I can tell you when they are inside.
Got it, Louir is eager to do it.
She was always despised by the elites for the fact that Louir never earned her powers, and on top of that, she could dual attune. Now, she gets to repay them with the Void. With a grin on her face, she speeds up.
Once she is close to the headquarters, she climbs on top of a building with a flat roof. Up there, she sits down to wait for the raven’s mark. The target place is just on the other side of the street. It’s a roundish stone building with a tower. It looks like a small fortress. It’s well guarded. Eight Elementalists stand watch in front of the main entrance.
I wonder, who should I kill first? She is eyeing the guards, planning her strategy. They’re all sleepy and weak. I guess I’ll just step into the middle of them and erupt in Void flames. That should erase them all.
Once in a while, a patrol of knights walks past the headquarters. As it’s wartime, the sentries are tripled. After all, Hantor is the capital, it has to be well managed. Rajash is known for their assassin culture. There was a time when Rajash was half its current size. Back then, there were two countries, Rajash and Jilho. However, the assassins of Rajash killed the leaders of Jilho before any war was declared, and it happened within one night. The next morning, Rajash invaded, and the leaderless Jilho was conquered.
The half an hour Louir needs to wait feels like an eternity. It’s getting windy, and the Moon is illuminating the city. Louir needs to stay low in case someone happens to take a glance up there. She’s desperate to hear the raven’s mark.
Go kill.
Finally, she hears the Void utter the words of salvation. At once, she steps through the Void into the middle of the eight guards, erupting in Void flames to eradicate them in the blink of an eye. No dust, no ash. Air is all that’s left of them.
However, since they die so quickly, the base isn’t alarmed, and that is troubling. Now, she has to go inside and cause the alarm to get the elites to her. Should’ve just killed them one by one. Then they’d have had time to raise the alarm.
The bandana hiding her face, she enters the building. She needs to cause a ruckus fast, before Lou gets into serious trouble. She sprints past the first two knights she comes across with, stationed in a hallway. They aren’t enough to draw the attention she needs, but they are shouting after her.
“Stop right there!”
“There’s an intruder!”
She looks for a certain room she knows well. Once she gets there, she finds herself in the middle of a mob, Elementalists and knights alike. It takes them a few seconds to realize she is a threat.
Louir drops the hood, revealing her hair color. “Hi, I’m the Void attuner. Nice to meet you all.” With that, she makes a knight burst into a spray of blood by casting a Void bomb into his torso.
At once, Elementalists hurl arrows of Molten and Lightning at her. She dodges them by stepping through the Void, and the two knights she ran into just a moment ago are accidentally killed by those Elementi spells.
“The Void Elementalist is here! Raise the alarm!”
“Call the elites! It’s a state of emergency!”
Louir is now behind an Elementalist attuning Fire. She stabs her palm into the woman’s back, pulling her spine out. She reforms the bone into a Living Weapon of the Void; a violet bone scythe is thus swung around.
But then, a lightning whip hits Louir. She is shocked by the electricity. Her muscles aren’t listening to her, and Molten arrows skewer her all over. She is in serious pain.
“Argh!” Louir explodes. The shockwave knocks down every single Elementalist and knight. The ones close to Louir are incinerated in a moment’s notice.
Die.
The three remaining knights in the room try challenging her. One of them swings down his sword at her. Louir stops it with her hand, holding it as if the cutting edge couldn’t harm her, and with the powers of the Void, she shatters the weapon.
Die.
With a quick swing of the scythe, she dismembers the man’s legs. The two others are coming at her similarly, and she slices them up, tearing through their armors as if they held no meaning. And before any Elementalist can do more harm, she’s stepping behind another target, dicing the human.
Die.
She hurls her scythe to cut yet another one in two. Next, Louir steps through the Void again, catching the Living Weapon midair, and the blood of the victim, at whom she’s hurled the scythe, is sprayed upon her as she appears behind him.
The elites are coming, they have to be, Louir reasons.
To get rid of the confused and terrified survivors, she hurls Void bombs around, causing destruction in the room. A long silence follows the chaos. Eyes of Dead spawn one by one, eyes that inspire the aspects of the Void. They all stare at Louir, malice hidden in their gazes. Louir smirks. The ones she’s killed are watching her, and she’s standing on the stage like an actor.
“How does it feel? I’ve killed you, and now you can only watch and linger. You’ll remain trapped for all of eternity, until the world ceases existing. And worry not, I’m going to protect this world from that fate.”
She walks over to an Eye hovering midair, picking it. “Do you know what happens to you if I crush your Mark?” She glares at the Eye. “You’ll relive your death over and over and over again, until you lose your mind. Nay, even if you go nuts, you’ll still relive it, but you just won’t understand it anymore.”
Then, she crushes the Mark.
“Can you believe it? That particular guy is now about to relive his death again, and it’s only the beginning. There will be so many iterations you can’t comprehend it.” The Eyes show no change, but she can guess the fear they feel.
“There she is!” A newcomer shouts.
