Apocalyptic Life (Era Series Book 2)

by Patrik Mielonen

  “Just what the hell’s going on? The new Void attuner is making her debut, a strange little girl goes around spouting nonsense, and the Titan runs amok!?” Lou exclaims from the bedroom.

  “Exactly my thoughts.”

  Lou comes out of the bedroom, wearing everyday clothes of a civilian, a shirt and trousers. Her hair and eye color is white for the time being.

  “Finally, food!” Lou speaks her mind.

  “Exactly my thoughts,” Ion repeats. “Umm, by the way, why am I here again? I have a mission to warn the world of the danger.”

  A voice other than Lou’s answers, “Change of plans, you won’t warn the world; you’ll save the world.”

  Both Lou and Ion turn to the newcomer. A little girl with an unpolished crystal stuck to her head walks down the stairs. Some blood streams down her face, blood that disappears upon dropping.

  ““You...!”” They blurt in unison.

  “My, my! Don’t stare at me like that. You’re drilling holes in me. But I guess I do owe an explanation, sigh. Well, there’s a ton of stuff going on, and I’ll tell you what you need to know, and the rest I’ll keep to myself.”

  “Start with introducing yourself,” Ion demands, munching on a dried piece of meat he’s found.

  “Just call me whatever. Don’t care.”

  “Forget the name, tell us what the hell you are,” Lou fills in.

  “I guess I was a human at one point, if that’s going to ease your mind. I didn’t look like this, though. I mean, I didn’t have this crystal stuck to my forehead back in the old days. Does it make any sense?”

  “A lot, thanks,” Ion’s tone hints of sarcasm.

  “Sheesh, just listen! Louir knows her part already. The Order must be eradicated. Ion, your job is to help her. I gave you the ability to understand the languages of the world for that reason, including Poer Haemish, so you should be fine. And once the order is no more, you’ll raid the throne room.”

  “Raid what?” Lou exclaims, shaken.

  “The throne room. From there on, the real fun starts.”

  “Wait, if I’m not speaking Ingylian now, then...” Ion is deep in his thoughts in a corner, munching on more food he’s found.

  “I know it sounds groundbreaking, but I’m trying to stop something that’s far too convoluted for you to understand. Also, as a side bonus, this world will be saved, so we all get profit out of this, now don’t we?”

  “There’s no telling if you’re lying or not.” Lou’s doubts are surfacing again.

  “Didn’t you promise to do it?” She asks.

  “I did agree with the part about eradicating the Order. The throne room part just caught me off guard.”

  “Just let me warn you,” she begins, “what you’re going to have to do leads to events that’ll shake your very reasoning.”

  “Oh, isn’t this already doing that?”

  The devil girl smiles mischievously. “No, my dear.”

  ***

  A little later, the devil girl is gone. Lou is cooking, using the Fire Elementi to fry the food, while Ion is sitting on a squalid couch.

  “Tell me, how does it work? All the spellcasting as an Elementalist, I mean.”

  “Well, first, I need to attune an Elementi, then I state my intention, and the spell takes form. It’s rather simple. Becoming one isn’t, though. The Elementi are strict about whom to gift with their powers.”

  “How many Elementi can be attuned at a given time?”

  “Only one, but there’s one Elementalist who can dual-attune. That particular person is also the most dangerous one.”

  “This is just a wild guess, but does your hair and eye color change with the attunement?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes, it does. Right now, I’m attuning Air. Should be white, right?”

  “Yeah. Interesting, I didn’t know there are spellcasters like you out there.”

  “And I haven’t seen Mages myself, though I knew they are a thing in the Kingdom of Qarch.”

  “I’m a Mage and a Shadow. Our spells are powered by Arcana.” After a moment of silence, Ion remembers the Titan. “Uh, are we going to do anything about the Titan? It’s marching towards the Heart of the World, wherever that may be.”

  “I bet her plan includes the Titan somehow. As for the Heart of the World, I have no idea what it is.”

  “It’s a crystal that should be somewhere in the North. Once the Titan and the Heart come in contact, the Titan will disintegrate, and the world will die.”

