Options
Bookmark

Chapter 1380: Cage of Futures

In the darkness of the flood temple, a second passed. Sunny was still falling into the water.

During that second, Cassie had lost count of how many times her slender body was broken and mutilated by the monstrous sybil. A thought was much faster than a blade, but it had the same effect on the future as an action. Every time she mentally changed her plan of action, the immediate future changed, as well — and currently, Cassie was thinking with stunning speed. 'A step to the right.'

'A step forward, high attack.'

'A step forward, low attack.'

'A half-step…'

She imagined a future and suffered the consequences, again and again. The sybil was too powerful, too sinister, too vile… but not insurmountably so. Another moment passed, and finally, Cassie imagined the future where she did not die.

'Found it.'

In the approaching moment of time, she managed to evade the fury of harrowing tentacles unscathed and deliver a fatal strike. The Quiet Dancer whistled melodiously as she cut the air and plunged into the sybil's neck.

Cassie prepared to move…

But then, the fragmented future turned vague, disappearing. Instead, there was more pain, more defeat, and more horror. 'Of course… thought so.'

She did not lose her composure because that was what she had been expecting. Cassie was not the only one oracle in this temple, after all.

The sybil had just as much control over the future as she did… much more of it, even.

Just as Cassie finally found one path that led to her victory, the Defiled abomination destroyed it, pulling over other outcomes from the abyss of possibilities. Instantly, whatever chance the graceful young woman facing her had was gone. Their unseen and motionless, but furious and chillingly violent battle continued.

Another second had already passed. 'Faster, faster…'

Cassie gritted her teeth, feeling her mind spinning feverishly. She had already found a path… knowing where to look, she would be able to find another one sooner. If the future was a battlefield, then she had just conquered a small part of it, gaining control of not only that single possibility, but also all possibilities similar to it. While simultaneously denying them to the enemy. Now, all she had to do was to conquer the rest, until the sybil had no more futures to replace her death with.

'A half-step to the left, aim for the neck.'

'A jumping start, aim for the neck.'

'A half-step to the right, aim for the heart.'

A few more frozen seconds passed. The flooded hall quaked and groaned as dust and streams of water fell from its cracked ceiling. The horror of the depths was shrieking as its flesh burned, long limbs lashing out madly to crush the hateful radiant. The Drowned were besieging Sunny and his Shadows, some of them dead, but much more still frenzied and full of bloodlust. Cassie was standing motionlessly in front of the sybil. In her mind, the futures where she lived, and the creature died, multiplied. With each one she found, finding the next one became slightly easier. But finding many was not enough… she had to have more, more. She had to have them all.

As her mind burned, spinning faster and faster, the abomination grew more furious, too. The influence it exerted on the future became much more oppressive and suffocating, forcefully drowning harmful futures and pulling beneficial ones to the surface. And yet…

Despite that, Cassie was slowly usurping small areas of the invisible battlefield, one after another. Although both the blind seer and the Defiles sybil remained still, as if frozen, the air between them was crackling with pressure. The darkness boiled, failing to contain the gruesome violence of their clash. It felt as if the stone surface of the dais would crack and shatter from the aftershocks of the ruthless confrontation…

But, of course, it did not. Because the countless futures where the battle was taking place never happened. Cassie… was conquering these unborn futures.

The sybil was able to manipulate probability to make only those outcomes that benefited her come true, so Cassie had to disarm the creature. She had to surround her enemy with only those outcomes that ended in the enemy's death.

She had to make the future into a cage. 'A lunge, followed by a feint, followed by a sidestep, followed by a thrust.'

'A false lunge, release the Quiet Dancer, simultaneous thrust and flanking attack.'

'A step forward, release the Quiet Dancer, dagger parry turning into a slash, backstab.'

Cassie died, and died, and died, each death more gruesome than the previous one. But slowly, more and more fragments of the future she perceived allowed her to live. The sybil was surrounded more and more by the outcomes that ended in death.