An Elementalist hurls a bolt of Water at her, and another empowers it with Lightning, and a third one removes air from Louir’s lungs to stun her before she can do anything. The combination of Elementi spells hits her. She’s electrified, and the lack of air makes her suffer greatly, as she’s incapable of breathing for the duration of the shock.
They are the elites. They aren’t stopping there. One of them surrounds Louir with water, another one freezes the liquid, and a third one summons a Living Weapon of Metal, a massive hammer. He smashes the ice prison with it, shattering Louir’s frozen body into hundreds of pieces.
The elites stop to examine the remains. They haven’t fought a Void attuner before, so they can’t tell if she is dead or not. Her skull has cracked, both arms are separated from her torso, and her legs are in two pieces. She doesn’t seem to show any signs of life.
“Is that it?”
“I don’t know. The legends speak of the Void attuners as powerful beings. They aren’t humans anymore. I think we should get rid of these pieces just in case.”
“Burn them?”
“Maybe.”
***
How does it feel? You are in the Void right now. Your manifestation has been destroyed. I am repairing your body, but it takes a while.
Louir finds herself in a dark place. She can see violet orbs all around her, but besides that, there’s nothing else. Her body is bare, and she feels as if she was drowning in a strange liquid, except that she can breathe. She swims over to a violet orb, examining it. It’s a strange, vibrating ball of violet light.
I recommend you do not touch them too much. Those are deceased creatures. You do not want to anger them in the Void. As individuals, they are powerless, but as a pack, they can make you regret your actions.
Louir pulls away from the orb. Is this really the Void?
Of course.
Where are you?
Nearby. Do you wish to see me?
I’d like to. So far, I’ve imagined you as a raven-looking being, but I doubt that’s your real form.
Indeed. I am the Void, after all. As to why I like to appear as a raven, it is because humans think of them as a sign of death and destruction.
Not all of them.
Some people see different animals differently. Some do see ravens as a bad omen, true, but some people like them.
Then I need to get rid of those heretics.
But may I see you now?
Very well.
In the utter blackness of the Void, a silhouette so dark even the Void around Louir pales before it appears in front of her. It’s as if there were a stain on a black paper, a stain with the color of the blackest of blacks. That’s how dark the lord of the Void itself is. The figure is coming closer, and Louir is getting excited—and creeped out.
Louir is curled up, trying to hide her bare body. After all, it’s the perverted raven that’s in front of her, and she’s in her birth suit.
The silhouette is starting to take shape as it’s getting closer. It reminds her of a human at first, but when the figure is getting clearer, she can see there are four arms, and the legs are way too long for a human. Its head is very hazy, like the rest of the body. Since the whole form is covered in the darkest darkness, it’s hard to make out any features. However, the eyes and the mouth can be recognized. They’re both even darker than the rest of the body. It’s the very climax of darkness, the blackness human words cannot describe. In fact, if Louir were a human, she’d be blinded by the intensity of the darkness.
The mouth looks like it was ready to swallow Louir. In a way, it reminds her of the Titan’s maw. Her heart is racing for some reason, but it’s definitely not fear. Maybe it’s excitement, or maybe it’s something else.
Now, you see me.
Yes, I do. I’m very curious as to how a being like you can be such a perv.
Is that the reason why you wanted to see me? To see if I am a lewd-looking thing? I am insulted.
I do admit it was partly because of that, but you see, I haven’t seen your real body before, so I was also very curious.
I will let it slide this one time.
Sure you will. By the way, how long will it take to reform my body? Lou needs to be protected, especially since they’re capable of destroying me.
Do not worry about that. You now know how time works, do you not? Just wait. It may take a long while, but in the human world, only a moment has passed by the time your embodiment is ready.
The concept of time humans have imagined does not exist. The truth about time in the second dimension of the Third World is complex, but also simple. In essence, the whole timeline of Louir’s homeworld is a single moment. More precisely, it’s like a narrative that can be read at any time, and therefore, also altered at any given moment. In short, time does not flow; it is static, still, and editable. The Void is located not in the dimension Louir sees as her home, but in the other where the technologically advanced humans are threatening to destroy the Elementi, and thus the timeline of her home dimension is not relevant.
So, how long exactly? Don’t tell me it’s going to take a year.
Three years, the Void states.
What!? Three fucking years? Just to repair my body!? You’re kidding, right? Right!?
Listen, I am the deity of destruction. Creation is not my forte.
…
Louir is dismayed. She’ll have to spend three years in the utter darkness of oblivion. She makes up her mind to never lose her body again. Getting into the Void and spending three years there, just to get her shell back, can drive her insane.
Is there no way for me to get out faster?
No.
Can I help you anyhow?
No.
Then is there—
No.
You don’t even know what I was about to say!
I can read your mind.
Ah, that explains it. Damn it...
Just relax. In the Void, there is absolutely nothing you need to worry about.
There is, in fact, a deity of perversion.
Well, that...
Checkmate.
But speaking of which, why are you naked?
Isn’t that because your Perverted Highness has made it so?
It is not. Your mind merely stopped working for a moment after your destruction, and with it, the garments of the Void disappeared. Can you not summon them?
