★189
NYXON'S POV
"It's getting darker."
I said, noticing the world, already without a star, growing dimmer as the clouds thickened above us.
"A storm is coming. We have to find shelter as soon as possible."
Tik said through her scarf, her voice muffled by the wind.
"Something dangerous?"
Vera asked, glancing up at the sky.
"Very dangerous."
Tik replied.
"The storm brings winds laced with unstable energy from the Abyss Ocean. If it even touches you… well, let's just say no one has lived to tell the tale."
'Abyss Ocean? Is that a Void Dragon stuff or simply the nature of Parvak?'
Curious, I switched to Etherium, and the moment my sight adjusted, I was caught off guard. My vision wasn't stable, it flickered and glitched as if the world itself refused to stay still. I narrowed my eyes, forcing my focus.
The Energy itself was masking the atmosphere. Layers of it drifted through the air like a veil, blending into everything around us. Combined with the violent wind, it made it almost impossible to pinpoint a specific signature or signal.
That also meant we would struggle to detect any approaching threat, let alone defend against a sudden ambush.
We were lucky we hadn't been attacked yet. Still, now that I understood how hostile Parvak truly was, I needed to prepare for the possibility.
'Why does Energy always blend in?'
I set the thought aside for the moment and scanned the horizon again. Through the shifting haze, I caught the faint silhouette of something jagged and unmoving.
As if the land itself had answered us.
"I can see something ahead."
I said, focusing on the shape.
"It looks like a mountain… or something like that."
"Let's pick up the pace then. I don't want to be the one to tell the tale."
Following Vera's cry, I led the way to the intended area.
There was a mountain in the centre of the desert. Given its location, we may not be the only ones who find this sanctuary. The worst-case scenario is that we discover Void Dragons camped in there. I only need to kill them if so.
"Get in."
I examined the entrance before allowing them inside. I tried to make this mountain disappear so we wouldn't be noticed, but the wind will draw attention. I am not willing to cast anything and let the wind disperse my energy all across Parvak. Instead, I built a fake boulder and blocked the opening from inside.
"Let's hope we're alone."
Vera spoke.
"It's best to think we aren't."
I replied, preparing them for the worst-case scenario.
I created a barrier on the far exit of the cave. With several dimly glowing orbs filled with faint energy, the cave was lit while not giving off any serious energy signature. I left the ladies to their thing and was by the entrance observing the auroras.
Hours later he storm had passed, but I could still feel the unstable energy slipping away in slow ripples.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Vera asked, standing by the entrance as she gazed at the drifting auroras.
"The most beautiful places are often the most dangerous." I replied.
"The real question is…"
"...ehat does Parvak have to offer us?"
She finished.
"Exactly. Whatever it is, we will find out tomorrow."
Silence settled between us, thin and stretched, like a quiet film drawn over the moment.
"What are you going to do after this? You know, after Kalidor."
She broke the silence with a question I've never taken into consideration.
"I've never really thought about it."
"Well, you should."
"Hmm."
I paused, the obvious, boring answer coming to mind.
"Honest answer: I'll go home and explore more."
"Just that? Wouldn't it be boring?"
'It is.'
"Adventuring isn't boring. None of Kalidor's layers aren't the same. In the Star Realm, each Drop, each world and each planet, has a story. A culture to learn from."
It's vast and that isolation is what I'm avoiding.
"That's true. You never know what the next place will show you."
She nodded, then asked.
"How come you're this strong?"
That was digging deep. I spared her a glance.
"You don't have to answer."
She replied immediately, waving.
"I won't. It's complicated. Like my friend used to say, not strength, not speed, not IQ, nor transcendence. Nothing tricky. It's just me."
I smiled, thinking about Errai. I wonder what torment Ela is putting him through.
"How weird."
"What?"
"A Star with a friend. I've never heard that."
"Like I said, it's just me."
I shrugged and let the silence come again.
"Hey, I never thanked you for saving me."
She turned, bowed.
"If it wasn't for you, I don't know what would've happened. I know a word of gratitude isn't enough, but.."
I tilted my head.
"I don't need your gratitude."
"Heh?"
"It's what people say when someone does them a favour. Mere word carries no weight."
I gave my own thoughts about it. As a matter of fact, it's true. Saying 'thank you' doesn't mean they mean it. Neither does expressing love or hate thorough words mean anything.
"You're right, but people express how they feel with words." She hesitated, hand going to the small scar at her throat as if remembering.
The word 'feelings' hung in the air.
"As a Star, you should know it'll be irrelevant. Don't push this topic any further."
I wanted to put the flame out.
"I know. But still, thank you."
I didn't need to reply so I stayed silent.
"Saving you back then... It was instinct, mixed with boredom. But now..."
She met my face but the auroras carried more weight so I didn't break eye contact.
