The Lotus mountain was not the only land formation that was now sinking into the floods.
Like sheep following their shepherd, the various hills that kept the humans dry all began to sink. In fact, the entire area of Avina was sliding downwards in what felt like a cataclysmic event. Whether it was the hills or the flatlands, everything [Avina] was in the process of being plunged into the depths.
Whatever future such a descent entailed was not anyone's worry as of yet.
The reasons were simple:
The waters were infested by both beasts and the undead.
If even the hills were flooded, where would the humans go?
"...Into the belly of the beasts," Athelei mumbled in an answer to my question, "Or perhaps into the bodies of the Undead Remnants."
He then turned towards the centre of the Arthime mansion. A battle was raging there, and Athelei felt it call to him.
.
.
.
"Xiu!"
Lady Karire shouted as she gasped for breath and blood dribbled from her lips. The droplets of red joined the rain as they fell to the ground.
"Father!" Karire heard her daughter's voice beside her as Aria ran to the bloodied body of her husband.
Whoooom!
A pair of Tangible Will blades filled with murderous intent flew through the air, slicing apart the rain and rubble as it whistled past all that stood in its way.
The blades were like a Water Slash, crescent-shaped and sharp, but glowing in an ominous deep crimson light. A light that looked like human blood that had been left to dry, but had yet to truly harden and blacken.
"You pieces of—" Karire was about to launch a barrage of curses like she never cursed before, but the presence of her daughter made her bite back her venomous tongue.
Instead, she forced herself to use another Mystic Pattern circle despite her emptied reserves of Mystic Energy.
"Get out of my sight!" She roared, blasting another bolt of chain lightning straight out of her fingers.
BOOM!
The purplish lightning blinded all those who looked directly at it, overpowering the two blades of Tangible Will as it snaked further towards Karire's enemies.
The two Rank 2 Dictators summoned shields of crimson as they leapt backwards in a tactical retreat. The lightning blasted them, but they did not falter. They kept their shields steady.
"It's futile, Karire." One of the Dictators spoke,
"You're tired. You're weak. Your tower will soon crumble." The other one spoke.
Their voices were identical, and so were their faces.
They were identical twins. Twins who Karire knew all too well.
"We can finally enjoy our revenge." They both smiled and said in perfect sync, "You killed our parents and ravaged our homes, and so we will take all that you have left."
Karire's glare was icy, and her eyes seemed to have swords that slashed at anyone she looked at. The twins, though, were unaffected. In fact, they seemed ecstatic as they eerily smiled.
"This is your karma." The twins said at the same time, bursting with matching Tangible Wills of bloody crimson.
"Accept it!"
BWOOOOM!
Murderous energy swept across the entire Arthime mansion. The foundations of the beautiful gathering place of the arts crumbled as the tall Artist tower collapsed like a sandcastle.
The Mystic Patterns that lined the tower's walls flashed in desperation as they were squeezed and drained of all the Mystic Energy that had kept them aglow. The stones of the tower were sapped of the energy they once magically held, turning into a sad pile of sand and ashes.
RAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Karire screamed as she felt that the sole targets of all that sinister Tangible Will were Aria and Xiu who lay behind her. She tried to blast the red acidic waves away, but nothing she did seemed to have any effect.
"...Mother!" Aria yelped when she felt her skin dissolve under the onslaught of murderous intent.
"...Karire... I'm sorry..." Xiu used the last of his strength to spit the blood out of his throat and whisper.
But the lady in question heard none of their voices. The crimson tide had swallowed her and isolated her from the world. She could feel an acidic heat blazing all around her, and yet nothing she could do had helped at all.
She could not shield her daughter.
She could not heal her husband.
Her [Malicious Storm] was not a circle that protected.
"I told you, Karire." A disembodied voice spoke in her mind. "I told you that you would regret your decision."
Karire bit her lip as she fell to her knees. Blood flowed from her eyes and ears as she whispered in rage, "You... fucking... deity of garbage... god of horse shit... master of—"
"Still so emotional, Karire." The voice cut her off with a laugh, "You're all talk. I told you, my little baby human, I am simply giving you advice. Those twins were right in saying this is your karma. I did not cause this. You did."
"I've never heard more shit!" Karire screamed into the sky as the wave of murderous reds settled down.
The disembodied voice in her head faded with a lighthearted chuckle, "But it's the truth, Karire."
"You bastard! You take my city! And you take the ones I love! Are you satisfied yet? Are you damn satisfied?!"
Karire then continued to scream her heart out in rage. Her voice echoed throughout her ruined home and her tears fell to the ground with tinges of red blood.
Her body was full of wounds, and her skin looked charred. Her hair had been consumed by the acidic Tangible Will until only bits and pieces remained on her bald, burned head. A small pillar of smoke billowed from her body.
Her screams of rage turned into wails as her emotions broke out in a tidal wave. The dam that she used to silence her thoughts shattered.
Karire did not even want to turn around to see the devastation behind her. The ashes that once were her dear husband and daughter was not an image she wanted in her mind.
