Right. If they’re competent, I suppose they can just erase those things. After all, they rely on physical prowess, not on projectiles or magic.
You are wrong in that regard, The Void sounds offended. Demoni can attune Void like you do Fire or Air. However, because they are mutated creatures, they are stupid, and thus incapable of attuning.
Wait, does that mean if there is a smart Demoni out there, it’s hiding somewhere, waiting for a moment to show up with its Void powers?
Yes, the answer horrifies Lou.
Then, Lou can hear a whisper below, some dozens of yards away from the tree she’s climbed up to. She can’t quite make out the words.
“Lou...!” The whisper is repeated. “Lou...!” Now right below, Ion is trying to call her out.
“I’m up here.”
He turns to look up, seeing Lou sitting on a branch above. “Thank goodness, I thought this may turn into a catastrophe.”
Lou removes the enhancements at last, attuning Voice only, her colors reverting. Brown hair, green eyes, that’s Lou. She draws the symbol of Voice in the air with her finger, then she touches it with her palm. Voice is one of the few Elementi that requires a complex symbol to function properly. Long ago, every Elementi attunement demanded it, but now that humans have grown more intelligent, they can spell out the demands without symbols. The thing with Voice is that human languages are intricate. Even scholars of languages admit it. Unless someone figures out a way to comprehend every language exhaustively, there is no way to use Voice without symbols.
Also, every single Elementi, if used for chemical reactions, requires symbols. One example is the time when Louir was in the bar, listening to the townsfolk until she appeared; back then she had to use symbols of Air to keep the beer fresh. However, the flaming sword Lou created in the headquarters of the Order didn’t require a symbol. All she did was feeding the Fire, and that isn’t so complicated it can’t be done without a blueprint.
One more Elementi that must be noted for requiring symbols is Time. No one has ever managed to use it aside from clocks, for the complexity of the Time Elementi is beyond human comprehension. It is said that even the Elementi of Time itself can’t fully control it either, but that is just folklore.
“Can you fight?” Lou asks.
“Yes, no problem.”
“Good. The Demoni weakened the Rajash formation from the flank. Also, they’ve launched the assault, so we should have a huge advantage.”
“I figured that.”
“But I wonder why there was a Flare above the city.”
“Wasn’t me. Also, it lasted for three seconds, which kinda means that the Mage who did it is a prodigy. A beginner can make it a flash, and a more experienced one can make it last for a second.”
It was Wraithian.
“That explains it,” Lou says after hearing the Void.
Also, he is in the city.
“He is what!?”
“No way...”
He used Cloaking to get inside.
“Of course...” Ion curses.
“Then let’s trade forces; let Wraithian infiltrate while we reduce his numbers. If we play our cards right, we can take head on the army. I mean, footmen are no big deal, although Rajash men are smart enough to use leather armor. The only problem is that there are Mages. Unless we can surprise them, we may very well die. Also, there is a couple of hundred of them, right? I doubt I can erase them in one go.”
“And I thought you had a plan...” Ion mutters. “Well, let’s use my plan. Do you see that massive rock over there, about a hundred yards from here?” Lou nods. “Good. Let’s climb there. Raven, mind to serve as a scout? You’d carry burning branches to where the Mages are located, and I will snipe them out from a distance. I’ll use Limiter Release to execute this plan. However, if I do, I won’t be useful after the Mages are dead.”
I am not so sure if I like this plan.
“You better like it. It’s for your own good. And Ion, if you can make sure that there will be no Mages left other than Wraithian, the footmen are as good as dead meat. All of them.”
“Then let’s get going!”
***
When they get to the rock, Lou sets a branch on fire. The raven takes it and flies away. Ion waits on top of the rock, lying low. He has activated the spell that grants him total control over his brains, the Limiter Release. As far as he can tell, only Shadows know the blueprint for it.
With the full potential of his brain at his disposal, Ion is making arcane calculations in his mind. If they were displayed on a paper, the wisest scholars of the world would call him mad.