Her cage was growing smaller. And smaller.

And smaller.

And smaller still...

…Down in the water, Sunny used the convulsing body of the Corrupted Devil to push himself to the surface and shot into the air. Landing on a pile of rubble, he tossed the fiend's severed head at an approaching abomination and followed up with a strike of the Sin of Solace, piercing the creature's heart. After that, he had a second to breathe. Turning swiftly, Sunny looked at the dais where Cassie was facing the sybil. He was both surprised and intensely relieved to realize that neither of them had moved, still.

'Strange...'

Spreading his shadow sense through the battlefield, he allowed himself a split second to evaluate the situation. Nephis and the horror of the depths seemed to be in a stalemate… the abomination's body was too alien and vast for her to deal fatal damage to it, while the abomination itself was not smart enough to catch the supremely skilled and calculating human with a devastating strike.

His Shadows were in the middle of a furious battle. Neither Saint nor Fiend were seriously injured, although there were several dents on the infernal ogre's armor. Nightmare had avoided being seriously wounded due to his speed and agility, for now, but there was already blood on the tenebrous stallion's sable coat. The two Echoes were mostly intact, as well. The sybil was cruelly vivisecting a Drowned champion, while the four-armed mannequin had lost one of his four blades. The latter Echo was struggling…

'No choice.'

Sunny had to help Cassie, even if it meant abandoning the battle with the Drowned and throwing more pressure at his subordinates. A moment later, he was already leaning to step through the shadows and appear on the dais…

But at that same moment, Cassie finally moved.

A split second before, she had been frozen like an ice sculpture, but then, abruptly, she was already in motion. Dashing forward with stunning speed, the blind girl danced between the surging tentacles, somehow avoiding each inescapable and lethal strike.

Before Sunny could even blink…

The blade of the Quiet Dancer flashed once, and Cassie was suddenly behind the monstrous Tyrant.

The sybil swayed slightly.

Her tentacles grew still.

Then, a thin stream of crimson blood flowed from a small hole in her neck. As the invisible ripple spread through the flooded hall, the Defiled oracle swayed once more...

And toppled into the seething black water.  

Comments 52

  1. Offline
    LadyMongrel
    + 10 -
    G3 gave cassie an opportunity to aura farm finally
    Read more
  2. Offline
    GoatBom
    + 10 -
    Cassie such a goat
    Read more
  3. Offline
    Baezhij
    + 01 -
    If Cassie got the weavers mask
    She is gonna be op with her eyes back.
    Extremely so..
    Read more
    1. Offline
      midoan
      + 22 -
      if she wears the mask her flow will become "you can't see the future" because she can't see the present which will make her abilities null
      Read more
      1. Offline
        LycanFlood
        + 00 -
        No, it doesn't reverse your aspect abilities, it reverses your flaw. So maybe cassie can see again using the mask, but the spell probably isn't so forgiving sigh
        Read more
        1. Offline
          Zahid1n
          + 00 -
          I she would be able to see but would be invisible. From “You Can’t See” to “You Can’t Be Seen” swim
          Read more
        2. Offline
          midoan
          + 00 -
          if you take her abilities into consideration, her flaw is she can't see the present with her eyes , so reverse that
          Read more
  4. Offline
    Star
    + 50 -
    Lol anime moment
    Read more
  5. Offline
    RedVic
    + 30 -
    Icl Sunny needed help more than anyone
    Read more
  6. Offline
    Guru
    + 21 -
    between the surging tentacles, somehow avoiding each inescapable and lethal strike.
    between surging first and lasts paragraphs, somehow I avoided inescapable and lethal middle section. monk

    L
    Read more
  7. Offline
    kollosus_na
    + 170 -
    Cassie is a scary little monster.
    Read more
  8. Offline
    rekicchi
    + 30 -
    #panic# not updating
    Read more
  9. Offline
    Pro100zver25
    + 120 -
    1393: Vortex.

