Elizabeth and Theresa reached the depths of the cavern, and as their eyes darted around- even they hadn't realized when they had entered the illusion.
The starry night sky spanned the world, and they were faced with the entrance of the forest. "They must've come this far if we hadn't seen them... Though, my head feels fuzzy. It feels like something's trying to enter it..." The nun pointed out, clamping her head with her left hand, losing her balance a bit. Elizabeth was unphased, perhaps due to her high resistance to mind-type magic.
"Theresa, I'm sure you've noticed, but we're in spiritual form right now. Chances are, the others are too. That means that all of our bodies are completely defenseless right now."
Theresa was sweating, but the divine aura that once only swirled around her head to clear the Abyssal curse, was now a brilliant aura that caressed her body in a beautiful holy light. She looked down at herself, feeling the spiritual sensation growing within. "You're right. It seems my magic is more potent here. More than that, my Chain seems to be more active."
"Yes. Your Chain becomes more potent against the sinned, a powerful divine spell. But, in a realm of spirits, the specifics aren't required. As is my chain." Elizabeth's fiery spirit dominated the area. It was as though her hair was glowing in that brilliant flame from before that could only ever be accessed through her chest and core. Instead, the flames streamed through her body like blood, and her hair took the most different appearance.
"What does this all mean though? And what was up with that Elven girl?" Theresa pondered, and in the search for clues, she began detecting something strange.
"I'm not so sure. That Elven woman was strong enough to make that Abyssling look weak." She replied, before following Theresa who was looking deeper into the forest. "A strong sense of magic. If Aster and the others are caught up by the illusion, they wouldn't have seen this."
Elizabeth began her stride towards the center of the forest. Their being was enough to force back the illusive spells being casted on them, and as they kept approaching, their surroundings shifted slowly. Eventually, as reality distorted around them, they found themselves following a beautiful corridor. Stained glass windows extended all the way to the end, in this pale white room, and beyond these windows was the same starry night sky they saw in the illusion. But there was one thing that stood out to them in this room.
A lady, one who matched the height of Ayrandel (5'8"), who was staring at the door. She had her arms folded, pondering to herself in the moment. She looked to be a Yaiban, but the specific breed was uncertain to them. Some form of Canine, though their only indication was the Fox-like ears as she bore no tail.
Her attire wasnt one that a normal person would see everyday, and her astonishing deep purple hair matched the starry night sky beyond the window panes. Across her back, was an unusually long blade. It was almost double the length of her body, and how she drew it was beyond their comprehension.
"Who are you?" Elizabeth asked, her sword- instead of being willed into existence, had took the form of a raging flame at the palm of her hands. The woman turned. She looked clueless, but decided to answer regardless. Her eyes wasn't one of violence, but was certainly an ominous one. Only one of her eyes were visible, and as she spoke- the calm tone and mature voice eased the two.
"Ah. I didn't expect to see people here. I'm... Somewhat lost." She answered, a vague answer but described her situation well. Her eyes glossed over the large white doors once more, as she begun to inspect it with her hand that seemed tainted, dyed black with purple streaks climbing towards her elbow. She was a fair lady of peach toned skin, and a certain elegance followed her scent.
"You're... Not apart of this illusion..?" Elizabeth questioned herself, wondering if they were in reality again. But, the room was too mystical to justify it being reality. However, the lady returned with an answer.
"This isn't an illusion. After all, I can't enter it." She explained. She looked up once more, turning to the two ladies as she did so. "This place is embedded deep into the Ley Lines. It feasts off memories to sustain itself. But, to some people- they are a special case. Like me."
She refused to explain further, but was more curious about the other two. Little did she know, that Theresa and Elizabeth were relatively strong willed with their own destinations set in advance. But to be this deep into the Ley Lines was a first for the both of them.
"This place looks like it was man-made... Are you sure we're in the pinacle of nature?"
Theresa's question left the lady silent for a moment. The woman began walking to the left side of the room, looking upon her reflection that was before the trillions of stars in the distance. Her face remained still, no sign of emotion- only intelligence. She then answered her question. "Could man make something like this world in the Ley Lines? The further down we go, the closer we reach to the other side of the world."
