Sebas noticed that Lys had been completely swallowed by the wall. His lips curved showing a smile that formed on his face. His theory had been correct. That wall was indeed the way forward through the Liminality. Now, all that he needed to do was to deal with these beings before going after her.
"Are you happy now that you finally get to test your powers?" Mahvyr's voice carried a trace of amusement.
Sebas extended his arms, and with his palms pointing up he allowed his head to fall behind, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could hear them approaching, they were slow, deliberate steps echoed.
Why are they so slow?
He had heard of different kinds of beings manifesting within a Liminality, distorted whispers of a place's energy, lingering remnants of images and sounds that had once reverberated through a forgotten corner of reality. Some believed these entities were shaped by the accumulated essence of the space itself and manifested in these places, where fragments of another world bleed into this one.
The only time he had encountered such beings was during that fateful descent into The Void years ago. He had never entered another Liminality since, and now, standing before these entities, he couldn't help but wonder.
What do they see when they see me?
Maybe I'm prey. Or maybe they think I have no way of escaping.
That was the only explanation he could come up with for their sluggish approach.
Well, it's not like they would know any better.
Sebas reincorporated himself, slowly opening his eyes. The usual green of his irises gleamed with an eerie otherworldly glow. From his body, tendrils of black-green smoke began to unfurl, creeping into the air like living shadows.
As soon as the smoke started to rise, the beings froze.
During this time, Sebas had been rigorously training, not only following the regime his family devised but also honing the abilities granted by his attunement with Mahvyr. With a single flick of his hand, reality bent at several points, and perfect images of himself materialized. At first, there was one, then there were many.
The creatures that had been pursuing him began to scramble frantically, all converging on his true position. Whether they acted on pure instinct or possessed a keen sense of perception, Sebas couldn't tell, but every one of them rushed straight toward his real self. As they closed in and lunged to seize him, the 'him' at that spot shattered into countless fragments, while the remaining images swiftly shifted positions.
"Good, but that won't do to beat them," Mahvyr's voice resonated in Sebas's mind. Sebas knew that Mahvyr was right.
A smile appeared on his face, and with a strange movement of his hands, shadows, and light began to dance around each illusion. One creature leaped to grab an image of Sebas but ended up catching another creature instead.
"That's a basic combination of two of your abilities," Mahvyr observed.
"I know, but sometimes sticking to the basics works best," Sebas replied.
"I thought you were going to use Fractured Mirage simply to confuse them and then escape," Mahvyr whispered, his focus unwavering as the fight developed.
Sebas shook his head. "No, Prism Shift lets me reflect reality around myself. But your explanation got me thinking: what exactly is 'me'? Fractured Mirage conjures extensions of myself that, while not fully corporeal, are still parts of me. So, Prism Shift should function even in their presence."
The creatures were unable to grasp even a single one of Sebas's mirages. Thanks to Prism Shift, reality bent perfectly around each illusion, causing the creatures to inadvertently collide and injure one another. Over the past few years, Sebas had honed these abilities. Conduits grant powers upon attunement, but each Conduit comes with its own risks. In the case of Living Entities, the primary danger is that the entity's will might overpower its host. Luckily, that wasn't a concern for Sebas since Mahvyr had no interest in seizing control. His real worry lay in the inherent risks of his abilities.
Whenever a conduit grants abilities, there's always a price. For Sebas, there were two significant risks. First, the cognitive strain: maintaining the mirages and the Prism Shift demanded constant focus, so he had trained relentlessly to bolster his mental fortitude so he could also hold his own physically in battle while maintaining his abilities active. The second, and more worrisome risk, was that overuse of his powers could cause reality in his immediate vicinity to crack and fracture. As things currently stood, he could sustain this delicate balance for about thirty-one seconds before reality began to falter and he expended too much Anima and mental energy.
"What about your last ability? Will you test it this time too?" Mahvyr asked.
"Echoing Pulse?" Sebas replied. "It drains too much Anima and mental resources. First, I want to see if these creatures keep emerging."
"Smart choice," Mahvyr commented.
Sebas observed the unfolding chaos from a relatively safe spot. Part of his training had been devoted to mastering his abilities; testing how far he could be from his mirages while still sustaining them alongside his Prism Shift. Over time, however, he discovered that distance was a liability: the farther he was from the center, the more obvious it became which one of him was the real one. A perceptive enemy would surely target that lone figure. Thus, he had come to realize that he needed to remain at the center of the action, something he'd practiced in various combinations.
While keeping a keen eye on the situation, Sebas skillfully dodged the futile attempts by the creatures to reach him. The time limit for maintaining this delicate balance was fast approaching, and he knew he'd soon need to stop his abilities to allow both himself and the surrounding reality to recover. With that in mind, he knew had no choice but to end this quickly.
Clapping his hands, Sebas executed a precise, enigmatic gesture. In an instant, a rippling pulse of energy surged outward, enveloping him and his mirages. The energy rippled through space, causing tiny tears around them as each mirage began to replicate Sebas's every move. With one final, deliberate motion, he released a resounding pulse of energy that reverberated throughout the room. He had finally used, and although it wasn't overwhelmingly destructive, it was powerful enough to slam the creatures to the ground. Combined with the damage they had inflicted on one another, this surge proved more than enough to incapacitate them.
