The Revelation of Awakening

A dark-haired man entered a dimly-lit lab room as he spoke into a phone. The floor was made of dark marble, reflecting the white plaster walls and overhead ceiling lights: yellow, flickering with a faint hum. Steel filing cabinets lined the right wall; the drawers were slightly ajar, revealing file after file of patient records, research data, and random scribbles that made no sense. On the opposite wall, a sink and cabinet set hid in the far corner, a steady drip from the faucet covered by the sound of the man’s voice. Several empty syringes and jars of cotton swabs lined the countertop.

“The cold blood draws yielded more success than I had realized. Not only is patient 009 gifted with a very special power, but she is also the key to something I never thought possible.”

He walked over to a small side table pinned against the back wall, streaks of light filtering in through the closed blinds of a window, and picked up a medical clipboard. The thickness of the wooden board seemed to please him as he thumbed through the clipped documents. After several minutes of close examination, he placed the clipboard down, exchanging it for a small stone that pulsated an amber color—steady at first.

“By infusing patient 009’s cold blood into a neriolite, the stone becomes a direct gateway to these other worlds—entire other dimensions. However, if one is crushed and then consumed, an incredible power can be achieved. It’s not yet understood if this power can be implemented by any mere human, but it is worth further testing.” He frowned. “The effects of this power are unclear, but there is reason to believe patient 009 can be revived with it if done correctly.” A loud splash jolted the man from his recording as unsecured carts and trays began to slide around the room. “It looks like after two years… we’re finally setting sail again.”

***

Lacia woke with a start, kicking blankets and bed sheets onto the floor in a flurry. How long had she been asleep? Panicked, she jumped out of the bed, fast-walking towards the door. She stopped short of trying the handle as the events at the Gila Border Gate flooded back into her mind.

“Mana and Aria… The hihoyou… Oh my god!” She scoured the room for a set of clothes; the thin medical gown loosely draped across her body made her shiver. “I’ve got to tell everyone I’m ok. I’m sure they’re worried about—”

Seagulls wailed as water sloshed against the side of a small port window. Aluminum trays slid across the marble floor as cabinet doors flew open then slammed shut. The room pitched to one side as a growing anxiety overran her body, chills running up and down her spine. She hadn’t thought anything of the hospital-like bed, medical gown and equipment until now. Her heartbeat grew in her chest as anxiety poured into her veins like poison.

She could have sworn she’d disembarked the ship with Aria after the sea had frozen over; she distinctly remembered the knife hidden in her sleeve, the broken foot, and Aria’s terrible sense of direction. How was it that, after everything they’d done, she was back at square one? She took a breath, trying to calm her nerves before examining the rest of the room. Maybe she was just overreacting. After all, had the hihoyou failed, she’d be dead anyways. There was no sense in psyching herself out, right?

She tried to peek through the blinds, but her body felt weak, almost as if her muscles had atrophied while she was asleep. Horizontal streaks of light arced across the floor as the angle of the sun changed—even the shades by the hall window were drawn for privacy. She turned around to find multiple crimson stains dotted in the bed sheets. Blood?

The room felt odd, like someone was expecting her eventual return. A heavy stench of bleach and water filled her nostrils—an all-too-familiar scent. She didn’t have to guess where she was anymore, as much as she hated to admit to herself that she was, indeed, back on the same ship where she’d originally met Aria.

“No, no, no… This can’t be happening!” She ran to door, jiggling the handle, before a sudden force sent her flying into the back wall as she slid down onto the bed. She cried out as her foot became wedged between the wall and mattress, forcing her to awkwardly bend her leg. “Dammit,” she cursed, rubbing her foot after freeing herself.

A strange plopping sound suddenly arose from the front of the room. Her curiosity had always gotten the better of her, and this time was no different. She slid off the bed, limping across the room, wondering what could have made such an odd noise. To her surprise, a calendar had fallen off the wall behind her, also having managed to wedge itself between the bed; it must have been knocked down after she’d been sent flying. She crawled under the bed, unpinning the calendar, its smooth, plastic-y feel like ice. At first glance, it seemed only a couple of months had passed since her abduction and the encounter with Ahzef, but something still wasn’t right.

“Did the hihoyou fail, or were we successful…?” She paused, mulling over every tiny detail. “I’m alive which has to mean we won, but if that’s the case, then why am I here?” The air conditioning roared to life, knocking a piece of paper to the floor at her feet. The scribbled black ink was barely legible:

“Note: After recapturing Patient 009 upon the failed hihouyo, patient showed no vitals for approximately five minutes. Patient has since responded well to multiple rounds of treatment from neriolite-infusion. Full recovery expected soon—plans remain unchanged.”

Lacia’s hands trembled: Patient 009 was her moniker. “So, it’s true. I did die, but now I’m back on this ship again,” she whispered, “and something is keeping me from leaving. They’re serious this time.” Her whole body began to shake. “They want whatever this ‘gift’ I have is, but I have a feeling this won’t be a pleasant feeling…”

“You know, that first note was dated two years ago. There are more on the back if you’d like to be nosy,” a familiar voice spoke. “Surprised to find yourself still breathing?”

