Ch.10- Orbis non Sufficit
(AN- Anyone spoiling the story at any part will have their comment deleted. Spoiling the story for other's isn't cool, and it's kinda upsetting to have to address this in the first place since it's started to appear in this book as of late. Reading the story and finding out the reveals yourself provides a much more enjoyable experience. So please don't ruin the story or the fun of reading for yourself and others by spoiling. Enjoy the read every one.)
The morning came with an annoying clammer from the next room over. Both you and Uraraka groaning as the sudden shouts about something too muffled for you to hear coming in through the walls.
Slowly you rose from the bed you had peacefully been resting in. Grabbing the newly purchased snowy attire and moving towards the changing curtain. Uraraka yawned sleepily, slowly nodding her head to let you know she understood you were changing.
Your new attire was not much different from your current one: long black pants with some metal around your thighs, a dark hood attached to an ocean blue button up, then the white short sleeves stopping just above your elbows (only now they ran towards your wrist and added a pair of black gloves), and finally a pair of red boots and red bag to match. Your attire wasn't the fanciest thing in the world, but you liked it that way, knowing it provided you with easy enough access to move around.
You emerged a few moments later, turning to see the witch was moving around with sleep still in her eyes. Hopefully, some breakfast would do her good, or at least some hot tea to wake her up before you all walked into a tundra-like environment.
Your attention was given to your bags and packing them as best you could as Uraraka went into her own attire. Only to be disturbed near the end when a knock came from your door. You could see Uraraka waving you a hand and motioning for you to answer it.
You did so, unlocking the door and looking at the six males who were already dressed and ready to go. By this time Uraraka had finished changing as well and warmly smiled to your companions, offering them to come inside while she finished packing up her own things.
Everyone filed in at their own pace, looking around as if to see what sorts of strange and foreign things happened inside the room of the opposite sex. However, their ideas were quickly shattered when they saw that it looks just like their own rooms, aside from being a tad bit messier since Uraraka and yourself were still packing up.
"You look practical." Todoroki spoke towards you, seeing as your attire was perfectly situated for the 'Great Northern Adventure' that would soon be embarked upon.
"You seem to have dressed appropriately as well, Todoroki." You told him, seeing as the male had an extra layer of warmth added to his usual blue overcoat. Now it was a dark blue winter jacket, with matching white gloves.
Along with this, his new sword was situated perfectly on his hip, its shiny gloss cover making it quite easy for everyone to see he was armed and ready to defend himself or others at a moment's notice.
Next to the Highar prince, however, was his exact opposite in preparedness. Bakugou, as it appeared, was going to go as he was usually dressed. In his shirtless, cape wearing, slightly ripped and tattered pants self. And from how he seemed to still be brewing over the events of last night, you knew better than to engage with this living ball of spite.
"Kacchan... are you going in that?" Midoriya asked, catching his words as soon as he said them. "I-I mean! A-are you sure it's okay for you to go somewhere so cold dressed like that?!"
Bakugou glared towards the stuttering friend from his childhood, his lip raised and showing off his sharp canines. His eyes glancing from the green haired male to the redhead who was standing behind him.
"Shitty hair tried to get me to wear some of that stupid ass winter crap... like I get cold." He muttered, eyes glancing at his mark for a moment.
"Even with the mark of the fire God himself... your skin can still be susceptible towards the frigid temperatures that we are about to encounter." Iida informed him, adjusting his glasses as if to show off his intelligence.
"Shut it! I'm fucking fine!" Bakugou one more rose his voice.
From the background, Kirishima raised up a sweater. His lips moving and mouthing the words 'It's fine, I have it.' Everyone seemed to understand as Kirishima put his bag back into his back, and then turning towards Kaminari. The male was watching with a gleam of interest in his eyes, still trying to understand the group dynamic.
"Ready when you are, oh great guide." Kirishima laughed, pointy teeth shown off to all who could see him.
"A-ah yeah... I'm ready!" The male with the lightning bolt in his hair spoke, lifting up a thumb and smiling towards everyone around him.
