Who was it that answered her internal prayers?
It would have to be someone who was omnipotent; Someone who was a Goddess above everyone else; Kind and forgiving, being able to save anyone if they asked her for help; Someone who those knew would pray to them from the deepest parts of their hearts.
"A pleasure to meet you."
Foxglove could not help but smile once he saw the person standing in between them. He backed away and kneeled down, even he had to bow down to her. He closed his eyes as he listened to her words.
"Mine as well. Especially seeing one that had lived for so long."
Her voice felt light as it did not hold much weight. Yet her presence was the only thing that filled this barren space, not even Amelia's or Foxglove's. It was serene even when the situation in front of her was anything but.
He placed a hand on his chest, "Is there a need for you to be here, Rose Malibur?"
"Was there any?" She placed her hand together then continued, "Whose life I chose to save is no concern of any."
He lowered his head, "Of course not. Forgive my curiosity."
Amelia's eyes had closed, her figure still wrapped around fog. The smile never left her lips even when unsure of her fate.
Rose Malibur turned around, her pure white braided hair was very different from their surroundings. She always had this ghostly smile on her lips; Her figure stood out amongst all others. Her ruby-like red eyes pierced through her pure white physique.
"We will meet again. Perhaps in another peaceful dream." She chuckled.
He raised his head up, eyes widened when hearing her say that. Her words had made him give out such a reaction that it was uncharacteristic. He could not ask her anything else as they both had disappeared.
The space was filled with flowers, vibrant white, purple and black petals scattered everywhere.
Beautiful might be too light. Chaotic would only be a slight description of the scenery.
He rose up, a petal fell on his palm. He thought that he was not going to enjoy the vibrance yet he could not look away from the singular petal. The dark purple to light purple shade on the petal made him smile.
Though a more sinister thought appeared in his mind.
"You would always come back to me, Hanamizuki." He mumbled.
A wide grin was on his lips, perhaps that was what he was thinking of while looking at it.
"I'll be waiting for you…"
The black space had changed into glistening white space instead. Like the one before, there was nothing in it. However the vibe was much different than before, it was more gentle and pure to put it on a way.
Rose's red gem earrings were hanging off of her earlobes. She leaned down as Amelia was sleeping on her lap. She did not bother to wake her up and decided to read a book, she did not wake her up, letting her sleep soundly.
It felt like a fever dream.
Amelia was standing near the ocean shores, feeling the gentle breeze and salty sea water. She was sitting down while staring at the ocean that looked infinitely far, like the clear blue skies. There was this heavy feeling of nostalgia from staring at it.
"Hana…" A faint voice appeared from behind her.
Her eyes widened up when she heard the voice. She turned around to see who was behind her, still not seeing anyone at all. She knew who the voice came from, one that was familiar to her heart and soul.
Yet she still could not see them.
Disappointed was clear on her face though she knew she was holding a dream that could not be fulfilled. She sighed, closing her eyes and letting the wind blow through her hair. Feeling the breeze hit her face was quite the comfort.
"Hana…" The voice rang again.
Her lips curled up into a small smile as her eyes remained closed. Even hearing that voice without having to see them was enough for her. She would have asked for more if she could, though she was unsure of what to say.
However this appeared in her mind.
"Are you now haunting me and my dreams as well?"
Initially they did not reply, though Amelia could feel a soft smile appearing on their lips. Her eyes remained close yet she could feel the motherly aura coming through. The sand beneath her figure felt soft but not grainy.
"Of course not. We would never do that." She chuckled lightly.
"I only want breakfast with you."
She slowly opened her eyes as the sound drowned by the sounds of the waves. She still smiled as she did not turn around, knowing that there was still no one behind her. She let out a breath and the waves continued on.
"Wake up now. We are waiting for you."
Her eyes widened up when she heard what she just said. Turning around to look for her, still she could not find her.
She blinked once, her surroundings changed completely.
"Ah, you're finally awake." Rose moved her book away to look at her better.