Lacia did a one-eighty. “Ahzef! How? Aria—! Wha…?”

Ahzef stood in the doorway. He had grown a dark, scraggly beard since the last time she saw him, but the same oily complexion remained the same. Black hair clung to his forehead like he’d just stepped out of a shower. His nose was small, but the sharpness of his jawline and smug smile made up for it. Now that she finally had a good look at his face, she never would have thought that such a handsome, yet disgusting, looking man held such a dark secret.

Earth-colored slacks swished in sync with his footsteps as he entered the room, dim light from the blinds struggling to illuminate his upper body. The fresh scent of lavender fabric softener wafted into Lacia’s nostrils as he approached. She caught a glimpse of his white cotton tee shirt before he withdrew to the shadows.

“In the end, you and Aria were just a tad too late,” Ahzef said, pushing a pair of glasses onto his nose.

“What do you mean ‘too late’? Don’t play with my head.” Her voice quivered.

“It’ll be easier to show you rather than trying to explain everything. Normally, I’m not so apt to share such things, but it doesn’t matter as there is nothing you can do,” he chuckled.

“Answer me this, then,” Lacia shook. “Why did you revive me? You have what you need, do you not? What reason is there in bringing me back?”

Ahzef’s lifeless eyes burned holes into her soul, the expressionless look on his face equally unnerving. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge; bed springs gave a light groan under the new weight. Tilting his head back as if he were contemplating the meaning of life, the devil sighed.

“You have a very special power and if you’re dead, that power is unobtainable. Judging by our previous encounters thus far, you still don’t have proper control over it.” He continued. “An unstable power is a dangerous power, but some risks are worth taking.”

“Are you talking about Hika and the Aurei? What does she have to do with all of this?”

“Let me finish, Lacia,” Ahzef warned. “You see, the Aurei are indeed a part of the equation, but your friend, Mana, has also been blessed with incredible power thanks to a certain… being whom I’m sure you’ve met by now.” He redirected his gaze, locking eyes with Laca. “By using the Aurei, I can form a new halifer, and by using you as bait, Aria and Mana will undoubtedly come to find you.”

Her head swam. Of course he was going to use her as bait. Why would he let her just walk away? Not even death could keep her from Ahzef’s twisted ploys, but a thought popped into her head: maybe having Lucifero attack when he did could be of benefit. If Ahzef had been waiting until now to enact the final phase of his plan, did that mean he’d never expected Aria to switch sides in the fight, the one person he put his trust in the most? Still, the abrupt flood of memories, hers and Aria’s, she couldn’t explain. Regardless, Lucifero had inadvertently undone some of Ahzef’s plans, it seemed.

“I may be trapped on this ship for now, but that doesn't mean I’m completely out of options—not yet.” She recalled the strange voice she heard the day of the flash-freeze while still aboard the ship. She had no idea if there was some greater “higher power”, but anything was worth a shot at this point. “If you’re the voice I heard that day,” she pleaded, “I’m asking for a miracle now. If you’re the Omnis that Ahzef is talking about then, clearly, you’re far more capable than he is. Please. Get me out of this mess.”

Ahzef continued to drone on as the steady rocking motion of the ship lulled Lacia into a trance. Her eyes grew heavy as she stumbled backwards. Colors melded together like molten glass, stripped of their color into dripping globs of white. Ahzef’s voice disappeared as she spiraled into a kaleidoscopic maze, prismatic shapes gleaming and rotating around a central point—a colorless trip through a pocket of empty space.

“Listen to me, Lacia.” It was the same voice from two years ago. “You must find a way into Chiipha where you must rendezvous with Lyra. She will lead you to Mana and Aria. Time is incredibly limited and—”

“…and the one chance you have to undo all of my hard work cannot be allowed to happen.” Ahzef’s voice tore into her ears. A shadowy hand wrapped itself around Lacia, yanking her departed consciousness back like a yo-yo. “You’re my prize, girl, and your leaving in the middle of our conversation wasn’t very ladylike.”

“What do you know about being ladylike?” she groaned. “Don’t ever do that again. I feel like I was just dropped from a bungie cord…” She leaned into a nearby trashcan and became violently ill. “I’d much rather be dead right now,” she thought, too ill to do anything more than white-knuckle the poor bin.

Ahzef cleared his throat to speak. “You have no one to blame but—”

“Say it.” She looked up, pale-faced and teary-eyed. “See if I don’t burn that tongue out of your—” Her face grew another shade whiter as she returned to her business with the trashcan. “Just kill me,” she moaned between gasps of air.

Ahzef walked up to her, bent over the vomit-filled trashcan that now resembled anything but, and rubbed her back.

“If you puke your guts out now, it will be a very messy body you return to because I won’t be cleaning you off before reviving you.” He continued to rub her back. The gentle motions helped to ease Lacia’s whiplash-induced nausea. “Better now?”

