The three massive tornadoes were sent out in the direction of the mountain of Faceless.
Along the way, the bodies of Faceless lifted up and spun around with the fierce winds.
Veritas saw a grueling sight which split those that were lifted in the air into half.
The Winds itself caused everything that was engulfed inside it to be exposed in a myriad of slashes. Once a Faceless were swallowed, they would then suffer in a multitude of cuts. They would then ultimately end up being either sliced in half or drowned in slashes that made them bleed out.
Luckily, Veritas had ignored his runes for a while because if not.. he would be bombarded with messages announcing his kills.
He remained sturdy, holding the Wind Blade in the ground to keep himself from being swallowed by the tornado.
For a dream, it was quite intense.. He still pondered the root of the deep slumber that he stumbled upon. It was quite peculiar, really - although it was a dream, it felt very similar to reality.
Upon becoming a Pathbearer, Veritas considered his dreams to be a fragment of the future. Some of them didn't make sense and that was normal. But sometimes, even the goofiest of dreams held a deeper meaning.
Now, he was experiencing a dream that was akin to reality itself, it was like a lucid dream where Veritas could do anything he wanted. But he could not simply dream for the mountain to disappear in his sight.
The Hivemind of the Faceless seemed more like an invader.
In fact, they seemed too real. If he was not aware that he was in a dream, Veritas would've mistaken the Faceless as a real threat that swarmed Knights Academy.
They were a threat of course, but the existence of the dream relieved Veritas because there were minimal damages that could be caused.
..The only one that could get damaged is Veritas himself.
"Grnngh!"
Pieces of his cloak were slashed, revealing the usual white coat that he wore as a uniform for the Academy.
The tornado was distances away from Veritas, but he could still feel the repercussions caused by it.
It already reached the moving mountain of the Faceless, piercing through its defenses and swallowing them one by one.
Once they've reached the heart of the tornado, they would then get minced into pieces, leaving only blood and disintegrated flesh behind.
One minute passed and the harrowing sight was still ongoing. Then, 10 minutes passed and it continued to rage further. Thus, after 30 minutes, most of the mountain has been shaved off, leaving only the remnants of the Faceless.
With a single cast of his skill, Veritas singlehandedly dealt with thousands of Impure Souls.
The Winds dissipated and the tornado got weaker as it traversed through the horizon. Veritas deemed it safe to finally move, so he stood up and stared at the devastation that he caused.
It was barren, the once lush landscape filled with the greenery of grass was suddenly turned into a devastated wasteland with blood spread almost everywhere.
There were residual individual Faceless left but it was not that much of a problem. They writhed in pain, walking towards Veritas slowly as they bled.
Eventually, they fell to the ground, useless and unmoving.
Veritas walked towards the barren land and saw a Faceless struggling on the ground.
He stared at it with contempt, utilizing the Eye of the Kraken to invoke fear in its heart.
Then.. Veritas held his Wind Blade and struck the Faceless in its heart.
Within a second, it stopped moving around and turned silently still.
[You have felled an Impure Soul]
[Your Soul becomes as calm as a tranquil wind]
After felling thousands of Impure Souls, it was only normal for an individual to get a chance to finally ascend to the next level. However, for Veritas, he was only one step away from making his Soul pure.
Although the runes have stated that his Soul had turned calm, he did not feel ready to ascend just yet.
Veritas dismissed his Wind Blade and stared at the bright moon.
"Not yet." He thought for a second and continued. "One more step.. I need to take one more step."
With the gruesome battle finally ending, Veritas made his way back to the bloodied dormitories.
'I've failed.. That girl has been killed. I was too distracted saving myself, damn!'
Veritas walked through the barren land caused by the devastation of his Winds. His Soul, depleted and empty, would take a couple of hours or even days to restore!
It took Veritas a couple of minutes for him to finally return to the dormitory.
He saw bloodied broken ruins of the building, the usual lounge was buried in debris, pieces of glass and shards of stone were scattered all around the area, and a crater of mass destruction could be seen at its heart.
Suddenly, Veritas' eyes widened.
"H-how?"
In the middle of the crater a lush green courtyard stood still, and inside.. was a lonely figure of a girl laying down on the grass.
Her radiant white hair spread out in the comforting bed of grass, her fair skin was lit up with the bright moonlight, and her eyes glowed ever-so beautifully in the soft landscape. Additionally, she wore a white nightgown, which hid her slender and thin figure.
Veritas slowly walked towards her.
"You.."
She was smiling, as if she had experienced great bliss.
"How are you alive?"
Veritas stood in front of the girl, she remained unresponsive at first but she gradually replied:
"I'm... sorry for dragging you into this dream."
Veritas was perplexed.
"What?"
"For years upon years, I've been stuck in this dream, reliving the same exact moment of my.. death." She somberly replied while gazing at the moon.
She glanced at Veritas.
"Thank you, whoever you are.. for helping me escape this dream at last.." She smiled.