  “Oh, so that’s how the world will end? The tales I’ve heard tell of the Titan as a prisoner far to the South. Once its time comes, it’ll rise and destroy the world.”

  “Quite accurate, but lacking.”

  Soon, Lou is done cooking. She serves the food, placing all the dishes onto the small table that’s barely enough for the two of them. Ion digs in happily.

  “Uh, what was your name? I heard her say it, but I kinda forgot.” Lou asks.

  “Ion. You?” He already forgot her name.

  “Lou.”

  “I think she said it a bit differently.”

  “Louir, but I don’t like it. It means ‘darkness’, you see. Lou means ‘moon,’ which is a lot better.”

  “Ion means ‘empty’ in Ingylian. Shadows aren’t really given real names, just some random words. As a Shadow, the word ‘empty’ describes me well. I’m just a puppet, after all.”

  “So am I.” After taking a few bites, she states her plan. “We’ll go back to Hantor in the evening, which is the city from whence we fled. We’ll start our operation as soon as possible. More like, we have to, hearing that there’s a Titan coming this way. The time limit is rather short for something this grand.”

  She hasn’t told them much yet. All they know is that the Order must be purged. The reason is that they are a threat to Lou and Ion, who, apparently, are trying to save the world. Or at least that’s the idea they have. She is way too vague when it comes to details.

  “We’ve got slightly more than a week, I think. Of course, I don’t know where the Titan is heading to, if anywhere at all. However, if I see that giant coming this way, I’ll seriously tear my hair.”

  “Eat up.”

  ***

  Knock, knock.

  Much later that day, about fourteen hours after the Titan’s awakening, someone is knocking the door. Whoever it might be, they are knocking weakly. Ion is sleeping on the couch as Lou is cleaning the house.

  Who could it be? Lou thinks to herself. Only a few know about her house. She doubts it’s the Order, as she hasn’t told them the exact location of each hideout she has. Deciding she should open the door, she walks up the stairs.

  To her surprise, she finds a young lady in a weak state, wearing a white fur coat. Her legs are bare, but as the coat is too big for her, the garment covers her knees. From the looks of it, she is fifteen years old at highest. Her hair is ashen, and her eyes are yellow.

  “Can I come in...?” She asks, clearly tired.

  “Well, I s’pose.”

  Lou leaves the door open as she walks downstairs. The newcomer follows her shyly.

  “C’mon, we won’t eat you,” Lou encourages.

  The young lady tilts her head. “We?”

  “Yeah, me and this lazy guy over here.” Lou points at the sleeping Ion.

  For some reason, the young lady is flustered, acting more shyly than before. “I was sure I smelled only a female...”

  “Huh? What? Smelled a female?”

  “I-it’s n-nothing! I just...” She is stuttering.

  “Are you, perhaps, afraid of men?”

  “Is he your husband?”

  “Nope. I don’t think anyone would want to marry someone like him. He eats like a wolf and sleeps like a bear.”

  “L-like a wolf?”

  Lou finds her suspicious. “If he is scaring you, I can kick him out for the time being. Would you be fine with that?”

  “No need.” She closes the door and hurrie
s downstairs.

  “Good girl. Let me take that coat. I’ll hang it somewhere and wash it.”

  The young lady shakes her head furiously, holding on to her coat as if to protect it. Lou wonders what’s the reason.

  “Okay, I won’t, but may I know why you’re against it?”

  She musters her courage. “I’m naked.”

  For a moment, the words ring in Lou’s head, not quite getting her point. “Oh, uh, do you want some clothes, perhaps?”

  She shakes her head.

  “Then how can I help?”

  “Let me rest for a moment. I be gone before sunset.”

  “Okay, fine by me. You can take a nap in my bedroom.”

  “Thanks. Wake me up before sunset. I have to leave before dark.”

  Lou nods. “What’s your name?”

  “I’m Ti.” With that, she is off to the bedroom.

  Lou stands there for a moment, watching the door of the room. She doesn’t really get any visitors too often. Sometimes, a certain kid comes by, and sometimes the owner of the stable nearby.

  Today’s been one hell of a day. The best part is that it’s not over yet. We’ll start raiding the Order soon.