Weakly, she lifted her head, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Why didn’t you start with that?”

“Because you need to know your place. I could have just as easily pulled you back without the whiplash, but you seem to have a tough time when it comes to learning new tricks.”

“Learning new tricks?” she repeated. “What am I? A dog?”

“Not yet, but if you’d like to be after—”

“Forget I asked.” She stood up, trudging past Ahzef, and curled up inside the bed, purposefully choosing to face the wall. “I hate playing games with you devils, and I especially don’t like you. I’m going to sleep.”

“Oh, but we’re just getting to the good part, you see. Allow me to show you just how much I’ve been working on,” Ahzef sneered. “Besides, it’s a pain to mess with trying to revive you for the second time.”

“Like I said,” she turned over, preparing to reiterate her previous statement, but she suddenly found herself alone in the center of an empty city. One moment, she was lying on her side, beneath warm bed covers. The next, she was in a strange city with no explanation as to where she was or how she got there.

Grey clouds filtered overhead, heralded by a strong breeze—too strong. Traffic lights swayed, eventually breaking free from their perilous predicament. Skyscrapers tore into the grey canvas before disappearing into the clouds above. Glass rained from the sky, shattering into thousands of tiny pieces on the black asphalt roads, but only for a moment. Looking around, she noticed many shop windows had been boarded up as if the materialistic yearning to shop was no longer welcome here.

Signs had been placed on the doors, signaling a collective uncertainty of a return to normal. Strangely, the air smelled clean and fresh; the lingering stench of grease and fried food was absent and likely had been for some time. There were no car horns, screeching of tires, or obscene shouts at traffic by those who’d overslept their morning alarms; it was quiet, almost peaceful.

A slow rumbling careened through the city, slow at first. Windows rattled in their frames, this time threatening to rain glass onto the beige cement sidewalks below. Without warning, entire sections of road began to buckle as the rumbling devolved into a violent tremor. Chunks of black asphalt were tossed into the air, crashing down as they shattered into smaller fragments. Chasms appeared where the road had been thrust into the sky and subsequently swallowed by the earth. Foundations liquified as shops crumbled to pieces and light poles swung in a wide arc before succumbing to the crumbling ground.

Lacia tried to run, but the shaking was too strong. Every time she’d try to run someplace safe, she just fell onto her knees. There was no way to tell if the ground beneath her would also sink into the void or if she’d be struck by a swinging light pole, swatted like a mosquito. She pressed her palms onto the pavement, trying to stabilize herself.

The city had come alive: sidewalks curled like paper, glass pierced the sidewalks like rain, and entire city blocks sunk beneath the surface like a stone in water. Once the shaking stopped, however, Lacia soon found herself with a new problem; an inverted gravitational force had begun to erode the city from the top down, threatening to plunge her into the sky alongside the perilous heaps of splintered lumber, ceramic shingles, glass, and heaps of broken concrete. Whatever hadn’t been cast astray by the assumed earthquake remained secured—for now.

Unable to anchor herself, she was pulled into the air, narrowly missing a shard of glass the size of her arm. She panicked. Even if the inverted gravity released its hold on her, she would plummet back to the ground, just another stain like the grease of an old fast-food sack. She was already several feet in the air, and gaining height by the second when, suddenly, her foot caught between a pair of upturned, but still-in-the-ground, light poles. They were twisted into an awkward X shape.

She bent over, grabbing her leg as she pulled herself forward, just enough to eventually wrap her arms and legs around one of the poles. There was no telling how long they’d stay planted, but she didn’t care—something else had stolen her attention: a hellish sight unfolded below her, previously hidden by the myriads of debris. Rivers of red and orange rushed through the earth as if someone was emptying a can of paint. It was goopy and viscous; the sound reminded her of a boot stuck in the mud after a rainstorm. Further upstream, she noticed the two goopy rivers had begun to coalesce as they emptied into the same point, a swirling singularity of red and orange, congealed into a liquified ball.

“Those are just a sample of the leylines within the Earth. The richer the mana, the richer the color. That’s why the colors are so vibrant.”

Startled by the voice, Lacia momentarily loosed her grip on the light poles. “Hika?! Where have you been?” She was overjoyed by the aurei’s abrupt return, but where did she come from?

“We can go over everything later. Right now, I think you should look up,” Hika said, tilting her head back towards the sky. “And perhaps I should put you back on the ground, huh?”

Lacia did as instructed, surprised to find a strange series of cracks that crawled across the sky like a shattered mirror. Some were larger than others, akin to cracked glass, while others resembled something closer to a spidery ornamentation that began at the center before branching out in all directions. Holes burned into the sky like paper in fire, emanating from the odd, glass-like appearance the sky had become; they devoured the daylight, plunging the city into night under a canvas of twinkling stars.

Lacia watched as the sky continued to shatter and then burn away, revealing countless more stars and even a few satellites, their fiery streaks of light plunging through the atmosphere. Oversized masses of perilous space debris rained down in streaks of smoldering torment and screeching metal as they tore through skyscrapers and demolished street signs in perilous fury.

