Bells chimed with every slight movement, soft and delicate, yet sharp enough to cut through the tension. The demi-human before Saya stood firmly between her and the vile beast still waiting at the base of the pyramid. Her breaths were steady, but not calm.
The yellow fur on her fox-like ears and tail swayed ever so slightly, her movements leaking out nervousness that she tried to suppress. Like a steady line, Saya’s eyes naturally followed her appearance from top to bottom, taking in every detail without pause.
Clad in an outfit meant for shrine maidens, bells and strange symbols adorned the ends of her sleeves. They swayed with her smallest movements, giving off faint chimes that lingered in the air a second longer than they should have. The fabric itself looked light, but layered, shifting gently as if it carried a will of its own.
Despite most uniforms worn by shrine maidens, hers was unique in its length, design, and even color.
Typically, shrine maiden uniforms bore a striking color scheme of white, red, and smaller hints of gold. However, hers had a streak of black running straight through the middle of her uniform, stark and unnatural against the traditional palette. It ran cleanly from the neckline down to the end of her dress, splitting her appearance in a way that felt deliberate.
The other parts were still familiar, with the traditional hints of red, white, and gold scattered around, though they felt dimmer somehow, as if the black was sucking the very lifeforce out of the other colors.
Another unique aspect of her uniform was its length. Hers was much shorter, barely reaching past her thighs. The exposed skin caught the cool air, faint goosebumps forming along her legs. Instead, to cover what it could, she wore long thigh-highs, the fabric hugging her legs tightly, leaving only a narrow strip of skin between cloth and hem.
Finally, to finish off, her shoes were platformed sandals, elevated just enough to where it created a world of difference in height between her and the strange demi-human who had saved her. If she had to guess, thanks to the shoes, she was most likely nearly half a head taller.
Singing gently, the wind swayed her hair back and forth. It was the same color as her furred tail and ears, long and adorned with various pins. It gave a sense of elegance and grace that she hadn’t seen before. Comparing her to the Queen of Fridan was no competition. In fact, there was such a great difference in atmosphere that it felt almost unfair to compare the two.
Her arm was raised, elbow bent upward so that her fingers would face her gaze. In between her pointer and middle finger were thin bundles of rectangular wards. Each one of them had unique symbols carved in ink. Even from a distance, it was obvious to tell that they were handwritten by someone.
Decorative drawings that looked like flowers surrounded the edges of the paper, almost as if they were there to contain whatever was inside.
While Saya was too occupied recovering from her state of shock, the demi-human stood silently, staring down at the monster and waiting patiently for its next move. Although she posed confidently, her nerves twitched within her, as her natural survival instincts begged her to run for her life.
But to let someone die in vain was not something she would allow, especially not when there were children involved.
“Be ready to move.”
Her voice carried a deep, yet caring tone, one that would be fitting for a mother. Though what she had said was serious in nature, Saya couldn’t help but feel at ease being near her presence. She was so entranced that it nearly made her immediately forget what she was told to do.
A gruesome roar flung towards their ears. They both shut their eyes in reaction to the pain in their eardrums, with the sound being amplified nearly twofold for the fox-lady, thanks to her superb ears.
From the monster’s perspective, the two entities at the end of the city were both glowing motes of light, blinding its very path forward. Even if it wanted to attack, it would not be able to properly determine the target’s precise whereabouts.
Thus, if it was going to fight against light, then it would have to call upon the darkness to snuff it out. Raising its arm, dark energy ripped apart from the barrier, slowly making it more visible to Saya’s Soul Sight, but still invisible to the demi-human.
“Thoust have evaded us long enough!”
A direct contrast to the lady’s voice. If an explosion took the form of a voice, it would be what the monster had just spoken. Although it mysteriously called Saya “Eighth” earlier, she never expected it to be able to speak so clearly. Saya couldn’t help but wonder if things could have turned out differently if she attempted to communicate with the monster.
But she didn’t know its intentions in the first place, and from all she could tell, the monster could have had some form of link with Oktavia instead of her. Regardless, her priorities were to escape alive with the child in her arms.
She bent down at the same time the monster leapt to the top of the pyramid, raising its arms. Using her robe, she tied the arms of the boy around her neck, carrying him like a human backpack. Without the presence of another arm, it would be nearly impossible to carry him quickly otherwise.
“It’s coming!” the fox-lady declared as she tossed the pieces of paper into the air. In an instant, they snapped onto the ground as if they carried the weight of a block of metal. More importantly, however, there were now far more of the rectangular entities than she imagined.
Perhaps it was sleight of hand or an illusion, but what Saya thought were two pieces of wards were now hundreds, all surrounding the fox-lady in a circle. They were laid so perfectly and uniformly, almost as if they were deliberately placed down one by one.
