Beyond Phantasia

The air shifted. It felt as though time had slowed down. My hand trembled as I stretched it toward the socrix. The socrix’s gold eyes locked onto mine as if it could see through me.

A jolt of energy surged through my body, starting from my fingertips and racing up my arm, igniting every nerve along the way. The energy rushed through me like a river breaking through a dam.

The socrix slithered toward me, coiling around my arm — the pressure intensifying each second. I gasped, feeling the air around me grow denser, suffocating. My chest felt like it might burst as I struggled to breathe under all this pressure.

Suddenly, the serpent’s gold lines flared to life, bright and radiant. The glow wrapped itself around me, tendrils of light sinking deep into my skin, my bones, my soul. I could feel its heartbeat now, thumping alongside mine — wild, relentless.

I started to get up. The pain in my body dulled as new sensations flooded my mind. I could feel the socrix’s thoughts blending with my own. Its instincts, its hunger for power, all of it coursed through me. My vision blurred, but not from exhaustion — it was expanding. My senses improved, the desire to consume grew, but I felt strong.

I stood there, panting, but no longer broken. I could feel the power humming beneath my skin. The pain was still there, but it was manageable now.

“You’ll only be able to hold this power for five minutes before your body breaks, human. Do not waste it,” the socrix's voice echoed in my mind. “Now, call upon a weapon, and show me why I chose you.”

I nodded.

“Urumi.”

My veins pulsed, black threads weaved out from beneath the surface of my skin, twisting together, melding into shape. It felt like my arm was being torn apart and remade at the same time.

The blade began to form — not like any sword I'd ever seen, but a twisted, serpent ribbon of metal. An urumi. Jet black, with streaks of gold running beneath its surface like veins of molten light, the weapon coiled and danced in the air as if alive.

I raised the hilt, watching as the black blade rippled, reacting to my slightest movement. It was like an extension of me. It flicked through the air with an eerie, fluid grace, responding to my thoughts, my will.

My heart pounded furiously, the heat of adrenaline surging through my veins. I watched the others battle, their attacks still barely denting the corrupted sloakard. Its eyes glowed a deeper shade of red, and its grotesque, fleshy-bony form seemed to pulse with more power as the night continued.

The others were struggling, but they weren’t faltering.

Novian swung his blade relentlessly, arcs of lightning crackling and slashing through the air, but the beast’s thick hide absorbed the brunt of each blow. The sloakard's massive claws swiped at him, but Novian dodged and parried the creature without breaking too much of a sweat.

"We won't last much longer!" he cursed under his breath, frustration clear in his voice.

Elara stood not far from him, her massive gun spitting rounds of fire-infused energy at the creature. Her flames licked across the corrupted’s body, but the sloakard merely shrugged off the damage.

"We must continue to hold on!" she yelled between gritted teeth, swinging her weapon into its axe form and charging forward. She brought it down with all her might, aiming for its legs, but it barely stumbled.

“How is this even possible!” Kaeygo shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

Drones buzzed around Iris as she fed the team real-time data, analyzing the creature’s movements.

"Guys, its skin is too thick," she said. "We won't reach the core at this rate!"

My mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation, trying to find a way through. I gripped the urumi tighter, feeling its weight and flexibility. It flowed like water, twisting in the air.

“Novian!” I shouted, catching his attention as he dodged out of the way of a stray claw swipe. “We need to open up its neck!”

Novian glanced at me between his strikes, nodding slightly as understanding dawned on him.

“I’ll follow your lead!” he yelled, his voice tense but determined. "Everyone, provide cover fire!"

I couldn’t hesitate any longer. I charged forward, the urumi lashing out at my side like a living whip. The sloakard noticed me immediately, its red eyes narrowing as it shifted its focus in my direction. It let out a roar, charging forward with terrifying speed. My heart pounded.

WOOSH! WOOSH! WOOSH! Arrows zipped past me, throwing the creature slightly off balance. But even then, the sloakard kept charging forward. BANG! A massive creature collided with the sloakard — it was Kaeygo. I pushed myself harder, sprinting at full speed as the sloakard let out a devastating roar.

The sloakard recoiled from Kaeygo's hit, then lashed out with a vicious swipe of its massive claws, knocking him aside. It roared again, preparing for another strike. Iris deployed her drones, to distract the creature, while Elara swung her axe upward, knocking the sloakard's hand away. Their efforts provided just enough cover for Novian and me to charge forward together.

[Jack Of All Trades: Activated]

I aimed for its neck. The urumi slashed through the air with a sickening whistle, striking the creature. The impact sent a shockwave through my arm, but the blade bit deep, cracking through the corrupted skin with a sound like shattering bone. I felt the resistance give way under my strike, and for a split second, the sloakard’s momentum faltered.

"NOW!" I screamed, swinging the urumi.

Novian wasted no time. The moment the sloakard stumbled, he was on it. Lightning crackled around him as he swung his sword sideways in a wide arc, aiming for the exposed neck.

Novian roared, his voice a thunderous cry. His blade connected, and the force of his strike sent a bolt of lightning directly into the beast’s body.

The sloakard shrieked — a deafening, ear-splitting sound that rattled my bones. GRRRIISSSSS! Its body convulsed as Novian’s lightning surged through it, its arms flailing wildly. Its massive legs gave out beneath it, and it collapsed onto the ground, writhing in agony. Smoke rose from its joints, and the once-impenetrable armor of its skin began to disintegrate.

“Finish it!” I rasped, barely able to stand from the exertion.

Ah. Wait a minute. Wasn’t Novian notorious for his cringe one-liners?

"You will not hurt my friends!" Novian roared once more. “First Form: Thunderclash Raging Dragon!”

I cringed.

Novian didn’t hesitate. With a final, powerful thrust of his sword, he brought the blade down into the sloakard’s neck. There was a flash of light as the sword connected, and then — silence. The corrupted creature lay still, its body producing a black smoke, leaving behind the faint stench of decay.

I collapsed to my knees, every muscle in my body screaming in pain. The urumi slipped from my grasp, reverting back into the socrix, who coiled around my arm.

“That... was close,” I muttered, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

Novian stood over the remains of the creature, his chest heaving with exhaustion. He turned to me, his face grim but relieved. “We did it.”

“We did it!” Iris cheered.

“It’s finally over.” Kaeygo replied.

“Well done everyone,” Elara said. “Especially you two.”

Aurelia joined us, nonchalant as ever.

“Good job,” Aurelia said softly, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Iris appeared beside me, a rare look of seriousness on her face.

"You really, like, had us worried,” she said, though her tone was light. “Like don't do that again."

I could only nod, too exhausted to respond. Off in the distance, I could see a silhouette of a figure approaching us. My vision started to blur, and I felt the world begin to fade around me, but before everything went black, I managed to whisper, “Good...”

[Quest Completed]