Elegy For An Epilogue

Cecillia waded through the thick, swirling crimson pool that sloshed up to her ankles, each step sending ripples across the liquid’s surface. Blood—not just a few drops, but an ocean of it drenched the ground, pooling around the countless lifeless creatures that littered the cavern. Cecillia wasn’t sure what they were, but she assumed that they were Kaust’s former inhabitants. Only now, with tendrils piercing into their drained corpses, their hollow eyes fixed in an endless vacant gaze; they were mere sources of energy for that wretched Aberration.

Her gaze followed the tentacles, and in the soft glow of the underground crystals, Cecillia clearly saw that monstrous, wicked thing. Sitting atop the largest piece of pure quartz, a writhing mass of appendages and countless eyes existed in its dominion.

As it breathed, Cecillia felt the malice dripping against her skin. The instincts of her body warning her against this unnatural, evil feeling. Cold slithered in her stomach and goosebumps started to spread rapidly across her bare flesh.

[You resist the effects of ‘Mental Haze.’]

The system notification popped up before her eyes and a shiver ran down her spine. The affliction that had almost caused her downfall earlier was nothing to scoff at. Back on Earth, it was rare that a creature would possess the ability to influence someone’s mental state, and even then, it usually required injecting a poison directly into the bloodstream. Something like this though, Cecillia certainly was glad that her body decided to resist its effects.

She continued moving, and somehow the Aberration hadn’t seen her yet, or worse, it had chosen to ignore her. Cecillia swallowed, and the grip on her blade grew tighter. If one had to put this into scalable means, this mission would be considered straight suicide. She thought back on how it had incapacitated Doran in mere seconds… at the least, that thing had to be ten times her level, if not more.

Still, it wasn’t like she could choose. Rather, what choice did she really have?

Death awaited her either way, to the monster, or to starvation. There wasn’t a difference at all.

Except for someone like her, with a fight of this sheer scale. Whatever the outcome, Cecillia couldn't ask for a better finale to conclude her pitiful life.

Grinning, she allowed her arm to fall, the tip of Doran’s sword dipping into the blood. A strange hum reverberated through the blade’s pommel, and hidden runes etched into the steel burned with magic. Cecillia exhaled a shaky breath and she welcomed the adrenaline that surged through her being.

Her heart started to pound, almost leaping out into her throat while the engine of battle deep inside her soul roared to life with a rumble. Strength entered her limbs, pushing the dull aching pain away. This feeling of exaltation—Cecillia laughed—it was addicting.

The drug-like daze electrified her muscles, shocking her nerves, pulling them apart until they felt like they would burst at the seams. The tension in her mind vanished, and in this moment of time, she was invincible.

Beneath her, the shimmering blood danced along the edge of Doran’s blade, tracing along its gleaming surface. The sword almost seemed to drink the crimson liquid, as if it were a thirsty animal. Cecillia stared at the sight with fascination, until suddenly, a gasp left her lips.

Scarlet lines appeared, crossing on the blade. Those delicate, intricate lines intertwined with one another almost like circuits, and a faint, ethereal chime began to resonate from the metal. Cecillia found her hand moving on its own, a fingertip brushing against the cool surface of the blade.

It was then that a single, bell-like note reverberated into the frigid air.

From the steel, crimson motes started to rise. Swirling like embers carried on a breeze, they danced along the edge of the deathly weapon before drifting against her arm. Cecillia reached out to catch one, but the runic symbols swished away from her grasp.

They enshrouded her body, coiling around her almost like a dress spun from bloodied, magical roses. Cecillia thought it was strange, but since her intuition didn’t spike, and there was nothing that felt overtly odd, it couldn’t be harmful. If anything, it was nice in a comforting way, like a warm hug in the midst of winter.

Regardless, another second passed until the particles completely dispersed. Cecillia missed their presence, but the light that flashed in front of her eyes wasn’t unwelcome in the slightest.

[The Crimson Death calls out for harmony. Your aspect ‘Retribution’ reveals a gleaming smile. All stats are tripled for five minutes.]

