Inside the palace, going through room after room, everything was eerie, and it looked like people here had forgotten how to live as people. Many rooms were left messy, dirty, and clearly in disuse for the previous months, letting all old foods rot in the open air. While walking, Keily kept his bracelet ready, looking at the constant reports from the outside.
"People are attacking our side." He conveyed, walking behind Lia and next to Koa. "It seems those who are brainwashed are taking off their masks!"
"It's easier this way!" Koa answered with a shrug while Lia raised a hand, furrowing her brows.
"Do you feel it?"
"Feel what?" They asked back, stopping and looking around, but nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Here!"
With a dash, Lia passed by multiple doors and found the entrance to the King's chambers. The door was closed, but after freezing it solid and kicking it in, the trio stepped into the luxurious room that was a complete mess. Every piece of furniture was thrown aside, piling up at the walls, while in the middle of it stood a stone pedestal, and a strange, head-sized orb was floating above it. Worse, it was surrounded by the unmistakable stench of miasma.
"Now I feel it…" Keily gulped, his body surrounded with whisps of flame and electricity, trying to resist the feeling emanating from the cursed object.
"We should destroy it!" Koa exclaimed, doing the same, a watery mist swirling around her figure.
The moment they stepped into the room, they were already under the influence of the orb, whispering directly into their mind, its suggestions going straight into their soul. It constantly promised them everything they wished for: freedom, power, eternal life, peace, and salvation. They never heard of an instrument like this and it was never recorded in any of the Amarin's codexes they read… but it was evident that it had the power to dominate the mind. Someone unprepared or weak-willed would have difficulty resisting it, and even Keily felt a shudder running down his spine. He could swear he heard his father's voice in the distance, telling him to give in… and they could finally reunite.
"Yes… we should." Lia answered, shaking her head and repressing the thoughts that crept up in her mind, too. "I just don't know what it would do if I freeze it…"
"What do you mean?" They asked, unable to take their eyes off the floating sphere.
"I can try to freeze it… but if it explodes… I feel that an immense power is concentrated inside of it! It can be devastating if whoever controls it decides to blow it up."
"I am open to ideas!" Koa moaned, wanting to just get as far as possible. The longer they stood next to it, the louder the voices grew in her head.
"Chuk it into No-Space!" Keily suggested, and Lia couldn't help but agree.
"I can destroy it there without issues… good thinking!"
With a smile, she flicked her hand, using the Realm Key to open a stable door to No-Space, but the moment it happened, the trio's face turned shocked, and every color, sound, and feeling of the world was gone. They were not the only ones who looked surprised but also the countless souls on the other side. What greeted them was a sea of white hair and green eyes turning to look directly at them. Their bodies were still somewhat transparent, unbothered by the violent currents of No-Space, looking directly at them.
Lia reacted the first, attacking and sending a swath of blue flame in, incinerating and freezing dozens of them simultaneously before quickly resealing space itself. She no longer had any thoughts about worrying or contemplating; with a swing of her sword, she shattered the orb, freezing it not just by her fires but also by using the Realm Key to keep the room sealed off. The moment it shattered, an otherworldly shockwave exploded out of it that threw off not just her flames but also sent the trio flying, crashing through walls.
The ground started shaking, being felt everywhere in the city as a green beam of light crashed towards the sky from the palace, blowing half of the building away. It made Raufon erect a shield around them on the roof, but they were still thrown off from the top, interrupting Rinzen's concentration and shattering the ice prison around the city. From the beam itself, people felt their souls being afflicted with unnatural thoughts, and dozens of weak-willed citizens suddenly turned blank, stopped breathing, and died while looking out from their windows, glancing at the deep, green spectacle.
"What is happening…?" Heliett whispered, feeling her throat dry, feeling she was tossed into a nightmare that was turning worse and worse.
The explosion caused Lia to lose herself for a moment, feeling dizzy and disoriented, and it was enough of a lapse in determination to weaken the seal on space itself and let the Undead invade Meriath. Those unfortunate souls who died now had new occupants in their bodies, going on a killing spree, ripping out soul after soul, making way for the others to fly in and start such an outbreak the world hadn't seen for 4,000 years.
…
….
……
"It has begun." It was Loonah's voice that traveled to the other Supreme Elders. "Something is interfering with the invasion, but one of my anchor points has been triggered."
"Good! Follow the plan, and activate the rest! Let the armies move in and only turn when we are in an advantageous position!" Killieth's orders were clear; even if Loonah didn't like it, it was time to act.