"The other side? I mean- why would some remote dungeon in a forest lead to such a place?" Asked Elizabeth, who had since engaging in this conversation had silenced her flames. She began walking to the woman, and felt warmth radiate from her. This feeling was real enough, but her sword taking on that appearance led her to believe this was still an illusion.
"Because, this dungeon was created by Ailixiya, and sustained by a Goddess. More importantly, it was forged to house and individual."
"An individual...? We met Ailixiya not too long ago, and this individual- I believe one of our companions communicated with a mystery person. This person's name is Kiara, right?"
The woman didn't say anything afterwards, and merely began pacing back from where Theresa and Elizabeth came. Reaching out for her, they attempted to stop her from going anywhere- wanting more answers. Except, as she turned to look at them, those eyes looked dreadfully empty. She spoke once more.
"I'm... Lost. If you two came from that way, then... Surely the way out is this way." She finished, turning to leave once more. Elizabeth and Theresa were left unsure of what to even say to her. The woman was elusive, leaving with little to no known knowledge of her except that she had been looking for a way out.
But their questions remained unanswered, as to who this mysterious Goddess was, why this Goddess worked with Ailixiya to save this girl, and why such a dungeon lead straight into the Ley Lines. If anything, 'the other side of the world' only brought more questions than answers.
"... Aster and the others weren't here on the way down this place. Whatever this Goddess is, they must not be good news." Theresa stated. As a religious person, she knew of only few Goddess's.
The Seven Gods of Tartarus are:
The God of Freedom, Origin
The God of Dominion, Satanael
The Goddess of Dreams, Somniel
The God of Ingenuity, Abas
The God of Cultivation, Taixuan
The Goddess of Harmony, Izanami
The God of Steel, Thrajnar
Of them, only two Goddesses came to mind. Somniel was the major red flag- due to the ties of illusions and memories, it almost seemed too obvious they this Goddess of Dreams would be involved in some form of manner.
However, the lady's comment over the Ley Lines feeding off memories could also mean that this place was literally full of memories that either belonged to them or belonged to the area where they stood.
Regardless, no answers were gained from standing around. Inspecting the door the lady looked upon, they decided to push it together. Beyond those doors, was something they'd never imagine from such a place.
"Isn't this..."
"It's a separate dimension- and... It's empty."
The two took a step forward, and beyond the steps, they saw a tree stemming from the middle of a hill. As opposed to the starry night sky, it was a beautiful bright day- with no Sun to be seen- only clouds and a hill that featured a gentle breeze that trickled each blade of grass. A top the hill, laid someone who was sleeping. The two, agreeing on walking closer, had stepped forth and begun climbing that hill.
The walk wasn't too taxing, thankfully so as the hill wasn't that much of a tall one- but as they stepped forward closer and closer, they came across something... Strange.
Aster slumbered, as well as a girl they had never seen before. The two were deep into a sleep, but what they could be dreaming of was beyond them. Wasting no time, Elizabeth attempted to wake Aster up. But her attempts were futile. They were surrounded by a field of blooming flowers, and as Theresa began making sense of the terrain, she realized that everyone else was here too. Seraphina, Ayrandel, Rina, Yuji, Celine and Isabella. They were all in a deep sleep, invested into whatever each one was experiencing.
"Elizabeth..." Theresa muttered, as Elizabeth stood up to see her two daughters in the same deep sleep. Without hesitation, she rushed over to them- but no matter how many times she repeated 'Sera! Ayra!', they didn't react.
The wind picked up once more- and curious as to where the wind was coming from, Theresa looked closer. This wasn't any old dimension. Dimensions usually use something as a catalyst in order to be granted access to such a place.
In a vast ocean, a dimension would be the equivalence of a bubble. It was something that was in that ocean, but held its own separate space within it. But there had to be something to create that bubble in the first place. Theresa put her mind into it for a moment, and put together the clues they gathered.
Ailixiya the Elven wizard had created this place, to which an unknown Goddess had casted their own magic to sustain the place. It was buried deep into the Ley Lines which is what allows magic to exist in the world. In other words, it's a form of the fabric of reality as it was. This God was strong enough to do something like this, so it could only be one of the seven Gods. Disregarding which God it is, the fact remains that they decided to bury it deep into the Ley Lines. The Strawberry blonde girl who slumbered was an anomaly in the equation. This dungeon was created for a person, who Aster named 'Kiara'. If this dungeon was created for her, and Aster and the rest were sleeping within this dimension safe and sound- then it meant that whatever they were experiencing, it'd be within Kiara's mind.