Amelia moved away from Rose immediately seeing her, being shocked by the sudden sight. Rose did not say much, giggling when watching her dodging away from her. She continued reading while waiting for her to calm down.
"Ahahah… Did I scare you this much?" She tilted her head and closed up the book.
She stood still and looked around her, wondering where she was. Though she had seen Rose so she knew where she was. She placed a hand on her chest and sighed out loud, shaking her head while staring at her.
She said, "Somewhat. Who wouldn't be?"
"You are right."
Rose smiled at Amelia while she slowly walked back, sitting close but not too close to her.
"Do you want a change of scenario?" She said while looking around the space.
Amelia shrugged, "I'd like to."
"Please talk like you always would."
She could feel the cold, nothing ground turning into soft grass with flowers, flowers that were as blue as the ocean and river. A pond appeared as the ceiling was painted with blue skies.
Rose closed her eyes and spoke gently, "I always love it here, it's beautiful."
"Is it because of the tragedy, or because of the picturesque blue?" Amelia raised her hand up at the sky.
"Perhaps, a bit of both."
They sat in silence for some time, wind blowing through their surroundings. Somehow it still felt unnatural as there was nothing here before. Amelia decided to lay down on the field, staring at the sky above.
A question plaguing her mind made her speak up first.
"Why did you save me?"
Rose let out a snicker before answering her. She was not sure if Rose was laughing at her or something else instead.
"Why can't I do so? It is my own decision." She chuckled lightly.
Amelia shook her head, "But don't you and the three don't even do anything about the rest of the people. Then why me this time?"
She did not reply initially, only having a smile on her lips. It was normal for Rose, giving silence as an answer instead. Amelia stared at her from the corner of her eye then staring back at the sky again.
"Just for my son." She said out loud.
Amelia looked over, "Aeon? You sure do love him huh?"
"He is my son. Why wouldn't I?"
Amelia smiled as well, still staring upwards. She did not ask any further as she breathed in and out slowly, thinking over what Rose just said. She noticed that the lower part of her hair had turned blue.
"I understand that we swore off. But even now we are human, just the same as the mortals under my feet." She commented and flipped open her book.
"I'm not only the Goddess, Aeon's mother, mortal's mother. But also, sister to Lilith as well." She continued after a small giggle, "So could I not be as human as any of you?"
"Even as you look at the rest of us from above." Amelia commented.
Rose nodded, "I still am a person of my word."
She did not continue onwards, again staring at the ceiling. Rose began humming a tune Amelia was familiar with, she knew of her intent for doing so yet decided to listen to it first. The tune her smile warmly, a smile much foreign to her lips.
"Were you the one that let them see me?" She asked.
Rose shook her head, "No. They were the ones who wanted to see you."
"Is this why the ocean is as bloody as the battlefield?"
"It is only their intent. But not theirs exactly." She replied.
Amelia sat up, looking around her surroundings.
Time felt still, as nothing ever changed or ever moved. It was just another cycle that never stopped, no one could even if they wanted to. To some, it might be terrifying; Yet to those who had lived so long, it was comforting.
Rose was never the one to ever give out answers. She did not lie, but she would not tell anyone everything.
Nobody knew why, not even Aeon.
"I suppose. That makes you human too…" Amelia mumbled.
"I'm not an emotionless tyrant. I can no longer nurture my children, the only thing I could do is let them grow."
She looked over, "Even with them wanting to kill you?"
Rose laughed, "Of course."
"I have expected this all along." She added.
They knew what each other was referring to.
Despite already knowing somewhat what was going to happen, she still wanted to make sure.
And she already got what she wanted.
She tilted her head and said, "Should I go back?"
"If there is nothing else you want from me, then I'll send you home." Rose replied.
She sat there and thought about it for some time.
She had something but at the end decided not to say anything.
"Bring me to Aves. It would be better if he won't be by my tail." She stood up and stretched her arms.
Rose nodded, "Alright then."
Amelia could feel her surroundings change, her view being covered up by flowers. She extended her arms out, some landed on her palm. She could no longer see anything else as her sight was filled with pristine white.