Reyra was within the capital city of the Berison when she sensed the unmistakable feeling of an extremely powerful Undead appearing out of nowhere. She was far away, almost in the middle of their territory, but she wasted no time, flying out and disappearing into the horizon. Passing over the frozen fields, she was joined by two other figures, Lakhmu and Rangi.
"It is the same one!" She exclaimed with gritted teeth while they sent the order to the armies to move and advance into the Berison's territory and close off all escape routes.
"I feel multiple outbursts of Undead energy," Lakhmu added with a stern expression, his senses scanning the land while passing over it. "This is almost like an invasion!"
"It isn't almost like... It is…" Rangi added, but then the three of them shuddered, receiving the news.
It was not just happening here. All over Meriath, similar eruptions ravaged the landscape, just like the one in Sussarim. The Undead were appearing from nowhere, killing people without discrimination and multiplying at a frightening speed.
"Our awoken ancestors can handle it!" Reyra quipped before the other two would have thought of leaving to help their people. "We were prepared for something like this; let them deal with it! They were leaders before us; they could cope with the invasion! We concentrate on this one!"
"Yes!"
Only a minute later, they saw their target, Loonah, now occupying a different body of a woman but still emitting the same stomach-turning aura as before, standing mid-air. Below her, a city of a few thousand people was burning, and Undead was rising from the carnage, spreading out to all directions.
"She feels somewhat weaker; focus only on her; she can't be left alone!" Lakhmu said before speeding up, taking the role of the main fighter.
His tattoos around his body turned bright, emitting an incredibly strong light, yet it didn't hurt either Rangi or Reyra's eyes. Their vision remained unhindered while he left behind a trail of starlight, crashing into Loonah's body. The impact alone sent a shockwave, toppling buildings, snuffing out the fire below, and tearing up bodies as if they were made out of straw.
"I don't need eyes to see." The Soulbond's elder smiled, pushing back against Lakhmu, flinging him away with a blast of unnatural energy just so an arrow of light and darkness could hit her in the chest. "...!" This time, she couldn't help but stumble backward, touching the hole in her chest that was already regenerating, looking towards its origin, Reyra.
She was further away, holding an energy rifle, already preparing her second shot, which was a salvo of hundreds of energy beams aiming directly at all the spots Loonah could appear if she decided to dodge. The attack somewhat baffled her as none of the projectiles aimed for her but at spots where she would… escape. If she stays at her place… But it was not an option. Looking down, she realized that a humongous turtle had appeared out of nowhere, towering almost 50 meters in height, his giant head raising upwards, ready to bite her into two. Rangi's actual body was covered in green and silver scales, like a dragon's, looking extremely sturdy. His massive shell was shimmering as if made of steel, reflecting the light of Reyra's attacks, dazzling the Soulbound Supreme Elder when she looked down.
"I can't take three of them on for long!" Loonah cried in her mind, surrounding herself in a cocoon of miasma, deciding to take on Reyra's attacks instead of the bite of a giant beast.
"Predictable!" Shouted Lakhmu when he saw her move, and with an outstretched hand, he was gathering starlight, shooting his own spell in conjunction with Reyra's.
Even though Loonah's defenses were cracking and showing damage, she could still bog them down for the foreseeable future. For a long time, right until reinforcement arrived… something she hoped for, but no answer came. When she tried contacting them once again, she realized that she was cut off from the collective, her mind and soul expelled from it. She wanted to curse, but no words came out of her mouth, hurryingly trying to doge and push back against the trio, with less and less success.
…
….
……
"Get ready!" Killieth transmitted his thoughts to his sister, Yuya, whose soldiers were the smallest in number. Their two forces had already met up and were now traveling with the contingency of Amarins, led by Razael and Solren.
"I'm just sad that the girl I wanted is not here… She supposed to be their little sister…" Yuya grumbled.
"Forget it! These two are perfect. I'm going to take on the one with the sword. You go for the other one. Be careful; even though they are below us, they smell strong."
"Don't worry! Hehe… I like how evil you are, big brother! Sacrificing that bitch… fufu! Her screaming for help is hilarious!"
"I am blocking her from the others, so don't let it slip. Let her be a martyr for our cause!"
"Of course, of course! I am anything if not sympathetic to her plight! She is trying to compensate for her previous blunder by giving us enough time! How honorable!"
"Exactly." Killieth smiled as he surveyed the moving army. The moment they arrived at one of the cities and started to strike, they would transform, catching the forces by surprise and attacking them from two sides. He was not worried about their victory, but he wanted to get his hand on a new body… one with an even better potential to bring out the true power of his soul without degrading and killing the host body.
