She Who Cherishes

“What is this?” I muttered as I stepped foot into a dome-like area within the cave. Just like the path I’ve been walking through. This dome is being lit up by the same blue crystal chunks scattered across the walls, floor, and ceiling.

After glancing at the entire interior of this dome, I notice something ahead of me. “A door?” It was a large stone door… without the lines carving the shape of it, I wouldn’t have even noticed it.

I started walking towards it but suddenly arcs of lightning suddenly appeared in the very middle of this dome and a moment later it exploded. I closed my eyes and raised my right arm to shield my sight from the dust.

And after waiting for fifteen seconds, I opened my eyes again as I lowered my arm.

The dust had yet to settle but I can see it very clearly, a silhouette in the middle of it, illuminated by the electricity itself.

“You again!” I shouted as the dust slowly settled and cleared, as the figure in front of me had been shown.

“I didn’t expect our last fight to end like that. Let alone you being here.” He said as the electricity from his body had formed into armor just like last time. “I shall give you permission to leave… Twilight Princess.” He continued.

“Like hell I’ll leave. Let’s continue from last time, Sameal!” I shouted as he turned his gaze upon me. “Main Armament.” I uttered then a moment later, my blue crystal sword… something akin to a longsword had materialized itself in my right hand.

I tightly gripped the sword as I pointed its tip at the beast in front of me. “Very well… but are you sure? You don’t need her?”

“No, showing her to you once is more than enough for my body to accommodate your lightning. I was an idiot to not cull your head when I had the chance.”

“Hmph… that arrogance shall be your downfall!” He said as four lightning spears had formed themselves around him. One, two, three… there’s seven of them.

I’ve already figured it out. A way to counter it. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since I woke up. That spear… from the outside it looks like a spear made from light itself but that form is being maintained by millions if not billions of volts of lightning.

As for the outer shell I still don’t know how he’s making that but inside it is those large numbers of volts of lighting. Meaning if I destroy the spears outer shell, it will explode like a bomb filled with gunpowder.

In the first place his electricity deviates from the normal electricity that one would usually know about.

My crystal sword… should nearly have the same properties as glass but when it made contact with his electricity last night, the electricity current had flowed through my sword and in turn affected me.

I’d understand if it was one of his arcs of electricity that hit me, but I’m sure that it was the electrical current that travelled through my sword that hit me.

I have enough knowledge in the area to understand how electricity should work, but I don’t have enough that I can just solve why the electrical current had travelled through my sword despite it having nearly the same properties as glass. So, I can confidently say that his electrical currents, his lightning are irregular.

In the next moment, the first spear had been fired. As soon as it entered my range, I immediately swung my sword and sliced it in half. Just as it exploded as I jumped back far enough so as to not get caught up in it.

After that, the second, third, and fourth spears had been fired consecutively in that order. “2nd Dimension Increase Access 50%” I voiced a command then a moment later, it felt like my body was lighter than before, it felt like everything surrounding me had slowed down. I looked ahead of me.

The three spears that had been fired should’ve reached me by now but instead they’re moving at a rate of 15 k/m per hour. “…” I sighed as I started moving.

From an outside perspective as soon as I moved my legs, I had disappeared but I didn’t. I was moving at a speed the naked eye couldn’t perceive. To them I had just disappeared.

In the next moment all three spears had been sliced in half and exploded a second later.

I returned to my original position and then prepared a stance to strike against Sameal while I had it activated. Normally, I don’t increase my access because my normal abilities are more than enough. But beings like Sameal are exceptions.

People with a natural connection to the 2nd dimension have an uncanny limitation when it comes to their access, amounting to only about 2% – 3% increase in physical abilities, mental concentration, and reaction time.

But I don’t have such limitations.

With my artificial connection I have no limits except for the ones I set myself. Meaning, right now I’m the strongest.

In the next moment, I disappeared from where I was and suddenly was right in front of Sameal. While he didn't react, I swung my sword upward right to left. A diagonal slash cutting from his neck all the way to his torso.

It’s over.

I once again returned back to my original position as I uttered another command. “2nd Dimension Default Access.” In the next moment, it was like time had suddenly sped up and returned to what it was while my body felt lighter heavier than before.

“Gah…!” I uttered as I coughed up blood and an intense headache was occurring in my head.

Just because I was the strongest in that state doesn’t mean that I don’t have any flaws. Increasing my access comes with a mental burden.

A burden on my soul.

My soul can only take so much after all, mine was originally that of a human’s. That’s why, I don’t have a choice. I need to do those horrible things to release the burden on my own soul.

