¡¯s happening. ¡°It was inevitable¡­¡± She speaks truth. It was more likely than not that their boss would outlive all of them when it comes to natural death¡­ or even unnatural ones too. Many of them bet on that fact and use it to be a lot more reckless than they should. By both, valuing their own lives less than they should and to have peace of mind that they won¡¯t have to suffer the loss of someone dear to them. ¡°You could ha-¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± Vezirva couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback by how in pain that plea sounded. She slowly puts her down to the ground. Tav''Taroush turns to the others as Vezirva steps further back. ¡°Thank you all¡­ for everything really¡­¡± Her eyes, blank, glow faint blue. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s happening?¡± one of them asks on behalf of the confused. ¡°I¡¯m saying my farewells¡­¡± She¡¯d rather not tell them. Of course, who would want to explain such a thing? Her very being is getting burnt away slowly so that her new rune settles down. Carving a new rune into the compendium of the world requires time, precision, and a phenomenal amount of energy. To simply create a new one... as hastily as that¡­ It has drawbacks. Normally there¡¯s strain on the writer each time they advance carving their new rune; the amount of time and strain depends on how powerful the intended effect is. In this case, bending space is a very tall order. Now the new carving demands sustenance; in theory, a fragment of her very soul will be permanently set within her writing, keeping it together within the compendium. They take turns as she goes around the group, giving a few last words, a laugh or two, and a deep hug. Vezirva stands further up the cliff, watching down from afar. Tav''Taroush struggles to walk slightly. A¡¯krozni doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on. How can they all just have a ¡®last word¡¯ with smiles on their faces? How can they be so calm about this? Even their usually enraged boss just stands there on her own, completely blank as if her mind was no longer there. Is he supposed to just accept another one of his comrades is casually gonna die, with the perks of having a few minutes to say goodbyes and shed a few tears? Why is no one trying to stop this? They¡¯ve known her a lot longer than him so they should be a lot more attached. How come they¡¯re not asking what¡¯s wrong or trying to help? And why¡­ Why does it hurt him so? He¡¯s by far the newest in the group with only over a decade with them. The one before him has more than half a century on record. Is this supposed to be normal for them? A¡¯krozni¡¯s turn came around. Emotions burn within him. Questions unanswered demand to be asked. And yet he does not. Tav''Taroush embraces him with a hug. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ this¡­ job¡­ it can get hard sometimes, and that¡¯s okay¡­¡± Her words make him feel things. Not sure if it¡¯s daggers to the heart or comfort around it. ¡°You¡¯ve already done more than enough to deserve your Raven Threads¡­ when it gets too hard¡­ remember that many before you¡­ left after getting their title... ¡°It¡¯s not the easiest of lives¡­ so know¡­ you can always return to normal life.¡± She¡¯s been in his shoes once¡­ practically all of them have at least once. The first devastating mission always sticks with you. She slowly lets go and struggles up the cliff towards their boss. Her entire body now glows. ¡°Such a shame¡­ I would¡¯ve liked to see you one last time out of battle.¡± She probes with her hand looking for Vezirva¡¯s face. Tav''Taroush lost sight the moment she created a teleportation rune. She¡¯s using their boss¡¯ vision to navigate around. ¡°There was still much to do¡­¡± The boss¡¯ hand brings the wandering hand to her cheek. ¡°We¡¯ve done so much in so little time.¡± ¡°There was nothing little about it¡­¡± Tav''Taroush couldn¡¯t help but smile. She¡¯s been with her just short of 3 centuries; the oldest of this generation. She knows that 300 years is barely going to dent her boss¡¯ memories, but it¡¯s nice to hear her say that it¡¯s not as little as she says it is. ¡°I will find you in due time¡­¡± Vezirva has never sounded so calm as she does now. It may be the mind numbing pain, or a side of her that remains hidden most of the time, but neither of them care about that for now. ¡°Then give me something for my fragment to remember you by.¡± She asks to be given but it was more of her taking something she wanted for a long time now. After she lets go of her boss, she walks down and addresses the remaining 5. Now her body shines as much as a rune of light; it¡¯s hard to look at. ¡°There¡¯s a village 48km that way¡­ settle down there until she comes back to pick you guys up in a decade or two.