It Breathes

 "What does it feel like, being hunted?"

A clear display of mockery. 

But Amelia had lived long enough, seen more than enough, slaughtered a path through more times than she had lived until this point — such mockery was mere child's play. It could be easily discerned as sheer nonsense, a brainless statement and a naive view point. 

Yet, she would not dare. She could not do so, not when knowing what her underestimation meant in this whole situation. 

"Just like what I expected." She replied with a confident grin, "Bloody."

The entity laughed, its voice somehow echoed in her ears yet it sounded boundless, uncontainable in the basement that it was occupying. It needed a bigger platform, a bigger stage for it to play in, and she would agree with that without a shadow of a doubt.

She was the best fertilizer it could ask for. But it simply could not consume her.

* * *

[A few hours ago]

"For a second I thought you would be late." Marcus quipped dryly. 

"For a second I thought I would be late as well." Amelia retorted back with a slight cock of her head.

She groaned out loud while ruffling her hair, not knowing where to start. The reason why she was almost late despite being given a notice about two hours before was that an extremely talkative — incredibly annoying — God showed up. And by showing up, she meant by waking up. Unfortunately for her, Phonoi was awake, way too awake for her own liking, which meant that he was going to do something absurd. Somehow he ended up dragging out the conversation to two hours, mostly mundane things like what he dreamt of today. 

All in all, it was a time consuming white noise for her. 

A disgruntled grunt escaped her lips, her eyebrows creased as she massaged her temples. He chose to not ask the exact details, which she was more than grateful for. 

"As long as you're here." 

He placed the files on the metal table, the holographic screens showing information of all of the soldiers that would be sent to the ground. He began to explain, "We found exactly where one of Icarus' lairs are at. Though what makes this more urgent is that something lives there." 

He opened one of the files, showing her pictures of souls — ghouls, wandering near the area and red-eyed crows perched on tree branches. Crows themselves were not a rarity, most birds in general were not, but there was something special about crows with red-eyes, especially when the hue of their pupils resembled blood.

They only appeared, or stayed, in areas where dark mana flowed. 

It could be due to the area being cursed, high and intense concentration of dark mana (natural or unnatural) within the area or a higher-standing dark entity that was inhabiting the area. 

 It would not even take her a single brain cell to guess which was the reason.

"Are they well-protected?" She asked. 

His fingers glided across the screens, pulling up the information of the equipment they were required to bring. Though it was only protection charms and angel blessings, it was more than enough that the soldiers could withstand the high intensity dark mana flow in the area, or at the very least not being extremely affected by it. But she could not be so sure about protection against the resident. 

If her guesses were right about what was there, then those charms and blessings were useless against it.

"Should be enough." She mumbled under her breath while her eyes scanned over all of the information. 

She then gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Going to count on you like usual." 

A long sigh escaped his lips, the weight on his shoulders only added even after she retracted her hand. She pulled a nearby empty chair, plopping herself down on it. She stared at the big holographic screen, it flickered into a map of the area with some information shown in a box on the top right corner. She was much more interested in the dark mana contamination levels, which was currently at 12%, a rate that some of the more sensitive demi-humans or non-humans would feel its presence. 

She summoned a voice recorder into her hand, pressing on the button to start the recording. 

… 

[Report #124456] 

[Dated: 21st January, 40155th Amelia] 

[Recorded by: Amelia] 

[Timed: 17:24]

Bzzt… 

Amelia speaking here. 

I've approved Operation Eden's continuous investigation. The S&I Department had received new intel about Icarus' lair and is sending five operators; Zachary, Lynx, Agnius, Riley and Cypher. The small team is led by Lynx, Lieutenant of the 3rd Regiment.

It is an infiltration op, the soldiers are required to comb through the whole building to find any evidence left behind. 

The whole building is two-storeys excluding the basement. Originally built as a secret laboratory, it was abandoned partially throughout its construction due to government abandonment after details of previous research were leaked to the public. 

As for how he found the place… 

Well, I suppose only he would know. 

[Recording paused …]

… 

Everything went about as well as she expected it to; the soldiers and Marcus shared information back and forth. Even if the screen did show their location near constantly due to the communication devices strapped to their bodies, he could not be exactly sure of their conditions. The most notable thing being relayed back to him was that there were still files and reports left over in some cabinets. 

She did pay some attention to their conversation, at least enough to have heard it, but most of her attention was placed towards the rising contamination levels. It was getting higher and higher the longer they stayed and scouted the building, as if it was feeding off of them. 

