The Fall Of The Sea

So I'm back here…

Aaron floated in an endless void of darkness that encompassed the world around him, watching fragments of a mirror piece together one by one.

Thousands of microscopic shards intertwined together, reflecting his appearance throughout the abyss.

That's strange… Where's that Old Man from the Abyss?

As he watched the mirror fully form, the reflection ceased, with a deep magenta glow appearing on the surface.

The colors gradually faded, with small black words beginning to appear on the glass.

Why is it different this time? Is it because I didn't absorb a core?

Squinting, he attempted to read the words, but they were in an unrecognizable language.

Maybe Eleanor would know what these mean… Wait, aren't these the same as the paper that activated the Ghostship?

Aaron's eyes widened as he tried to swim through the murky darkness closer towards the formless words that spiraled across the mirror.

The characters gradually changed, rearranging themselves into positions that Aaron finally recognized, as if they understood his problem.

Reading carefully, he was able to discern a short sentence written along the left edge of the reflection; however, the others were covered with cracks and divots that obstructed his view.

[The Ocean Rifter shouldn't be used currently.]

Aaron blinked in confusion at the strange phrase before thinking back to what he was doing before he passed out.

The Ocean Rifter? Could it be that special cannonball that caused that explosion? To be honest, it's quite absurd that something so powerful was aboard the Ghostship the whole time…

Sighing, Aaron watched as the words reshuffled across the projection, forming a new sentence in the top center of the mirror.

[When you return to reality, you will experience extreme backlash.]

As he read the sentence, his blood ran cold, trying to imagine what kind of consequences awaited him when he woke up.

E-Extreme backlash? I-It won't kill me, right?

Before Aaron had a chance to think about it more, the phrase began to change again.

This time, it formed into a paragraph of words that spanned down the direct center of the mirror, causing the edges to crack from an unknown pressure that encompassed the space.

[Backlash has been minimized by external phenomenon; however, if used again before healing is complete, the accumulated strain will result in irreversible, fatal harm. Mental hijacking complete, returning wielder to reality.]

Without time to think, the darkness around him shattered at once, deafening him completely as his mind began to blur with strange, quiet voices calling out through the void.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"It was needed for survival."

"I don't care about survival. You went against my orders."

"My only mission is to ensure his complete–"

Aaron listened to the two voices argue back and forth until they became dead silent.

"He is listening…"

Flashes of color blinded Aaron, nauseating him before something heavy rammed against his skull, shattering it instantly.

… 

The morning after the elimination of the hydra, Eleanor and Olivia ran through the empty streets of Sea Fallen.

 "S-Slow down!"

Eleanor, who was barely keeping up with Olivia, panted as they slowed their run.

"What's the big deal? We are almost there, so we just have to run a little more until we're at the Church."

Olivia smirked at the exhausted Eleanor before handing her a small pouch of water she had attached to her waist.

Her eyes widened, but they quickly furrowed into accusation.

"Huh? Did you have this the whole time? Why didn't you give it to me sooner?"

Olivia laughed under her breath, looking at her friend's betrayed expression before speaking.

"You just didn't ask."

Frowning, Eleanor took the compact bottle, uncapped it, slowly placing it against her lips, and drinking.

"It's good, right? Mixed in a little alcohol to keep it fresh."

The red-haired girl looked at Eleanor's stunned expression before laughing.

"Hehe, it was just a joke. I know you Sea God believers don't drink."

Eleanor sighed before throwing the bottle at Olivia with force.

As the flask flew, Olivia threw up her hands in defense; however, the flying object merely dropped onto the ground with a thud inches away from where it was thrown.

Silence engulfed the two girls before they both laughed at Eleanor's pathetic attempt to throw it with power.

"You need that training, huh?"

Olivia smirked before grabbing Eleanor's wrist and pulling her down the alleyway quickly.

…

"We're here!"

Olivia patted Eleanor on the back as they approached a colossal cathedral that stood guard beside the Great Sea Wall.

"F-Finally…"

Eleanor panted slowly, leaning against the building for support with her stamina finally depleted from the tiring run.

Olivia looked at her friend before speaking calmly without a hint of fatigue.

"Well then, let's go inside!"

Without waiting for Eleanor to respond, she walked forward, banging on the two solid doors that guarded the entrance to the headquarters for the Church of Dreams.