His attention was interrupted though as you began to search around in your bag. Slowly, you pulled out another item. This one was small and seemed to have a latch on its ends, the middle being thick with fabric and as dark as the night sky.
"What's with the mask?" Kaminari asked you, watching as you adjusted the cover onto your mouth and the lower part of your nose.
"It's cold..." You sighed, looking towards the male, your voice not muffled or distorted at all. "...and I'd rather not get my lips or face chapped from it."
"Awe that was a really clever idea..." Uraraka beamed next to you, her own clothing not looking much different from her usual attire.
The only difference here seemed to be that the clothing was a bit thicker instead of those light and cool fabrics she usually wore. No airier looks for her, as this brown eyed witch was ready to embrace the cold terrain ahead.
"Are we all ready to head out then?" Iida asked, looking over his comrades. "Everyone appears to at least have bought winter attire if they needed it."
"I'm ready!" Uraraka called, her items finally all together once more and her rosy cheeks even brighter thanks to the excitement.
And with that pumped up cheer, you all made your way out of the hotel. The front desk girl wished you all luck on your adventure, finishing off with a nod and a comforting smile. And as the buildings began to become sparser and less extravagant as you all moved towards the northern side of town, it was obvious that no one wanted to live near the northern tundra.
Kaminari pointed ahead, adjusting the hat he wore before fishing out a map of his own from his pocket. The piece of paper was riddled with notes and markings, the male having jotted down numerous reminders it appeared from his usual journeys in the inhabitable regions of Alcius.
"It's about a two-hour walk until we reach where the biomes meet... after that, the land is going to be low in vegetation until we reach the forest. The air is also going to get colder and have less oxygen as we go along, so whoever is the Geni needs to use their mark to filter the flow of air so none of us get lightheaded."
"I can do that." Uraraka spoke, catching the straw blonde's eyes.
"No way! Our Geni is a witch!?"
Uraraka blushed, chuckling and rubbing her head awkwardly. "Y-yeah... I am."
"Well I'm glad, you're gonna be needed a lot on this trip. So make sure to not tire out too much and let the rest of us know if you need a break to rest and regain your stamina." He spoke, the usual goofy tone disappearing as he spoke with a deadly serious tone. "This goes for everyone... cause the tundra can and will kill you if you push yourself."
All remaining party members nodded, seeming to understand that this was going to be a harsh and challenging adventure. And that this wasn't even the worst of it, therefore the next five hours of hiking from here until you all reached the mythical forest of despair was where your journey truly would be tested. And if one of you messed up, it might mean life or death for the rest of you.
The walk towards the white north was calming, if not because of nerves then because of how some of you were still a bit sleepy. You had seen Midoriya at some point have to gently grab Uraraka's arm due to her yawning and not watching where she was walking. Everyone else seemed to be occupied with themselves. Todoroki was minding his own business, Bakugou was walking with a frown, Kirishima and Kaminari were talking amongst themselves, and Midoriya was trying to help a sleepy Uraraka wake up.
The sounds of footsteps approaching you made you turn to see the tallest of your group had come to walk beside you. His metal armor clanked slightly as he moved, the usual helmet he wore now latched tightly onto his bag, and thus allowing his face and head to be seen to all around.
Iida's gentle navy eyes showed kindness towards you as he smiled sweetly. You nodded back to him, a strange sensation building in your gut as you moved alongside him. Did he want something from you? Did he have something to say? And why did he seem so calm about this all? It boggled your mind.
"You seem to be lost in thought today, (Name)-kun." Iida spoke towards you. "Is everything alright?"
You nodded, looking towards where scattered drops of sunlight were pouring through the leaves as you passed under them. Your hands gripping in on themselves as you moved and your lungs filling with a quick burst of air.
"Yes, I'm fine..." You told him, closing your eyes as you spoke. "I suppose I'm just not used to being around others for this long a time."