But the considering they were located in Freiheit, it wouldn't be surprising if whatever they were experiencing was within Freiheit as it was. If it were an illusion, then even figments of Elizabeth and Theresa would appear in their minds.
Aster never described how to free her, only stating that he was the condition to wake her up. Why is it that Aster is that condition? If the God who placed this spell conditioned it so that only Aster could awaken her, then is Aster truly something special?
Theresa's mind flashed back to the instant Gathely spoke of Aster. That he had potential, and had the eyes of a warrior who faced far more battles than he could ever dream of. If Aster was that great, despite his scrawny appearance- and this God foresaw this said event from the distant past, then only Aster could break their illusion and awaken the rest of the group.
What could Elizabeth and Theresa realistically do in such an untouched environment that remained so unfamiliar?
"Sera! Wake up!" Elizabeth tried and tried, but Sera only let out disgruntled moans that seemed to be useless. Theresa kneeled down to Aster, looking at him close up. She opened his one eye lid. He was unconscious, completely out-cold. But those eyes were blue with shades of green about. He was just a scrawny boy at the end of the day- but perhaps Theresa had realized something unusual.
If what that lady said was true, then why would Aster of all people fall victim to the Ley Line's disorder that fed off memories. Wouldn't he be the one who would be able to escape that? If that's true, then the only reason he'd be asleep is because he truly does remember his life. But, he was a late 10's, early 20's boy. Theresa and Elizabeth were double his age- maybe more, so what could Gathely have seen in him? Or rather, the better question was, what is Aster hiding from everyone?
From the beginning, he was a vague character. He never let on more than one could tell, and he seemed more intelligent and calm when it came to matters that seemed beyond his hand. How used to these kinds of situations was he? Despite the discomfort of everyone else, Aster's face remained calm and collected. He didn't drop a single sweat, unlike his disciple Rina who was practically drowning in it.
"Theresa, did you find anything?" Elizabeth asked, approaching her after taking her two daughters and the rest closer to Aster and the girl.
"Maybe. But, it's a stretch."
Relaying her thoughts to Elizabeth, she began taking it in, before looking down at Aster and kneeling.
"There's some truth to that. When I accepted him as a student in the academy, my first thought wasn't that he's talented. It was, 'how much did he suffer?'. His skills weren't that of someone who practiced swordsmanship on a day to day basis. It was as though he was his sword, dancing around his opponents and striking at every opportunity that he was granted."
"You think he was once a weapon? This scrawny boy..?"
"More than that. It was like he was THE weapon. Even when faced against the school's top performing student, Roland, he defeated him with such ease it made our school look bad. He didn't beat him with strength or magic. He was fierce with his skills. He was confident. Every move he performed was calculated, and all in a split second... His body doesn't show his work, but I'm sure if we were in the spirit realm right now, we'd be looking at a different Aster."
Elizabeth's answers only puzzled Theresa more. The more his swordplay was announced, the less she believed in that idea. If he truly was so talented, if her truly was a weapon at heart, his body seemed to pure for such a thing. Yet Elizabeth and Gathely both agree on that very concept. They placed a sense of hope to this young boy, and for what? Perhaps it was because he was a 'Ragnarok'? That name has since been tarnished since Altair Ragnarok's actions, and Lumiere himself never believed he was a Hero despite how trivial an opponent like that Abyssling would have been for him.
To think that Aster could be stronger than him, when his body was weak, and his mind was succumbing to whatever was leading him on- could he truly be as great as they make him out to be?
But Theresa dared not question both Gathely and Elizabeth's instincts. They are warriors through and through, and their beliefs are through a weapon with cutting edge. Someone like Theresa who was devoted to the God of Freedom wouldn't place belief in anyone other than her chosen deity.
But the world they were in wouldn't be as safe a place as they thought it'd be. In the instance that Elizabeth finished speaking, the world glitched red for a moment. The world was growing dark, and the sky became hazy.
"What... What's happening..?"