¡± 4 of them stand wearing their gold riddled white dresses, specially fitted. The 5th, A¡¯krozni, holds his newly materialised dress in his hands. Smiles on their faces, giving their old companion one last farewell. A flash of light blinds them for a second only to see the cliff to be empty. Vezirva, Tav''Taroush, and the rune drawn in air have all disappeared. Peace A large man who looks in his late fifties walks on the gravel floor against the flow of the river. His granddaughter told him someone asked for him specifically when she was out foraging for fresh tistis mushrooms. This happens every few years, but never out of town; nevertheless, he¡¯s always welcoming to challengers. ¡°You¡¯ve aged, A¡¯krozni¡­¡± He hears a very familiar voice behind him. Turning around to confirm his surprise, he¡¯s welcomed by a smiling face he thought he¡¯ll never see again. There stands a tall and athletic woman with a beautiful young face. At a whopping 273cm, 30cm above the tallest of men, she can¡¯t help but look down at the old friend. A large black cloak covers most of her right side, with her left side revealing a beautiful top of silk full of yellow and red patterns and comfortable blue pants. Not the most fashionable of looks, but she was never one to know what looks good. ¡°You haven¡¯t aged a day¡­¡± That means the rumours were indeed true. His heart is in conflict with itself, not sure how to feel about her sudden visit. He thought surely she must¡¯ve forgotten about him; her life, afterall, is full of people that come and go. And yet, here she stands before him, Vezirva. ¡°I don¡¯t even get a hug?¡± With shock still in his face, he approaches her slowly with open arms. She wraps her left arm around him until he recovers. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you boss¡­¡± His composure returned not much after and a comfortable smile formed. ¡°I see you¡¯ve settled down.¡± They¡¯re walking towards the very small town as they¡¯re chatting. His posture is much more relaxed on the way back as he doesn¡¯t have to be on the defensive anymore. ¡°It¡¯s not impressive compared to most places¡­ but it¡¯s a place I can call home.¡± It¡¯s very true. The entire town is composed of less than 60 buildings. Less than half of them are reserved for actually living while the rest are occupied by various purposes, from storage to workshops. It¡¯s mostly storage though. ¡°I rather disagree, this place is much more impressive than you think.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± ¡°Just 1 generation before your time, this place wasn¡¯t inhabited at all¡­ there was nothing as far as the eye can see.¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve been here before?¡± ¡°This used to be a popular merchant road, if you¡¯re ever going towards The Nail from the east, you¡¯d probably pass through here.¡± ¡°People still do that, it¡¯s our main source of everything really.¡± ¡°The view here was great enough that some nomads decided they¡¯ll settle here¡­ it¡¯s funny how it used to be just a camp of 12 or so tents and mad enough people to try and live off nothing.¡± There¡¯s nothing much here in terms of resources. Sure there¡¯s a river for water but that¡¯s about it. The closest forest is about 6km away and practically no stone hills. Food is viable for any half decent hunter and forager but to populate a town, it¡¯s asking too much. They still managed to build a sizable town, mostly out of pine logs but that didn¡¯t stop them from getting creative with it. The buildings in this town expand horizontally, with most only having but a ground floor. It¡¯s compensated by having a much larger area. You can tell which buildings are houses as they each have their own stone decorations built in the foundation to contrast the fully wooden stores and facilities. Vezirva has to lower her head before heading into his house. They walk past a large courtyard with a skylight above a fountain with seats around it. From there, there¡¯s many entrances to various parts of the house. It¡¯s not uncommon for entire families to live in large houses like these in small communities. They are no exception, as Vezirva¡¯s immediately welcomed by a young maiden the moment they sit down in the beautiful garden. ¡°Luminations, dearest guest.¡± Vezirva answers her bow with a nod and a smile. The girl quickly rushes over somewhere soon after her welcoming. ¡°I hope the place is to your liking.¡± ¡°Very homely¡­ must be very active during the evenings.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ yeah, the kids like to have their fun.¡± There¡¯s various toys spread everywhere. ¡°Did you ever end up having a family?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I tried, no¡­ I¡¯m not the type to settle down in one place for longer than a few years.