A bath of blood and wakfu

Chapter 7 | Balance

- The White Dimension -

Yugo had eventually reached the point, where his energy left him. For just a second, he stood still, before then collapsing through the floor, falling for what felt like forever.

The young eliatrope was certain, that he had lost consciousness at some point during the fall, but he did not feel like it actually mattered. Then he hit the ground. With his lung suddenly decompressed, he was not able to scream, no matter the unbearable pain he felt.

"Yugo...", Was that Amalia's voice? His ears rang, and he had trouble lifting his head from the floor, despite his efforts. "Young king.", the voice called for him again. Though this time it was clear that it wasn't Amalia that was reaching out to him. "Get up. You need to get up.", The voice stayed persistent. It was a calm and soothing voice, yet demanding. Yugo wanted to know who it was, that was talking to him, but he was too exhausted.

Eventually, he extended his left hand forward, then the other one, all of his limbs screaming at him in unison. Just a little more, he thought to himself, he could do it. Slowly, he tried to look up, pulling himself to his elbows in the process.

What he saw seemed unreal, the woman in front of him was at least three meters tall, and she wore a hat similar to the one he wore, as all of the Eliatropes did. But when he looked at her closely, she looked more like an illusion than a real person.

Granted, Yugo was almost convinced, he was just imagining the woman in front of him. He was sure, that he must've finally lost his sanity, after tumbling around the white infinity for so long. "Who are you?", He struggled to get his words out, his throat was dry, and felt rough like sandpaper.

"I, little king, am eliatrope.", The woman revealed herself, leaving Yugo in disbelief. There were countless questions inside of his head. Was this really Eliatrope? She was the goddess of all eliatropes? "How-?", he wasn't able to finish his questions, coughing the dry air out of his throat.

"I am not here. I am in spirit, but my mind is in the realm of the gods, in inglorium.", She said, her voice, staying monotone throughout. What she said made sense to Yugo, Amalia had told him about a similar experience before, she had with the god Sadida.

Although he was still hesitant to trust his mind, especially after spending an unknown amount of time in the white dimension. Still, he decided to believe that the ghost-like figure in front of him was indeed the goddess eliatrope.

"Why are you here, eliatrope?", he finally managed to form a full sentence. "The balance of the Krozmos is in danger." "The balance of the Krozmos?", He felt like inside of his brain, there was a big mush of words and emptiness, and right now, none of it made sense to him.

"What do you mean by that?", Yugo had heard of that phrasing time and time again. Throwing off the balance... Ogrest had thrown off the balance in the world of twelve when he tried to use the dofuses for the love of his life. And so did Nox, when he used the eliacube to bring back his family. And even he himself did so when he used to dofuses to save Dally.

"Are you aware of the very fragile balance between Wakfu and Stasis?",  she asked. The young king just slowly shook his head, trying to avoid worsening his headache. "Let me explain it to you then, my son." It felt weird to Yugo, how she kept calling him her child, but he pushed the feeling away. After all, if even just parts of what Qilby had said were true, she was probably the closest thing to a biological parent Yugo had.

"As you should already know, Wakfu is the energy you use to create your portals, and your sword and shield. Wakfu is the energy that represents life and all that flows. Stasis on the other hand, is the energy of death, and everything stale. When the Krozmos was created by myself and the great dragon, both the great dragons' Stasis and my Wakfu filled every last corner of it. These two energies coexist in a very fragile balance.", she waited for some sign from Yugo, that would show her he had understood, but then she went on:"If Qilby manages to execute his plan, and the mechasms take over the world of twelve, the Krozmos how you know it will no longer be able to exist."

Yugo was confused, unsettled even:"The mechasms? But-...  I thought they were gone?" "It is not as easy as that, my dear child. Back, when you and your siblings wanted to protect your home by fleeing with the zenith, Nora and Efrim sacrificed themselves to keep the mechasms at bay, just long enough for them to lose the ship's trace. But when Qilby took the Eliacube back into his possession, he sent them a signal.", She paused again, giving Yugo all the time he might need:"Yugo. You don't have much time left until they will arrive in the world of twelve, and bring chaos once again."

Yugo started feeling shaky again, his heart filled with a deep feeling of despair. How was he supposed to avert a crisis like that? Especially since he was currently stuck in a different dimension, with no way out, and with the knowledge, that they weren't even able to beat Qilby in a three-on-one fight. He buried his face between his hands:"But how am I supposed to do that? I don't stand a chance against Qilby. Not without the help of all the other Eliatrope children. And not while I am stuck in here."

"Don't lose your hope little king.", her aura was calming, even in the situation he was currently in, Yugo felt as if she was giving him a hug made from pure Wakfu and warmth:"I am here to help you after all." While the goddess eliatrope usually refrained from laying hand on her and the dragon's fragile Krozmos and its inhabitants, she knew that they might lose all of it, if she wouldn't get involved this time.

The eliatrope looked up to his creator, waiting for her to go on. "I can help you unlock a part of your power, that even the council of twelve had decided was not meant for your folk to access. But I am afraid, in your current state you are not ready for it."

A mix of uncertainty and determination flooded every inch of his body. Why did the eliatropes and the dragons not want to use that power? He and the other members of the council surely had their reasons for deciding the way they did. And yet, the way eliatrope portrayed it, this seemed to be the only way to save the world of the twelve.

Deep down, he knew that he had already decided. He stood up, maybe a little too fast, and he stumbled a few steps forward, still feeling weakened:"What do I need to do?" Eliatrope extended her arm toward him and that was when he knew what would come next.

She would do the same thing Phaeris had done to him, back when they were on the crimson claw island. Just the mere thought of having to experience that pain he felt back then again made him want to turn on his heels, and run as fast and as far as he could.

It was a soul-striking and bone-shaking pain, he wasn't sure he could ever feel ready for. Nevertheless, he didn't run. His gut felt like it had turned upside down, but he knew, that he could not risk the entirety of the Krozmos, because of that.

"Wait!", Yugo exclaimed, trying to arrange his words in a way that was understandable. He did not try to avoid his responsibilities, but there was still something he had to ask his goddess:"How- How am I gonna get out of here though?'

"I am afraid this dimension is outside of my reach. This place is outside the realms of the Krozmos, I hold no power here.", there was a faint note of remorse in her monotone voice:"Good luck, my child." That was all she said, before she further extended her arm, now touching his forehead with her palm.

The comforting warmth of the Wakfu suddenly transformed into an unbearable heat. It felt like a fire, that sipped into every fiber of his skin. Yugo wanted to scream, he wished he could scream, but not a single sound left his throat. It was as if his arms, his legs, and all the other parts of his body were slowly stretched apart, threatening to rip into pieces at any moment. He plead with every part of his being, for the pain to stop. It felt like an eternity, his mind hazed, while he was begging to lose his consciousness.

Then finally, the world went silent again. His brain gave him the sweet relief of unconsciousness. He fell to his knees, and every muscle in his body went limp, before hitting the floor face first. His eyes were drowned out by tears, he was not able to wipe away.

The pain had been worlds worse, than what he remembered from Phaeris. "Rest now. You will need it, so you can adjust to your new abilities. And now, I will leave again farewell and good luck.", she said, watching her son, as she disappeared, as silent as she had come.