"May we meet again."
Rose's voice echoed through as she was drowned in the flowers.
Though she did not go back, yet.
When she opened her eyes, she noticed that she was underwater. She breathed in and out slowly despite knowing that she was breathing in water. The breath she released turned into bubbles as she sunk deeper.
She did not know why she was here; She did not know where she was at.
There was a feeling she could not dispute, never-ending loneliness.
Her surroundings turned gloomier as she sunk, the sun no longer reaching where she was. She did not feel scared, instead this sense of comfort filled her heart. Her eyelids slowly closed by themselves, giving into the void.
She could feel someone touching her hand, though it was not the feel of anyone she knew.
"I'm sorry…" Their voices echoed in the water.
Before she got to see who it was, she was slapped on the cheek.
"Damn, I thought you were actually dead."
Aves sat beside her, leaning back once realising that she was awake. She glared at him as she sat up, placing a hand on her cheek. She shook her head, groaning at the sudden pain. He laughed out loud after seeing her reaction.
"My my… Look at you~" He whistled while smirking.
She shook her head, "You only get this once. Or I will punch you in the face."
He giggled, "Eheheh. I'll be careful."
He crossed his arms and stared at her. She turned around to face him, placing her hand back on her legs. Seeing the smirk on his face, her right eye began to twitch. She did not say much to him, waiting for him to start first.
"So, what happened during your visit?" He propped his head up with his left fist.
She sighed, "Quite a lot actually."
"Let me ask you something beforehand." She added.
He raised an eyebrow, "You are going to ask about The Abyss?"
She nodded, "Sort of. Including this world you are living in."
"Go ahead." He sat upright and crossed his arms.
"Give me a shorter version of the history."
He sighed loudly, "Demanding, are you not?"
She stared at him as he began to talk, though she seemed annoyed at his words.
"The Floating Islands were originally just like any other Earth, with continents and oceans. However, due to one large war and later much manipulation had forcefully split these this way. As well, giving birth to The Abyss." He said.
She placed her fingers on her chin, "Hmm… you said it belonged to no one, right?"
"Supposedly. Since no Gods had ever tried to control it." He shrugged.
"What if someone had control of it before anyone else?" She asked him a question.
It was an intriguing thought to be indulging in. Although knowing a lot more than she let it seemed, it was more than just a thought.
His eyes widened up, "That might actually be why The Abyss feels wrong."
"Though shouldn't the light be controlled as well?"
He tilted his head, "The light is a manifestation of the accumulated human emotions. They can be controlled, but I doubt he won't."
"Shouldn't it be more beneficial to him?" She commented.
He scratched his head, "I am unsure. I'll look more into it."
"That's it?" He continued.
She nodded, "That's it. I couldn't get anything else, or just don't want to tell you."
He narrowed his eyes on her, "I hate you, Amelia."
"Ahahaha." She laughed out loud before continuing, "Though if there is any immediate danger, I'll deal with it."
"Sure… If you think I'd trust you on that." He turned his head around and crossed his arms.
She stood up and started waving, "Alright I'm going. Bye bye~"
He sighed but did not say much else, letting her go away from his line of sight. The breeze started blowing, calm and gentle. He stared at the skies as birds soared through, going wherever they were supposed to go.
"I feel like the winds are telling me trouble is coming either way."
He could hear and feel the wind hitting his body as if it was telling him something. It picked up on secrets that happened between Amelia and Foxglove. Although he did not listen much to it, knowing that it would tell him again.
"Amelia… what is actually going on, and what do you want?"
He continued to ponder that question even as her figure had long since disappeared.
It took up a lot of his time yet he did not care. He had lived here for so long that he had developed an emotional attachment to it.
"No matter what, I need to find out." He muttered.
The day went on as usual, nothing ever changed to the naked eye.
Although their routine remained, Zarnia's never did.
She hopped through the halls, greeting whoever that greeted her or those that she knew personally. A bright smile plastered on her face as she had small talk with some people, radiating an aura of positivity around her.