¡± Before that could go any further, the girl from earlier came back with a tray of treats to put on their empty table. A teapot and a couple of plates with different kinds of biscuits. ¡°This is my granddaughter, Ashna.¡± Ashna smiles and nods her head while a slightly confused look forms on Vezirva¡¯s face. ¡°Wait, grand...daughter?¡± Ashna looks at her with a puzzled look of her own while A¡¯krozni has a hearty laugh. ¡°And this is Vezirva, a Golden Raven.¡± ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re one of gramps¡¯ old teammates?¡± she asks with excitement. ¡°Something like that yeah¡­¡± ¡°Well, she wasn¡¯t my teammate¡­ she was the boss.¡± Ashna¡¯s eyes widen even larger than before. ¡°OH! You¡¯re THE boss? Wrath¡¯s Blade?¡± Vezirva couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that. It¡¯s very entertaining to her that she didn¡¯t recognise her name at all but knew her nickname. ¡°I heard a lot about you¡­ I¡¯m sure gramps exaggerated a bit but if half of it is true then you¡¯ve led an amazing life.¡± ¡°Oh, adventuring is overrated most of the time. An ordinary life can be equally amazing if not more.¡± She doesn¡¯t mean it. ¡°You could share some of your stories over tea.¡± A¡¯krozni¡¯s also interested in what she¡¯s been up to over the many years he hadn¡¯t heard from her. ¡°Well, I had a couple of decades rest after escaping from the Sand Flakes so the closest story to after we last saw each other must be our hunt for the Demarian Larva.¡± ¡°What are the Sand Flakes?¡± the girl asks. A¡¯krozni is more surprised by how casually she mentions escaping it. ¡°It¡¯s a desert of white sand¡­ known to be the deadliest location to exist¡­¡± he explains to his daughter. ¡°I picked up the team from their long vacation and immediately headed south. A Demarian egg hatching was quick news to get around, so we luckily had a couple of weeks to work with.¡± She obviously wanted to skip over the impossible bit of the story. She shared some of her stories as they had tea. The girl was very excited throughout the sitting, constantly jumping between disbelief and amusement, while her granddad was happy to hear that his old teammates are doing well. But then he remembered something that made everything past that point very weird. ¡°Wait¡­ I just remembered that when I last saw you¡­ your arm...¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.He just now realised she¡¯s been eating with her left. How has he not taken notice of her cloaked right side? It¡¯s like it was always just out of his attention. ¡°Haha, I was hoping you wouldn¡¯t notice.¡± Ashna looks confused at their exchange, as nothing is out of the ordinary about Vezirva¡¯s arm. It¡¯s only now that he notices bright blue symbols marked all over her cloak; A distortion rune, a ripple rune, and some connecting runes he¡¯s never seen before setup in a matrix. She slowly removes the cloak to reveal a grey arm below it. The arm is beautifully sculpted in some sort of grey wood. The arm is a perfect mirror of her left arm in a relaxed position, but somehow, its form has a weird beauty to it. Perhaps it¡¯s the sheen and wooden texture. Though the shape of her arm is the same, there¡¯s deep engravings throughout the wood; identical carvings in the shape of an eye spread throughout her non-arm without a clear pattern. ¡°It¡¯s Tanaran Steel, Carved by yours truly¡­¡± Vezirva strokes her arm and the eye markings glow a little. Her shirt covers the connecting point in her shoulder, and it¡¯s probably for the best. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Ashna can only utter words of astonishment. ¡°You¡¯ve gone without a right arm this whole time?¡± His question has a hint of pity. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright¡­ it was fun learning to swing a sword with my left.¡± ¡°Ha! You still refuse to get with the times huh.¡± ¡°I am the times! Rune carvers just aren¡¯t as efficient as my swordsmanship yet.¡± They share a laugh between each other while Ashna¡¯s still admiring the carved wooden arm. Swordsmanship is now a thing of the past. Mainly taught as a novelty, and in other situations, as a hand to hand combat emergency situation. Vezirva on the other hand, still uses the blade in any type of combat that requires a weapon. She¡¯s a well established rune smith and very skilled at carving; so much so, that she taught A¡¯krozni the foundation and some very advanced techniques for carving. Her choice to stick to a form of primitive weaponry and both admirable and questionable. That is the case until you see her in combat. She can indeed pull off more with a sword than 63 men can with rune carvers. Maybe she can do more with a rune carver of her own? Nobody quite knows since she never showed interest. Vezirva and A¡¯krozni walk through the large open streets of dirt under the unpleasantly hot sun. ¡°You did a rather splendid job at setting up the running water channels.