It was an amazing sight from afar as a lonesome stroke of radiant light charged into a landscape of darkness. Amidst the pouring rain, the howling wind, and the encroaching darkness, a single ray of hope defied the odds.
Eras of strife and despair often birthed heroes; These were individuals who stood up to the challenges that defined that period. These champions usually come in many forms, but they all shared a particular characteristic. An aspect that made them unique.
The closer he got to the gargantuan entity, the more he felt the aura of death, or rather something else… an essence of stagnation. Every thought that ran through his mind screamed at him to run as far as he could. That it was hopeless and that he was only sending himself to meet a horrible end.
It wasn't that they were all strong; every hero has had a moment of weakness, a time when they were at their most vulnerable.
Even so, he approached the unknown beast and prepared himself for a fight to the death. Reed had lied to Astor — he was going to play the hero this time, even if it cost him his life. He'd hold back the shadowy figure no matter the cost. It was the least he could do for everyone at the outpost. And even though Reed actually wanted to flee, he knew that he wouldn't. Something deep inside told him that he'd never live the shame down for the rest of his life. It'd eat at him until he died.
It wasn't that they were all courageous; not every hero is fearless in the face of adversity, as much as they'd like you to believe.
Up close, Reed was finally able to see the creature's true form in all of its twisted glory. Reed silently gasped as he gazed upon the eldritch monstrosity and steeled himself with all the resolve he could muster. He'd severely underestimated what he was up against, but even so, he would not back down. He'd fight to the bitter end if need be.
It wasn't that they were all charismatic; unfortunately, not everyone is born a natural leader, capable of drawing in allies. Some heroes have acted alone because they could not lead others.
It was a sight that couldn't even put into words properly... It was a tower made of raw, pulsating flesh that squirmed and contracted as if it were alive. An endless amount of twitching corpses were strewn across the tower's surface, half-fused into the tower itself. The true height of the atrocious construct was much taller than anything he could have expected. It pierced the cloud-wall and extended much further than previously imagined, far into the sky where Reed could not see...
Across the length of the accursed tower, massive bulging, red eyes stared at him and malformed mouths gnawed on Anima nonstop, converting it into the miasma that Lu'um had warned him about. The amorphous tower of flesh wriggled and a deep growl escaped through the tower's many mouths. It struggled for a moment and as a result, the deep growl grew in pitch until it sounded like something resembling a gnarled, ominous voice.
No, heroes had their flaws and burdens. They just knew how to hide their defects when it came time to perform their duties. They understood that the act took precedence over everything else.
A wave of noxious miasma spewed forth when it opened its many mouths as it spoke a twisted tongue unknown to Reed. He quickly summoned his aegis and backed far away from the corrosive poison it had tossed out.
"Sian ur sha aththia'tag ghhaaft, shuun iat ang atthala xuia' nuta'aftfta rasa..." said the tower as it intently gazed upon Reed. It did not move and simply observed Reed as if it was waiting for him to respond.
Reed was about to respond back to the monstrosity, but someone unexpectedly beat him to it. A soft, feminine voice clearly spoke with a loud, frigid tone and said, "Yuia ghuftft nus sanls anusha' hau' ur sha ghhaaft, at ftung at I ftu'a!"
A beam of condensed radiance shot out of his cloak and slashed the tower of flesh, piercing through it and the sky in defiance. The tower groaned in pain and then released a horrifying screech of anger in response to the sudden attack. It was too late for any form of dialogue now, so Reed hurriedly backed away and flew as fast as he could down into the city to hide.
Reed quickly gazed down at his cloak when he behind a half-destroyed building as he contemplated on whether or not he'd get rid of his cloak. Is this why Lu'um wanted to seal this cloak away? Because something is sleeping inside of it? Is this she meant by dangerous…. This is pretty damn crazy for a damn cloak, even if it is enchanted…
The feminine voice from before spoke again and said, "I am no simple cloak, you buffoon! I am the Mantle of the Sky, the greatest Armament that has ever existed, and your gracious savior. Had it not been for my timely intervention, you would have probably been lured into that disgusting worm's trap. You're extremely lucky I woke up in time, or we'd both be damned to roam an inescapable abyss forever! Heaven have mercy, I almost had a panic attack when I woke up and saw that you were that close to that damn bottom-feeding piece of filth."