[Strength: 160 -> 480]

[Constitution: 60 -> 180]

[Endurance: 80 -> 240]

[Agility: 120 -> 360]

[Wisdom: 36 -> 108]

[Intelligence: 44 -> 132]

Health: 1342/1800

Stamina: 727/2400

Mana: 100/-

A tsunami surging with raw, unadulterated power crashed over her, drawing from the deepest depths of her soul. It was to the point where it came with the price of pain. Cecillia grimaced, and a cold piercing sting pricked through her veins. It was like needles were forcing its way through her bloodstream, stabbing its way through her flesh and mind.

She staggered, a hand clutching at her heart as every beat sent shards of ice ripping at every inch of her soul.

‘Why am I fighting it?’ she suddenly thought.

The system menu before her eyes. The last time she had seen a number next to the mana was just a little over two weeks ago. Wasn’t this feeling of the same?

Cecillia relaxed her body, taking a steady breath into her lungs. Almost immediately, the pain ceased to exist. Rather, the freezing sensation that coursed through her was now warm. It was like something only she could control.

The feeling filled her body with explosive power, only to continue growing viciously with not even a single sign of waning. It was like that one time with the mana core, she couldn’t contain it, the swelling energy had to be released somewhere.

The energy rose, her eyes widening and the whole dam itself broke.

It felt like her heart had detonated, maybe it really did, but she wasn’t sure. The explosion erupted out from her being in a spherical blast, the very air holding its breath before the molecules of oxygen cracked and shattered with a boom.

The sea of blood at her ankles was instantly frozen over, until the second passed and the ground itself quaked. The solidified crimson ruptured, splintering in jagged lines that spread like the web of a spider.

A gust of wind howled through the cavern, her hair whipping around her face, the strands itself splaying out wildly.

‘This feeling…’ Cecillia thought, her eyes trembling. ‘This is mana?’

Her gaze suddenly snapped upwards to the Aberration. If it didn’t notice her before, it certainly did now. Those countless eyes landed on her figure, its sickly flesh pulsating with every small movement. It was hard to tell where its body started and ended, but it didn’t go unnoticed that several parts of its frontal body were in the midst of regeneration. It seemed like the bomb had done quite a number on the creature.

And this time, Cecillia would finish the job.

She willed herself to move, the command shooting across her central nervous system almost instantly. Her body lurched forward and a crater was left behind several steps behind her.

The power she wielded was equal to at least a tenth of her suit, but since it came from within her, it was difficult to immediately handle. Cecillia cleared the distance of a street in less than a second. Not a trace of fatigue pulled at her body and her lips creased into a thin smile.

She was already in full control.

‘Four minutes and forty-three seconds,’ Cecillia breathed, the timer ticking down in her head.

Four minutes, and forty-three seconds. It was enough for a final requiem of death.

The Aberration roared, the blast of pressure surging outwards from its flesh. Now with mana flowing through her veins, she felt its magical energy pressing against her and she recognized it to be that sickly feeling from earlier.

The two surging energies colidded, frost clashing against poison until both simultaneously fizzled out. A faint pop echoed, and the signal for battle was shot.

Cecillia’s allowed herself a wide grin and every cell in her body yearned. Her body flickered and she rushed forward with an explosive bang. Every step she took caused the ground below to shatter into pieces. Yet those crimson, glowing eyes tracked her movements, every subtle twitch of her muscles was seen through even at her inhuman speed.

Though, the smile never left her lips and her body suddenly warped, bending in the pale light. Cecillia almost seemed to teleport forward, appearing metres ahead. Her legs burned, but when she saw those wicked eyes lagging after the afterimages of her figure, she put on another burst of speed. The air stung her face, and she so desperately missed her visor, forcing her to narrow her eyes in its perpetual absence.

Only thirty metres left and Cecillia raised Doran’s blade. The metal whispered with frost, and as she swung in a wide arc, the ice screamed. Black ichor spurted into the air before instantly freezing solid. The tentacle fell lifelessly, the bitter flesh shattering when it crashed into the ground.

Now, it wasn't a matter of predicting where the tendrils would come from. With her elevated stats, Cecillia could easily react to the Aberration’s attacks… and oh, did they feel slow.

Her blade was a flash of glinting crimson steel, surging with the forces of winter. Everytime the weapon sang she was able to take a step forward. Cecillia was so close now, so close where that disgusting stench of death filled her lungs. Her stomach churned and she swallowed the rising bile with another arcing swing.

