Into the Oblivion - 36. Chance: Into the Oblivion

“You can try!” I bellowed at Ven as he summoned more of his avroi into the open. It was furious and electrifying. Wind swept up my hair, but it was no longer impressive for me. Both our energies clashed before us. My avroi slowly turned into a mix of red and purple hues. While was had a green and blue tone on it. The colors themselves were polar opposites. “Come at me! Come on!”

“I don’t want to do this, Chance!” My opponent yelled back. Even with a statement of reluctance, I could sense his avroi flowing into his feet. He was pretty similar to Mrosus when it comes to fighting style. Mobility was his primary weapon, and it was something he would use to his advantage. “You don’t know what you’re asking for! We can still stop this!”

“Believe me, I do! It’s your fault it came down to this! Jaden would still be alive if it wasn’t for you guys!” I shot back at him. His eyes started to emit a glow as if his whole body was coated in a thin layer of lightning. Even his hair slowly stood up straight as if he was electrified. Ven was about to get serious. “And it’s about time we know how far I’ve really grown as a mage. Don’t you think so?”

“Then you’re a weak mage! If this is what you called progress, then I’m ashamed that I have taught you magic!” Ven provoked. It made me almost pop a vein when I heard those words. My hands twitched, and my vision honed towards his mop of blonde hair. “A true mage is not a slave to his emotions. Because a true mage is free to think for himself!”

“If that’s the case, then you’re just as weak as me! How can you say that you think for yourself when you’re a slave to destiny?” I argued back with him. Yet his reply was an eyeful of pity towards me. All it did was to make my knees tremble in anger and frustration. “If you’re ashamed to call me your student, then I’m ashamed to call you my mentor. You’re nothing but a fraud!”

“If we can control our own destinies, then we’re bigger than it. But we were never meant to be that way.” Ven replied. He said it as if he lamented over the reality of his statement. And all I saw was how he was powerless in fighting against fate. It screamed of weakness. “You have to accept it as it is, Chance! Being contented with whatever destiny has for you is true strength!”

“Prove it to me then!” I roared at him. Then I made a step back before a ball of dark orb appeared in the middle of my palm. It was the same spell I used to erase everything in its path from existence. “Show me what true strength is! “

In a fraction of a second, Ven stretched out his arms, and a barrage of spears made out of lightning appeared all around him. Fortunately, the condensed ball of gravity erected a field around me. As the spears shot towards me, they were easily deflected away. With that opportunity, I blasted him with the dark orb. But Ven vanished in an instant. A blast came from my left, and I was thrown a few meters away.

It was what I was afraid of. Landing a clean hit on Ventus would be very hard to achieve. He was just too fast. His lightning abilities were a form of perfect offense and defense at the same time. Even if I had the upper ground when it comes to defensive capabilities, it was a colossal waste of avroi to keep my gravity field active. But thankfully, my mark was a huge help, so I could take on most of his attacks without having much damage to my body.

Ven stood a few meters away from me with a shroud of lightning all over him. I knew that he could launch a lot of fast attacks and moved around. All I could do was to trick him if I have to land a fatal blow to him. And if I do find the opportunity, a moment of hesitation must not be allowed. Every micro-second would count when it comes to fighting against Ven. This mage was a lethal fighter.

As I stood up, I summoned a barrage of blades from my shadows. They all zoomed towards his position. But Ven didn’t try to avoid the attack. Instead, he made a slashing motion with his hand, and all of the blades were zapped away. All of them ended up scattered to the ground. So, I summoned another batch of blades. But when I had them raised, the discarded weapons on the floor sprung up and flew towards me.

I had to telekinetically control my weapons and made them spin wildly all around me to deflect all incoming attacks. However, each time I would deflect them, every single weapon would make a comeback towards me as if all of it was drawn to me. That was when I noticed that my blades would connect to the discarded ones affected by the zap. It was when I realized that Ven enchanted the first batch of blades with magnetism.

It all made sense. My blades were sort of metallic, after all.

That’s why the first thing I did was to discard my weapons away. The other blades followed it like bees that saw a bunch of honey. But amidst all this internal processing, Ven was waiting from his spot. From the corner of my eye, I saw him with a bow made out of lightning. A blue blaze of avroi radiated all over him. And an arrow made out of the wind was loaded in a full draw. Before I could even react, the tip of the wind arrow coated itself with lightning as he released it.

