Humans.
Dragonkin.
Beastfolk.
Elves.
Dwarves.
Demons.
Basilisks.
They were all tremendous races, domineered as the ones who overrule the seven nations that revere seven Gods. If one were to rank one over the other, it'd be an impossible task. Each have their own assets that make them a valuable race. However, among these races were a multitude of sub-races. Goblins, Orc's, Kobolds and more. These races were known as lesser species- for they held some form of intelligence but not as great as the seven. However, there was always one race that could match the intelligence of the seven. Though, this one was never spoken about for the curse it brings.
Elizabeth, bloodied from the battle from the dark man had suffered greatly, desperately holding onto the sword as she held herself up with it. That once dominating flame was now but a flickering ember, ready to blow out at any moment.
As the phantom menace lunged at her, golden chains wrapped around its arms as a heavily injured Theresa desperately threw him away. Elizabeth's Chain was nothing to scoff at. She held dominance over flames that emitted from the core of her body. So long as she keeps her body exposed, she can grant herself access to those flames.
But it's a double edged sword, for the trade off was an exposed body. Not that it would've made a difference against this opponent. Her armour was torn, some bits even scorched and melted from the intense heat she was emitting. Steam emanated from her skin, and with a quick brush to take off the last bit of armour she was wearing, the pauldrons landed on the floor- practically dust at this point- with her only form of bodily protection now being her heat proof body suit. Theresa on the other hand, was rather low guarded in the first place. Her body was covered in deep wounds inflicted from the shadow, barely recovered from the green aura that flowed from her hand over to her body. Her eye was black, something she didn't have much energy left to recover. Yet the man who stood before then laid untouched. With a bit of his clothing scorched, he was more than capable enough to put the flames out quick enough before even his skin was revealed.
His sword was almost like a growing darkness, looking completely different than what it did before. Once, it was a dark sword that still held that glistening shine from the sun that managed to find it's way through the trees. With mostly everything around the shrine turning into nothing but dead shrubbery and ash, the sword wasn't reflecting the exposed light at all. It was as though they couldn't even look at it. The darkness welling up had only grown, absorbing any bit of light that would shine on it. It was like looking at a black hole that shaped itself into a blade, distorting the very light surrounding it.
Elizabeth pushed herself up, blood spilling as she coughed it all out. "Theresa... One of us needs to retreat." She spoke, but Theresa herself was incapable of listening. Upon further inspection, her ears were bleeding from within, on top of her hindered vision- she couldn't communicate at all. Her voice was raspy, coughing out more blood. The severity of the spell casted onto her wrapped her head in a dark aura- but as she held firmly onto her shield which during the fight, had transformed and engaged into what looked like a cross, divine energy swirled and cleared up the darkness. But it wasn't enough to completely cleanse it- not when she was preoccupied fighting this thing that barely broke a sweat.
Elizabeth, acknowledging Theresa couldn't hear her, grasped her sword to attack. Pulling it from the barren ground, she rushed at the opponent- much slower than before, and as she drew her sword low to strike, the man locked swords with her with a casual swing, only using one hand to keep her at bay. Though she wielded something close to a two handed sword, the strength of the man's one arm was enough to reply in kind. Her sword distorted visually, but as her blade locked, she could feel the thinness of his blade.
"What... What are you?!" Elizabeth questioned, but in a flash- he carried her momentum through him before stepping to the side and tripping her up. As she began turning her body to strike, he parried almost instantaneously- making her lose her grip as she edged closer to the ground. Her sword in the moment disappeared. Her eyes widened as he raised his leg to deliver a brutal blow with his foot.
Taking the impact straight on her diaphragm, Elizabeth's bones crushed under the weight behind his power, the very ground below her cracking as darkness swallowed her flames. With enough force, he kicked up the ash scattered around the field, which has created a mist field- and in that instance, the sound of chains reached closer to his ears.
Grasping onto one of the chains lunged at him, he tugged it, grasping the wielder who flung it at him before swinging her around like a teddy bear. Slamming her petite body to the ground, she immediately fell unconscious- the blow doing enough to knock her out. Her head bled, dying the ground crimson. The battle was almost over, in the most brutal way possible.