¡± ¡°We may be a small village, but it doesn¡¯t excuse having to go outside to a spring for simple needs.¡± ¡°Very fine craftsmanship throughout.¡± There¡¯s a small silence afterwards. A¡¯krozni remembers well how socially awkward she can be. If anything, it¡¯s impressive she lasted this long as the one taking the initiative for small talk. ¡°If I may ask¡­¡± ¡°Mhm?¡± ¡°Why is it you decided to visit after a lifetime?¡± He was bound to ask at some point. ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡± Rather than finding it an awkward thing to bring up, she just forgot. ¡°I came to warn you that you¡¯ll have an extended lifespan.¡± ¡­ ¡­ A¡¯krozni bursts into a hearty laugh, stopping in his tracks. She looks at him with a hint of confusion. ¡°Oh¡­ so sorry¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± he laughs some more. ¡°Yeah.. thanks¡­ I noticed when I outlived my wife by a couple of centuries.¡± ¡°Oh, you knew?¡± How could he not know? He still ages but at a very decelerated rate. ¡°Yeah¡­ I figured it out a while back.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ well¡­ I¡¯m glad you¡¯re taking it so well.¡± ¡°Did you just realise this?¡± He continues his walking. ¡°It¡¯s impressively difficult to find out information about True Artefacts¡­ that and I had to make sure there¡¯s capable Golden Ravens before I left on my own personal quest.¡± So¡­ she stopped training newer generations¡­ ¡°What¡¯s a True Artefact?¡± ¡°Not quite sure¡­¡± He can only respond with a confused face that spells: ¡®seriously?¡¯ She doesn¡¯t need to look at him to know that he¡¯s asking why she brought it up then. ¡°From what I gathered, it¡¯s a very specific type of powerful object¡­ but that¡¯s all I got.¡± ¡°It feels like you told me nothing there¡­¡± ¡°Well, the Serverous Pulse was such an item¡­ they¡¯re usually sought over by powerful beings, and we just happened to be misfortunate enough to look for one that was wanted by a dragon.¡± Is she gonna keep name dropping things that don¡¯t make sense and need explanation? ¡°A dragon?¡± He¡¯s still curious about it so he doesn¡¯t mind being inquisitive. ¡°All I can tell you is that the creatures from myth and old aren¡¯t the only things considered dragons.¡± She actually has no idea about that one. They stand before a large building with a higher ceiling than most. ¡°Here we are.¡± To her request, he took her to one of the farm houses. They enter through the large double doors to a huge open room with pots of all sizes arranged to fill the room; there¡¯s even rows with pots floating above another set, some stack twice while others thrice, depending on what they¡¯re growing and how much headspace they need. Various light runes are carved into the ceiling of both the building and the floating pots, providing luminescence to the sun-craving plants. Water flows along the ground and upstream, almost in a self regulating manner. They did well to hide the forcefield runes that keep the water in check. She guessed that it was A¡¯krozni¡¯s touch. Vezirva pulls out a slip of paper with marks written on it and slides it under her coat for it to touch one of the eyes on her carved arm. A pinkish beautiful wave of energy bursts out, slightly distorting the air around her for a second before settling back to normal. The yellowish light runes change hue to match the pinkish wave that passed through them. The runes themselves grow extensions that don¡¯t quite seem like helper runes, or like runes at all; as if they were misspelt. ¡°What did you do?¡± A¡¯krozni¡¯s not at all worried about her casually messing with one of the village¡¯s sources of food. ¡°Slight enhancement I wanted to try out¡­ ¡°In theory, this should accelerate growth and help the local micro ecosystems thrive.¡± A¡¯krozni bends down and looks at the small insects burrowing in the dirt. Four people come from different directions to check out what had happened, but the moment they see the old man checking out their pots, they return to their stations. ¡°Should I tell them to give special attention to the little things?¡± ¡°Nah, their numbers won¡¯t grow, the individuals will be healthier.¡± Vezirva has a satisfied smile on her. She had thought of this mutation a couple of years back, but never really had the opportunity to use it. ¡°When does the market place open up?