…
….
……
Lia was climbing out and under the rubble, her ears ringing, looking around and seeing the utter chaos before raising a hand and ensuring her mind was refocused, even if it made her head throb and hurt like hell. After receiving her thoughts, the Realm Key acted according to them, preventing more souls from slipping in from No-Space, but Sussarim was already thrown into utter chaos.
"Purge!" She groaned, giving an order to the Misfits, one that she was pained to do so. "Purge the city!"
She received no answer, but all the Misfits knew what it meant. There could be no hesitation on their part. The first to respond to his actions was Simbad. An unseen light swept through one district, boiling people's organs, killing them before they could perceive it. It was followed by Keily's fire, taking the shape of a giant serpent, sneaking through the streets, gobbling up the bodies, and turning them into ash. It was a massacre, and Heliett and her people obeyed just the same, not knowing if they would be left alive at the end of it. Looking at the glowing tower of Undead energy still present, probably not. She just hoped that Aurora, who was dancing between bodies, slicing them up effortlessly, would do it the same way... without her ever realizing she was already dead.
"Damned abomination!" Lia groaned, gathering power and unleashing all she could as two columns of roaring blue fire spread out from her, circling the green pillar of light and attacking it.
The moment the two made contact, she could tell it was filled with incomplete souls that were ripped out of No-Space, corrupted or modified by unknown magic. Whatever it was, it acted as a beacon for the souls on the other side. Souls that, for now, were locked out thanks to her presence.
"Just die already!" She gritted her teeth, blood flowing from her gums as she hurried to freeze the wild Undead power. She managed it just before she ran out of energy, finally stopping it and leaving behind an ice pillar that reached almost a hundred meters into the air.
Taking out a mana potion, she knew it was not over yet… the screams and carnage were still all around her, and her heart was beating as fast as never before… the image of thousand Undead at the other side… lurking as sharks in deep water filled her with deep unease. This was way more dangerous than what happened in the jungle a year ago… and she feared that even if they stopped it here, something worse was happening somewhere else.
Corty
You asked for it and I am here to deliver some images!
Spoiler [collapse]
Inside the palace, going through room after room, everything was eerie, and it looked like people here had forgotten how to live as people. Many rooms were left messy, dirty, and clearly in disuse for the previous months, letting all old foods rot in the open air. While walking, Keily kept his bracelet ready, looking at the constant reports from the outside.
"People are attacking our side." He conveyed, walking behind Lia and next to Koa. "It seems those who are brainwashed are taking off their masks!"
"It's easier this way!" Koa answered with a shrug while Lia raised a hand, furrowing her brows.
"Do you feel it?"
"Feel what?" They asked back, stopping and looking around, but nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Here!"
With a dash, Lia passed by multiple doors and found the entrance to the King's chambers. The door was closed, but after freezing it solid and kicking it in, the trio stepped into the luxurious room that was a complete mess. Every piece of furniture was thrown aside, piling up at the walls, while in the middle of it stood a stone pedestal, and a strange, head-sized orb was floating above it. Worse, it was surrounded by the unmistakable stench of miasma.
"Now I feel it…" Keily gulped, his body surrounded with whisps of flame and electricity, trying to resist the feeling emanating from the cursed object.
"We should destroy it!" Koa exclaimed, doing the same, a watery mist swirling around her figure.
The moment they stepped into the room, they were already under the influence of the orb, whispering directly into their mind, its suggestions going straight into their soul. It constantly promised them everything they wished for: freedom, power, eternal life, peace, and salvation. They never heard of an instrument like this and it was never recorded in any of the Amarin's codexes they read… but it was evident that it had the power to dominate the mind. Someone unprepared or weak-willed would have difficulty resisting it, and even Keily felt a shudder running down his spine. He could swear he heard his father's voice in the distance, telling him to give in… and they could finally reunite.
"Yes… we should." Lia answered, shaking her head and repressing the thoughts that crept up in her mind, too. "I just don't know what it would do if I freeze it…"
"What do you mean?" They asked, unable to take their eyes off the floating sphere.
"I can try to freeze it… but if it explodes… I feel that an immense power is concentrated inside of it! It can be devastating if whoever controls it decides to blow it up."
"I am open to ideas!" Koa moaned, wanting to just get as far as possible. The longer they stood next to it, the louder the voices grew in her head.
