Okay so before we launch into this chapter, I'm just gonna say for the record: I'm mashing up all the side stories from 6-66 and 6-67 into their own respective parts. Like this is gonna just follow Team A, the next will be just Team B and Team C will be last. And there Ain't no way in hell I'm making this thing double or triple parts, so good luck reading over 10K for the next three chapters.
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The elevator stops with a sharp jolt, forcing Charlie, Vil and the others to climb out of the elevator and look around at the vast space. Charlie tried not to look over the edge, as tempting as it was to look down into the abyss. But she'd pass out just seeing it. And the moans of the dead weren't helping her either.
"So...here we are...the Phantom prison: Tartaros..." Vil breathed, drinking in the dark space as her. "Just seeing the size and depth of it makes me shudder violently..."
Epel shivers and huddles towards Charlie. "The air's getting so cold...it's almost like back in my hometown...but it's...somehow darker...."
"Same as both of you...it feels off somehow...not in the good way..." Rook nods. "It's not that I feel the cold air...but it's more of an 'Air of Death' I can't shake off..."
"This screams of a place where any living being steps in here, they're out in .5 seconds..." Charlie murmurs. "One can wonder how deep it goes...." With their words, they began their trek down into the depths. Vil quickly looks through the digital map of the facility, four dots moving around in the map, marked as him, Charlie and the others.
"We'll need to use the elevator once more to get down to the bottom...." Vil went to unlock it, but it wouldn't respond. "Of course, it's not working now."
"Ortho's got a hold over everything." Epel grimaced. "If they didn't want us intruding on their plans then....maybe they didn't want us using a cheat or something...." Suddenly, the doors opened without warning, making everyone grow on edge.
"It's likely a trap. A mischeviously powerful android can have tricks up its sleeve...but let's get this over with." Vil hissed. As soon as the last person was inside, the doors shut behind them and plunged the whole box into darkness.
"Hello! Welcome, Team A to Tower 1 of the Cursed Tartaros Labyrinth!" Ortho sounded overhead.
"Well~, speak of the devil~." Vil smirks at the voice.
"Never did I think we'd get to try out a prototype of Night Raven Quest firsthand! And we;ve got new characters and new powers added to the roster!
" 'Night Raven Quest'? What's that?" Epel asked.
"Likely a little RPG Idia dreamt up." Charlie snarks.
"Correct you are, miss Charlie! It's a team vs team vs team type of genre! If you want to reach the Underworld and face us, then clearing the beginner stage should be easy as pie!" The darkness transforms into a galactical-themed space as the title of the game flashed in 3-D graphics above before the four's eyes, just like a real-life simulation.
"I've played this game before in the resting room...." Vil murmurs.
"That's right! If you pass one level, you're given access to travel down!"
"Aight, let's do this!" Charlie cracks her knuckles. "Having dealt with Smash Bros and more fighting games, this is gonna be a piece of-Guh!" Charlie was walking forward as she spoke, but she hit something that made her stumble back. She massaged her cheek that smacked against the wall, and moved her outstretched hand forward, weirded out, only to feel glass instead of empty space, turning her confusion to fear. "H-Hey! Hey, guys!!" she knocks on the glass, getting the three's attention on the other side of the glass from her. Epel saw her and ran up to her.
"Charlie??"
"Something's wrong!! I-I can't reach where you guys are!" her voice sounded partially muffled due to being on the other side of the wall. Epel pushed against the wall, feeling glass like her, making him scared as well.
"What's going on?!" But his fear went up as he saw her starting to break apart piece by piece like a pixelated figure, stating from her fingertips. "CHARLIE!!!"
"MILADY!!!" Both Rook and Vil tried to break the glass, forcing her figure to break apart faster as she pleaded for help, helplessly hitting the glass as she began to cry, her tears becoming pixels to match with her. It wasn't before long til her face became the last thing to vanish, dampening the trio's spirit.
"CHARLOTTE!" Vil screamed hitting the glass in frustration, but the simulation before them booted up, forcing him to start the game without his permission. The small monsters as well as the rock giant however, seemed to have gained some sentience, and began to throw stronger attacks than normal, depleting the team's energy faster, until they were knocked off their feet in exhaustion and the simulation booted down.
"No...We...we lost?!" Rook breathed, trying to get some air into his lungs.
"Afraid so....but that's due to the game has reached a far more difficult level than how I recalled! We lost on purpose." Vil got to his feet.
"Ahahahaha! And you lost almost imeediately! Sore loser!" Ortho taunts. "That means I can't let you through! You're too weak to beat this level on max difficulty!"
"Ugh...like brother like robot it seems..." Vil scoffs.
"Oh....is that what you think...? Well, maybe you're right. Nii-san and I are alike!...However....you seem like you've got potential, so it shouldn't end here so soon. How about a second chance? And maybe....throw in a little fun into the mix. You pass the level..." From a space up in the air, a crystal bubble floated, revealing Charlie's figure inside, body hanging by her wrists, unconscious. "...And she'll be released!"
"CHARLOTTE!" the three scream in fear.
"What have you done to her?!" Vil sneers.
"Just put her in a small state of stasis. I wanted to see what power each of you really held! And from what my sensors gathered, Charlotte Luchessi is leveled in high enchantments and powerful magic that hasn't been seen in years! Having her would be a bit of a hacking through the level! So I sealed her away from you three just in case~!"
"So her disappearing....that was you!" Epel put the dots together.
"Exatamungous! So, what are you waiting for~? Game Start!" This time, the three were prepared as they focused on using their powers in sync to damage the robots and annihalate the rock monster in sync, beating the level.
"Hell yeah! We beat the level!" Epel smiled.
"Well~! It seems your tactics changed instantly! But don't think things will get easier from this point on~! Anyhoo, you pass, and I'll release Charlotte." Ortho relents. "But if what Nii-San said was true....Vil suits a tank...then what would Rook and Epel be labeled as...maybe even Charlotte herself?! I'll just have to see how this tripe acts when they reach newer levels~! See you at the next gate~!"
The doors in front of them hissed open and all three tumbled out as the smoke cleared around them. But there laid Charlie, on the ground and her body still as death.
"Charlie!!" Epel and Rook ran to her, the latter gathering her in his arms as her head rested on his shoulder for support.
"Milady, say something!" He begged as Epel checked her pulse. It was normal, thankfully. A groan of exhaustion slipped past her lips as her eyes crinkled open and looked around carefully.
"Huh...am...Am I out...?" She murmurs, slowly regaining consciousness and strength.
"Yeah." Epel nods, helping her to her feet. "Do you remember anything while you were sealed up?"
"Well, it's a little weird but....when I felt myself getting taken elsewhere....it's like I had an out of body experience....like I could see my body hanging in the air and I was also watching you guys battle the video game monsters...it felt as if my soul was wandering on its own...." She sighed bitterly, "I can't believe that Ortho locked me out of the level you guys were at..."
"Hmph, they're a duo of malicious brothers, indeed..." Vil nods. "But soon enough, WE will have the last laugh."
"I can't believe this is what Tartaros acts like..." Epel shivered once more. "And now that the elevator's busted, guess we'll have to move forward on foot..."
"From what the Staff said to us in the control room, all of the phantoms on this level of the asylum are freed, so they'll be lurking wherever we trek." Vil murmurs and Charlie responds.
"We'll have to be on guard if we cross paths with one. In the meantime, let's move." She begins to walk ahead as the other three copy her.
Being in front of the pack, Charlie had time to think to herself. Although Ortho had trapped her inside of the bubble, the OOB experience she went through...that wasn't something HE did. Maybe...was it her own magic responding in turn to the offensive spell? That even if it couldn't break her out physically, spiritually was off the table?...something didn't quite make sense...
"Charlotte, wait." Vil's voice called her out of her trance. She turned back and saw a rather somber look on his face, making her raise an eyebrow.
"What's up?"
"Before we go any further, I have something to say....to all of you." Vil continued.
"Roi du Poisson? What is it?" Rook urged.
"...Upon being reunited, we never had the chance to speak to one another since we had to run into enemy territory almost immediately...so while we still have time, I wish to speak. Rook...you abandoned Pomefiore even if you were the vice leader just to come after me...I know you to be a man who does things out of the ordinary, and yet...during such a critical moment when the whole school was under attack All those days ago...you showed such irresponsible actions. And as Dorm leader, this will not go unpunished." By the end of his speech, Vil was starting to glare.
"No, Vil, wait!" Epel stopped Vil before he could do anything hasty. "He knew what he was doing but still-!"
"Silence! I'm not done. The matter of me being spirited away and Rook abandoning his responsibility as vice leader are two sides of the same coin. Anyone else who stayed behind at the dorm must've been keeping an eye on things whilst he was gone. So if anything, I'm rather ashamed to have chosen an irresponsible man who followed his own emotions over the task of being the vice dorm leader!"
"He did it because it was his choice!" Epel defended, shielding Rook with his arms.
"No, Epel, it's alright." Rook placed a hand on Epel's shoulder to make him lax, a somber look on his face. "Vil has every right to be upset with me. And therefore, I'm prepared to be stripped of my title the moment I stepped foot off the Island...."
"But....no, you can't...!" Epel's voice having lost all its power, tried to defend Rook but he couldn't think of anything.
"As for you two." Vil looked over at Charlie this time. "You realized how dangerous coming her was, no?"
"And what if we did, huh?" Charlie growled back. "Who gives a flying fuck about danger? I laugh in the face of danger, buster! You saw what I did to you at the VDC! And you've also seen what I did to those robotic guards! But I was holding back! Because the real enemy is the one I will NOT hold back on! And even if I stayed behind doing nothing, I'd never forgive myself if anyone else came back dead!" She and Vil held one another's gazes with either impudence or crude fury, but neither of them broke the tension for a while. But then Vil looked away and sighed.
"You mistake me, Charlotte....but I'm done speaking as the Leader of Pomefiore...but as Vil Schoenheit the person....it's different." Vil sighed. This made her raise an eyebrow and looked to the other two with confusion. "When I heard Idia say that you three arrived to the Isle, I felt happiness...it felt like years since I felt a true onslaught of positivity!" But before anyone could say anything, Vil began to place smooches on their cheeks, first Rook, then Epel and lastly, Charlotte. This made the girl short-circuit out of nowhere...
".....che cazzo è stato... è successo davvero... credo di essere ubriaco in questo momento......"
"Forgive me for my brash action, but....to see all of you really here and alive ...is more than I could ask for....thank you all..." Vil had a small smile as he pulled all three into a group hug. But Charlie was still out of it...and after she was let go of, she promptly fainted to the floor dramatically.
"I think you broke Charlie..." Epel tried not to laugh at the sight for Charlie's sake as Rook carried her over his shoulder, sliming her over like a sack of potatoes. "Oh wait! Vil, you won't believe what happened! I found my Unique Magic on our way here!" And this made Vil do a rather comical double take.
"It's true! You should've seen it earlier!" Rook smiled. "A glass shield traps an enemy within!"
"Wait...THAT'S his spell?!"
"Damn sure! 'Sleep Kiss' it's called....it lets me trap anyone inside of it, freezing them in their tracks. It's still not mastered though...maybe around 30...40%...?"
"And that's not all! He also used it to protect my lady and mistress Charlotte when a swarm of Charons had them cornered! It's too bad none of you had a camera on you, it was real sweet~!" Fawkes pops up out of nowhere with a Huge ass grin.
"Aaah!! Bug!!" Epel screamed trying to swat at the little creature. But Fawkes merely dodged his slow as fuck hand swats as Vil and Rook could only stare at the bobble head sized being.
"Geez, you humans are so funny at times! It's like you've never seen a spriteling before!" Fawkes snickered. "Anyhoo, hey. My name's Fawkes, I'm a Fire sprite, one of the most powerful in my class not to brag, and I'm also this girl's right-hand man!" He pointed to Charlie, who was just getting over the whole Vil kiss. She kicked Rook upside the head, and he in turn let her go.
"A...a sprite?!" Epel looked rather freaked out.
"Fawkes!" Charlie hissed running to him as he landed on her open palm. "What are you doing?! I thought I told you to hide! Now they know you exist!"
"Hey it's not like they're gonna spill to the public!" He chuckled back. "Besides, isn't it the norm to have magical creatures in this universe~?" Just as Charlie opened her mouth to retort, Vil spoke before she could.
"Where did he come from?!"
"He used to belong to my teacher Ophelia." She answered rather hastily. "She sent him to me so that he could watch over me in her place. I-I didn't want you guys to know about him til later!"
"My Lady, you will need me to defeat these monsters! Even if you try to have me concealed, I will be exposed eventually." Fawkes urged. "Plus, as much as I admire you for taking on the task yourself, you can't do these things alone! Even with powerful spells that these bozos possess." Fawkes side-eyed the Pomefiore trio who gave back offended glares. But the air seemed to shift as Rook, Vil and even Charlie herself narrowed their eyes, looking elsewhere.
"Uh...is something wrong...?" Epel squeaks...
"Keep your Guard up, Epel." Charlie hissed. "We're not alone...."
Suddenly, from the shadows several creatures launched themselves at the group, but Fawkes was faster.
"Watch out!!!" He sent out a wave of fire that hurtled the monsters back, giving enough time for Charlie and the boys to distance themselves from the group of monsters that were sent their way. They managed to get a look at them in turn. Rather small, yet were uniquely designed to be noticeable to the eye.
"I'll take 'em all out with one slash!" Charlie shouted as she summoned her sword in hand. Gripping it with both hands, she poured her mana into her sword. "Fawkes....care to lend a hand?"
"Gladly!" the Sprite chirps. He began to imbue his power into her sword, as she kicked off the ground and flapping her wings with powerful speed, she prepared to swing her sword. Vil, Rook and Epel also lent her some help, giving some more firepower in a unison spell for Fawkes to absorb and transfer into her attack.
Charlie focused her line of sight in on the group of small creatures. 'Don't focus on anything else....focus on your enemy! One slash!' She breathed in deeply and quicky as she lets her arms fly with the sharp edge propelling forward. She screamed as she sent out blade-like waves of hot fire at each blot-gremlin, hitting them in their weak points effectively. The creatures shrieked as they were hit with the offensive slashes, their glass casings cracking on impact and shatter into pieces as they fall limp to the floor, lifeless. Charlie huffed as she lands on her feet, looking up in time to see the creatures turning into puddles of black goo, a miasma-like fog wavering off what was left of them.