"Amelia, should—"

His question was cut short by a sudden yell that came through the comms, the smaller screen showed wavelength of whoever that spoke, their voice came through it as well. His eyes darted right back to the larger screen, seeing what should have been five green dots together became three, with the other one way below where the rest were. 

"What happened?" Marcus queried, his voice remained calm. 

"Zachary is gone, sir. He seemed to have walked to the basement on his own." Lynx quickly responded. 

Marcus' eyes narrowed on the screen as he noted, "It's impossible for Zachary, a mere human, to get down so quickly, not even you noticed." His body leaned down. "Did your wolf ears really not pick up on sounds around him?"

He needed certainty, even if the answer was exactly as he had expected. 

"I would fucking told you if I had." He growled out, Marcus could imagine the gray wolf tail thumping on the ground.

Another yell came through the comms, making Marcus' composure slowly come apart. The screen showed another green dot going down the basement, at speeds that were more comparable to a demon or angel, which meant that there was something incredibly wrong happening right now. His fingers curled up into a fist, clenching so hard that veins showed up on his arm. 

Yet his only choice was to remain calm. 

"Do not engage further." 

His command was replied with silence.

There were days where she cursed her senses, so sharp that they could even pick up heartbeats as accurately as a heart rate monitor. His heart was starting to race, she swore that she could hear the gears that were churning in his head. He had been working in Arknis for longer than she had been alive, being in this position before she became Guardian Goddess. He was not a commander, by technicality he was not even involved in the army; the S&I Department acted like a control center as well as a communication center for all operations, including the Field Investigation Division (F.I.D) and the Royal Army.

His position was comparable to a commander, even a general in certain circumstances. 

His chest heaving up more than down, his hands clutched so tightly that nails were digging into his flesh. His eyes lingered on the large screen, too many thoughts flashing through his head, yet he had not come to a solution. The silence was daunting, the rising levels of contamination was laughing at his face, mocking him for how much of a failure he was.

This was supposed to be a simple op, get in and get out, minimize injuries and reap as many rewards as they could get their hands on. But surprises were often, more frequent than the grim reaper that knocked on their door. And he hated every second of it, reminding him too much of his past failures. 

He could not fail them, there was just no way he could.

"Do you want to bet?" She suddenly asked, breaking him out of his trance. 

"Amusing." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. 

"I am being serious."

His eyebrow lifted slightly, his body shifted just enough that his entire head was turned towards her direction. 

"We are just going to bet on a drink. Just one." Her head slightly tilted, raising one finger up. 

The contamination levels had stopped rising, though it was now 70%, which was way too high for most areas. It was at a level where normal civilians would be heavily affected by the surroundings, some gaining adverse reactions to it. And most troubling of all, all of the magic that was considered as either dark or evil were easier to cast and influence others. 

She adjusted herself, sitting upright as her fingers laced together. The smile on her felt empty and sinister at the same time, her eyes glinting with emotions that he could not discern properly right now. 

"How many of them will come back alive?"

Silence.

The entire department had gone silent, including those that were further away from both of them. It was not the first time she had said something like that, the lives of others being placed on a simple roulette wheel; more accurately, on the game of Russian roulette. The ones that were going to pull the trigger were neither of them, but they were spectators, and they were not completely free of fault.

Choice was something he had and something he did not at the same time. 

"All of them." He replied sternly. 

They were all going to come back alive, it had always been an unspoken promise between him and the men and women he worked with. 

Amelia could feel all eyes on her, mostly out of curiosity. She took in a deep breath, standing up from where she was seated. Her smile grows into a grin, her hands stuffed into the pockets. The grin rested easy on her lips, almost too easy, that sent a shiver down his spine. 

"I will say probably one would be dead." 

He would have reprimanded her for regarding lives this way, mere pawns to be thrown away, but he could not. It was not because she was his boss — he did not care too much about that— it was because of what she wanted to tell him. He was not exactly the most religious man but he prayed that even if one of them — or all of them — end up dead, their bodies could be taken back. 

He knew that being a soldier within Arknis had its perks since the army worked more like a private military company than an actual country's military, though it was way more dangerous than both combined considering Arknis' actual status, within the world itself and outside of it. When they signed the contract as an acceptance of officially being within the army, they had already written down wills and inheritance, even specifying where they would like to be buried. No one, not even Amelia, could be sure if everyone would come back alive on every op. 

Marcus felt like he was flipping a coin with every op that he observed, times where he would sigh in relief and times where he could only stare at the green dot turned red. 