Cold sweat poured down her body in swathes and she felt her bones literally creaking. This amount of power couldn’t be handled by her delicate body and her next swing fell flat. Danger assaulted her senses and the tendril that should’ve been cut in two hurtled towards her.

Cecillia dove to the side and the tentacle passed overhead harmlessly. Though her eyes widened and she instantly stabbed into the ground. Mana poured out from her core and into the blade just as a massive pair of decaying hands erupted around her.

Cecillia felt them closing in, the light in the cavern dissipating into darkness leaving only a few trepid rays coming through the cracks in their fingers, until they too, ceased to exist.

The world was black.

Her body felt weak while the essence within her poured out in droves. Cecillia closed her eyes and let out a faint breath, twisting the sword at the very last moment.

A single reverberating chord rang out and the world devoid of color was painted white. Ice blossomed in the frail petals of a rose and a pair of angelic wings enveloped around her. Those white wings of snow were scorched black with a corrupting darkness, and a moment later, they shattered.

Cecillia wiped her lips with the back of her hand and leapt upwards, the force of her ascent causing the rose to wilt with a shiver. Her chainmaille clinked as she landed atop the quartz before clinking once again when she exploded forward. She twisted to the side, avoiding a tendril while her eyes trailed to the next that followed.

Cecillia raised her blade high, slicing through the tentacle straight down the middle without so much as a single hitch in her momentum. More tendrils came, contorting in shape to overwhelm her. They slammed into the crystal in quick succession, each and every impact shaking the foundations of the cavern whilst simultaneously creating craters of dark sludge that bubbled up like boiling tar.

Ten meters left.

Cecillia could now see the hideous form of the Aberration in all of its revolting glory. She looked directly into that abyss of a maw, not caring for those numerous eyes that blinked out of sync. They were already on her, after all, she felt them crawling on her skin.

Cecillia’s brows furrowed. There was something odd about the creature’s gaze, and when she blinked, she was surrounded in a cloud of purple smog. Fortunately, the pale frost fleeting from her skin counteracted the Aberration’s magic, but her already limited mana pool was quickly drying up, with two thirds thus far spent.

She clicked her tongue and released the magic for a second. Although, almost immediately a wave of pressure invaded her mind. The smog seeped into her skin, causing her vision to waver before suddenly clearing a split second later when the protective embrace of her frost was reactivated.

Cecillia breathed heavily and a cough burst out of her throat. It was a mistake to think that efficiency was something to be prioritized in such a fight. She blinked once again before her cold, blue eyes narrowed into thin slits. She wouldn’t make the mistake again.

Feeling another attack incoming, her heartbeat quickened and thundered, each pulse like the drums of war. She ducked under a sweeping tendril, but this time its edges were adorned with serrated blades, gleaming with a vicious black fluid. A deafening boom echoed and the lifeless cavern rumbled as the tentacle smashed and sliced into the wall. Dust fell from the ceiling high above before the undulating tentacle ripped out of the stone and came whipping back for her neck.

Cecillia’s gaze flew to the Aberration and a scowl twisted her lips. She leapt backwards, catching another blurred flicker of movement hurtling towards her from the other end. With those razor-like appendages seeking her blood and flesh, she was locked within the blades of a scissor.

Cursing, Cecillia’s body flashed and she appeared before the nearest tentacle. Her arm came crashing down and a heavy clang resounded through the unrelenting fog. The impact’s blast caused the smoky mist around her to disperse for a second and she gripped the blade’s handle tighter, pushing against the tendril with all her strength until it finally cleaved into two halves.

The force of the momentum carried her forward and she was just barely able to slam a foot down to pivot before bringing her blade up to parry the next attack. Frozen sparks flew from the collision and her body screamed in protest. With no time to brace for the impact, it was all she could muster to avoid being thrown back.

Her arms creaked against the force, the frost on Doran’s blade crackling. A pale blue light shimmered as ice began to crawl and spread across the appendage, but when a second tentacle intertwined with the first, the ice splintered and broke away.

Cecillia’s eyes widened in shock when several more tendrils conjoined, fusing together to form a single writhing mass of a tentacle. She felt her arm being pushed back, forcing her to shift her left hand from the handle to the edge of her blade. Blood ran down her forearm, seeping from the self-inflicted gash within her palm. Even with the 480 points in strength, her muscles screamed and the pressure in her bones was agonizing.