    Soon, all three of them were sitting side by side, with the slate resting on the table in front of them. Cassie was tracing her fingers across the stone surface, a focused look on her face.

    After a while, she slowly nodded.

    "The coordinates match. It is indeed the right place."

    The blind girl was much more proficient in navigating the Great River, considering how much longer she had spent here than Sunny and Nephis. She was also the one who had learned the transcript system of the sybils and pinned down where Effie and Jet were trapped, in the first place.

    "Wind Flower, huh…"

    Sunny looked at the slate. There were neat columns of symbols engraved on it, as well as an image of a messy circle with frayed edges. It resembled a vortex more than anything, or maybe a cyclone. After studying it for a few moments, he reached out and turned the slate over.

    Familiar runes covered its reverse side. Without wasting any time, the three Masters read them.

    Pretty soon, Sunny's expression darkened.

    "…The currents of the River are twisted and treacherous near Wind Flower. Strong gales violently assaulted our ship, as if trying to push it back. Desperate to escape our pursuers, we persisted, entering deeper into the mist."

    "The surrounding waters moved in the wrong direction and with unnatural speed. It was as if we had lost our way and found ourselves near the Edge."

    "At some point, we were not struggling against the repelling winds anymore. Instead, overcome by fear, we were battling the raging tide that pulled us deeper and deeper, toward the source of the wind…"

    The first part of the text engraved into the reverse side of the slate was an excerpt from a report made by one of the Outsiders who had lived in Fallen Grace. He ventured on a long journey with a small fleet, hoping to find out the fate of a different city, one of the last with which Fallen Grace still maintained a connection... until the visitors and merchant ship from that city had stopped coming, as well.

    The fleet managed to learn that the city had been destroyed, but on their way back, they were attacked by powerful Defiled abominations. After a furious battle, only three ships managed to escape. Pursued by the enemies, they were forced to enter the dangerous waters around Wind Flower.

    "…For a few moments, the mist cleared, allowing me to glimpse the true nature of the tide. We were hopelessly caught inside a whirlpool of titanic proportions, which spun around a bottomless and dark abyss."

    "There was an island hovering above the darkness, with a tall and magnificent tower rising above the misty cliffs. Terror grasped our hearts when we realized that the tide was pulling us into the darkness. Desperate to save our lives, we tried to escape…"

    In the end, only one of the three ships managed to fight its way out. The other two were swallowed by the vortex, never to be seen again.

    Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then sighed.

    "So... it's a giant whirlpool."

    Something like that would explain how Effie and Jet had ended up stranded. If the vessel they were traveling on had been pulled into the monstrous vortex and destroyed, they would have no way of getting out again... or rather, no way of getting out again without some great luck.

    It seemed that they had reached the flying island at the center instead of being crushed in the depths, at least. The fact that Crow Crow was around to deliver messages proved that.

    Cassie silently shook her head.

    "Not just a giant whirlpool. Don't forget that the Great River is a river of time... any anomaly of its current is not a mundane one. There has to be something strange going on at Wind Flower, as well."

    Nephis nodded.

    "But what?"

    Since none of them knew the answer, they turned back to the slate. The rest of the runes on its reverse side contained notes made by the priests and priestesses who had served the sybils.

    The information they had recorded was not too helpful, though, due to the fact that almost no one returned from Wind Flower alive. That, however, was valuable knowledge in and of itself.

    The place called Wind Flower had not always been known by that name. Its previous one, however, was long lost. The magnificent tower the Outsider from the Fallen Grace mentioned had been a stronghold of a powerful Seeker once — there had been plenty of them throughout the Tomb of Ariel before the foundation of Verge.

    It was unknown whether the Seeker had left the citadel to challenge the Estuary, still resided there, or perished a long time ago. All that the sybils of Fallen Grace knew was that, at some point, no one could approach the citadel anymore.

    There was only one exception that they had heard of...

    A familiar name.

    "The Serpent King..."