Iida nodded slowly, watching as you went back to staring ahead, knowing better than to push or meddle in someone else's business. It was his sworn duty to involve himself when the plea was given. And so... he wouldn't bother you any longer, and instead pressing on to move to walk just a few steps ahead of you.
The rest of the walk, you watched as five of your comrades make talk amongst themselves, laughing and smiling happily as they paced forward. And behind you, you could feel two other pairs of eyes watching you: a brash crimson and the aloof silver and cerulean. And yet, despite all they had wanted to know of you and how they had made progress... not even they wanted to pester you.
Something about how your mouth was covered made everyone assume you wanted your space and to not be pestered... and so you were glad to have received it.
Eventually, Kaminari paused on a cliff overlooking the area in front of him. The rest of you stopping as well as your eyes widened and you took in your surroundings. Out in front of you was a frozen landscape, fresh snow laying on the ground, covering up what little vegetation was trying to survive here. And even further then that, one could see the tops of snowy mountains and the high glaciers. Kaminari rose a finger, pointings towards the area between two mountains, seeming to lead further into some area and away from wandering eyes.
"That's where we're heading. Just beyond that pass is where the forest is..." Kaminari sighed. "I'm afraid that I can only help you to it though... I have no more advice once we actually enter it."
"That's alright, Kaminari-kun." Midoriya muttered, orbs of green shining brightly. "Todoroki-kun, Uraraka-san, and I hopefully have that part covered..."
"You better fucking hope so..." Bakugou spat, placing his foot over the edge and sliding down the cliff with ease.
His feet hit snow at the bottom, turning to see his allies still watching him from above. With an annoyed sigh, he turned and began to move once more, not waiting for anyone else, knowing they'd be quick to follow him.
"Well come on! We got another three hours of walking, don't we morons?!"
The snow crunched underneath your feet as the walking continued, your body seeming to scream at you for having decided to do this. Your eyes watered from the cold dry air, but you continued on. Your sheer determination to keep up with everyone making you forget and push aside your petty inconveniences.
You had to focus on what you knew you'd find in Livtabt... and how once it was found and retrieved you should finally be free from the past. No more having to hold you down, or keep you forever stuck in place. And with the weight of the Gods no longer on your mind or the questions about any of it... you could move on and truly not have anything hold you back from doing what you wished to do.
Everyone else seemed to hold up just fine too, making their way through the cold without too many complaints. And strangely enough, either because it was true or he was too stubborn to admit defeat, Bakugou never once seemed to be cold. If only the same could be said for Kirishima who had to take Bakugou's extra clothing for himself. The struggles of being part cold-blooded you supposed.
Uraraka was doing well filtering the air, as about halfway through the walk it was clear to all how thin the oxygen was becoming. And thus, every thirty minutes after that, you all would take a break to refuel on food and drink, making sure everyone's energy and alertness was up.
And then finally, after nearly seven hours of walking the first lush green colors were spotted ahead of you all. The relief that you all had made it filled your hearts with enough motivation to finally reach the edges of the forest. But now seeing it up close... it was rather obvious why no one ever bothered to enter.
The entire outer layer of the forest was swarming with what looked to be swirls of colored lights: pink, blue, orange, green, red, yellow, silver, and more were all present. A strange oddity after having come this far and now seeing this place for oneself, truly brought upon a realization.
The Gods didn't want mortals coming here and they obviously didn't want them to enter. So entering would be the same as committing treason against your mark... disobeying the God who saw you as something great and something so special to them... what is truly worth it?
"Are we going to stand here?" You spoke, looking around you to pairs of eyes that suddenly seemed to look as if to be reconsidering their choices. "We have a job to do, one that you all decided upon and promised to fix... unless you want the world to remain like this forever."
"We're aware but..." Todoroki began, feeling his mark tingle. "I can't help but feel as if this place exists and for a reason..."
"It exists because the Gods are sneaky bastards." You venomed, moving towards the shield of swirling light. "All they do is lie and cause pain to others... and I'll prove it."