"It feels like trust keeps us going."
"You trust me?"
She asked. What's going on, saying that felt strange and raw. It should've been impossible.
"I think I am. And for what I know about trust, it's rare. Once broken, it's hard to fix for everyone involved."
"You're being emotional."
"I don't know what I am or what I want. You should be expecting a change of character from me. Take note."
"I will."
"Taking someone's life means pausing their goals. Who knows what you were up to when I save you?"
She recoiled then blinked, then forced a laugh, followed by words tripping, unsure how to answer but I didn't need one. I don't care about her point of view.
"It's rhetorical."
I cut her off.
"You should get some rest too."
"You should rest. We leave when Tikvah wakes."
"Okay. See you later."
She left before either of us said more.
After noticing they were asleep, I began planning my next move. I wasn't going to babysit them, so I took defensive measures, sealing this part of the cave and setting alarms to trigger if anyone passed before I left.
'The storm had come from that direction, from the Abyss Ocean.'
I took off, heading towards it, using fragments of the unstable energy I had harvested earlier.
The sky held more energy than the earth, so I rose deep into the atmosphere, ignoring the risks. It allowed me to fly and use magic without revealing my location.
What surprised me was that the energy came from two directions at once, both in front of me and above.
'The horizon.'
That had to be the explanation. The two sources would eventually meet, and at that convergence I would find the Abyss Ocean. That was where the answers lay.
'Why are you chasing something irrelevant?'
Enta asked.
Once again, he's right. I don't have a solid reason for why I'm chasing the Ocean but that word 'Abyss' is unsettling to me. Is it Void Dragon stuff or simply the nature of Parvak? That's what I'm looking for.
"Curiosity."
'Ah, Curious Dwarf. That name fits perfectly.'
Hmm, Ela called me that once. I guess it still counts since I'm still a Dwarf curious about the world.
'Incoming.'
I didn't sense it, but Enta's warning saved me. I braked hard and flipped backwards at incredible speed without even looking, yet I still didn't escape unscathed.
'Darkness? No… this… is haze.'
The darkness burned. Pain, real pain unlike anything I've felt. Though it healed instantly, that was something new. Etherium blossomed into view, traces of the darkness still lingering so I traced the source.
It came form below.
'How?'
My pupil dilated, as Clarivide adjusted the view of the world.
Thousands of kilometres away, a man in flowing white robes stood watching me. His face was hidden behind a spotless white mask, but the chill crawling across my skin told me it was no accident, he was looking straight at me, ignoring the unstable energy around us.
'H..ho...'
Before I could react to the threat, a huge dark azure sphere of energy arrived at my doorstep, ignoring distance as if it never existed.
Time fell short as I planned an escape route. I utilised Aether Move to merge with the soil, which neutralised my signature.
A husk erupted, burning with erratic flames that disintegrated in midair, his head tracking its movement as it faded into oblivion.
A few figures who I hadn't noticed before appeared. They did not materialise out of thin air; they were already present. But why am I scooping up their signatures right now?
Given the pressure they are applying, they are letting the world know they are present. Who in their right mind would do that?
Badum. Badum. Badum.
Then came a feeling I've never known since my recreation.
My nonexistent heart was pounding violently against my ribs, as if trying to tear its way out of my chest. The few hairs on my body stood on end. My entire being was in disarray.
"What's wrong?"
One of them asked the man in white.
"He escaped."
He replied, looking directly at my current location.
Still locked in paralysis, a searing white light blazed before my eyes. The same radiance I saw before activating Etherium for the first time. Yet this time, it did not merely shine, it burned with an unrelenting, merciless intensity.
[[Y..UOU...RE....NO....ALONE....SCO..PIOS, STIL..EXISTS...THE...TRA..ITOR,...XA....DI...RU....LIVES..]]
I couldn't get what Enta was saying. His voice was glitching, unstable...as if reacting to something unexpected.
'Enta..what's....wrong?'
For some reason, my voice fractured as it left me glitching, stuttering into tones I had never known, as if something alien had seized my throat.
'How interesting! The Stars are really interesting. To think someone in CREATION can insert this much dread into my precious half. Unforgivable!'
Enta overreacted, void erupting where I lay motionless, paralysed by fear. Huge tides of void spilled outward, expanding faster.
The group of people slowly turned their attention towards the void that threatens to devour Parvak, perhaps Kalidor itself. They looked completely unfazed, Entares's void more like a tsunami than a world ending flood.
Among them was a man with silver short hair. He was crouching, a grain of sand on his palm. He smiled and shook his head, his eyes closed as if disappointed.
"How immature."
He whispered words meant more for himself than for anyone like me. He was the only one who had their gaze elsewhere, completely and purposefully ignoring the tides.