Until suddenly, a crack ruptured from Cecillia’s elbow joint and she felt her grip falter. One arm fell to her side uselessly and she was just barely able to keep the hand that remained on the handle tense. The massive tendril crashed down through her defenseless guard and slammed into her chest. Her chainmaille tinkled as the serrated edges grated against the steel before the armor itself ripped apart.

Trickles of crimson liquid ran down in thin lines over her bare skin as she was sent flying. The glinting light of the chainmaille faded away, and with that, her final lifeline was snapped.

Crashing near the edge of the crystal’s ledge, Cecillia rolled to a bloody halt on her back, chest heaving. She rested for a moment, then clutched at her arm, snapping the twisted joint back into place with a shuddering hiss. It was a clean break which normally would have rendered it completely useless. But with the system it was still marginally functional, with the only caveat being the pain. The stats also helped the earlier impact as well, toughening up her skin to the point where deep lacerations ended up only being scratches.

Groaning, she turned over and stabbed the blade into the ground. She hoisted herself up to her feet and a numbing wave passed over her head, her entire reality shifting before her eyes.

Cecillia placed her weight on the blade and sucked in a breath. The oxygen helped to clear her mind, and everything once again became still.

The Aberration loomed ahead of her, its swaying tendrils awaiting her charge. Her eyes passed over the cracked crystal road she had once ran. The metres she lost in distance stared back at her, taunting her with her earlier failed attempt. The cracks in the crystals, the poison seeping into the quartz—she glanced around and her gaze fell over the ledge.

Cecillia blinked once, and the gears in her head started to turn. Her eyes returned to the Aberration and she murmured for her status to appear.

Health: 650/1800

Stamina: 224/2400

Mana: 29/-

Cecillia was already beyond her limits, and her body was practically breaking down under the exponential amount of strength it had gained in an instant. Even so, she was on a timer, and just enough of her resources were left for a final charge. Though if she failed, death was the only one that awaited her.

A hollow sigh left her lips, her lungs burning with every breath. Cecillia raised her hand and glanced at the silver band adorning her finger. Her gaze hardened for a brief moment until that accursed creature tore through the silence with an otherworldly roar.

Cecillia’s eyes lifted into a glare and her heart sang out the chorus of its final elegy. Her body surged and the last vestiges of strength within her muscles exploded. The quartz beneath her fractured and the fragmented light splintered in all directions.

Wind whipped around her, her hair scattering along with the howling gales. Ice graced the ground beneath her every step, and her form started to flicker, accelerating past the speed of sound as the sonic boom detonated.

Seven tentacles awaited Cecillia, but she only revealed a grin. The first came down from overhead, and she spun to the right, leaping up as twin blades passed from below. She landed on the quartz mid-sprint and the appendages circled around to surround her. About half took on the form of hands, while the rest assumed their usual bladed appearance. They formed a nearly impenetrable ocean of darkness, and she could barely see the Aberration itself beyond that squirming sea of flesh.

Her heart beat once and a roar thundered from her throat. “Come!”

Simultaneously, each and every last one of its limbs came crashing down. Her pupils flicked across each incoming attack rapidly and she erupted into motion with a hail of ice.

She leapt straight into the air, every ounce of the remaining frozen mana bursting from her core in all directions. For a fleeting moment, every tendril was rendered motionless. Her feet barely touched the ground before she shot forward like a bullet. Nearly at the edge of the cage, the ice wore off and time resumed.

Without any loss in momentum, a hand came down to smash her against the ground, followed by countless other limbs. Cecillia waited with her blade, and at the last moment, her form became a vortex of crimson steel. The decaying flesh around her was eviscerated into a spurt of darkness and her head snapped to the left.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she lightly jumped backwards and stabbed down with her blade.

The connection was immediately felt and Cecillia’s left arm screamed. The bone breaking further as both arms were almost ripped out of their sockets. The sweeping tentacle propelled her high into the sky, and she ripped her blade free, twisting mid-air into a free fall. Her eyes scanned the aerial vicinity, and suddenly she spun into an accelerating flip. Her blade flashed outwards, smashing into one of the bladed tentacles with a deafening clang, sending her spinning into the unclaimed air. The impact jarred her frame, and she clenched her teeth to stabilize her rotation.