"Oh my God...they just turned into ink puddles!" Epel gasped.
"The ink itself was empowered by negative energy...." Vil analyzed approaching one that used to be a monster. "We best leave them alone as to not get infected...."
"And look....the ink where their forms manifested from the earth below.....its changing!" Rook gasps, seeing the pitch black substance change to milky white, hardening like cement only to crack apart into giant chunks.
"This is only a taste of what's to come...." Charlie scowls. "If even one of these things gets out of the building, we're as good as fucked."
"We must hurry, then. The closer we get to his domain, the higher of a chance we may possess at stopping that madman and his brother in their tracks! We can't let them go through with it....even if we label ourselves as an enemy to them. Though, even before they did, it seems WE labeled THEM as enemies firsthand." Vil said. With this, the others began to trek forward as fast as possible.
"So...Fawkes?" Epel perks up, trying to keep him busy whilst they trekked ahead. The miniature Redhead fairy sits on Charlie's shoulder, swinging his legs back and forth as they descend down a flight of stairs.
"Yep?"
"You said you're a Fire Sprite?"
"Born and raised!"
"Are there other kinds of sprites?"
"Totally! You've got the elemental kind: water, fire and earth, being the most common; then you've the rare cosmic kind, and some that are rather unspecified, which are SUPER rare! But then again, I don't have the whole power-archy labeled out with me and my brothers and sisters....I should do that!"
"Well, you have potential." Vil smiled. "You're power is a level that can compare to Riddle or Leona perhaps since you were able to inbue Charlotte's sword that fast."
"Well that the thing about us Sprites. We've been alive for so many centuries, we built our power the more we grow, physically and emotionally. Almost like you Night Raven wizards, with your year hierarchy and expanding your power range. We don't have any sort of dark corruption like Overblot, thankfully. But we do keep ourselves in check when it comes to using our powers."
"Ah, like Charlie when she gets into fights!"
"Hey, those dickwads you call the student body and 'friends' have zero tolerance for the opposite gender." Charlie bites back. "And now with my girl-friends in this world with me....we may just terrorize the whole fucking school!" she smiled at that. "But I'll think about that later. We have a mission to complete. And it won't be long til we come across the next creature."
"Indeed." Rook agreed. "Like Milady said: this was a small one we just dealt with. But all of the others will begin to break out of their prison one by one..." Before they knew it, they had reached the bottom of the stairs and before them stood a doorway. "Does anyone know where we are?"
"We're just outside the Asylum of the Phantoms." Vil looks at the digital map again.
"Then lets get in there....whatever monsters are behind that door, I'm not holding back my punches...." Charlie sneered as she raised her sword.
"Uh....y-yeah! Charlie will protect us! No pressure!!" Epel hid behind her as he said this, knees knocking together. Vil and Rook snickered at his change of attitude as the doors before them opened, prompting Charlie to walk forward inside first. The room was lit in a rather dark red glow, huge cube-like prisons either on high platforms, levitating in the air or on the ground before what looked to be a small pool.
"So THIS is the Asylum?" Charlie looked around, unconvinced that the place she was standing inside was an asylum. Although she felt some chills now and then, part of her mind kept denying the prospect that....there was something completely off.
"Maybe they've got phantoms locked up in these huge boxes...." Epel whispered as he and his seniors analyzed the room.
"Oh we do! We've got all kinds of these creatures globally! It's like an international zoo!" Ortho's voice came up on the overhead. Suddenly, from behind, the double doors slammed shut and hissed, locking the group inside. Epel tried to wrench open the doors by digging his fingers into the middle slit between the doors but they refused to open.
"Crap! We're locked inside!" he frets.
"Ortho must've planned for this to happen!" Vil seethes.
"You got that right~!" Ortho said casually. "But lucky you: you've reached the next checkpoint! And all you need to do is pass through the Asylum! All you need on hand is an ID card and the password for the door on the other end of the room!"
"So I'm assuming the ID card we have already won't work?" Charlie asked.
"Exactly! But that's only cause I cancelled out the identification using the system! Since you cleared the first mission by using a cheat code to overpower the first wave of monsters, it's only fair, no?"
"Well, as much as I commend you on your unnecessary concern, we can still tackle whatever 'challenges' you throw at us." Vil smirked snarkily.
"If you say so! So...how about a game of 'I Spy'?" Ortho continued. "Here's the premise: Inisde one of these cages is the ID card you need to use to get out of here. If you choose the correct cell and the monster behind it, you get of scot-free! If you don't, well....good luck fighting these big baddies~!"
"But...there has to be over a hundred in here! We'll never find it!" Epel frets, looking around wildly.
"True. So I'll drop you a hint to make it a lil' easier! It's in one of these three boxes you see." Ortho placed a ray of blue light on three individual boxes before the group: one on the other side of the small pool, the second closer to them but keening towards the edge of the pool and the last floating at a far corner of the room. "Happy hunting!" As soon as the intercom had cut off, though, Vil decided to test and see if the card wouldn't work like Ortho said and the scanner sent two loud deep beeps and a small light on it flashed red.
"Damn it all. He did as he said. The Card's now useless." Vil huffed as he threw it to the floor. One of the cages shook with hits as another reverberated a deep guttural growl.
"We can't just be sitting ducks, though. We either find that card or wait ourselves out. And I'm not one for the latter." Charlie argued. But Rook shushed her as he surveyed the area.
"One of them seems to be awakening."
"Although this is a trap, we have to get those three cells open." Vil decreed.
"Oui. There's no other choice." Rook nods.
"Aight! Let's bust these bitches wide open!" Epel smiled, going towards the first one he had set his sights on, but Rook stops him with a hand on his shoulder.
"There may be an untamable one in there. Let me release it." Rook overtook.
"No...we don't have time for this!" Charlie argues. "We have to open all three at the same time!"
"Are you sure that's the right way to go about, Ugly Ducking?" Vil asked. "That's rather reckless."
"It's better than wasting time by going one by one." she snorts back. "I'll just cut them down when they come at me." she raised her sword at that.
"My Lady is right. We don't have the whole night!" Fawkes stood on her shoulder. "It's best if you three open them at the same time so we can find it faster."
"Me three." Epel sided with the two.
"....Very well. But you best be ready when they come for you." Vil warned her. "Epel, be careful not to waste all your energy if one of them tries to kill you as well. You may need your magic in a critical moment like this."
"....I know. As long as I've got my magic, I don't need protection!" Epel thuds his chest with a clenched fist. Before long each have separated towards one cage each. They looked to Charlie who held up her sword at the ready.
"On three. Un...Deux....Tre!" All three bust open the doors just as the monsters emerged, enraged like a herd of bulls. Just as they launched at Charlie, going for her throat, they were quickly silenced as soon as she cut down the first two with a swing of her sword and Fawkes' fire, and Rook knocked an arrow into the bow he was given by Charlotte and with the release of his fingers on the string, it flew right at the last creature and struck it dead center mid-jump at him. The glasses shattered immediately, falling dead to the ground, the ink beginning to evaporate. However, from the last creature, a small card floated to the top of the puddle, face down.
"The card!" Fawkes swiped it up immediately and dropped it into his mistress's hand.
"So Ortho didn't lie when he said one of them had it!" Epel gasped as Charlie flew to him whilst Rook and Vil rejoined.
"Tres Bien! Your one jump ahead of the plan worked, Milady!" Rook grins.
"Though they didn't give this clue to us out of sheer kindness. They're only trying to slow us down and kill time by moving us around their chessboard of domination." Vil scoffed.
"Let's just get out of here before it's too late." Charlie urged, giving him the card. "We don't want to wake any of the other monsters." But just as Vil had swiped the card, grating them access to get outside, Rook began to ask,
"That reminds me: the entities we killed were small ones...."
"Yeah, it wasn't so difficult to squash em!" Epel nods.
"But that was just the first hoard. They'll only become more dangerous the further we descend. So we all must stay on guard." Vil urged. "...However....that made me think of something. Even if the brothers took control of the whole isle, they can't unfreeze the phantoms at the same time..."
"He's right...." Fawkes nods. "If they did that as soon as they began to take over the facility, you'd all be goners!...But, Vil, why bring that up now?"
"Something happened yesterday, when one of the creatures was taken out of its prison for experimentation...." Vil began. "I began to make a theory paralleled to real life. Let's say Tartaros is like a Freezer. But you don't have a microwave to combat melting the ice once removed from its spot in said freezer. So you'd have to go for another method."
"You mean like unplugging the freezer so the ice melts over time?"
"Yes. Basically, they're in a condition that keeps them immobile, even if they wished to be mobile. A 'Suspended Animation' condition I'd say. They think they're playing a game with us but they're really trying to buy themselves time by slowing us down."
"So Idia's only trying to buy time before he goes through with his plan....Geez, what a loser...." Charlie scoffs. "Well we better get going or we might as well burn both sides of the candle to reach the end."
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Back at Tartaros itself, Idia had been watching the first group's movements, but his eyes went to Charlotte most of all. Something about her seemed.... off, he noted. Like her magical strength....was abnormal. Really abnormal for a human body, per se. Was she using a sort of cheat code to one-shot the monsters she was coming across? Or was it her magic alone that destroyed them entirely?....Only one way to find out....
"They passed the 2nd test faster than normal..." Ortho noted. "Although it's still the start, maybe we set the bar a little too low?"
"Maybe...or it could be the fact that Luchessi....her power levels are far abnormal for someone her age. She's the same age as Riddle, Jamil and Azul....but her level seems like that of Leona's or Vil's....or maybe something else. Why else would she help them pass the test that easily? How could she have known that we had one of those phantoms laid in each trap? And slain them with very minuscule effort? We need to keeps tabs on her at all times, see what's really going on behind the veil....anyhoo, the Titans will be getting here soon enough." Idia murmurs.
"The 12th layer was a doozy...but it's almost done melting." Ortho reports.
"Good. Besides some of the other creatures, these Phantoms are built differently, and that means their level is far beyond normal. As for the Underworld Gate...we'll begin unsealing it soon. Like the legend goes: you can enter the Underworld like closing your eyes, but once stepping through, there's no going back. It's a one-way street...so we're breaking it open from the inside out."
"That's the rule....but I wonder...what will the others think once I comeback from the Underworld itself....? Things are going to be so much more exciting~!...."
Luna's eyes, dullened a bit opened as she looked up where barely any light was coming from the top. "Charlotte....please be careful..." she prayed silently.
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Whilst the group was walking further down, Rook spotted a shadow of sorts on the wall further ahead. "Huh...what's that...?" He squinted to look closer
"Wait....that size...maybe its Grim!" Epel smiled. "HEY, GRIM, IT-S MFGGH!" But Rook covered his mouth from shouting any more.
"Epel, it's not Grim! He's 10cm shorter that him!"
"Whatever it is, your yelling made it angry! Here it comes!" Vil readied for attack as Charlie raised her sword just as the creature entered their sight periperhals.
Much larger than the first few gremlins they faced off against, Charlie thought fast. "Lunar Charge!" She shot her attack at them, but the two split off in other directions, avoiding it just before it could reach them. One went for Rook and the other at Epel. Rook quickly shot an arrow at the one which leapt at him and the arrow sank into its abdomen, making it shriek in pain as it thudded on the floor, painfully ripping it out as ink oozed from the wound. But its moment of weakness left it vulnerable for Vil to smash it's head with the heel of his boot, twisting and grinding his foot for extra measure like he was squishing a cockroach.
The other meanwhile, was trying to scratch at Epel's face but the small boy was keeping it back at arm's length. The sheer strength at which the y were struggling against one another was demanding on them, or more Epel than the monster. "NGH! AGH! SOMEONE GET THIS THING AWAY FROM MEEEEEE!!!" On cue, Charlie proceeded to pull her usual Kick move and the sheer force alone beheaded the creature on the spot. It's head went sailing towards the wall and smashed into it on impact, breaking glass and the goo-like ink trailed down the wall like blood. Epel threw the headless body far away from him where it disappeared into nothingness. As the bodies evaporated into the thick black miasma, it took a while for the four to catch thir breaths on the chaos that had ensured moments ago. But not too soon, Vil and Charlie glared at Epel who shirked back from their looks and gave a sheepish smile. "Ahahaha....so it wasn't Grim like i thought...."
"NEVER do something like that again." Vil hissed. "Always think before you act!"
"But this is a sign that we're getting to the lower floors...." Rook nods.
"But where could Grim be...?I hope he wasn't attacked by one of those monsters...!" Epel got up, dusting off any dirt from his robes.
"I'm sure he's fine. He's more clever than one may think." Rook assured.
"Maybe If I hit a can of tuna with a fork, he'll come running to me instantly~!" Vil joked.
"I may have to try that myself one of these days." Charlie chuckled dryly at the joke. But at the mention of Grim's name, it gave her a sting of pain, but it went away as soon as she thought of something. "Hold on, Vil. You said you nor the others knew Grim was here on the Isle with you?"
"Indeed. We never knew he was here until you gave news." the blonde confirmed. "Although...I did theorize the reason he attacked you, Charlotte, was due to the blot...."
'....Well you're half-right....' she thought bitterly.
"If he really was going to be released tomorrow morning alongside us...it may mean that his attack after the VDC and the blot have no conformation."
"He is still a magical animal either way." Rook argued gently. "No matter how tame he is, any beast can turn feral at the drop of a hat. There's no containing it, either; It's a natural instinct they possess since birth. But that's not to say human's are out of the equation, too. We have a moral compass that's both fragile and unreliable like ice. So Charlotte...this may be me speaking out of instinct, but when he attacked you, it wasn't his...no...'it's' intention.
"I'm aware." she spoke through gritted teeth, just seeing the Chimera every time her eyelids closed. 'I promised myself that if he were to become that chimera I saw in my vision when I first came here...I have to be there to stop it...or annihalate it.'