Seeing the creatures sprawled on the floor, Sebas moved in a methodically cold manner, finishing them off one by one.
"So, what do you think?" Sebas asked Mahvyr.
"You made decent use of my abilities," Mahvyr replied, his voice filled with approval. "But there are still many more ways to wield them."
"Thanks," Sebas murmured. "Let's hope we don't run into any more trouble." He spoke with precaution in his voice, he wanted to rest, but he lacked the time to do so, he needed to find Lys.
Hopefully, she is okay.
Sebas could only hope.
Lys's heart pounded as she tried to regain the control she had lost following the panic surge she had surfer after being swallowed by the wall. After being swallowed she found herself in a new corridor, its walls an unfinished white, stretches of unsettling patches of black. A persistent dripping echoed through the corridor, each drop that broke the silence, also worked to intensify it. The air reeked of fresh paint, a suffocating odor that drilled into her mind and made her feel dizzy.
I need to find a way back
She thought to herself.
Sebas is in trouble. I have to help him.
Despite her dizziness and caution, she began to move. Every step seemed to amplify the smell until, a few meters ahead, a faint movement caught her eye. As she approached, the corridor opened into a dimly lit chamber where a monstrous figure dominated the space.
It was enormous, its limbs grotesquely elongated and its hunched back contorted in an unnatural curve. The creature's face was a blank void, stripped of any features, as if identity had been painted away. What horrified Lys even more was the sight of the creature diligently painting the walls. Kneeling with hands far larger than her head, it methodically plastered thick white paint across the surfaces.
For a long, excruciating moment, Lys stood frozen, watching the creature. Then something changed a slow, deliberate movement of the creature that made every muscle in her body tense. As it moved, paint began to leak from its limbs like blood. The rhythmic drip of the paint marked time for her, increasing at the same time her fear of moving and her determination to not leave Sebas alone for long.
Lys took a tentative step to retreat, but the moment she did, the creature's featureless face turned to fix itself on her. For a moment Lys felt her soul being dissected by the creature. For that moment, she considered turning away, but the creature remained still and silent… then, it slowly tilted its head and extended one of its fingers that continued dripping paint, and pointed down a dim corridor.
"All students must go to the auditory," it said, its voice a distorted murmur that sliced through the silence.
Though Lys couldn't understand why it had spoken, she was relieved that she had been given this chance to escape unscathed. With her heart hammering in her chest, she followed the creature's command. Ahead, a massive door creaked open on its own, revealing a stark contrast to the unsettling corridor. The chamber beyond boasted pristine polished floors, immaculate walls, and an unsettling air that clashed with the decay she had just witnessed.
Stepping through the door, Lys found herself surrounded by other creatures clad in uniforms identical to her own. The scene grew increasingly bizarre: one of the figures suddenly tripped as if someone had tripped it on purpose, while another jerked violently, as if struck by an electric shock that lit its features in a momentary flash.
As she pressed on, a series of doors led to what appeared to be classrooms. They were empty save for more of these eerily lifeless figures, frozen in place like statues. At the head of each room, towering presences stood, much larger creatures that stood as watching towers over the silent, unnerving classes.
She continued down the corridor until she reached the auditorium. It was a grand hall crafted from exquisite, almost otherworldly wood, maintained with obsessive precision. The floor shone like a liquid mirror, reflecting her every step, while the walls, painted in a deep white, seemed to absorb all sound. At the far end of the auditorium, a large stage dominated the space, and behind a lectern on top of said stage, stood a creature that mirrored her own appearance, albeit with an unsettling maturity.
"Welcome," the creature intoned, its voice laced with a playful malice that sent shivers down Lys's spine. "Let's remember the best of the best." With a deliberate gesture, it beckoned the assembly to turn behind it. In response, a massive screen flickered to life, and one by one, countless figures began to appear.
On the screen, disturbing clips played in rapid succession, scenes of her own past mischief and mayhem. There were snippets of pranks gone awry: the day she had trapped a teacher in a classroom, the explosive incident that had rendered several academy machines useless. But as the footage continued, the images twisted. Each creature on the screen began to morph into her own likeness, each displaying a kaleidoscope of emotions: tears of sorrow, fits of manic laughter, seething anger, deep despair, excruciating pain, and twisted pleasure.
Then, as if summoned by some unseen force, each copy erupted in a chorus of screams, taunts and insults that ranged from cruel to absurd. "Useless!" "Bitch!" "Nerd!" The voices collided into a cacophony that threatened to drown her in self-loathing. Yet, none of the accusations were new to her, she had told herself similar things almost every day for a long time, but, in the middle of the accusations and screams, Lys felt an unfamiliar surge of defiance.
Her gaze shifted to the stage, where the creature behind the lectern wore a smile that was at the same time, sinister and inviting. That smile ignited something fierce within her. In that moment, all fear transformed into a burning resolve. She began to stride toward the stage. Nothing in this warped reality could restrain her now, no phantom chains, no terrifying creatures, no scream of past failures. If she were destined to perish in this nightmarish realm, at least she would do so on her own terms.
Every step toward the stage deepened the oppressive atmosphere. The reflected image on the polished floor flickered with every movement, and the relentless accusations of her own fragmented past grew louder as if challenging her to face them. But she was not interested in challenging them, she knew them not to be the truth or at least her truth, she was more determined to face the one behind the lectern.