"Chuk it into No-Space!" Keily suggested, and Lia couldn't help but agree.
"I can destroy it there without issues… good thinking!"
With a smile, she flicked her hand, using the Realm Key to open a stable door to No-Space, but the moment it happened, the trio's face turned shocked, and every color, sound, and feeling of the world was gone. They were not the only ones who looked surprised but also the countless souls on the other side. What greeted them was a sea of white hair and green eyes turning to look directly at them. Their bodies were still somewhat transparent, unbothered by the violent currents of No-Space, looking directly at them.
Lia reacted the first, attacking and sending a swath of blue flame in, incinerating and freezing dozens of them simultaneously before quickly resealing space itself. She no longer had any thoughts about worrying or contemplating; with a swing of her sword, she shattered the orb, freezing it not just by her fires but also by using the Realm Key to keep the room sealed off. The moment it shattered, an otherworldly shockwave exploded out of it that threw off not just her flames but also sent the trio flying, crashing through walls.
The ground started shaking, being felt everywhere in the city as a green beam of light crashed towards the sky from the palace, blowing half of the building away. It made Raufon erect a shield around them on the roof, but they were still thrown off from the top, interrupting Rinzen's concentration and shattering the ice prison around the city. From the beam itself, people felt their souls being afflicted with unnatural thoughts, and dozens of weak-willed citizens suddenly turned blank, stopped breathing, and died while looking out from their windows, glancing at the deep, green spectacle.
"What is happening…?" Heliett whispered, feeling her throat dry, feeling she was tossed into a nightmare that was turning worse and worse.
The explosion caused Lia to lose herself for a moment, feeling dizzy and disoriented, and it was enough of a lapse in determination to weaken the seal on space itself and let the Undead invade Meriath. Those unfortunate souls who died now had new occupants in their bodies, going on a killing spree, ripping out soul after soul, making way for the others to fly in and start such an outbreak the world hadn't seen for 4,000 years.
…
….
……
"It has begun." It was Loonah's voice that traveled to the other Supreme Elders. "Something is interfering with the invasion, but one of my anchor points has been triggered."
"Good! Follow the plan, and activate the rest! Let the armies move in and only turn when we are in an advantageous position!" Killieth's orders were clear; even if Loonah didn't like it, it was time to act.
Reyra was within the capital city of the Berison when she sensed the unmistakable feeling of an extremely powerful Undead appearing out of nowhere. She was far away, almost in the middle of their territory, but she wasted no time, flying out and disappearing into the horizon. Passing over the frozen fields, she was joined by two other figures, Lakhmu and Rangi.
"It is the same one!" She exclaimed with gritted teeth while they sent the order to the armies to move and advance into the Berison's territory and close off all escape routes.
"I feel multiple outbursts of Undead energy," Lakhmu added with a stern expression, his senses scanning the land while passing over it. "This is almost like an invasion!"
"It isn't almost like... It is…" Rangi added, but then the three of them shuddered, receiving the news.
It was not just happening here. All over Meriath, similar eruptions ravaged the landscape, just like the one in Sussarim. The Undead were appearing from nowhere, killing people without discrimination and multiplying at a frightening speed.
"Our awoken ancestors can handle it!" Reyra quipped before the other two would have thought of leaving to help their people. "We were prepared for something like this; let them deal with it! They were leaders before us; they could cope with the invasion! We concentrate on this one!"
"Yes!"
Only a minute later, they saw their target, Loonah, now occupying a different body of a woman but still emitting the same stomach-turning aura as before, standing mid-air. Below her, a city of a few thousand people was burning, and Undead was rising from the carnage, spreading out to all directions.
"She feels somewhat weaker; focus only on her; she can't be left alone!" Lakhmu said before speeding up, taking the role of the main fighter.
His tattoos around his body turned bright, emitting an incredibly strong light, yet it didn't hurt either Rangi or Reyra's eyes. Their vision remained unhindered while he left behind a trail of starlight, crashing into Loonah's body. The impact alone sent a shockwave, toppling buildings, snuffing out the fire below, and tearing up bodies as if they were made out of straw.
"I don't need eyes to see." The Soulbond's elder smiled, pushing back against Lakhmu, flinging him away with a blast of unnatural energy just so an arrow of light and darkness could hit her in the chest. "...!" This time, she couldn't help but stumble backward, touching the hole in her chest that was already regenerating, looking towards its origin, Reyra.