Something about the way she talked irked him; she sounded holier-than-thou in an incredibly abrasive way, even though her voice sounded sweeter than honey. It felt like he was being coldly berated by an angel from heaven, in a certain way… He hated her snobbish, condescending tone above all else. She sounded like one of those insufferable know-it-all types that loved to rub their knowledge on other people's faces.
Reed snorted coldly and said, "Oh, please. You make me sound like a defenseless newborn that can't even recognize friend from foe. I am very much aware that the giant fucking meat tower is malicious — you act as if I was going to hug and sing a merry song with it."
"That so? And here I thought that you inherited his stupidity too along with his damned face. Isn't this a nice little surprise, eh? Well, it isn't that surprising considering you're her kid… Her intelligence must have negated, or least balanced the moronic qualities you've inherited from him. Excellent, this'll work out splendidly then."
The cloak started glowing brilliantly and numerous golden symbols appeared on its surface all of sudden, and the surrounding Anima swirled around it in response to the cloak's summons. "Listen up, boy. You don't stand a chance of beating it yourself as you are right now, so I'll be doing the heavy lifting this time. You don't want to die, yes? Neither do I; I still have something I need to do and need you alive for that. All you have to do is obey my instructions and we'll take care of this filthy pissant in a jiffy. Be a good boy-toy, and I'll even reward you should you behave well…"
Reed grit his teeth in frustration and promised himself that he'd give the cloak to Lu'um once this was over, but he knew that he couldn't be picky right now. His friends were in danger and that took priority over feelings at the moment…
"Fine," he spat out, "What do you need me to do?" He'd take the deal even if it meant having to submit to the condescending woman.
"I'm going to be gathering Anima and channeling it through the mantle to boost your natural abilities to my level for a brief period. Your job will be to find the worm's heart and sever the connection it has to this world by using an attack laced with my aura. Should you succeed, that detestable cretin will lose its anchor here and be forced back outside once more, where it belongs."
What is their duty, you ask? Heroes are tasked to inspire hope in their fellow men, even in the darkest times. To do this, one needs a certain measure of resolve, a driving force to make them stand up and challenge the odds.
"Lu'um said the same thing, but never explained how to do it… How will I know where this heart is supposed to be?! Have you seen how massive that thing it is? It could be anywhere and I don't know where I'd even start looking." Reed peeked out of the corner of the building he was hiding behind as he observed the frightening waves of Anima that had begun roiling off of the creature. It was likely preparing itself….
"Isn't it obvious? All of the Anima it devours has to travel through its heart for it to be converted into the filth that it spews out. Follow the Anima pathways within it and you'll find the heart. That's all there is to it."
".....Right. By the way, my name's Reed, so can you stop calling me boy? It's annoying being addressed like that, you know. Also, I don't think I've done enough to warrant your attitude, don't you think? Why are you acting so damn hostile even though we're going to be partners in just a minute?"
His irritation had finally reached its peak, to the point that he couldn't hold himself in check anymore. Enough was enough. He would not take this level of sass from a goddamned cloak, enchanted or not.
Reed had low standards for himself, but even he couldn't tolerate this — getting talked down by a magic cloak, a piece of magical clothing, was too much for him. There was a limit to his patience.
"A-Ahem, I suppose, I was acted a little brash for a first introduction. I'm sorry about that, it's just…. I had a falling out of sorts with someone not too long ago and because of that, well, life hasn't been too cheery for me. I shouldn't have taken my frustration on you; after all, you aren't to blame for anything…" Rays of brilliant, golden light shone out from the cloak and melded together in complex shapes like puzzle pieces until a beautiful figure formed out of them.
Reed's eyes nearly popped out their sockets when he saw her. She was the definition of ethereal beauty; a single look at her let him know that she possessed an unnatural level of charm. He would even go as far as to label her appearance a curse rather than a gift. Any lesser man who'd look upon her visage would likely become a prisoner to her in an instant, were they weak in spirit and will.
