The lost world, 130 years before D-Day, third POV:
-"You did better than I hoped, guys. Welcome in the realm of the strong ones." Oryos wholeheartedly congratulated Invidia and Alestar for their progress.
-"That was… underwhelming in a way." Invidia sheathed her fatass sword, and took a sip of her bottle.
-"Yep, we made it far. I can remember vividly the first time we encountered that kind of beast, and look at it now." Alestar poked the felled Titan class lifeform with his blade.
For their current journey, they had to pass through the same kind of behemoth who almost killed them 30 years ago, if not for Oryos' arrival. The beast became a threshold for the two humans to surpass, and they worked hard.
Under the Insectar's guidance, they honed their skills. They trained with him their physical and martial prowess, while they developed their magic on their own. In the past decades, Alestar deciphered a few texts of the old civilizations. Those included some indications about forgotten schools of magic, and two of them resonated with the explorers.
Invidia learned to use a derived kind of Fire magic, channeling a long dried-up power. She used her blade to cast them, as it appears that oversized sword was blessed by the same power, even if some remnants of darkness tempered with it. While using it, she could hear faint ominous chants. It was like the weapon got revitalized and let out some shards of the memories imbued in it.
It was a similar story for Alestar, who felt a link between his own weapon and an unclassifiable kind of magic. The texts called it Soul sorcery, and he named it Soul magic to follow the basic naming format. It allowed him to attack and tinker with souls, his spells having a worthy side-effect as they can partially bypass some spiritual tolerances. When he used them, he could feel the might of an ancient being, who resembles the depictions of dragons.
With their newfound powers, they challenged the beast, while Oryos stayed on the side to watch it. He didn't wait for long, as the monster died quickly under the humans' blows. Its limbs got burnt to ashes, its spirit blown away by wicked beams, its guts spilling from the numerous wounds they inflicted. They were nothing like their old selves, and while they still needed to train their skills, they entered the upper rank of this world's entities for good.
With this monster slain, they could finally reach their true objective. Behind the corpse lies a half-crumbled gate, carved in rock. From what they saw, it seemed to be the ruins of a temple, and quite the intriguing one nonetheless.
It was hidden, deep in a mountain range, with several traps of all kinds blocking their advance. Even the gigantic beast seemed to be part of the defenses, as Alestar could feel it was linked to this place by some kind of mental manipulation. All of this was too weird, they never saw such important mechanisms defending a single place before.
That place was hiding a secret, they were sure of it. And when approaching the entry, Alestar could have sworn he heard something calling him.
They entered the temple, which resisted way better than any ruins they explored before. The walls may have a few cracks and some pillars crumbled, but for once they could advance without needing to clear the rubble.
As they progressed, it became clear this place was hostile. Physical and magical traps, wicked beasts trying to ambush them, the walls began to move to disorient the intruders.
Even with their strength and experience, the sheer amount of obstacles began to overwhelm their senses. Invidia was the first to screw up, as she walked on a teleporter, a knowledge basically lost here. Alsetar and Oryos could only hope she would manage on her own and continued.
A few minutes later, in a large room, a golem attacked them. While Oryos tried to reduce it into dust, his punches did less damage than expected. The golem had an armor made with materials that could rival the Insectar's exoskeleton. It forced him into a stalemate for a moment, and when he finally disposed of the golem, Oryos found himself alone.
Alestar got caught into a disorienting spell in the process. The walls and floor moved, changing the layout of a good chunk of the temple. Now isolated, he could only move forward, searching for the exit.
He found it strange, it looked like this place forced him into a privileged path. The road became easier to walk through, as fewer traps remained. Even the beasts and automaton disappeared from his path.
The more he progressed, the louder the voice he heard from the start became. And when he asked the others if they heard it, they had confused looks. It appears Alestar was the only one who heard or felt anything.
He arrived in a long corridor, and the ambiance changed. Alestar knew he approached the deepest part of this place, he will see what was hidden here soon. He walked through the passage, and entered into the largest room of the temple.