She noticed Phonoi sleeping on the wall, everyone ignored him and went about their day. She chuckled out loud when seeing him sleeping like a log, his head hung low and his arms crossed. She lifted him up and placed him over her shoulder, she began to talk while walking somewhere.
"Phonoi~ Are you going to wake up~?" She dragged out each word while talking.
Pho did not answer her as he continued to snore loudly. She did not bother and continued to ramble despite knowing that he would not hear a single word of it.
"Did you hear that your beloved little girl had fought some bounty hunters on her own. She is sooo strong~!" She raised up her free hand.
"Ahh… I wish I could fight her too. She seemed to be really strong and really fun to fight with."
She continued as the snoring started lessening, "And Amelia looks a bit like a love-sick puppy. She is so so cute~!"
"Huh…" He let out a noise.
"You know who she is dating, right? RIGHT?"
He shook his head, "Who?"
She giggled and said, "Guess by yourself~"
She eventually stopped at the grand hall, sitting on a place and put him down on the cold ground. He did not mind as he continued to sleep, since he had begun responding to her it meant that he was waking up slowly.
"But I do have something important to talk about with you."
Her tone had turned serious which brought the topic to his attention.
"You know about Falak's potential involvement in all of the cults right?" She tilted her head.
He nodded, "What about it?"
Her tail started to wag as she continued talking, "But there is much more behind it as it seems. Though I only really want to see your opinion on something, just things worth indulging in."
He slowly raised himself up while letting her talk, "You see… Do you remember the largest war we had that destroyed the very documents and magic system?"
"What… about it…?" His head hung low for a second before raising it back up.
"What if. The perpetrator of the war had not died?"
After hearing that, his eyes widened up.
She asked, "You weren't born during that time were you? I remember that none of us here… Oh wait, there are a few of them."
"What do you mean that he is not dead?" He leaned forward and stared.
She smiled, "It's just a possibility. I'm not sure if it was actually true or not."
"That kind of possibility seemed too impossible to be true…" He mumbled under his breath.
She dragged herself over, sitting beside him and slapping his back. She still had a grin on her lips while doing so despite the growing frustration visible on Phonoi's face. He extended his left arm and pinched her cheek, wanting her to stop doing it.
"Eh~ I thought it didn't hurt?" She eventually stopped.
He smacked her head and shouted, "What do you take me as?!"
The corner of his lips curled into a scorn as he clicked his tongue. She placed a hand on the top of her head while her ears flattened on her head, she stared at him with teary eyes. He did not say anything and decided to ignore the faint tears.
"What do you even want me to do with that information?" He laid flat on the ground.
"Just telling ya. I'm sure you would be worried about Antir."
He closed his eyes and sighed, "She won't place her nose in things that are dangerous."
"But you can't guarantee that she won't be dragged in, right?"
That question had made him even more cautious about Antir looking in much. He still laid flat on the ground but he had not done anything yet. Nothing had happened so he would not interfere with it for now.
So long as nothing happened to Antir.
Silence. It was pure silence between them.
Okame, a short girl with light green tied-up ponytail, was standing on a stool to reach her workbench. It was completely made of out steel, a holographic surface having a taken apart rifle on it. She stared at it while observing every component.
Yurei was staring at the multiple screens that the mini control center showed, past recording of everything that went on in The Office. The light grey hoodie was over her head, her dark green eyes staring at a particular person.
Their attention was taken away when the door to their workspace had slid open.
"Yahoo~" Antir waved while greeting them.
Okame looked confused, she stood still and stared at Antir. Yu took a glance at her then went back to doing her own business. Okame walked off of her stool as she wanted to greet Antir who looked around the space in awe.
"This place sure is amazing isn't it?" She chuckled while her mouth gapped slightly.
Okame placed her hands on her waist, pouting at Antir as she continued to ignore her. Okame jumped up multiple times to gain her attention yet Antir was still ignoring her. She pouted even more until she stomped the ground.
