I took down the last plant demon and used my power to stop the Deity of Souls from taking our souls. It was a tiring process, but in the end...Rosenea was able to get Blitz back on his feet and he neighed determinedly. I looked back at him and smiled. I hurried over to him and reverted to my normal form. Rosenea and I got on his back and he raced off.
"Hurry! He has a thirty second cooldown on his Soul Removal ability! Flash Mode!" I yelled and Blitz neighed then entered Flash Mode and galloped faster than sound itself and kept traversing to the Temple of Yggdrasil.
We reached the Temple and everyone looked at us. Titania was extremely happy to see her sister alive and my team were ecstatic about seeing me alive as well.
"You may think this is over, Ragnarok...but thinks are different now." The Deity of Souls said then his voice disappeared.
I got off Blitz's back and helped Rosenea down then we towards the group. "I'm so tired.."
Esta looked at me and held my arms. "What happened? Why...why did they only take you?"
"It was because I'm a Ragnarok. Clearly the Deity of Souls have a personal vendetta against my Bloodline. The Deity of Souls is allied with the Assembly or League of the Damned or something. He wants...He wants freedom from the Forest. True Freedom meaning he wants to take over worlds." I said then looked at everyone.
"We've got to stop them then." Titania said.
"Not on my watch." A woman's voice said.
We looked around then Rosenea squeaked when she was kidnapped. We looked at the direction Rosenea was taken in. She was now in the arms of a woman who wore samurai clothing and only had one arm. She had long light brown hair, blue eyes, and wore a technological eyepatch on her left eye.
"Give me my sister back!" Titania yelled and took a step closer to the woman.
"That's not how this works, Queen Titania. Princess Rosenea is an important asset to the League and we aren't letting her slip through our fingers. If you want her, take her from me." The woman smirked.
"Rosenea!" I called out to her.
Rosenea looked at me and looked scared. "Shiryo, Titania...I'm scared...Why are they doing this?"
The woman looked at me and smirked. "Huh...a Ragnarok I see. You're the guy the Director told me to look out for. Director Blight warned all of us about your family. Your twin sister, your mother, and your brother. Luckily for us, King Icas is already here in the Temple. If you want Rosenea back...come inside the Temple and meet us at the main room." The woman's empty sleeve released smoke and she vanished with Rosenea.
"Because Rosenea bares the Crest of Botany...she's targeted. It's rumored that she's one of the Chosen but I don't care. I'm getting my sister back!" Titania ran into the Temple.
"Dammit..!" Serafina said then ran into the temple behind her.
"Blitz...you stay out here alright?" I said then Blitz whinnied. I rubbed his nose and summoned an apple and infused it with recovery magic then ate it. I ended up eating two of them to get my full stamina back. "Alright Team, let's go save the princess.."
"Right!" My team said then we entered the Temple.
We entered the Temple and I noticed Serafina alone. She was lost on where to go next and I walked up to her. She looked at me and looked abck st the large platform in the middle of the Temple.
"That platform has a staircase underneath it. That's where they are and the four stupid fucking ghosts took the candles from the platform and caused the platform to lock. We need to find the candles and open this platform." Serafina said.
"Where's Titania?" I asked.
"She's with them under the Temple." Serafina said.
"Alright." I said then walked forward and looked around. "There are four candles we need to collect so we break off into two teams."
"Well I'm coming with you, Leader." Serafina said.
"I guess I'll lead the other team." Gideon nodded.
I nodded then noticed Takame walk up to me. "You want to come with me and Serafina?"
"Yeah. I want to get over my fear. I know I can help." Takame said.
I nodded then looked at Gideon, Esta, and Freya. They looked at me and nodded then we split up. My team went into a red door and we were outside. I looked around then noticed many pathways we could take.
"It looks as if it was a puzzle. There's only one correct pathway. I'm assuming the door that's chained up is the true path." Serafina said.
I walked around and looked around. "It seems it is a puzzle or a scavenger hunt...We have to find a key and I know that's not gonna be easy to do."
"We should split up. There are three paths we can use. There's one up top, there's the well, and finally there's the room left of us." Serafina said.
"I'll take the upper route." I said then used my Crest of Absence to erase the gravity around me and levitate up to the upper path then deactivated my Crest.
"I-I guess I'll take the well." Takame said then walked towards the well and her clothes turned into an octopi like dress then she dove into the well and swam downward.
"I guess I'll search the other room." Serafina said then hurried to the other room.
I walked down the corridor and heard a ghoulish laugh and looked around. I noticed a floating eye with black wings following me that was made out of ink. "You're the eyeball that's with Takame correct?"
It was just an eyeball so it couldn't talk but it used ocular magic to communicate with me by showing text and letters only I could read. "I am only one of Takame's familiars. They call me the All Seeing Eyes. The Scouter Eyes. You can call me Ocula."
"Ocula. Well what are you doing here?" I asked.
"Takame is worried about you and Serafina. She uses me to keep a look out for you and her friends. Whatever I see she can see by closing her eyes and using an ability called Shared Vision. Of course with that comes the drawbacks of her being very vulnerable, but it is a very useful ability." Ocula spoke via magic text.
"I see." I said then noticed a door ahead. I opened the door then walked into the next room and heard the door close and chains appeared on the door.
A large skeleton knight appeared in front of me with a sword and shield in hand. The skeleton knight made blessed forest armor appear around their body and increased their defensive prowess. I unsheathed my iron sword and grabbed my shield.