"Get... Off...!" Elizabeth tried her best, reaching for the man's ankle with her arm, but the man didn't react. Having lost her strength, she could barely even speak. It was clear, that she was running on adrenaline. Her body should've fell by now, and she isn't feeling much pain, but she kept trying- knowing if she gave up now, the others would eventually fall to this man.
With her under the heel of his boot, he began pushing further, making her scream with her broken voice. It didn't wish to kill her, rather, it found it enjoyable she was still alive. Elizabeth was never one to back down, but being beaten down like this would turn anyone into an obedient slave to remain alive. But her grip tightened, refusing to give in to the temptation of dying however much more preferable it may have been. With his sword, he thrusted it into her right shoulder, forcing her to let go- dropping her arm entirely. The pleas in her voice as she screamed put a smile on the man's face. Elizabeth's vision blurred- but it didn't deter from what the man looked like.
'Is that... The leader of the Wonders?' the words of her daughter echoed in her mind. But what she was looking at wasn't anyone she recognized. What she saw, was someone who didn't have a face. The person who manhandled two of Freiheit's fiercest warriors, wasn't a man at all. It held deep red eyes, and that smile was one so messed up that she couldn't describe it's mouth as a human mouth. It had lacked the ability to speak because it didn't have one at all, if anything- the marks across its face was only to display emotion. It's more closer to a monster than human, but it was sentient- so there was only one answer.
Of the 7 great races, none domineered over the other, but there was one that could outmatch them all. The forbidden Abyssal race, a series of dark creatures who hail from beyond Tartarus who sought to wreak havoc. They lust for the pleasure of killing, and whatever their goal is- it involved the total annihilation of the world.
Elizabeth's consciousness was slipping away. The adrenaline had begun to slow down, and the immense pain she was feeling suddenly came rushing all at once. Her eyes grew tired, but she did her best to keep them open. Her jaw that was gritting her teeth had loosened, her breath escaping her body without her realizing it. The darkness that toppled her like nothing had began encroaching her vision- all before she closed her eyes.
'You aren't giving up are you?' Elizabeth's eyes flashed open in that instance. The pain was gone, and the thing that stomped on her wasn't there anymore. The abyssling was gone, as she felt an incredible sense of wind breeze past. From breathing harshly, she found her breath was back to normal- and upon looking down at her bruised body, she noticed she was fine- more than that, the grass around her sprouting. As she looked over to the unconscious Theresa, her body began restoring with a powerful green aura that stretched between the two. It was one so strong that the life around them that perished began restoring itself.
"Theresa!" Elizabeth cried, rushing over to her friend's side to make sure she was alive. Grasping her within her arms, she placed her two fingers on her neck. Much to her relief, a pulse replied, and Theresa had begun waking up.
"Theresa! Is this... Is this your magic?" She asked, but Theresa herself seemed uncertain. Her body felt fine all of a sudden. Helping her up, the two looked over to the Abyssling who was struggling to get back up. Its body received a heavy blow, severing half of its body from the other half- with his right arm completely falling off. There was no blood, but only a spilling darkness that leaked to the ground. The shrubbery around his defective arm began corrupting, wilting the moment the darkness oozed from the decapitated arm.
'Try fighting again, you two~' A voice ring in their ears. Elizabeth and Theresa's body began glowing red, and much to their surprise, their body grew lighter. Elizabeth didn't wait to find out, and instead went straight for the attack. Lunging at the Abyssling at a speed that it couldn't even comprehend, flames adorned the knight whose blade reached for its neck. The golden hue of the blade being summoned was close to its face, shining enough now to show the face behind the hood. It was just a creature of darkness, a true abyssling who lingered the forest until someone had opened the ancient entrance. But in the moment, Elizabeth thought about only one thing. 'I must kill this thing!'
Her sword clashed heavily at the side of its neck, flames dispersing away from the strike, and from behind- Theresa swung her cross straight into Elizabeth's sword, pushing it enough to completely sever the head from the body.
