The Titan is staggered by it. Chunks of its abnormal flesh burn away. Red lightning is flashing in rapid succession on the background. Ohan goes for the kill. She makes a spear out of herself, launching herself at the Titan.
In a flash, she penetrates the Titan with her own body.
Tereahn’s murderer is shaking. The hole in its chest is making it fall. Almost. It manages to stand regardless of the damage. Ohan tries the same again, but this time, she’ll aim for the nape. She launches herself at the Titan in the same fashion.
The Titan turns its head around like an owl, its mouth gaping, the Dragoni flying right into it. Ohan meets the same end Tereahn did.
***
“What now?” Louir asks.
“Now, it’s your turn, Louir,” she smiles, “to face the Titan.”
The colossal destroyer is now eyeing the tower, staring at Louir. Since it’s consumed the Heart of the World, it possesses the power to release the curse, only that there is a threat that can destroy the Seed, which is embedded in the Titan. The Void is powerful enough to destroy the Seed, and thus the Void must be eradicated.
“Are you telling me that ravenous giant wants to eat me next!? Seriously!?” Louir protests.
“Well,” she speaks, “with the power at your disposal, you and the future version of you should be able to take it down easily. I mean, this is the 564th iteration. I’ve seen this through quite a few times, so I can assure you won’t lose. Ask your other self if you don’t believe me.”
Louir turns to the other Louir, only to see her nod.
Two Void Archons can easily annihilate the Titan, the raven fills in proudly.
“Fine. Let’s do it,” Louir complies.
The Titan is extending its slender arm, threatening to seize the tower. Its white, needle-like teeth are displayed, the maw gaping.
Raw Void energy gathers around both Louirs, a silhouette of the Void itself forming above them. The image is vague, but some shapes can be made out. It has limbs and a head, but other than that, it’s hard to tell what other features it has.
““THE VOID IS OUR ÉLAN VITAL!””
The unified voice of the two Louirs resonates, followed by an ear-shattering roar of the thunder and erupting Void energy combined. The floor of the roof is erased from existence as two Archons of the Void incarnate. The Void itself is still above them, its silhouette barely recognizable.
The Titan’s hand is grazing the tower.
The two power incarnations cast rays of Void energy, aiming at the Titan. The violet beams of utter destruction drill through the destroyer’s head, erasing the black matter from this world. The Titan is thus staggered. It wavers, pulling back its arm.
Both Archons glide upward, gathering more power from the Void. They’ll end it with the next attack.
““BY THE VOID BE PURGED!””
Two magnified Void rays tear through the Titan. The sky, too, is halved by the violet beams.
Chapter One of Arc Two
Post-Apocalypse
The Titan disintegrates, turning into black particles. With its destruction, the Seed is gone, the soul of the Supreme God of the Third World is set free, and the two who’d been integrated into the Titan are finally released from the eternal torment—only that they aren’t. For as long as the loop is repeated, they’ll relive the same iteration again and again.
That’s because when Butterfly Effect is triggered, the previous timeline is erased, and what happens in the new one will be written as the original. Thus there is only one Titan, which means the two trapped souls will never escape the torment, unless no one triggers Butterfly Effect ever again. However, those who travel back in time are doubled. In other words, if the future Louir and Louir of the current timeline went to the past, there’d be three Louirs, although the previous timeline wouldn’t exist anymore.
“How can we travel back in time?” Louir asks.
“That’s Ion’s job,” she answers.
“Eh?”
“I’ll make him an Elementalist. He’ll know how to send us back in time with the aid of the Time Elementi.”
“Can’t you do it?”
“No. Time is governed by the Elementi, which means I’d have to ask them to do it, and I’m no Elementalist.”
“And how do you intend to make Ion an Elementalist?”
“The same way you did, Louir.”
Louir knows what she means by that. “That’ll kill him!”
“No, it won’t. The previous Ions did it, and they lived.”