"You spend more time around him than anyone! You're almost like peas in a pod!...I'm sure wherever he is....we'll find him soon....and bring him back safe and sound." Epel hugs her at her side with a reassuring smile, gaining one back in turn. But it was less bright than normal, he noted, but decided not to comment on it. For now, they were at the doorway and upon passing through, they were met with yet another part of the Asylum. But the air had dropped several degrees, making it colder than the first part they were at.
"It's deadly quiet....and freezing..." Vil breathed, his breath coming out in a small white puff.
"It' likely there are some still in suspended anination." Rook guessed.
"Well, were here so...let's get to the door!" Epel urged. However, like before the same result was met. "Not working. Guess we'll need another one...."
"...Testing, Testing! Is this thing on?...Ahem! Well, you've reached Checkpoint Three!" Ortho's voice and hologram appeared before the group.
"What do you have planned now, Ortho?" Vil demands.
"Quick Question: was I late? I-I had some things to take care of..." he apologized. "I was busy placing an NPC at the entrance to your next location."
"You kept duping us and trying to kill us at each turn! Come out and face us like a man!" Epel demands.
"I would but...that'd take me a bit longer than usual..." the little bot confessed.
"Well, then, if you're hands are full with your little schemes, why not ask for our help?" Vil shot back.
"Wouldn't you like to know~! Anyhoo, I've got your next task! I think someone got trapped own here...."
"What do you mean? I thought only the phantoms were residing here!" rook argued but a woman's voice called from the Shadows.
"Help....somebody please, help!...." The group froze as Charlie prepared to reach for her sword.
"That sounded way too human for a monster....keep your guard up, Lady Charlotte!" Fawkes whispers to her.
"One of the staff got left behind in the chaos and is over by one of the cages! I believe they've something you need! However, the temperature inside isn't the most suitable....so you best hurry for you'll be meeting a block of ice that was her~!" Ortho chuckled in a rather demented tone.
"How could you?!" Vil demands angrily.
"Hey, there's no rules when its fair game, no~? Ta-Ta~!" and with that Ortho vanished as Vil cursed the brothers in his mind.
"Miss!" Epel shouted. "Tell us where you are so we can find you and get out safe!"
"By...the corner....please help!" Some of the monsters began to rattle around in their cages as snarls and growls echoed off the walls.
"This is not good. Any of these creatures will bust out of their prison and attack us at the last minute!" Vil pressed on.
"By the sound of things, the walls are thick and not as echoish. That means she can't be that far from us!" Rook noted. "Hurry!" However, whilst the boys had been ripping open a few of the prisons, and fighting off the gremlins that emerged from within then, Charlie flew up over some of the block-cages and cast her enchantment to see if there really was a straggler of the staff left behind.
"Mortifer fatalis silenti." her body swathed in yellow light, she hovers over the cages trying to sense any sort of life form, except for the ink monsters the boys were currently fighting off.
"Wait....something's weird...." she whispered after while. "I sense a bit of human life force...but...it's abnormal...monstrous...like-*gasp*!" she gasped, realizing the truth. "Oh shit! Guys!!!" she flew as fast as she could to their location as Fawkes hid for protection.
"Agh...cold...so cold!" The three had arrived towards the corner where the woman's voice became loud as possible.
"Miss! Are you here?!" Rook called out.
"Y-Yea....please...let me out...!" she whimpered. Vil aimed his pen at the door.
"Get away from the door and take cover! HYA!" Vil threw a large fireball that it exploded upon impact with the door, busting it wide open. From the smoke, nothing was seen or heard til-
"Ah....free at last...Freeeee...FREEEEEE! AHAHAAHAHA!!!" Laughing dementedly, before them was not a human but a creature...one of the phantoms.
"DUCK!!!!" Charlie screamed as she flew in, barely giving the boys to cover, her sword brandished as she sliced off both the creature's arms with her Lunar Charge attack powering the blade. The creature shrieked in pain as ink spewed from its injuries. Charlie landed and held her sword close to her face horizontally and sneered at the creature. "I knew something was off when I sensed an inhumane soul! Mimicking a human's voice to trick us into a false sense of security! Oldest trick in the book!...But now I will put an end to your miserable existence! For good!" After twirling her sword several times, she sailed up high and flying down with the sword in front of her, she threw her sword, blade side down at the creature's head, smashing it to pieces and a powerful surge of light made the creature's body explode, the shockwave hurtling the three boys towards the cages, quaking the earth. Once it began to diminish, the creature was no more; gone, kaput, finito. And there knelt Charlie, her sword laying above the Seth, but bad cracked it deeply. But she removed it with and sheathed it back onto her side holster as she spat at the ground where the monster was. "Good riddance....but we got what we came for." she plucks the ID card off the ground.
"I don't believe it...the monster was mimicking a human voice to lure us in for a kill...!" Epel breathed, trying to get a hold of his footing.
"I never knew such a thing existed...!" Vil was shook as well from what he witnessed.
"There are actually plenty of birds and animals that can mimic anything to lure their prey in for an easy kill." Rook added factually.
"And this monster was no different." Charlie nods, recalling the monster from the mines her first day in this world. "Every wizard in this world who overblots has a powerful entity that represents their negative emotion. Some have even had high levels of sentience and intelligence.....let's just go. I've had enough of this bullshit." The boys silently agreed and left with zero words until they were out the door. Upon walking through them however, it seemed even colder than when they were in the Asylum. It made some of them shiver now and then.
"M-Man...not even the Dorm uniforms are keeping out the cold!" Epel shudders. But when he looked up, he saw that Charlie wasn't even fazed by the wintery winds, despite having very little clothing when in her battle form. What he could see from where he was standing was the killing look in her eye as she glared ahead of her, hands clenched into fists at her sides. 'How is she not-?!'
"It'd be best not to ask her any questions." Rook, having sensed his conflicting emotions, spoke in a hushed voice. "I've noticed Charlotte's emotional pattern at times, and when she is enraged, she won't be one for talking for a while. That fierce determination towards any goal or assumption is one quality that won't die within her. But at the same time, she 'comes a deadly force nobody can calm. This wasn't the first time it appeared: it was also when she fought Vil in his Overblotted state...when she destroyed the Charons that invaded the school and in the halls of the facility...this is what I assume to be her "War Machine" mode....." Epel listens and nods, absorbing the information. He would be lying if he said he didn't notice it either. And to be honest, it both amazed yet terrified him. Seeing as she was becoming like Floyd and his unpredictable mood swings...but she wasn't Floyd! Charlie was Charlie! A warm and gentle soul! A selfless student! But she knew when to put others in their place when times call for it! But this left only one question: exactly WHY the hell was she becoming this no-nonsense person when they least expect it...?
Suddenly, a loud thud snapped him out of his train of thought. The thump was so loud, the ground shook. Everyone stopped walking immediately, starting to lose balance.
"An Earthquake?!" Vil got on guard.
"Whoa!!" Epel nearly toppled over the stairs and into the abyss had Charlie not caught him in time, carrying him by flying."Thanks, Charlie! I would've been dead at that minute!" Several more thumps sounded, but they were louder this time.
"No, it's no earthquake....!" Rook realized. "It has to be-!" Soon at his words, a monstrous figure loomed over them.
"Hello, Beastie." Charlie sneered, looking up at the Earth Titan.
The Creature roared and sent one burly fist down at Rook and Vil had Charlie and Epel not run in at the last second and tackle them safely out of the way. The Titan's fist had hit the spot where the two were at just a second ago, creating a giant gaping hole in the ground.
"Don't just stand there gawking! We need to take this thing down!" Charlie shrieked.
"Right! I'll stop him in his tracks! TAKE THIS!" Vil flicks his pen and a layer of thick ice rooted its feet into place. But it only lasted for a few seconds before it ripped one leg free from the ice like it was buried in a small layer of sand.
"Crap! It broke the ice!" Epel frets.
"Jupiter....Where are YOU?!" The monster roared.
"We gotta get the Spear! It's our only hope in taking it down!" Charlie urged.
"The hangar is up ahead! Hurry!"
"Oui! Milady! You and I must create a shield as they open the hangar!" Room urged as they joined hands.
"Read my mind!" she nods. "Enchanted Eclipse!" Charlie raised her arm vertically, palm flat, the top of her hand and arm facing the giant, summons the shield spell in the form of a large yellow bubble. One fist from the Titan smashed against the surface of the shield, only for the shield itself to rebound its fist back at the monster and hit it in the face. It stumbled away and shook off the dizzy smash it received.
Vil fumbled for the key that would open the hangar and with as much control of his hands to keep them from shaking, he hurriedly scans the ID card and the doors opened. He and Epel tumbled inside, only to shriek,
"Hurry! The doors won't hold for long!"
"Milady, go! I will keep the shield up!" Rook yelled as the Titan sent two punches to the shield, but it still held strong.
"No way am I leaving you!" Charlie yells back, nearly flinching at the punches being sent at the barrier.
"Just hurry! I know what to do!" He looked at her sternly. And for a fleeting moment, Charlie saw not just Rook...but the same Blonde knight her visions sparked up so much.
'Go, My Lady! I will not let these monsters get to you! You are your kingdom's only hope! Now hurry!'
Soon, she found herself nodding and running to where Vil and Epel were keeping the doors open as much as possible. Rook gathered the rest of the power the shield held and absorbing it back into his pen, he unleashed it once again into a powerful light blast that blinded the monster's sight for a moment but giving Rook enough time to dive roll into the room. The Titan however managed to get the glare from his eyes out fast and seeing where they ran for cover, where to where the doors were but they closed at the last second, locking him out. But it didn't faze it as the Titan began to pound on the door, shaking the room.
"Damn....we're trapped!" Epel shook a bit.
"I can try and hold it back by reinforcing the door while the rest of you search for the Spear!" Charlie walks forward. She slams her foot into the ground, "Hidoro calico conjungo!" The floor before her cracked, large pieces of cement began to float from the large cracks and sailing for the door began to form a wall of rock covering the door just enough for a bit more protection.
"We need to find the spear! Charlotte can't keep it back for long!" Rook urged.
"I'm looking!" Vil frantically searched the map. "U-Uh-Uh!..The Control Panel on Wall A-16! Open!" Upon the verbal command, several locks clicked open, a hiss and a swing was heard and something flashed into the room with a bright light, blinding the others for a second. But before them was the weapon they needed in its glass casing
"The Thunderstorm Spear!"
"Hell Yeah, baby!"
"Good lord, that thing's huge! How are we gonna carry it?!" But the rockwall slowly started crumbling as the pounding got rougher.
"I know you're in there...come out!"
"Get the Spear, I can't keep him back for long!" Charlie urged, starting to strain, her hold slipping.
"Right! Time to activate the Spear!" Vil grabbed the case key and jamming it into the lock, the door swung open, a small touchpad embedded into the wall.
'Code Titanomachy. Emergency Level A. Releasing all cables. Device at: 100% power. Thunderstorm Spear activated.' Upon being lifted from its case, the Spear gave a burst of bright yellow glow, streams of lightning spewing from the crevices, showing its true power.
"My God....the power in this weapon is exhilarating!" Rook breathed as he helps Vil carry it, but the weight was too much for either prompting Epel to help balance it with them."
'Please enter fingerprint scans for use of operation.'
Two more abrasive hits and the rockwall fell, prompting Charlie to yell in pain and to nearly fall to her knees from the break in concentration.
"Charlie, get away from the doors!! Vil, hurry! It's gonna break in soon!" Epel screamed as he saw that the door was one punch away from caving in. Vil didn't hesitate to touch the pad with his fingertips and one quick scan later, it was done.
'Scan complete. Safety lock on device is released. Support magic enabled.' The Spear floated from their hands to hover in the air before them, Charlie joining them in carrying the Spear, but as her hands touched it, the door was smashed open, making more debris fly everywhere and the shield vanished into sparkles.
'Where are you?! GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!'
"We've been breached!" Rook shouted in alarm.
"I-I can't control it alone! The Power it imbues is too strong! Charlotte, Epel, flank the sides! Rook, take aim!"
"Time to send it back to Hell!" Charlie shouted as she lifted it with bared teeth. She felt the energy of the Spear course through her skin, her veins, her bones, her soul! It's almost like her magic was bonding with the Spear....
She felt her vision flood with light. But it wasn't the spear's...it was her own magic! 'The third eye?! Already at a time like this?!' She gasped at the scene before her.
"Acheron Dubaer!" A cloaked woman stood on the opposite end of a long platform, where a tall man with long dark blonde hair stood before her. She was pointing a finger, waves of accusation flowing from her body's stance and her voice. "You will pay for taking the life of my husband, Eos Dubaer! For the lives of my sisters! And for being in cahoots for the death of my baby daughter!"
'Wait a second...THAT'S Acheron?!' Charlie thought as she saw the man at the other end. Although from far away, most can't make out the fine details of a person, she could see them clearly. Bright eyes with a calculating and malicious look, a smile as predatorial as a wolf's.....he was the one after her powers...but WHY?!
"Killing me wont be easy, dearest~." Acheron smirked as gave her a look that said she can try to challenge him. But the woman stayed still.
"I doubt even a monster like you can live....WITHOUT your body and soul intact!" Widening her stance, The woman slammed her hands together, a bright and powerful magical circle spread onto the floor under her feet as the earth began to shake, pieces of rubble and debris began to levitate fro the immense powerful. Acheron stumbled back a bit as his eyes widened in realization. "...And now....I'll destroy them!!"
Charlie felt the light of reality start to tan her away from the visions as the light of the magic circle drowned out everything around the woman and her enemy, thus ending the vision.
But being brought back to reality, she remembered what they were doing!
"Ready!" Vil shouts as he and the boys placed their power into keeping to steady.
"Aim!" Epel tilted it towards the oncoming beheamoth.
"....FIRE!!!" Charlie screams as all Four of them released the Spear's power into a single blow, striking the monster with unfathomable power. It roared with pain at the burning attack, being knocked off its feet and sent down into the abyss, swallowed by the shadows. The dust and rubble fell slowly as the four took in much needed air for their work.
"Holy Shit! It really worked! It's gone!" Epel was the first to speak.
"D-did we do it...? Is it really over...?" Vil wasn't too sure about their victory, until Fawkes reappears and flying towards the edge to look down he turns back with a nod.
"It's gone!"