"My name is… Lacrima, Daughter of Heaven. I was summoned — created to serve as an emissary for the Will of the World and as a partner for the Successor of the Sixth Sun," she quietly said with a torn expression.
"You, who will right the wrongs of your predecessor, The Man Who Forsook the Stars, the previous owner of the sacred name, Ka'an. I will be your guiding light and compass for when you survey eternity on the other shore."
Oh, nooo. I've got yet another girl who loves to speak in riddles in my hands. I've hit the jackpot, again… W-Well, she's not that bad, I suppose. Although we started off rocky at first, I can at least tell that she isn't a bad person at heart…
Reed shook his head and said, "So all I need to do is find the heart and cut it away from the rest of the body, right? I can handle that much, if that's all I have to do," A loud, ear-piercing screech shook the city; It was doing something. "Looks like our time's up. Let's get this over with, I've got places to be."
Indeed... all heroes share this fascinating trait — The will to live; to move forward and fight.
Anima shimmered in response to his will and waves of righteous light gathered around him like a protective shroud. When she disappeared back into the cloak, he felt as if she had connected with him and suddenly felt the incoming rush of power she'd talked about. It was a euphoric sensation, unlike anything he'd ever experienced in his life. Reed felt his senses expanding at an incredible rate; a completely new world had suddenly been opened to him. It was as if his ability to manipulate Anima had grown a hundred times in the span of an instant.
He felt genuine awe and fear; he realized that he was now capable of doing much more with Anima than before. So much more. With a single thought, he could bend the world until it screamed in pain.
"I can do this." Reed channeled an astonishing amount Anima into himself and then launched himself with enough force that some surrounding buildings around him even collapsed from the aftershock. A massive wave of Anima blew across the rest of the city as if a bomb had gone off, startling both friend and foe alike.
The tower roared in rage when it detected the holy aura around Reed and loudly screeched, "Wa thaftft ialun sha sh'una ur haa'an su gaftu'a' lianuthnans su sha raftta hau'!" The sky trembled in protest as numerous tendrils of dark energy descended upon the city. Each one was easily larger than even the tallest building and carried with it the stench of corruption and death.
As soon as they forcibly pierced through the cloud-layer, they started their assault on Reed. Some tendrils reached out to grab and restrain him, and others split and morphed into hideous beings, intent on tearing him into pieces as they charged towards him. A host of abyssal creatures eagerly from beyond the void eagerly welcomed the lone boy to struggle against them, their contorted faces smiling in twisted delight. They wanted to fight.
Reed could not have possibly been more disgusted as charged into the maelstrom of chaos. He swore to himself that he'd purge every single one of them. With a single thought, he summoned an enormous sea of holy flames and sent it towards the horde. Screams of fury resounded as the horde did their best to avoid the oppressive heat and purity from Reed's attack, but it had traveled far too fast for them to dodge in time. A hole had been formed in their ranks of the horde, filled only with ashes and remnant scraps of light.
The horde immediately realized underestimated their enemy and took the lesson to heart; they hurriedly dispersed and adopted different tactics to keep themselves from suffering the same fate as their former comrades. Stronger abyssal creatures summoned wards of corrupted Anima around themselves and other conjured weapons formed out of the surrounding miasma. The weaker abyssals ran into the surrounding buildings for cover to wait for an opportunity to strike from the shadows…
They were not mindless scum like the Infested, which operated on instinct; No, these malformed fiends had sentience and a corrupted will of their own. Reed's indifferently gazed at the scurrying fiends and made a mental note of it — He'd have to more pay attention around these ones. The filthier they were, the smarter they'd get, it seemed… but it didn't matter. He'd still purge them all.
Reed charged through the hole in the defenses he'd made with his attack and forced the Anima around him to bend to his will. Anima began around him began spinning around him at an ever-increasing speed and tornado of pure Anima formed. All it needed now was a single match to set it off. He snapped one of his fingers and set it aflame with Lacrima's converted Anima. The ignited vortex of holy flame would continue feeding on the surrounding Anima and would continue growing until Reed stopped it himself.
He decided that it was simply for the best to burn the entire city district down to the base. Let the fire grow until it had consumed and purged all of the filth in the area. It was up to him to clean up the mess he'd made, so he'd do it efficiently. The vortex of flame quickly grew hotter and larger as it continued devouring Anima, sweeping across the city district as if it was a swarm of locusts, eating Anima and burning everything it touched into ash and cinder.
