Venus's eyes widened and her pupils shrank as Tyrus sat on top of her, fully healed, letting out a hysterical smile.
"You're confused aren't you? HAHA, I can see the horror on your face. YOU WERE TOO STRONG FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, SO FAST THAT YOU COULDN'T REACT FAST ENOUGH TO GO FOR MY HEAD, EVEN THOUGH YOU KNEW. SO FITTING OF THE LIGHTNING ANGEL." As he continued his psychotic break out, he slowly pushed his fist on Venus's chest, pushing harder and harder as time went on.
"P-p-lease," Venus said with her breathy and strained voice as the pressure on her chest was unbearable. She grabbed his arm and squeezed as tight as possible, using the last of her strength to get him off, but it was futile.
"AAAAHHGG, PLEASE," Venus said with her last few breaths as her body started to shake due to the lack of oxygen and the immense pressure created in her chest. Her ribs slowly started to break as Tyrus pushed harder while looking directly into her almost lifeless eyes.
"BEGGING FOR YOUR LIFE LIGHTNING ANGEL?! HOW WEAK WILLED, HOW DISGUSTING," he yelled in her face as he spit on her. "I DON'T CARE IF BELIAS WANTED YOU, YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE KEPT ALIVE." He said as he noticed that Venus's eyes had brightened and noticed a small smirk on her face.
"AGHHHHH!"
Tyrus heard the screaming approach him quickly. He swiftly turned around and saw Oliver jump towards him with great speed from down the forest. He tried moving out of the way but Venus, again, with her last strength, held onto him. Too slow to react, he froze as Oliver flew towards him charging a massive punch.
"TIME FOR ROUND TWO, TYRUS," Oliver yelled as his fist connected with Tyrus, sending him flying and breaking all trees in his path. Oliver stood over Venus, with vines piercing his back and arms like tubes connected to a test subject. But, Venus's heart was put at ease.
"Master!," Venus said with extreme joy, letting out a warm smile as tears ran down her face.
*5 Minutes Prior*
[OLIVER'S PERSPECTIVE]
"Master, kindly wait here, I will be back in a moment."
"WAIT, DON-," before I could even finish, she had already left. I was going to die, no doubt about it. The pain had become so intense it was numb at this point. Why do I always try to act cool? Why do I always think I know everything? Why do I always think I'm stronger and smart? I asked myself this question as I lost consciousness.
"We meet again, Oliver." A familiar voice echoed around me as I slowly opened my eyes, blinded by a light. I look around to only see white and a figure standing in the distance. I rub my eyes to get a better look.
"Hello again." The figure comes out of the bright light, revealing herself to me. We make eye contact and I stare at her with disbelief.
"IRIS?!"
As I stare at her in shock, she simply smiles at me. "This has to be just a dream. Wait, AM I DEAD!? Some boring afterlife this is." I said as I frantically look around, slightly disappointed by the lack of scenery.
"No, Oliver, this isn't a dream, and you aren't dead yet." She said in her usual seductive yet calming voice.
"Then, where am I? And what do you mean I'm not dead yet?" I yelled in confusion as Iris looked at me with the same expression.
"First, you need to relax. We don't have too much time and if I don't explain what I need to explain, you are going to die."
"Bu-," before I could finish, she shot me a look that terrified me to my very core.
"You are in stasis Oliver, the dimension between life and death. After Lutea used Life Transfer, it not only transferred my remaining life span to you but my soul as well. That is the reason I am here with you is because I am a part of your soul, which means when your soul reaches the Real of Death, so does mine. Luckily it is harder and takes much longer for you-- or I should say us, to go to the Realm of Death, and this is why we are held in stasis. Time in stasis moves, much slower. One minute in the real world is 1 hour in stasis." She said, giving a similar vibe to that of Venus's "teacher mode," it made me feel comforted.
I stared at Iris, dumbfounded by the information she was telling me. I knew this world was big, but for there to be such realms such as death and stasis was beyond my imagination. Fascinated, I asked Iris, "Did I get stronger because your soul was transferred into mine?"
"Yes, quite so, because our souls combined, you also take all of my stats. That's why you were able to go toe to toe with a respected, and quite strong at that, Ogre in General Tyrus' army.
"Wait, Tyrus is a General, as in one of the 4 generals of, uhhhh-"
"The Kingdom of Balenium." Iris cut me off, knowing I was struggling to remember the name. "Yes, he is one of the 4 generals of Balenium, you won't be able to defeat him, but you can injure him enough to buy yourself time to leave." Iris said with a worried expression on her face.
"What about Venus?" I said as an intense pain filled my chest.
"What about her?"
"Will she be able to defeat him?" The pain in my chest got heavier.
"She is the Lightning Angel, it's possible, but seeing as it's her first time using it, I can't be sure." Iris said as she crossed her arms, and looked at me with a curious expression. Like she was intrigued by what I would do next.
"Is there a way out of here, a way for me to fight, a way for me to help Venus," I immediately asked Iris.
"There is a way out, luckily for you, you chose the perfect person to combine souls with." She winked at me again, but instantly switched to a serious demeanour after looking at my angered expression.
"There is one more thing you must know, though you took my stats, you can't copy the elements I use. However, you can use my unique magic. I also possess a Cursed Healing, possessors of Cursed Healing or similar to possessors of Lightning Angels to the Harpies. Though Lutea and I possess Cursed Healing, we have different magics associated with it. While Lutea has Life Transfer, I use a Cursed Healing called Life Drain."
Suddenly, a small crack appeared. It slowly started getting bigger and bigger letting black fog in as it cracked all around us.
"We don't have anymore time Oliver, I need you to repeat the chant I recite after me, with perfection, and I need you to feel around you. I need you to imagine the dirt, the grass, the roots that are connected to the trees that surround you, and become one with them. I need you to imagine connecting yourself to those roots, and letting them flow through you, the same way your blood flows through your body. Close your eyes, and lie down, and let it flow." She whispered in my ear, gently as she put me in almost a trance
Her calming voice almost put me in a trance as I did exactly as she said. Though I was unconscious, I could start to feel the grass as it brushed against my skin, I could feel the roughness of the dirt scratching against my hands, and suddenly I could feel the roots of the trees, they quickly created a map, which connected roots to even more roots, and not even seconds later I could make our every small detail of my surroundings, I could even see myself as I was unconscious on the ground, quickly bleeding to death.
"Now repeat after me, "By the God of nature, allow me to sin just this once and use a darkness which shouldn't be touched, drain and capture the life which I must selfishly use as my own and forgive me as I have taken what is rightfully yours." As I recited the chant, I could feel the roots from the surrounding trees slowly approach me, almost slithering towards me like a snake. When they reached me, they pierced my back and connected to my spine and arms, though I couldn't feel the pain.
"I ask a favour for you Oliver, '' she said to me as the black mist started to dissipate and the crack slowly started to fix itself. "Take Lutea with you, and keep her safe. If the Vampires or Ogres catch her, it could very well mean the end of the world, and tell Lutea as long as you are with her, I will be with her too." She looked me in the eyes and smiled as her figure slowly got blurry, slowly fading away.
"We will meet again, Oliver." Her voice echoed as she disappeared into the white light.