"Tres Bien!" Rook cheers. Cheers were given all around until the AI spoke up.
'Battery at 10% power. Please Recharge spear.'
"Hot damn! Just one use consumed nine-tenths of its battery?! A lotta power must've gone into that attack..." Charlie whistled as she willed away her battle form for the Purple Robes once more.
"We might as well charge it now for future use." Vil decided, placing the Spear back into the case where it started to charge.
"How long will it take?" Rook checks the time only for his eyebrows up raise. "THAT long?"
"Aww, c'mon! We're on a time crunch here!" Epel fumed as soon ashe saw the timer as well.
"I'm just gonna go out on a limb here and say...that one strike wasn't enough to take down the Earth Titan for sure...." Fawkes hummed, sitting on Charlie's shoulder.
"I, too, thought the same." Vil nods to the fire sprite. "But we have no other weapons strong enough to fight that beast with. Without the Spear, we've zero chances at winning. As much as I hate waiting for that much time myself....we can;t go on without it. And some of us have been zapped of our energy during the trek so far. Let's rest here until the battery's fully charged."
"We should also Check up on the others and see how they're doing." Rook added.
*GRRRRRRRR*
"The fuck was that?!" Charlie got on edge. "Did a monster sneak down here?!"
".....No....that's.................my stomach." Epel looks away sheepishly.
"Don't you freak me out like that again!" Vil hissed. "I could've sworn we were close to being ambushed! Yoy nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"S-Sorry...?" the little boy gave a wobbly grin in turn, but it made Charlie and Rook snicker, prompting Vil to look at them next.
"And what are you two smiling about?!"
"Nothing much! But....it seems you've never changed, Vil." Rook answered. "Looking out for others even when you're close to having an aneurysm~!"
"I'd pay big money to see him break a forehead vein!" Charlie nodded with a smarmy grin.
"Maybe later Milady. Right now, let's get food. The Hangar does have emergency food containers so let's make that first priority....then we can plan how to make Vil's head explode."
"I heard that!"
——————————
-unprecedented amount of time later-
'Thunderstorm Spear fully charged.' The case flew open with a hiss and a bang, gaining everyone's attention after some hunger quelling and small-chatting.
"Ah, good." Vil stood up.
"We've had enough rest time for now. Let's get back on track." Rook urged as he picked up his bow and quiver of arrows.
"Once we step out those doors though, we'll be going up against more phantoms!" Epel looked at the floor. "I may get hungry if I use up magic....I'll bring more food just in case!" He began to stuff a few things into his pockets, not bothering on fighting Fawkes whom, from the corner of his eye, got his hands on another granola bar. About an hour ago or so, they fought over one and Fawkes bit his fingers to get his grasp to loosen, which worked but Epel still had tiny teeth marks on his thumb from the aftermath. For someone about the size of an eraser, his bite force was that of any normal person's, maybe harder!
"But first, lemme give some help." Charlie offered. Murmuring quietly, her necklace began to glow, casting a beam of blue light onto it and making it shrink down enough to be absorbed into her necklace. "I can will it to be summoned in battle when I call upon it like I do with my own blade. Don't worry, it's safe. And that's all that matters. Right now, let's hurry!" She was the first to leave the room, making the boys look at one another in confusion over how exactly did she make a giant spear shrink to the size of a toothpick, but followed nonetheless.
"Vil, do you know where the next Hangar is?" Charlie asked as she checked to make sure her sword was with her.
"According to the map...about two levels down from where we are." he answered, glaring at Epel from the corner of his eye. "There'll be more food at the hangar so stop being greedy! Need I remind you of the Spear we have to carry?"
"S-Sorry!" Upon leaving the Hangar, Vil was showing some significant trouble with struggling to carry the heavy object.
'Thunderstorm Spear now in 'power save mode'.' The AI from the speaker sounded out. 'To activate once more, scan fingerprint of the touchpad of the body, voice recognition or magic charge.'
"Good." Vil nods. "The spear's energy is extremely powerful, it's difficult to control by making it float alone...but carrying it while the power's being saved will be no problem."
"V-Vil....if it's not too much to ask, let me fight in your stead." Epel spoke up.
"What made you have this idea so suddenly?" Vil perked up an eyebrow.
"Back there in the Asylum....and when we came face to face with the Earth Titan...I-I felt like I wasn't of true help." The small boy confessed. "Let me do this to take the load off your shoulders....Literally and metaphorically, that is."
Both the juniors looked at Epel with small smiles. "Well, well, well! It seems you're starting to think I'm not capable of doing things on my own, do you~?"
"N-No, no! That's not it at all! I mean...you're both stronger than me in terms of magic! And you two need to be at the forefront of our fights! Aside from Charlie....I basically could do nothing! So...this is all I ask for this once! Let me be a team player and...and give you what you need....m-More than I can get...!"
"Epel...!" Charlie felt her heartstring tug at his heartfelt speech.
"...You'd jump out in front no matter how much we try and talk you out of it. But now you think you're not that powerful than us? Nonesuch!"
"But admitting you have flaws is proof you're becoming more emotionally challenged than ever." Rook sympathized. "But please do not think such things ever again. Both you and Charlotte are putting in your own work in your own ways."
"But like Rook said: don't push yourselves to the point of passing out. We'd be in hot water if you did so." Vil reminds.
"U-Uh...right...sorry!" Epel apologized meekly.
"Wait, so...does that mean you have had your own fallouts of being understood?" Charlie asked.
"Oui!" Rook answered. Both he and Vil began to recall how Vil had many admirers, and helpers, but he found out he had these 'helpers' only due to his status as a movie actor and people were finding an excuse to get close to him. Needless to say, he gave them a earful of their audacious choices. Yet somehow, two years ago, Rook came from the shadows out of the entire crowd of people Vil was swarmed with his entire life. It was during Vil's choice to put his acting career on hold and focus on academics. Yet when he was a freshman, he was still to practice for a job he had recently been accepted for. And one day, whilst reading the script out in the courtyard one brisk afternoon-
"GRRRRRRRRR!"
"Oh great! We got company!" Charlie transforms to Battle Mode, just as the monster appears from the shadows.
"We can't afford to use any of the Spear's power! It's reserved for the Earth Titan!" Vil reminded.
"I'll take this thing down! Protect the Spear!" Charlie shouted as she flew forward.
"No, Charlie, wait!" Epel tried to stop her, but she didn't hear him. The Phantom before her roared and sent a volley of whispy black magic at her, but she jumped just as it hit the floor where she had her feet last standing upon,, breaking the floor in the process. She twists her body into a tight front flip and stabbed her sword down into the monster's back, surging with Fawkes' flame. It screamed as it bucked it back like a horse and sent her off her feet. But she landed safely using her swings to slow her momentum.
'One attack alone won't stop it....I have to keep wearing it down!' she thought, gripping her sword. She was too busy with her thought, however, to notice a large balled fist over her head. But just as she looked up and gasped with widened eyes, the fist slammed down on her, smashing into the floors and sending up a wave of rubble.
"CHARLIE!!!!!!" Epel screamed in worry, seeing the Phantom's fist was embedded in the ground. Rook and Vil's breaths were stolen from their lungs as they saw the damage.
"We need to help her!" Vil shouted as he prepared to fire his magic.
"No, wait, look!" Rook stopped him as he pointed ahead of him. From his sight, the Phantom's fists weren't actually fully crushing Charlie....from below the phantom's fist, Charlie, leaning up as much as she could with the claustrophobic space around her, was pushing against the giant's hand with both her arms locked into an "X" above her head. Teeth bared and grinding with focus, she flapped her wings with all her vigor to push the creature back, slowly getting to her feet. The Giant stumbled back, clearly taken aback at this feat of raw strength, but tried to push her back with all the force he had, yet she held her ground with equal force back. The boys were stunned!
"You think......you can get rid........of me that easily?!" She shouted between heavy breaths. "Joke's on you.....I'm the MC....and I am not goin' anywhere!!!" From the cracks in the ground where Charlie was lying down upon being crushed, light burst through the seams as her form was swathed in golden light. The brightness forced the boys to turn away. A strong wave pulsated, hurtling the monster off balance, away from Charlie and crashing through one of the walls.
"What the hell!! What's going on?!" Epel tried not to open his eyes, the burn of the light on his eyelids.
"I don't know!" Vil screams back, hiding his face behind the long sleeves of robes to block out as much of the burning sun as possible. He felt some light starting to dwindle away, so he assumed it safe to look. But upon lowering his arms, he looked to see what happened and seeing the monster was far away, he turned to Charlie, only to gasp, eyes widened with amazement. "Oh my word....!" Epel and Rook follow his gaze with dropping their arms and they gasp seeing what was before them....
Bright auras of light swathed Charlie, standing taller than ever. Her winged form vanished to be replaced by something entirely new.... A white halter top and wrap skirt with a jacket, bedazzled with rhinestones and pearls in symmetric-like patterns; platform knee-high leather boots sparkling a shiny silver sheen, and her hair into a low ponytail, gold glitter decorating the base.
But the most eye-widening artifact of all was a gold spear in her hands. The spear is long and ornate, with a white Diamond crystal attached to the top of the staff, and held in place by a thick gold post with three angular posts for side support that blend into the body of the spear.
"Holy....Crap!" Epel gaped, Rook and Vil speechless as ever.
"By the Artemis Stone...and the 88 heavenly bodies.....I cast Judgement upon thee, monster of the depths!" Charlie clutched the Spear with vigor as she twirls it around her and behind her body a few times, each spin making the crystal light up. Charging forward, she brandishes her weapon, fierce look in her eyes. The monster goes to swing its front hand at her, but she jabs her spear into its palm, the spear's light blasting a hole through its hand and making it disintegrate into nothing. It wailed in pain as it flung up its stump of an arm, giving Charlie the chance to launch herself into a high jump up and over the creature. The Spear's gem burned brighter than thousands of suns, piercing into the back of the monster's head. The impact made the glass crack.
"Moon Spell: Artemis Storm!!!" A ring of white light circled the giant monster as light filtered from above, shooting down in the circle that trapped Charlie and the creature, making the latter scream with pain as Charlie held it down to the floor by its head, letting the light erase it from existence, pieces ripping off of its body one by one turning into dust. With one last push, she drove the spear's head into the monster's head, breaking the glass, fully destroying the monster; the last few flecks that was the monster's body vanished away with the light-beam. Charlie panted with heaviness as she leaned against the spear for support and rest, not knowing Vil and the others were looking at her with bug-eyed, open mouthed expressions.
"My Lady!!!" Fawkes, who had hidden in the shadows under her command, flew towards his mistress to see if she was alright. Epel, snapping out of his shock, followed suit and knelt beside Charlie's form.
"Charlie!! Are you okay??" He asked as he clutched her hands, which had long let go of the Spear, that had now rested at her leg.
"...I...I guess..." she panted as she looked up at Epel, seeing him with fat tears in his eyes. This made her worried. "Epel, what's-?"
"You dummy!!" he yelled at her as he threw his arms around her into a huge hug, bawling with his face buried into her stomach. "You had me worried!! You could've gotten killed!!" Charlie looked down at him, eyebrows folded in sadness, but she stroked through his hair with her free hand and spoke quietly.
"Y-you're right....I should've thought things out a little more...." she admitted. "I was just desperate to do something like all those times before...I just didn't know it would affect you...."
"You're my sister!" he sniffled, lifting his head up enough to meet her eyes from her lap. "Of course I'd be worried for you! If you had gotten injured, I'd never forgive myself! None of us would!"
"He's right, Duckling." Vil said, he and Rook approaching her form. "You're vital to the school and to the people you've befriended. If you had died, imagine what would've happened: the school would be in a frenzy! Things may not be the same...!"
Charlie sighed deeply as she nodded. "Yeah.. me just jumping into things head first was rubbing off on me from others...I wasn't focused enough to go my usual route of logic and action...."
" 'It's both a blessing and a curse', so the saying goes..." Rook quoted.
"I'm sorry...I'm just used to getting the job done myself at times, I rarely consider doing things with a team...and I have four friends who I'm around a lot, but that was when I didn't have magic!"
"Sometimes, it's okay to ask for help in times of crisis. Just promise us you won't do something like that again unless it's absolutely necessary." Vil smiled.
"I understand." she nods, earning a giant hug from Epel, to which she reciprocates; having Rook and Vil join as well. Suddenly, the Spear lifted into the air and before their eyes, the Grimoire appeared, flipping open to reveal the pages.
'By learning from your impulses and admitting your fears, you have now acquired full access to the power of the Battle Dresses. Alternative forms to use for combative purposes. These unique armors can grant you extensive powers and abilities against various enemies. Good luck!' The book vanished as the Spear followed suit, only to reveal the Stone and Vial, which went to Charlie.
"The Battle Dresses...I've earned the Battle Dresses!" Charlie breathed.
"Yes, my Lady! And the one you're donning now is the Adamantine Battle Dress; it specializes in defensive magic but if you have enough power saved up, it can dish out offensive for powerful attacks!" Fawkes smiled as he explained the premise of her dress.
"And you looked stunning in it while dolling out a KO, Milady!" Rook praised.
"Yeah, it did the job, surprisingly." Charlie smiled. "I'll have to save it for future use." she summoned back her robes as the white dress vanished for later use. Being helped up by Epel, she noticed that Epel had a rather puckered look on his face. "Epel, what's wrong? You don't like the-"
"No! I'm happy that you got a new powerup, really!" he gave a small smile in turn, but then frowned once more. "I'm just pissed that that monster interrupted the story of how Vil and Rook met! I was getting into it!"
Rook couldn't help but laugh as they start to walk forward. "You're THAT interested, Epel?"
"Uh...K-Kinda...I-I wanted to know exactly what happened when you two crossed paths..."
"Well, to recount...I spoke with Vil one wintery day...it was the start of the afternoon, and there sat Vil, regally and composed like he were to be commissioned a painting! I admit, I felt myself getting jitters trying to speak to him!"