After absorbing so many, there’s probably only a fraction left of my own soul. The soul that belongs to the person called Luminus Achart or now simply referred to as Lumi.

“What the…?” I muttered as I saw the unbelievable scene that was happening in front of me right now.

After I had sliced his body and his armor disappeared, I was sure that he was dead but right now… His body is reattaching itself with the help of a mysterious black goo while arcs of electricity are setting off all across his body.

I can’t move!

Ideally, I need to attack him now before he fully recovers but I can’t… I’m still experiencing the drawbacks from increasing my access.

A few moments later, his body was attached and restored. The black goo had disappeared into the floor as he slowly stood up. “That hurt…” He said as he clenched his claw several times.

“What did you do!” I shouted.

“I’m immortal, the same as you.” He said as his armor made out of lightning was once again forming from the feet up. “The method is different but it’s essentially the same as your imperfect immortality.” He continued.

“Why do you know so much about me?” I asked all the while trying to maintain my composure.

“I simply received the information from my lord. Apparently, he’s someone who knows you very well. But alas that is the extent of how much I can feed you.” He replied.

I don’t know anyone like that…

Aside from Eden, everyone who I’ve fought or has discovered my true being is dead. None of them lived to tell the tale. If someone was following me and got that much information, I should’ve noticed them. Anyways I’ll think about that later.

This guy… he said he has imperfected immortality. It makes sense, if someone survived through that much damage to their bodies, it will only make sense if they’re immortal.

If I assume he has the standard one, then his body should have a core somewhere. But where? If he had a core, I should’ve felt it during when I was in that state.

Where and how? Those are the two questions I need to solve.

If he doesn’t have his core here then it should be somewhere else, if this body of his that’s standing right in front of me now is remote-controlled then a connection is needed.

A visible connection…. I can’t see it.

I really didn’t want to continue but I have no choice, I’ll fight.

Ten minutes… I need to wrap this up in ten minutes before I need to rest again. Having just exited that state, I doubt I can last longer than ten minutes. “You’re seriously a tough opponent...” I grumbled. I breathed in and out… “Then… let’s continue Sameal!” I cried out as I used all of my remaining strength to run towards him.

As I was running, he formed seven spears again just like earlier but instead of launching them one by one consecutively like last time, the moment they were formed he launched all seven at once.

“You bastard!” I shouted.

A difference of 0.5 ms…

Once they enter my range, I need to slice and cut each of them in that very short amount of time once I start but I'll simultaneously be affected by the explosions.

Can I do it?

If my state is normal, I could’ve done it but now that I’m suffering the aftereffects and continued to fight with a very minimal amount of rest, I can’t. That’s why, just for today, I’ll push myself to the limits of my current state.

[Do you need my help?~]

No, I’ll do this on my own. I don’t need you.

[Fine, don’t come crying to me when you get torn to shreds.]

“I told you I don’t need you!” I shouted as I readied my sword.

A moment later they had all entered my range.

I swung my sword downwards, right, left, upwards. Shit, I’m not going to make it! A second later the four that I had cut apart had exploded blowing me away.

My back had crashed just above the entryway of the dome, where I came through earlier. But before I could even let gravity do its course and let me fall down, the remaining three spears had pierced both my arms and my stomach. “Gaaah…!” I uttered as I felt the pain and the shocks from the electricity all the while my blood gushing out.

“Finally… did you know? You’re just like a roach that refuses to die.” He said as he slowly walked towards me. His armor dispersing into nothingness while I dropped my sword and it faded away.

“Wh-what… do you… plan… on… doing… to… me?” I responded while the electricity from the spears numbs all my senses and body parts.

“That concerns none of your business…” He added.

In the next moment, the electricity entering my body had surged, increasing in both intensity and volts. “Ahhhhhhh!” I shouted in pain.

“How does it feel, Twilight Princess?”

“Y..ou bas…ta…rd.”

It hurts… it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

I don’t want to feel this pain.

This pain… somehow feels all too familiar.

Why does it feel like that?

I can’t remember.

This pain, my immortality. They don’t mix and won’t ever mix well.

I’ve always regretted my immortality, but how did I come to regret it?

During this long life, there have been memories that I’ve lost, memories that I’ve gained.

I don’t remember what my life was before I became like this, the best I can remember is that field of snow, the emotions I felt those days.

They still remain.

The me now might not know, but somewhere inside me knows.

That there’s a reason why I’m like this.

That’s why…

“I will…!” I shouted as loud as I could as I moved my entire body with my remaining strength. Ignoring the pain. Ignoring my state. I move.