Darkness began spewing everywhere- almost touching Elizabeth who was up front. But in that same instance, a blue aura encapsulated the thing in front of them, along with its arm before squishing it completely into nothingness. Whoever was there was a talented magician to say the least- but why would they be here so deep into the forest?
Elizabeth and Theresa both turned their heads behind them, where an elven woman stood where the magic flow originated. Her slender, beautiful body was enough to put anyone at awe, let alone the beautiful pink hair the reached below her waist in a ponytail. The lady's sky blue eyes glistened as the surrounding nature began regrowing itself in the green dome that she put up. With nothing but her hands, a wizard would never dream of never using a wand. But she possessed much power despite not using one.
"Who are you..?" Asked Theresa, who put away her cross which dissipated into thin air.
"Hm... Humans make me so curious, this Chain thing your race has truly makes me envious!"
The lady was not engaging in the conversation, and inspected the two whose bodies were finally healed completely. No signs of wounds, no curses and no internal damage. Nodding, she bumped her fist into her hand. "All done! Now, who opened this shrine?"
She looked around, wondering if the source was about. Though, they didn't need to say anything for her to acknowledge that they didn't do it.
"Excuse me, but why are you even here?" Elizabeth asked, her sword dissipating in the same golden hue that she summoned it with. The woman turned to look at them, her ears twitching with such a curious look.
"Oh? Well, someone opened this dungeon I sealed 500 years ago. I was asked by a dear friend to make sure this was locked up and that man in his later teens will end up opening it... All I see are two beautiful women!"
"Uhm... My name's Theresa, and that's Elizabeth. What's your name?" Theresa asked awkwardly after her unusual compliment towards the two. At the end of the day, she saved them- and whoever she was, she clearly wasn't a host to any faction. Her being elvish made them suspicious at first, but her unusual fashion sense of a simple white dress wasn't enough to conclude that she was apart of a greater elven faction.
"Me? My name's Ailixiya. I came here after I sensed my Mana being disrupted, only to find that some Abyss Herald decided to stomp on my grounds! Sheesh, and here I was doing a great job of keeping her resting place tidy..."
"I'm sorry... Resting place?" Elizabeth asked, looking over to the shrine that seemed untouched by time. Ailixiya erected the spell to protect this domain, and if it was a resting place- then why did the stone tablet appear?
"Yes, for a very dear friend. Well, not that she'd remember anyway. I sense about 5... no, 6 people who went into the dungeon. You better chase after them! If they aren't careful, their bodies might end up perishing under spiritual pressure!"
Suddenly, the elven lady vanished into thin air. She was a great talent for certain, but Elizabeth and Theresa were both stumped over who this woman was. "If she's telling the truth, we need to go after them!"
"But, what did she mean spiritually?"
In the depths of the ruins, the 6 found their eyes darting around. The space was infinite, a starry night sky spanned across their sights. If they didn't enter through the doors in the first place, they'd have believed that the place they were in was Freiheit's open world itself. But, the illusion kept them unfazed.
Ayra led the group, looking around in the beautiful cliff side where the water fell straight into the ocean. It was a beautiful place, but they had been walking for a while now.
"Is this really the dungeon..? I'm finding it hard to believe that such a world exists inside a small entrance!" Yuji expressed, bewildered over even the finest of details. The world spanned far past where their eyes could see, and in the mythical place they were in, nature flourished and just beyond the woods was a cliff side where the river flewed out into the ocean. The clear starry sky permeated a moonlit glow that lightened up the world they were in, but time was at a stand still. Nature didn't breath, there was no wind, birds froze in the air and even the insects remained still. Completely still. Aster looked down at his hands, feeling magic coursing through him.
"Do you think there's some sort of puzzle we have to solve here?" Rina asked innocently, holding onto Aster who was just as taken aback. A place like this would strike anyone who entered. It was peaceful, a complete polar opposite to what the world outside was.
"I can't even remember how we entered this place..." Isabella pointed out, to which everyone else seems stumped about. Their memories served them as far back as them leaving Elizabeth and Theresa- but the group all collectively couldn't recall entering such a beautiful area.
"Kiara... We need to find someone called Kiara. Does that name ring a bell for anyone?" Aster asked, looking around. Everyone held more or less the same response. A shaking of head or a look of uncertainty.