“Hika— What?”

“This is the beginning of the world Ahzef has envisioned, and it starts by destroying yours first. We still have time, but not much. Remain vigilant, though, even if this is just one of many worlds like yours,” she emphasized. “I have spent the last two years asleep, waiting for you to wake as well. Now, look to the horizons.”

To Lacia’s right, the moon had grown to fill the eastern sky. Chunks of lunar debris rotated around a still-intact larger body as the dust in the atmosphere created an ominous yellow-white haze. An occasional lunar chunk would strike a radio tower or skyscraper, leaving only a charred pit where the offending structure had been. If she squinted, she could make out the faint composition of a set of rings. It was like a giant asteroid, creeping closer and closer to a catastrophic impact that would obliterate all life on Earth. Ironically, the various asteroid craters that lined the moon’s surface had become visible, growing larger with every encroaching inch.

In the western sky, the sun had begun to retreat from the Earth, casting a dim light upon the atmospheric dust. The fading fringes of warm sunlight grazed Lacia’s arm before slipping off like butter, failing to find the one thing it could latch onto. She watched as the star that had so selflessly graced the Earth with its comforting warmth began to pulsate like it had been caught between the grubby hands of a child, struggling to attain the last drop from their Juicebox. It seemed to sigh, coming to the realization that its days had reached an abrupt end before erupting into a brilliant supernova, subsequently plunging the Earth into darkness and biting cold.

Lacia fell to her knees in shock and disbelief. Could such chaos and destruction really be her fault? Was she just that weak and useless? Did the same fate await her Earth if she failed to stop Ahzef and the rest of the devils? She wanted to abandon hope, the tiniest, fraying threads that she so desperately clung to.

“But if I just give up, then what does that make me?” she whispered to herself. “A coward? The girl who couldn’t even be bothered to try? I wouldn’t want to be talked about like that, even if everyone else managed without me…”

“Lacia… The residual heat from the sun won’t last much longer. I can open the gate to Chiipha, but I must use the solar radiation which is fleeting… I know what you are thinking, and I will not tell you that you are wrong, but I must tell you that if you want to give up, there is no one to take your place.” Hika shook her head. “But I believe you are aware of what you should do. Before we address such, however, I believe you need to address that first.” Hika pointed Lacia in the direction of the exposed leylines.

A small pedestal rose from the center of the leyline convergence, surrounded by the swirling masses of red and orange. It towered into the sky, scraping the inky canvas before disappearing into the lunar haze above. Lacia blinked spots from her eyes; she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The pedestal continued its climb into the heavens—an unstoppable force that rivaled even humanity’s greatest architectural achievements. She wasn’t sure if the lingering sunlight was being refracted or if the tower was actually rising, pushing the small pedestal higher into the sky.

She peered into Hika’s eyes—emotionless but confident. Nodding, they started towards the tower. Something told Lacia that whatever was inside was important… and that they needed to reach whatever it was before Ahzef.

From a distance, the tower didn’t seem like anything special, but as they approached the base, Lacia wondered if she needed glasses; she had completely misjudged the dark, granite-looking exterior. What she had taken for a solid, albeit strangely-placed, tower was anything but. Sand poured from the sky, showering her in a grainy sequence of fine particulates. She shielded her eyes with her hand, examining the tower, barely illuminated by the dying sun’s rays.

The fleeting sunlight cast a minimal glow on the tower, transforming it into a shimmering red spire mixed with hints of ash-colored minerals. What had seemed like a shooting tower of granite was instead a dizzying obelisk of sand that wound into the atmosphere, but it was surprisingly solid—stone-like. It reminded her of sandcastles: nothing more than unstable creations that could come crumbling down without warning. Taking a shaky step onto a connecting, also sandy, pathway, she worried the entire obelisk would come tumbling down, burying her beneath tons of sand—an unnerving thought.

Lacia pouted. “So… How do we get… in?”

The bracelet on her wrist suddenly began to glow. Up until now, she’d forgotten about it entirely; it was a shameful admittance, but it was the truth—the one birthday present from her parents and somehow she’d managed to both forget about it and keep it safe. Life had been a whirlwind; it was a fair excuse, but the bracelet was the only connection she had to the very people who’d brought her into the world more than two decades ago. She felt guilty for forgetting yet, the fact that she’d subconsciously known she couldn’t afford to lose it was impressive.

Regardless, she was determined to make the most of this metaphorical second lease on life, even if it did make her head hurt. The bracelet on her wrist was the small reminder she needed, though—the reminder that she was in command, and this was her war to fight. The purple gemstones seemed to agree, as the bracelet warmed her wrist.

For the first time, she thoroughly examined the stones that encircled the band. Beyond curing her headaches during her time with Lucifero, it hadn’t offered much in the way of anything, yet it now shone so bright the sky turned a deep shade of vermillion. Lacia found herself transfixed by the beauty as the stones morphed into a wine-red, the outer lavender-colored shells crumbling away.