    It was rumored that the Serpent King — Daeron of the Twilight Sea — had reached the stronghold and spent some time there, then returned to lead his people in the war against the Defilement.

    Sunny stared at the runes with a thoughtful expression.

    They had not learned all the secrets of Wind Flower from the slate, exactly. But they had learned two crucial pieces of information.

    First, that it was possible to brave its danger and come back in one piece — the Serpent King had proved it.

    Second...

    He looked at Nephis, then at Cassie, and said:

    "At least we know the general nature of that place. Fighting against the whirlpool will be hard, but doable. The problem, though, is that the island is floating above its chasm."

    "So, if we don't want to be pulled into the depths and killed... the Chain Breaker has to be able to fly by the time we reach Wind Flower. Cassie, can you repair it in time?"

    The blind girl frowned and remained silent for a few long moments. Eventually, she slowly shook her head.

    "No... there is not enough time, nor is there enough resources to fully restore the enchantments of the ship by then."

    As Sunny's expression grew somber, she hesitated a bit, and added:

    "However... I think there is something I can do."

    Cassie stood up and paced for about a minute, thinking about something furiously.

    "Yes... yes, that can work, too... I'll need to..."

    Finally, she stopped and spoke again:

    "I can't restore the connection between the sacred tree and the enchantment circle in time, but I can repair the circle itself, I think."

    Nephis raised an eyebrow.

    "What would it mean?"

    The blinded girl pointed to the deck.

    "It means that the sorcery that allows the ship to fly will be fully functional. It's just that it would not have a source of power."

    "But... we can use our own essence to fuel the enchantment, limited as it is. The Chain Breaker won't stay in the air for long, nor will it be fast, but it will carry us to that island and back."

    She scratched her head awkwardly, and then added in a small voice:

    "…Probably."

    Sunny stared at her for a while, then let out an amused chuckle.

    The odds, as always, were against them. But when had it been any different?

    He shrugged.

    "Good enough."
    Read more
    1. Offline
      Pro100zver25
      + 80 -
      1394: The luxury of being bored.

      The Chain Breaker had set sail once again. This time, they had to travel back to the middle area of the Great River, where the sky was azure. They also had to travel some distance into the past — not enough to bring them anywhere near Verge, but deeper than any of the three had ever ventured.

      Sunny spent the first morning lazing in bed and staring at the ceiling. He was thinking about Wind Flower. The strong winds, the twisted currents, the colossal whirlpool that pulled ships to their doom, and the island flying above the dark abyss... all of it sounded rather nasty.

      There was the fact that the tower standing on the island had once belonged to a powerful Seeker, as well.

      The Seekers of Truth were people who had entered the Tomb of Ariel at the same time as the sybils, or even earlier than them, but for an entirely different reason.

      The Seekers had not been searching for salvation from the devastation of the doomsday war. Instead, they had braved the Nightmare Desert and found their way into the tomb built by the Demon of Dread due to their thirst for knowledge.

      …Out of curiosity, basically.

      They had not been a unified group of people, either, but rather disparate individuals united only by the similarity of their obsession with knowledge.

      "Bunch of weirdos..."

      Who would climb into a dreadful tomb simply to satiate their curiosity? Sunny would never!

      Well... he had entered plenty of dangerous ruins to satiate his desire to explore the Dream Realm. But that was an entirely different matter! Firstly, he received contribution points for his exploits, from time to time. Secondly, none of those ruins had been left behind by terrifying deities.

      "Come to think of it, a couple of them were..."

      Like the Ebony Tower. But he had not ended up there out of curiosity. He had ended up there out of greed! That was a much better reason, so... he was not like those weird Seekers at all....

      In any case, Sunny was not excited to visit the stronghold of a powerful Seeker. Not even considering the fact their desire to learn Ariel's truth had caused the birth of the Defilement, these people did not seem trustworthy at all.

      A hidden island where a mysterious Seeker had lived before disappearing without a trace, surrounded by a nearly impassable barrier of water, wind, and twisted time... yes, that did not sound ominous at all.