Her heart was already breaking just by listening to their absence.
She could not hear a single living breath around her. There was nothing alive.
What made things worse, was that Karire could not even have her revenge.
The bodies of the twins lay lifeless and dead a few metres in front of her. Their sole existence had been revenge. Their Tangible Wills were developed only to kill all those who Karire loved and found dear. It was a self-destructive obsession.
But to the twins, it had been worth it.
All they wanted was revenge. They did not even care for their own names. The same names they had forgotten long ago while they trudged forward in life, fuelled by hate.
Karire slammed her head into the ground as her sobs echoed out.
"Why me?" She asked to no one but herself, "Why did I have to become one of the Blessed?!"
"Why did those bastards have to choose me!?" Karire felt the immense pain she felt whenever she referred to the voice that whispered to her.
She felt an ethereal hand grip her physical heart, threatening to end her pitiful life in but a moment.
But Karire no longer cared. She did not have anything to live for.
"...Lady Karire?" Just as she was going to yell another curse, a young boy's voice suddenly sounded in her ear, wrenching her from her thoughts.
"O...rien..?" Karire looked up to see a soft face framed by silky black hair just like hers.
"...It's me, Lady Karire..." The boy, Orien, met her eyes in a way that she found awfully familiar.
Karire felt like she had the same gaze as he did now. It made her recall a memory from two weeks ago.
"Your parents?" She had bluntly asked without caring for what the boy felt.
"Deceased, my lady," Orien had replied flatly.
"Who killed your parents?" She had asked again,
"The Exiled, my lady," Orien had replied again.
Two humans, one a young child and the other an adult, looked into each other's eyes for a moment.
They saw reflections; Of themselves, and of each other.
"Orien..." Karire spoke up once more with her raspy voice, "Can you... do something for me?"
"Of course, my lady," Orien replied so easily just like he had always done.
Karire tightly shut her eyes as a weak, injured hand drew a Mystic Pattern in the air.
Milky white light, so pure and bright, trailed her bloody fingers. It drew a pattern, familiar and magical.
"Doppelganger..." Karire heard Orien's soft gasp of understanding but she stayed focused on shutting the world out while she drew.
The Mystic Pattern was shortly completed, eating up the Mystic Energy that Karire had just regenerated. It flew towards Orien while she, the Artist, still kept her eyes tightly shut.
One second passed, then two seconds, then three.
Karire held her breath, holding back her tears.
She waited for the moment the transformation was complete.
"...Mother?" She then heard a voice so familiar.
So beautiful.
So melodic.
So lovely.
It was the voice of her daughter.
Karire forced herself to open her eyes, a tortured smile appeared on her face when she saw the face that appeared before her.
"...Aria..." Karire sobbed, tears flowing from her eyes, "Would you... give your mother... one last hug...?"
Karire watched as 'Aria' tilted her pretty head. A look of confusion appeared on her face as she inquisitively asked, "One last hug...?"
"Yes, dear... One last... Please?" Karire felt a pang of guilt in her heart as she recalled how cold of a mother she had been.
She never showed emotion because of the devil in her ears. Whenever she saw her daughter's face or heard her voice, she always recalled the disembodied voice. Anxiety had her in its meticulous grasp.
"O-okay, mother." Aria smiled and stepped forward. Her daughter then wrapped her arms around her, bringing warmth and comfort.
"It's been a long time since we hugged." Karire heard her daughter's whispers as Aria cheerfully continued, "But your all sticky!"
More tears fell from Karire's eyes. The voice, the tones, the words, the face, the fragile arms, the short stature, the shine in her eyes... all of it was her daughter's. She knew it was but an actor wearing a mask, but for now, she wished to forget it all.
Karire wrapped her own wounded arms around Aria as she whimpered and gently whispered,
"I'm sorry... that I could not protect you, dear..." Karire was choking on her words, but she trudged on. "Please, keep your father company..."
Something was broken in her throat, but she kept talking regardless.
"Tell him I love him."
"...O-of course, mother. I'll tell father everything!" Aria replied back with a small laugh that warmed Karire's heart.
"I wish I could've shown you more love..." Karire hugged Aria tighter, "I wish you hadn't left so soon... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Karire broke into a fit of sobs once again.
"I'm so, so sorry..." Her voice was less than a whisper now, "I should not have brought you into this world... I should have not married your father... I should not have deviated from my fate."
Karire began to ramble as guilt and regret consumed her.
"I..." Karire gasped, but she felt her vision wane. Her body was failing her, and her limbs felt nonexistent.
Her chin fell on Aria's shoulder, and the child seemed to take notice of her weakness.
"I see... You're tired, right mother?" Karire heard her daughter's voice so close to her ears. She felt Aria's breath tickle her skin, "You should rest."
"I love you."
Those three words rang in Karire's mind like a lightning bolt out of the blue. And as her vision further darkened, she manage to croak,
"I... love you... too... dear..."
Karire felt another stream of tears fall from her face,
"Please... Don't leave me..."
And then, there was darkness as she fell asleep to the soft caress of her daughter's embrace.