"What is this chain?"
Antara clung to the top edges of the urn's rim, the creature sprinted forward, each jarring motion making his position quite uncomfortable, though still bearable.
"It will help you on your journey! It's all about control! Control!"
It offered no further explanation as it skillfully dodged fragments of the melting, distorted sky cascading to the ground.
"How did you come to believe in its counterparts?"
The urn asked.
"Vision."
"I see. I see. We should speak no more of it. Such conversations invite consequences!"
To speak openly of the counterparts of depravity was no minor offense. Blasphemy.
Antara was all too aware—if they were caught discussing it in their world, they would face execution. And execution, truthfully, would be merciful compared to what the fanatical believers would subject them to.
The urn came to an abrupt halt, and Antara's gaze was drawn downward.
A massive black sphere hovered ominously in mid-air, swirling like a vortex, siphoning everything.
The exit array shimmered faintly, while in the opposing direction, Quivara fought fiercely against the Guardian amidst a relentless onslaught of hundreds of shadowy beasts.
The surroundings churned with the fury of natural disasters.
Destruction. Void. Cacophony of bestial howls.
Before them, there was but one passage, a solitary path seemingly carved through chaos itself. It loomed before him, beckoning, as though declaring itself the only way forward.
"Hold tightly, my companion!"
The urn leapt over the ground, cracks splintering beneath its feet, and darted toward the carved path.
Shaded beasts turned their attention toward them—grotesque, hunchbacked monstrosities with no eyes, only serrated teeth gaping from their malformed faces, and claws like wicked scythes.
With guttural snarls, they charged.
The urn weaved skillfully through the onslaught, dodging the ravenous creatures.
Some beasts lunged forward, unavoidable in their attack, the urn struck swiftly with devastating force, obliterating them on impact. Their bodies burst into eruptions of inky black liquid, splattering the ground.
The earth trembled violently.
Ground was splitting apart, fissures widening as some of the beasts plummeted, the urn leaped.
As they drew closer, Antara's gaze locked onto the fierce battle ahead.
The Guardian and Quivara were locked in a relentless clash, their strikes reverberating, beasts fell around her with ease, their lifeless forms collapsing one after another.
'What the…?'
Antara found himself suspended in the air.
Below him, hordes of beasts swarmed in chaotic masses, circling relentlessly. The urn rotating its hand before clapping with a silent force, the surrounding beasts were obliterated, splattering into meaningless fragments.
The urn caught him mid-fall, helping him cling securely to its back.
"You alright, my companion?!"
"Ah… yeah, thanks?"
The urn resumed its sprint, its powerful strides carrying them forward, they were halfway there.
*Whishh!*
Antara's vision blurred, shifting into pure whiteness, everything around him dissolved, his ears rang with an oppressive silence—no sound, not even the faintest whisper.
His vision remained a blinding white, but gradually, ever so slowly, it began to return to normal, along with his other senses.
'What… happened?'
As his sight cleared, Antara's gaze fell upon the urn holding him tightly in its arm. Its once-imposing form was now brittle, its surface cracking like ancient stone, even the faintest touch would cause it to crumble entirely.
For the first time in his life, he felt something clutch at his heart—a painful ache he couldn't explain.
"Why are you saddened my companion?"
Antara's mind swam with confusion.
Despite its deteriorating condition, the urn continued walking forward with determination. Ahead of them loomed a massive, gaping sinkhole, its seemingly bottomless depths yawning wide as it stretched across the path.
"Though our journey has been short, I cherished your company… my companion."
"Wait… wait!"
The urn, as if unable—or unwilling—to hear him, summoned the last of its strength, it hurled him high.
"My creation, help him!"
Its body crumbled apart, disintegrating.
'Damn it!'
Antara soared through the air, launched with tremendous force, the chain twisting and tightening around him, slowing his momentum.
As he flew, his eyes locked onto the Apostle, a surge of hatred coursing through him.
It was the one responsible for the blinding whiteness. Its grotesque, monstrous head had already forced its way through, while its colossal body writhed and strained, struggling to fully enter.
Why that Apostle so relentless in forcing its way through?
Hovering above, his gaze swept over the sketched world before him, indescribable, pure havoc.
The once-teeming shaded beasts were gone, erased from existence.
Antara began to descend, his body twisting and tumbling uncontrollably until, at last, he came to a stop.
Surprisingly, it didn't hurt much. Groaning, he pushed himself up, unsteady. The chain was his salvation; without it slowing his momentum, he would already be meatpaste.
Antara's eyes fell on the Guardian and Quivara.
The Guardian, a Terror Shaded monstrosity, its head wreathed in dark, flickering flames. Its hollow abdomen yawned emptily, and it gripped a swordbrush, its weapon conjuring the form of a shadowy dragon—split asunder by the half-spear of Quivara.
Quivara, clearly injured, still moved with precision and grace. Her epaulets lay shattered, her white suit worn and torn. Yet, her silky hair cascaded freely, and her face remained flawlessly beautiful.
Antara shook his head, a storm of questions raging in his mind.
She could leave this place anytime, it was within her power. What was she doing ? What is her purpose? What the hell was wrong with her head? Yet one undeniable truth remained: she was trying to kill the Guardian.
He didn't dwell on it for long, his instincts took over as he bolted toward the exit array—a jagged, uneven portal shimmering with runic symbols that pulsed faintly.
Antara froze mid-step as a crescent shaped aura nearly annihilated him. If he hadn't stopped, he would already be dead.
"YOU!"