“Lived? Are they dead!?”
“Sadly, yes,” Louir from the future says weakly.
“What happened!? Is my Ion going to die as well!?”
“It’s not set in stone. He might live. Besides, his death was an accident,” the other Louir explains.
“Can it be avoided!?”
“Yeah.”
Louir is relieved to hear it. “But what was the accident?”
“Uh,” the other Louir bursts into tears, unable to hold it anymore. “A Void ray went astray.”
“You killed him!? No, I killed him!!?”
“Y-yes,”
Shortly after, Ion finally gets to the top of the tower, sweating and panting. He collapses on the spot. “Wa...ter...”
Louir hurries to his side. “Are you alright!? You aren’t dying, right?”
“Dying?” Ion is baffled. “Why’d I be dying?”
The other Louir latches onto his arm. “Ion...!”
“Eh!?” The blockhead in question is flustered. “What’s going on here!?”
“Get off him!” Louir tells her counterpart.
“Why? Aren’t we the same person? Or could it be you’re jealous of yourself?”
“T-that’s...”
“Checkmate.”
Ion turns to her. “What happened? Why do I see two Louirs? More importantly, why are they latching onto me like this!?”
“What, you don’t like it?” She teases. “Fine. The other Louir is from a different timeline. She’s the Void attuner who’s been helping you here and there.”
Ion tilts his head. “What?”
“It’s as you hear it.”
“It’s true,” Louir’s counterpart adds.
“Ah, speaking of which,” she digs for a vial in her pocket, “I need you to drink this.”
“What is it?” He asks.
“It’ll turn you into an Elementalist.”
“Why’d I want to be one?”
“To send us back in time. We need two Ions, and to achieve that, we need to go back in time.”
“But,” Ion remarks, smart as he is, “if this other Louir is from a different timeline, why didn’t she bring the other me with her?”
“That’s...” Louir from the future almost starts crying again.
“She managed to kill the other you by accident.”
“EH!?” Ion is shocked.
“It was an accident!” The other Louir ends up crying again.
“R-right, an accident...” Ion wipes her tears. That Louir starts smiling happily, thanks to him.
The storm is going away, but the dark night sky takes its place. Everyone on top of the tower is drenched.
“Take the vial, Ion. We must go to the past.”
“But I don’t know how—”
““I’ll teach you,”” Louirs volunteer.
“O-okay,” Ion is still flustered. He takes the vial from her. The substance in it looks suspicious. “What is this?”
“It’s the potion I told you about,” Louir explains.
“Oh. I’ll just drink it then—wait, what was the casualty rate again?”
“““You won’t die,””” all except the raven and the Poer Haem Wolf assure him.
“I better not.” Ion drinks the potion once he’s stood up, taking the risk. Soon after, he can feel the new power he is given, the power to steal from the Elementi. Like Louir, he is a fake Elementalist now.
Louir tutors him, “Demand any of
the Elementi, and they’ll answer. Just don’t get shocked when your colors change.”
“What should I demand?”
“Make the Air Elementi calm the wind. Use your mind to do it. Saying your demands aloud will only expose your spells.”
“Okay.” Ion tries it, and after a short while, his hair and eye colors change to white. Following that, the cold breeze weakens.
“Easy, isn’t it?” Louir’s counterpart says.
“I guess. But how do I send us back in time?”
“About that...” She steps closer. “I have the blueprint for the symbol.”
“You do!?” Louir is amazed.
“Show me,” Ion tells.
She motions Ion to lower his head so that the devil girl can reach him better. He complies, and she taps Ion’s forehead once. The Mage Elementalist in question is stunned momentarily by a surging wave of knowledge.
“What did you do?” Ion groans.
“Nothing special. Now, on with the spell!”
Ion blinks a few times, wondering how, until he realizes he does know the intricate symbol of the Time Elementi. Not just that, he also knows how time flows in their world.