She was further away, holding an energy rifle, already preparing her second shot, which was a salvo of hundreds of energy beams aiming directly at all the spots Loonah could appear if she decided to dodge. The attack somewhat baffled her as none of the projectiles aimed for her but at spots where she would… escape. If she stays at her place… But it was not an option. Looking down, she realized that a humongous turtle had appeared out of nowhere, towering almost 50 meters in height, his giant head raising upwards, ready to bite her into two. Rangi's actual body was covered in green and silver scales, like a dragon's, looking extremely sturdy. His massive shell was shimmering as if made of steel, reflecting the light of Reyra's attacks, dazzling the Soulbound Supreme Elder when she looked down.
"I can't take three of them on for long!" Loonah cried in her mind, surrounding herself in a cocoon of miasma, deciding to take on Reyra's attacks instead of the bite of a giant beast.
"Predictable!" Shouted Lakhmu when he saw her move, and with an outstretched hand, he was gathering starlight, shooting his own spell in conjunction with Reyra's.
Even though Loonah's defenses were cracking and showing damage, she could still bog them down for the foreseeable future. For a long time, right until reinforcement arrived… something she hoped for, but no answer came. When she tried contacting them once again, she realized that she was cut off from the collective, her mind and soul expelled from it. She wanted to curse, but no words came out of her mouth, hurryingly trying to doge and push back against the trio, with less and less success.
…
….
……
"Get ready!" Killieth transmitted his thoughts to his sister, Yuya, whose soldiers were the smallest in number. Their two forces had already met up and were now traveling with the contingency of Amarins, led by Razael and Solren.
"I'm just sad that the girl I wanted is not here… She supposed to be their little sister…" Yuya grumbled.
"Forget it! These two are perfect. I'm going to take on the one with the sword. You go for the other one. Be careful; even though they are below us, they smell strong."
"Don't worry! Hehe… I like how evil you are, big brother! Sacrificing that bitch… fufu! Her screaming for help is hilarious!"
"I am blocking her from the others, so don't let it slip. Let her be a martyr for our cause!"
"Of course, of course! I am anything if not sympathetic to her plight! She is trying to compensate for her previous blunder by giving us enough time! How honorable!"
"Exactly." Killieth smiled as he surveyed the moving army. The moment they arrived at one of the cities and started to strike, they would transform, catching the forces by surprise and attacking them from two sides. He was not worried about their victory, but he wanted to get his hand on a new body… one with an even better potential to bring out the true power of his soul without degrading and killing the host body.
…
….
……
Lia was climbing out and under the rubble, her ears ringing, looking around and seeing the utter chaos before raising a hand and ensuring her mind was refocused, even if it made her head throb and hurt like hell. After receiving her thoughts, the Realm Key acted according to them, preventing more souls from slipping in from No-Space, but Sussarim was already thrown into utter chaos.
"Purge!" She groaned, giving an order to the Misfits, one that she was pained to do so. "Purge the city!"
She received no answer, but all the Misfits knew what it meant. There could be no hesitation on their part. The first to respond to his actions was Simbad. An unseen light swept through one district, boiling people's organs, killing them before they could perceive it. It was followed by Keily's fire, taking the shape of a giant serpent, sneaking through the streets, gobbling up the bodies, and turning them into ash. It was a massacre, and Heliett and her people obeyed just the same, not knowing if they would be left alive at the end of it. Looking at the glowing tower of Undead energy still present, probably not. She just hoped that Aurora, who was dancing between bodies, slicing them up effortlessly, would do it the same way... without her ever realizing she was already dead.
"Damned abomination!" Lia groaned, gathering power and unleashing all she could as two columns of roaring blue fire spread out from her, circling the green pillar of light and attacking it.
The moment the two made contact, she could tell it was filled with incomplete souls that were ripped out of No-Space, corrupted or modified by unknown magic. Whatever it was, it acted as a beacon for the souls on the other side. Souls that, for now, were locked out thanks to her presence.
"Just die already!" She gritted her teeth, blood flowing from her gums as she hurried to freeze the wild Undead power. She managed it just before she ran out of energy, finally stopping it and leaving behind an ice pillar that reached almost a hundred meters into the air.
Taking out a mana potion, she knew it was not over yet… the screams and carnage were still all around her, and her heart was beating as fast as never before… the image of thousand Undead at the other side… lurking as sharks in deep water filled her with deep unease. This was way more dangerous than what happened in the jungle a year ago… and she feared that even if they stopped it here, something worse was happening somewhere else.
Corty
You asked for it and I am here to deliver some images!
Spoiler [collapse]