"Don't bluff." Vil scowled lightly. "You didn't have any nervous bones whatsoever! And don't think I forgot what you said to me when you approached me for the very first time!" However, his words soon sounded muffled as Charlie's third eye began to paint the picture for her. She was back in the courtyard, covered here and there with snow, and on one of the clean benches sat Vil, with some noticeable differences: a little shorter than his normal height now, and his hair was a tad longer than how it was now. But his uniform remained the same. In his hands was a book and he was looking through the lines of the pages, when from behind him-
"Hello!"
"AGH!" Vil nearly flew off the bench at the newcomer's surprise arrival. Charlie followed his line of sight and to her surprise, it was Rook! But he looked WAY different than how she was used to seeing him: his hair was so unruly and long, freckles dotted the bridge of his nose, His uniform was rather wrinkly and rumpled, and he had on what seemed to be a mix between a fedora and a cowboy hat....
"I have seen your performance a few days ago. Don't get me wrong, I've seen numerous ones of yours before, and all are so influencial! But when you play the role of the antagonist, I'm teuly captivated! There's not many who can play someone as awful as a cold, oppressive and malicious monster!" She was soon brought back to the present as Vil concluded.
"And that was how our first meeting went."
"Wow..." Epel nods.
"Well, he may have been in a different dorm and looked quite different, but his flamboyancy never changed, that's for sure." Charlie snorts.
"But I believed my compliment that day was the best!" Rook argued.
"That may be true, but your straightforwardness never left you even now. Every time I saw you, I kept asking myself, 'Who the hell does he think he is?!'"
"Some things never change, do they...?" Epel murmurs to himself.
"What did you do in response?" Charlie asked.
"I never requitted back to his monologue. But he kept following me like a lost puppy, voicing his opinions aloud on each performance I had done, then walked away as if nothing happened. It gave both a good yet bad impression of him. In the beginning, I thought he was just some arrogant individual who had nothing better to do with his time, but a few days later; his thoughts, opinions actually, were rather observant...."
Her third eye came back in a split second, back to the courtyard, where this time, Rook was leaning against the seat's edge of the bench next to Vil. "I saw you in that one musical some time ago. Near the end, when you realized you've lost your only loved one, that expression of defeat was perfection!...but I noted your acting in this production was much stiffer than the ones before...I wonder what's wrong...."
"So back then...he'd judge your acting even if you believe it was good?" Charlie surmized.
"Exactly. I was only following the director's notes. He'd always assume the right reason for it. For example, he's ask, 'Are you satisfied with that last scene? It doesn't seem that way to me'. And then I'd ask in turn, 'Well, if you were in my position, what would you have done differently?'. This c=kind of conversation would last for five hours or so."
"Wha- Five hours?!" Epel didn't believe what he heard, but Rook smiled.
"And each minute of those hours meant a lot to me. But it wasn't just your method of acting, Vil: we spoke about the playwright, the production, and the scripts we have read through together. Even when it was past curfew, it was worth sneaking in late!"
"I'm sure I'm one who knows more about art and drama more than anyone my age". Vil spoke. {Author-chan input: bitch, I know more than you about theatre in one finger than you can in your pea-sized brain!}
"But it was his opinions that made you realize something else?" Charlie inquired.
"Yes. I'm no match for his vision. At times, I couldn't understand what he was trying to allude and it frustrated me to no end." Vil nodded.
"Well, that's because unlike you, I've had plenty of free time to observe things since I was a child." Rook added with a smarmy look. "Yet those afternoon talks with you was worth catching some hypothermia in the end!"
"But why outside? And in cold weather, no less?" Epel asks. "You two were in the same dorm so....why not do that?"
"Well, that was because I used to be back in Savanaclaw." Rook said with a normal look on his face.
"Oh, cool so you were-wait, HUH?!" Epel's brain had a hard time processing the sentence.
'Hmm...now that I think about it....he did seem rather rugged in the visions I saw of him when he was a freshman...' Charlie thought. But aloud, she spoke, "Care to elaborate on that, Rook?"
"Maybe later, Milady, It seems we're at our next location." Rook stared ahead.
"He's right. Pause conversation here for now, let's hurry." Vil ushered her and Rook, leaving Epel straggled behind.
"H-Hey, wait!!! I-I have so many questions about Rook!!!"
"Hahaha! You can ask away to your heart's delight, Epel! But only after we pass through the third asylum." Rook promised.
"O-Oh right...the deeper we travel, the stronger the enemies will be..." Epel nodded stiffly.
"Yes. Things will get much more difficult; we won't be able to predict Ortho's next move." Vil warned. "So be prepared..." All four went into the asylum on edge. But nothing seemed to pop out at them...at least not yet.
"So what does he have in store for us...?" Rook murmured.
"V...Voices...It must be a security team!" an unknown voice spoke up.
"Who's there?!" Charlie demanded, pointing her sword. "I've got a sword and I'm not afraid to stab a bitch!"
"EEEEK! Don't hurt me!!!" the voice squeals in fear. "I'm just a researcher!!" She drew closer to the voice and saw one employee was bound and blindfolded, propped up by one of the cages. She rushed to rip off the blindfold and cut him free of his restraints. "Please, tell me: what's happened to the main office? Has the Cerberus system been rebooted?!"
"1: it's in complete chaos, and 2: no, there's been no word." Charlie answered him as the ropes were cut and fell at her feet, helping the poor worker to his feet.
"Wait a minute..." the worker, still a bit disheveled looked at each of the students in turn. His eyes went to Vil, "You're one of the subjects taken from Night Raven College...and you three...you're the ones who invaded the island!"
"Who else?" Vil said. "Subject E, but my real name is Vil Schoenheit, and the mastermind behind said invasion, Rook. Plus, one who destroyed a third of your Charon fleet, Charlotte Luchessi."
"Why...Why are you three here?" the employee pressed, but Vil stayed firm.
"We won't spare you of the details. But we're heading down to the Underworld to stop this madness. And what's YOUR story?" Vil inputs.
"I...I had gotten word of an emergency operative, and I was running to the escape terminal with other coworkers, but I got separated from them when a Charon cornered me! They knocked e out, dragged me to this place, subdued me and swiped my ID. He threw it in one of the cages and left me alone to suffer."
"So that was what he meant by an "NPC at the next location'...." Rook murmured.
"Bastard! Putting a defenseless man in harm's way for a sick game!" Epel swore.
"The cages in the previous asylums above were unlocking one by one...I thought I was a goner!" the employee wailed.
"But we're not out of the park just yet. Let's hurry and find that ID card before we become monster food." Vil grimaced.
"Do you know which cage it got chucked in?" Epel asked.
"I couldn't see due to the blindfold, so I'm not too sure. Yet from what I heard sound-wise....it didn't sound like a mammal or crustacean..." the male pointed to the cages at the further end of the room. "It's in one of the cages marked 800 or something...."
"Thank you. Go to the other end of the room and hide until we've dealt with the monster." Vil instructs.
"No need to tell me twice!" the man took off without looking back.
"So...there's more than one kind of species related to Phantom's, eh?"
"Oh no...he's got that look in his eyes again...." Epel clung to Charlie, not taking his eyes off Rook.
"Ever heard the term, 'Curiosity kills the cat', Rook?" Vil hissed.
"C'mon, lets get the card." Charlie urged as she walks ahead with Epel. "I didn't think there'd be more than one kind of Phantom....I thought they were all just one species...."
"It makes me wonder what would've happened to me had I been completely absorbed by my own...." Vil murmured.
"Vil, stop it, please! We don't wanna relive that moment!" Epel looked away uncomfortably whilst Charlie brought him closer to her for comfort.
"He's right. All we know is that Phantoms are an embodiment of a wizard's desires and real personality." Charlie said with spite. "Why are you even asking about that now?"
"It's because when I went mad, the physical being was that of an old woman donning a long cloak. It had tangled white hair, and gnarled hands that resembled dead branches on a tree. It made me assume youthfulness meant beauty and perhaps that in turn is what caused me to be afraid of becoming old and haggard." Vil answered. "And if that's my fate....I can't bear the thought of it...."
"We're a long ways from reaching the elderly age. You're not alone with this fear, Vil, everyone is afraid of things they've never experienced before." Rook laid a hand on the tall blonde's shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. A rather small and tensed silence followed as the group trekked on until they came towards one cage.
"854....are we close?"
"Yes...he said it was 800." Vil moved further down where the numbers got smaller until they were before 800 itself.
"Ready?"
"Wait...." Charlie held up a hand and switching to her Adamantine Mode, she prepared the Spear. "Guys...I need your help with something."
"What is it?" Epel wondered.
"Grab onto the Spear. We need to utilize all of our powers together into one attack. Using it in unison gives us a higher advantage if it's imbued into the Spear itself, and the crystal will reflect that onto the monster, taking it down faster." she explained.
"Are you sure it will work?" Vil asked.
"What other choice do we have?" she threw back. This silenced Vil as he placed his hand above hers, followed by Epel and then Rook.
"Everyone, focus your magic into the Spear like you would with the pen. Rook, on my mark, break the lock on the cage! when the monster shows its face, fire at will!" she ordered.
"As you wish." he replied back sternly. Silence hung around them as they focused putting magic into the weapon itself. Three purple gems burned in sync with white as the spear lit up with yellow, green, blue and purple light. Each face was masked by concentration as magic streamed into the body of the spear. Then-
"NOW!" Rook shot his attack forward and broke the lock on the cage, which forced the door wide open.
"...hah....I smell...fresh meat...! Gimme....GIMMEEEEE!!!" The monster screamed, but no one moved. Charlie trusted her instincts, waiting quietly.
She felt it. Her eyes snapped open, full of anger.
"NOW!!!" she ordered. The three follow suit and clasping hands onto the spear, released a long white and purple beam of power from the Spearhead that engulfed the monster mid-jump, burning its skin and ink away in milliseconds. It screeched in agony as it vanished into nothingness with the light, a small clatter sounded on the ground.
"Holy crap...it worked!" Epel smiled as he got some much needed air in his lungs. "And there's the ID card!"
"Milady! Your plan worked like a charm! The monster is no more! And if we hadn't gotten help from the employee, we'd have wasted time trying to find it!" Rook grinned warmly.
"Let's leave while we have the chance!" Vil urged as they hurried to the exit, which thankfuly was where the employee was waiting by, and hightailed out of the room, only for the man to bow on his knees.
"Thank you!! You all saved me from a terrible fate!" he shook with glee. "If I may be so kind as to offer, there's a nearby escape route that I'm to take, so I urge you to come with me! If you plan to go further, there's only rank A phantoms roaming below from here on out! If you go...you may not live to see the sunrise...!"
"We thank you for your offer...but we must keep traversing down." Rook declined.
"He's right. We're not leaving til I find my companion, aka Subject F, and all of us halt the Shrouds' plans for world domination." Charlie agreed.
"And give Idia a good slap to the face." Vil added with a smirk.
"OOH! Dibs on me kickin' him in the balls!" Charlie added with a smile. Vil just looked at her weirdly, but continued,
"And besides, we can't just leave everyone else when their dealing with their own missions in the other two towers. So we must keep going."
"V-Very well....It's your choice. Godspeed!" the employee bowed.
"And you as well, sir. We my have missed some phantoms on the upper levels." Rook reminded.
"I've studied all kinds of Phantoms for two decades, so knowing each kind's behavior, I'll be on the lookout."
"You do you, sir." Vil encouraged, and with that, the employee made his way through one of the escape tunnels embedded into one of the rock walls, never to be seen again.
——————————
"Hey, so uh....could you....i dunno, pick back up on the story, as promised?" Epel asked. It had only been a minute and a half of walking when he brought up the previous topic at hand.
"Uh....Wait, what were we talking about?" Rook looked at Vil for help, who only shrugged in response.
"You being in Savanaclaw, crossing paths with Vil and being a critic on each theatrical show he had done?" The only female of the group reminds.
"Oh of course!" Rook nods from the reminder. "Let's see....So during the entrance ceremony, I was put into Savanaclaw. It seems my soul matched that of the King of Beasts. So I never had any problems with the dorm I was enrolled into. In fact, I'd say my time in Savanaclaw was meaningful and exhilarating!"
"So...why transfer to Pomefiore then? You would've been better off staying there...." Epel mumbled the last part, but it obviously got to Vil's ears and he sent him an icy glare, which made Epel add quickly to save his hide, "If your soul was suited towards one dorm, why did you transfer to another?"
"I did so...to understand beauty." was the answer. "If I had stayed with Savanaclaw, I would've found it differently and pursued it in my own way. But for a dorm centered around the Fair Queen figure herself, I theorized I'd find a closer depth to it. The hunter's instinct within me was screaming at me to do so...."
"H-Hold on...so...the real reason why you jumped dorms...was through instinct?!" Epel put it together and gave a confuzzled look.
"Well not JUST instinct alone....I wanted to see Vil's own beauty shine with my own two eyes. Like a blacksmith needs hot steel to forge a sharp blade, non? That blacksmith would be me as Vil was the Steel for the sword!"
"Uh....w-well, I guess that'd make sense..." Epel shrugged unsure.
"When he insisted upon joining, I told him he may have been making a mistake. But I knew as much as anyone else does now: once Rook sets his mind on something, iliterally no one can sway him...." Vil remorsed. "Before I knew it, the procedure and ceremony had concluded and he was at my side. He may look different compared to back then, but I alone felt he couldn't fit in with the others."
"How did he look...?"
"Extremely long hair so wild and unkempt, and his skin kept getting sunburns one after another, It's like he never cared to look after his skin. Freckles dotting the bridge of his nose and cheeks like stardust...and emphasizing that the only clothes he can wear are things that are easy to move in. Shirts with frayed hems and pants with ripped holes at the knees...."
"Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhh, can't really picture Rook wearing any of that..." Epel grimaced.
"But he DID clean himself up when it came to important events, right?" Charlie asked, trying to keep in mind what Rook looked like before through her third eye versus now.
"Yes. Anything that required formal dress code."
"But the nostalgia...!" Rook sighed. "I will admit, I'm rather embarassed to talk about my past self in front of underclassmen..."
"Your smile says otherwise..." Charlie deadpanned as Epel hid behind her for protection.
"But if you cared so much to pursue beauty that'd you'd hop dorms to find it....did you not care for how you looked?" Epel asked. "And remembering what you said about your family and your wealth....you're swimming in money yet you wear homeless people's clothes...."