Here, there was almost nothing. It was so empty it gave uncanny feelings. The only notable thing was a carving of the wall, depicting scenes Alestar never saw before. Most of all, a good chunk of the central carving was missing, as if someone wanted to erase a specific event from history.
Alestar felt compelled to approach, he saw something shining where the sculpture was degraded. Was it the secret hiding behind all of this security?
He didn't show any wariness, the voice was sweet, appealing. The golden light waved before his eyes, something hypnotizing in it. Slowly, his hand raised, almost touching it.
At the same moment, the ceiling exploded behind him. Oryos somehow punched his way through the rock, going against the proper way of exploring.
His sudden appearance made Alestar flinch, and by reflex, he touched the light.
Then, it began. The pain, surpassing everything he faced before. It dwarfed all, the times his spells exploded to his face when he tried to learn them, the time he first cut his limbs to test his regenerative abilities. All of that was nothing compared to what was happening now.
His bones felt like plasma, his mind threatened to tear apart, he could feel the very foundation of his soul shaking. And as he bent under the pressure, he saw something.
A battlefield, soaked in the blood of endless corpses, with a single survivor remaining. The man cried his despair as he held the body of someone, before vanishing himself. After that, the scene changed.
A burning town, unknown entities destroying and killing everything in their path. A sorcerer, torturing a lone soul who escaped the first massacre. Its suffering added itself to the pain felt by Alestar. And it changed again.
Be it on a coast in the sunset, a deep forest, a workshop, a futuristic building, every time someone added its misery to the primary source. Alestar didn't know if he could resist much longer.
Next, it was a scientist who tested a taboo experiment, destroying his own universe in the process. Afterward, it stopped. Only a deep, starry sky remained, engulfing him in the peace of the void.
Alestar stumbled, it only lasted a second in reality but it was as he lived through eons of suffering. He fell backwards, but Oryos caught him before he could touch the ground.
-"Hey, are you okay? You were all golden for a moment."
-"Huurgh… Anymore and my mind would have been torn to shreds. I need some rest."
Alestar sat, breathing heavily. He went for his bottle, but couldn't open it as his hand was trembling. Oryos had to help him drink, and he took a minute to calm down, before they heard an ominous sound.
-"Shit, is the temple going to collapse now?" Oryos forced Alestar to get up, and lent him his shoulder. "Sorry but it will be a little rough."
-"...Thanks. Let's get out of this shitty place."
Behind them, a new path opened, allowing them to reach an elevator powered with a spell. Strangely, the ruins didn't seem to crumble. The quakes came from elsewhere.
It's when they left the elevator that they understood what happened. They were on top of the mountain, wind blowing with all its might, and explosions of flames. In the fog, two silhouettes could be distinguished. One human, and the other, was one mighty being: a dragon.
-"Argh, he's so sturdy. Hmm?" Panic scarred Invidia's face, then she noticed the newcomers. "Finally you're here. What the hell happened below? That scaled fucker attacked me out of nowhere a minute ago."
-"Ah, the remaining ones came." The dragon spoke with a merciless tone, and scrutinized Alestar. He let out a small roar, and stepped toward them. "So, you're the one who broke the taboo."
The creature was true to the fearful depiction of a dragon. His scales were jet-black and comparable to obsidian. He had four wings, supporting a massive body which size could rival a certain Storm Dragon. His aura unleashed waves of pure darkness. And by its pressure, they understood he's the mightiest entity living in this world.
"Of course it had to occur in my slumber and with Rodin doing his buisness on his side. Nevermind, I'm lucky you seem weakened. In the name of Lighteater Midir, I shall bring death upon you."
Alestar recollected himself, enough at least to draw his blade and not being a nuisance to his companions.
-"Shit. If he's talking about a taboo, then it's futile to try escaping. We must face him."
-"Don't push yourself, we'll take him fast enough with the three of us anyways." Oryos cracked his hands, ready for an onslaught. "Today will be the first time you'll see me going all-out, so be careful of your steps."