You walked forward, hearing several gasps behind you as your hand entered the shield. Seeing as nothing exploded, fell off, or died on the spot, you shrugged and carried on. Your entire body tingled for a moment, and then the feeling passed over. And with a smirk, you turned to look at your comrades still in the snow.
"See?" You motioned around you. "Nothing. Now, unless you all are coming, I'm going to find this clearing where the entrance to Livtabt is supposed to be."
"W-wait!" Midoriya cried, rushing forward. "I-I'm coming too!"
You paused, turning to watch as the green haired male entered the small shield you had, but as Midoriya passed through a much different effect was bestowed upon him. And with a choppy pause in his stride and his teeth suddenly biting down on his lip, you could see something had happened.
"It hurts..." He muttered, hand gripping his shoulder. "My mark is killing me..."
"What?" You breathed out, seeing as Uraraka and Iida were met by the same fate as they rushed in to check on their friend as well.
"Owww..." Uraraka's brows knit together.
"I've never felt it do such a thing before..." Iida choked out.
You were frozen in place, seeing as you were unaffected by this, reminding you once more of the thing you were lacking...
"Why isn't (Name) affected though?" Kaminari asked, sticking a finger in through the barrier only to pull it out a moment later. "Crap that is painful..."
"She doesn't have a fucking mark, that's why..." Bakugou seethed, a sinking suspicion growing in his heart. "And I don't care what it does to me... I'm not letting that little thief go to Livtabt by herself."
Kirishima, Kaminari, and Todoroki watched in awe as Bakugou willingly stepped into the shield, only the reaction of his fists gripping together harshly and his eyes watering slightly were the indication that he too was at the mercy of this place.
"I'm not giving up here either." Todoroki sucked in a breath and soon was enveloped by harsh emotional trauma.
The kind that left you feeling empty and alone on the inside, like you would never again be able to piece back together the remaining broken pieces of yourself. The one emotion that made you relive every emotional pain and guilty feeling and what had stemmed from them over and over again.
Bakugou and Todoroki seemed to be managing fine, sucking down the pain with sheer willpower, as Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida were slowly getting used to it. And then suddenly Kirishima was inside as well, biting his lip with enough pressure to draw blood.
"You're not leaving me out... wouldn't be manly if I stayed behind." He stifled out, managing to pull a thumbs up.
"I can't believe I'm doing this..." Kaminari sighed, taking in a deep breath before he came in as well, the feeling hitting him nearly immediately. "Crap... this does make you feel like shit, huh?"
"Shut up and get moving so we can get this over with..." Bakugou managed to say, moving forward as his mark started to glow brighter and the pain grew worse with every step. "At least we'll know what way's the right way by how much it fucking hurts..."
Everyone somehow managed to continue on, looking for the river that was supposed to nearly bring you all to where the entrance to this mythical city was. And rather quickly, you did find it. The sounds of rushing water making you look over a series of shrubs to see the river running.
You sighed in relief turning back to your allies to say you just had to follow the water to its mouth and you'd nearly be there. However, you were shocked to see that each of them was holding onto either a tree or someone next to them for support. Their eyes each pouring tears, looking to resemble the river from the sheer amount of liquid pouring from them.
"I want to go back..." Kaminari cried. "This hurts so much..."
The others nodded slowly, seeming to agree on this and begin to turn to where they had come from. You were quick on your feet though and blocked them from leaving. Their eyes looked further downcast as you did so, more tears pooling and releasing from their eyes as you ceased their efforts to leave.
"Come on guys... we've come this far." You coaxed them, your venomous tongue desperately attempting to ensnare its pray at this moment. "You all want to be regarded as heroes for all eternity, right?"
The poison seemed to work just as well as the emotional torment, as they all nodded, following you as you dashed ahead and up to wherever the river led to. Only a bit longer... soon you'd be able to do what you needed... and it would work best if they were there as well. So you couldn't let them leave so easily.
You managed to get everyone to continue on further, following the river that ran through the forest until you came to the cave it opened from. And just like every storybook had described, another twenty-minute walk north of this cave led to where there was a small clearing.