The projectile zoomed towards me, hitting my square in the shoulder. Even if I had the extra durability because my mark was activated, it still felt like getting hit by an iron fist. But I would not let myself be easily defeated. With extra effort, I got back up to my feet right away. Then a barrage of lightning arrows was fired towards me, so I dashed sidewards. However, the arrows also turned and went after me like a bunch of homing missiles. The lightning tip gave the projectile its power, while the spine made out of the wind was used as a trajectory enhancing magic that Ven could control.

It was a fantastic combination, so I had to stop and blasted it back with a gravitational push. All of the projectiles were demolished in an instant. However, it was the opportunity that Ven was watching out for. His ability to zoom to a spot in a flash was an irritating attack. With a lightning coated chop, he struck me hard in the face, and I was abruptly thrown to the ground. The ground shook slightly with the force of his blow. And if it wasn’t for my enhanced durability, my skull would have been crushed right away.

“Let’s stop this before it even gets worse. Rei might come here any minute, and if he sees us fighting, it will give him more reason to apprehend you.” Ven pleaded. And it was a bigger insult for me because he was giving me a way out. My opponent wasn’t even the strongest in the Knights. In fact, he was not yet fully a member. Despite that, he already gave me a hard time. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Screw you!” I retorted as I stood back up. It was all I could say as I attempted to retaliate with a bladed weapon. But with a flick of his hand, I was sent away with a lightning zap. Despite my added powers, the difference between my strength and his was still considerably big. “Argh!”

“Please, Chance.” Ven implored further. He wasn’t even getting serious in fighting me. Even if he showcased much of his strength, he barely used it to keep me down. And it was more than humiliating. “I’m not going to give up on you. Let’s make this as peaceful as possible.”

Since he was only a couple of feet away from me, Ven was within my range. I slammed my palm into the ground and summoned a few blades that shot towards him in every direction. Each sword that was summoned was shaped into an English longsword, instead of my usual gladius-shaped blades. But Ven was faster and deflected it all by engulfing himself inside a small tornado. It was the same spell he used to protect me when we first encountered Samael.

I charged at him and caught one of the blades in mid-air before assaulting him repeatedly with slashes. Yet he was quick to summon a blade made out of lightning on the tip of his finger. And in a series of rapid slashes, he effortlessly sliced through my blades and struck my body with multiple blows. I felt a bit of a grounding under my skin and was slightly number from the strikes.

Despite the blows, I stopped myself from falling and shot him with another blast of my gravity push. Ven didn’t expect me to recover right away and took on the blow head-on. That moment gave me a sliver of hope as I finally landed an attack on him. Neither of us expected that one, after all. But all it did was push my opponent away a few meters.

Then I remember how the masked man used his gravity magic. He used it upon himself to reduce how gravity affected him. And it gave him a huge boost when it comes to speed. I focused on my feet and sprinted towards Ven. The concept worked right away and gave me the extra boost I needed. My opponent was caught by surprise as he blasted me with lightning at close range. However, my gravity push was still more potent, and his attack was easily deflected along with him.

It was already too late when he realized that he was launched in mid-air. It was also the opening I waited for. With my right hand, I summoned a condensed orb of dark avroi. I intended to hit him with it, and I no longer cared if it crushed a considerable chunk out of his body. And with my left, I took hold of Ven in mid-air with my telekinetic-like gravity magic. I reeled him in towards me as I simultaneously pushed the condensed orb towards him.

But despite the upper-hand, Ven still managed to turn it around. He erupted with a roar, and his eyes lit up furiously. My opponent conjured a massive ball of lightning with him as the center and launched himself away from me. It was a vast globe of a shield made of pure lightning. He made a zigzag pattern as I thrust my attack towards his direction. With the release of my spell, the orb surged towards his way at a frightening pace. Ven barely dodged it, and a chunk of his lightning shield was torn off. And he was not even grazed by my attack.