¡± She has a general idea of how many of his kids live at the house, and she wants to get them something. She couldn¡¯t help but pick up on it as her instincts don¡¯t come with a turn off button. Wrath Burns Eternal A girl that can''t be older than 14 walks under the dimly lit sky covered with dark clouds, gravel crunching below her feet, breaking the unnatural silence. The river flowing by her side echoes as if it''s far beyond a hill. She''s been here before long ago; she spent a good few years here in fact. Not often does she get invited to stay somewhere so peaceful. She even learnt basic cooking; something she lacked for most of her life. She looks at a brass breastpin as she contemplates her surroundings. ¡°Might as well¡­¡± she says with a sigh before casually dismissing the pin into the river and moving along. The small town was obviously long since abandoned. Foliage growing around the wooden buildings while moss made home on the stone. No sign of havoc to be seen; just an ordinary town that lacks people. Even with such menacing clouds up above, no wind can be heard. Birds fly and critters forage, but they cannot be heard. Only footstep crunches can be heard within the ominous silence. The girl didn¡¯t know what she was looking for until it was painfully obvious. An unnaturally flat terrain full of vibrant flowers, only interrupted by stacks of stones, neatly organised in a grid. 257 graves, 161 of which are for people she once knew. At the centre of it all stands a mighty oak. It would¡¯ve provided shade if it weren¡¯t permanently cloudy. At its root slumps an old man in his 80s. Limp hand on the ground, and with his bracelet still slowly rotating around his wrist. ¡°The pulse effect didn¡¯t care whether you¡¯re dead or not huh.¡± The girl squats in front of him. He must have been laying there for 4 years now? And yet, his body remains in pristine condition. His heart was no longer beating and his lungs were no longer breathing, but that didn¡¯t matter to the pulse effect surrounding his body. Rather, it keeps cells alive based on its initial command of healing. It does not recognise brain death as failure. ¡°You know¡­ it wasn¡¯t a permanent thing¡­ ¡°It was gonna keep you alive until your prescribed time finally came to realisation.¡± A cut forms horizontally in her left eye and blood slowly crawls out until her pupil is fully covered. She can¡¯t help but flinch in pain, even if she¡¯s been undergoing intense self mutilation constantly for the past few years. It¡¯s not something she could, or rather, should get used to. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind me peeking.¡± In front of her bloodied eye, an almost glowing pupil is drawn. Very intricate shapes and figures, drawn so incredibly small and detailed, stack together to look like a pupil to even the keenest of observers until closely inspected. ¡°You only had around 16 years left anyway¡­¡± She sits down next to the preserved corpse to rest herself. She closes her eyes and takes a peek into time, probing for his moments before death. They called it the white plague. People started getting weaker for no reason. To some, exhaustion was the only symptom. To unfortunate others, it could range from loss of self to liver failure and everything just short of death. They sought the village elder, seeking any glimpse of hope. He has always been there, protecting them, giving hope, and providing support to any who seek it. So he provided. He promised to look into it and offered healing to those that needed it. To his dismay, he could only slow down the symptoms and ease their passage. His first thought was that it would be a pathogen let loose, but after rigorous research, there was nothing out of the ordinary. If it¡¯s spreading it might be environmental change. But it was not. Oxygen levels were just right. No airborne chemicals or sudden changes of temperature and Demarian waves. He even experimented to see if there were any changes in the consciousness prism. Travellers and merchants stopped passing through town after a while. This led him to look into what¡¯s happening outside the village, and the worst of his suspicions were true. All cities he could contact were showing the same, but on a much larger scale. By the time he ran out of ideas, the villagers had already lost hope. Everyone but himself had already declined in health and were nearing the passage of the Veil. They did not blame him, the opposite in fact. Even though things were not looking well, he still gave them a hopeful smile and supported them through their weakest. Afterall, to be there for an entire village is a feat not short of legendary. It must¡¯ve been 6 months before the white plague had consumed all. In their last few days, they did not disturb the sage; he deserves some alone time with his own family. He sat by his remaining progeny. The least he could do was ease their pain, give them a smile, and small talk to distract them from whatever dark thoughts that must be lurking at the back of their minds. He held each of them as they passed peacefully. The sage remains alone. Someone has to take care of their remains. Even though old, he still had strength to spare. Where a park once was, he spent days digging. After making sure that the town was fully empty and all were buried wrapped in their cloth properly. He sat by the great tree in the middle. That