A Lost Cause
"What? No chocolate? No grand welcoming? Where's that knight in shining armor?" The Goddess looked visibly displeased and the bad environment made her mood worse.
The young girl steeled herself and looked up at the Goddess with great reverence and longing, "Please, give me power! I-I will offer everything up for you, take anything from me!" She took a glance back at the parchment, "I am willing to give up everything in exchange for power to protect m-my family!"
"Oya? Anything, huh? How about the one you love? I'll be taking the life of your most precious person!" With a mischievous smile, the trouble-making Goddess continued to stand with a mighty hand.
"No!" Francesca staggered and looked distressed.
A crease between the Goddess' eyes formed.
"My power is not to be taken lightly! One can move mountains, destroy cities and commit genocide with a flick of a finger!" Shouting mightily, the imposing aura around her thickened.
Still, the young girl stood her ground and faced the monster, "Power means nothing if all it does is take! I do not wish to take things from others! I only wish to be beside and content with what I have, but I know that I am too weak to hold onto it." She resolved herself, "So please, just make do with mine."
A loud boom echoed and shook the house, "Hahaha! Well said young human!" She looked to the side, she was content at her successor and it couldn't be denied that she was merely putting on airs.
She leaned close to the frightened girl, "You have a long and thorny path ahead of you. I fear Alias is in grave danger right now."
Small drips of water started to form and drop from the girl's teary eyes, "Please help me."
"Listen closely and listen well," The Goddess stood up right and her voice was filled to the brim with authority. "No matter how tough, rigorous and painful this loop may be, this cycle truly is an ingenious cog of endless misery and suffering yet, a shining beacon of hope will always repeat and present itself in the darkest of night."
Without warning, the same kind of expression that plagued the young girl flooded the Goddess, she started weeping, her voice full of authority now sapped of its gleaming power, she truly looked like a maiden in distress at this moment. "You finally reached me, I've been waiting for this moment. I have witnessed countless iterations of these past weeks, decades of loops yet I couldn't do a thing about it, now with you awakened, I can finally put myself to rest."
The young girl appeared shaken and filled with confusion but without paying any heed, the Goddess continued, "I warn of you the coming darkened clouds, it will drive the natives of this Corrupted World into insanity, you, who are foreigners and aliens to this will be the sole target of anger. Both of you, rather Alias, is under an extremely powerful Corrupted particle illusion." She paused, "This has the power to create an entirely new pseudo world within the souls of your body, currently you are the avatar of myself sent in to rescue Alias, he is under such a spell due to the battle against the Seven Great Corruptions. This spell has recreated the Capital city of Vericia where the battle took place."
"I cannot unleash my True Name, I have noticed this from the countless iterations, you will know that you have escaped once you have uttered my name, it will come to you naturally." She looked onward, "I did not stay idle for the past iterations, you now hold the key to leave, however, please.." Pausing once again, "Experience this tragedy one last time."
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"Francesca?" Taking a deep breath, I walked into the run-down lodge. 'This is a bit weird, normally she'd come crying to me the moment I arrive like a fly to garbage.' Okay, I admit that was a terrible reference, like a cockroach to leftovers, alright that was worse. I'll stop.
I frowned, and looked at the dropped parchment, "Impossible!" I then recall my clumsiness and easy-going attitude, "Very possible!" It seems I left the parchment on my torn clothes, how careless of me. I swear I'll strangle my past self. "I do not normally make such stupid careless mistakes, something is definitely wrong here." It almost seemed as if it was destined for me to forget about the parchment. Magic manipulation? Something that isn't of the Seven Paths? Here in Vericia?
Mind-control on a massive scale? Corruption. I disregard those motions in my head and continue investigating.
She left in a rush, her boots aren't here, no kidnapping, there was definitely going to be a struggle and everything seemed night other than my torn clothes. Oh look, my night club coupon, wait no, throw it away you old pervert. Her bed and blanket weren't neatly folded either, she must have gotten up, I presume looked at my clothes... And searched through it? She's usually such a good girl and wouldn't do anything that an old deprived late in their hundreds would do. Reminding me of a certain Champion of Light, I started shivering.
Conclusion, she ran away. I told her to stay until I get back, I guess she must've been too worried, I have been getting back later and later nowadays. It couldn't be helped, I was in the middle of dismantling an entire underground guild, destroying Rome didn't take a day, you know. In fact you'd have to raid their little villages and employ a scorched earth tactic in Egypt and-, concluding, you'd have to cut their little 'supporting' pillars one at a time. With my meager strength compared to my real one, I could only do such time-consuming tactics. Although my Light particles are as pure as before, my physical strength was still very meager, this confused me. Normally, crippling someone would reduce purity of particles by a huge margin. Was it a conflicting memory in my head? I have to investigate myself further.