Elizabeth and Theresa questioned, as a black streak broke the fabric of reality, before bursting into a swirling vortex in the sky. Emerging was a being that looked similar to a whale. It was large, with just it's head being larger than the small piece of land they were on.
It's roar was so ear piercing it was as though the dimension they were in was barely holding on. "What... What the hell is that thing?!"
"I don't know, but it isn't here to play friendly!" Elizabeth replied, her blade that once was summoning into a rage of fire had actually appeared in her hand. This was reality, and the dimension was protected from the dangers of the Ley Lines. That could only mean one thing- that the source of this beast was either from beyond the world, from another dimension- or originated in this dimension.
***
"I see... This girl. Your name is Kiara?" Gathely asked, as he kneeled down to the girl. Aster stood with Elizabeth and Theresa, who were concerned for the girl's health. She didn't speak, she was immobile- only sitting down with no response.
"Hm... This doesn't seem good. It's as though her consciousness hasn't returned yet."
Aster took a moment to think. With everything that transpired, wasn't it way too easy for him and Elizabeth to reclaim this girl? She was trapped in a room that seemed forbidden to cross- yet there was nothing standing in his way to stop him from breaking this girl free.
Not to mention, the voice in his head had mentioned her corruption. What exactly was it that she was being corrupted by?
"It seems all too strange. But, you're right. This seems hardly related to the Seven Wonders at all. But if what Elizabeth and you have said is true, then we truly have a much bigger problem in our hands. If the Abyss targets Freiheit whilst we're engaged in the war with Poder Ukaxa, then we'll end up losing Humankind's stronghold. The will of the people will inevitably give out, and we'll lose our status in this world." Gathely stood up, walking over to Aster before placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You should get some rest."
Before long, Aster was already outside. There, he saw the rest of the group waiting for him. Even Ayra and Sera were waiting which was unusual. "Aster, did the girl talk at all?"
Yuji asked, but he shook his head. Her condition wasn't letting up, which meant that whatever it was that was corrupting her was still getting to her. Though, he had no idea how to cure such a thing. "Don't you think this is suspicious..? I mean, it just seems totally random." Yuji pointed out. Recalling how terrible that Abyssling was, it seemed unnatural that the heart of the Dungeon wasn't going to be something of equivalence to such a fiersome opponent. It was stereotypical for an adventure to end off with a large fight, yet- this one seemed to have ended abruptly where no one was able to perform. Rina especially seemed more distant, but Aster could only guess that in that dungeon- the illusions dug deep into their memories with that same voice speaking to them.
"Still, Aster... I didn't know this side of you existed... I mean- not that I don't mind it, you certainly look more manly and... Uhm. Anyway, anyway-..." Sera caught her own words, looking Aster up and down. He was certainly more attractive, nothing like that plain boy they saw before. He was muscular, even taller, and his body worn battle scars that were visible to the eye. It was as though he was in a completely different body, and of course in Sera's eyes, she didn't hesitate to call that out in her mind. Her cheeks grew a rosy red, a nice difference from her usual aggressive tone.
"Aster. You helped us escape that dungeon, so we all want to say thank you. Not only for saving us once, but twice." Ayrandel finished off, managing a sentence despite his complete altered appearance. She seemed unphased by this change, which was certainly welcomed. Being treated different because of his looks was a strange outlook, and something he was definitely feeling from Seraphina, Yuji and Rina. Celine, Ayrandel and Isabella still treated him the same.
"What caused your body to go through such a transformation though? I'm still wondering about that." Isabella asked, reaching for him before sensing his raw spiritual energy.
"Ah!" Isabella jumped from the shock, left with a tingling sensation at the palm of her hand. She held onto it, waving the hand about before staring at him.
"Huh... Isabella?" Aster asked. She seemed puzzled, but decided to touch him once more. But she received the same impact. It was a very strong spiritual energy, like she couldn't even get close to him because of how strong it was.
"Aster- do you not feel a difference in your strength?!" She asked, before he took a look at himself. Closing his eyes, he felt the world around him. Yes. His aura emanated fiercely, to a point that he had finally realized as though his body wasn't even real.
"I see... I see why I look like this." Aster commented, Yuji shaking his head.
"I can't believe how powerful you got from one dungeon experience. I mean to even look like that is-"
"No, this isn't... I don't think this is reality."