Before I could make my next move, my opponent charged at me. Both of us crashed on the ground. If we were a couple of regular people, our body parts would have scattered all over the grass. But our bodies were physically enhanced by magic to withstand the force of the impact. Ven was on top of me and clutched my shirt but grabbed him by the neck instead. Despite the veil of avroi in every inch of my body, I was still being electrified by his magic.

Slowly, my insides were getting numb. Even my vision was slightly getting blurred. I gritted my teeth as I tried to resist it with my own avroi. But it was all futile as my opponent continuously charged me with lightning. Ven was really hell-bent on disabling me from fighting. His aim was to keep me from getting away, after all. Not to kill me or fatally wound me.

Out of desperation, I used the same concept to gather the condensed orb of dark avroi on my whole body. My energy flowed inwardly, and the lightning that ran through every inch of my body slowly streamed towards my hands. Ven took notice of it and pour out more of his magic into me while I absorbed more and more of it like a sponge. Then I felt a nudge in my head.

With a lot of focus, I could sense that I could move the direction of lightning inside my own body as if I controlled lightning itself. Even Ventus detected the flow of avroi as I pumped more lightning out of hands. Before I knew it, his hands loosened on my shirt and grabbed my wrists. Ven tried to break free from my grasp and wiggled. However, I had the upper hand when it comes to physical strength. The combination of gravity that reeled him in and the lightning that slowly numbed him was deadly. Panic was written all over his eyes as he struggled on top of me.

“If you think I’m going top, I won’t!” I provoked him as I tightened the grip on his neck. Marks would indeed have been left on it. The only reason why he didn’t get burned by lightning is that he was coated in the same element. “I’ll tell you one more time, let me go! Walk away!”

“No!” Ven retorted harshly. “Israfil is inside of you, and I won’t let go!”

With my overwhelming physical strength, I pushed him aside and rolled on top of him instead. Ven roared, and his eyes lit up as if lightning filled them. Then everything flashed as if a flash-bang grenade was thrown to my face. And the next thing I know was my opponent managed to get free from being pinned down.

All I saw next was the dark clouds and the enormous ritual circle that gave light to the skies. My body was splattered on the ground, and I laid as if I got hit by a truck. A shot of pain emerged all over my body. And when I looked around, Ven was slowly standing up. Likewise, I did the same. Both of us were at least a dozen feet away from each other. Staring one another eye to eye. He must have used a powerful spell to break free, and it was too fast to even comprehend. If he had such an attack, then Ven is showing himself to be more and more dangerous as an adversary.

Then he blasted with a stream of lightning. My instincts kicked in, and I fired back with the same elemental spell. Surprised was evident on both our faces as I used an element that wasn’t my own or Israfil’s. Ven assaulted me with more blasts and retaliated back with the same. He zoomed towards my position and pushed back with the same speed. Our fists connected, and both of us were blown away from one another. Ventus and I landed hard on the grassy field.

“How?” It was the first thing he asked. We both stood up slowly. Ven lost his composure as he posed his inquiry. The question was written all over his being and deeply disturbed him. “How are you using lightning magic? That’s impossible!”

“No idea.” I replied as I raised my hand. A ball of lightning appeared in the middle of palms on my whim. The sensation was very similar to how I would call forth a condensed orb. Avroi was concentrated in the middle of it. Still, I added the same numbing sensation that Ven had let me experience. “But I’m not complaining.”

Before I could state another word, Ven zoomed towards me with his lightning speed. But thanks to the same magic, I was on par with his. Even if I still had a poor grasp over the element, I managed to deflect most of his attacks. My opponent assaulted me with lightning-enhanced blows that I quickly dispersed with my own lightning magic. But before I was able to counter his attack, Ven stepped back. It was a feint I fell for. My adversary used the chance to summon a spiraling lance made out of wind magic in his hand and drive it towards the center of my body.

I tried to catch it and absorb the magic like how I did it with the lightning element. But the nature of wind magic was different from lightning magic. I was being blown away, and I barely took in the avroi that composed of the spell. And the next thing I knew was that I was spinning violently in mid-air. Everything was just spinning, and I tumbled on the open field. Ven’s lightning magic had that piercing and numbing sensation, while his wind magic had that sense of spinning motion.