She's definitely not within my thirty meter detection range. Wait, people? Fifteen, I can feel their hatred and moving fast, closing in. This city, it isn't right. It has an abnormally high count of...
The ceiling caved in and a dark aura enveloped the assailant, his figure was deformed and a loud howl could be heard in the distance. His face was the embodiment cross between a pig and a sheep. Truly ugly.
Corruption particles. Fighting them for so long, it felt second nature to sense them. However, why now, why have I only sensed them clearly now? I need to find Francesca, I have no time to deal with these weaklings!
Taking a counter stance, legs spread evenly and crouched low, I prepared for an aggressive tackle, he did not disappoint. Within half a meter of contact, I re-countered his momentum and redirected his head to crush another appearance of a Corrupted being. His face kissed another that had appeared right behind me. Certainly it was a kiss, a kiss of death that tore apart his life. Corrupted beings had extraordinary strength and speed, a massive gulf between me and them laid at the moment. I cannot be careless, for now, I can only react and plan my movements. With two crushed, 13 were waiting to ambush me outside. They will not come in waves, since the advance party failed, they will come all at once.
While they are dumb and have no knowledge of proper martial arts, their instincts are like an animal's, fierce and unrelenting. I broke outside the barred windows with great difficulty, using Light particles to burn away the wood.
Summoning a type of Light particle armor, I purified as well as thickened the layer of its protection to the maximum, I stood out like a bright star. However, those close enough to the star, burn. It was reminiscent of Icarus who had flown too close to the sun and his wings made of wax and feathers had melted, thus falling to his doom, his instinct and greatest desire was to get close to the star in the sky. This desire would tear apart these Corrupted as their instincts turned against them, calling for blood to hunt me.
I stood my ground, I let them get close as much as possible a hair's breadth, I suddenly intensified the amount of Light particles, this immense gathering of Light particles enabled a large build up of energy and this energy had soon converted into heat, it burnt their hands and limbs apart, it melted metal and lit the house on fire. As much as possible, I redirected the particles away from myself, however the rise in temperature also affected me. I started to sweat buckets and I was sure, you could fill a bathtub with them. I only disengaged my armor to the very last moment that I could endure, made a beeline and dived onto patches of grass with dew.
Stop drop and roll! Recalling these three words in the past, I could no longer remember when I had first heard of them. I continued rolling down the hill and glanced past the greenery to discover, I was still not alone. The bright light had attracted countless Corrupted, this was a disaster and an opportunity at the same time.
I reduced my usage of Light particles all at once and dug into the earth as fast as possible, within several moments, I dug a hole enough to fit myself in reflected light away from the hole, effectively camouflaging the entrance and rubbing myself with dirt to mask my scent.
Several passing minutes went by and I poked my head out only to find someone standing on top of my hole. Taking this opportunity, I immediately launched myself out and hit one's 'magnum opus', this Corrupted won't be making little Corrupted beings any time soon, or however they do it, yuck. I sliced his throat silently quickly with a dagger concealed under my robe. Luckily, this robe and dagger did not catch on fire due to coating it with fire-retardant slime droppings.
It was not a fun journey for me when I collected these droppings as you couldn't simply kill those little slimy bastards. These things were expensive in the market as it was time consuming. Why couldn't you just start a farm? A monster farm sounds nice but apparently insurance didn't cover people getting eaten by them. Ah, let's become a farmer if we ever finish this, I'm sure I can earn a killing by using my proper body to resist the slime corrosive property.
No time for chatter anymore, I've got to rescue Francesca. No other place she'd go to except... The orphanage?
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"No please, not this scene again." Francesca started to vomit and could not hold her appalled expression at the situation in front of her. Screams and wails filled the air outside and as she walked through the blood splattered hallways, bodies riddled with holes and bite marks revealed themselves. A pool of blood had congealed on the floor as she continued unsteadily, it splattered her feet.
The city was visibly on fire outside and it was a massive culling. The Corrupted beings slowly took over the capital. The mortal knights, with no protection from Champions or Ascendants were slaughtered like lambs.
She glanced at a familiar figure. Her hair was once bright and colorful as the transparent ocean, now it only highlighted her corpse and cruelty of life. She had once considered her as a friend as they would often play together with Alias, with the latter also chasing after him with enthusiasm.
When she remembered her cold expression and figure as she tossed her aside when her hair had started changing, it crushed her heart. While the latter hated Francesca, she could not bring herself to hate the girl she was once friends with, Aoi.
More corpses revealed themselves and at the end of the hallway, pig-like noises were reverberating as it munched on its food, the caretaker.