“Soul Symphony!”
Both defenders had heard these words before. They did not know what form the monster’s Soul Symphony took, but if its physical strength was used as a baseline, then it was not impossible to assume its magical burst would be far stronger.
(Sleep, and Entrust Your Nightmares to Me)
“Dreamfall Dominion!”
Hesitation and fear halted Saya in place for a moment. She wandered her eyes towards the fox-lady to see how she was handling the situation, which was gravely different from the young mage.
The shrine maiden tightened her lips, clicking her feet together to stand as straight as possible. She clapped once, the sound humming through the air with magical energy. The pieces of paper that lay dormant were now gleaming with cyan light, the markings once covered in ink looking awfully similar to a human’s magical gears.
Another clap. This time, she held her hand up to her face, hanging her head ever so slightly like she was giving a prayer. Her eyes were closed shut, and her ears fell down to her skull, shutting down completely.
Fully activating, the clump of dark energy shot forward fiercely, piercing through the air itself as it made its way rapidly towards the two defenders. It was near impossible to even grasp the form of the projectile, as it blurred from its sheer, unwavering speed. It was a declaration to the two mages that they were outclassed and outnumbered.
“O Tree, grant these souls one final chance to defend your bark. May the Mitama family crest and seal serve as a sacrifice, as we fight to defend what is rightfully yours.”
Levitating on their own, the pieces of paper awaited their master’s command. At first, Saya imagined that the paper itself was the projectile and questioned whether it was enough to stop the mysterious dark energy flying towards her.
Perhaps it was an in-the-moment fear, but Saya couldn’t help but wonder if Sulva’s dark lightning disk and the monster’s projectiles were one and the same.
Buckling her resolve and determination, the fox-lady locked her heart into a state of inner peace. Her voice was now completely absent of the soothing, motherly aspect, instead transforming into something fierce, as if a beast had learned to speak for the first time, mixing its howls and words.
“Ariel Arashi!” With a single exclamation, a ward shone as brightly as a star, as the specter of a female human with twintail hair suddenly appeared before them. Without a word, the ghost leapt towards the incoming projectiles. Like two missiles colliding, the impact of the two forces sent lightning made of magical energy ferociously stinging the air.
Once the light cleared, there was no more specter, and certainly no more dark projectile.
Without hesitation, the monster conjured more energy, this time coming straight from the skies. A black ball loomed over them like a celestial body, threatening beyond belief. Compared to this, the Cradle Tyrant that Saya faced seemed truly like a baby.
Like hail, projectiles big and small started to rain down from the skies, the momentum gravity provided aiding in their faster descent. Standing tall, the fox-lady kept her eyes closed, exclaiming another name at the top of her lungs.
“Kozashi Kyo”
And another.
“Bo Kita.”
And another.
“Amano Miaki.”
Blue specters all materialized from the pieces of paper, their forms peeling away like ink given life. They flickered into shape with a faint shimmer, translucent bodies rippling as if caught between wind and water, before immediately leaping toward the danger without a shred of hesitation. The air grew colder with their passing, a thin chill trailing behind them as they surged forward in a restless tide.
The fox-lady’s speech got faster and faster, her voice losing its rhythm as it climbed into something frantic and unrelenting. The words blurred together, syllables crashing and tangling until Saya could only hear them mixing and clashing against each other, like overlapping echoes that refused to settle. Even so, each phrase carried weight, pressing against the air with a strange, unseen force.
However, despite the eerie sight, the spell the demi-human was casting was nothing short of extraordinary. The specters collided with the incoming hail of darkness, bursts of dim blue light flaring on impact as they tore through it.
The projectiles shuddered mid-air, their momentum breaking as if seized by invisible hands before scattering into nothing. One after another, the seemingly infinite assault was halted before it could reach them, the space ahead filled with flickering remnants of magic that crackled and dissolved into the cold air.
Saya couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of the ghosts’ faces. Initially, she imagined that the people who were “summoned” were nothing but fancy visualizations. But when striking, proud smiles radiated from them even in the face of death, the realization came to the young mage all too quickly.
They’re actually ghosts. They’re dead people coming back to life.
Such was the power of the demi-human.
Snapping out of her train of thought, the barrier became more and more visible, shedding all of its darkness in favor of assault. Quickly turning around, she sprinted towards the edge of the barrier. With a left hook, she tried to punch the barrier with a Gravefire shot, but it was no use.
Not even a ripple like the one caused by her book emerged. Frantically darting her eyes around the city, she tried to search for the source of the barrier. If it still somehow obeyed the rules of reality, then it would no doubt have a place where energy was being supplied to upkeep the spell.