Her face was warm, and blissful... as if she had been staring at the tranquil night sky for the first time, reminiscing about the happiest days of her life.
Yet, that smile of hers contained a deep sense of sorrow, or perhaps pain.
Veritas understood her words and intentions.
This was not his dream at all.. It was hers, and he was merely dragged into it.
"Those Faceless, why were they in your dream?"
She faced the moon once more.
"I guess.. it was the only way to save everyone?" She then laughed brightly. "I'd been stuck here for so long that I'd forgotten what had happened. I don't even know what's happening outside the dream anymore. But every once in a while, I drag someone inside this dream, that makes me visualize how much the times have changed."
She pointed at the destroyed ruins of the dormitory.
"You see that dormitory? Well, I guess it's destroyed now.. But that wasn't there before, it was through the dreams of others that I've visualized what it looked like and manifested it in my dream. Still, it doesn't change my end though.." Her eyes looked sorrowful as she spoke. "This place used to be a remote village.. Oh how I've missed everyone."
Veritas listened carefully.
"Tell me outsider, what does the outside world look like now?"
Veritas pursed his lips for a second and replied:
"There are bustling crowds that roam the streets, people that work their jobs, technology has advanced very far.. and oh, this place is located at an Academy. The dormitory you spoke of serves as a place for the students to stay."
"I see." She smiled wryly. "I would've loved to see it.. to see everything. If only I could turn back time.."
Then, Veritas asked once more.
"Why were the Faceless aiming for you?"
Her pupils suddenly dwindled as she heard Veritas' question.
"It's because I trapped them in this dream."
She grinned.
"Those abominations attacked my village, it's only normal that I protect my people right?"
Veritas nodded and asked:
"What are they?"
"Hmm? The Faceless? They're vile creatures that come from the Seraphim of Feeling."
"Seraphim of Feeling?"
"Right. That Seraphim is vile too you know! She decimated the entirety of my kingdom all because I refused to spread the Sun God's gospel." She then boasted: "I put up quite a good fight though, I think.."
Veritas' expression slowly turned serious.
"Ahh.. that was a tough battle though, I ended up cutting her face off and once I did.. those Faceless abominations flooded the Kingdom. By then, it was already too late.. Most of my power had been depleted by our battle so I was left with no choice."
She tilted her head and stared at the moon.
"I was forced to retreat in this remote village to recuperate, but that Seraphim was too petty! She followed me all the way here and her face was already gone too! Served her right though, she was very ugly.."
"In the end, the kingdom was devastated by her abominations. I could only mitigate the damage, not prevent it. I defeated her once again and she fled! But that sense of victory that I felt made me lose my life.. It was my fault, really."
Her eyes began to tear up.
"I did my best right? I really tried to protect everyone, I really did!"
She covered her face as tears uncontrollably began to flow out of her eyes.
The winds blew, and Veritas felt a cold breeze brush through his skin. His black hair swayed along with it, and his eyes felt sympathy for the girl in front of him.
Then.. he kneeled and caressed her cheeks.
"You did well.."
Veritas removed his mask and then his black hair soon turned into a pure white splendor.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes widened.
"Y-you.. who are you?"
Veritas stared directly at her lonely eyes and said:
"I am the Prince of this Kingdom, Veritas Alpas Elrod."
With elegance in his voice, Veritas proclaimed himself.
The girl's tears suddenly stopped and her eyes showed understanding. Then, she smiled widely and for the first time ever, it was not a smile with a deep sense of sorrow.. but rather, a smile full of joy.
"I see.. Thank you.."
She turned incorporeal, vanishing along with the Winds.
The dream suddenly crumbled, Veritas saw the sky shattering and the ground crumbling. His mind felt hazy and weird, slowly turning his vision into darkness.
Thus, Veritas had finally woken up from the dream.
*
Veritas had woken up to the sound of a voice.
He saw a Knight clad in an armor of shining steel, donning a dark cloak behind him, and carrying a sword that was 2 meters in length.
He kneeled at a throne in front of him, proclaiming his loyalty and sending a message.
In that throne, sat a middle-aged woman with her head composed of a regal expression. She wore a crown with its gold filigree dazzling across the room. Embedded within it were sparkling gemstones of various colors, its delicate artistry showcased the authority of the woman sitting upon the crown.
She spoke:
"Speak."
"As you wish." The knight replied, bowing his head even lower. "The Seraphim of Feeling has arrived, she wishes to speak to your majesty.."
Her eyes glinted at the words of the knight.
Then, she stood up from the throne, on her waist was a steel sword sheathed in a royal scabbard. She wore kingly garments that consisted of a red mantle with furs of great beasts, elaborate silk robes that befitted that of a King, and an embroidery of gems and ornaments hanging from that very robe.
Her radiant white hair flowed down to her shoulders, and swayed along with her sudden action.
"With the authority of I, Queen Valeira Elrod, the Seraphim of Feeling is given permission to set foot on the Kingdom of Elrod."
Her words resounded in the great throne room, and the knight in front of her bowed to show his deepest respects.