But I can't, I can only watch as he drowned himself in alcohol, waiting for news of their bodies' return. As he cried each night till no water would release. As he pushed away all those who came to check on him. As he yelled his heart out at his sister, whom he wished he had never met. As he tried to invade Amurdjustia, and the fury he lashed out to the Queen when he was denied such. As the hatred in his heart spilt out to all those around himself, hurting them as much as he was hurt. As the realisation of the fact that being a Nightmare caused this horrific incident to happen. As the idea of death became a comfort in his mind. As he stood on a stool and dropped down with a noose around his neck. As he laid on the ground after the rope snapped, clutching his wedding ring in his hand. As he walked through the streets of Blestemate, raggedly looking at all of the happy families, and made a resolution in his heart. As he gathered and combed through all his research to find an answer to the origin of curses and how to strengthen them. As he found the flaws in the records and located Angra. As he gathered all those with anger in their hearts and trust in his words together. As he fed the Queen some blood that left her in her current state. As he looked at the word with nothing but anger and disdain, and even as he holds me now, surging electricity through my body.
Falling through Balaur's bones as my mind makes instant sense of all the memories, I kick Dragoste off of me, and slide back on Balaur's body. Pain surges through my body, and looking around, I see the wounds across my body still open. The electricity has halted my regeneration; I can't take much more hits, but still, I need to save him.
As I stare him directly in the eyes and I say, "Dragoste, your pain, I understand. I know what it feels like to lose what you thought was your world, but you know they wouldn't have wanted you to do this, to destroy the place that you once met with each other!"
He huffs and puffs, then from his mouth in a weak voice, he says, "Liina, Viata. Their bodies might be, a pair of shoes on some noble's feet. I can't, I can't stand that Orb."
His voice whimpers as electricity falls from his eyes like tears, and my head turns pitch white as my eyes take it all in.
Tightening my fist, I smile as my hair turns light blue, and my resolve strengthens. "Dragoste, without a doubt, I am going to save you, so you can bury your daughter and wife with your entire heart and soul."
Dragoste freezes for a moment, and then from all across his body, he sends his bones towards me, and in that moment, I say, "Give me everything, Setanta, ADVENT!"
My body transforms, and as the dark blue energy radiates from my left side, I hold it up and force a large amount of snow to burst out in front of me, covering the bones and stalling them.
Breaking the bones only makes them come back stronger, so instead of freezing and shattering them, I should just make them cold, slowing their movements.
Still, that won't be enough. Electricity bursts out of the bones, heating up my snow, making it evaporate as the electricity-charged bones rush towards me.
Using Snowboost, I dodge and avoid all of the bones while jumping between Balaur bones.
Earlier, its electricity mainly moved his thought into my brain and barely hurt my body. But now it seems its main function is to burn and destroy my body. Getting hit by that burns my flesh while limiting my regeneration due to interrupting the signals in my brain.
Even in Advent, prolonged combat will not end well for me. I need to send one large rotation into his body to destroy all of the enlarged crystalised spirit energy, and at the same time, I'll need to destroy and shatter all of the other bones around it so it can't regenerate from them as well. There is only one attack I can think of that can burst through it. But I don't know if I can pull it off…..NO, I must pull it off. If I struggle to do it now, I just need to set up the conditions to get it done.
I widen my eyes and extend my ears, while also focusing on my sense of smell. I hold up my arm and then release the largest amount of snow I have ever released, almost covering all of the bone of Balaur I stand upon, and send it at full force towards Dragoste. His bones begin to multiply and increase, as they burst full of electricity and surge through the snow, yet I manage to overwhelm him in size, allowing it to cool his bones despite them being heated.
I quickly start to spin the snow in the giant mass, building up spiral energy slowly. Then, I say, "Red branch battle arts; Starflower."
I lunge forward and strike the mass of bones in front of me seven times, and continue to move through their slowed bodies.
Give and take, lock my body into a spiral with my opponent, with that, I can dodge all of his blows easily.
My eyes, my ears, my nose, and my soul are all connected with each other, and they process everything along with Setanta instincts in mere moments, letting me move past all of Dragoste's strikes with no damage, until my body starts healing again.
Fully regenerating all the wounds on my body, I say, "It's time."
Starflower, Clover, Tulip, Sky Flower, Sonic Thrust, Camellia Japonica, only when Setanta rapidly used these forms again, and again over and over, was he able to bring it out. I simply do not have the experience or the skill in this moment to truly understand how they all link with one another. But I do have Setanta's feelings, his emotions, and the ability to take all the sensations into one.
Dashing around at full speed, I say, "Red branch battle arts; Starflower. Red branch battle arts; Clover. Red branch battle arts; Tulip. Red branch battle arts; Sky Flower. Red branch battle arts; Sonic Thrust. Red branch battle arts; Camellia Japonica!"