Her instincts screamed from behind her head and she quickly stabbed in that direction. Though, the edge of the sword didn’t pierce into flesh, but grazed past, glancing off with a clink and her eyes widened. Feeling herself start to fall, her hand shot out and grasped onto the razor-sharp edge of the tentacle. Blinding pain tore its way through her mind, the edges of her vision flashing white as the serrated dagger grinded against the bone of her hand.

Growling, Cecillia tightened her hold and flipped herself over with a single arm. She landed on the tentacle, and sucked in a tight breath before tensing her core. The tentacle whipped back and she was flung downwards with frightening speed. Cecillia’s heart hammered in her chest, and she coiled up into a ball before her blade lashed out.

The sword’s end pierced into a tentacle, shearing through the flesh as she used it to slow her descent. Only when Cecillia hovered at about ten meters above the ground did she kick off against the tentacle and swing herself over the ledge of the massive quartz crystal.

Gravity pulled her body to the ground, and as she hurtled several meters below the edge, she stabbed into the side of the crystal. Immediately a wrenching pain pulled at her sockets and her tendons screamed. The fracture in her left arm spread even further as she squeezed the handle with all her strength, using her legs to swing herself upwards whilst simultaneously ripping the blade out of the quartz’s side.

The momentum swung her forward and up, and Cecillia landed just five meters away from the Aberration. The tentacles that once surrounded and protected the Aberration were nowhere in sight. Her blade hummed with the desire for blood, and Cecillia seized the opportunity, dashing forward for the kill.

However, alarm bells started to ring in her mind, blaring out so wildly that a wave of nausea came over her being. She felt a massive presence rise before her, engulfing her in a thick, dreadful darkness. No other words could be used to describe the prelude to bereavement.

The massive maw of the aberration opened wide, revealing a deep, infinite abyss. Cecillia felt an ocean of mana coalescing, sparking in the very depths of entropy.

Suddenly, purple lightning flickered to life within the darkness and the cavern was instantly illuminated in a blinding flash.

Time itself slowed to a crawl as the world around her was eclipsed in the throes of hellish chaos.

Cecillia’s back went slick with cold sweat, her pupils trembling in terror when she belatedly realized that she couldn’t move. An overwhelming fear washed over her, and her very existence felt meaningless as if she was nothing more than something destined to vanish.

Everything returned to darkness and the scream that sounded from her throat cast no noise. Her flesh began to melt away, her skin searing with blackening blood. She struggled to crack the lids of her eyes open, and all she saw were pieces of her body floating away. Disintegrating into nothingness.

Truly this was the end… until a notification appeared before her eyes.

[Congratulations! You have met the requirements for skill ‘Frostblink’]

[Warning. Your body cannot currently handle forcible usage of this skill.]

Although, her eyes couldn’t even see the blinking notification before her body instinctively activated the skill. The pain that enveloped her dissipated instantly, and Cecillia crashed onto the ground, gasping for oxygen. It only took a moment for her to recognize her surroundings, but the depicted scene was of pure horror.

The air itself shuddered violently, the very cavern trembling as she turned to look behind her. A massive beam of purple and black chaos lightning tore through the glintstone cave. Everything it touched disintegrated into ashes of destruction, leaving only the fading echoes of utter obliteration in its wake.

Though, the pain that followed after the usage of the skill, was far worse than anything that beam could ever inflict.

[The ‘Divine Seal (XX)’ is not able to contain your essence.]

[Affliction: ‘Mana Corruption’ seeps deeper into your soul.]

Forcibly attempting to use sealed abilities will lead to severe backlash.

The image of the notification screen she had received on day one suddenly appeared. A hollow sound left her throat; it was a pitiful laugh.

Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes and Cecillia couldn’t suppress the scream of pure agony that tore from her throat. Her vocal chords felt like they were ripping apart, and the pain coursing through her veins made liquid magma seem like a gentle caress. Her fingernails dug into the crystal floor beneath her, not caring whether her bones cracked or not as she was so desperate for any source of support. But nothing calmed the pain, and blood seeped from every one of her orifices. The phlegm burst in her lungs and she gasped for air, only to choke on another mouthful of blackened blood, a sputtering cough erupted from her throat soon after.

