"How much longer will you hide in there, scaredy sheep?" I called out to Theresia's familiar, which was hiding behind the hall wreckage. Slowly, it came out from its hideout.
It sounded as if the sheep bleated in relief, knowing that the Boogeyman, Ralarielekh, or whatever you called him, was finally defeated.
With one hindrance eliminated, I felt like I was moving closer to the source of this chaos, closer to finding Theresia.
I kept moving forward, my path fortunately illuminated by the starlight. I could clearly see my surroundings, with bushes and trees accompanied by the song of crickets.
With no clues or markings to follow, I could only rely on the night sky to guide me.
At last, my advance was halted. Bathed in moonlight, the lake in front of me reflected its brilliant light, creating a serene atmosphere.
I gazed from one edge to another, the lake spread out from my footing to the horizon. The lake shows no end.
"What now...?" I muttered.
I squatted by the lakeside and sighed, my eyes fixed on the vast expanse of water before me. What should I do? There's nothing else here.
I considered reaching for the water in front of me. Maybe taking a sip wouldn't hurt; after all, I was exhausted.
As my hand dipped into the mirror-like lake, it passed through without resistance.
"What the heck—"
I quickly pulled back my hand and inspected it. There was no resistance, and strangely, my hand wasn't wet at all.
In a moment, I turned towards the sheep, confusion written on my face. The sheep stared back, tilting its head slightly, as if responding to my puzzled expression.
At that moment, an idea popped into my head. I reached behind the sheep and with a quick thud, I slapped its butt, pushing it into the lake.
The sheep went through easily, falling into the deep abyss below.
Realizing what happened, I swiftly stood up, took a few steps back, and sprinted toward the lake.
Beneath the surface, everything was eerily calm, the moonlight casting a serene glow through the water.
I kicked my legs and pushed myself deeper. The surrounding grew colder as I descended, and the pressure increased with each passing moment. Despite the darkness surrounding me, a faint glow seemed to emanate from below, drawing me onward.
I kept pushing, my feet wriggling against the sea of darkness. I raised my hand, trying to reach towards the light.
***
Eventually, I found myself lying on my back. As I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but pitch blackness all around—literally nothing, nothing at all.
Fortunately, amidst the darkness, I could see a speck of white wool—it was the sheep, standing there bleating in the blackness.
As I lay there in the vast emptiness, the bleating of the sheep echoed faintly around me. It was a surreal scene—the contrast of the lone sheep's white wool against the endless darkness was almost poetic. I struggled to make sense of where I was and what had happened.
I sat up slowly, feeling the chill of the void around me. There was no ground beneath me, no sky above—just an infinite expanse of nothingness. My thoughts raced as I tried to remember how I ended up here. Had I truly jumped into the lake, or was this some bizarre dream within a dream?
I glanced around again, searching for any sign of what lay beyond. The darkness was impenetrable, save for the faint glow that seemed to emanate from the sheep itself. Could it be leading me somewhere?
With a deep breath, I decided to follow the sheep. It began to move forward, its hooves making soft padding sounds on the unseen ground.
As we continued on, the darkness began to shift subtly. Shadows danced at the edges of my vision, and faint whispers echoed through the void. It was unsettling yet oddly intriguing, as if the very fabric of reality here was fluid and responsive to our presence.
As we wandered through the void, I noticed a dim light in the distance. It flickered faintly at first, but gradually became more distinct.
The light grew brighter with each step, illuminating the surrounding darkness in a soft, ethereal glow. Slowly, a shape became apparent within the light—a cocoon-like structure, pulsating with a gentle luminescence. My heart leaped when I saw a figure inside the cocoon. It was Theresia.
"Theres-!" I tried to call out, but before the words could leave my throat, I halted my tongue.
Theresia was there, right in front of us. But she wasn't alone; another figure stood near her. little by little, as the light illuminated the scene, the figure's face became clear.
"At last, thou art mine, Lady Dream. Now, let me consume thee, and thus shall we become one."
"If there is someone who's going to be devoured, it should be you."