      "Damnation..."

      Of course, they did not really have a choice. Effie and Jet were there, so Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie couldn't turn back.

      "People fear the unknown the most."

      If the slate had told them that there was a Great Nightmare Creature living at Wind Flower, he would have been reluctantly, but calmly coming up with plans to defeat it. But it was the not knowing what waited for them at the center of the whirlpool that made Sunny feel nervous.

      In the end, tired of being anxious, he decided to distract himself by doing something useful. Climbing out of his bed with a sigh, Sunny finally left his cabin and went to the upper deck.

      Saint, Fiend, and Nightmare were standing guard at the bow, middle section, and the stern of the ship. Nephis was holding the steering oar, while Cassie was making preparations to repair the sorcerous circle of the ship.

      Sunny hesitated for a few moments, then approached the blind girl.

      "Hey. Can I take another look at the Guiding Light?"

      Looking up, Cassie smiled at him and pointed to the sacred tree. The beautiful staff stood there, propped against its trunk.

      "Thanks."

      Grabbing the sacred relic of the sybils, Sunny went to his usual spot in the shade of the ketch and sat down on the deck.

      "Let's start, then..."

      He spent some time weaving the basic enchantments around a Transcendent soul shard. His goal was simple — to turn the Guiding Light into a Memory, so that it was easier to use and could be taken back into the waking world.

      After hours of focused work, however, Sunny was left staring at the wooden staff with a deadpan expression. His eye was twitching slightly.

      "Damn it!"

      It was all a waste. The moment he tried to place the rudimentary weave inside the relic, the lightless strings of shadow essence dissolved in the blinding radiance hidden within the white wood. It was as if they were incinerated from simply touching divine sorcery.

      "All that work, for nothing."

      Uttering a quiet curse, he stood up and put the Guiding Light back under the sacred tree.

      Somewhat disheartened, Sunny went to switch with Nephis at the steering wheel. He guided the ship as she practiced with her sword, dancing with it as the seven suns slowly traveled across the crimson sky.

      He enjoyed the view a great deal.

      Later, Sunny spent some time staring at the Estuary Key, not at all closer to solving its many Memories.

      He had a meal with Nephis and Cassie.

      He created more essence strings to replace the ones that had been destroyed.

      And practiced his own swordsmanship, mentally going over the battle with the Drowned and thinking of what he could have done better.

      After all that...

      Sunny had to admit to himself that he was bored.

      "Huh."

      It was a rather strange and luxurious feeling. Sunny had very rarely received an opportunity to feel bored... usually, there had always been something pressing for him to do, learn, or escape.

      It had been like that in the outskirts, and did not change at all after the Awakening.

      But here in the Third Nightmare, brief moments of intense and unreasonable danger were separated by long stretches of calm.

      Of course, he knew that the calm would not last long... it would take them some time to reach Wind Flower, but they would certainly have to fight for their lives many times on the way.

      The Chain Breaker would be attacked by Nightmare Creatures — maybe today, maybe tomorrow, or the day after that. There would be dangerous anomalies waiting for them under the waves, as well — perhaps some of those described on the stone slates.

      The Mad Prince could visit him in his dreams at any moment. The appearance of the other Plagues weren't out of the question, either.

      But for now, at least, there seemed to be peace.

      So, Sunny decided to give himself a day off, for once, and enjoy that peace while it lasted.

      Walking back to the stern of the ship, he summoned a certain piece of furniture and placed it a few meters away from Nephis. Sitting down on his luxurious chair, he summoned the emerald flute and brought it to his lips.

      Nephis looked at him in confusion.

      "What are you doing? Ah. Trying to raise the dead? But... there are no corpses on the ship..."

      Sunny blinked a couple of times.

      "Who does she take me for?"

      "Is it so hard to imagine that I'm just in the mood for music? Kai gave me a few lessons, you know. So I can carry a tune. He might have begged me to perform as a guest during one of Night&Gale concerts, even!"