Yuji caught his tongue, before Isabella followed up.
"You're right. I experienced that dream... The dream of witnessing flames, and my mother dying. Only to then follow a light before waking up in the 'real world'."
"I followed a light too... After experiencing my time at home." Rina replied, remembering their experiences one after the other.
"My brothers tormented me, and my father didn't believe I could be a swordsman. My faith was challenged, but then I started walking to the light."
Yuji's story matched up, but one thing in common was pointed. They all walked to the light, meanwhile Aster's was the only different one. The light appeared before him, but was that because the body he was in, had already perished? Or was it because of something else?
There could be a million guesses when it comes to illusion magic, but the best they could do was to conversate and draw a conclusion from the clues given.
"If we all followed the light, but you didn't Aster- could it be we were all drawn to your... Illusion?" Seraphina suggested. The thought handn't crossed his mind yet.
If his mission was to subjugate the corruption plaguing Kiara's mind, but he hadn't escaped the illusion, then what could that have indicated?
The answer was simple. He never experienced the illusion in the first place, and what they were experiencing was the semi-unconscious Kiara's illusion.
"I didn't experience an illusion. Unlike you all, you believed yourselves to be living your lives. Mine was different. I was shown my past... I was shown who I was, from a different angle and not in the way I remember."
He drew his sword, looking up to the sky. His eyes peered close to the clouds that weren't moving. They were still, which could only mean one thing. This world wasn't reality like they thought it was. Kiara's illusion must've housed the corruption, but what form did that corruption take?
Aster's question was answered far too soon. In an instant, a black mirage bursted from within the Adventurer's guild, leaving it in complete rubble as a dark cloud, enshrouded in armour stood before them. It wielded a large blade, and no face- with only red dots that struck them all with fear.
"That must be the corruption..." Aster stated. The corruption was the unconscious Kiara. It wasn't the real Kiara, but the thing that was feasting her mind.
Swinging at the group, Aster went straight in to block. His body was agile, quick enough to reflect the strike with power in kind. The strength of the strike sent shockwaves that vibrated everyone else's body, but they didn't seek to just watch the fight transpire.
Isabella's sword froze the air around it, before glaciating a path that Seraphina began gliding on with her flame. As the ice manifested into a great spike, looking to pierce the corrupted armour, Seraphina swung with her thin sword in a wheel of flames, catching it's shoulder which sent it to the ground.
Ayrandel had already prepared herself, swinging the golden sword that dissipated into a million shards. A golden aura flew in a mythical wave, soon resembling a mighty dragon that sought to bite the armour of darkness.
Yuji, following up after Isabella, plunged his sword into the ground, with a fiersome shout, 'come forth! Ice bind!'. The spell coalesced around his finger tips before exploding into hundreds of shards that encirculated the downed corruption before completely wrapping itself around its body- restraining its arms.
The skies roared thunders as it casted down in a flash. Rina, engulfed in lightning, focused the retained energy into a single shot of her bow, and as she released the string that held back that shot- Celine rushed forth with her wand before the arrow that coursed in electricity was engulfed in water that flew behind it. As both attacks reached, the corrupted armour was electrocuted multiple times over.
But, it didn't flinch to any attacks. While it was moved, it didn't take damage. Despite their quick efforts to work together, they weren't a true team. Isabella worked with Sera and Ayra on very few occasions, but Yuji who hadn't awakened his Chain, and Rina and Celine who only knew how to work with each other, and Aster having powers that none knew- the team was limited. The armoured knight broke free from the ice that contained him before slamming it's fist into the ground. Pulses of dark magic emanated from its body as dark weapons began appearing from thin air in the sky.
It was preparing an attack, but not before Aster rushed in once more with a kick to the back of its neck. Swinging it's fist at him, Aster caught it with his left hand before swinging his body down to completely over power the knight before landing on his feet. Aster was far more agile, and he was able to move unlike anything they had seen before. He was a capable fighter, he always has been- but his body lacked the strength to do what he was doing now.
"After everything we did, we did nothing... I never thought I'd see the day where Aster is helping us more than we are helping him..." Yuji was taken aback by the fight. The others could only watch on as he fought brilliantly. The knight's quick strikes weren't enough to even make him blink. Aster's eyes were so focused, and what was even more terrifying was how silent Aster was. He parried each attack, and although the Knight attempted to prepare magic- Aster would destroy it with a simple swing of his sword.