"What else did you see or hear in that vision, Aster?" Yuji asked, trying to draw any conclusion they could. But Aster shook his head. Nothing came to mind other than the fact that the mysterious person knew who he would be, a fact that remained unchanged in his mind. They communicated to him in the future, but the question is how far into the future?
"There was mention of the name Ailixiya, but nothing more than those two names comes to mind. We have to awaken Kiara, in order to clear this dungeon. It's safe to say this doesn't have anything to do with the Seven Wonders- so there's no reason for you all to be here." Aster explained, looking over to Ayrandel who Elizabeth had handed the Dimension Door scroll to. Reaching for it in her pocket, she attempted to activate it once more, but there was no result.
"It's no use. It just won't activate. The only form of magic we can use is our Chains." Ayrandel summoned her sword, before letting it go into thin air and putting away the scroll.
It was a tough situation, but they also couldn't ignore the fact that Theresa and Elizabeth were still battling that man. "Regardless of whether it's related to the Seven Wonders or not, that guy attacked us before we entered here. Whatever plot he was coming up with, we need to make sure he can't go through with it... Otherwise, why did we just leave mother and auntie Theresa to die..?" Seraphina's once arrogant attitude was nowhere to be seen. She was shaken up from the attack, and for all she knew, the man who attacked her was the leader of the Seven Wonders. Aster looked up at the sky, it seemed endless. How far could he reach before he would hit the ceiling? If this place even had ceilings.
However, in the same instance of him looking up to the sky, he noticed something he couldn't unsee. Returning his sights to the ground, nothing was there. The people he was just with- gone, nowhere to be seen. The greenery of the woods- the frozen wildlife, it was all gone. Looking down, his feet found themselves on stained glass panes in multiple shades of green, blue and red. His eyes darted around at the circular structure, as he drew his sword. His sword however, was nowhere to be seen, and he found that in his hand was a familiar black blade with an embedded stone at the center.
He looked down at his hands, and he was wearing fingerless black gloves- a type of clothing he once used to wear during a different time. He looked up once more, to see glass panels of stairs ascending up.
'Go... Aster.' A soundless voice told him. He couldn't conceive the sound of the voice, as though simple text had appeared in his mind. These words pushed him forward. He felt his trench coat drop to the floor, and even his body was different. The scrawny little boy he was, that was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his hair was tied down, with green streaks, and his eyes was a jade green. He wore black clothes with golden embroidery, and his sleeves were a turquoise green. The sword he wielded made a ticking noise, the sound of time echoing in the vast darkness that surrounded him. The starry night sky was nowhere to be seen, it was just simply void. His body was built, full of muscle that trained with a sword, and he found himself taking those steps forward. Each footsteps echoed in the silent void. It was the only thing he could hear in terms of sound.
'Aster. 500 years ago, you defeated the Calamity...'
***
As he reached halfway through the steps, the world cleared up. A barren wasteland and a sky that was a deep crimson. Around him were series of dead bodies from many races. Humans, elves, orcs and demons- it was all. Before him, was a dark cloud of a being unimaginable.
"This is..."
'Yes... The calamity you once faced. It destroyed the world, but there was a hero who stood in its way. If it wasn't for you, Aster, then the calamity would have consumed everything in this world.'
Aster gulped as the dark colossal being disappeared into nothingness. He looked on, seeing himself impaled by his own sword, kneeling on the ground. He gritted his teeth, as a beautiful woman, a blonde saint kneeled before him in tears.
"Why are you showing me this..?" Aster questioned, veins popping in his head as he gripped his sword. But, he ended up dropping it, rushing to her. "Layla... Layla! I'm here... I'm alive..."
'The world suffered for your loss. You sacrificed yourself to defeat the Calamity, and the only thing you had left- you had left behind.'
"Stop... Stop talking like you know everything..!" Tears began forming in his eyes as he looked on in horror. The girl he loved dearly couldn't see him, and only hugged his dead body. No matter how much he tried to grasp her himself, he would just phase through. His body didn't have material.
'Aster Ragnarok... As far as your memory takes you, you remember waking up, 500 years into the future where no one knows who you are. It's as if your history was erased.'