      She smiled faintly.

      "I noticed you said "might have begged" instead of "begged". Hmm."

      Then, her eyes widened slightly.

      "…Wait. Night&Gale concerts? Are they planning a reunion? When? Is it going to be old material, or has Gale written a new album? What about new choreography? Who is..."

      Sunny lowered the flute and stared at her sullenly.

      "Ah. Here she goes again, barraging me with questions..."

      "Yes. I don't know, probably not. No clue. No idea. I'm not sure..."

      As the sky slowly grew brighter, the Chain Breaker sailed toward dawn.

      The three Masters aboard the graceful vessel anxiously awaited the reunion with two lost members of their cohort...
      Read more
  10. Offline
    Pro100zver25
    + 80 -
    1391: Rushed exit.

    Sunny had wanted to get back to the slates, but as he left the secret room, he suddenly felt uneasy. Something about the chamber had changed... he couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it was as if the shadows populating it were moving.

    "Hold on to something."

    Hearing Cassie's voice, he put his hand on a stone pillar. In the next moment, the floor beneath him violently shook. Its already pronounced tilt was suddenly even steeper, causing countless small pieces of rubble to roll in their direction. The sound of falling water had grown louder.

    "Curses."

    Looking at his companions, Sunny sighed and said in a glum tone:

    "I guess the battle did too much damage to the temple, after all."

    Nephis nodded somberly.

    "Should we hurry?"

    He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. A swarm of sparks rose into the air, slowly forming into a familiar alloy chest.

    "We probably don't have much time before this entire place sinks. Let's just load everything into the Covetous Coffer... we can continue studying the slates when we're safely back on the Chain Breaker."

    Of course, safety was a relative term here in the Tomb of Ariel. Sunny had only grown more wary of the Great River after reading the records in this ancient chamber, but still... he was not enthused at the idea of having to escape the temple while it was actively drowning.

    Feeling like they had very little time left, the three Masters abandoned all attempts of categorizing the slates and simply threw everything remotely intact into the welcoming maw of the Covetous Coffer. The temple shook one more while they were at it, causing Sunny to curse in frustration.

    Finally, they were done. Not wasting any time, Sunny led the way out of the central chamber, past the rooms full of rotting scrolls, and into the cold darkness of the narrow corridors leading to the great hall. By then, it felt like they were climbing a steep hill — the stone floor was tilted downward, water rushing past their feet and drenching them from above.

    "Ah, I don't like this..."

    Logically, Sunny understood that he would be able to escape the drowning temple even if it collapsed and started sinking. Not only was he strong enough to break through the stone walls, he also possessed Memories of the House of Night that allowed him to swim like a fish and breathe underwater.

    However, he still felt tense and claustrophobic. Being caught under an immense mass of stone, with cold water rising higher and higher with each moment, was not the most pleasant of feelings. The ancient temple was shaking and groaning, slowly crumbling around them.

    "I can just send one of the shadows ahead and get to the surface by using Shadow Step. I can take Nephis with me, as well."

    He glanced at Cassie, who was walking behind them while using the holy staff as a cane. After a short moment of hesitation, Sunny chose to keep all the shadows with him.

    Soon, they reached the great hall where the battle had taken place. Although not much time had passed, it was in far worse shape already — there were actual waterfalls flowing through wide cracks in the distant ceiling, and the dais where Cassie and the sybil had clashed was partially submerged underwater.

    His Shadows, whom he had left there to stand guard, were silently watching the rising water.

    "Nightmare! Come!"

    In the blink of an eye, the black stallion was already at his side. Sunny lingered for a moment, then turned around and grabbed Cassie by her thin waist.

    "Excuse me..."

    Effortlessly lifting the delicate girl, he placed her on the dark destrier's broad back and gave Nightmare a silent command to reach the surface as soon as possible.

    "You better hold on tight!"