Cold, white lines started to appear on her flesh, the skin fracturing just like bone would. It felt like her body had exploded from within, like her mind was controlling a figure filled with mush on the inside. She wasn’t sure if her heart was still beating or not, but when a pulsing pain tore its way from the left side of her chest, the question didn’t need to be asked anymore. All she knew was that it hurt.

Cecillia bit her tongue and the metallic taste mixed with the blood already shed in her mouth. Still, the newfound pain served to clear her mind by a very thin margin and she staggered to her feet. Her blurry gaze landed on the Aberration. It was right there.

With sheer willpower, Cecillia took a step forward, but her body suddenly lurched and she almost fell. She caught herself with her blade, the cold steel supporting her body for a moment as her face contorted into a twisted grimace. Her body no longer produced adrenaline, and every single movement felt like treading through solidifying concrete.

Cecillia felt a bead of sweat drip into one of her eyes, but when her vision came back scarlet she knew that it was blood. Scowling, she took another step through the pain while her eyes never left that wretched Aberration.

Her blade dragged on the ground behind her, leaving a trail scratching through the quartz. It hurt so much, and she really tried. Willing her eyes to stay wide open, but tears—streaked with crimson flowed down from her bloodshot eyes. Her sight only grew increasingly bleary, her breathing now coming in ragged, painful and broken gasps. While the skin on her face had long turned an ashen white.

A mouthful of blood exploded from her lips, but Cecillia forced out another desperate step. She was so close, so, so close. Behind her, she could feel the tentacles whipping through the air behind her, but she didn’t dare look back. Only a single meter separated her from the creature that stole away Doran’s life.

Its countless eyes were all fixated on her body, each one of them shaking with an ever-present fear. A deathly ghost of a smile appeared on her lips when she saw its core through its fading flesh, it was the end.

Cecillia’s instincts screamed at her, and her broken hand raised her blade high.

Now!

With a scream, she shot forward, her blade stabbing into the Aberration’s core with every single last remnant of strength she could muster. Time itself seemed to halt as Doran’s blade pierced through flesh, then stabbing into nothingness.

A single chime resounded out, and the world exploded into light and frost. An overwhelming wave of energy blasted out into the cavern, echoing endlessly against the stone. The Aberration screamed, releasing a high-pitched wail that penetrated through her mind. Cecillia clutched at her head, the strength draining from her limbs and she collapsed to her knees.

[The Crimson Death’s requiem falls into an everlasting silence. Retribution looks on past the sea of clouds and mourns the sognare. Your stats return to normal.]

Cecillia felt the blade in her hand shudder. Tiny fractures began to crawl across its once flawless steel, spreading from the hilt to its tip. The powerful weapon she wielded but for a moment seemed fragile, as if it could shatter at any moment. And as the seconds passed, the weapon groaned under the strain and its weightless feeling grew heavy.

Unable to support the blade, the sword slipped out of her weakening grasp and clattered against the quartz. Her eyes dipped in a multitude of monochrome colors. Ice, ash, and darkness faded around her and her consciousness started to slip. The deafening noises turned to a serene silence, and everything felt so war—

“Ceci.”

Though, a single, delicate note cut through the stillness, shattering her already broken heart. Something she thought she would never hear again, a haunting whisper that only sung in the grave of her memories.

“...A-Alice…?”

The bell-like voice that she hadn’t heard in ten years rang out once more.

“I missed you.”

Cecillia’s head weakly rose and her eyes shuddered when they came upon the outline of someone long forgotten. Hope rekindled in her heart from the ashes of despair, the dying flame once again igniting with a flicker. It couldn’t be… could it…

How…?

[Warning. Your mind is starting to erode.]

Cecillia’s eyes slowly started to clear and the pain in her flesh reduced into nothingness. She heard a squelching noise and a squirming sensation ran along her skin. A radiant wave of amber light shone. Then Cecillia saw a glimpse of silver threads fluttering in an ethereal breeze, dull gray stormy eyes that looked on sadly.

Cecillia’s head spun with anguish and a bitter lump emerged into her throat. Blood ebbed at the corners of her eyes and she staggered forward, crashing hard onto her chest.

“Ceci, help me please. It’s so cold… I don’t want to die…”

Memories flashed through Cecillia’s mind. Each scene cutting through her sanity in a hurricane of blades. Her bloodshot eyes could not shed anymore tears, but the emptiness in her heart forced her to claw forward.