The deafening shockwaves in the skies did little to help Saya’s focus. Her mind was already spinning from all the torment she had experienced, and the extra noise did her absolutely no favors.
Anxious, she desperately punched the barrier over and over again. Her breath was uneven, gasping frantically as she tried her best to escape the cursed area.
DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!
No matter how much she cursed in her mind, nothing worked. Although sparks of lightning shot out with every impact, the barrier itself remained unbroken. The two defenders were quickly running out of time, as the monster had grown tired of the demi-human’s counterassault. Not to mention, her wards were nearly all spent.
Using the barrage of magical attacks as its distraction, the monster planted its feet, bending them before launching forward with explosive force. Straightening its body, the beast reached the fastest speed it could achieve in a single movement.
Saya was the first to catch a glimpse of the monster, and the demi-human quickly followed. She yelled out five more names, and they shot toward the incoming hostile without even a shred of fear. However, unlike the earlier magical spells, they shattered and dissolved the moment they made contact with its skin.
The fox-lady’s breath hitched as the attack told her all she needed to know: she was not going to survive much longer. With the barrage still looming overhead, if she were to stop casting her spells now, she would most likely be skewered beyond recognition by the dark projectiles.
Magic sparked. Reality froze.
The sound of a ticking clock played in her mind.
Only one thought echoed in her head over and over again. There was no rest. Like an annoying baby refusing to be quiet, specific words and phrases assaulted her mind and soul relentlessly, with no signs of ever stopping.
Justice.
Is this the right thing to do? That fox-lady came to save me. Can I really just leave and pretend like nothing’s ever happened? If she dies, is there even a guarantee I might make it out alive? Wouldn’t that just mean I’m wasting two, no, three lives?
Is this justice? Is this right?
Her conscious body transported itself into different realms as her soul tapped into an ancient power. A power that had been present since the beginning of time, and would remain long after reality itself collapsed.
Like freefalling through different tunnels, her vision faded in and out as the concept of origins came rushing into her mind. A mountain of diseased bodies. A plateau flowing with sweets and honey. A city with bustling artificial lights that rivaled the stars.
In each of the seven destinations, every one of them was inhabited by a different silent spectre in the distance, barely out of her line of sight. They stood in silence, watching and studying the visiting mage with an unmistakable frown on their faces.
Her mind travelled once more, and had rejected their offer for power vehemently.
Are they here to give me another offer? Do I accept this time?
…
No.
This time, something was different. The specters in the distance vanished as Saya’s eyes locked onto a single target: a figure clad in white from head to toe, with hints of golden hair streaking out from its veil.
She couldn’t see its face, but if she made an educated guess based on how all the other specters looked at her, then it was most likely a frown. There was absolutely no level of understanding for Saya. To her, their frowns and other ways of sending a message meant little to her.
But something about this encounter was different.
It didn’t feel like she was borrowing power from the strange ghost in the distance, rather, she felt like she was unconsciously taking it from them. In simple terms, she was committing thievery for something she did not even truly understand. Perhaps that was why the specters were frowning at her.
They offered her power, which she rejected, and stole it for herself anyways.
Fuck off. I’ll steal as much as I like, if it means I can keep going.
She told herself, as the sparks of magical lightning transformed from a color of blue, to a golden white and yellow.
Yes, to leave her new comrade behind wasn’t justice, and she had no intentions of letting anyone die. With a single command of determination, her heart raced at an unbelievable speed, her magical gears whirring faster than they had ever before. To call it anxiety would be an insult to her emotions, this was something far different, this was excitement. This was a desire.
Pulling on the tied cloth keeping the child hanging, his body flopped to the ground with a loud thud. Then, like a bolt of lightning, she sprinted forward with all her might, with every intention of saving the person that helped her.
Like a puzzle snapping in place, her soul connected itself with the last remnants of the First World.
Her legs moved on their own, the soles of her shoes crushing against the stone street with every step. A blinding surge of magical energy erupted from her right shoulder, almost as if it was trying to replace her missing arm with magic itself.
Reality shuddered at the implications of what Saya had just executed, the tree of life in the far distance watching diligently at the mage it once collaborated with to rewind time. Just above the barrier, invisible from anyone else, a certain silver-haired girl rolled around in the air excitedly.
“No way, no way! She’s actually using that power?!”
The monster’s fist was only an inch away from impacting the demi-human’s face. A satisfied smile was carved across its uncanny face. Finally, the light that had been bothering it for too long was about to be snuffed out completely, with no hopes of ever returning to the world.
But like a flash, an even brighter golden light snapped just in front.