“Must I force you?” She urges, irises gleaming golden.
Feeling the killing intent from the devil girl, Ion starts drawing a symbol in the air. Although he does it with his finger, powdery sand trails are illustrated onto a magical, invisible sheet of paper. Both Louirs are watching him do it.
“Don’t forget to include us in it,” she reminds.
Ion nods, drawing a command that’ll send everyone on top of the tower back in time. The location of their landing will be Mount Hiphlor.
“Are we ready?” Ion asks. The color of his hair and eyes is similar to sand.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter Two of Arc Two
The Final Iteration
They now stand on the past version of the plateau of Hiphlor. The world looks much brighter, even livelier for some reason. It’s midday. The breeze is gentle, and the clouds are scarce. It’s a nice day.
“I took us a week back in time. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s all good. You guys should rest now,” she tells.
“Then what should we do, Ion? I bet you want to take a nap,” Louir says.
“Yes!”
“Just avoid being seen by your other selves,” she warns.
“Is there a real reason for that?” Louir asks.
“Yes. It may cause an unwanted outcome.”
“Just use a bandana like I did,” The other Louir suggests.
“Pfft, I never thought I’d have to listen to myself like this.”
“So, where do we go? I’d like to sleep somewhere warm and quiet,” Ion implies he wants to lie low as soon as now.
“I have a hideout nearby, but I haven’t been there for the past two years. It might be a bit messy.”
“Another!? Just how many do you have?”
“I have a few, yeah, but it’ll be a bit of a hike to get there, unless the devil girl can lend a hand.”
“Sure, but why am I being called a devil!?”
“Because of that stone stuck to your head.”
“I can’t make it disappear! I need it!”
“Sure, Devil,” Louir keeps teasing.
“Do you want the portal or not!?”
“You’re such a nice, innocent, cute girl,” implicitly asking for the portal, Louir compliments her.
“Oh, thank you! Now, here’s your portal, damn it.”
***
They can finally have a nice, long rest after all they’ve been through. After confirming the time, she has surmised they’ve got two days before Lou sets out to Hantor. Louir will go there to cause the bloodbath at the tavern.
Why?
Because they need Lou to be imprisoned. She will make Ion, who is the original Ion of this timeline, appear in the same jail, and from there on, they’ll naturally get to know each other as they escape together. It worked once already. Also, the bloodbath will soften Lou a little for what is to come.
“Your ‘homes’ never fail to amaze me,” Ion blurts. He is no longer attuning any Elementi.
“Even I’m shocked,” Louir agrees.
They stand in the doorway, dismay displayed on their faces. The hideout home is a small log house, which has been camouflaged with moss and other greenery. Since the place hasn’t been used in a while, it’s dusty, and the windows are dirty. Louir prepares to do a quick clean up so that they may rest with peace of mind.
As for the other Louir and the Wolf, she has ordered them to go somewhere. From what they hear, having too many versions of oneself in one timeline can become troublesome, so she’s sent them away to a place where she’ll have to go eventually.
Thus Louir and Ion may rest for a while.
***
You do not need rest. The raven doesn’t agree with Louir’s idea of lying down for a while.
She’s cleaned up the place a little. It’s been an hour and a half since they got there, and now, Louir, too, has made up her mind to rest her eyes. The cobwebs are gone, and most of the dust as well. There is a small stream nearby she’s used to get some water for cleaning. When she chose the location for the hideout, she made certain there is water available nearby. Food is the only exception she can’t store everywhere. Sure, dried rations can be preserved, and she actually had stored something, but it’s been years since she visited the hideout. She isn’t sure if the food is edible anymore.
Louir replies to the Void in her mind. Listen, birdie, even if I’m no longer a human, I still long for some rest. Sleeping was part of me ever since my birth, so how can I just quit suddenly?
The raven argues no further.