"Don't make fun of my height!" She lightly hit Antir's stomach.
Antir was at least a head taller than Okame which made her seem even cuter. She finally looked at Okame and laughed, patting her head while she continued to protest. She decided to walk around their workspace to view everything.
The work area was made out of mostly concrete and the rest being steel. The tables were all made of steel, some having a holographic surface for analysing and documentation. The mini control center that Yurei was looking at occupied a quarter of the space.
A lot of tools hung on the walls, even some boxes beside the work table. It was impressive how much weapons and weapon parts were in this room alone, not considering the extra test area and storage where the rest of the weapon parts were stored.
"I wonder how big your house is…" Antir muttered.
Okame crossed her arms and replied, "Pretty big I'd say. But it is mostly for work."
"Now tell me why you are here!" Antir could feel smoke coming off of her.
She grabbed her phone from her pant's pocket, checking the time before leading Okame to the living room which was connected to the work space. She was wearing a light purple tank top and short blue jeans that had holes in them.
"This is something quite important. I just want to talk to you about it." She said while sitting on the couch.
Okame draped her lab coat on the couch and stared back, "I have as much time as I want."
"You had some orders from Amelia right?" Antir asked the second she sat down.
"Why can't I?"
Antir waved her hand and continued, "Wasn't my point. Can you tell me what exactly those orders are? They are not classified information right?"
"Why would you want to know? You are really suspicious right now An…" She narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not planning on betraying her. I'm just looking into something I shouldn't."
Okame knew that she was being honest though she never had any reason to doubt her words. She was unsure if she should give Antir the answer directly as even she got curious as to her reason for asking her such information.
"Explain to me first, then I'll tell you whatever you want to know." She spoke seriously.
Antir groaned, "Alright. I'll tell you everything."
She leaned on the couch and began explaining, "I always had my own doubt about the cults. They came out of nowhere and presented such a threat, so much more than what a group like theirs could ever do. So I wondered, if there is someone behind them that was doing this for their benefit…"
She understood why she was here.
"My… good morning, sleepy head~"
Falak's voice echoed through the emptiness. She stared at him straight in his face, barely showing any fear within her heart or her facial expressions. She narrowed her eyes and her eyebrows squinched, cautiously observing his movements and choice of words.
"Good morning to you, Falak." She intentionally skipped the honorifics.
He placed a hand on his chest, his words exaggerated his actual emotions, "Oh my, have Phonoi not taught his little cub any manners?"
"He did. Please do not place blame on my teacher." She replied calmly.
Knowing that he could not make her give him the reaction he was looking for, deciding to go all in instead.
"You know, darling. What you are looking for, is very dangerous for both you and Phonoi." He leaned forward while threatening her.
Her hands had curled into a fist, "If you want to kill us, then I'll go all in with you."
"Quite the fiery child, aren't you?" He stood back upright and laughed out loud.
Okame scratched the back of her head, "An, you are picking a fight with Falak. Falak of all people!"
She shook her head, placing a hand on Okame's shoulder as a sign of comfort.
"We will be fine, don't worry so much." She reassured Okame.
"Basically you think the cults' leaders and members are victims, basically pawns in a larger board game. And all this, Amelia knew about them as well going in?" She placed her fingers on her chin.
Antir nodded, "Yes. I'm glad I don't need to explain much."
"You made me sound like I don't use my brain…" Okame complained.
"Ah… I really didn't mean that! Sorry sorry…" She bowed at her.
Okame shook her head, "It's alright. I'll just tell you what orders Amelia placed down for me."
She took out her phone from her lab coat's pocket and scrolled it. She was staring at it for a moment before managing to find what she was looking for. She blinked a few times, confused at something. She muttered something under her breath that Antir could barely hear.
She read it out loud, "4 boxes of gun ammo, 2 modified guns, 8 weapon maintenance and 5 boxes of empty magic gun ammo."
"That's… quite a lot of stuff…" Antir blinked while hearing it.