Suddenly, Aster backed away, as magic collected at the palm of his hand. Without stating anything- he casted a green aural spell that completely struck past the Armour's defence. It could do nothing as it's movement heavily slowed down.
"I slowed down it's time! Everyone strike!" Aster commanded, and in a mad blitz, he moved far faster than Elizabeth did earlier- striking with his iron sword so harsh that it snapped in half- yet despite that, he caught the latter half of the blade with his left hand before completely smashing it against the armoured knight and swung again with his right which completely shattered it through and through. Taking a leap back, he began preparing spell- to which everyone begun to strike. Yuji casted a quick spell, multiple fire balls as he sensed his magic was stronger- all whilst everyone else used the strongest attack they could manifest with their Chains.
"Thunderclap, Pierce!" Rina's purple lightning grew fiercer and fiercer until it was a bolt blue, and instead of drawing an arrow, this one was made of pure magical energy. By using every last bit of her Mana, she was able to imbue it all into one grand attack worth thousands of arrows. Charging it up, she went past that Mana threshold as blood began seeping from her nostrils. The bow became engulfed in that bolt blue lightning, before she had finally forced all that energy into a single point before releasing it.
"Sacred Oath... Holy Water, Part the Red Seas!" Waving her wand, water traced where it followed, creating a ring that begun spinning. Eventually, the water begun spinning so fast, it was barely visible to the eye. The energy created flashed red, before spewing out a red hydro blast that moved as fast as the lightning. With a vertical wave, the blast split in two, reaching the armoured corruption. It didn't move, but noticeable damage was sustained on it. It was still in slowed time.
Yuji reeled back his hand, summoning magic like he did before. "Hear me wind, come forth and bring judgement! Excalibur!" He casted, as Ayrandel swung her sword once more before dispersing into a million fragments that followed the wind. "Stardust Exedra!" The twos attacks struck multiple times violently, causing the armour to rupture further and exposing a deep naked darkness that caught Aster's eyes.
Isabella reeled her sword back, as the air around her cool down and begun freezing around her feet, as Sera repeated the same action, but around her feet was steam that begun turning the rock into magma. "Glaciate! Zeroth!"
"Fusion Flare! Explode!"
Ice followed Isabella's blade, completely bombarding the knight in a frost that completely froze its entire body into ice- before it was eviscerated by smoldering flames that was so hot it turned blue. The armour grew brittle, completely shattering as Aster finished his spell.
"Transcend space... Rend!" With his sword that he repaired through time magic, he unsheathed the blade and the moment a clean white line cleaved at the darkness, he sheathed the blade before time resumed for it. All the armour on it flung so far out into the world, it shattered the distant illusion of the sky. The build up of kinetic energy was enough to blast the shadow in a radius that covered the entire city- yet it did everything in its power to remain in its place.
Suddenly, the darkness began to dissipate, slowly closing in on itself to the ground. Rina fell to the ground, along with Celine who both used up all their Mana. Their spiritual bodies grew weak, unable to stay awake. Suddenly, they began disappearing, light enveloping their bodies from the feet.
"Celine! Rina!" Yuji reached out to the two tired victims. But as he attempted to reach them- they were completely gone.
"Crap! Aster! Rina and Celine are gone!" He panicked, attempting to reach out to them, but their bodies weren't there. But, Aster was preoccupied once more. The darkness regenerated, lacking a body of armour- it swung for him once more before he replied in kind. The two were locked in combat, unable to break free. The corruption was still there and still fighting. What was the condition to beating it?
***
Elizabeth and Theresa struck against flying balls of darkness emitting from the horn of the whale. The world was covered in darkness as they valiantly attempted to protect the only bit of land they were on.
"Shit... This thing isn't letting up... We can't even get close to attack it!"
"Damn it... We cant protect everyone and kill this thing..." Stuck in a stalemate, Elizabeth did everything in her power to send flames that'd reach- but with how far it was- the flames weren't strong enough to even penetrate the first layer of its skin.
"Even compared to the Celestial Dragon... This thing is way too big!"