Midir unleashed a powerful fire breath which melted the ground where they stood. Fortunately Alestar could evade, while Oryos closed the gap with the dragon at an incredible speed. He joined his four arms, preparing right from the start one of his deadliest moves.
Midir managed to keep track of him and met him with his gigantic claws. The Insectar released the full power of his quadruple punch, and the two attacks confronted.
The shockwave traversed the whole arena, as two of the top fighters of the world clashed. After a few seconds, the dragon was pushed back. His raw strength got bested by Oryos' technique, showing the danger represented by the Hero of the Insectars. But it won't be so easy.
Midir used the momentum to sweep his tail, throwing huge rocks in the process. He forced his opponent to step back, and went for another breath attack. Invidia caught on to his intention and summoned multiple flame pillars under him to break his focus.
It didn't deal much damage but it was sufficient to make him miss his target. Oryos to this opportunity to close the range again, and gave Midir a kick on the side.
As he fell back a little, the dragon suffered another blow, this time from Alestar. It was a charged magic slash of his weapon, accompanied by Homing Crystal Soulmass. That was a spell which summoned several crystalized orbs hovering above the caster and attacking after a delay.
They saw how Midir resisted their assaults until now, his high endurance made him a dreadful foe. Thankfully damages were stacking, little by little. Invidia and Alestar's magics were powerful enough to pierce his defenses. And Oryos' physical attacks were deadly even against a creature with natural armor comparable to a High-Legendary grade.
Yet, they knew a single misstep would bring disaster. Midir was a force of nature, a single attack landing could put them in a critical state. Even as the strongest of the trio, Oryos wouldn't like taking a blow. He surprisingly had a weak durability if he were to receive an attack, he admitted it himself.
That waltz of death could have lasted a while, until Oryos had to evade a new kind of spell. A scorching beam of pure light, which forced him to break his combo. As he processed what happened, he instinctively blocked a punch coming from the side…
Wait, a punch? He focused on the direction of that blow, to see an intruder. It was reinforcement from the opponent's side.
-"I came at the right time. That's what you get from sleeping so much, Midir."
-"Shut up, Rodin. Where were you while we got trespassers? Doesn't matter, stale this ant while I deal with the humans."
The individual named Rodin looked at first glance like a human himself. He was a tall, well-built bald black man, wearing sunglasses, a brown leather costume and black boots. He has ear piercings and numerous jewelry, from rings to bracelets.
The only thing which showed he wasn't human were his wings. Two pairs, one resembling a golden peacock and the other being a set of red, sharp wings.
-"Holy and Demonic powers at the same time? How?" It took aback Oryos, who knew about the Angels and Demons of the Cardinal world.
-"I was created that way, simple as that. I'm a Nephilim if ya want to know, not that it will help you anyways."
Rodin relentlessly attacked, throwing a barrage of punches and kicks. Oryos had to fully divert his focus toward him, his new opponent being another real threat. The baldie hadn't as much raw power as the dragon, but his greater speed and unknown abilities were competing with the ant warrior.
Now, Alestar and Invidia had to defeat Midir by themselves, or surviving until Oryos bested his new opponent. The second round began swiftly.
Since Alestar still suffered from his earlier experience, Invidia took the vanguard. Her role wasn't to deal damage as her magic was greatly resisted, but to prepare the terrain for a well placed spell from her son.
Each time Midir used his own magic, she could counter it. Fire spells clashed, and his darkness was slashed by her sword. As time passed, it looked like it got a heartbeat, awakening its lingering power by absorbing the dark.
Since the dragon couldn't move as he wanted, it allowed Alestar to prepare a long casting spell, based on a drawing he found not long ago. It was risky, as he tested it only once and didn't know if he would be successful again. But as it was the strongest in his arsenal, especially against a huge target, it was worth trying.
Unfortunately, Midir sensed it coming and repelled Invidia by stampeding. The difference in strength and mass blew her away, and she landed into a lone pillar, destroying it.
It seemed Midir would use his breath again, but this time he charged it. When Alestar released his Soul Stream, it collided with a laser beam. The confrontation didn't last long, as the laser took the upper-hand.