Then, their little scout drops the flaming branch. The Rajash warriors are left puzzled by the burning branch. And then...
The three men Ion has recognized as Mages have their heads burst as if there were some explosions of blood and brains. Ion’s spell is the Ender, a powerful pinpoint sharpshooting spell, devised by the legendary Mage. It penetrates just about anything, but the size of the magical projectile is that of an adult’s pinky.
As the Rajash men are alerted and in panic, Ion lies on top of the rock while wielding an Arcane weapon in his hands. It looks very complex since it has all kinds of intricate parts with a magical sight on top of it, which he uses for aiming. He is ready to fire again.
The raven returns, and Lou gives it a new burning branch. With it, the new target is being sought out. However, the problem is that Lou’s location is revealed after the second round. Of course, she isn’t right next to the rock where Ion is, for that’d give out both of their positions.
Not only that, archers and Mages are trying to stop the raven before it can spot more Mages for Ion. True to its name as the Void, mere arrows and Arcane projectiles don’t hinder it. A violet aura repels all that is shot at it.
Pitiful humans.
Although they may be just humans, there is one among them who knows a way to kill an Elementi. However, the Rajash archers and the Mages of the Kingdom don’t know that it’s the Void itself that’s flying above.
Once a new group of Mages is spotted, Ion fires his Ender six times in rapid succession, blowing up their heads.
His mind is calm.
His hand is stable.
His aim is true.
The enemy Mages start panicking after witnessing their fellows die in such a brutal manner. Most of them Cloak themselves, trying to flee from the unknown killer.
Mistake, Ion smiles.
A Mage can see through Cloaking, especially with Limiter Release. In fact, with the spell on, those Cloaked Mages are like glowing silhouettes in the dark, easy targets for Ion to pick off one by one. Ten seconds later, no target is in sight.
They can’t use Lou and the raven to do the scouting now. Rajash men are already hunting for Lou in the woods. Ion is safe, however, because the rock is high and climbing up there is difficult without the aid of ladders or magic.
Knowing that there should be a hundred remaining at the very least, Ion takes a risk that may cost him his life. He lights the skies with the Flare, one that’ll last for half a minute, thanks to the Limiter Release. With it, he is revealed, just like the Rajash army and the city.
At once, he fires the Ender four times, killing a Mage with each shot. He is spotted. Mages start firing Arcane arrows at him. Of course, from a distance of 350 yards, they can’t hit him. Only his head and hands are visible to the Mages.
Ion is picking off the Mages at a rapid pace. However, suddenly, one of the casters hurls a spell with deadly accuracy. He repels the magical arrow with the Arcane Shield while maintaining the Flare and the Ender. He kills that particular Mage of the Kingdom at once, followed by the death of a dozen others immediately after.
With eight seconds left, Ion blocks two more spells. Sweating, he remains calm, his hands stable. There are so many spells coming at him that there’s no way to repel them all. Ion calculates his chances in a nanosecond, and he takes the risk, going for the rest in the tiny window he has befo
re the spells hit him.
Arcane Arrows hit Ion’s spot accurately, but the Mages who hurled them are already dead. Also, Ion is nowhere to be seen.
***
“Where’s Ion!?” Lou shouts after getting rid of a group of Rajash footmen, who managed to find her.
Do not yell. The others may hear you. He is alive. He escaped with Teleportation. However, he is unconscious. The raven’s voice is as calm as ever.
“Are the Mages dead?”
Yes. Only footmen and Wraithian remain. However, your precious city is in ruin.
It’s not like I care if we’ve saved Poer Haem temporarily.
Agreed. Now, remove those humans, all of them.
There is a chaotic battle going on. Rajash men try to climb over the wall with ladders and ropes, and some try to breach the gate.
Lou dual attunes Force and Lightning, half red, half green. She reduces her own gravitation enough so that she can hover in the air above the trees. Up there, she starts building up Lightning, gathering it for one massive spell of annihilation.