must¡¯ve been the first time in years. No¡­ decades¡­ The sage burst into tears. All forms of dread taking shape. But who can blame him? He had to witness not only the death of his entire remaining family, but also a village he watched grow for years untold. He cared for them, smiled for them; never once showing weakness. Alas¡­ even mountains succumb to time in the end. He already lived more than he should have. His rune carver started to turn around his wrist. One last rune to give him peace. A precision wave. She¡¯s putting the tools the old man left by his side to good use. Digging a grave will take her a while. ¡°You had a wonderful life, didn¡¯t you, old friend? ¡°You loved many, guided many, cherished many, and lost many¡­ ¡°No matter how many passed away in your arms and how much it hurts¡­ you stayed true to yourself¡­¡± Though she may be experienced in digging graves, her child body is more than a hundrence when it comes to digging unforgiving soil while trying to conserve energy. ¡°Strong in both body and mind¡­ yet soft of heart¡­ ¡°You always thought you were weak¡­ couldn¡¯t handle situations when it mattered the most¡­¡± She spent hours upon hours constantly digging. ¡°Always wondered what it would¡¯ve been like¡­ if you just stayed with us¡­ Things would¡¯ve turned out very differently for you, I can tell you that much.¡± Her left eye stays red throughout, as she watches snippets of the old man¡¯s life while she¡¯s setting up a resting place for his body. ¡°I, too, sometimes wonder what it would have been like¡­ ¡°Living a normal life¡­ an outlandish idea¡­ ¡°I get snippets of it every now and then, thanks to great friends like yourself. ¡°But I can¡¯t imagine what it¡¯s like, even as I¡¯m watching your perfectly ordinary existence.¡± Everything got ever so slightly brighter under the grey clouds, possibly indicating the start of a new day¡­ or it could mean something entirely different¡­ nobody could tell at this point and it wouldn¡¯t matter either way. ¡°It¡¯s such a beautiful thing to have¡­ being able to love and care¡­ ¡°Being loved and cared for¡­ ¡°It kept you going¡­ ¡°It¡¯s what keeps everyone going¡­¡± Her right tears up while her left cries blood down her cheek. ¡°After all¡­ it¡¯s what any of us mortals could hope for in this ephemeral life¡­ ¡°Well¡­ at least it is for some of us¡­¡± After putting the old body, now wrapped in white cloth, into the grave, she starts filling it in at a faster rate, now that the dirt is already broken down and manageable. ¡°But you got it all wrong, old friend¡­ ¡°You¡­ Tav¡¯Taroush¡­ Mezian and Co¡¯l¡­ many of you¡­ were much stronger than many of us¡­ ¡°Keeping your heart from turning to stone in our line of work¡­ that¡¯s a more impressive feat than anything we''ve ever done¡­ ¡°Thriving despite the darkness we face everyday¡­ smiling and loving others¡­ providing warmth to those who lack it¡­¡± Her heart conflicts with itself as it feels bliss and sorrow... Only now is realising how hard it must¡¯ve been for Tav¡¯ to keep her cheery self and care for her. Her bleeding eye fades away into only red before it starts to dry away as the wound closes itself. ¡°Such is life¡¯s fragility¡­ you easily come and easily go¡­ ¡°You know¡­ it doesn¡¯t take much to end a life¡­ ¡°A shame really¡­ ¡°At this point¡­ I¡¯m the fool for caring.¡± He''s finally arrived. ¡°I thought I was gonna be waiting for you till I die of old age,¡± she says at nothing towards the other side of the river. ¡°If you wanted me to find you, you could¡¯ve dropped your damned shield before yesterday.¡± The voice talking to her permeates through the air, kept from decay, from very far away. ¡°Well, won¡¯t you come and face me in my final moments?¡± ¡°Come now¡­ you think so low of me as to fall for that?¡± ¡°I rather do yes¡­¡± He doesn¡¯t respond to her blatant mocking. ¡°Afterall, you thought it would be a good idea to side with Chaos Agents, jumpstart an apocalypse, and poison the world compendium. You¡¯re as dumb as they come.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.¡°You just don¡¯t understand¡­¡± The voice answered her with pompousness rather than agitation. ¡°Maybe time despoiled much from you¡­ it seems that you¡¯ve forgotten that you too are mortal¡­ and maybe it¡¯s time someone shows you just how fickle life is when it matters most¡­¡± Her tone of voice rises in anger the more she talks. ¡°Afterall, you never considered the millions of people you completely ruined¡­¡± ¡°You care too much¡­¡± His cold response touched a nerve. Her blood now runs hot as she can barely contain her rage. ¡°You know¡­ you don¡¯t have Chaos Agents to protect you now¡­ depending on them was a mistake¡­¡± A blade leaves the side of her shoulder only to connect back to her grey arm at the wrist. ¡°Maybe¡­ your biggest mistake was fucking with me.