Alestar, exhausted, planted his sword on the ground. He created a barrier, trying to counter the deadly attack and braced for impact. Then he took the blow.
It created a massive explosion, and the human got embedded in the ground. Not even his allies knew if he could survive after that.
'Dammit! I have no choice, I must use my trump card now. But it's a gambit, as I haven't polished that skill yet. Don't die on me Alestar, not like this.'
Oryos rushed at the baldie and hindered his movements with two of his arms. He imbued the remaining two in a strange aura no one could understand its properties by looking at it.
The two warriors exchanged blows, punches against a kick infused with Holy and Demonic magics. Oryos fell back and bent under the pressure, his exoskeleton cracked.
As for Rodin, he didn't feel anything at first. It confused him, as he saw the punches landing. Then, he felt a terrifying shockwave exploding inside his body, shaking his whole being. He couldn't understand why it suddenly became much stronger than before, but that's not too great of a problem.
After all, Oryos was in a bad shape too, and he suspected this power couldn't last for long. Yet, he had to admit it, his opponent wasn't a small fry. It was time for the Nephilim to unleash his true power, unless he wanted to risk his life.
His appearance changed while he was engulfed in his paradoxical aura. He got new clothes, the right side being a white tunic with elaborated orange patterns, giving him the air of an apostle. The left side changed into an ominous lightweight armor, dyed in red. His left hand grew a claw, and a sharp tail appeared.
Now, Oryos had to play it defensive. As Rodin grew a new limb and used his wings too, the ant lost his advantage.
He had to avoid a barrage of light darts, demonic whips, a rain of beams using the power of the sun and gigantic limbs made of pure darkness. He still could find openings, but the onslaught trapped him into a hit-and-run approach, not a single mistake was allowed.
On her side, Invidia rushed at Midir with a newfound strength, as she's sinking into a deep fury. She saw Alestar vanishing into the ground, and decided to make that overgrown lizard pay. Her willpower being her strongest asset, directly fueling her abilities, surprised Midir.
Overloading her sword, she planted it into the dragon's side, and released in one go all of its power. The mix of fire and dark energies spread into his flesh, making him roar of pain.
Unbeknown to her, she managed for the first time to conjure through her weapon a new kind of magic she never heard of. The absurdly dense energy morphed into an Abyss Core, allowing her to cast by instinct a Nuclear spell.
Trembling under the effects of that spell, Midir let his aura explode for good. Invidia retreated to not be caught into the blast, and defended herself against a swarm of slow, black projectiles which seemed to have eyes.
As she couldn't move, Midir jumped with alarming speed toward her. His jaws fully opened , as his goal was to swallow her whole. He grabbed her, and chomped. He felt some flesh in his mouth, and stayed still for a moment, as he let his victory sink into his mind.
Of course he was the victor, as she wasn't here when he looked. Instead, it was the other human who stood at her place… Wait, him?
Alestar got out of his hole and pushed Invidia out of the way, offering his right arm to the dragon. Somehow it impressed Midir, how could a small thing like that human still be alive?
Suddenly, he felt an excruciating pain invading him from inside. He never suffered so much, what did they do? He trashed around, as parts of his body stopped listening to his orders, and saw the human smile.
Then, he shivered. That smile was terrifying, yes, but it wasn't the only thing which bugged him. His eyes too, changed. They became crimson red, their shape now resembling those of a predator. His whole body exuded death.
If he sacrificed his arm, it was to poison Midir. Alestar always had with him a flask full of Arteria, the poison he used as a drink. This time, he injected it into his limb, creating a wicked trap that even the dragon would learn to fear. Thankfully for Midir, his vitality was too high to die from such a small dose.
-"Nggh… Wha?" Invidia, who rolled away, tried to get up and froze when she saw it. "His berserk state, it's been so long."
-"Arrgh, that's bad. Rodin! Finish him and come help me. It's getting dangerous."