A sudden breeze brushed the backs of her legs causing her to shiver. Maybe it was just her nerves, after all. She’d been showered in broken glass, pulled into the air by some strange, inverted gravity, and watched as the sun devolved into a supernova. At the very least, she was just glad to have two feet on the ground, but as she stood there, shivering, she felt something else brush her legs. Something… soft?

Hika’s voice rose from behind Lacia, now noticing her sudden absence. “Now that is a wonderful outfit, Lacia.”

“Huh? Out… fit? What are you talking about?” She narrowed her eyes, “Why are you suddenly behind me, anyways? You’re so unserious sometimes.” She turned around to find Hika beaming at her. “What?”

“I would have thought you would have outgrown such… How should I put it? Childish inners?” It took Lacia a moment to realize what she was getting at. “You certainly aren’t the first poor girl to fall victim to the undie-reveal,” Hika snickered.

Lacia’s face turned a shade of red. “T-they weren’t my first choice! I didn’t even pick these out!” She leaned back, craning her neck over her shoulder, trying to see just what Hika had meant by “childish”.

“I do find it quite hard to believe you would have such lacking taste for a woman of your caliber, Lacia. While bears are cute, they most certainly do not elevate your status.”

“You’re full of secrets, Hika. Care to spill the tea?” She threatened.

“If I spilt any tea, I am afraid it would ruin that beautiful dress of yours.” Her tone grew playfully teasing. “Now, I know light is quite the fascinating medium, but I was not aware it could fashion clothes out of nothing.”

Lacia’s face flushed again. “It would be easier if I at least had a reflection,” she whined. “This really isn’t the place for dress-up parties but,” she paused, “I think I know what this means…”

She tapped a gold ring that had appeared around her middle finger, white light manifesting up her arm, brimming past the elbow. A set of white gloves appeared, riddled with ornate geometric lines and spiraling weaves that wove around each other the same way contrails cut through the atmosphere.

“Lacia— Did you know this entire time?” Hika looked upon Lacia with a mixture of curiosity and pleasure. “These are markings from a very influential family, one that, supposedly, mysteriously vanished a couple thousand years ago.” Hika held up a modest-sized piece of glass so Lacia could see her reflection.

Pointed tails of gold and turquoise formed the silken skirt of an elegant dress, resting against the backs of her knees. Opaque, white stockings caressed her legs, held up by a set of golden garters, hidden by the skirt tails of the dress itself; the same patterns that laced her gloves also wove around the silken stockings. A cottony band wrapped around her midsection, forming a large, turquoise bow at the back of the dress—a nice, accessorized look. Her sleeves hung down in sheets of white and gold trim as she twirled around, examining her reflection.

“This kind of reminds me of those overly-formal dresses from princess movies—” She stopped mid-thought.

“Do you understand now?” Hika asked. “Part of the answer you have been looking for.”

“No, because, like everything makes sense now.”

“Your last name isn’t actually Amana, is it? Hmm…”

Hika watched as an embroidered emerald necklace draped itself across Lacia’s chest. It was small, nestled in a golden centerpiece. On the embellishment, etched in small script, was a single word: firmament.

Hika smiled. “Well now, Miss Iliern— I mean, milady.” She smiled. “This changes things, seeing as you have finally awoken.”

“Yeah… This changes a lot, and I think Ahzef’s plan totally just backfired.” She brushed a hand through her hair, stripping it of its platinum hues, replaced by a sun-kissed blonde. “He wanted to show me something, but I don’t think he meant to show me this.”

“Even more reason to regroup now, but this tower—”

“This tower— Well, it’s kind of more of a mix between a tower and an obelisk, but this one is just a replica of the original,” Lacia interrupted. “It was used to worship a certain goddess, or so the legends say. Her name was Ephemera. I don’t know how we could borrow her power, though...”

“I am afraid I do not know any more than you do, but there is a certain energy exuding from this place,” Hika noted, placing a hand on the structure. “It seems to desire something, some kind of offering, perhaps?”

“So, with the right offering we can possibly—”

“Get to Chiipha that way.” Hika finished Lacia’s sentence. “What do you want to do, then? We can leave for Chiipha now, but we will be cutting it close. Conversely, with the sudden appearance of this tower-obelisk, as you call it, it may be worth seeing what lies at the top. I will follow you, whatever you may choose.”

“Not to worry,” Lacia said. “I think it would be better if you preserved whatever energy you have since you’re more adept at combat than I am, but we do need to get to Chiipha as soon as possible, it seems.”

The edges of the city were beginning to crumble away as Lacia walked along the sandy path, gathering her thoughts. It wouldn’t be long until the city was nothing more than an empty void; she could sense the fleeting mana within the leylines. It was as if they were trying to buy her as much time as possible, expending magical energy into the earth.