“Alice…” Cecillia pleaded. “...Please don’t leave me.”

[Warning. Your mind is eroding.]

The warning echoed again, but her eyes refused to see. Her fingertips were ground to their bone, blood pouring out in an unrecognizable sight. Though Cecillia was numb to it all, her mind refused to think.

“I-I’ll help you, just—” Cecillia’s voice cracked, her outstretched hand trembling. “...Don’t go.”

Alice’s figure shifted, the amber light wreathing around her fading away into darkness. She took a single step forward, her soft skin rippling unnaturally, her flesh producing a wet, squelching noise as a sickening stench far beyond rot permeated through the air.

“Ceci…” Alice whispered, her voice echoing in the unholy layers of hell. “Why… why did you abandon me?”

Cecillia felt her chest clench, a cold, icy claw gripping the remains of her heart and she shook her head desperately.

“No! I d-didn’t want to…” the incoherent babble left her trembling lips. “ It wasn’t my fault…”

She tried to push herself upwards, but the ground beneath her already did it for her. Cecillia blinked in confusion as the surface under her started to squirm and a slimy cold sensation touched against her skin. It was like the ground had a mind of its own, writhing with life to pull her towards Alice…

“Alice… I’m sorry…” Cecillia choked.

Yet the girl standing before her barely heard her voice. Her eyes were emotionless and hollow while her face was twisted into deep sorrow.

“Don’t cry little Ceci,” Alice’s lips moved, but her tongue remained motionless. “I’m here for you now. You’ll be with me… forever.”

Alice’s arms reached outwards, the skin on her hands sagging and writhing. Cecillia was too close now, and she clawed at the ground, but her fingers only slipped through with a wet hiss. Her eyes trembled, but it was too late. Her body was carried forward, until finally, she fell into Alice’s embrace.

“...Alice.”

The girl’s arms wrapped around Cecillia, pulling her into a tight hug. Though instead of warmth, all Cecillia felt was an icy coldness. Alice’s skin was rubber-like and wet, and the bitter scent of decay seeped into her mind.

She glanced upwards, barely an inch separated them… into Alice’s eyes. They were no longer dull, and in them, they reflected the burning flames of the past.

“You left me… all alone,” Alice whispered, her breath freezing against Cecillia’s skin. “Now… you’ll stay with me… forever.”

Cecillia released a gasp and she tried to pull away, but Alice’s arms kept her close. She felt her legs crawling, thousands of individual sensations creeping along her flesh. They climbed her torso, up her neck and onto her face. The light began fading from her eyes as they seeped into her ears, burrowed up into her nose and tore at her pupils.

[Critical warning. Your existence is fading.]

The maggots filled her throat and she desperately longed for air, but the precious oxygen never came.

Darkness surged across her shuddering vision, every sense ringing out in primal fear until finally… Cecillia fell.

Her body started to drift away, her thoughts fleeting as the darkness turned into a blinding light. A dying star, single and lonely shone at its brightest..

[You have di—

{Hey.} The sound of chains clinking rumbled through the desolate dream. {Wake up.}

The writhing mass of maggots fell lifeless. One by one they detached from her skin, their bodies fracturing into ashes of pale light. Their chittering mouths released a cacophony of silent screams, and a single laugh left Cecillia’s throat.

The bag of mana-cores just barely hanging onto her waist by a single thread of cloth hissed and a brittle crackle echoed like a boom out into the caverns of Kaust. The sound reverberated twice against the stone walls and Cecillia raised her head.

“So. You saw into my mind?”

A faint light started to grow from underneath the bag’s surface, pulsing and gradually becoming brighter. Cecillia felt a chill run down her spine, the frigid frost shearing out of the bag in spikes. The arcane light slowly started to emanate a low, humming noise and a hole was torn through the thin cloth. Through that, the mana-cores fissured like fragile glass, thin lines fracturing across their delicate surfaces.

“If you really did,” Cecillia whispered with a bitter smile. “Then there’s something that you should know.”

A violent, ear-splitting crack rang out as the first mana core ruptured. The explosion of raw, volatile energy triggered a chain reaction as the others rapidly followed, detonating one after another. Each core erupted with a deafening roar, and Cecillia was sure that her ears had imploded.