He was nice and kind to everyone, he did not discriminate anyone else and had welcomed all types of children. He was the only abnormality in the neighborhood, despite noticing Francesca's red hair, he did not mind it and due to it, he would be slandered and harassed by the city guards and their neighbors. This was the reason why Francesca chose to run away, run away from Alias and the orphanage for as long as she stayed, she would bring despair and burden them. Hence, arriving at the plaza. Where her knight in shining armor had saved her.
She froze on the spot, this lead to a moment of lapse, she tripped. It captured the attention of the beast. With its meal interrupted, it turned its eyes on Francesca and with delight, it had found another meal.
Fear, anxiety, hopelessness and despair filled the young girl. However, so did anger, arising from sadness.
"Crush that pig-headed bastard! You can't believe of how much I've seen this already. I'm already quite numb to it, but... Hey, are you listening?! Stand little girl! Else, this would all have been in vain!" A voice grasped her consciousness and it arose her from any other emotion, she wouldn't succumb to pain as long as it was deep within her soul. "Your death means the end of Alias!"
"Hnnnrgh?" The pig looked at the girl with curiosity and decided to play with its dinner for awhile.
"Imagine great power, something that stands above all else! Strength that will overcome endless disasters and tidal waves of tragedy!" With all her might, Francesca gathered and hoped.
A large bright shield, composing of majestic interconnections of rainbow particles weaved itself in front of her as soon as the pig had sprinted at her. It immediately stopped its advance and started to roast it.
"Looks like we'll be having bacon tonight!" The Goddess was delighted at the growth of the young girl in front of her, she was not physically there and instead floated like a spirit. Only those pertaining and wielding Light particles would be able to see her.
"Now think of something sharp! Maybe Alias' comebacks? Every time he calls me flat, it definitely grinds me! In fact, imagine a hammer! Flatten Alias with it!" It seems the Goddess had not forgotten her arguments with a certain someone.
Particles started to reweave the shield into a bright gigantic hammer and she willed it to crush the pig like a pancake.
Needless to say, it did not stand a chance.
The Goddess floated down to her avatar and hugged her tightly, she passed right through her and instead placed her hands on her eyes, "This is all an illusion, do not forget that while these people seem real, it is simply an extremely powerful curse."
"It felt real to me, the moments I've spent with each and everyone of them. Even if they hated me, I enjoyed those times where they didn't..." She trailed off.
"Remember, set up the formation and drag Alias into it without his knowledge, otherwise if this fails, you will have to relive through this, I do not know how many times you will have to undergo suffering until you can contact me again." With a worried voice, the Goddess stared at her. "If you must, you have to... Resort to drastic measures."
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"The only place I can think of that she could have gone is the orphanage." I looked around me and saw the fanning flames of destruction all around the city. I encountered several Corrupted beings on the way and disposed of them silently while rescuing some townsfolk. Now aren't I of great moral standing? Sigh, I don't have time to worry about them, it hurts but I have to prioritize the Goddess, else everything would be lost. I have to steel myself, this is what I have promised and sworn an oath, protect her at all costs. Rather, it'd be hard not to see why she'd need protection due to her immense strength. However, right now Francesca was nothing but a weak girl.
With these thoughts, I resolutely entered the blood-stained building, it was no surprise to see littered corpses strewn everywhere. I looked upon their bodies and closed their eyes, I cautiously walked and swept through the rooms, suddenly a war cry and echoes reverberated through the air. The corpses must have attracted more pig-like bastards. Thinking of which, aren't these corpses too torn up? It seemed as if someone wanted to attract them here. As expected, I have to search for Francesca more vigorously. Prepare for combat.
Three by the entrance and two at the back. I have three daggers and I could see some baking powder and appliances in the kitchen, I can make this work. I shouldn't use Light particles anymore, they are highly attracted to them and would rip me to shreds with their endless number.
Once the pig-bastards came in through the front door, immediately slamming the door close, I kicked it with all my might and pushed two out a fine distance.
"Guh," exclaiming, I hit the wall behind me as I was pushed back by the third one, it wasn't normal by any means. It was a rather smart one. Corrupted beings always came in packs and are often deadly due to their large build and numbers, however, their danger levels came up a notch once one of these leads them. It was of higher IQ than the others and was able to communicate and order these minions around.
More importantly, it possessed the strength of ten men, it had large horns and looked more like a Minotaur than a pig. It was a miracle my back didn't break just then.
I grabbed the pack of flour and tossed it at the Minotaur in which it suddenly slammed it down. Taking this opportunity, I threw two more and the result was to my favor. I threw a dagger at its feet and embedded it to the floor. Taking advantage of the small room inside the house, the flour spread into its eyes and it screamed as I had tied cloth to my eyes earlier, relying on 'Search' to fight.