Only moments after, three nuns revealed themselves from the shadows, bowing politely towards Olivia and Eleanor, who waited for entry.

"Oh, how kind…"

Eleanor rolled her eyes, mumbling under her breath.

They use slaves as nuns to cut down on costs and make sure their obedient… They at least pay them and give them a place to stay, but they are forced to convert and serve the Church for the rest of their lives.

Olivia ushered Eleanor forward through the doors into a cathedral, preventing her from showing the displeasure on her face.

Whispering calmly into Eleanor's ear, Olivia spoke quietly.

"No matter how displeased you are with the practices of my Church, you mustn't comment on it."

Sighing, Eleanor nodded at her old friend before observing the interior of the hall.

It was a magnificent chamber with magenta-stained glass windows on the western walls that reflected no sunlight during the early hours due to the Great Sea Wall; however, during sunset, beautiful beams of light graced the opulent hall.

"It's still quite the sight to see, isn't it, Eleanor?"

Olivia was standing behind her, speaking in a monotone voice without a hint of displeasure.

Eleanor turned towards her before talking in a hushed tone.

"Indeed, it is. Now, please inform me of the situation as we head into the mausoleum."

The expression on Olivia's face quickly soured as she began to walk towards a small staircase hidden behind the altar.

The crimson-haired girl opened her mouth to speak before closing it and checking the surroundings for listeners.

Eleanor followed her hurried pace towards the stairs, finally hearing the other girl speak in a whisper.

"Last night, a mysterious light radiated through the night sky, shaking the sea itself. This anomaly would normally be chalked up to a rogue sea terror or an earthquake; however, the priestess on duty in the mausoleum witnessed something unbelievable. And when things finally settled down… we discovered the seal had been damaged."

Olivia continued talking as Eleanor's mind whirred in confusion at what phenomenon could've caused this.

For it to damage the seal on the mausoleum, it must've been something at the level close to a Sea King…

Closing her eyes for a moment to think, Eleanor accidentally stumbled into Olivia, who had stopped suddenly in front of her.

"Oops, sorry…"

Eleanor mumbled out an apology; however, ahead of her, Olivia turned around, moving close to her ear and murmuring.

"What the priestess witnessed was a vision of the future. That foresight she saw has left her traumatized beyond what therapy can fix."

Moving away from her ear, Olivia continued walking down the stairs as if nothing had happened.

Eleanor was left baffled at the unusual words before speaking in a questionable tone. 

"Did you attempt to seal her memories with Mind Weaver?"

Ahead of her, Olviia simply shook her head, not even bothering to slow down.

"Of course we did. However, the Saint who administered the spell faced fatal backlash from attempting the spell."

Eleanor's pupils dilated, hearing the response from the priestess in front of her.

T-The backlash killed a Saint!? What in the hell happened in that mausoleum…

As Eleanor's thoughts blurred together, she realized that they had reached the bottom of the stairs and that they faced a large stone door.

"Ah, let me open this."

Olivia reached into her pocket, pulling out a miniature key that radiated a purple aura before inserting it into the lock.

"Come help me push open these doors, Eleanor. They are quite heavy…"

She nodded, stepping forward and placing her palms against the cold rock.

Olivia pushed hard while Eleanor only slightly helped; however, the doors opened all the same.

The mausoleum itself was a large magenta room like the Church above; however, in the center of the room lay a crystal surrounded by large golden chains.

The original seal was produced by the mysterious Magician who assisted in the construction of the Great Sea Wall and was rumored to be unbreakable.

Opposed to that belief, large cracks had formed on the chains with a purple glow slipping through the holes.

To Eleanor and Olivia's surprise, however, standing in front of the central crystal were two figures who were illuminated in the light.

"Are they helping reinforce the seal?"

Eleanor asked Olivia, who had a confused look on her face.

The fiery-eyed girl reached towards her waist, removing the rusty axe from its holster and stuttering out a response in the form of a terrified whisper.

"Eleanor, you need to run… RIGHT NOW!"

The moment the words left Olivia's mouth, a loud, explosive bang was heard from the two figures at the center.

Eleanor watched in a daze as Olivia looked down at her axe-wielding arm, only to realize that all that was left was a bloody stub.