Then the man who had struck me earlier stepped forward, his long black hair flowing like liquid behind him. He placed himself between the void and his allies, silent and unwavering. His robes obeying something he'd written for them rather than any natural law.
Then he moved, not with a grand gesture or even with a raised hand. Just a twitch of his finger, a small, unnoticeable gesture but the result was undeniable. The unstable dark force of nonexistence just...ceases to exist.
It wasn't shattered or consumed, it was as if Enta had withdrawn his aspect which he didn't because I could see him in the Mind, giving a knowing smile as if he had expected his technique to be dismissed effortlessly.
'How…'
He trailed off, unable to find the words.
'…nostalgic.'
He finished at last, his smile never wavering as he took his seat upon the throne.
'What were you talking about?'
I asked. He looked down at me, still lying motionless on the floorless expanse of my mind.
'Pathetic.'
He said, before granting me something that allowed me to stand and speak properly.
'That wasn't me.'
He replied.
'The Edict reacted to something. Something I have no interest in, something connected to you.'
I looked up towards the distant figures. I could not discern who they were, yet a strange sensation stirred within me, a faint sense of recognition, as though something buried deep were reaching out, insisting I should understand.
'Edict?'
I asked, maybe it'll be sentient.
[[I HATE...YOU! I LO...TH YO...YOU!...]]
It replied not to me but to someone, someone among them.
[[H...HE...IS MERC...IFUL...I WILL FO...RGIVE...YOU...]]
The angered voice became soft and eventually died off.
'Who are you talking about?'
I asked but there was no answer. As if the Edict had forgiven them, it went silent.
"Should I go after him?"
The masked man asked, his gaze still fixed on my direction. Even with my signature neutralised, he can see me.
'How...scary.'
"No. The Hollow Prince is already here. Let him deal with him."
The horned lady with crimson eyes replied.
"She's right. Let's see how it plays out, even though the outcome is inevitable."
The silver-haired one added.
"What about the queen?"
An long azure-haired figure asked. Dressed in a dark green kimono, his hands met beneath the fabric in a gesture of quiet composure. His eyes were glowing faintly, pure azure energy emanating form them.
"Silverhair went out of line, but she's still useful. Leave her for now."
The draconic lady replied, her words absolute withinthe Void Dragon hierarchy.
None of them carried the presence of a true leader, for they all belonged to the same group of commanders.
"I'm heading back."
The masked man said. A portal tore through space, and he stepped inside. It sealed as if nothing had happened. No resistance or residue, a perfect portal that manifest without a signature.
"Home sweet home. I'll miss Kalidor."
The girl murmured, casting one last glance at the surroundings.
"We'll always be watching, so you needn't worry."
The silver-haired figure replied.
"Being here physically is much better."
She replied.
"Personally, I think the World of Darkness is much better," the azure-haired Star replied.
"Yes, it is. I wonder how far she has got."
"Have faith in her. We will claim the Egg soon enough. She will not fail us."
"Don't jump to conclusions, Jagarette."
The silver-haired one spoke, opening his eyes. He turned, his movement slow, deliberate and accurate, as those silver pupils settled on me. I could not tell if he truly saw me, yet for a brief second we held eye contact.
"We do not know what will happen."
He continued. Darkness warped around him and in a blink, he was gone.
"Hmm. We should get going."
The azure-haired figure opened a portal and stepped through, leaving it open, likely for the crimson-eyed woman to follow. The one who had attacked me had already disappeared.
"Get the job done and come home, Veraris."
She murmured to herself before leaving. They vanished and the atmosphere returned to normal. Those ancient presence slowly fadingm
Based on their conversation, I could not determine who was in charge, nor could I identify the individual with that strange signature, the one the Edict had reacted to.
'We'll always be watching'.
"That sounds bad. Not to mention someone is here looking for me, the Hollow Prince. A rank second only to the Grand Abyss. This is really bad. I can't face them while having two people to protect. Those two will force me to multitask while facing such a threat. I need to find the Gate before they wake up.'
With that, I dispatch three clones in each direction intending to find the Gate, my main body still locked in stasis. Essen was also assisting with this task so hopefully, we'll find it anytime soon..
'As much as I want to test myself against a Hollow Prince, I need to get these two to safety. Somewhere far from Parvak.'
Enta's energy circulated around me, giving me the strength to resist the dread.
Slowly, I raised form the dirt, mind sharp and focused.
"The next few days won't be easy."
I murmured, a warm radiance bathing my body.
It was bright but those two were still sleeping so I had a little more time. I stood were I rose, unmoving, letting my clones take care of searching the Gate.
After what seems like hours, I finally found it. Unlike the ones in Veyra and Pyrral, this one wasn't guarded. It gave me a bad feeling but a Gate is a Gate, I have to try.
With that, I turned, heading back to our hideout.
To be continued...