    Cassie remained motionless for a split second, then suddenly paled and grabbed onto the dreadful steed's mane tightly. She opened her mouth to say something, but a moment later, both of them were gone in a burst of wind. All that could be heard was the sound of adamantine hooves ringing on stone in the distance, and a short shriek.

    "Now, then..."

    No matter how fast Sunny and his shadows were, Nightmare was many times faster. And since one of those shadows had been accompanying the black stallion, the three of them — the Shadow, the shadow, and the blind seer — reached the surface much sooner than Sunny would have.

    By the time he and Nephis reached the edge of the dais, he could already see the crimson blaze of the twilight sky. Just at that moment, the temple shuddered in another violent quake...

    Grasping Neph's hand, Sunny pulled her into the dark embrace of shadows. A short instance later, they stepped on the ashen soil of the incinerated garden, bright sunlight briefly blinding both.

    When Sunny regained his vision, the first thing he saw was Cassie kneeling on the ground in front of Nightmare, her face of an unhealthy greenish color. Taking a few deep breaths, the blind girl raised a trembling hand and pointed an accusing finger at him.

    "W-w… warn me next time! D-damn it!"

    He grinned.

    "What's the point? Didn't you already know what I was going to do?"

    Sunny hurriedly helped her stand up, dodging the tip of the Guiding Light in the process.

    "Watch where you point this thing… in any case, there's no time to tarry! We might have escaped the temple, but this whole island is going to fall apart soon. So, hurry up and run!"

    At that point, Nephis gave him a somber look and said, her voice flat:

    "I'll hurry and run... as soon as you let go of my hand."

    She lingered for a moment, and then added evenly:

    "…Or do you want me to carry you?"

    Sunny froze, then lowered his gaze and realized that he was, indeed, still holding Neph's hand. He blinked a couple of times, then looked up and gave her a smile.

    "Actually, yeah. I wouldn't mind being carried."

    With that, Sunny let go and dashed toward the shore of the island-ship.

    Soon, the graceful silhouette of the Chain Breaker appeared in front of them. He felt much too happy to see the ancient ship, and leaped onto its deck without wasting a single second.

    Just as he did, the drowning island resounded with a deafening crack, and split apart.
    Read more
    1. Offline
      Pro100zver25
      + 90 -
      1392: Desolation.

      After the island broke apart, it did not take a lot of time for the debris to disappear into the depths of the Great River. Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie stood on the deck of the Chain Breaker, observing the death throes of this lost part of Fallen Grace in somber silence.

      The flowing water seethed and boiled, turning into white foam. The ashen remains of the dark garden were pulled down by the current and swallowed by the depths. In something that felt like too short of a time, though, the surface of the river became calm and clear once again, with not a sign of the massive island-vessel left in sight.

      Sunny sighed softly.

      The destruction of the artificial island had been too depressing of a scene. It was like a metaphor of the futility of human existence... countless River People had worked hard to create and maintain it, and even more spent their lives walking upon its ground. But now, it was gone, swallowed by the elements in mere minutes. With every trace of it erased from existence.

      Weave was going to be erased the same way before too long. The cities of the sybils had already disappeared... only Fallen Grace remained, its fate all but decided. The Tomb of Ariel had been home to a thriving civilization once...

      But now, it was nothing but a Nightmare.

      Sunny shook his head, suddenly grim. Would the cities of the waking world be gone one day, too? He had not even known that there was a world outside the endless sprawl of NQSC once. It was hard to imagine that a place so populous and boundless could cease to exist.

      …But then again, the waking world was already a world of ruins. Plenty of thriving cities had been erased from its maps — most of them, even. Entire continents stood desolate, devoid of life, and uninhabited. He even witnessed the extinction of one of these empty continents himself.

      "My mood is all over the place today."

      What was there to feel sad about? That island had been nothing by the lair of a dangerous abomination. They had come to its shore, killed the abomination, and absconded with precious loot. Cassie even received a pretty stick as a bonus.