I dashed ahead to the skeleton knight and swung my sword downward. The skeleton knight blocked the attack and pushed me away then jump slashed at me. I dodged the attack and slid backwards. We dashed to each other then clashed with one another multiple times. I parried the skeleton's attack with my shield and awakened the Crest of Deviation. I stomped on the ground, generating more Kinetic Force than what is physically possible and caused a shockwave to happen. The skeleton felt the shockwave and was lifted off the ground.
I watched the Skeleton fall down then dashed towards it then awakened an ability called Perfect Movement and thrusted my sword at the skeleton, striking it. Ten more strikes hit the skeleton and blew it against the wall. Their armor shattered and one last strike hit the skeleton's head without me moving. The skeleton turned into dust and the chains on the door shattered and a treasure chest appeared in front of me.
I opened the treasure chest and pulled out an item then looked at it. It was a ghost radar.
"A Ghost Radar. That can be used to find these pesky ghosts, but it isn't the item we are looking for. We are looking for a red key." Ocula spoke.
"Yeah I know." I said then sent the radar into my personal storage. I left the room and heard the same ghoulish laugh. I stopped walking and noticed the corridor getting darker.
"Something isn't right...The Temple...the light is fading. Why? What's going on here?" Ocula said.
Takame swam within the water and looked around. She noticed the light within the well fading away and heard a ghoulish laugh. She squirted out gassy ink out of fear and looked around. She noticed eyes appearing all around her and she screamed then quickly swam away and out of the well then jumped out of the well back onto land then coughed and panted. She was on the verge of tears as she looked around.
"Takame...Takame.." A voice said in her ear. "Why are you running away..? Don't you want to help your precious friends save another..?"
Takame was shaking as she looked around frantically and panted. The area had become dark and Takame was even more afraid to the point to where she was inking on the ground.
"You don't want your friends to die right? So go back down in the well...The item you need is in the well..." The voice chuckled darkly.
"N-No you don't..! You're just...trying to trick me..!" Takame said and gripped her head.
"Smart girl...you know, it's easy to pick on you than it is to do so with Serafina or Shiryo. They are mentally strong while you are not. Invading your head was far too easy...you are far too fearful, too weak...too pathetic.." The voice said then showed an image of an orange haired girl in front of Takame.
"Kazuka.." Takame said then her eyes widened.
"Your best friend wasn't she..? Isn't the whole reason you wanted to be an adventurer was because of her? Because she wanted you to be one? She's dead now because of you, because you were too weak...not because you were weak physically but weak mentally. You couldn't control your power...because of you, she died.." The voice taunted Takame and laughed, trying to get her to lose control.
"Get...out of my head!" Takame yelled and panted. "You're supposed to be on my side..!"
"Your side I am on, Master.." The voice said then laughed.
"Why...are you doing this..?" Takame asked.
"I want you to grow stronger...together...we can do amazing things, Takame. We are a Zodiac Monster after all...I want you to kill Shiryo. Take his power...and together we can claim victory..." The voice said then let out a ghoulish laugh.
"No...He hasn't done anything wrong to me.." Takame said.
"Neither did Kazuka." The voice said then a ghoulish face appeared behind her. It was her main familiar. A large octopus with an evil grinning face.
"Takame!" I called out to her. I walked to her and noticed ink on the ground then looked back at Takame.
Takame broke out of her trance and looked back at me. The light had returned to the area and Ocula had disappeared and returned to Takame. "Sh-Shiryo...S-Stay away from me! I don't want to hurt you!"
"Huh..? What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Please...just stay away!" Takame ran off.
"Takame!" I called out to her and noticed Serafina walk back into the area holding a red key. "Serafina, Takame just ran off we need to go find her."
"Ugh...We can focus on Miss Inkling after we get this damn Ghost." Serafina said then walked towards the door.
The Crest of Mentality shined on my hand then I looked at it. "She's struggling mentally...I sensed it when we got close to her."
"Minerva. What do you mean?" I asked.
"Remember when you had to fight her? It's because she let...Her...win over her mind so she could ease the pain. Her main familiar is slowly breaking through and we have to save her if you wish to avoid repeating history." Minerva said.
"Hey! Stop talking to your fucking jerk off hand and come on! This ghost isn't gonna capture itself!" Serafina yelled at me.
"We'll talk more later." Minerva said then the Crest of Mentality stopped shining.
I hurried over to Serafina and watched her unlock the chain with the key then the chain disappeared into magic particles. We walked into the room and noticed we were in a large library. I summoned my radar and turned it on. The radar beeped signalling there was a ghost in the area. I followed the dot on the radar then Serafina readied her rapier to strike the ghost.
I looked around then dodged an attack coming from an empty suit of armor then Serafina dashed to the suit of armor then thrust her rapier through it, striking the ghost. The ghost gave a ghoulish cry then exited the suit of armor before turning into a red candle and falling on the ground. I picked the candle up and that was one out of the four we needed.
"There. Now we can search for Miss Unstable Inkling." Serafina said then walked off, sheathing her rapier.
I made the radar disappear and followed Serafina.
Takame sat in a chair and held her head. "I don't want to hurt anyone...I can't let her win...Happy thoughts...Happy thoughts...Happy thoughts..." Takame said, slightly hyperventilating.
We walked out of the room and she noticed us then blew out a smokescreen of gassy ink then disappeared out of fear. We coughed and swiped out hand, swiping away the smokescreen.
"Fuck...this bitch isn't making our job any goddamn easier with this bullshit!" Serafina said then looked around.
I placed the candle in the correct holder and the candle lit up. "We can't just abandon her though."
"Fuck that. You go find her. I'll find the second candle." Serafina said then walked off.
I watched Serafina then sighed and looked around. There wasn't many places she could hide since a door was blocked off by a large statue and a door was blocked by a yellow chain. I decided to check the entrance of the Temple to see if I could find her.