She demands the Elementi to provide her with devastating power. Lightning crackles around her body as if it were her aura. The intensity is strong; if a living creature approached her, they’d die instantly. She can feel a surge of violence within her heart.
More, she needs more.
She draws more Lightning, gathering it around her. The Elementi lords are angry, but they can do nothing when Lou calls them forth. After all, she steals from the Elementi. The Lightning surrounding her is strong enough to crush stone if used as a weapon.
Not enough. She needs even more.
The red Lightning is forming a storm around her. She is building up so much it can only be used for a single purpose: total annihilation. Her very figure thunders in the dark. The intensity is unmeasurable.
Now!
She unleashes the stolen power at the Rajash army. The Lightning around her disappears to the skies like a reversed thunder, only to plunge upon the enemy on the field with such force that there’s a catastrophic explosion that takes the lives of hundreds. The Elementi’s own power is used to slay their own creation.
The force of the Lightning tears the earth apart. The intensity of the Lightning causes the Rajash troops to fry on the spot. Lou has efficiently summoned a brutal cataclysm to wipe out the enemy. The men on the wall of Tereon and the few remaining Rajash warriors assaulting the fort are shaken, terrified. Even the Poer Haem defenders can’t find the view welcoming.
V as in violet.
V as in violence.
V as in Void.
Lou’s eyes gleam. The color is changing to something she hasn’t had ever before. Her hair turns dark violet, growing unnaturally fast to become long enough to reach her waist. Her clothes dissipate as if the aura around her were devouring the clothes, and instead, dark, sinister-looking robes replace them.
Use it, the power of the Void attunement.
The Elementi have abandoned her. She is no longer a living person; she is a manifestation of the Void. She is a vessel that carries out the apocalypse of this world, an apocalyptic life. The blessing of the Elementi has turned into a curse. Forever and ever, she’ll attune Void, or else she’ll wither and die, as there is no other deity sustaining her lifestream.
Now, rid the land of all life.
Louir does as the raven says. She draws the power of the Void, and she is granted it without hesitation. She sends out large, violet orbs of destruction, aimed at the land that forms a bridge over the lake. The Void projectiles explode on impact, literally erasing the Rajash who have survived. She sends more, more, and more, annihilating the annihilated.
A single, imperative word is in her mind.
Die.
Nothing else.
She bombards the Rajash while remaining midair above the trees, hovering like an angel of death. She has become an existence the Elementi fear, and humanity flees from. Her violet eyes thirst for more violence. She keeps bombarding the land relentlessly, knowing that there can’t be anyone left. She does it anyway, for she wants to be certain.
Certain that no one survives.
Finally, when she stops the bombardment of Void energy, she glides down to the ground level. An evil smile spreading on her face, she lands at the tree line. She walks slowly and gracefully into the middle of the mass of corpses where hundreds upon hundreds of Marks of the Void linger, glaring at Louir as if she were highlighted.
Now, we are one.
In the middle of those staring eyes, an interesting thing catches Louir’s attention. Someone is opening the gate of the fort. Louir walks over, meeting with the sole person who is walking out of the city. Those who have died by the Void bombardment are erased from existence, and therefore, their bodies cannot be found. The soil has become corrupted in the process.
The shadowy person coming from the fort is carrying something in their right hand.
They look each other into the eye. Neither says a word. The other person has a dark violet hair too, and violet eyes to mark her as a Void Elementalist. The two attuners of Void, the two destroyers of life.
The one who holds the round thing in her hand throws the object at Louir. She catches it midair, taking a look at the round thing. To her amusement, it’s Wraithian’s head. His dead face speaks of the terror he felt during his last moments. And then, the other Void attuner shows Louir something else.
“This is Wraithian’s Mark of the Void. His soul is trapped in here. Do you know what happens to him if I crush this pitiful eye?”
“No.” Louir’s answer is that.