  ***

  Last light of the day still lingers. Ion is awake and Lou is packing for a long-term journey. Ion, in turn, is merely goofing around. Lou had left some meat to dry the last time she was home, and now, she is packing those rations. She can’t tell how long it’ll take to exterminate the Order.

  Glancing at a clock powered by the Time Elementi, Lou remembers something acute. She enters her bedroom, waking up the young visitor. Ti said she’ll have to go before nightfall, after all.

  “Is it evening already...?” The drowsy Ti asks.

  “You’ve got less than half an hour.”

  Panicking, Ti stands up. “Thank you for letting me stay here, but I must go now.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t tell anyone I live here.”

  Ti nods politely, rushing out of the room and up the stairs, exiting the humble house. Lou is baffled. First, she comes in, then she asks for a bed, sleeps for a while, and right after waking up, she is long gone.

  She must be in a great hurry, Lou reasons.

  Once in the living room, Lou gets a bad premonition once she notices Ion. “Don’t tell me, you—?”

  “I didn’t see anything!” Ion is blushing.

  “Sigh, you better atone for it. She’s just a child, after all.”

  “I didn’t do it on purpose!” Ion retorts.

  “You could’ve looked away.”

  “I didn’t know she’s naked under!”

  “You could’ve guessed.”

  “I...!”

  “Checkmate.”

  Lou makes a mental note to remind herself of Ion’s stupidity. He could’ve at least pretended to not have seen.

  ***

  A little later, they set out once the Sun is gone. Lou’s given Ion instructions to go downstream, using the river to hide his smell. Lou’ll come to pick him up later once she’s fetched her horse. She’s warned him that it may take a while, for she’ll have to walk for half a mile before she gets to the nearby village where her horse should be waiting.

  I hope he doesn’t get lost in the dark. Thinking of Ion, Lou does her best to hurry up. She’s attuning Voice Elementi, so her colors are natural now. She hopes it’ll serve as a disguise. After a while, she can see lights some distance away. The lamps of the village serve as a guide she can follow.

  She approaches the village carefully, knowing that there might be an ambush. She is a wanted criminal, and she’ll act like one. Nay, she isn’t just a criminal. She is the worst threat the leaders of Poer Haem can think of. Even if they knew of the Titan’s awakening, they wouldn’t fear it as much as they do Lou.

  Void Elementi is the absolute destruction.

  Void Elementi is the very evil of this world.

  Void Elementi is the one to end this world.

  That’s what they think among the Order. The King of Poer Haem is on the Order’s side too. During wartime, they provide powerful combatants. During peace, they serve as guardians. In Lou’s case, she served as an assassin. However, Lou’s no longer a legal citizen of Poer Haem.

  Those fucking imbeciles don’t even know what’s going on. Oh well, I’m going to kill them anyway. Damn it, why does it feel like the whole world was suddenly crumbling?

  Once in the village, she finds out that the place has gone quiet. It should be lively at such an hour, but now there aren’t even drunkards laughing. It’s ominous, Lou thinks.

  Then, Lou can hear a shriek nearby, sending shivers down her spine. It’s a death cry of a young man, a cry that ends in a gruesome sound of something tearing him apart.

  Aware of the danger, Lou walks further into the village, hiding behind buildings. She’s spotted a few villagers glancing at her behind their windows. Some of them show worry for her, but she needs to get her horse regardless of what’s killing people.

  Once she approaches the stable, she can hear the panicking horses and a growl that makes her heart skip a beat. It isn’t a human that’s killing the people, but it’s some beast. A bear? Lou wonders what it might be.

  Peeking behind a corner, she gets a good view of the beast. It’s standing in the middle of the village. Its face is painted in gore, the ground garnished with guts. Its size is huge for such a predator, its fur is gray, and its eyes gleam golden.

  It lifts an armored human corpse, launching it above, and upon falling, it catches the body, swallowing it in one go. Then, it spots Lou, causing her hairs to stand on the edge.

  An abnormally large Wolf of Poer Haem!? But why? They don’t eat humans! What the hell!?

  The Wolf, however, doesn’t attack Lou. Instead, it bows its head, then it strides away. Its height is at least a hundred inches, which is greatly above the average of a male.