Anxiety gripped her heart, squeezing with ferocious anger. Chunks of asphalt and steel beams were carried high into the atmosphere, dissolving into the same anxieties that threatened to subdue her. Inch by inch, the city disintegrated, the boundary between reality and nothingness converging upon the obelisk with each passing minute-long second.

“This world may be broken now, and I can’t claim to know who was tasked with defending it, but I swear on my life I will not allow mine to suffer the same fate.” She turned to face the obelisk, took a deep breath, and exhaled. “I don’t have all the answers yet, but this dress is one I know I’ve seen, and I think I know where I saw it.”

She raised her wrist to the obelisk. The reddened beads glowed again as a narrow opening revealed a previously unseen path through the main entryway. Inside, a set of stairs hugged the edges of the walls as they wound their way to the top. Around and around they wound, disappearing into the dark. She wondered just how high she and Hika would have to climb to reach the summit. Still, despite their sandy composition and appearance, the steps seemed likely to hold.

She took a step inside, ready to begin the trek as she felt her feet sink into the sand like ocean waves against the shoreline. She wanted to inspect the interior further, but it was almost too dark to see; she could spend hours digging through every grain of sand, inspecting every stair, and ponder the meaning of its appearance here of all places. This wasn’t the time to let her curiosity parasitize her mind though, and she knew that, but maybe she could uncover some other hidden facet of her past she never knew.

This was supposed to be a place of worship for a goddess, after all. To think that, after a little sleuthing, she wouldn’t come up with anything was just a tad unreasonable. Unfortunately, before she could do much of anything else, she needed an offering. Maybe, if she was lucky, the goddess wouldn’t be too sour, considering no one had made an offering in the last few thousand years, anyways. Still, she doubted the formal attire and a pretty face would be considered fair payment.

“Hey, Hika? What do you think about—” She stopped mid-sentence, squeezing her side, acutely aware of a growing ache.

“Troubles?” Hika asked, confused.

“My side… I almost feel like I’m… losing my breath.” She dropped to her knees, struggling to breathe.

“Just a little insurance policy. You didn’t actually think that, in the event I accidentally lost you, I didn’t have a backup plan, now did you?” a disembodied voice came.

“Ahzef?!” Hika shouted in surprise, “If you dare to continue your pursuit further, I will finish what we started all those centuries ago.” She gritted her teeth, revealing a double-ended, emerald-encrusted, golden lance. “I would advise you to leave—now.”

Ahzef remained unphased, perhaps more unimpressed than anything. “Hmm. While that sounds entertaining, I’m not here for you. I want my pet.”

“I do not know how you do it, but you really piss me off.” She swung at Ahzef who easily sidestepped her attack. “You forgot about the follow-up.”

She unleashed a searing arc of light that tore through dimensions as she lashed Ahzef with the other end of the lance. The air hummed with energy, almost vibrating. Lacia could feel the rivalry between the aurei and devil—the seething hatred and a deep-seeded desire for destruction but, more than anything, an overwhelming sense of protectionism.

The ensuing fight was dogged by enormous surges of rich magical energy, Hika’s prominence struggling against Ahzef’s sickening cascade of tempestuous evil. The devil’s aura was nauseating, draining, yet Hika remained unaffected. Maybe it was because of their history, but she seemed to be struggling—more than Lacia had anticipated. She anxiously watched as Hika steamrolled into Ahzef, her movements full of grace and splendor; they reminded her of a dancing fairy, basking in a pale, ethereal light from a newly-made hole in the wall of the obelisk.

Lacia gasped. The oxygen in the air was being consumed at a rapid pace, exacerbating her breathlessness. Hika’s attacks were drawing in every molecule they could use, harnessing their latent inertia. Dormant, they were of little use, but once they’d been acted upon by her attacks, they became catalysts of immense power.

“Hika, wait! Your attacks will cause the air to combust,” she cried, but her words went unnoticed. Hika was committed to, at the very least, sending Ahzef a message of resistance as she launched an attack so condensed with energy the ensuing blast sent Lacia tumbling into the back wall.

Her back made a small indent in the sand, but she was unharmed. Hika’s sudden rampage was unexpected, though. While she understood there was a history between her and Ahzef, she wished they’d take their fight elsewhere; she wasn’t fond of being caught between two otherworldly forces.

“Where did Hika come from,” she groaned, forcing herself to sit up. “She’s going to kill me if she’s not careful. Lucky I wasn’t any closer, or I might have become part of all this sand…” A white-hot pain seared across her chest as she stumbled to her feet; she felt like someone had laid a hot steam iron on her ribs. “And I say I’m hurting, which I am,” she admitted, “but I’d really hate to be Ahzef right now…”

A faint rumble bore through the obeilisk as small handholds appeared in the wall next to her. Was something telling her to keep moving, to keep climbing? The roar of Hika’s lance swishing through the air and Ahzef’s maniacal laughter plagued her ears, but it was the motivation she needed.

“No time for gazing at my feet—not while Hika is up there risking her life.”

