A creature loomed over them. Its form was made of the most perfect and unblemished darkness.
Its hands and feet were clad in gauntlets and greeves, as well as a strange chest plate ornamented in gold and the figure of dragons.
Its face had no eyes, but two golden spots on it, a mimic of how eyes were supposed to be. An artificial mane of messy hairs, composed of the same darkness as the rest of its body.
"I have reached what I was set to acquire. That's a good day." The monster tried to reach out for Kissenn, ignoring Ellianor completely.
With his last strength, Ellianordroopped Kissenn to grab Testament, and cut across the monster's palms.
It cut through his gauntlets, as golden blood started to flow out of its cut hand. "Vanish." The monster swiped its hand against Ellianor, his body thrown against severable tables.
The few bones inside his chest were broken now. His vision darkened as his remaining eye lost its glimmer.
[HEY, I AM BACK! DAMMIT! WHAT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS AWAY? THAT ASSHOLE STILL MANAGED TO REACH YOU?]
Ellianor had the displeasure of the voice coming back in his head, his eyes forced to focus and chase away the darkness.
The world was slow for him as if he had died, but his soul persisted inside his body.
The monster slowly reached out for Kissenn.
"If you have time to banter, go save her. I am a lost cause right now." The black-haired man snapped at the voice, his body unresponsive to his commands.
If he had to guess, his spine would have been shattered by its attack.
Beyond the multiple organ failures that were in place by its hand swipe.
[THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT A THOUSAND TIMES!]
The voice roared with rage, and the sound of something breaking echoed inside his mind. Maybe the voice broke something, or it was just a part of his brain collapsing.
[HEY PAL. WE CAN'T LET IT HAPPEN, NU UH. WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. HEY. DO YOU TRUST ME?]
"It looks like I have a choice?" Ellianor could only stare at the monster move in slow-mo toward Kissenn. "Say what I have to do."
Much of his body, including his mouth, should not be working anymore, but in that strange, slow-motion realm, it was working.
Maybe the voice had a solid plan instead of guesswork for once.
[ALRIGHT BABE. SEE THAT BLADE? STICK IT IN DEEP INSIDE YOUR CHEST. DO IT WITHOUT FEAR. I HAVE PLANTED SOMETHING CALLED "THE ECLIPSE FORCE" INSIDE THAT VESSEL YOU INHABIT, BUT IT SHOULDN'T AWAKEN LIKE THAT]
The voice sighed, as a small strength returned to Ellianor's limbs.
[I HAVE DONE A SMALL BOOST TO YOUR STRENGTH. THE ECLIPSE FORCE SHOULD BE AWAKEN NATURALLY, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE TIME. THE CHANCES OF YOU DYING ARE AROUND EIGHTY PERCENT. GOOD LUCK]
"Twenty percent is plenty of room to succeed." Some software refused to work, and they landed on the ten percent of failure in his hands. It was chance enough.
Ellianor held his blade tight. "IF I fail, go and save her." He begged to the voice, but only an awkward silence answered him.
For some reason, he had the impression that the voice wouldn't do it…
"Hm, what is that?" The monster took notice of his movements. It broke through the slowness, its posture straight, as its "eyes" were on Ellianor. The black-haired man laughed.
His hand still held onto the Testament, refusing to let go of it even as he was broken beyond repair.
"Either way, see you in hell, bastard!" Ellianor plunged Testament deep within his chest, it pierced through his heart and lungs.
A burning sensation across his whole body, as the creature's shoulders stilled. Its gaze fixated on Ellianor. "You are… incredibly dumb. It must have been a fluke."
It turned back to Kissenn, as Ellianor's small boost in strength died out. his hand fell out of the blade, and blood started to fall out of his mouth.
(...)
Deep within his consciousness, Ellianor stood before something. It was like a star, but it didn't glow, not in the same way the sun did.
It was a massive sphere of fire, but it was dark, blackened by something.
It was overwhelming, but there was no heat, or cold. Just the impending doom, the judgment of all things.
Ellianor looked at his body. It was not his original body, but the one he was forced into.
He was in the void, before a great star. "May I inquire your name?" A voice echoed. It came from everywhere, and nowhere at the same time.
It was not in his head. Ellianor moved around in the void, in search of the voice. It was not powerful, or loud. It had a gentle tone to it, almost like a whisper.
"I am down here. You were looking at me before." Ellianor moved to look at the dark star. "You are looking at me now. If it is not impolite, can you tell me your name?" The star asked.
Ellianor felt his heart clench, and his head pound at the impossibility, but it was the least impossible to happen to him that night.
"I am… Ellianor. That is my name now." Ellianor sighed, the voice would not allow him to say his true name.
"I see… you have been stripped from your previous body. Down to your very essence. How pitiful." The voice sounded concerned, and a little sad for him.
Ellianor looked at his hands. The hands of the body were handed to him.
It was indeed pitiful. "Yeah, I got shoved here without consent and forced to fight, but it is my luck. No point in mopping about it." The star hummed.
"I see. May I… ask why you are here?" The star shyly asked, unsure about something. What it was? There was no way for a mortal to know.
"I… don't even know where I am. Is this the afterlife?" Ellianor questioned the star, the only other "conscious" being in that place.
His gaze moved over the star, which continued to hum in a tone akin to a lullaby.