  Shaken, Lou stands there for a moment, awed yet disgusted. Wolves of Poer Haem are just as much humans as they’re wolves, so it isn’t wrong to say that a man-eating Poer Haem Wolf is a cannibal.

  Lou shakes off the useless thoughts and enters the stable. She must hurry, lest Ion freezes to death. After all, he’s standing in a river even now. As she calms down her horse, she adds one more thing to her mental list of ‘Things Gone Awry.’ The list includes the rising of the Titan, the Void attuner, the devil girl, and now the Poer Haem Wolf.

  ***

  “Sorry for the wait!” Lou apologizes once she gets to Ion.

  “I’m freezing.”

  “I figured that.”

  The dark of night is limiting their range of sight. They can’t use any form of light, as they don’t want to be seen. There is no telling how many Elementalists are tailing them. Not only that, the King himself has definitely sent hundreds of soldiers to aid the Order. In fact, they heard hounds barking earlier when they were still hiding underground. Seemingly, they fell for the lure since they never found Lou and Ion.

  Lou has told Ion they’ll hide in the wilderness close to the capital. She doubts she can take head on the whole Order, but knowing that the devil girl and Ion are aiding her, she has some faith in success. Also, as a moral boost, she keeps repeating to herself, The world is at stake. With that, she can muster the courage.

  The night is cold, though breezeless. Ion is latching onto Lou from behind to keep himself warm, and to ensure he won’t fall, an inexperienced rider as he is. Although there is no wind, the riding causes a cold headwind, freezing Ion’s wet feet. He fears his toes may turn into ice and thus die.

  Lou, however, is troubled by Ion’s arms. Either Ion doesn’t know about modesty, or the lack of her breast size is the cause for Ion touching her no-no zone. It could be both, but Lou suspects the fact he is a Shadow is the reason for his lack of common sense.

  Although she is troubled ever so slightly, she isn’t exactly angry or anything. However, her face is hot, red as an apple.

  The oblivious Ion remains like that
for the rest of the ride, unaware of the maiden’s troubled state.

  ***

  Hours later, once they’ve got to the outskirts of Hantor, they crook around the capital, spending half an hour doing it. Lou is looking for a hideout she told about in advance.

  Again, an underground house.

  Ion sure likes her taste for dirt, in a sarcastic way, but he can’t complain, as he’s lived his life in a hole. The best part is that Lou has underground houses all over Poer Haem, though only one of them is comfortable, which is the one whereat they spent the day hiding.

  They won’t, however, spend more than one night in that particular place. There are hounds and Elementalists looking for them. Therefore, they can’t stay in one place for long.

  “Finally! Found it.”

  “Hmm...?” The sleepy Ion mumbles.

  Lou unmounts, causing Ion to fall off the horseback. He had it coming, thinking that, Lou checks if the interior of her hideout is still intact. Opening a wooden trapdoor hidden in a bush, she finds ladders that lead to the underground ‘house.’ So far so good, Lou climbs down with such a thought.

  “Hey, wait a bit!” Ion follows her down.

  When he gets there, Lou is already lighting the sole lamp down there. “Go get our things. The horse knows where to go, but I need the bags down here.”

  “But I just got down!” Ion’s protest is ignored.

  “I’ll have to clean up, and I also need some rest.”

  “Fine...” Obeying her, Ion climbs out.

  As soon as he peeks from the hole, an eerie view welcomes him, hovering in front of his eyes, almost touching his nose.

  “What the—!?” Frightened by an evil-looking eye, Ion falls down accidentally, moaning in pain after hitting the floor.

  “What now!?” Lou asks, vexed.

  The landing has taken out some of the air in his lungs. He breathes heavily for a moment before answering. “A Mark...!”

  “Huh? What—wait, you mean the Void?”

  Ion nods.

  Without any further reply, Lou grabs a mirror from a table, then she pulls Ion away from the ladders. She climbs halfway up, calling forth the Fire Elementi, casting a soft flare that’s hard to spot from afar. She doesn’t like the idea of her head flying the moment she steps out, so she double-checks the area with the mirror.