"I guess… 3 months is enough time? Pay is good so I don't mind." She giggled after saying that.
Antir sighed and muttered, "Money sure is king…"
"Though you'd think if she ordered this much ammory, she must have briefed the Divisions beforehand. At this time, they are just as clueless as the rest of us." Yu commented while walking to the kitchen.
Both of them jumped up in shock, not realising that Yu had gone out of the area.
Antir's tone shifted after hearing what she said, "They don't know anything?"
The kitchen was connected to the living room, meaning that it was an open area.
She poured a cup of coffee for herself before stating, "Nope. I'd assume she was just replenishing the armory."
'So she had something planned…?' That thought was not voiced out to them.
Okame asked, "How do you even know that?!"
"I have trips to the P.D.D sometimes, so I just look over some stuff. Their leader let me do so anyway." She took a sip of her coffee.
"I'm more amazed they didn't think you had alternate intentions." Antir commented.
They both exchanged glances that were in acknowledgement of each other's intention. Okame was left in the dark about all of this although it would not serve any significance to her at the moment. She was unsure if she wanted to know it all so chose to stay quiet.
"What kind of plans do you think she has for them?" Antir asked both.
Her question was not a search for answers, instead it was a search for opinions.
Hence, Yu answered accordingly, "Something to do with the ringleader, they dubbed him, perhaps. Seeing how much The Council likes to hold it over her head."
"I agree with Yu too. But it could also be for something of her own interest." Okame added.
Antir scratched the top of her head, "I guess I'll just have to look for more answers myself."
She stood up and waved at them, gesturing that she was going to leave. Okame left her some last words before her figure was gone from their sight.
"Don't look too much into it. You might be going into something you shouldn't have."
Antir understood her concern yet having already made the decision to look for as much as she could, she was going to land herself in some hot water sooner or later. She wanted to say something back though chose not to voice them.
Suppose she did not want to see any visible concern on Okame's face.
"I'm gonna have some hamburger steak tonight!" She shouted while teleporting away.
Although, she never got to go home for the day.
Something familiar wrapped around her legs, gaining her attention she immediately looked to identify the being.
It sent a cold chill down her spine even if it was harmless.
A black snake with green eyes wrapped tightly around her leg. She could feel it pulling her somewhere as she tried to kill it. Though once she extended her hand towards the snake, more of it appeared and wrapped around her.
Yu threw the rest of her coffee towards a corner of the wall, Okame stood up in confusion although her question was answered once they saw who was there.
"This is a good chance, don't you think?" Antir could hear Falak's voice in her head.
She could only say, "You…"
The snakes were wrapped tightly around her body, no matter how much strength she exerted or how much she struggled, she could not get out of their grasp. She could feel air being squeezed out of her body, her eyes were closing on their own.
"Zarnia now knows it too… Quite the good chance eh~" Falak bended down.
She could not see his face, only seeing the smirk on his lips. She glared at him with all her might before her view turned black, having no choice to let her body be taken away by Falak. He simply hummed while watching the snakes taking her away.
"We have a problem now…" Okame commented while staring at the dying snake.
It had turned abnormally quiet.
Phonoi eventually slept on the cold hard ground, Zarnia had left him sometime ago as she had business of her own to do. He did not mind it, he was very much used to sleeping anywhere and anytime no matter the weather.
His eyelids lifted up slowly when he felt a tug on his heart. It felt like someone was waking him up and calling him to come to them. Eventually the tug had turned into a pull, he had a feeling as to what was going.
"Alright alright! I'm waking up." He screamed while sitting up.
He remained in the Grand Hall yet someone continued to pull his heart. He could feel like they were afraid though something was off. He placed a hand on his chest and closed his eyes, focusing on where the pull came from.
His eyes snapped open once he found the root, his mouth twitched and his fingers curled.
"Falak…" He stood up and began walking.
He knew what he was getting into, yet he did not care. He was impulsive in the moment, not caring at all what potential danger he was going in. His figure had left behind the pristine white to nothingness black.
He stretched his arms while walking through, readying himself for the fight ahead.