"How it fit into this dungeon is beyond me..!" Elizabeth swung her sword once more as sudden waves of dark orbs flew at them once more. Missing one of the orbs, it struck the land they were one- leaving a deep hole that simply made its way through like the land wasn't even there. If they were unable to defend against this orb attacks, then they would be screwed. The whale was smart, knowing not to attack at close range after it tried swallowing them. Elizabeth was strong enough to knock it back with her flames, but it was now retreating to a distance to attack.
"Nng..." Theresa looked over at the sudden moaning. Rina and Celine, the two girls who were knocked out cold had finally woken up.
"Celine! Rina!" Theresa called out, but as the two opened their eyes to the darkness, they were shaken.
"What is this place?!"
"We're still in the dungeon... We're you all in an illusion?!" Theresa asked, wanting to confirm her questions from earlier.
"Yes, we were! After we used up all our Mana, Aster was still fighting that thing!" Celine recalled. Aster was fighting something on the other side, but if everything they did had done absolutely nothing, then how could they possibly win?
"Celine! Tell me, did it look similar to this thing?!" Elizabeth asked, swinging her sword once more to attack the orbs at a distance with her wave of flames.
"That darkness... Yes, yes it looked like that!" Celine answered, before drawing her wand from its sheath to her side.
"Then we need to defeat it! If we can defeat it, then maybe Aster can defeat the one in that illusion!" Theresa's divine aura lit the darkness around them, before calling forth that energy into everyone else. Suddenly, the four were glowing in a holy aura.
"This should help, it'll keep our Mana regenerated! Rina, Celine, protect everyone! Elizabeth and I are going in for the attack!" Theresa slammed her shield to the ground, the iron clunking before and churning before turning into a cross, whilst Elizabeth's molten magma of a blade shifted with a fiery extension. The two leaped forth, trying to reach the whale. It was far out, but they could reach it with a bit of creativity. As the first wave of dark orbs came flying past the two, Rina and Celine fired relentlessly, as waves of electricity and water blades caused great explosions that stopped them in their tracks. Elizabeth, striking one of the dark orbs mid-air, used the explosion as propulsion to lose distant between her and the whale- all whilst Theresa did something similar. As the two reached closer to each other, she grasped Elizabeth in her golden chains before swinging her around- soon letting her go in the direction of the Whale.
Of course, the Whale didn't just let it all happen. In the instance it saw the two closing in, it turned its body, slamming it's tail against the borders of the dimension which tore the barrier holding it together before flying in the darkness towards them. As it opened it's mouth, a great source of energy began to form within it- soon reaching dangerous levels.
As the energy reached a peak, that energy was let loose in a violent dimension shattering way. Except, with a roar of lightning, that energy was dispersed in an instant.
Granting Elizabeth the chance to strike, she poured everything in her next attack.
As Aster weakened the corrupted armour, the attack of opportunity was there.
With one strike, it would settle everything. With one strike, they'd be able to break free Kiara's corruption, and would be able to return to the familiar world.
Their blades struck over their heads, one of flames so brilliant that the dimension flashed white before the darkness was completely purged, and one strike that transcended time and space, breaking the fibre of reality within the illusion.
As Aster opened his eyes, the beautiful skies caught his vision, as Elizabeth, Theresa, Rina and Celine welcomed him back. "What... Where...?"
"Heh... Slept a while didn't you?" Elizabeth brushed his hair. He looked down at his body, which was the scrawny look he had before. This was reality, and they finally broke the illusion.
Elizabeth turned, towards the distant skies where they returned from. The energy emitted from the whale was great- yet, that thunderous lightning lingered still. And the source of it, was standing with her arms folded, leaning against the tree next to Kiara who was still asleep.
"Who are you, really?" Elizabeth asked, looking at her. The woman Theresa and Elizabeth had met earlier had managed to get back to this place and conveniently helped them the last second.
"Me... My name you mean?" She asked. The rest managed to all wake up, and the group fell silent the moment the strawberry blonde had opened her eyes...
She looked around, looked to the sky- and back down at the group of people. "Who... Who are you all?" She asked, her voice full of youth. She looked to be the same age as them, but considering what Aster knew- she was like him. Hundreds of years old.
Kiara, the Hero who was betrayed by the people she protected.