She crushes the eye in her hand, and if the bandana weren’t there, a crazy smile would show on her face. “He’ll be trapped in a limbo where he’ll relive his moment of death over and over again, until the end of time comes. We’ll see in Hantor.” The other Void Elementalist turns to walk away.
Louir says nothing. She just turns around, carrying the head with her. After a dozen yards, she burns the piece of a rotting human with Void flames, erasing it for good.
***
Being alive means that the Elementi are sustaining oneself. Even the Elementi haters of Rajash are part of the system. The very world itself is built by the Elementi, too. There is just one exception, and that is the Void. It’s a deity whose purpose is unknown to mankind, but its wish is to twist the world into a chaotic realm. Why? It’s because of passion.
There is a phenomenon, one where a living creature turns into a Demoni. Becoming a Demoni means that the Elementi lords have abandoned the living being in question. They start rotting and dying, for their lifestream is taken from them.
But the Void won’t let that happen.
Not when it can use the opportunity to steal a creation of its brethren and bend it into its will. In fact, the Void isn’t an Elementi lord. It’s an existence that could be called something else, like an old god, for instance. But since the Elementi lords have always been the deities of this world, the Void was named as an evil Elementi to fill the roster of good and evil.
Once an Elementalist uses the power of attunement to do something that’s against the wishes of the deities, they discard the human to stop it. However, that’s the window where the Void can step in and steal the body to infest it with the influence of the Void, with the superior power that stands equal to the Titan and the Dragoni. Because of that reason, the Elementi are willing to forgive, for they fear they may create a new Void attuner by abandoning an Elementalist. However, sometimes, they have to choose the lesser evil, such as in Louir’s case.
Yes, the Elementi lords are weak in comparison to the three destroyers of the world. They can only hope that their own creation can save itself. However, when the three are set loose, hope becomes a lie, and the lie becomes the doom of all.
The end is nigh.
***
Can you find him or not? Louir asks the Void.
I can. Just follow my lead.
They’ve been searching for Ion in the wood
s. Although it’s dark, it doesn’t hinder Louir at all. She is an embodiment of the Void now, the utter darkness. She can see just fine. Her long, silky hair of dark violet flutters as the wind is blowing.
I see him.
Where?
Behind that old oak.
The Void perched on her shoulder flies off, showing the exact spot where Ion is lying unconscious. Louir hurries over. She finds the good old Shadow behind the oak.
“Wake up, Ion!”
Ion opens his eyes, looking up at the face of Darkness. “Lou...?”
She nods.
“You’re attuning the Void?”
“And I’ll forever do so. The Void is eternal.”
“I... need some rest. The spell I used drained me. I feel like puking.”
“Fine. Let’s rest.” Louir kneels next to Ion. “Use my lap.”
Ion takes on the offer. He lay his head on her thighs. He is welcomed by a soft sensation. “So nice...”
“You’ve earned it.”
Before he drifts into a dream world, he mutters, “I think I like Darkness more than I like Moon.”
“And Darkness welcomes Empty with warmth.”
Ion falls asleep after hearing that.
Chapter Twelve
Crumbling Lies
He wakes up to the sensation of being caressed. His pillow feels strange, and once he opens his eyes, he can see the beautiful, violet eyes watching him. He doesn’t want to leave the lap. He wants Darkness to caress him more. But alas, they have a job to do.
“Had a nice dream?” Louir asks.
“Yes. I saw Darkness wearing a red dress.”
The reply he gets is a smile.
“How long have I slept?”
“Almost a full day. The sunset was an hour ago. You fell asleep during the dark, and you’ve woken up during the dark.”
“So, in the next twenty-four hours, the Titan is in Poer Haem, if her words are true. No, I think it’ll be here sooner than that.”
“You can hear it even now if you remain quiet for a while. Each step it takes is a very, very subtle tremor. It’s still far away, but close enough.”
“I see. How are your thighs? Sore?”
Apocalyptic Life (Era Series Book 2) Page 13