The first thing he heard was Falak's high-pitched laughter followed by the snakes hissing in unison.
They were ridiculing him for coming here to save someone.
"So, you do love her after all~?"
Falak had appeared in front of him with Antir behind him. She was tied up by snakes on a wall and remained unconscious. He looked over his shoulder, observing whether or not she had injuries on her. Luckily she was completely alright so there was nothing else to worry about.
"I'm not emotionless, Falak." He said after taking a deep breath.
"You do know what I want, right?" Falak backed away from Phonoi.
Phonoi cracked his knuckles, "There is only a single thing you ever wanted."
Falak placed a hand on his chest, "Then please, do not disappoint me."
Phonoi took another deep breath before leaping forward, Falak dodged out of the way before his fist got to connect with him. He immediately went away by hiding within the snakes which changed to them that attacked him.
Some snakes had changed into sharp spears as they combined together and their teeth became the tip of the blade. Snake spears rained down on him. Air gathered around him as he began to wave towards it.
The air had broken apart every spears that was coming for him, including the snakes on the ground as well.
"Don't hide yourself Falak," He said while running towards Antir.
Before he had the chance to take off her restraints, he began to fall down.
He did not know where he was going to, he only knew that he was not freeing Antir and getting out of here anytime soon.
He landed on the ground without sustaining any damage. It was a much different space than before, one that he was familiar with. Though it was before it changed into a blank grass field without a sky.
"Why did you put me here?" He narrowed his eyes on his surroundings.
Falak appeared right behind him and whispered into his ear, "A bit of nostalgia."
He immediately dodge out of the way as a sword nearly pierced through his arm. It ended up grazing his arm instead as he left a large gap between them both. He took another deep breath as a spear appeared on the ground beside him.
The spear had red feathers on the back as the tip of the blade was through the ground. It did not look any different than any other spear though Falak had a much wider grin on his face seeing it.
"Ah… please now." He shouted at Phonoi.
He kicked it off of the ground and kicked towards Falak. It cut through the space and picked up a lot of wind which caused everything around it to be blown away. Falak did not look worried however.
He moved out of the way as a snake took on the strike, taking both it away from them as far as possible. Still Phonoi took the chance to close in on both of them, trying to connect his fist with Falak's face.
"My… this is what you are actually like on the battlefield eh?" He commented while observing Phonoi's face.
Anger. Anger was the most prominent facial expression as his eyes were staring straight into his soul, they were focused on his figure The sensation burned into whoever that stared at them.
"I want to see more of it." He leaned in close to Phonoi's face.
He did block Phonoi's fist yet did not realise how much strength he had placed in. He continued to carry forward no matter how hard Falak was stopping him.
He broke Falak's hand as his fist finally hit Falak's face. The sound of his skull cracking was heard as he was knocked far away from Phonoi. The wind had blown away all of the grass as far as his naked eye could see.
He probably had killed him but he did not care, having smashed his head in was a rather joyous occasion. He noticed some blood on his left fingers, deciding to clean it up later.
He groaned as his surroundings changed back to the dull space. Though knowing that it had changed back to that meant that it was not over at all. He took in another deep breath as he concentrated on whatever life force was there.
"I think you have greatly underestimated me." Falak's voice echoed through the space.
He gestured his spear to come back to him yet it never returned to him in time.
Phonoi felt the wind cut apart before anything reached him. He turned around to block it with his shield. It was a regular shield that was grey in colour, having a magic circle and words carved into it.
He blocked the first one as it was aimed at taking out his right arm.
Yet he did not see the other spear aimed at his head.
"Too bad, you're in the realm of the trickster after all~" Falak's scoffing was followed up by a maniac laugh.
It pierced through his brain though that was not enough to kill a God. Hence why that had an added effect on the spears. Every single one of his nerves became visible as it turned black, it was unsettling to see. His skin differed from the colour of his nerves which made it more horrifying.