No one knew when the grim reaper would knock on their door. 

He took in a deep breath, his attention going back to the larger screen. A text box appeared in front of where the map was, a loading bar then showing the words 'Information gained. Personnel registered as Amelia'. Her basic information showed alongside the soldiers and a brand new green dot appeared on screen once the text box disappeared.

The trump card was now on the stage.

* * *

Amelia knew those that worked under her were incredibly grateful for her mastery and proficiency over teleportation magic. She could teleport to wherever as long as she had either been there before or she could find a familiar soul sound signature. She basically served as the last line of defense. 

'If anything goes wrong, find Amelia.' Another one of S&I Dept's unofficial slogans.

Ice formed the outline of her body before her skin and flesh along with her cl0thes were formed. She had never been more than thankful to land her feet on solid ground, though it still did not answer every single question she had in mind. 

The basement was dark despite being able to see working lights above her head, the hair on the back of her neck standing, her senses were tingling with an odd feeling. Her instincts told her that they were not in the basement, at least before her feet landed on the ground. She felt every part of her body being held in a bone-crushing hug, a hand gently cracking her head open to peer into her head. 

All of the soldiers were able to pass for a stature if they were made out of marble. Their eyes were vacant, though their bodies were still warm, their hearts beating and oxygen still came in through their nose. She reached her hand out to the nearest soldier, her finger gently applying pressure to where Zachary's pulse point was. 

He did not react, not even any miniscule movements she expected from a highly-trained soldier.

She removed her fingers, taking a deep breath as her whole body entered into a state of absolute concentration, feeling like a water droplet falling into an enormous body of water, the ripple traveled over her whole body. She closed her eyes, feeling and hearing everything, only for a brief moment before silence drowned out everything. She heard their soul signatures once more, the sounds that belonged to each individual soul which seemed to be similar upon first inspection, yet the longer she heard it, the more she could distinguish its difference.

Though there was a glaring issue.

They were all in the same place.

Her eyes opened to a much different sight; There was a large black tree shadowing her figure, blending her into her surroundings. It was impossible to count the tree leaves even with the moonlight shining down, the tilted half moon that was barely visible. The dark clouds passed by, fully covering the moon from her sights, removing any semblance of light in the area. 

There were no soldiers in sight, only the outline of a figure that she was all too familiar with. 

It was the man that had set her future in stone, it was the man that had buried almost all of herself into the empty grave, it was the man that caused her to take down this path. 

But it was not him. It could not be him.

"Your tricks are cheap." 

Her statement made the entity laugh, its shadowy body rumbled with every pitch. The outline of its body were flames, swaying with every slight movement of the body. It was a near perfect blend into the shadows, if its pupils were not blinding white, standing out too much against everything else.

She was not sure if smiling without lips was possible, now she hoped that she had never seen it. 

"Can you blame me?" It asked. 

That baritone voice, that slight softness when it says 'me' as if it was a puppy that got scolded and that underlying affection in its tone, like it truly loved her — all of it only made her want to puke out whatever she had. She swallowed back down the bile that just reached her throat, but they were stuck, unwilling to go back down. 

"Your tricks are dirty," her voice cracked, glaring at it. 

"It's effective."

She clicked her tongue with gritted teeth. That part of her had surfaced once more, repeating in her head over and over, 'it's not him, it's not him'. She closed her eyes, then blinked once, twice; that emotion had disappeared, locking it back up into a box where no one could reach. 

"Sure is." She quipped back, a faint smile rested on her lips.

Its head slightly tilted, she just barely made out what its body looked like, a build of an average male human. "You sure are strange." 

"Well, I'm flattered." She retorted, words coming out easy. 

"You really shouldn't be." It took a few steps towards her. 

 That presence was familiar, feeling like it was constantly trying to suffocate her, wanting her to feel all of the emotions she had not in centuries, so she would willingly drop to her knees. Maybe even worship the land he was walking on or even begged to be freed from it.

'But why this of all things?' That thought lingered in the back of her head.

She placed a hand on her head, her hand slowly dragged across her face. It quickly made her realize something, her lips curling up into a snarky smirk. 

"You can't fully peer into my mind, could you?" 

It did not reply, yet with the way its pupils widened for a second, she knew she hit the nail on the head.

She continued, "Do you know what we called this space?" The slight narrowness of its eyes made her chuckle, "Oh, they really don't know much at all." She took in a deep breath and shook her head as she spoke, "We call this Domain, a space within a space that the caster has some control over. And any of their magic, abilities or authorities is prioritized first before the others."