      If anything, he should be feeling utterly delighted.

      However, Sunny felt mostly tired and sore all over. The battle against the Drowned was a short one, but nevertheless very intense. He was battered and bruised, albeit not injured too badly.

      "Gone! Gone!"

      Sunny turned and glanced at Crow Crow, who was hopping excitedly on the railing and staring at the empty space where the island had been with a curious expression. The small bird was unburdened by any kind of heavy thoughts. In fact, it did not have any thoughts at all...

      After all, it was an Echo.

      Now that the island was destroyed, though, that Echo had a job to do.

      As he watched, Cassie approached the black bird and gently took it into her hands. Saying something, the blind girl opened her palms and let the crow fly away.

      The last thing they heard before Jet's Echo disappeared into the distance were indignant caws:

      "Stuck! Stuck!"

      Crow Crow had a simple mission — to inform the inhabitants of Fallen Grace about the death of the Defiled sybil, and then find its way back to the ship. The three Masters did not know how long it would take them to rescue Effie and Jet, so they wanted to make sure that the last city would migrate downstream in their absence.

      Hopefully, by the time they returned, the frail Riverborn would be doing much better.

      "That's done, then."

      Sunny glanced at the wooden staff in Cassie's hands, then at the sails of the Chain Breaker. He hesitated for a moment, then asked tiredly:

      "Should we set sail?"

      After a moment of silence, Nephis shook her head.

      "The night is approaching, and all of us are tired. I'd rather just drift with the current until tomorrow. A little rest won't do us any harm."

      Sunny was happy to hear it.

      …Soon, they were gathered on the mess deck at the stern of the ship. All its compartments had been cleared of debris and repaired by the inhabitants of Fallen Grace, but the three Masters did not visit most of them often, since there was no need to. They mostly spent their time on the upper deck, in their living quarters, or on the mess deck near the galley.

      There was freshly prepared food on the table, giving off the familiar, delicious smell of Neph's cooking. The Covetous Coffer stood with its lid open, its teeth gleaming in the warm light of a lantern. Sunny was cradling a cup of tea in his hands, glancing at the several slates laid down in front of him.

      Honestly, though, he was in no mood to study their mysteries. He just wanted to fill his belly and rest.

      With a sigh, he pushed the slates away and pulled his plate closer. Swallowing the first mouthful of a fragrant meat porridge, Sunny closed his eyes in delight.

      Nephis was preoccupied with eating, as well. Cassie, though, seemed to have forgotten about it — she was playing with her new shiny toy instead. The soul shard at the tip of the holy staff was emanating light, its intensity changing from time to time.

      Sunny stared at her for a bit, then asked:

      "What are you doing?"

      The blind girl took a sip of tea absentmindedly.

      "Trying to figure out how it works. It's weird... the enchantment doesn't seem to respond to everything. It points to you, Nephis, Effie, and Kai... but not Jet or that person, Mordret. Or Fallen Grace, for that matter. It does respond to Wind Flower, though."

      Sunny raised an eyebrow, then shifted his perception and gazed beneath the surface of the Guiding Light. Just as he had expected, there was no weave there. There were no runes, either... just a field of blinding radiance.

      He had seen something similar when looking at the knives created by Sun God. Within each, there was nothing but a radiant ocean of something — soul essence, perhaps — and a sole string of fate, bound onto itself and looping endlessly.

      Such was the sorcery of gods, entirely unreasonable and void of any kind of logic he could understand.

      "Looping endlessly..."

      His tired mind got caught on these words, but he was distracted just then by Neph's strangely muffled voice:

      "Found it."

      Shaking awake from his reverie, Sunny turned and looked at her.

      Nephis had a spoon in her mouth, holding one of the slates he had pushed away in both hands. Sunny was rather amused by that sight.

      "…What did you find?"

      She blinked a couple of times, then awkwardly removed the spoon from her mouth and pointed it at the slate.

      "Wind Flower. Uh... it's described right here."
      Read more