Eh... Louir wants to hit herself hard. She hasn’t considered recreating her clothes. I suppose I can.
***
Many hours later in the Void, Louir is doing nothing. There isn’t much she can do other than staring at the violet orbs. If she has to spend three years there, she’ll really go bonkers. Sure, she can talk with the Void whenever she wants, but she can’t keep up a conversation for more than a few hours, much less for three years.
She is getting used to the liquid that’s all over the Void. It isn’t like water. It’s far greasier than that, but it isn’t exactly moist either, so Louir’s hair hasn’t gone wet. In fact, her violet hair is fluttering as if there were wind, but that’s not the case.
When a few days pass, Louir is starting to believe the Void. She is definitely going to spend three years in the darkness, and there’s no way out. She can only wait.
And wait.
And wait...
Chapter Six of Arc Two
Unleashed
“Is that it?” An elite of the Order says.
“I don’t know. The legends speak of the Void attuners as powerful beings. They aren’t humans anymore. I think we should get rid of these pieces just in case.”
“Burn them?”
“Maybe.”
Overall, there are twenty-five elites in the room, plus all the Marks of the Void. Although it cannot be seen, the Eyes are desperately trying to communicate with the elites, but their silent cries are in vain. Some of the elites find the Marks disgusting.
“Should we get rid of these creepy eyes?”
“Probably, but we do not know what the Marks of the Void are, so let’s not touch them for the time being. They may trigger some trap if we do something about them.”
Suddenly, in the middle of the room, a violet flash of light blinds the elites briefly. When they come to, a woman is standing there, face devoid of any emotion. She looks so empty one can only wonder what she’s been through.
“What the...?”
“Destroy her! Fast!”
At once, practiced combinations of spells are hurled at Louir, but none of them hit her. She’s dodging them without any aid from the Void. She picks a sword from the floor, wielding it. Her mind functions on a whole different level now.
“She’s dodging them!?”
Louir is moving nimbly like some assassin who relies on a dagger to kill. When she sees the opportunity, she charges at one of the elites, striking him with the sword, only to miss. They are the best of the best. Therefore, they aren’t going down easily.
Louir’s expression is calm, yet malicious.
They try Water and Lightning like before, a combo that cannot miss as it can be sprayed around. However, Louir, who barely feels anything anymore, functions like a perfect machine. She steps behind the elites, stabbing the iron sword into one of them.
The elites react with lightning fast reflexes. They hurl a wave of Force to knock her against the wall behind them. Louir repels the shockwave with one of her own, overpowering the one cast by the elites. They’re knocked back, even stunned. Louir goes for a kill by detonating a Void bomb within one of the humans.
Her attempt fails as a wall of Lightning is called to protect the one she is targeting. She knew they’d do it. In fact, she’s intentionally provoked the elites to focus on the defensive, allowing her to surprise them by stepping through the Void again, appearing in the middle of them where she explodes. Three of the elites are eradicated, and two suffer heavy wounds.
Eyes round open, there’s no hint of any emotion on Louir’s face. Her mind is as blank as a white paper, which means she is acting on instinct.
The elites go on the offensive. However, the floor beneath Louir’s feet is melting. Louir steps away, but the elites are prepared for it. As soon as she reappears, the stone paving of the floor suddenly
turns into a bed of sharp spikes.
Or so it should be, but the aura around Louir is erasing everything, including stone, wood, and life. No matter what it is, Void flames consume it all. She sends out arrows of violet color, but all of them get repelled by the elites. Two of her adversaries execute the common tactic. Air is expelled from her lungs, and a burst of Fire is cast under her breath.
She doesn’t breathe. She hasn’t inhaled air even once after reforming. In fact, she doesn’t need to breathe, an astral being as she is. Thus the combination spell does nothing to her. The elites are displaying fear on their faces. They’re fighting a monster that doesn’t hold any emotions, doesn’t feel any pain, and doesn’t even think.
They’re starting to lose their focus, and Louir knows it. She makes use of their fear by executing a quick detonation of a Void bomb. One of her opponents has his head burst into a spray of blood and brain. Following it, she summons a firestorm of violet flames that engulfs the whole room.
The elites surround themselves with red lightning. It’s their only option to defend from the all-consuming fire. The building is corroding slowly due to the flames of destruction. It pushes a time limit upon the elites. Not just that, the violet flames burn through the Lightning, leaving violet marks on the elites.
Louir walks into the middle of the elites freely. Her steps are graceful, her face mocking. The elites cannot do anything, as they need to maintain the shields.
Louir studies the elites curiously. It’s as if she is finding them interesting somehow. She goes through all of their faces, for there’s no hurry; they cannot do anything in the firestorm of Void flames. The Elementalists are showing wrathful expressions.
“Stop this madness!”
“What end does this serve, you monster!?”
“There is no need for destruction!”
“You were an Elementalist too, weren’t you!?”
“She won’t listen! Focus on the shields instead!”
Apocalyptic Life (Era Series Book 2) Page 21