"Huh?! Who's there?! Boo-"
"Don't look for something that's already dead, Brian."
Slowly, I emerged from the shadows, ensuring he could clearly see my face, my crimson eyes locking onto his. Staring into his soul, I make sure to pour the foulest of my malice, disgust, anger, and hatred.
I remember him from before; he was the one who caused a ruckus at the school cafeteria. But in a million lifetimes, I would never have expected him to be the source of all this chaos.
"Or should I say, Hy, the outer-bitch?" I taunted, making sure it sounds as insulting as i could.
"You, you're-!"
"Save your words, fool. I am your death!!!"
Ignoring my threat, he reached his hand out towards the cocoon. Instinctively, I reached for the dagger in my purse. As his hand neared her, I swiftly sent my dagger flying, narrowly missing him and slicing through the air beside the cocoon.
"Ngrhh!" he growled, stepping back quickly to dodge the dagger.
"Don't you dare lay your filthy disgusting hand on her!" I threatened fiercely, my eyes reflect crimson.
"Grrr, you dare act arrogant in front of me, human?! You're nothing but an insect!" He straightened up, unwavered by my threat.
"Jxwqzvpm lrkjf! Dgkyb, uocnhm qiftx zsp. Eybrvajx gwdc plqm; fsivn uzoty? Hka, edf!!"
Following his gibberish chant, a bolt of red lightning shot toward me. Quickly, I answered the spell as it flying across the void air.
"Tsk, Archaic Heretics tongue!", "Goetia(Sorcery): Nulla(Null)."
With my Null spell, the lightning instantly dissipates into particles, leaving no trace behind.
Startled by my counter, Brian was taken aback. He squinted his golden eyes and growled, staring at me with hatred and suspicion.
"You, human! How do you know my tongue? And that chant of yours... the tongue of the daemons! Where do you learn those?!"
"You mean that gibberish you spout from your filth hole? Anyone would recognize the language of the pathetic gods and their slaves."
"ARGGHHH!!!!! How dare you!!!!!"
Clearly infuriated by my comment, Brian materialized his sword from thin air and charged towards me like a bull seeing red, swinging his sword like a lunatic.
As Brian charged towards me, his movements wild and frenzied, I focused on maintaining my composure. His sword sliced through the air with a vicious intensity, aimed straight at me. I sidestepped swiftly, narrowly avoiding the blade as it whistled past my shoulder.
"I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you! YYYARGHHH!!!" Brian roared, his voice echoing through the void.
Brian gritted his teeth, frustration evident on his face. With a swift movement, he withdrew his sword and lunged again, this time aiming for my side. I pivoted and ducked, narrowly evading the blade once more.
"Your tricks won't save you forever!" Brian snarled, relentless in his assault. His attacks were fierce and unrelenting, each strike was intended to kill.
Between his attacks, I cast my spell. With the blood from my wrist, I conjured another bloody weapon, this time a crimson sword.
Swiftly, I pulled my arm back, gripping the crimson sword tightly in my hand, I thrust the sword into his chest.
"ughwuogh..." He groaned, visibly stunned, blood trickling from his mouth as a look of shock crossed his face. His shirt slowly soaked with flowing fresh blood.
He took a few steps back, staring in disbelief at his blood-soaked chest, his arms hanging limply at his sides.
Just as he was about to turn his gaze back to me, i ran full speed towards him, landing a kick on the sword hilt that was still embedded in his chest, driving it deeper into his thorax and sending him flying.
As his body hit the ground hard, I thought he was done for. Little did I know, it wouldn't be that easy. Instead of groaning in pain, he lay on the void floor and started laughing maniacally.
"Haahahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
With eerie slowness, he rose from the void's floor, gripping the sword lodged in his chest with an unsettling calmness. With a deliberate pull, the blade slid out from his flesh as if it were extracting itself willingly. The sight of his bloodied form should have been enough to incapacitate any ordinary being, yet he defied the norm. His head rotated a full 360, the sound of bones audibly cracking as his neck twisted unnaturally.
"Hehehehe, Seems like you're in the mood for a game, human. Let's have some fun, shall we?"