"His own appearance wasn't in the goal he was after. Yet it was during one of our talks....." Vil pondered back as he explained how the topic blended from one subject into another, and very soon a little round of dress up, courtesy of Vil himself, was what changed Rook from that point on. However, Charlie saw something whizz past her line of sight and she saw something that made her stop in her tracks.
"Grim.....Grim!!!" she screamed as she transformed and flew after his fleeing shadow, leaving the other three behind.
"Charlotte, wait!" Rook ran after her, leaving Epel and Vil on their own to follow. She was too far ahead to hear any of them asking her to slow down with how fast she was flying. She tried not to lose sight of the pronged tail, but just as she went and turned a corner, he was gone. She whipped her head around, trying to find some trace of him with little luck.
"Crap! Where's he go?!" She hissed with worry. "This place is almost like a maze but we're only going on a 'one way' path to the Gate!" However, up above, something was lurking. It roared as it jumped down, just on top of Charlie.
"Milady!! Above you!!!" with Rook's shout, she managed to get one over the creature that tried to ambush her from above, giving it a strong bicycle kick from her place in the air and sending it to the ground below. Landing back onto the ground, seeing it lay on the floor gave her a chance to see what it looked like. It resembled Grim almost, but it looked more ghost-like compared to the normal monster's look. From the leathery like skin that could almost be made to look like fur from afar to the bowl-shaped head it possessed.
It got back up on its feet and tried to attack her, but she trapped it in a yellow spherical shield without hesitation. She glared at it. This imitation of the small companion that had been with her since day one....seeing as how Idia was now targeting her by playing tricks on her eyes by luring her with a false creature to resemble Grim to make her vulnerable alone made her extremely pissed. Holding the creature prisoner in her Bubble, she snapped her fingers, causing the inside of the sphere to start burning up, melting the creature. Skin peeling and melting like candle wax until it became a lifeless inky puddle that splattered to the floor when the bubble popped.
"I thought for sure it was Grim...but it only looked like him from far away...." she quivered as she spoke , dropping her arm while the boys joined her side.
"We all thought it was, you're not alone in the mistake." Epel assured.
"Oui, don't push it onto yourself." Rook placed a hand on her back for assurance. "Come, you must rest."
"You look like yourself gonna keel over yourself." she snarked tiredly. "You need it as much as me, break-buddy."
"You're both correct. Let's not push ourselves." Epel joined them as they sat against the wall.
"Let's get some food into our systems and think this through." Vil was the last to join them as some silence swept the group as snacks got passed around. But a few moments of silence later, vil broke the ice. "Even if we failed to find Grim anywhere in the facility, if we could have Idia restore the Cerberus system after we've kicked his ass, then maybe we can track his location. And Charlotte-" he looked at her. "You alone know of Grim's boldness and Stubborn streak more than anyone else. Putting your trust into your dorm mates is a line of duty no leader must break, and that includes you Charlotte. You must trust your instincts and believe him to be safe for the time being. We will find him eventually, no matter what."
"I hope you're right...." she murmured as she got to her feet. Once everyone had their fill, they continued on their way til reaching the fourth doorway.
"This is the last level." Vil double checked the map. "Once we've crossed over, we'll be right above the Underworld gate."
"And even stronger enemies will be behind the gate." Rook adds. "So be ready for anything!" Without zero words, they passed through the gate, and met with-
Silence. Absolute silence. Not a growl nor moan sounded from any of the cages as everyone looked around.
"It's quiet....far too quiet." Charlie murmurs. "Did they not set a trap for us?"
"Maybe they're too busy dealing with other things than us right now." Vil shrugs.
"And not a sound from the cages....no sign of movement." Rook noted.
"Then let's bust open the doors with the Thunderstorm Spear and get out of here!" Epel suggests.
"No! We can't risk using up its power! We need to save it for the Earth Titan!" Charlie disagreed.
"Duckling is correct." Vil nods. "And we need to keep the door intact so we can lock it behind us, lest we want to risk there being more phantoms running around and on the loose....Let me check the Emergency Manual." Vil slipped the pocketbook from his robe and flipped from the index through the contents until he got to a certain page. "According to the manual, each asylum has an emergency key card stowed away in the security box close to the doors. If Ortho hasn't rigged a trap for us, them maybe getting the key will be easy...." Rook hurried to the other set of doors until he located something a few feet from the doors.
"Oh no!" the hunter gasped as everyone followed his sightline. To their shock, the little box was completely destroyed, the small compartment laid bare to all.
"Ortho must've gotten here before we could...!" Epel guessed. "But then again....seeing the markings makes me think one of the phantoms was responsible...! Look, that black goo is back!" True to the small boy's words, the inky black substance was dripping off the box like slime.
"So one of the phantoms must have it...." Vil was grim as he spoke.
"These are highly intelligent monsters; they can mimic human sounds and lure us for a kill....they could've tried to steal it to break out of this place." Rook muttered.
"But none of the cages are unlocked, and there's no monster to be seen around!" Charlie argued.
"Then they're hiding and waiting for an ambush, like the last monster we encountered...this puts us at a disadvantage. Everyone, stay close!" Vil ordered, forcing everyone to squish together into a huddle as they crept across the floor to locate their item for escape. But Vil stopped sneaking suddenly.
"Vil, why'd you-?!" Epel was shushed by Vil.
"Quiet! I hear something!" he hissed. All four strained to listen as something sounded from far away.
".....Such pretty silk....I want it~......"
"Where's that voice coming from....?" Charlie murmured as she looked around, unaware something was crawling up the wall behind her and preparing to launch itself at her. Just as it saw her reach for her sword, it sprang, claws outstretched ad reaching for her head.
"MILADY, LOOK OUT!!" Rook was fast to act as he tackled her, sending them both rolling to the floor just as the creature sailed over them, scratching Rook's arm in the process. He hissed in pain.
"Rook!" Charlie yanks him up, but her eyes trailed to his arm. The creature had sliced through the material of his robe and long sleeves shirt, showing a bleeding wound. "Your arm!"
"Tis but a scratch! We've got company!" he warned. Chittering sounded in the Shadows as smaller critters appeared from every corner in the room.
"There's so many of these smaller ones! Where'd they come from?!" Vil looked around wildly.
"We're trapped!" Epel backed away as each looked on in a corner of the room. Their backs faced one another as each faced a corner of the room.
"...Soft lips....sparkling eyes....and shiny hair.....you're her....Astraea!" Charlie nearly had a heart attack when she heard that name.
'What the hell?! Where'd it learn that name?!' She started to shake in her head.
"D-did that monster just call you-?!" Epel gave her a side-eye look of fear.
"Yes...it did!" she whispered back. "But from who?!"
"Astraea.....Astraea....~"
Charlie tried to block out the sound of the name she had been haunted with since she arrived. Her eyes squeezed shut as she felt her emotions override her brain.
"No....Whoever this Astraea is....I'm not her.....I'm not her!!" she told herself over and over.
'D̴̡̬͇̖͍̟͉̠̝̣͔͙͇͙̺͂́͆̓͊̽̉̈́͜͝e̵̡̔̓̍͒́̽̓̐̑̀͝ṋ̸͍̮̻͖̺͔͕̭̥̼̹̤̮̓̉̐̃̍̀́͌͗̽̆̄̒͊̑̈̚͜͜͝͝͝y̷̧̛͖͙̗̜͈͆͗̋͋͋̈́̿́̃̔̈́͑͐̚i̵̘̪̓͛̉͊̇͊̎̌̽͐̽͛̓̀̕͠͝͠n̶̨̨̨̧̧̖͈͇̗̯͇͍̦͚̜̮̜̫̯̰̗͓̫͈̗͓͚̳̫̹͍͛́̋̔͐̅̔͊͛͛̑̎̈́̂͛̊̽̓̾̓̓̂͊̀̈́̀͌͌̚͜͝g̸̡̡̡͈̬̫͉̲͍̥̤̤̼̖͚͚̼̙̦̣̤̝̦̋̄͝ ̶̛̪̹̯͓͋̈́̉̇̕͜͝w̸̡̯̗͓̮͍̭̘͙̰͎̙̥̱̯̫̪̃̈̍͜͜͝o̸̧̧̨͇̻̪̭̞̮̥̲̟͉͖̟͓͇̩̩͍͇͈̟̫̫̬̅́̌ͅͅṅ̶̡̨̜̥̣̗̤̥̫̩̘̫͇̟͎̻̆̚͝'̸̡̢̜̜͎̫̝̘̮̰͎̙̠̲̲̱͖͕̼̪̟̩͓̗͇̝͉̱͖́̃̌̆̀͗͛̓̾͘͝ͅt̸̡̧̧͓̭̱͔̙̣̬̳̭̤̫̮̰͚̯͕͇̗̤̩͎̭̜̱̪̗͗̃̏̓̆̿͘͝͝ͅ ̸͓̭̖̱̟̹̺͖͎̓̅̒͒̐̈̀̊̔͗̐̔͗͗͆̐̊̽̉̾͊̈́̎̂̚͘̕͝͠͠͠s̵̨̞̹̟̭̘͎̗͉̗̖̠̥̱͇̭̎̑̚͜͜ơ̷̫̯͕͚̖̥̟̭̑̇͐͊̽͌͌̌̇̆̊̃̓̍̆̌̒̇̈̓̂͂͘̚͜͝ļ̸̡̯͙̭̼̱̲͉̫̞̣͎̣͇̱̱͙̝͇͉͚͖̿̐͛̀͒͌͐͐͊̅͛̕̕̚͘͘͝v̴̜̘̹̤̟͇̅͛̽͑̓̽̈́͘̚e̴̛̾̉͑̏̃͆͋̈́̑̎͑̋̆̈́͌̓̀̀̌̓͐͆̀͆̕͘͝͠͝͠͝͠ͅ ̵̢̨̡̛͓̰͙̼̞̺̘̬̻͙͙̱̲̤͕̆̇͐͋̈́̀̈́̅̉̍͌̚ͅa̴̲̘̞̬͑̎͊̈͐̂͗͌̾̍̃͂̐͗́̆̊͑́͑̾͒̓̇́̆̔ͅņ̸̨̖̺̥͕̫̬̝̻͓͖͎͖̘̘͙̜̥͉̥̰͈͈͇́̔̽̌͑͋̂́̐̄̂́̈̚͝y̶̧̘̞̬͚̱͎͈͙̤͑͋̈́̍̊͑̏̍̒͋͒̆̂͆̓͆͑͆̚̚̚͝͠t̷̢̨̨̹̣̦̺̘̥͚̯̲̭̦͓̻̹̩̝̰̞͓̹̻̤̟͚̱̹̏̾̈́̐̋̏̕͠ḧ̶̥͓̰̟̦̻͉̤̯͈͕̳͈̖͙̤̘͓̦̹̝̜͓̲̄͑̈̍͐͋̄̽͋̃̑͒̅̅̀́̓͑͠ͅͅį̷̨̛͔͎̝͎͚͇̫̪̙̣̖̥͔̰̝̖̥̥̄͛̒̈́̀̅́̏͂͛͊̀̓̆̀̒͑̿̂̂͒̀̑̓͑̑̊̈́͑̚͜ņ̴̡̰̮͍̪̻̰̞̪͚̰̟̩̭̮̺̻̳̤̌̇̎͆́̍̌̋͑͛̒̌̒̎͗͒̄̉̚͝g̴̢̢̛̛̛̬͕̳̲͙̞̟̦̗̭̘̺̬̹͍̝͍̦̺̝̤̬̮̤͈͓͐̾́̈̆̓͐̎̃͌̅͛̈́̾̇́̈́̒̈́̄͌̔͝ͅ~̸͔̞̬̭̠̺̘̺̗͆͂̽̔͋̔̉́̏̈́̅̎̽͜!̵̻̝̗̭̞͕̖͍̪̺̯̬̩͇͛͂̀͂"̷̧̧͍̦̪̟̪̳̙̟͑̓̑͒̂ͅͅ ̴̡̨͓̜̝̻̭̹̙̟͈͔̟̩̩̼̳̩͎͔̖̀̆̃͊̀̎̈́͂̆̊̈͗̋͂̈́̾́̆̑̂͂̈́̽͋̕̕͘͝
"Get out of my head!!!" She hissed as the familiar voice of The Saboteur came back. "Leave my brain alone!!"
