437. Heroess, 6

(Rose)

The sky is leaden dark, with a pale white and foggy horizon.

I wake up feeling cold, in a hole of mud.

It feels... As if I was very far from myself. It feels unreal...

Where was I again?

Out of the shades of the wall of this wide cylindrical hole, like a mud pit arena, shapes emerge.

Beasts, formless monsters, coming slowly toward me as I stand in the middle and afraid.

A nightmare...

No. I’ve been here before. I know this place.

This is the hole of Daiûa. Again...

A beast jumps at me.

My hands, the pale left and the grey ghoulish right, catch its head in flight and crush it at my feet.

I stand up again, feeling hollow, but grinning in a sadistic manner.

Come at me beasts...

~

I’m going wild. I fight the endless stream of foes with unsettling pleasure.

My thorns protrude from my skin. I grow horns and fangs.

My angels appear next to me in my thoughts. Licht and Ogre, one step behind me, as my true foe appears ahead of us. Priest...

My phantasmagorical horns recede inside my head.

I remember everything.

So he dragged me on the other side.

Outside of material reality; in the domain of T.I...

Where all that remains are the structures of their souls. Where beings-like-her have their real essence and nature, and me only a phantasmal emulation, a dream of myself.

Where it is his last chance to kill me, and eventually resurrect.

R - I thought my toxic light would have been enough to destroy you even down here...

Priest stand still, ghastly but real, his aggressive presence growing. It will jump at me in a second or two.

R - You will not become another part of me.

O - There is room for only one god inside of her.

I might have laughed at Ogre’s poor joke. Priest jumps at me meanwhile.

I dodge with ease. This is a world of phantasms, unbound to biology. I can be as strong as I wish, or rather, as much as I realise and remember I can be, with the T.I. available to me.

And right now, I’m feeling quite good. I’m feeling almost awake, with clear and strong consciousness in what is like a dream where I keep control of myself.

What’s left of Priest doesn’t stand a chance.

His punch sends me flying, but the sharp pain vanishes instantly, and I jump back onto my feet.

I can be my ideal self...

To erase that lingering shadow of a dangerous priest, before I fly away.

Before I return to reality, I will finish this for good.

I avoid another strike. While he recovers from his violent strike against the wall, I open a hand to the sky.

My flaming sword of light slowly falls from the sky and into my right hand.

I’m ruling this dream.

R - You should never have tried to get me here. You could have chosen to live again.

My words have always been pointless with him. I tried, until the end.

Priest jumps. I jump, spin and strike. Limbs fly in flames.

I destroy him. His shadowy shape returns. Again, and again.

I destroy him, again, and again.

This fight is a game to me. I dance around them, removing the shadows with my sword, easily.

I’m laughing. First in a maniacal manner, like Ogre would. But them, more and more like I simply would.

It’s a nice dream. A pointless fight, but a nice play.

The shadows of priests are coming at me, with increased wrath and number. I make my way through like the heroic warrior I dream I could be.

I’m not that good with a sword in reality, and my body here is as athletic and agile as one could dream to be. Here only, everything happens as I wish to be.

At some point, the will of Priest flashed, attempting again to rise again, and his voice, his last words and idea echoed against me.

P - God slayer...

An impressive nickname, more meant for the late first Licht than myself. I feel a little sad or jealous about that.

R - I’m... Not the one you believe... You’re not either.

I’m slashing the beasts in grand fashion, still having ridiculous fun, letting that darkness trying to get me.

P - Another god... Will end your species and humanity.

R - Humanity is already dying. Beings-like-me are not multiplying... Don’t you see? Why are you fighting?

Hatred doesn’t need a logical threat to stand against.

I remember that moment, though I wasn’t much of myself any longer, right after killing Ogre and her child...

The end didn’t end anything.

Priest is just another monster like I once was. The only thing left to do, is for a Licht to put an end to its growth, or misery.

As much as it tries to stand up in this dream state out of reality, I still have the upper hand. Its structure of T.I. has decayed so much, all is left is powerless.

P - Another God... Will rip you apart...

R - Possibly... Don’t you want to live on to witness it?

P - Gods will reign!

Sigh... I wanted to say that I love only one god, whom has yet to return to me; but there’s no point...

R - Goodbye Priest.

I blow out my light out of myself. There’s more energy to scatter away from than this dying thing can withstand. Light floods the hole and scatters all shades, and Priest is gone for good.

I could have done that from the start, but it was also my last chance to try speaking to that miserable god.

That was unsatisfying. But I would have felt bad not trying.

I spread my pale and dark wings. I fly away from the hole now quiet and void.

The sky collapses as I gain altitude. This world collapses inside of me as I begin to wake up.

~

There’s only one god I miss...

When are you coming back Blume?

I miss you, lazy bones...

It’s time for you to return.

Once I’m back on my feet, that will be my wish.

If I have to face another aggressive being-like-her, I want it to be with you by my side, on my chest and on my arm.

You complete me... When I get rash, you are composed.

And gosh, I love you and I just miss you!

Wake up Blume! Come back to me!

Rise and shine little flower...

Rise and shine.

~