If her Gravefire Cataclysm was an attack to destroy all curses, then this one would have to be a shield meant to protect others from them. In a way, she felt silly for taking so long to come up with something like this.
This was for Albo, for the fox-lady, and for doing them justice.
(Every Attack Is Judged and Denied )
“FIRST CANON: LAWFLARE CITADEL !!!!!”
An artificial arm of light formed on her right, raising just high enough to block the monster’s fist of death. The sheer magical energy bundled within the two prevented them from even touching each other, as a gap of power remained between them.
Cracking the skies, the ground, and the air with lightning, both Saya and the monster stared each other down once more. Their bodies sunk further and further into the ground as they constantly upped their power in an attempt to defeat the other. At this point, the demi-human simply leapt back, securing the boy’s safety while Saya was preoccupied with defense.
Flashes of a golden structure flickered behind Saya, appearing and disappearing in rapid bursts. Her light grew brighter by the second, her arm now resembling a knight’s shield more than a girl’s bare limb.
The magical gears within Saya whirred loudly as they funneled as much energy as possible toward her right arm. Unbound by physical rules, she had no bones to splinter this time, no blood to spill, and certainly no worries to hold herself back. This time, not even the book, which would always try to save her, acted. Instead, it lay dormant on the ground, watching its master’s next step.
Her arm was one thing, but the rest of her body was starting to feel the effects of overexertion. If she had any hopes of surviving this carnage, then she would have to enact the second step of her plan.
Diverting some magical energy into her left arm, she immediately visualized fifty plates in front of her. This was the target she had originally aimed for during the battle of Atrila, a number risky enough to test her limits but safe enough to avoid losing another arm.
Clenching her fist, she let out a warcry, yelling the spell to cleanse all curses. Reality itself tried to push back against her tyrannical request, using mana as a barrier to stop her. But with the amount of power she currently held, those attempts were nothing short of meaningless.
(All Curses Burn in Equal Light)
“ZERO CANON: GRAVEFIRE CATACLYSMMMMMM !!!!!!”
Springing forward, her punch connected, the impact cracking through the air like a split in the sky. The moment her fist met resistance, a violent force surged back into her arm, sending her flying backward from the sheer power of the attack.
The beast was flung across the city in a similar fashion, its enormous body soaring as if it were weightless. It tore through the pyramid in an explosion of stone and dust. Debris scattered in all directions, chunks of rock blasting without rhyme or reason. Loud thuds resonated through the air each time the monster crashed into another structure.
Before her body could hit the ground, a gentle pair of arms caught her armpits, slowly raising her up. She turned to see the demi-human, who was now carrying the boy around her neck. The light on her arm immediately dissolved, as if it had never existed. After multiple loud thuds in the far distance, a ripple of magical energy finally vibrated across the invisible barrier of darkness.
Cracks formed, letting glimpses of the outside world through, even if only for a moment.
Seizing this opportunity, the demi-human wrapped her arm around Saya’s belly, carrying her like a sack of potatoes and leaping as high as she could toward the nearest crack. The sharp sting of the air forced Saya to close her eyes. Even so, she mentally thanked herself for having such a reaction, since she wouldn’t have been able to handle the height.
Like stepping into another world, they were met with the night sky, with the moon gleaming its rays ever so brightly. Snapping her head back toward the barrier that was repairing itself, the demi-human took one last glance at the artificial world before activating her Birthmark to cast wind magic.
Before it could lose its opportunity, Saya’s spellbook levitated from the ground, emitting a low hum of magical energy before blasting off toward its owner’s belt. As if it had sentience, it clipped itself back, shocking the demi-human.
But now was not the time to be curious. She propelled herself forward, rushing into the nearby woods as quickly as possible, the sound of her platform shoes clicking sharply with each step. Branches scraped against her arms as she pushed deeper, and leaves brushed against her face. The chimes on her clothes served as a form of lullaby to Saya’s tired ears.
Letting all the tension out of her body, Saya’s consciousness finally faded without giving her a chance to even fight back. The strength left her limbs all at once, like strings being cut, her body growing distant and unresponsive.
The world around her darkened, colors draining and blurring at the edges as if ink were bleeding across her vision. As she entered the world of dreams, thought itself began to slow, sinking deeper and deeper until even that quiet resistance disappeared.
Slowly recovering from the punch inflicted by Saya, the monster lay on the ground helplessly, its body twitching as small surges of yellow lightning paralyzed even the slightest movement of its muscles. Watching its barrier repair itself, the beast spoke with confusion.
“Justizia’s Light…”
“How strong is the Eighth Prime, to be able to use that power.”
“Worry not Master, I’ll come for you soon.”
“I can sense you.”