After I stood up, I summoned a bit of wind magic, but it was still weak. My newly acquired lightning magic was strong because Ven allowed me to soak in his avroi. Whatever this new ability was, it gave me another huge advantage to break down my opponent. But as I faced off against Ventus, he didn’t look as if he was about to give up. Sheer determination was on his facial expression, and I knew it would take more than copying his magic to beat him.

Wind gathered by his feet, and he slowly levitated. Both his elements mixed around his body like a robe. He raised his hand, and much to my surprised, lightning came down from the sky and struck him. I literally felt awe as I saw Ven literally lit up with intense amounts of lightning all over him. His hand stood up, and the golden blonde was turned silvery blonde, similar to Samael. And his eyes glowed white like Avatar Aang.

“Don’t make do this, Chance! I beg you!” Ven declared loudly as if he had the upper hand. I doubted that with all my strength. If he used a more powerful version of his lightning magic, then it was another strong magic I could consume and use for myself. “This is the last straw! If you don’t stand down, then I will be forced to use everything in my power to take you down!”

“Come and take me down, then!” I taunted Ven. But he didn’t look too amused. His face was frightening as he glowed like a lightning god. It was beyond my crazy imagination that he could use such mighty magic. “If you didn’t fight me with everything you got, then this fight is a waste! Israfil would be ashamed!”

“No matter what happens today, I will always think of you as a friend.” Ven stated. And the more that he showed me the open chance to surrender, the more I felt insulted. Despite everything I’ve said, he still held back. “Your reckless actions right now won’t change how I view you. So please, let’s just stop!”

But I barely listened to his petition. Time was running out, and the sooner I get to soak in that avroi, the closer I get to my victory. Morsus would be waiting on the other side, and he will be ready to give me the rest of that thing’s power. I’m sure he could also explain what was really happening to me. I needed the answers, and it would be best to know how to use it properly.

My opponent hovered over the ground and slowly approached my direction. I charged at him with lightning speed and assaulted him from the side. But he was shrouded that powerful lightning the blazed in white colors. It was then I realized that it’s not the kind of lightning that was generated by avroi. Rather, it was produced by the skies. It was literally the force of nature. And I was no match against it.

Ven didn’t even make an effort to block himself from my attack. I was like a small bullet that had ricocheted off of a bullet-proof tank. And when he faced me, he raised his hand, and lightning came down from the sky. Everything brightened up as I saw a spear made of white lightning in his hands. With one swing, it blasted me off, and I couldn’t even avoid it. My contact with his white lightning shroud rendered me stunned in mid-air.

As the white lightning spear rammed into my chest, white-hot pain exploded every single area where my body existed. It was as if God poured out all of His wrath in a fraction of a second. All of it was directed to my physical being. The sensation burned into my memory as I tried with all of my strength to absorb the avroi that was shot to my chest. Most of my clothes were burned in tatters. And all I could do was fall to the ground like a dead bag of bricks. I was stunned and dumbfounded at the sheer explosive power that Ven had held back from me.

With much effort, I turned my head towards him, who landed on the ground. It was a slight surprise that he fell to his knees right away as if he sprinted for a mile straight. Ven gasped for air while his body trembled visibly. It was as if both of us were damaged by the lightning that he used. But in my mind, it was probably a setback for using such powerful magic. There had to be a form of cost. And I silently laughed at myself for being blind to what was obvious. It was lightning magic, after all. Using lightning from the skies was not so far-fetched.

While Ven was stunned on the ground, I struggled to grasp the sensation of being hit with his attack. A different kind of avroi ravaged everywhere inside my body and kept bouncing back in forth from end to end. The attack was not meant to crush me physically but to fry my internal organs. It simply overloaded my body with mass amounts of avroi, so I wouldn’t be able to use any magic at all. However, I found out that I was a proficient sensor of avroi and had to use it to my advantage.

Carefully, I gathered the information in my head and steered the rampaging avroi inside me like a wild stallion. Like nature itself, it was fierce and feral, unlike an Altimeraean’s flow of avroi. It was similar to steering a boat in the middle of the sea while under stormy weather. And none of that was easy, especially that I just had a day full of body-crushing activities. It was one fight after one another, and it was a miracle that I had not burned out my magic yet.