Her head started to ring, her mind just barely holding on as incomprehensible waves of frozen energy surged into her being. Blood leaked from her mouth, staining her lips crimson, but her smile only curled further upwards into a grin.

“The thing is…” Cecillia murmured. “She’s already dead. But you must know that already, right Alice?”

[“NO! LET ME GO!”]

‘Alice’ released a twisted roar, her voice contorting into a malicious chorus of evil. Thousands of voices echoed and threatened to consume Cecillia’s mind. Yet, her arms wrapped around Alice and pulled the ‘girl’ tight to her chest.

“And do you know how she died?”

Cecillia stared into those gray, emotionless eyes. Within that reflection, blue orbs held the somber grievances of acceptance.

“I kill—”

[“SHUT UP!”]

Suddenly, blood came gushing out of Cecillia’s mouth. A chilling cold spread from her stomach, and her gaze slowly fell down. There, a hand held a jagged spike of darkness that tore through her abdomen and slowly rose to her heart.

Cecillia fell forward against Alice’s shoulder. She felt the strength leaving her body as the chill seeped into her bones, but her arms refused to let go.

Smiling weakly, her lips uttered a final breath.

“Too late, Alice.”

Time slowed and all the pain in her body drifted away. The ice erupted from her arms, her flesh ripping, bones cracking as the cold rendered everything null. White-lines grew on her skin and her blood froze solid into ice before her skin itself tore open. Beneath the surface layer, a blinding, white light rushed into the darkness of the cavern.

The unholy form that the Aberration had became wailed, its spike lashing out to slaughter the human before it. Cecillia suppressed a scream, her face contorting into a stone-like grimace as she pulled Alice’s body closer to her heart. A layer of frost built upon the girl’s writhing skin and slowly, the spike halted its ascent.

The ending streaks of her obsidian hair were seared a deathly white, while her blue eyes burned with the essence of winter. Cecillia felt her bones splintering, her arm itself fading away as the ice consumed her flesh as its fuel.

“Ceci, remember this. I will always love you okay?”

‘Alice…’

Cecillia cried out, all the emotions she couldn’t understand pouring out in an unstoppable river of damnation. Her voice was raw and broken, and she held on tighter, until the moment came where the noise was eclipsed by the deafening sound of the wind rushing against her shattered ears.

Cecillia’s started to fall backwards, blood trailing out of the ends of her shoulders. Her arms were no longer there to fill their sockets, but she could care less.

Memories replaced the dreaded scene of the cavern and Cecillia was back on Earth. Just ahead of her, Alice sat at a simple wooden table next to a cafe. She sipped happily on her drink, releasing a laugh with a smile.

There was nothing more that Cecillia ever wanted than to see it again.

Her bell-like laugh, her beautiful smile, her rosy scent…

The dream-like scene vanished before her eyes and she returned to hell. Cecillia’s lips parted and a single whisper escaped in a deathly wish.

Then, the world turned to ice.

Everything around Cecillia… froze in an instant. The air grew still, deathly silent whilst time itself stopped completely. Frigid chains formed around Alice’s limbs and as the cold crawled across her skin, her body was encased in a frozen tomb.

The back of Cecillia’s head slammed into the ground. Her eyelids fluttered, her vision blinking between light and darkness. Within that azure prison, she looked upon Alice’s outstretched arm as the ice shimmered faintly.

Cecillia’s breath hitched in her throat, and a soft crack echoed into the air. A fissure appeared into the frozen cocoon, until the entire tomb shattered.

The sound was deafening but delicate and tiny gleaming shards twinkled away like the scattered stars of space. Frost sprayed out in a magnificent cascade, forming elegant flakes of snow, each shard dancing through the air before settling softly on the cold quartz floor.

Cecillia’s trembling lids closed over her azure eyes, closing out the frozen world around her. Everything felt fuzzy and warm and a fog drifted across her mind. She felt the snowflakes gently landing on her skin, settling upon the frozen blood that seeped out of the socket of her severed arms.

Her feeble breaths created mists before her lips, and as she released a final, faint shudder.

All that remained was the cold.

[Defeated (Entropic Aberration - Level 170)]

[You have gained 1 soul.]

[For killing an enemy one hundred and fifty or move levels above your own, you receive bonus experience.]

[Congratulations! You’ve leveled up many times!]