When Reed heard a cacophony of deafening screams, he knew that he wouldn't have to worry about them anymore. Now he'd be able to focus on his prey without worry. The hideous tower stood alone in agony as his flames ate away at its surface without end. A litany of unintelligible curses poured out of its mouths as it gathered Anima. Reed knew that it was likely going to attack. Only by following the path that Anima coursed through it would he find its heart. He would have to gamble — if he spent too long searching, it'd finish preparing its attack.
Should he fail, he'd have to repeat the process again from the start, that is, if he hadn't died yet. The tower was not like the cannon fodder it had summoned. With his heightened prowess, he was capable of seeing and understanding much more than before. It was connected to a source of infinite power on the other side and was likely an immortal entity. This was far beyond his pay grade, to say the least. Even with his strength, he was still wary of being hit by anything that it could create.
It seemed that Lacrima had noticed his concerns and whispered, "I can probably block one or two of its attacks if I have to but I can't guarantee anything more than that. It'll win for sure if you let it to this battle into one of attrition. The only reason we stand a chance of winning is because this is just an avatar, an incarnation of its true self…" Ribbons of soft light sprung out of his cloak and wrapped around his right arm until they covered a majority of it.
"I've finished preparations; all you need to do is feel out its heart and point to where it is. I'll handle the rest, and we'll be done with this mess."
Easier said than done. Reed shut his eyes, blocked off his remaining senses, and began focusing on the Anima that surged around him. It was easy enough following the Anima to the tower, but it became a headache after that. Following the pathways inside of the gigantic tower was a nightmare; streams of Anima overlapped, traveled in nonsensical directions and sometimes disappeared entirely, much to his frustration. It was an unorganized labyrinth of pathways that lacked any hint of order or structure.
Time was running out. He needed to find the heart now or else it'd finish gathering Anima. Luckily, he'd stumbled upon a possible lead, a powerful stream of Anima. It was far larger than any of the previous pathways he discovered before. It was what he needed most, a small hope to cling onto. He hurriedly followed the pathway and discovered an even larger pathway that led him to what he wanted the most.
Where most might lay down and surrender themselves to fate, heroes rise from the ashes of conflict and despair to give people hope.
It was right there in all of its terrible majesty, the heart of the Nightmare. The connection that anchored it to the world. All he needed to do was sever it and his work would be complete. Reed opened his eyes, pointed at the heart's location and said, "I found the damn thing, it's right there. Finish this."
To make them believe that there will be another day. That not all is lost.
"With pleasure," said Lacrima and a beam of holy light slashed the tower's heart in a single blow, piercing through it and sky behind it. The attack left a massive gaping hole that left Reed flabbergasted. That sort of firepower could have probably destroyed the entire city had he pointed the beam at it.
The creature went silent after its heart had been ripped out and did not move again after that. It started hardening and turned black until it looked like an obscene tower straight out of hell. The storm subsided not too long after the connection with the tower's true self had been removed.
It was over, for now. Reed had accomplished what sought to do; that was good enough for him in his book. He let out a deep sigh and murmured, "That's enough excitement for the today… Let's go back and check up on every—"
An abrupt spatial tremor shook the city just as he was about to finish his sentence and a giant ripple of Anima swept over the sky, dyeing it blood-red. "An omen of evil, no doubt," thought Reed as he gazed at the burning sky. A moment later, a painful, grating noise struck his ears; it sounded like two pieces of metal scraping on each other violently.
In the distance, a massive tear in the sky opened up like someone had wounded the world itself. Reed gazed at the ominous scene and quietly said, "I might've spoken too soon. This day just won't seem to end…"
Lacrima chimed in and replied, "It would've been a lot shorter had you not messed up, though. You're welcome, by the way. You know, for cleaning up your mess."
"...."
Ah, she's started up again with that no-good attitude. I'm going to have to teach this damn cloak a lesson she'll never forget.
Reed swore that he'd take the cloak to a tailor after he made back home. Maybe they'd be able to cut her ego down to a manageable size…