Ven immediately discerned the change of my avroi flow as I gathered nature’s avroi towards the ends of my palms. Even the numbing sensation drifted off away from my body. I concluded that the avroi was the culprit in stunning my body from doing anything at all, not the damage it caused. And it also made me realize that the enhanced durability I had from the mark could take on getting hit by something as powerful as lightning itself.

As we both stood up, a ball of white lightning was on the tip of my fingers. I managed to tame it, but it was a lot more challenging compared to his avroi. Then a painful sting was present in both my eyes. That only meant that both of them had turned into demonic red. I observed my body slowly transformed into a monster’s body. The horns on my head grew longer, and my tail hardened itself further with an exo-skeletal armor. Ven looked at me with horror as more of the transformation had manifested in front of him.

“I didn’t know you have such power.” I said as I played with my new powers before my opponent. He was still feeling the setbacks of his own magic. And I was just fortunate to have otherworldly powers that allowed me to recover faster from any physical damages. “It would be a big shame if I killed you with it. I guess you won’t ever see Israfil again.”

“Don’t! Chance, stop!” Ven barked at me. I got even more irritated because he looked worried for me. My enemy looked bothered on my behalf. It was nothing but distasteful. I knew that the magic would have inevitable repercussions, but I was sure that my transformed body could handle it. And it made me look forward to what Morsus was about to give me. “You don’t know what you’re doing! Thunderstorm Magic is dangerous if it’s mishandled!”

“You don’t have to sound so pitiful, Ven. Accept your fate just as you have always prided yourself of.” I mused at him. Slowly, I stretched my hand towards the sky as I fed my own avroi into the white ball of lightning. All I had to do was absorb the lightning from the atmosphere and redirect it at my target. There was no way he could survive such a fatal strike. “You lost. I won. It’s as simple as that.”

At my whim, I called forth lightning from the skies. Thunderstorm Magic was probably one of the most potent magic out there that I ever saw. It excited me to wield its power at my command. And at that very juncture, time froze. Everything went white. All of my insides felt like it exploded. My whole body absorbed so much energy, and I slowly fell backward. A dizzying spell was all over my head, and I saw my body in smoke.

It was when I realized my failure. My magic backfired, and I miscalculated the precision needed to wield it. I was stupid to think that I could use it right away when Ven, who showed a certain level of proficiency in it, hesitated to use it against me. My arrogance stole the upper hand I had gained against my opponent. And as I crashed to the ground, so were my chances of winning.

“You idiot! I warned you, damn it!” Ven rushed towards me and knelt by my side. He almost toppled over me since he had not yet fully regained his control over his body. Numbness was probably all over him, too. Then he grabbed my body, and pain sparked on his face. “Just because you can copy something doesn’t mean you understand it!”

My whole body was burned to a crisp. Ven placed his hands on my chest and absorbed the white lightning that had overrun my body. I felt the flow of the strong alien avroi from the tip of my fingers towards his hands. Both glowed into white until his elbow area before he stretched his hands upward and blasted the lightning back into the sky. Ven had to repeat this cycle a few more times before I could sense my own body again. My supernatural healing kicked in, and my innards started to function. Yet despite that, I knew that they were still fatal wounds.

The dizziness in my head went on for an unknown number of time. My vision was a wreck, and I could barely recognize Ven from a close distance. I could only remember bits and pieces of information as he tied me up. Then from the corner of my eye, I saw the glow in the sky slowly fading away. No apocalypse happened or anything like that. It just vanished. I soon found myself sitting straight with both hands bound behind me. It was easy to get rid of since I had powers. However, my own avroi reserves were all consumed by the foreign energy that had interfered within my body. The sensation of having a storm inside was still there.

“What’s…happening?” I croaked. A sharp pain stabbed my throat as I asked Ven my question. Even talking was painful. Everything inside and outside my body was excruciating. “Did…they…stop…it?”

“Looks like they did.” Ven concluded. A smile was on his face as he said it. But I chose to stare up the sky instead. Then I remembered that Morsus was still waiting for me on the other side. It was only a matter of time until Rei would find us, and my chance to get away would be stolen from me. “I’m sorry about Jaden. I really am. I know you love him deeply. The way you look at him said it all.”

“Save it!” I quipped harshly. My throat felt like it would fall right off if I would continue talking to him. It felt like a bush of thorns slowly prospered within my neck every time I took a breath. “I.. don’t need your…sympathy!”