"̷̨̡̲̩̪̳̰̳͓͓̩͖̯̝͕͉͓̹̮̗̽̕͜Į̶̧͚̬̖̥̞̞̮̜̫̪̘̥̭̻̬̠̞̦̙̪̳̤̪̆̏͂̿͂̿͗̋̓͗̌̈́̑̇̕͝͠ ̵̡̲̥̖͇̾͂́̈́̈́̋́̀̃͌̂͠ẗ̷̞͖̞̹̖̩͚̱͈̘̩̳̭̙͓͍͎̲̜̪̹̍̊̓̒̓̅̃͊̂̂̈́͊̐͆̌̒́͋͜͠ŏ̴̭̺̖̠͛̑͐̉̔̿͑̒̒̌̌͊͘̕͠ḻ̶̡̨̧̨̧̲͖̜͓̺̤̲̙̞͙̅̓̽̔̏͑̃d̵̡̖͈̹̭͎̪͍͈̳͙̩͇̝̘̩͖̣̼̦͈̻̯͂͐̓͆̎͒̌̎̎̀̏̃̊̎̃͗̕͘͘͠ͅͅ ̴̨̧͖̯̱̭̩͍͉̠̣̗̭̱͓̘͈̪̲͙̗̖͕̟̓͊̄̆͜ͅý̴̧̛̠͙̜̻̲̳̠̰̱͑̀͑̿̐̈́͒̿̐̂͂͋͛̎̈̽̕̕ͅͅŏ̵̡͍͆̽͆̎̔͗͂̈́̿̐͒̿͑̑͂͘͝͠ư̷̧͎̣̗̯͕̘̟͓̩̅̈́̐̃͌̏̐̆͜,̶̨̢̭͈̤̦̪͖̥̻͔̼͕̗̖͎̋́̑̓̏͐̓̊̽̓̑͜ ̸̯̯͉̗̘̮͎͕̠͇̟̬̏̓̋̿́͒͗̾̚͘͠S̶̢͕̟͍̪̮̟̬̦͇̥̗̜͕̤̘̟̙͚̟͙̎̑̽͛̆̔̽̋̈́͐̎̽̇̑̒̇̚w̷̡̢̤͕͕͎̠̟̫͖̺̘̫̙͍̣̲̹͈̠̻̫̥̗̅̌͑̑̈̃͑̉̊̈́̎̀͘ë̸̡͍̖͔̲̬͍̠̥͍̻̦͙̮͈͓̻̥̬͕̜̃̊̃̆̃̂͌̎̐͛̑̓̔̕̚͜͠ę̸̡̨̛̗̩͈̭̮͚̣̤̠̲͖̲̳̟͙̟̬̘̲̳̹̆̈́́̂̾̿̀̅̉͗̈́͌̍̓̃̈́̄͜͝͝͝t̷̨̧̜͉̥̤̲̰͙̠̘̮͕̥̪̹̘̰͐̀͑̈́̆̑̾̍̿̃͠͠i̶̧̼̩̫̻͚̟̤̞̭͔͕̜̤͕̐̅͗̄̈̽͘͘e̵͍̺̟̊̉́̌̌́̉͛̌̂̎̈͑̾̅̀̋̎̎͛͝:̵̢̢̛̪͎̤̺̫͙̙̙̭̱͓̥͉͉͈͈̥̠̣̀͛̑̀̒͗̀͛̾͌̇̌͛͌̎̚̕̚͜͝͝͝͠͝ ̴͚̥̻̩͈̣͐͐͗̊͂̀͒͂͛́́̇͌̿̃͋̚̚͘͝͠͝͝͠͠Į̵̳̦̻͎͚̳͚̮̜̼̏̏́͋̂͆̌͌̄́͋̚͝ͅ'̴̨̫̈́̀̃͐̾̏̑̀̆̍̐̓̿̌̿͋̎͒̈́͂̽̌̈́͝m̸̛̛̬̹̯̮̽͛̇̿̈́̇͗͌͛͛͆́̏̀͊̕͜ ̶̙̰̼̳̬̼͐́̓̈̍͗ͅņ̵͉̹̘̹̦̲͊͛̏̀̕ȏ̶͉̼̋̔̎̒̾͗̌͆̋͆̂̾̆̒͆̏̈́̕͘ͅt̷̨̹̩̖͚̣͉̜̲̥̹͚̼̱̪̲͙͕͓̪̍̍̄̔͋͋̀͂͐̍̀̔̕ͅ ̸̧̨̯̦̜͕̲̯̺̹̯̯̤̜͓̝̻̇̌̆̐̅̂͗͆̇̽̈́́̐̃̀͒̑͒̈́̕͝͝g̸̛̛̛͍̤͐͐̋̔̉͗̒̓̽͗̽̽̌̇̒̾̈́̈́͒̈́́̚ǫ̵̧̖̥̦̮̹̰̰͕̣̯̣͎̤̩̇͋̔̈́̚ͅį̸̛̘̞͎̻͓̲̜͕̩͈̥͇͉̜̜͔̺̰̯͇̩̈́̇̾̈͊̄̆̃͐͆̋̋̓̃͐̎̂̈́̉̊͘͜͠ͅn̵͓͇̪̣͚̟̤̕g̵̡̨̨̙̝͖͚͚̳̮͉̤̻̰̲̀̉́̾͋̌͐́͗̊̑͊͝͝ ̷͙̮̹̳͂͌͗͗̒̅̎͌̂̾̃a̶͔̮̺̗̩̥͉̥̠̬͗͋̏̾́͊̂̈́̎̿̑̋͘͝n̸̡̡͍̞̱̦̩̬̻̩̦̪̩͇̝̺̝͔̊̀̋͂̈́̓̊̒̾̑̒̌̔͌̀͆͂͆̌̀̈́͝ͅͅy̵̡͔̪̣͓̹͈͉͕͖̤̯͍̣͖͎̬̞̖͕͍̍̈́̿̌͋̅́̾̀̽͒͌̋͊͒͑̌́́̐̔̕͘͜͝ͅw̶̛̤̘̣̗̹̭̎̍̔́͐͆̄͒̄͒̍͐̽́́̓̐̉͘̚͘͝͠ḩ̴̢̡͕̫̞̠̪͔̳̲̲̘̠̥̭͓̫̪͆̽̿͑̎͌̔̌̊́̔͊̂͜e̴̡̛̘̞͎͉͋͗̾͒͂̎̈́̃̓̄͛͘̕͜ŗ̸̨̨͎̫͚̳͍͉̯͈̳̣͖̞͆̆̿̃͒͊̃̂̚͜͝ë̵̢̢̨̛̛̛̙̲͔̰͖̝͉̟̘͍͉̮͓́͒̍̈̅́͒̒͊͗̏̈́͊̓̑̈̾̅͒̍͘̚͜͝ͅ,̸̨̛̫̞̝̗̹̲͚̮͖͙̯̬̪̣̳̩̿̃̔̀́̌̈̀́͂̀͗̋̒̌̀̓̓͘͜ ̷̺̞̤̣̘͍͙̝͎̰͇̯̎͊͜c̴̢̢̖̞̙̺̗̖̳̙̯͍̻̻͎͛̈́̀̈́̈̈͛͜͜͝ȧ̶̗̲͈̲̺͚̲͕̜͍̤̰͔͓̹͚͕̹͔͈͇̈́̽̾͒̀̿̊̄̑͆̎̀͑̌̔̐͋̍͊̇̄͌͘̕ǘ̶̧̨̧̨͈̮̪̤̜͎͍̟͎̲̦̾̅̔̎̉͛ș̶̡̛͓̳̦̳̺͉̤̤̥̠̰̯̻̰̀̀͊͗̓͒̃̎̀̄̀̇̅̄̄̈̒͆͐̓̒ẻ̸̢̪̺͈̗̠̟̱͇͈͕̐̀̌̔̋̃̀̍̂͐̀͘͘͝͝ ̴̛͈͚͖̅̄͐͗̂̏͒̍̋̇̈́̔̓͘͜͠͝Į̷̢̭͔̗̲͚͈̼̱̺̩̬͔̤̓̊̔̇̉̾͐̈́̈́͊̇͘̚͝'̵̹̭͍̖̲͈̮͉̲͓̻͉̫̪̣̦̣͛̏̍͛̿̇̌̈̆̓́̽̚͠ḿ̶͇̿̔̽̊͊̓̄̋̈́̈́̑͌̌̅͐̓̀̕ ̶̡͇̣̹̰͎͖͉̝̍̇̍̍̓̋͘̕p̸̢̛̟͚͙͔̱͔̳̲̘̯̖̝̲̤̬͚͊̈́̆̃̓̕͜͜ͅa̸̡̡̛̪̥̰̠̹̝͓̻̮̫̦̖͊̃̓́̀̎̌̒̃̄͑̏̉̈́̇̆̒̅̈́͘͘͘͝ṛ̴͓͎̩̟̭̹͉͈͇̹̬͉̞͔̬͎̭̟̠̺̦͙͚̻͐̎̾̉̀͐͋͆̑̔͊̈́̓͑̐̌͒̐̿̌̇̎̾͠͠ͅt̸̢̼̙͔̻̤̖͚̅̔͜ ̴̥̬͙͓̩̱̈́͜ò̷̡̧̧͍̺͓̩̖̦̎̓̊͒͛͋͆̉͋͑̈́͛̉̚f̸̢̡̞͉̥̹̺͖͙͚̋͂̎̽̓͗͒̈̄̆ ̴̜̬̀͊̔̓̉̽̃͝͠ỹ̵̢̰̻̞̞̝̣̾̈́̽̚̕͠ͅŏ̵̙̣̯̞͈̭̟̥̜̪̯͔̠͚͕̲̣͜ͅu̷̡͚̲̠͎̻̠͔͓̦̺͉͔̪̠̙̭̹͇̾͐̈́̐́̂̽̎̄̆͊̈́̏͂̕͠!̴̢̡̨̛̣͍͕̪̰̣̞̲̗̻̲͔͇͌̍͑͑̾̔͑͗̑͋͘͜ ̵̛̱̺̰̻̳͎̪͓͍̯̙͇̤̩̘͎̙̬̹̗̈́̎͂̌͋̑́̋̓̀̈́̈́͆͝͝"̵̢̡̱̲̲̅̾͊͊̄́̿̑̑̂̓̍̾͝ ̶͙̯͖͔̞͚̝̭̩͓̤̥̬̇̊̋̀̋́
"Charlie?? Charlie, what's wrong?!" Epel, noticing her freaking out, grabbed her arm, only to feel the same thing Rook did: like his hand was sliced open and he reared back, the pain stinging his hand.
"Milady, get ahold of yourself!" Rook hissed, not getting his eyes off the monsters.
But she couldn't....Charlie felt her strength being sucked out of her as she crumbled to her knees, feeling weak all along her body. She tried to keep her head steady as she felt like passing out, but Epel gripped her at her side to keep her upright.
'Stop antagonizing me!!!'
T̵̘̻̜̜͕̐h̵̡̛̠͍̲̲̖̝͚̼̤̜̱͇̰̣̘̍̎̿̈́̂̓̆̊̋͑̀̕ȩ̴̨͚̫̬͍̝͕̹͎͙̘̩̤̤̳̦͖͇̭̈́̐͋͒̒̉̑̐̈̐͋͐̚͜͝͠ñ̶̨̟͓͇̯̒̋́͆̋͂̏͗̈́͛̇̚͝͝ ̷̡̧̼̮̮̖̳͓̪͓̲̻̳̱̮̳̜͈̝͋͌͒̊́̋̌̔͂̂̚͝͠͠d̴̡̛̛̩̤̤͙̳̮̤̜̗̝̯̫͖̣͇͕͇̝̰̯͉͉͐̀̅͗̔̈́̍͒̐̾̃̈́̏̋̌̆̄́̅͛͘͘͘͜͝ȏ̸̧̢͕͖̖̬̦̘̖͓̼͎̤̰̗̩̱͎̃͘̚̚ͅṇ̴̀͝͝'̷͇̲̩͈͎͕͍̞̞̺̋͂̎̑̑̈́͜͠͠t̵̡̨̡̨̹̰̭̯̼̰̠͓̼̱̰͔̰̩̟̦̬̃̇̍͒͆̏̄̀̑͒̍̆́̍̈́̋̿͒̂̾͋̐̓͗̓̚ͅͅ ̷̡̧̨̹͖̺̝̘͕̼̭̟̦͕̩̖͐̐̈́b̷̧̛̭̪̣̠͕̥̼̩̣̣͓̜͎̗̦̗̰͕̘̣͚̟̓̾́̈́͒̾͊͛̊̇́̌͐̓̇̓̏͛̚͜͜͝ļ̴̢̢̪̳̝͚͇̺̘̥̙̟̭̩̞̘̯̜̰̺̳̩̹̂̆͗̏̇̊͗̚͜a̸̗͓̟̻͎̦̝̺̜̓͌͆̍͊ͅm̴̨̫̬̪̩̜͔̳̺̹̯̬̼̺̰͎͖͂̎̈́͆͊̒̍͒̉̚ͅͅẻ̸̡̢̢̛͇̭͙͓̹̳̩̺̬̻̤̫̈́̌̒͋͊̅̀͋́͆͐͑̿͂̂̊͘̚̚ ̵̢̨̼͈̤̹̖̮̜̦͍̱͖̥̗̙̬̘̠̄̆̑͑̌̈́̍̃͋̓͑̈́̽̍̔̒͊̆̚̚͠m̸̢̧̲͙̦̍̓̋̓̀̋͂͋͘è̵̢̨̨͓̩̬͈͕̪͉̩̩̣͎̩̦̘̱̰̲̜̰͍̪͐̒̏͊͂̐́̔͛͆͘ ̶̧̢̛̛͓̻̟͖̜͈͚͖̫̬̻͉̍̾̏̈̔̉̋͂̄͋́͗͗͑͑̒̈́̓̂̃̾̊̓͝ǫ̷̧̢̧̩̠͇̣̣͖̰̼͚̹̠̭͚̭̞̹̘́̊̏̾͜͜ņ̶̡̛̠̲̘̙̭͕̹͕͔̮̝͎͉̳͎͇̯͚̗̖͖͉̈́̈́͜͝c̴̡̨̢̢̛̭͙̻̹͎̹̖͖̰̫̣̫͇̥͇̫͍̔̎͛̅̆̉͒̐̋̆̈́̅͒̆̀́̿͊͂́͠͝͠ͅͅe̴̡̨̛͚̲̬̪̲̥̲͉̰̰͇͎̩̲͉̘̭͍̻̾̌̔̌́͐̌̇̆̃͒̇̃͒̄̽̓̎̉̅̕̕̚͜͝ ̸̹͙̅͑̊͒̾̔̍͘̚ÿ̴̡̙͎́̅̊̉͒͒̓̀̓̊̃̇̚͠͝ö̴̯̭̜͚̣̪̼̥́͌͛̈́̑̆͐̆̔͌̒̈́̾̅͒̾̔̚ư̴̼͒̍͌̓̿̇͝͝ ̵̨̛̻̪͓̥̪͎̻̲̗̠̣̬̹̳̙͈̓͊͌͛͌͋̓̔̎̅̒̄͆̓̚͘͜͜͝͝ͅs̵̯̗̮̱͖̩̺͎͕̯̞͇̗͈̻̓́͌́̀̀̓̒̀̍̏̿̽̅̈́̋̕ͅȩ̸̡̟̥̠̣̺͍̯̣̮͋͊̐̏̒̐̐́̿̇̊̀̃͘͜͝e̵̩̞̯̖̮̻̘͇̜̼̩̼͎̻̗̟͝ ̸̞͖͚̭̯͖̪̻̞͍̆̄̒̽͠ͅd̸͔̱̺̼̥͖̜̒̿̒͒͆̓̀́̌̊̍̅̄̕͝͠͝e̵͕̹͖̣̜̠͇̣̦̤͉̰͂͑̅̀̉̂̆̑͌̈́̏́̑̓̃̆̊͗͘̚͠ͅa̷͓͔͙͗̊͂̊̑̃̃̆̎̐̅͝d̸̛̮̖̥͔̑̃̀̍̊̓̈́͜ͅ ̴̱͐̐̑̆̊̾̔b̷̢̖̹̲͇̫̱̙͔͔̫̺̙̥̮͍̺̫̼̲͈̳͒̎̋͌͑̓̄̀̂̐́̃̄̽͛̾̽̽̌̀̿̕͘͠ǫ̵̲̱̰̩̣͎̝̼̠̳͍̻͈͗̿̓̇͝ͅd̶̲͎̩͍͍̙͖͛̅͐̐̊̀̍͋̇͐̚̕i̸̢̨̙̺̰͕͙̠̠͍̱̮̝̝̹̜͍̘͖͉̮͕̘̱͆̔̑̀̐̿̽̍͐́̏͆̔̈̔̋͋̀̊̒̏͊̀͝͝͠è̶̡̡̟͉͕͕̜̭͍̪̫͖̘̘̲͇͓̮̭̬̳̹͜ͅs̶̮̘̥͙̭̹̲̳̹͇̫̥͈͑͌͒̑̇̎ͅ!̶̨̨̨̧̦̰̟̯̫̲̝̖̮͈̻̘̟͈͔̮͈̌͒͑͑͐͗͛̂͊͆̆̇͒͋̂̒͂̀̆́"̷̢̡̧̢̧̯̺̜̞̙͖͕̦̞̱̭͕̱͕͉̣̪̇́̀̿̈́́͜
Something began to rise in her chest as the Saboteur's voice vanished. Oh no....it's the same feeling she got back all those months ago...!