Lacia cupped her fingers, plunging her dainty digits into the sandy holds as she climbed the steps to the top—one after the other. Despite the lack of shoes, the sand didn’t seem able to penetrate her stockings, keeping her feet clean. In fact, nothing was sticking to her despite the dust clouds that had been kicked up by the fighting. Still, she had reason to grumble.

“But of course he had a damn ‘insurance policy’. Really, I don’t know what I was expecting,” she remarked.

Any moment now, she expected Ahzef to sweep her off her feet and lock her away in that tiny, barren room again, free to enact his grand plan without her interrupting him further. Just the thought alone terrified her, but she wasn’t about to allow herself to be locked away like some princess in a far-off tower. Life wasn’t some fairytale; princesses and magic castles didn’t just leap from the pages of children’s stories, and she wasn’t about to change that.

There were still several steps between her and the top of the obelisk, but there was nothing she could offer; she didn’t know the first thing to offer or where she’d even find something of such value, but something in the back of her mind told her she wasn’t going to need one.

“Please tell me your name,” she pleaded. “Surely you can do that much for me. I want to do this the right way, even if I don’t have anything to offer you, but I can’t do this if I don’t know who I’m to worship. Is your name really Ephemera?”

A disembodied voice resounded through the temple as Lacia collapsed on the top stair. Roiling in waves of pain, blood poured from her lip as she bit down, hoping to counter one type of pain with another. However Ahzef’s ‘insurance policy’ worked, it was starting to take its toll on her body: her chest ached even more than earlier, coupled with the same white-hot pain, she was short of breath, and her legs felt like deadweights. If she were in the deep end of a swimming pool, she’d be in trouble.

Through gritted teeth, she pulled herself up. It was all or nothing, and she wasn’t leaving without something. If she gave up now, the world she knew would be turned to ash before her eyes—a reality she refused to accept, no matter how fervent her pursuits to stop Ahzef were. She wanted answers as to why she was chosen, out of everyone else, to serve such an important role and why the devils had begun their ascent back into Earth now of all times. There was so much she still didn’t understand: her parents, Aria, the school—even herself, but the latter she at least was closest to figuring out.

A sudden explosion rocked the obelisk from the outside as the sound of fighting abruptly ceased, which could only mean one of two things, and she wasn’t willing to find out which thing it was. She absolutely could not let all of her efforts end here. She hung her head, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead, completely exhausted. Still, she was as close as she’d ever been to something that could potentially give her the answers she’d been seeking.

Wiping her brows with the backs of her hands, she lifted her head. There, against the back wall, was an altar, water overflowing from a stone fountain into a circular pool at the base. It was overshadowed by a modest-sized pillar, draped in various hues of green and blue moss. She blinked, refreshing her eyes. The same markings that patterned her sleeves and stockings slowly etched themselves into the pillar in front of her—a fierce orange burning itself into the white stone, line after line.

“What am I supposed to do? I can’t read any of this,” she said, glumly.

“Did you forget?” Hika’s voice echoed. “You are of the Iliern bloodline.”

“Hika!” Lacia shouted, looking around, frantic. “What happened? Where’s Ahzef?”

“Hika does not have the time to explain. Ahzef is coming, and you must read pillar.”

Lacia returned her attention to the fountain where several new lines of script had been etched into the stone. It looked almost hand-written with some of the characters reminding her of a messy Kindergartner’s attempt at copying the alphabet. Others resembled a dried ink pen; they were dimmer, less vibrant than some of the other characters.

“Try again,” Hika said.

Lacia narrowed her eyes, surprised she could suddenly read the engraving: “Homage to the great. Homage to the mighty. Beneath the starry sky, we worship the protector. Bathed in the pool of time, we submerge ourselves in the water of life and death where we are renewed by the grace and eminence of our creator.”

“Ohh Lacia~,” Ahzef’s voice boomed up the stairs. “Where are yo~u? We have much to go over still.”

“Keep reading,” Hika urged. “Hurry.” Unease burrowed its way under her skin like a tick as she continued:

“By the grace of our goddess, we grow and walk the path of life, unafraid. Hand in hand with you, we banish the evil before us.” A new line etched itself into the stone beneath what she’d already recited… and it seemed to address her directly: “You must follow the tide and find me in the depths of despair for I am not what you think.”

The rustle of bare feet on sand caressed Lacia’s ears as she turned towards the sound, fully expecting to find Ahzef peering over her shoulder, but her eyes rested upon a figure as dark as night, black goop oozing from its twig-like ribs as it stumbled up the final few steps.

If this were a nightmare, she was living it. She pinched her cheeks, hoping she’d wake up in her bed at home and that this really was just a bad nightmare—one she hoped she’d never have again. She was tired, and she could feel it: her eyes were heavy, she felt run-down, and her thoughts raged like a flood through her mind—destructive and unrelenting.

“Wishful thinking,” she muttered, pursing her lips in disdain.

Before she could react, a bony hand lunged towards her neck, fleshless fingers clattering all the while. She saw it out of the corner of her eye, but all she could do was stand there and wait for whatever abhorrent thing in front of her curled its deathly fingers around her neck. Seconds passed like hours, but the rough, claw-like fingers never came; they hovered in the air, bony fingertips pointing directly at her neck. Something seemed to be… repelling them?