But unlike what the book had described, there was no opening to a city. Just a clear space with a few wildflowers blooming in this forest of emotional torment. You paused, catching your breath and turning back to see how everyone else was still doing.
"N-no..." Midoriya groaned, his mark now really starting to bother him. "T-this was where... the book said."
"Y-you fucked up Deku!" Bakugou groaned, a hand gripping his mark. "For fuck's sake... you drag us all in here and for what? This fucking annoying ass..."
His voice suddenly trailed off as his nostrils picked up on something. Crimson eyes widening when he knew the all too familiar scent. And with a turn of his head in the direction, it was coming from, Bakugou nearly jumped.
"Shit!" He cursed. "Fire!!"
Everyone turned to the sound of his voice, their own hearts skipping a beat upon hearing this. But as Bakugou pointed to where the inferno was, they were greeted with no fire... but the image of luscious trees and vines.
"B-Bakugou... there's no fire." Kirishima gritted out through his teeth.
"Yes, there is! It's right there!" The male stepped back, bumping into Todoroki who was standing still, his face pale.
"I-I must be seeing things..." He muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes but not seeing anything change from his vision. "I-It can't be..."
Directly behind you, with smiling faces and arms stretched out to meet him stood his oldest brother and mother. Touya waved for him to jog over, his mother giving her youngest a gentle nod that it was okay to join them.
"No one do anything!" You shouted, seeing a Todoroki's eyes were glazing over with a hue of purple and orange, the magic from his mark finally beginning to mess with his mind. "Your marks are making you hallucinate!"
It was lost on deaf ears though as slowly one by one everyone started to see things that were able to sink under their skin and drown them from inside with little issue. But, it would only get much worse as soon... the marks would take on another twist.
Uraraka's breathing picked up, her hands flying to her body as slowly she started to scratch at herself. Her breathing broken and harsh, eyes darting towards pieces of her skin over and over again.
"It's all over me... I'm sprouting feathers...." She muttered. "I-I don't-"
Suddenly she froze, standing as still as possible for a moment before letting out one of the most painful screams you had ever heard in your life. Her voice echoing and bouncing off the trees around you until her throat became raw.
"No... no... I don't want to. I can't... not like this. I don't want to become it..." She muttered over and over again.
You gasped, running over towards the girl who was close to collapsing and reaching her lips quickly. Uraraka's eyes were still coated in white, but now in the center of both, her pupils were her mark. What could this be? What was Geni attempting to do or say?
"Urakara-" You grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her slightly. "-wake up! This is an illusion!"
The witch continued to hold her head closely, muttering continually the same words she had allowed to rip from her throat moments before. You watched in horror as she unraveled by the second, seeing as her ability to access all magic Geni had reign over also made her the easiest to give into this place's magic curse.
You couldn't focus on her for long though, as you heard another one of your allies begin to succumb to the mental strain too. Midoriya slowly grabbing your shoulders and turning you to face him, his eyes wide and his mark seeming to be as strained as Uraraka's.
"Dying... dying... dying..." He muttered, eyes darting around. "We have to leave... we're not supposed to be here."
You knew it was to come, and as each person around you descended further into the madness and had their mark slowly leak from their bodies into their minds as well, you could only watch. Your dagger ready and willing to stop anything that might cause harm in this world of paused living.
You had never before been thankful to not possess a mark of the twelve holy entities until this moment, seeing as how you were the only one to have a sane mind at this moment. But as each seemed to be experiencing some kind of traumatic event linked to their marked God, you knew you would no longer help.
What could you do for seven people who were losing it after all? The best you could do was maybe knock them out for a while, but seeing as they were straining themselves and their minds with strange visions, you knew that it might be done for you is you waited long enough.
But as Bakugou let out a bloody scream and had his entire palm ignite into an explosion, striking the ground below him you knew that maybe you should have stepped in. The ground below you all shook with a purpose, making everyone still on their feet struggle to stay up. Bakugou continually striking the ground over and over again, not making the situation any better.