My skin looked like I was burned alive until I was turned into a walking pile of charcoal. And it was a miracle that I was still alive. It gave me the ability to heal myself but damage as extensive as this may take too much time. I was also worried if it would leave me deformed for the rest of my life at the back of my head. Undoubtedly, there had to be Altimeraean magic that could heal me fully.

“Your transformation isn’t from Zidania. It isn’t even from Altimeraea.” Ventus said to me. His eyes had that sharp look on them. Quite similar to how Morsus judged me the first time I met the little boy. “Where did you get it?”

I ignored him and devised a plan to get away. As long as I would be able to get to Altimeraea, I’m safe. Morsus would be able to summon me to wherever hiding spot was with some kind of magic under his sleeve. Rune Mages could probably break specific constitutional laws of the land if they weren’t careful in summoning things or people. But I didn’t care any of that.

There was still hope to reverse all of it. The masked man had no reason to lie. Even if it was a trick to manipulate me, I would quickly break free from it if I had the power to do so. That’s the next step for my plan was to get to Morsus as soon as possible. But when I looked around, I saw Rei walking towards us. Beside him was River Knightley. Ven alone was a force to be reckoned with. Rei and River had shut off all my gates.

But as soon as they were within range, I saw how grim Rei’s face was. It had always been that way, though. He was a lot like Batman. There’s that personal moral code that he will not break no matter what. And he will brood and contemplate over and over again on a plan that allows him to do what he needs to do without breaking his code.

River, who was beside him, still looked relaxed. Most of the sleeve on his right arm was burned away. Then there were some first degree burns on his skin. If I was not burned to a crisp that moment, it would have looked painful. And when the guy saw me, he gave me a wink. It was mischievous, as if he was planning to pull off a prank. It was as if he was egging me to run away.

Then I realized what River left me.

I closed my eyes and sensed the black seal that he left on my forearm. My sensory was overloaded with avroi from nature and from Ven that I barely noticed the other existing avroi inside me. The only thing I needed was a clear shot in the sky, so I can go for it. And when I looked up, I felt that I finally grabbed a bit and took control of my fate. The sky slowly cleared away after the ritual faded. All I had to do was to break free from the binding.

My heart thumped hard as my would-be captors were a few meters away. I reignited my avroi. The sensation of Ven’s energy resonated back to me, and I coated my whole body in a shroud of lightning. I reactivated my mark that gave me the extra strength to break from the bindings. They were magically enhanced by Ven’s lightning. Still, it was negated by absorbing it until no magic was left in the rope. With brute strength, I ripped them off of my wrists.

All three of them glared at me when they sensed my magic rose up in the air. Ven made the first move, but for the first time, he was not fast enough. My hand shot up to the sky as I pumped the avroi I absorbed from Ven into the sea. It gave an ominous glow just like before, and a flash of light swallowed me. Everything happened so fast. I didn’t even get a good look at their faces as I got away.

The next thing I knew was I crashed back at the foot of the tower where they kept me captive. My skin screamed as it made contact against the hard ground. I grunted in pain as I looked around to see if anyone else noticed. Only a few bystanders were about to give me a hostile look. But most of them were distracted by a fiery sight from afar. The clouds were red and angry. It seems that there was a vast forest fire kilometers away.

But things were flying around in the sky. If I saw them up close, they were probably as big as a school bus. They have buzzed about in the crimson sky. Whatever was happening out, there was perhaps trouble. And I had enough problems on my own. Those things had nothing to do with me. That’s why I snapped myself out of the thought.

Morsus! I’m here! I roared inside my head. My mind rang a screeching noise as I tried to establish a mental connection with my only ally. His avroi was still inside of me because he left a spell similar to River. I was pretty positive he heard me when a ritual circle slowly formed beneath my feet. Summon me!

A few meters away, a similar ritual circle formed in mid-air. From the way it glowed and the way it gave me the chills, I knew that it was River Knightley. And I was sure that the other two with him. All they needed was a few seconds to capture me before Morsus could be successful. Ven still had the upper hand in absolute speed, and the other two could easily disable me. But I wanted to be stronger than fate. Even if it was painful, I raised my hand. I blasted it with my gravity magic to disintegrate the summoning circle. However, there was an additional enchantment on it, and it barely damaged the ritual. It was fully protected against any form of magic.