“What are you…?” Sameal muttered.

My resolve has always been weak. The people I’ve killed, the people I’ve dispatched with my own hands were always weaker than me after all.

I had gotten complacent. Thinking that I’d always win in the end because of the strength I possess. All the battles that I’ve fought until now can’t really be called a battle. They were all just trampling.

I’ve always had this thing inside to guide me around. I never really knew what I wanted to do myself.

Of course, for some reason I made it my mission to find Eden or rather his soul.

At first, I thought it was just the thing inside me guiding me to him, but during this short time that I’ve spent with him. I realized that it wasn’t the case.

It was me all along. The original me.

So, I won’t let him die. I won’t lose here.

This time, I won’t be fighting because of this thing’s guide. I’ll fight for my own sake, by my own will!

“System… Access… Materialize… item #10 from spatial storage #1” I voiced a command and a moment later, a small military grenade had materialized right in front of me.

But before it could fall to the ground, the instant it materialized, it exploded.

“What did you do!?” Sameal said as he quickly formed his armor made of electricity.

As the grenade exploded so did the spears holding me, causing my limbs, my entire body to split apart and fall to the ground.

Once all of my body parts had reached the floor, it glowed a bright light.

That’s right. From now on, I’ll be fighting because I want to. This whole ordeal made me realize that. I don’t want to just blindly fight and charge like before.

Having a reason to fight feels different.

My body parts, my blood, whether they were broken or not, damaged or not, just like a magnet. They all flew towards each other, to form my body back as if my physical form was a puzzle. All the while emitting a mysterious wind pressure.

“I won’t let you…!” Sameal exclaimed as he was about to dash towards my regenerating body. “What the?” He quickly looked down on his feet only to see it encased it thick, cold ice. When did it? He thought as he tried to move.

Once my body was back together, the wind pressure that was coming from me had stopped. “Freeze… End To Eternity.” I voiced not to the device inside me but to somewhere else.

A string that I wasn’t able to reach by myself.

And in the next moment, the entire dome had been frozen. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, everything had been encased in ice except for me.

“I see. This is… my natural ability.” I lightly smiled as I looked at the results.

To freeze eternally. To savor the moments I spend during this lifetime. It makes sense. It’s probably what she has been longing for.

But I am no longer her.

I felt it… her soul had been once again reduced to a size comparable to that of a grain of rice.

To very quickly recover from the aftereffects of increased access, a miracle is needed.

Thank you… I’ll make sure to achieve your dreams. Even If I don’t know what they are. You’re the one who led me to Eden, right? So, please.

Do it one more time…Tell me.

As I was deep in thought, I heard something crack.

I quickly looked at the direction from where the sound came from. Then I saw it. It was cracking… the ice was cracking. A moment later the ice encasing him had all completely shattered and he was free again.

“Sameal!” I shouted as I clenched my fists and increased the intensity of my glare.

“It was a surprise… to think that you suddenly found your natural connection instead of using that thing inside you.”

“Main Armament” I voiced then a moment later my crystal sword had returned to my hand.

“I would keep on entertaining you, but it seems that your partner had intruded on that place. I shall take my leave here.” He said as the black goo had appeared again underneath his feet and pulled him down.

“Wait!” I readied my sword and tried to run after him but before I could reach his position, he had already sunken to the ground as both he and that black goo disappeared.

I de-materialized my sword as I fell to the ground.

Even though she burned a part of her already disappearing soul to re-energize me and get me out of the aftereffects. For the first time in a while, I’ve felt mentally exhausted even though I’m physically fine.

“End to eternity…” I muttered as I recalled what happened previously.

It sounds fitting for what just happened. Those words suddenly came to mind during that moment.

The words anchoring my connection.

It’s going to be a bit embarrassing saying those edgy words every time I want to use my own ability but I’ll probably get used to it soon enough.

Voicing commands isn’t exactly new to me, after all.

I feel a bit jealous of Eden, he only has to say one word.

I’m tired…

I think I’m going to rest my eyes here for a bit before I regroup with Eden.

He’ll be fine.

“hehehe…” I uttered as I closed my eyes.

***

As I was running in these narrow pathways, suddenly another headache had struck my head. I didn’t mind it and kept pressing forward but by the next time I blinked my eyes.

It was gone.

The large number of wolves, the white figure, was gone.

I stopped running and turned to my side to look. What lies there is all empty land. “Why did it disappear?” I muttered.

I blinked several times but it was still gone.

Did it exist in the first place? Was I just seeing things? It felt real. I know it was real. But huh…?