“What is that thing, Hika?” Lacia asked, taking a step back.

“That is Ahzef. Hika did her best, but Hika could not finish Ahzef.”

Lacia swore under her breath. “Well, then… I guess it’s you and me now, Ahzef, though you look a little worse for wear. You sure you’re up for this?” she egged, a smug smile creeping onto her face.

“I’m tired of these stupid games, girl.” His voice seemed dissonant, hollow in a way, as he closed his bony fist and squeezed. Each finger seemed to fold into his palm at an agonizingly slow rate. Lacia’s chest tightened as the first finger completed its sickening, inward curl; he was treating her like a game; he was the Game Master, and she was the novice. “You’ll like this one,” he teased, curling a second finger.

“There is no way I’m letting you treat me like some animal anymore.”

She raised her hand in the air, the same ethereal, moonlit glow peeking through the ceiling. A dozen or so lances, similar in design to Hika’s, began to form above her head, but they resembled a pearlier look; the softer shades, combined with the resurgence of ethereal moonlight above, were impressionable: she exuded power, grace, and a profound sense of sudden calm—poised. Grainy at first, a tailwind blew in, forcing the inert mana particles in the air to respond as they completed the now glimmering lances.

“I know it sounds cliché, but I will kill you even if it kills me.” She performed a chopping motion with her hand, unleashing a volleyed attack through Ahzef’s bony, goop-ridden body. She pressed her hand against her forehead, trying to fight the coming headache. “Still not good with control, but…” The devil crumpled into a heap of broken bones and tarry goop, the lances bursting into rays of light that incinerated what remained of his unnerving form.

A thought— No… An unknown voice drummed into her head: “You are my princess. I will not allow such evil to defile my altar nor my holy grounds. Do not fear what is to come, Lacia.”

“Where…?”

A paralyzing chuckle dispersed from the pile of bones like settling logs in a campfire. Lacia froze in fear, unable to speak. Her lips refused to form the words she needed, and her feet remained planted, despite the sandy floor underfoot.

“That was my best shot, and he’s able to take it like it was nothing? He’s a pile of ashes for fuck’s sake!” Ahzef’s bones reformed as they clinked together like a toy skeleton, shadows filling the empty crevices and holes. “Ok,” she squeaked, “that’s incredibly disturbing.”

“That really wasn’t half bad, girly, but now it’s my turn.” A bony hand shot forward again, ramming against the same unseen barrier as before, but his last attack had achieved what it was meant to. Ahzef’s bony fingers were the first to breach, tearing through a reflective, watery barrier. “It seems this was meant to shield you from what I can only assume was me,” his skull clacked. “When I curl a finger, my little insurance policy moves to its next phase. The dark energy imbued within your body causes it to begin attacking itself, similar to that of cytokine storm.”

“I hate you,” she hissed. “I don’t care how it works. I’ve come this far, and you still don’t have what you want! Quit dragging your feet and just kill me already!” she said with crazed laughter.

Appearing from out of nowhere, Hika knocked Ahzef into a nearby wall, huffing. “Dying here would be a small price to pay to protect my princess. You will not get any closer!” She grasped his hand, uncurling his fingers.

“You damn fool” he laughed, “I have more than just my hands to use against you two. You will die for nothing, Hika! Do you think I can’t start over? You only prolong her torment!”

Lacia fell to her knees. What could she do? She was exhausted and needed time to recover her mana before she could attempt another attack of her own. This was it: the metaphorical precipice of defeat. She turned to the altar, closed her eyes, and began to pray, but something kept her from kneeling. Somehow, she’d managed to tangle herself up in the ribbon of her dress, now looped around her midsection; it must have come loose when Hika’s earlier attacks sent her flying.

“When did that happen?”

Trying to remove the ribbon, she realized she couldn’t keep the dress from slipping as she quickly found herself tangled up in the heavy fabric and, still-knotted-somewhere, ribbon. She danced around, trying to untangle herself while keeping the dress up, only to lose her balance with nothing to break her fall. She splashed into the pool of the altar behind her, turquoise weaves tumbling over the side.

“Good girl,” Hika chided. “You are certainly not the brightest, but that is exactly what you were supposed to do, albeit a tad bit backwards.” She relaxed her hold on Ahzef’s hand as the devil’s bony fingers pierced her abdomen like knives—straight through her stomach. “Now that the princess is gone,” she said, coughing up blood, “I can complete my role. Goodbye, Ahzef. When an aurei dies, they take everything with them.” She smiled. “We are a bit like a black hole—”

Her voice was drowned out by an exponential eruption of heat and light, rivaling that of a supernova, as it leveled everything in sight. The ensuing shockwave cleared the lunar dust from the air, returning the hazy, yellow skies to a mixture of black and fading orange, dotted by distant stars that twinkled like teary eyes.