"In other words, you are the curator of the play and we are just the actors prancing along." 

It kept its eyes on her as she took steps ahead, her stride was slow, her eyes glinting with something it was not familiar with. "You haven't fully figured out your authorities and powers have you?" 

"I haven't been awake for very long." It replied, not moving an inch despite her getting closer.

The space shifted around them, changing its form to follow what its caster wished. The tree crumbled into ashes, there was no longer a sky above her head, only utter darkness that not even she knew how far it reached. The pair of white eyes continued to stare at her, the corner of its eyes lifted up more, giving her a feeling of a wider grin forming on its lips. 

"Are you scared, Amelia?" 

She shook her head. "Absolutely not."

The crimson vicious liquid sticking to her feet and legs as she moved, she reached her hand out, only being able to see her fingers and hand due to her advanced vision. Yet she could not tell how far away it was from her, its body had become one with the domain. The way it was smiling was evident in its eyes, making her come to a sudden halt. 

She moved her arm around, the space naturally bundled itself around her, grasping itself onto her skin like it belonged there. She could feel her own mana slowly leaking out of her with every tendrils that landed on her body, but it was trying to drag something far more dangerous out, something that she herself was not sure if she could handle properly with the current situation.

"You're great food, do you know that?" Its voice echoed in her head.

It was now uncontainable in the basement it was supposed to be occupying, she subconsciously knew that its influence would start to spread. They had essentially willingly walked right into a trap, providing the famished beast with the best food it could ask for. 

"I'm sure the five other men are great food too." Her eyes land right back on its. 

"Oh," it laughed before continuing, "they are great food. But nothing as incredible as you."

"Is this the way you intend on killing me?" She asked with a shrug.

"Oh no. Absolutely not." Its eyes swayed from side to side. "I don't intend on actually killing any of you."

"You're smart, aren't you?" Its voice dripped with sarcasm. "You should know what happens when mortal beings are being fed on like this."

That thought did cross her mind, one of the few worst case scenarios she conjured up in her head after the op swiftly went downhill, but they were not going to get to that point. She now had just enough knowledge about the not yet complete entity, a mimicry of what Icarus hoped to actually achieve. 

It was going to be alright. She did wish that she could tell that to the soldiers but she could not reach them.

"I do have to commend you for having so much mana that you could maintain separate domains for all of us." 

It was starting to tug at that part of her that it could use to its full advantage, its eyes narrowed while watching her, noticing that she was not doing anything. Its eyes were cocked, staring at her as it could feel something spilling out of her body, the presence of which was starting to take over his own presence. She grunted, placing a hand on the left side of her head, her eyes closed tight enough that her eyebrows knitted.

"You shouldn't have lived."

The dead made their presence known, whispering and mumbling words over and over. Their presence overridden the entity's presence, the scent of blood permeated in the air, the feeling of hatred and anger seeped into their movements, tones and voices. Arms burst out from the blood sea, tightly gripping on her body, making sure that their fingers and nails would dig through her skin. 

 "You should have died, along with us."

It flinched when arms began to grasp at his body as well, it contorted the space around it so the arms could not reach it, but they somehow bent themselves through the space and managed to grab it anyways. They were starting to pull both the entity and Amelia to the ground, though it was not sure if they just wanted to drown them both or had other intentions. 

"You should have died, along with us."

That sentiment was echoed over and over, their voices only growing stronger and stronger by the second. She was still standing still even with the amount of arms piled onto her body, hiding her figure from its view. Though it could still see a silver of her face, her smile was wide enough that her teeth were showing, flashing it like a predator ready to eat its prey. 

"Why are you even alive?"

The domain walls started to crack, the entire space was convulsing with every crack, the arms were gripping so harshly that it was enough to break bones into pieces. It stared at her with widened eyes, feeling its body began to be taken apart bit by bit by the arms, dragging all of it down. The liquid sloosh with the commotion, masking any sound made by both of them.

The last words it could make out from her mouth before its senses went completely dull was, 

 "Good luck."

[.... Resume recording]

Lost all contact with Marcus and S&I Dept, as well as the five soldiers. 

I can't currently confirm nor deny that they are in great shape, but I doubt that they are. Likely suffering from some symptoms of PTSD from what I guess the being has done to them. 

Ah yes, and we aren't in the locale anymore. Unfortunately as much as I wanted to leave the soldiers out of this, they most likely had been consumed by the entity so I ended up dragging all of them down here anyways. 

As for where we are currently…

Well, just back at an old place.

[Recording paused …]