But as River appeared into view, I was immediately warped into a different place. I landed on the floor and looked around to see Morsus. He looked sullen and surprised at the damage that my body took. His anxious looked was snapped away as he

“What the hell happened to you?” Morsus shrieked.

“Wait. They might follow us here!” I croaked painfully. My throat was still in bad shape. And it felt like an inferno bubbled up in my vocal cords. But Morsus ignored my warning. “We need to defend ourselves. Ven and River were with Reizal! They’re gonna be here.”

“They won’t find us here.” Morsus assured me. The boy boosted himself with magic to carry me physically. He had a golden hue on his skin as he enchanted his own body. “This place is sealed by non-Altimeraean magic. It would be impossible for them to find it.”

I quieted down and looked around. We were in some sort of underground labyrinth. The air was damp and cold as if it wasn’t visited by decades. Or maybe even centuries. Old odor sprung to my nostrils, and I had to shake them off. I didn’t notice that Morsus wasn’t wearing a shirt. Despite his young age, his body was quite toned like a soccer player. His physique was impressive. If he was three years older then I would have gad a crush on him. On his back were chains that were inserted into his skin. There were probably six sets of them. It looked painful to look at, and the chains extended towards the darker end of the labyrinth. Not a single thing could be seen from it. But an ominous presence could be felt from the deep end of the dark.

The boy helped me into the middle of the open space, where a ritual circle was prepared. There were a lot of candles, and strange characters were scattered all over the floor. Morsus never explained the origins of the mysterious being inside of him. But I was sure I’ll be knowing the context of it soon enough.

“I remembered the first time I saw something like this. I asked Ven if he was about to offer me to Satan.” I mused. Then my gaze darted towards the deep end of the labyrinth. Morsus’ chains dangled towards in, and it had to be too apparent at that point. “Perhaps it will end up true.”

“Don’t talk.” Morsus admonished. Then he drew a set of glyphs in mid-air and chanted a series of magic under his breath. However, it wasn’t the same language that he spoke before. “Healing magic isn’t my expertise. This will have to do.”

My body glimmered into a silver light, and the burns on my skin slowly healed themselves. The layer of skin that was turned to charcoal started to peel and fall off my body. New skin emerged from inside, and my hair slowly grew back. It was still not as long as before, but it was still way better than looking like a burnt zombie. I saw Morsus gasping for air as he used more of his magic to heal me.

After that, Morsus helped me back to my feet and guided me into the end of the ritual. A large thing moved from the darkness and shook Morsus’ chains. They clanged and echoed into the spacious chamber as the boy walked backward. My heart almost stopped as a pair of glimmering red eyes appeared from the dark. The thing was huge. But nothing distinguishing could be seen.

“What on earth is that?” I gasped.

“It’s an exo’gia diasmo. A being that is neither of Earth or Altimeraea. They are ancient beings that have existed for hundreds of years.” Morsus replied. His eyes slowly turned into a deep red color as he activated his mark. It had a different sensation to it as it had spread all over his youthful body. “I discovered it during my stay in the Citadel of M’Vokagola. And it made a deal with me.”

“What deal?” I inquired further.

“Deals between a diasmo cannot be openly discussed. It’s a sacred pact, and it can be used against both sides.” The boy explained. He stood before me, and behind me was a hulking monster that would give me the power to save Jaden from dying. “Since I am a mediator for this deal, you have no choice but to let me know the contract.”

“You’re finally here, Chance Valentine.” The voice suddenly spoke. Tremor could be felt from the strength of its call. And my soul almost left my body at the sheer terror I felt that moment. I swear, I almost pissed myself as a thousand voices echoed together in that dark labyrinth. “Are you ready to be my sigil?”

“W-what’s a sigil?” I asked.

“It means you will be a contract bearer.” Morsus informed me. His eyes were cold, and no kind was left. His poker face was set upon his mission to protect Israfil and me. “There were rumors that the Black Sorceress herself was a sigil. That’s why she got so powerful. But that rumor was never justified.”