Ion is sleeping soundly on the bed. He removed the bedspread and almost suffocated as the dust fanned out. But thankfully, the blanket and the pillow underneath are clean.
The bed is the only comfortable surface for resting in the hideout, and Louir wants to have a quick nap too, so she pushes Ion to the side a little to make room for herself. Ion doesn’t wake up. If the Titan were stomping nearby, maybe then he would.
Sigh, the raven is exasperated.
Facing her back at Ion, Louir tries to get some sleep on the bed too small for two people. She’ll have to do without a pillow, as Ion’s taken it.
***
Hours later, when Ion tries to change his position in his sleep, he wakes up to a tickling sensation. Long, silky hair is invading his nostrils as he breathes. It almost makes him sneeze. Opening his eyes, he can see the hair is dark violet.
He turns around carefully, and he finds Louir from sleeping right beside him. Puzzled, he wonders why she doesn’t have a pillow. First, he puts her hair aside so that it won’t trouble him, then, in his drowsiness, he gives his pillow to her and resumes his sleep.
***
Louir wakes up. Her right arm feels numb thanks to the bad position. As she stretches her arm, she notices the pillow. She can’t tell how she’s gotten it from Ion, but she’ll definitely keep it. She reasons she must have snatched it away in her sleep.
Hugging the pillow tightly, she tries to make sense out of it. She thinks Ion would never give his pillow under no condition, so she must’ve taken it on her own. Nodding to herself, she falls asleep with the conclusion that she’s stolen it from him forcefully.
***
Ion wakes up at one point, his arms feeling numb. He’s been using them as a make-do pillow. Also, there’s something disturbing his sleep, but it’s not hair this time. It’s Louir’s hand, actually. She’s extended her right hand over him as if to hug while keeping her left under the pillow.
He thinks she must be seeing nightmares. He once heard from a merchant visiting his home that people tend to hug things in their sleep if they’re having bad dreams. Thus he takes her hand to comfort her, hoping the nightmares go away.
***
Louir tries to change her position again, but she’s restricted
this time. Wondering what’s holding her hand so tightly, she lifts her head, only to find Ion clutching her hand. To make it even stranger, it looks like she was hugging him.
She can only wonder how it happened. She thinks he feels lonely or something. To comfort him, she latches onto Ion as tight as she can. He’s spent a really long time alone, after all, studying a monster.
***
After fourteen hours of sleep, Ion wakes up around four o’clock in the morning. His back feels moist. Ugh, I’ve been sweating. It’s so warm. It takes him a moment to realize that a certain someone is the source of warmth.
Wait, why is she latched onto me? The scholar isn’t smart enough to figure it out.
Yawning, Louir wakes up. She tries to sit up, but she accidentally falls off the bed. Swearing below, she extends her hand to grab the edge of the bed and use it as a support. Ion is watching from the side. If not for his drowsiness, he’d help her.
“Ugh, what a horrible way to wake up.”
“Indeed. I don’t remember sweating like this ever before.”
Louir tilts her head. “You were sweating?”
“Thanks to you. Just how bad was it? The nightmare.”
“What nightmare?” Louir is genuinely puzzled.
Ion reasons he must have misunderstood her. “Uh, nothing.”
Louir stands up, flustered and embarrassed. “I’m going out to get some fresh air. I’ll cook something in a bit.”
“Okay.”
***
Although she promised to cook food, the thing served on the table is anything but edible. Or at least it looks bad, but according to her, it’s healthy. Thus Ion is hesitating.
“You eat, or you starve. Let’s put it like that.”
Ion nods and digs in. The taste of the soup isn’t horrible, but it’s not good either. He’ll eat all of it as to not anger the cook with the kitchen knife.
“What to do...” Ion mutters after finishing his serving.
“Don’t even consider sleeping. I don’t feel like spending a day just watching you take a nap.” She is trying to imply Ion is the only thing in the world she wants to look at.
Apocalyptic Life (Era Series Book 2) Page 16