Phonoi started coughing out blood, yet it was not crimson red. It was a pitch black blood that was only modified due to the spear. He felt the iron filling his mouth as his heart beated so loudly that it was the only thing he could hear.
He knew what was injected into his body. It was the demon's blood. Though so much of it had been injected that the effects set in immediately without any time for him to react. He could felt his soul falling to the stained corruption.
He was in pain yet he still shouted out to Falak, "I'll come looking for you!"
Falak simply smirked at him, seeing him in such frustration and pain was enough to entertain him for a while.
"Better luck next time, alright?" He shook his head.
Phonoi's body fell to the ground with his own blood staining his skin.
Snakes appeared all over the space, they went to Phonoi's body and began swallowing parts of it. His blood was drunk along with parts of his flesh and insides, providing nutrients to some of the snakes.
"Too bad, even a God of War could not see through my trickery." He shrugged and walked to his throne.
That was what he thought.
Sounds of glass shattering were heard once he sat on the throne. A hole had appeared on where his body lay which meant that the body was not real. Some of the snakes fell through it as they were too close.
"You still have your own cards eh?" He crossed his arms with a smirk.
Although the outside world did not look much different than the one they were in, there was still moonlight shining down on the land. The breeze was a warm welcome for his skin to feel.
They laid on the ground without anyone to interrupt them. They were in a barren forest where barely anyone would be here this late at night. Only the sound of tree leaves and animals could be heard.
Phonoi was the first to wake up. He slowly got up while placing a hand on his head, feeling a slight headache from the fall earlier. He looked around for something as he realised where he was at.
The first thing he noticed, aside from Antir, was the snakes.
"You guys…" He mumbled while staring at them.
He placed two with two together and realised what they had done. He leaned towards them and placed his right hand closer, letting them slither onto his arm and wrapped around it. He was making sure that they had been secured before lifting his arm.
"Thank you, knowing that you had to sacrifice yourselves for us."
He did not say anything else as they hissed at him. He could not understand what they were trying to say though he already knew what they had wanted for helping them. Despite this, there was this sympathetic gaze in his eyes.
"I know. But I can't help you. You will remain like this for as long as you live." He said while standing up.
They were physically shocked yet accepted it quickly. Perhaps they had already known what they were getting into, even so it could not deter their wishful thinking. He did not smile as he extended his arm straight.
"I'm sorry. But really, I owe you all."
He breathed in deeply once and swung his arm to the side. He had exerted enough strength to kill them instantly which was as painless as possible to die like that. He watched as parts of their remains scattered all over the land.
He placed his hand together and bowed, "I wish you all reincarnate to a better life."
This sympathetic gaze remained in his eyes as he stood still, letting the wind graze his skin. His thoughts were filled with nothing but anger for Falak though he understood that he could not hold on to it forever.
Antir woke up after a while. He did not know how long he stood there for, thinking and reminiscing about something that Antir was unsure about. She sat up and stared at him since he was silent.
From the way her face expressed emotions, it was clear that Phonoi being silent was so rare that she had barely seen it. She did not break the silence, instead letting it fill the air between them.
He was the one to break it, "Antir? You're alright?"
"Don't worry, I'm absolutely fine." She reassured him.
She continued, "Uhm… Also, I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
He groaned and bent down, ruffling her hair vigorously while shaking her side to side. Antir was trying to get him to stop as she started getting dizzy from how fast he was doing it.
"It's alright. You and I are completely fine anyways."
He eventually stopped. Her head hung low as she was too dizzy to really move around. He sat beside her and stared at the skies, no matter how empty they were.
"Though, don't get yourself into that much trouble again please."
He was pleading with her and she knew it too.
She replied with a smile, "Alright alright. I won't go that deep again."
Those people would not leave his mind as he continued staring at it.
"You are scared that you would lose me there huh?" She mumbled under her breath.
He did not reply to her though she already knew the answer. He would not have gone into an incredibly dangerous enemy territory that had the potential of him losing his life right then and there.
He was lucky this time and he understood it as much.
"I suppose I always get lucky every time in this situation."