After sheathing my blade, I scanned the room and peered through the forest of crystal.
Not too far away, the ground curled downwards into a large pit, and the protruding gemstones were a clear silver white at the base.
That would be the best bet...
After moving forward, I tilted my foot over the edge and carefully jumped down, landing amongst the thick bed of crystals with surprising grace.
Rena wasn't far behind, and I watched as she casually unfurled her wings to catch the air; other than the slight rustling of feathers, her landing was near silent.
I tilted my head further and looked at my own.
If it's just unfurling them, then I could manage... probably.
Flexing the muscles, I saw them awkwardly jitter in place, as if excited to be used.
It felt rather strange, but it didn't seem too difficult to open and close.
"Rena, prepare to glide and follow me."
"Mm"
She replied as usual, and I nodded along without looking at her.
Placing my palm against the cold, black surface, I firmly pushed into the ground.
Obviously, it was hard, but I could feel the vibrations of battle passing through and up my arm.
If I had more practice, I'd be able to tell how thick it is... but at least I know it's not insurmountable—I'm not going to waste mana on siege.
Leaning on one knee, I began pulling my arm back and focusing my strength.
I let out a long breath and squeezed my fist into a ball, my arching shoulder resembling a taut bow.
[Monumental Shift]
My fist thrust into the ground, and a web of cracks spread across its surface.
Again, my fist flew against the rigid stone.
Again and again.
Chunks of rock flew into the air, and the nest of cracks deformed into a nebulous mass of gravel.
It shook, and I stood up.
I cast a quick glance at Rena, who was staring intently at the ground.
Focusing, I somewhat awkwardly unfurled the wings but managed to splay them open in the air.
This was it.
I stomped down, and the ground gave way beneath my feet as if it were the aged trunk of a rotting tree.
The mounds of stone abruptly fell; they were slightly faster than us, and we pulled away.
Flashes of light first entered my vision.
There were eruptions of gold that would vanish as fast as they appeared, consumed by a mass of darkness.
Explosions of crimson, then bursts of blue, scattering the luminous afterglows into the surrounding space.
All this caught my eye in a mere moment. My agility, my title, and the sudden adrenaline of falling into the unknown slowed my perception until my thoughts suddenly caught up with me.
The entire outpost was dark... I could see rather well—it was a trait that partially carried over—but it was still exceptionally dark.
Completely to the Demons' advantage.
However, the room brightened as more stones fell away and through the air.
Rena narrowly avoided a crystal falling from the unstable opening above.
Shit.
The fighting had slowed at the sudden change.
I could clearly make out both Angels and Demons looking up at the two of us as intense violet light poured in from the expanse above.
We were like a lighthouse at night, and the crystals acted as the water's surface, scattering that light and illuminating the way.
The room considerably brightened.
I kept gliding down towards the curators' house—it wasn't far away—but frowned as I heard cheers from some of the angels.
How many people recognised this body?
How many knew?
Hopefully, it wouldn't matter to them right now.
Despite the light, the shadows hadn't abated.
It was like they were alive and swarming the entire outpost, including the densely packed bridge.
Without warning, a brilliant white orb manifested in the air amidst the battle.
It rose into the sky and pulled away the attention of all those present.
The light of the surroundings actually curled inward, pulled towards this magic, and the pure embrace of its alabaster glow began to transform into a jaded star.
I felt as though I was losing spirit just looking at it—as if it were sucking away my will to live.
It grew and grew in the air.
It was like a sun consumed by its own twilight, and a part of me couldn't help but linger on this feeling—feeling like a new day would never come.
I shook my head and pulled my focus away.
The Angels all seemed unaffected, even incited; yet the Demons' morale vanished, and they seemed fickle enough to be blown away by a small gust of wind.
Instantaneously, the flow of battle changed, and the shadows atop the bridge melted away.
I looked past the orb to see a man standing calmly among the crossfire.
It was he who used the magic and drew away the attention.
He was tall, stoic, and stood with his arms behind his back, watching on through his thick eyebrows at the battle with seemingly disinterested yet calculative eyes.
Even from a distance, his impression was powerful, and using that magic hadn't tired him in the least.
His eyes suddenly turned to meet mine, and my wings nearly constricted in the air.
A cold lucidity swam through my veins and into my brain, halting all thought.
I couldn't read anything from it at all—no intention, no impression, no emotion.
He blinked, and his gaze moved away.
How long did he linger?
How much time just passed?
I frantically looked around to gauge my surroundings. The building was still a ways away...
what?
Had I not been drifting for a while now?
A mass of darkness beneath the bridge caught my eye.
It pulsated like an artery, growing further and further, and the weight of its presence disrupted the battlefield.
Some Angels broke away, frantically looking around in paranoia, only to see nothing.
But this seemed only to be a side effect.
Abruptly, the mass split apart like a cell dividing into countless counter-parts.
Thousands of abyssal tentacles diverged outward and encompassed the vast bridge.
Like some mutant spider ensnaring its prey, the legs ensnared the massless violet orb that elucidated the perspective of those around with its insidious paranoia.
The darkness diluted across its surface like ink dropped into water.
But the light was intense, and the darkness would solidify and crumble as the contradicting energies eviscerated each other.
Regardless of how gradual it was, the orb began to break apart. The strands of darkness had thoroughly protruded deep into its core, and the light and its effects dissipated with each passing second.
Seeing this, something gnawed at my mind...
A vague sense of familiarity at the growing vein-like onyx magic.
The memory of returning to my body flashed in my mind; of the magic surrounding me as it receded back into the shadows.
Ana?!
Perhaps it was just coincidence, but the magic seemed to read my thoughts.
The moment the darkness consumed the orb and rolled like waves across its surface, a branch shot out from its side.
It was like an unseeable tree sprung forth into being, and its branches protruded into the open space, through the air, and right towards our location.
Shit.
I panicked seeing the accelerating magic push through the air, and spread across the walls like some unstoppable fungus.
Just how much mana?
There was no time to think; I only turned to Rena and reached out to grab her arm, pulling her towards me at the same time.
"Use your magic and stop gliding."
She hesitated, and I felt her hands shaking.
There was no time.
I wrapped my wings around her and began falling through the sky.
The air whistled past my ears, and the air became harder to breathe. We continued to accelerate, and the sounds of combat warped into strange pitches.
The black magic spread through the air as if cracking reality beneath its touch.
Nearer, nearer, nearer still—we weren't falling fast enough.
It jolted and stabbed into my wings, slowing my descent slightly.
My face twisted in pain, not from being stabbed but from the acidic sensation of the magic pushing its way into my flesh.
Feathers tore away and scattered into the air, and I was barely able to hold my sword and cut away at the magic.
It only deformed to fit its shape, but it was enough to make it detach.
The magic was too thin now; there was a definite limit, and a slight kindling of relief washed through me upon seeing this.
However, before I could recover, everything went black.