I dash through Dragoste bones, over and over again, repeating the forms, trying to blend all of their sensation into one. I remember back when Setanta used the ultimate art. I remember his emotions, his thought process, even the force he released in that moment, but my body simply cannot comprehend it. The very idea of doing the same thing is sending my fight or flight instincts insane. My body knows that if it does this, it might die. I won't be able to handle the force or speed, and could lose control, ending my life. Even if my mind will let me, my body is scared of dying.
"FUCK OFF!"
Stopping, I grab one of Dragoste's bones and let electricity flow through my body as I constantly make sure to cool my flesh with my Legacy. More bones stab into me, doing the same, and I shout, "YOU'RE MY BODY! AND RIGHT NOW I NEED YOU TO SURRENDER YOURSELF, YOUR INSTINCT TO MY MIND, TO MY SOUL, AND GIVE YOUR ALL TOWARDS MY GOAL! EVEN IF WE DIE, I PROMISE WE WILL DIE TOGETHER, SO TAKE THE PAIN AND OVERCOME IT!"
I create a surge of ice, shattering the bones, and jump away as they regrow stronger than before.
Across my body, I feel a numbness as all the fear leaves my flesh, then I say, "Good. Now let's get this done. Red branch battle arts; Starflower. Red branch battle arts; Clover. Red branch battle arts; Tulip. Red branch battle arts; Sky Flower. Red branch battle arts; Sonic Thrust. Red branch battle arts; Camellia Japonica!"
More and more, I keep weaving myself through the battlefield, my form isn't perfect, and my speed slows in between each exchange. To calm this, I freeze the snow around the bones, stopping their movement, and then quickly release them before they break and regrow stronger.
I don't understand them perfectly. There are simply things I can't understand in just a few months of practise. I want to be stronger, but these things simply take time. But even still, all the feelings I have experienced, all my senses, all my motion, if I can just spin all those loose threads together even for a moment, I should be able to do this.
I can feel it coming closer and closer, yet it all doesn't bind together. I need something to stabilise all of these feelings, all of the emotions. I know what I am lacking, I need the ethos of Red branch battle arts?
But what is it, why did Scáthach? Make it? For what reason did she bring about this fighting style? Think back, Orb, feel through all of the memories you relived, even if it was only for a small period, you spent time with her as well.
My mind rushes through all of Setanta's memories, and in a moment, I remember what he said. 'Oh, that's simple because your style is filled with compassion.'
ΦOrb's hair turns purple, and he says, "In one strike, with one blow, all violence shall come to an end. Red branch battle arts Ultimate art; Morning Glory."
In an instant, Orb lunges forward, and as he moves, he freezes all of the bones in front of him before shattering them with the force of his movement. He heads instantly towards the giant rotating mound of snow between him and Dragoste, and takes in all of the spiral energy it has created before freezing it and shattering the bones as he moves through.
Like a meteor captured by the planet's gravity, Orb smashes his fist right into Dragoste, freezing his entire body, then says, "Helix battle arts; Spiral!"
In an instant, the force of Orb's attacks plus the strength of the spiral energy crash into Dragoste, shattering all of his bones, and ripping the entire area of Balaur bones beneath them apart as a shockwave so strong that it shakes Balaur, releasing through the area.
Both of them fly with Dragoste's entire body, with the exception of his torso and head, vanishing in the wave of destruction. Their two bodies end up close to each other, meters away from the impact on Balaur bones.
And Orb, who lies a few centimetres away, uses his right arm to push his body upwards. He tries to stand up but realises that his other arm and legs, along with a few bones in his ribcage, are shattered, and soon blood rushes forth from his eyes and mouth, spewing all over the bone beneath him,
Yet with his right arm, he claws his way forward, slowly dragging his injured body till he reaches Dragoste, and reaches his hand into his pocket and pulls out the leader Captivant made for Dragoste, yet all that remains is a piece ripped to shreds.
Orb quickly tightens his grip around it, then crawls until his forehead is right above Dragoste, and then smashes it down, as he says, "Please listen to his words."
And in that moment, an image plays in both of their heads.
Name: Orb Rian
Age: 16
Birthday: Capricorn 28th
Hair: His hair is short and spiky like icicles, and is made up of two primary colours.
Primary: White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger) Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness), Purple (?), Gold (arrogance), Blue (embarrassed), Coral (Disgust), Maroon (jealousy), Silver (Thinking), Rosewood (Annoyed), Teal(Shocked), Verdigris (Despair), Cyan (Resolve)
Secondary: Silver.
Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)
Height: 168 cm
Description: A young boy who was raised on the frozen continent all alone until someone reached him one day. Since he has left, he has gathered many allies and formed the country of Niflheim. Together with each of them, he hopes to create a place in which anyone who lives in it can be happy.