He made a mistake in glancing toward his colleague, as he gave the opportunity for Alestar to target a weak point. The human immediately pierced his inferior jaw with a crystal spear. As Alestar climbed onto the dragon, he released an ethereal beam with his sword inside the beast's throat.
Midir slammed his head into the ground, trying to swat away his opponent. Alestar retreated, searching for a new opening, while Midir concentrated his aura again, hoping it would keep them at bay for a few seconds.
Then, he saw something which made him stop. He took a better look at Alestar's aura, as he swore he saw a special light in it. And he found it: a faint fog, glittering like the night sky.
-"...So that's it. Rodin, cease. He's been approved." Midir dissipated his aura, and stopped showing hostility.
-"Really? Well, sorry for that." The baldie stopped his assault, and reverted to his original appearance. "You'll be living another day. Thanks for that enjoyable battle."
-"Huh? What are you saying?" Alestar's eyes returned to normal under the shock. "You're stopping, just like that?"
-"Well, we don't have any reason to fight anymore. As I said, you've been approved." Midir turned back, and prepared to take off. "We'll be watching you from now. Who knows? Maybe you're the one who will break this world's curse."
Him and Rodin left without looking back. The trio, now free from this life-and-death situation, sat on the ground and let out the biggest sigh of their life.
The dragon's words puzzled them. What did he mean by 'being approved'? And they would be watching them…
"Well, it won't help us to stay here like idiots and think about it. Let's return to our home." Invidia tried to cheer up, also wanting to leave from this mountain as fast as possible.
That's what they did. It took them a few weeks to go back to their home, the greatest city of the world, which emerged once the explorers pacified the uncharted lands. Being at the crossroads of every major races' lands, it became a few years ago the trio's base of operation.
-"Fuckin' finally." Invidia stretched, wanting to relieve her stress from their journey. "I heard there's a new bar down that street. What do you say?"
-"I don't mind, as long as I can sit down somewhere." Alestar nodded, following her.
Oryos had nothing against it either, and the trio entered the new bar which opened a few days ago. They raised an eyebrow at the name of the shop, 'The gates of Hell', but shrugged it off.
The interior was amazing for this world's standards, it reminded the humans of what they knew in their former world. A cozy atmosphere, dimmed lights, velvet sofas, everything to help customers have a good time.
-"What the? There's even a gramophone? The owner has good tastes, and good skills to find this." Alestar showed satisfaction, anticipating a good moment.
-"Thanks for the compliment, I made it myself. Welcome, by the way."
-"Well, you deserved it… WHAAAAA?!"
The trio reacted instantly when they saw who the owner was, and raised their guards. Behind the counter, wiping a glass, stood Rodin. He didn't say anything, and continued his chores.
They also felt another aura they knew too well, coming from a humanoid sitting close to them. It was Midir, having the appearance of a middle-aged man with a small mustache, a hat and a costume reminding them of the gentleman's cliché.
-"...Are you fucking kidding me? What are you doing here?" As expected, Alestar wasn't pleased at all.
-"As I said, I'm the owner. If we're watching you, it's best to do it while blending in with the population." Rodin took three glasses and prepared a cocktail.
-"And let's be honest, we were bored staying outside of the civilized world for millennia. Now that temple is empty, we don't need to guard it anymore." Midir took a sip of his drink.
-"...Okay, nevermind that. But, since you're here, can you explain to us what you meant by 'approved'?" Alester massaged his temps, as he got a headache.
-'He talked about me.' Said an unknown voice in his mind.
-"Gaahh? Who said that?"
He looked around, confusing Oryos and Invidia. Apparently, those two didn't hear a thing. Rodin and Midir smirked, they seemed to know what happened.
-'Right here.'
A silhouette appeared next to Alestar. It had a human shape, quite androgynous with a long tunic, long dark hair with small lights in it and two thin horns protruding out of it. It smiled at Alestar while crossing its hands.
'That's the first time since I died I'm able to talk with someone. I should thank you for it. I hope you won't take prejudice for their previous behavior. Those two are this world's guardians that I created long ago. I'm Veldanava, the Creator of all the worlds.'