I finished it off by slicing its vocal cords apart. The other two front Corrupted beings immediately flew to a frenzy, having lost its superior. They were but pigs to be played with as I slayed one after the other.
I silenced the two behind me as well. Tired and drained of my stamina, I fell and attempted to support myself, at this moment the ceiling caved in.
I rolled two meters away from the floor that was crushed to pieces by a heavy weight, a piano had fallen from the second floor. This piano was the one that the care-taker loved to play and was god awful at but, it soothed our souls. A moment ago, it nearly flattened me and sent my soul on a soothe journey to the afterlife.
One after another, items fell from the second floor and it crushed the things beneath it.
I stood up and readied myself again. I was sure no-one else was here, could it be a Corrupted being that yielded much purer particles than myself?
All of a sudden, I had lost my foothold and the entire building shook, I could not move at the sheer force that was bearing down on me.
Concentrated Light particles were restraining me and keeping me in place. I countered with sheer will and force.
"Haha! As strong as you are Alias, you really still are quite vulnerable when it comes to me, huh?" A familiar voice echoed and it confused me.
"Not one of your games again, I can't believe it, the city is being reduced to rubble!" I frowned.
"All the more reason to end this." Her voice was tinged with sadness.
"So long, Alias. It's time for you to wake up."
A formation filled with Light and intricate profound writings activated itself on the floor I was standing on, "What?"
A blade tore through my heart.
A blade tore through and separated my soul.
It rejected me from this world.
Looking up, Francesca's red hair was brimming with color and power, it was truly beautiful.
She was crying. She's always crying isn't she? It's alright, I'm not dead yet.
I could only smile wearily, "I was asleep the entire time, huh? It's about time."
Her long purified sword sliced my connection from this illusion and only darkness engulfed my entire self.
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I dreamed of a vast and wide space. This space spanned the entirety of all existence, as far as I could see. Cute little gatherings of clouds were floating and the floor was made of them as well. In front of me stood a girl with a mighty disposition and of petite stature.
"Did you just think of me as a flat chest again?" She seemed awfully bothered, "Obviously, I would be! At least, describe me as bountiful! A bountiful personality!" She looked angry, "You should be thanking me for saving you from that god-awful loop! You were forced to live pseudo-life of an unwanted brat!"
How long was I in that world?
"Well, time moves faster when one is under an illusion and it depends on the illusion itself, I'd say it was nearly 500 times faster than the real world." She replied, unsure. "Oh and by the way, about a year has passed, so I'd guess... 500 years inside?"
How am I still alive? Injuries don't recuperate when under an illusion.
"I've been keeping you alive, so you can't die on your Goddess yet!" She pouted.
500 years is too much and the amount of Light particles required to sustain a Champion of Light would be an ungodly amount... Wait, don't say..
"It's possible, in exchange for my life. You're still breathing.." She answered, "Of course, you can weep all you like but praise me first!"
Are you an idiot?! Do you know who's gone through such great lengths to save your ass? You throw that away, just to save such a pathetic guard dog who couldn't even save his own master?
"I promised you, didn't I?" The Goddess stretched her hands out to my face, "Don't forget me, while I couldn't offer you something that you didn't lack, even though you called me a little kid and even... That moment infuriates me but.. What kind of person says that, seriously?!" She stopped and looked deep into my eyes, her eyes was a reminder of the stars and they twinkled brightly. "I told you, I'd share your burdens with you, I took away your hard and sad memories and locked them deep in a chamber so that you could be free from their burdens. However, I also took away the most important thing, your experience with those sad memories allowed you to move on.."
"So, please, don't forget this sad memory of me. I regret taking those memories and wish to return them when you are ready. Someone will take my place and she's much closer than you think." She held my face with both her hands and attempted to get much closer to me. However, she could not due to the large difference in height now that I was no longer a child.
"Please say my name once more, my most beloved Champion, those sweet words give me strength to face this." As she uttered those words, she faded from my sight.
And I awoke from my stupor.
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Above the heavens, majestic decorations, refined marbles as well as great tall buildings worthy to be called national treasures were plenty. This was the Heavenly Domain of Light. As far as one could see, Greek-like buildings stood tall and in one specific gigantic building reminiscent of the Parthenon, a well-built tall man was lying asleep.
My heavy eye lids slowly opened itself and I found myself alone. I could not feel my left arm. For it was no longer there. My right leg was missing. I could only see through half of my vision as only the left eye remained. They were bandaged well but they were of a deep scarlet color.
A small whisper escaped my lips and whatever was left of my eyes, tears flowed like a river.
"Veronica."