"Epel....get the others and duck..." she strained to speak.
"What?!" He looked at her like she was crazy.
"Please...trust me...! I-" she hissed as pain pounded at her temple. "I don't have a lot of time!" Her body began to burn brightly just as it did...the same night she, Grim and ADeuce were confronted by the Mine Monster. Epel's eyes widened as he saw what was happening.
"Epel!! Hurry and do as she says!!" Fawkes came out of hiding and grasped his sleeves to save his seniors. The boy's mouth felt dry but he managed to stutter out, with Fawkes' urging-
"D-Duck.....Duck!!!!" He screams as he, with an unusual amount of force, knocked Vil and Rook to the floor as Fawkes protected them.
"Astraea.....Astraea!!!" The monster shrilled as it tried to grab her.
Charlie's eyes opened. Stark white had swallowed her eyes. She threw her arms behind her as a surge of light released from her body and bursting like a star. The light swallowed the small monsters in the room and the Phantom screeched as it, too, was destroyed with them. Epel covered his eyes as he felt a burn on his retinas.......
......Light was gone......
......All stood still....
Charlie stood there, looking up at the ceiling, a dazed look on her face but her eyes were wide with surprise.
Rook slowly looked up as he saw that all of the monsters were gone, taking him aback. He slowly got to his knees as he breathed heavily, seeing not a creature in sight.
"No way....they...they're all gone...!" He breathed as Epel opened his eyes. Vil raised his head so fast he nearly snapped his neck. But the hunter was telling the truth, and he choked on his saliva.
"The hell in-?!" He breathed as he turned to look back at Charlie who snapped from her stupor and saw the result. Her surprise never left her face, even when she looked at the two juniors and freshman.
"Milady...did you do this?!" Rook looked at her with a bit of fear.
"Uh....pretty much...?" She glanced to the side.
"Mon dieu.... You wiped them all out in one attack!" The hunter whispered as he got to his feet, only to stumble back to the floor, hand gripping his bleeding arm.
"Don't get up! You'll get dizzy from blood loss!" Fawkes urged him to sit and breathe to get oxygen into his system.
"Rook, I'm so sorry! Here I'll quickly treat it!" Charlie knelt close to him as she was given a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide, cotton balls and gauze bandages to treat his wound.
"Don't fret, Milady. It's small but I can pull through." He smiled, watching her concentrated face. "But you saved me and my colleagues from those monsters, and that alone I kneel at my feet before you for."
"Not the time for that, Rook!" Vil hissed. "But he's right....you did save us.....so we owe you...." He smiled at her.
"But it was such a cool attack! I wish I could see it without my eyes getting blinded...!" Epel mused. Just as she finished tying up the bandage, two large hits thrashed at the entrance doors, startling the group.
"Something's outside the door!"
"This nightmare may never end...what is it now?!" Vil hissed.
"Jupiter....you cannot escape...Jupiter!"
"Oh fuck! The Titan!!" Charlie jumped.
"We need to barricade the door to slow it down just enough for us to finish it off!" Rook urged as Epel swiped the Keycard and they tumbled outside, shutting the door behind them. "Milady!"
"Weapon summon: Thunderstorm Spear!!" Charlie threw up her hand as a ball of light expanded and shaped into that of the Spear itself. It fell from the light and into their hands.
"Activate Spear!" Vil shouts when it got into his grip.
'Voice command received. Safety Lock off, Sighting support mode activated.' The Spear lit up just as the door began to dent outward.
"It's gonna break through!" Epel frets.
"It was just hit by the Spear yet it wasn't affected by it...such strength!" Rook tried to not faint at the revelation.
"They've been kept in an iceberg for a thousand years, so they have every right to go on a rampage!" Vil argued as they aimed the Spear forward and the Titan broke through.
"Here it comes!!!" Epel screamed as It charged at them just as they let the bolt fly, it stuck the Titan with equal power and force, but it seemed the Earth Titan would overpower and crush them. "NGH! It's too strong!"
"Don't waver!! We can't lose when we're so close!" Vil shouted as the Titan let out a roar of aggravation.
"Then let me help slay the beast!" Suddenly, from above, Charlie flew down, brandishing her Adamantine Dress and the Spear of Selene, the golden rod shings with light. She pierced through the Titan's back with inhumane strength it roared from the piercing blow, as she let out a howling roar, trying to pierce through its skin. Her appearance from out of nowhere nearly gave the boys a heart attack, seeing her taking on a reckless action. But they kept the Thunderstorm steady to finish the beast off once and for all.
'C'mon, break through! I have to use this! I can't let anyone down!' she thought as the faces of everyone she loved flashed through her mind one by one. She felt like she wasn't in control of her powers at that moment in time, but if it was enough to annihalate this thing, then so be it. "Deus Ex Machina....!" her eyes immediately turned red as summoned her power to pierce through the Titan's body. "Purge of the Stars!!!!!"
The Spear began to pierce through the rocks as the Titan felt its body being destroyed. With one final slash, Charlie broke through its body as the light began to make the Titan swell with uncontrolled power-!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" KABOOOOOOM!
From the explosion, The rocks flew every which way as the head of titan smashed against the concrete, finally destroyed. Charlie hit the floor with impact as the other three fell to the ground in exhaustion. Dust filtered through the air from the rocks that used to be the Titan's body, making it difficult to breathe. Fawkes, transforming into his human side, quickly got to work in shielding each individual in their own fire orb to not only heal them but protect them from the dirty air around them. He quickly zips to Charlie and placed his hand on her cheek, getting her onto his lap for comfort.
"Charlie?! Charlie, are you okay???" he asked, worried she may have exerted herself. Some silence filled the room until a moan of pain left her lips and her eyes cracked open, amber eyes foggy.
".....ugh.....F-Fawkes......" she croacked as she let her head fall back onto his shoulder
"Don't push yourself." he shushed. "That was a crazy ass move you did back there...!"
"But did we...?" she didn't finish her sentence as Fawkes nodded.
"Yes. The Titan's no more." The answer got tired but satisfied reactions out of everyone
"Thank fuck...." she sighed.
"I don't even want to move from my spot after what happened just now....." Vil groaned. He felt like chewing off Charlie's ear for her reckless move, but seeing that she was in worse condition than them, he didn't bother too, not having the energy to do so.
"W-We...we must hang in there...! There's...a hangar...just nearby....!" Rook shook as he tried to stand up, using the wall for support. He looked at Vil, "Do you need a shoulder?"
"I'll be fine." Vil shook his head.
"And let's get our wounds treated." Epel was the last one to stand, Fawkes, letting Charlie rest in his arms as he carried her bridal style towards the safe haven. Rook managed to get the door unlocked and they all slowly filed into the room. As Vil and Epel hooked up the Spear it its Charging Station, Rook went to where Fawkes was, sitting besides Charlie who laid on the couch. Fawkes had found her Stardust Vial and sprinkled it over to heal her body and a dusting on Rook's wound, which cleared up in no time. Vil and Epel sat on the floor beside her and the former brushed some tendrils of hair that got in his face.
"To think an attack like that drained me so fast...I almost thought I was dead....but Charlotte took a much worse hit....." he looked at her scratches and wounds, even at the skin where her Battle Dress was torn from the attack she used to wipe out the Earth Titan. But her clothes went back to the normal Pomefirore dress from before to save her some energy.
"Is the Spear Charging?" Fawkes asked.
"Yes. But we're only going to do half a battery's worth. There's not much time left...." Vil looked away only to look at his hands and clothes: dust covered pieces of his clothes, which sported rips and tears and his updo had started to come undone from all the fights. "As soon as we get back, I'm going to take a long soak in a bubble bath..."
"Here, this won't fix tears in clothing, but your wounds need it otherwise...." Fawkes tipped the bottle over, letting some stardust heal the three's injuries. They smiled, seeing their wounds vanished, but Vil frowned soon after.
"To think, just days ago, we were all living an ordinary life....now it feels like a dream....Idia and Ortho....maybe they, too, vyed for a normal lifelike any of us...getting together with friends to play video games or figure out any future plans while stargazing....something along those lines...but reality is a harsh slap to the face...which is why....I vow to crush their dreams for my own sake." Vil stared at his hands only to clench them tightly into fists. "They, too, can crush our dreams if they wish....even if someone achieves a happy ending, another....suffers...." his voice got quiet, head slumped back, head close to touching Charlie's.
"Vil...?" Epel looked over, only to see him passed out.
"Those battles took a lot out of him....let him sleep." Rook shushed subtly. "Epel, Charlotte, you both get some shuteye as well. We may have gotten past the trial, but the real test is soon to come...we need all the power we can get, even if it's a little."
"Totally...." Epel didn't take long to start snoozing himself, hand clutching Charlie's own for comfort.
"F-Fawkes....can you-?" Charlie whispers.
"Yes....I'll keep guard and make sure you're almost healed." he promised.
"Good....." she let her head fall back onto the cushions of the couch as she fell asleep.
'....a Normal...life....' was all Rook thought as he was the last one to shut his eyes.
————————————
Alone on a hill, stands a little girl.....
Far off in the distance is a tall castle....
And in her hands, laid a sword. But instead of wielding it....she placed it over two stone rocks, leaving equal balance between both the tip of the sword and the hilt. She breathed in through her mouth and back out as she picked up a wooden stick. She let the stick's end hover over the sword below her as she began to judge where she would strike. Once she found the midpoint, she nods.
She slowly raised the stick high over her head as she streamed her magic into it. She brought it down sharp and fast. The sword shattered into two pieces. They fall to the earth as she smiled, victorious at her action.
"Well done, my pupil." an elderly voice sounded closer as she looked up and saw a familiar face. A stern weather-beaten face, upon which stand stern eyes and thick grey eyebrows and a matching beard. But what was more noticeable about the man himself was a deep blue robe and matching wizard's hat from which shone silver stars and moons....and in his hands...a spellbook. The little girl smiled recognizing the man before her.
"Master Yen Sid!" she bowed in greeting. He chuckles at her politeness.
"I see you've been improving your enchantments. You took my lessons very seriously, and I am proud of your progress." he congratulated as he sat upon an old tree stump to rest from the walk from the castle to the grassy field where the small girl stood.
"Of course! You taught Papa everything about magic and so I followed in his footsteps!" she sat next to him. "You are his Teacher after all.
"And I still am....that is what I am to you as well; no need for formalities." he said.
"But...Papa called you 'Master Yen Sid' all the time!" she countered back with some struggle of thought. "Why can't I?"
"That was the past, little one. I've changed since the days your father was my pupil your age. This is a new era, and ones where change must come about."
"Change...?" the small girl looked up at him.
"My dear....every time the Earth turns, a new day begins. As the earth circles the sun, time passes by and with it, years. Change is vital to us as we who live in this world. Change exudes evolution, progression from machines to agriculture to magic itself. People expand their horizons to grow and broaden their way of thinking and becoming more modernized. If we stay stuck in the past, then we are the odd ones out!
"My pupil...." Yen Sid looked to the small girl, her jewel-like eyes, her dark hair that whisped in the wind. "One day....your father's time as king will come to an end and you will be the one to take up the mantle as Queen of your kingdom. You must lead your people to a brighter future where change is for the good. And to do that, you evolve your magic, a power strong enough to protect the citizens that look to you for guidance. For one day, when the past comes back to haunt us, you will be at the front lines to confront it and put it to rest forever."
"But...when will I know when I'm ready....?" the girl asked nervously.
"You will when you feel it....in your heart." Yen Sid smiled at her. "Remember: to unlock true magic, you must make peace with all your emotions; from the reckless joy of the positive to the despair of the negative. Only then can you find beauty and power in both."
"Thank you...Teacher!" the girl nodded thankful as he got up off the stump and led her back to the castle.
————————————
A loud boom sounded outside the room, startling everyone, excluding Fawkes, awake; he only looked towards the doors with a raised look of suspicion.
"What the hell was that noise?!" Vil got to his feet.
"I'm not sure. We must investigate!" Rook urged as he and Fawkes helped Charlie off the couch. "Milady, are you okay to stand?"
"Yeah. It's nothing." She shook her head in response. "What's the battery on the Spear??"
'Battery is currently at 30% power.' The AI responds.
"Crap, we're not even close to the halfway mark!" Epel chewed his fingernails.
"There's no other option! I may kick myself in the back for this, but we'll need to take it with!" Vil sighed as he went to unplug it. "Let's hurry! Or we'll be too late!" He made for the door just whilst the others follow, Charlie and Fawkes bringing up the rear.
'I've got a bad feeling about this...' Charlie thought as the doors to the hangar shut behind her.