"Erased..? Then what about..?"
'The people who died fighting the calamity- everyone who fought alongside you, all gone from history. A tragic story of how the Hero fought for a world who didn't praise him.'
Aster picked his sword back up, standing before a world untouched by darkness. It was beautiful, and it was something he fought for. But in the end, he died and received nothing for it.
"Why... Why am I here, now..?" He asked, looking around once more. The world before him vanished, and in the darkness sprouted light.
'Kiara shared your fate. She was a hero whose intelligence was feared by humankind.'
***
'The Calamity was destroyed, and the world thought it had found peace. The world lost it's Hero, but in the coming few days that passed by, something strange began happening. The darkness that was supposedly conquered had begun taking a new form.
Beings known as the Abyss had suddenly struck the world, and their power was monstrous. Unlike the likes of the Calamity that was a being of pure negative magic, the Abyss was almost a form of magic from beyond the Ley Lines that formed the world.
The Gods had broken free from the Calamity that was slain, and upon descending to the mortal plains, was faced with a new problem. Abyssling wreaked havoc throughout the world and so an all out war had begun. The heavens were outraged, and struck many places with Celestial power that was so fierce that it reshaped the world as it was. In this war, a human rose to the fight.
She was a valiant warrior who held both wits and power, and to protect the world she loved, she fought both the Abyss and the Gods. Her power was great, and in acknowledgement of her achievements, the God of Freedom halted the war so that she could demonstrate herself before them. She handled the Abyss, pushing them back and sealing them for good. But her greatness in power had become something to fear amidst the commonfolk.
The Gods who had ascended to heaven after the satisfying results watched over the mortal planes once more- but the God of Freedom in particular watched over this girl.
Placed under a false sense of security, she was killed in the Drystian Woods, but not before her Elven friend attempted to save her life. She spilled tears, and even tried sharing her own life with the human- but such a wound wouldn't be cured so easily. That was then that God of Freedom descended to save this individual. He had saw something in her that made him move. He glanced at the sky, and spoke... "And you, Aster... How strange fate is to bring you back, but you must awaken her." He had no voice, no body, but he was undoubtedly there.
Aster, you were fated to come to this place and reawaken Kiara. That is a fact that will not change. But in order to do so, you must defeat the corruption that seeks to corrupt her mind.'
***
Aster snapped back to reality, as he looked around, he was in a deep cavern where his friends laid on the ground. Looking up, he saw the two women who were fighting for their lives by their sides.
"Elizabeth? Theresa?" Aster asked, to which they both looked at him.
"Aster... Is that... Is that you?" Theresa asked. He looked at himself. His hair reached down to his hands. He was wearing the outfit he wore for the adventure, but noticeably, the clothes were a bit tight and he was certainly packing more weight.
"What happened to you? Why are you suddenly... You're certainly taller now." Elizabeth pointed out, taking a peak at the exposed abs on the low end of his tunic.
"I'm not sure what happened, but, what happened out there?" He asked. They looked rough but also, unharmed. Their armour that once was there was unequipped and nowhere to be seen. More than that, it was clear that the two showed signs of exhaustion.
"We were attacked by a creature from the Abyss. We don't know why or how it was there, but it was. This dungeon isn't a place we should stay in. More than that, the Dimension Door spell isn't even working." Elizabeth showed off the scroll which she took from Ayrandel's unconscious body, but it wasn't working at all. Even Theresa's D-Key didn't function neither.
Upon hearing the Abyss, Aster inhaled deeply, and for a moment, he paused. After exhaling, he began to speak. "The Abyss was defeated by the girl who is sleeping here. She was killed by humankind, but... The God of Freedom willed for her to live. He knew who I was, and that I'd awaken her."
"You're saying that if we wake her up, we can wake the others up too?"
"Yes. Alternatively, we can exit this place and carry them all out and wait for them to wake up. But from the illusive dream we shared together, I doubt they'd wake up if we don't do something about Kiara."