“You also mentioned a contract. That means I have to give it something in return, right?” I pointed out. And Morsus nodded in reply. A drop of sweat rolled off my cheek because there was a demand. But whatever it was, I was prepared to give it to the mysterious being. Then I faced the looming darkness. “What’s the demand?”

“I will give you my power in exchange for one thing.” The diasmo mentioned gravely. Its voice was like the ocean in the middle of a storm. Thundering. Booming. And infinitely powerful. “I could sense that you are one of them. Thus, I shall grant you more power than this child.”

“Name it!” I said in a dignified manner. I almost yelled even.

“Destroy the One who holds all things together.” The diasmo commanded authoritatively. It didn’t sound like an invitation to a deal at all. Instead, it made it sound like an irresistible admonition. “Destroy the Being who holds your fate so we may take hold what’s rightfully ours. My goals are not so different from yours, little one. Do you take this contract?”

“Yes!” I answered firmly before the ancient being. Despite the darkness, I knew there was a big smile on its face. The red eyes glowed even more fiercely, and it resonated with Morsus. The markings on his body danced in excitement as his skin was consumed by the dark tattoos. “I will be your sigil! Give me the power to take back what’s mine!”

“Very well.” The voice thundered. It came from both the monster in the dark and from the little boy in front of me. Morsus stretched his hands in my direction like a puppet. “We shall start sealing the contract now!”

Suddenly, the darkness expanded all over the room. Power surged into my body. I found it even more abundant than the energy I absorbed from the white lightning that Ven struck me with. But the difference was it didn’t attempt to ruin my body from the inside. Instead, it even slowly restored the rest of the damages that was done to my body.

I slowly fell backward, but the falling motion never stopped. The sensation of dropping down to the darkness kept going until everything around me condensed slowly until it felt like I was dunked into the middle of the ocean. The pressure was there as I sunk into the darkness. It literally felt like I slowly drowned in the sea. But suddenly, another presence was with me in the depths of darkness. It was a familiar presence. As if it had always been there with me from the start. I knew it was another person. And I knew that he was there inside my head.

Who are you? I mentally asked the mysterious person.

I’m Israfil. The voice said softly. His voice was kind. He was definitely someone I would be friends with if he was a classmate in our school. It’s about time I tell you the whole truth. My friends don’t know it yet. But I’m sure you will understand my goal.

What do they not know? I questioned.

In Altimeraea, some names can be spelled differently. The ‘I’ in Israfil can be used as a letter ‘E.’ The voice explained nonchalantly. He described it in a way as if he wanted me to decode a puzzle. My name could also be spelled as Esrafil.

Minutes probably passed as I tried to solve the puzzle that the other person inside me had given. There was something to that name. He wouldn’t ever say an introduction like that for no purpose. There had to be some sort of twist. But my head just ached at the puzzle. It took me minutes before something struck my head like a brick. Then everything crashed on me.

Samael. Theliel. Omnniel. Azriel. Then there’s you. Safriel. I concluded with a lump in my throat. You’re one of the six. You’re one of them!

Yes. The voice was filled with sorrow. It was cold and clutched my chest like frostbite. Only Teios Kyr has the answers to conquer the evil of the world. And none of them could understand it. Samael is not as evil as you think he is.

I have no words. I replied harshly. Images stormed in my imagination. And the worst one was the bloody image of Jaden, whom I cradled in my arms. That man had taken away everything from me. They all did!

No. He was trying to save you. Israfil retorted. This time, his voice was firm and filled with conviction. He believed it to his very core. Like what I said, it’s about time to tell you the whole truth. I hope you would listen carefully.

Then I closed my eyes as darkness engulfed me into the depths. It felt like it swallowed me whole. Israfil started explaining things that passed by my head. His voice was quite similar to mine, and it was an eerie similarity. But the important thing is I knew the truth. And no one can take that from me. None.

Finally, peace and serenity radiated all over as I drifted off into the oblivion.

This would be the final chapter for Book 1. Like Nikki, Chance's life changed drastically. Both of them suffered. But what do you think about him and his decision to fight for his destiny? What do you think will happen next? What were the questions that were left unanswered?
Let's discuss below. Or maybe in this thread. Hoping to hear constructive criticisms or reviews from you peeps!