¡± Her voice no longer yelling as a chilling calm tone replaces it. She leaps out, running towards the empty hills beyond the river. Each of her steps covers several metters, and a single jump of hers crosses the flowing water below her. It doesn¡¯t take long for her to see the gargantuan snake at the horizon, presumably with her target on its head. Though it greatly resembles the great Tazma, it¡¯s clear to her that it¡¯s but a defective imitation. A large boulder-like chunk of thick green keratin flies at her at neck-breaking speed. She steps ever so slightly to the left and swings her dense wooden arm at it. The boulder must triple her small size; weight as well if you discount the Tanaran steel embedded in her body. It¡¯s still deflected as the blade extending from her wrist grinds against it, as it rushes past her head, leaving sparks behind from the interaction. The shock from the impact and sudden air wave it left behind makes her stumble down but she swiftly recovers as her hands gently touch the ground and throw her up back again to her running form. She makes good distance before another boulder targets her, but much faster and from above. Both her and the projectile are much too fast for her to dodge it. She stops on her tracks and lets her momentum take care of going forward as she slides through the grass, readying her arm for a punch. Right before impact, a scythe-like arm slashes her back. Her swing goes out of aim as she flinches in pain, but her target¡¯s big enough for it to be highly unlikely to miss. The second boulder is pushed in front of her as she collides with it before rolling off it and surpassing it. She knows that those two things were shelled Bevars; nature¡¯s equivalent of tanks. Ignoring the pursuing beasts, she keeps closing her distance with the giant snake. She won¡¯t last long in a fight with most of his summons, so her best bet is to take him out before her endurance gives out. ¡°Atrash,¡± she says as her already ludicrous speed doubles. Dirt starts to fly from the ground in small chunks and garther in the sky in front of the increasingly closer snake. She jumps into the air right as one of the Bevars behind her was about to tackle her. Instead of falling back down to the ground, to the man¡¯s surprise, she steps off the air and keeps on running without ground under her feet. Worry flashes through his face for a slight moment before dismissing it with his ego. As she runs through the air, a slash goes across her back. It doesn¡¯t dig deep thanks to her implants, so she forces herself to ignore it and keep approaching her target. She doesn¡¯t get further than 3 more very long steps before she starts to fall. All her muscles tense up at the same time and refuse to let go. She regained control as the toxin dissipated as quickly as it came into effect. She rights herself upwards to land properly, only to be met with a huge mass hurling towards her. Putting her hands up to block, she¡¯s pushed along as the ugly head screeches at her. She flips back onto her feet just in time to block the scythe-like claw going for the decapitation. She masterfully parries almost every attack single handedly; she has to, as a hit to her left arm would almost definitely disarm her¡­ again. Shockwaves leave her time after time as she has to entirely block hits every now and then. Between her graceful footwork and quick reflexes, her defence is nearly impenetrable for as long as her stamina can hold out. Exalted swordsman she may be, but that doesn''t mean she can perfectly avoid every hit from 4 simultaneous sources. She times it so every time a cut gets through, she jumps with just enough ferocity as to be far enough for her to get paralysed and back to normal before the Bevars catch up to her. It helps that, even though monstrously powerful, they¡¯re still beasts with no skill behind their ¡®bladework.¡¯ ¡°Just give it up woman¡­ you should¡¯ve died in Ai¡¯s fall with your people anyway¡­¡± She doesn¡¯t respond. Could be because she¡¯s too focused on survival, or she just doesn¡¯t have anything to say to that. ¡°You¡¯ve burned so much of yourself, you actually look like a child.¡± Though no longer making a run for it, she still sways the motion of battle towards her target, just in a very slow manner. ¡°How does that work anyway¡­ can¡¯t just remove a layer of yourself and suddenly get younger. That¡¯s just not how ageing works.¡± The flow of dirt and rock still makes its way to a giant dense ball in front of the giant snake. A few minutes pass with blades colliding being the only sound booming in the unnaturally silent area. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it took me multiple decades to finally kill you¡­¡± He¡¯s confident that he won. It¡¯s a logical assumption, really. She¡¯s not yet recovered from her battle with a Chaos Agent half a decade ago. Her body is quite literally that of a child and she¡¯s fighting off 2 incredibly deadly beasts, while the third is about to be ready to go in a few minutes. It might¡¯ve had a very different ending if she did the sensible thing and used actual ranged weapons. Afterall, nobody actually uses swords anymore. While the man watches from above, she finally makes a move. She swings her blade back and locks one of the Bevar¡¯s claws between her blade and her arm; restricting it from moving back. She bends her left arm pointing it at the beast¡¯s incredibly disgusting head. ¡°Mo!¡± Her voice vibrates coldly through the unnatural silence. With it, a thin ripple visibly distorts the air as it goes through the beast. The beast falls limp, and so does her now-dislocated left arm. She only dropped her defence for a mere 1.24 seconds, but that was enough for her insides to get acquainted with the business end of the other Bevar¡¯s claw. With it¡¯s extraordinary instincts, it managed to pierce between the carefully placed Tanaran steel implanted beneath her skin and move right through to the other side. Her impaled body is effectively paralysed as there¡¯s enough toxin flowing through her to OD a Mansorian Death Adder. The claw perturbing through her chest doesn¡¯t make a sign of leaving any time soon. Another claw pierces, this time a lot slower and more carefully, through her side and into her kidney. The Bevar burrows into the ground ever so slightly and rolls up into its boulder-like form, with only its two claws staying out, keeping its prey exposed to the air. Ideally, it would also keep its prey in the sun as well, but the creature has surprising awareness of its lack. While this is enough to kill most people, he¡¯s not so dumb to let his ego take the high road out and walk away while his oponent still breaths only for them to comeback later with a vengeance. If anything, he¡¯d rather not get close at all and stay high up on his skyscraper sized snake for the few minutes left for the dense dirt ball to be usable. After a long silence, he¡¯s surprised as she talks to him telepathically. ¡°You know¡­ I¡¯m not sure why you thought my body would be of any hindrance¡­ don¡¯t you know¡­ I survived the last extinction event¡­ not only with the body¡­ of a child¡­ but when I¡­ was actually¡­ a child¡­¡± While even her thought transmission sounds extremely tired, she has said just enough to convey her message. Of course, the last extinction event had nothing to do with physical strength or combat capability; but he understood. That explains why she primarily uses a sword. That explains why she has access to previous era techniques. That explains Vezirva¡¯s reputation and rumour of insanity. She¡¯s void touched. While psychosis is almost guaranteed, she is also likely to have at least 2 voidal features. In panic, he raises his arm and prematurely moulds the dirt. The ball of dense dirt expands rapidly. From it, leaves the head of a giant snake, almost like the one already looming over, aiming straight down, accelerating towards the paralysed foe. Anti-lightning cracks as the world suddenly goes dark for a split second. From somewhere, an ornate sword pierces the shelled Bevar from the back and comes to a sudden stop in between the dense wooden fingers of the paralysed girl. A burst of energy is let forth, a combination of raw power and the sudden velocity drop from mach 7 to 0; the entire surrounding area suffers inexplicable damage. The girl flies up towards the newly generating snake coming down from the skies above. She burns a bright yellow across the dull grey world as she screams her heart out. In mere seconds, she had already gone through the incomplete beast, cutting it from the inside. She leaves through the other side and then some, until she breaches the clouds above. Her trajectory changes drastically as all her momentum is transferred downwards and she now starts to drop down from the heavens like a shooting star. Before the man could even react, his face contorts in absolute terror; an emotion he had never experienced before. There she stands, on the lifeless dry dirt, in front of a broken man. A large cut goes down from the top of his head, through his right eye, down to his neck, and stops at his ribcage. Unfortunately for both him and the girl, he still lives. She drips blood as countless cuts stain her skin red. ¡°You win, Demran¡­ you win¡­¡± The girl, still emitting very dim yellow light, turns around and walks downhill towards¡­ something¡­ The now 9-year-old-looking girl walks about at an impressively slow pace, leaving a path of blood in her wake; all of it hers though. But that¡¯s okay, as nothing changes in the scene for the next few days. The man remains unmoving and unsightly. The hills remain damaged and lifeless. The sky remains grey and cloudy. The girl remains slowly vacating.