At last, he was able to recall what had happened. After walking a few minutes into the cavern, the party suddenly fell asleep, and they found themselves walking in the illusive forest under the night sky. The process was so smooth that even he didn't notice- but his spiritual power was far beyond what his body was capable of. Him accessing that spiritual power directly probably resulted in his body change, but he was quite fond of his shorter hair. With his iron sword, he cleaved the long ponytail he had, dropping it to the ground.
"Theresa, can I ask you to guard them? We don't know what will come up in this dungeon, but it's best if Aster and I go." Elizabeth asked, and ofcourse, Theresa agreed. This situation ran far deeper than they had thought, and with the Gods being involved this time- it was something they couldn't just ignore even if they wanted to. After all, a God's problem would eventually become the nation's problem. With the Abyss running around, it's only natural they should awaken Kiara. If she was capable of defeating the Abyss, then she needed to be around.
Although, it had left a bitter taste in his mouth. Kiara was a young girl, she had pink hair just like her Elven friend, but it was closer to strawberry blonde. Before she died, she was just a young girl with incredible talent. If there was anything wrong with what happened, Aster would relate to it the most. As the Hero whose achievements went unsung, she was a Hero whose achievements were disgraced, resulting in her death. Forcing her to play hero wasn't in his best interest, but awakening her seemed key to awakening his friends who were knocked out cold. Or at least, it was his only lead. The soundless voice in his head ordered him to.
With Elizabeth and Aster reaching the end of the long tunnel, a black vortex swirled in the spot in front of them. It was an obvious portal that led to something deeper.
"What is this darkness..? It's nothing like the Abyssal creature we fought earlier." Elizabeth noted, as the darkness packed the aural dark blue-like flame hue that the Abyssal creature had. Instead, this one was just pure darkness- akin to vanta black. Aster had the answer to it though.
"It's darkness that originates from this world. It just remains hidden all the time." He said, reaching out for it. Suddenly, light swallowed the two and around them- was the same starry night sky he saw in that illusive realm. Except, this time, it was real.
They looked down, stained glass panes had spanned the room they were in, and in the far out distance was an infinite light that was being engulfed by darkness. The room was circular, and at the center, was a girl of strawberry blonde hair- pale skin, in a permanent state of stopped time. Her wounds were nowhere to be seen, which showed clear signs of being healed in stopped time. Whatever the God of Freedom did, they succeeded in saving this girl's life. But how does one break a God's spell?
"Aren't you looking a little too much Aster? The poor girl is naked." Elizabeth made the snarky comment, to which Aster hadn't even taken notice of it yet. Upon that realisation, he looked away. He sighed, before reaching his hand out to the green shield that seemed impenetrable.
"If I'm the key to breaking this open... You must be watching right now, God of Freedom... Let me break this spell, so I can save my friends." He said out loud. Though, no magic stemmed from him, the magic of stopped time slowly... Slowly began resuming. Eventually, her hair that was in a complete standstill, had fallen towards the ground. The her body was still floating, she slowly began descending, before eventually falling completely to the ground.
Elizabeth walked over, the green corporeal energy disappearing before them, and checked her heartbeat. It was normal. Soon, she opened her eyes. Slowly, the girl looked up at the two of them...
"... Who..?" She asked, her voice was beautiful- angelic even. Aster was touched by the voice, a feeling he hadn't felt since... Well, 500 years ago.
"Where... Am I..?" She asked, as the world around her began to crumble. The darkness began to vanish, as the infinite light shone across the world. In a single breath, they were in a vast forest, nature chirping with a set of ancient doors that were completely corrupted by time.
When Aster uncovered his eyes after shielding himself from the light, Yuji, Rina, Celine, Isabella, Sera, Ayra and the girl were all waking up. "Are... We out the dungeon?" Theresa asked, appearing out of nowhere with the other six. Aster looked around, and even the tablet that was originally at the entrance was completely old and even had moss growing over it.
"... The entire dungeon was frozen in time." Aster pointed out, as he looked around the forest. "Can we... Use dimension door?" He asked, looking towards Elizabeth who then pulled out the scroll once more. Upon activating it, a blue portal opened up with the entrance of Drystian City being on the otherside.
"Let's get moving then, we have a lot to report to Guildmaster."