You clasped your hands onto a vine above you, hoping to try and steady yourself as the rumbles continued. Kaminari began to stumble beside you, making you act quickly and grab a hold of the blonde still in some trance-like state. Your eyes widening when you realized that everyone was still too full of grief to notice the trouble they might be in.
Finally, though the ground ceased shaking, a large crack forming below, and then suddenly releasing a burst of what felt like ice cold wind from below. A bright flash of light following and then disappearing after nearly blinding you. And once you had opened your eyes once more, you could see that those around you were no longer under the control of their marks, as the colors had dimmed. Once again, their marks were dormant.
"W-what was that..." Uraraka's voice shook.
"No idea... but it was creepy as hell." Kaminari shivered, moving out of your grasp.
"I felt as if I wasn't myself." Todoroki elaborated further.
"It's over now though, that's all that matters." You spoke, seeing as everyone aside from yourself seemed to be a bit shaken up.
But like most things in a situation like this, you had unintentionally jinxed yourself and everyone around you. And with a loud snap, the ground underneath everyone cracked further, vanishing from underneath your feet and sending you falling into the darkness below.
You screamed loudly, hearing the sounds of other's loud cried bounce off the dark walls around you as well. Someone's back hit yours, sending you flying further forward, hitting something jagged, and then crashing into someone else.
The fall seemed endless, with all of you either crashing into each other or whatever was underneath and around you as your echoing voices became more and more distant from the surface. And then finally a dull light appeared at the end of the tunnel, but for everyone, it came too quickly and soon you all had crashed on the floor, in a pile of limbs and pain from the fall.
Several long groans and mumblings of pain were heard from around you, and judging by how someone's foot was nestled into your cheek and that an elbow was awkwardly jabbing you into your side, you could only assume that at least you had hit the bottom of wherever you had landed.
Everyone managed to untangle themselves from each other, crossing their fingers that nothing was broken or fractured at this moment. And aside from the minor scrapes and bruises instantly healing, everyone appeared to be fine. A true stroke of luck, one that almost seemed to good to be true when everyone looked up to see where they had fallen from.
"Shit..." Kaminari mumbled, seeing that the hole they had fallen into was actually an old staircase that had been littered with plants and vines, thus making the entire area slick. "... is everyone okay?"
Before anyone could utter a word though, the sounds of something suddenly dropping made everyone turn to look at Midoriya. His eyes wide and his finger outstretched and pointing to what had been behind you all.
And as everyone turned to focus on what was in front of them, it became quite clear what everyone was gazing out upon. The city under the forest, crumbling from age and covered in millions of plants was out in front of you all. The entire city seen from the where one would descend upon it.
It was actually quite intriguing how this place was set up. The entire burg was carved out of stone and was nestled in the center. And from where you all stood appeared to be the one and only stairwell up to the surface world. The staircase circled the city in a rotating fashion, ending at the entrance, meaning you'd walk around the entire borough from the point of view of a creature of flight before finally being able to walk among the people who had called it home.
"Livtabt..." Uraraka mumbled, her hands covering her mouth as tears appeared once more, this time out of relief.
"It actually fucking exists..." Bakugou muttered, running a hand through his locks.
You gazed upon the land with a cautious eye, already seeing the state the place was in. You'd have to be extra careful here, as anything could accidentally crush you or send you all falling down into Gods know where...
"Let's hurry and head down to the bottom." Todoroki responded, seeing as now truly was when they all should make the most of their time. "We don't know if there are any magic effects here or what happened to this place... so it might be best to look for what we came for and then leave."
"I agree." Iida nodded. "Let's all head down together and make a plan of action."
Everyone nodded and began to cautiously walk down the stairs, making sure this time to look as they ascended down the cracked and disintegrating steps. Unknown to them all of the being that had been awakened now that the seal to this cursed place had been cracked... and how now, he was free to once more operate under his own consciousness.