What am I thinking? Am I going crazy?

No, I’ll think about this later. For now, I need to keep moving forward. I thought as I turned ahead to the narrow pathway and started running again with a knife in hand.

Suddenly, something hit me and I was knocked away from the pathway. “Eh…?” I uttered, confused.

I didn’t see, I didn’t understand. It was just a fleeting moment. I was running on that pathway and yet a moment later, here I am, falling to my own death.

When I saw this large area earlier, I didn’t bother guessing at how many meters this entire place is.

Doing that is pointlessly because of how impossibly large this place is.

Am I just going to die here? I asked myself.

I didn’t care if I died, because if I did, then that’s that. The pointless existence known as Eden would disappear from the earth.

But, there’s this strange feeling. The same thing I felt when I fought Sameal.

I think…

It’s because I refuse to die until I finish helping Lumi. Dying here would be unfair to her and Kiara who was the main reason I even agreed to this.

It’s still here.

The selfishness that hurled people. The selfishness I despised.

I knew that.

I can’t escape from it. I’ve already resolved to accept it during these kinds of times.

So, it should be fine right?

“Haaaaah!” I shouted aloud as I sliced my own wrist. “Forget!” I voiced, then the blood had flowed out. While I’m in the air, I rolled and turned around to face the ground. Just before I reached the ground and eventually fall to my death, I had the blood form into a blade about as long as a spear.

To prevent blood loss, I had the spear formed like an extension of my arm, that way I wouldn’t have to worry about blood leaking out while at the same time fulfilling the purpose I had it formed for.

I stabbed it into the ground and stopped falling. As soon as I stopped a sharp pain had erupted in my wrist. “Gah…!” I uttered from pain.

I deformed the spear and had the blood flow back into my wrist as I had it gently let me down on the ground.

A few moments later, as I stepped foot on the ground, I cut off the part of the blood that had touched the ground and absorbed the rest back into me with the wound still being visible but not bleeding.

“Now then… can I assume that was you, Sameal?” I turned around to see the same beastman that I have been fighting since a couple days ago.

“Correct… It would have been better if you had just died then and there but that would have been too easy, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, but before we start, I’d like to ask something.”

“What is it?”

“Where did the wolves that were filling this place go?”

“I don’t know what you mean but, it would seem you have already perceived the foundation’s existence.”

“The foundation?”

“The very thing holding this place together and producing my kin.”

“It’s nice of you to give out that kind of information easily.”

“I wasn’t intending too, but you have already seen it so, it does not matter. What did you mean by filling this place?”

“I saw it here the moment I entered.”

“Hmm… this place is where the convergence will happen but that has yet to be done. I don’t know what you have done to perceive it but it’s interesting…”

“What is?”

“Your entire existence in particular.”

“Why? Sure, I have the ability to control blood, but that’s it. So, why? What is it about me that you know?”

“Like I said, everything.” I raised a brow to what he just said, utterly confused. “All to the courtesy of my lord, I know everything about you two. You are quite a pitiful existence. Suffering because of your own actions.”

How? Why?

How? Why? How? Why? How? Why? How? Why? How? Why? How? Why? How? Why? How? Why? How? Why? How? Why? How? Why?

Why does he know?

How does he know?

I don’t know.

“Your lord… who is he?”

“I won’t tell. I’m not permitted to.”

“Say… If I cut all your limbs, your torso, your arms, your legs, your claws, and drive you to a state near death, wishing that your life ended already. Would tell me?”

At that moment, it was like a switch had flipped, something had changed within the person known as Eden.

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Bahahahahaahah.” He suddenly burst out laughing for a reason I cannot comprehend. “What an amusing joke. You think you can do that to me?”

“Of course, after all I don’t lie. If I said it then I can do it.”

“Very well then… I shall give you a chance. If you can bring your statement from delusion to reality then I’ll tell you his name as a reward.”

“That’s fine with me.”

Forget everything, just focus on fighting, focus on killing.

Something about repeating those thoughts had triggered something. An unknown switch that suddenly caused this change.

But what is different?

Is it the fact that the person called Eden had changed so drastically he feels like another person or…

“Let’s begin, Sameal…” I calmly said as I readied my knife.

“As you wish…” He responded and a moment later arcs of lightning had erupted all over his body. The electricity swirls around until it had wrapped itself over his body covering its entirety with lightning.

“Forget.” I voiced as a moment later, blood had once again flown out from the cut in my left wrist. The blood travelled a bit until it reached my knife and wrapped itself around its blade, extending it, once again forming the pseudo-sword I had used in our last fight.