Asriel vs Zeke (IV)

"Asriel!"

I heard a cry from a familiar voice that brought me back to reality. One that was slowly fading from my memories, how could I forget it?

I looked in the direction of where it came from, it was accompanied by a noise like glass breaking. It came from the gallery, in a place in the middle of the air a kind of whirlwind of various colors was manifesting itself, constantly spinning as if distorting the light.

From within a small girl was slowly falling, bathed in a turquoise green aura.

"Maria!" I shouted and ran to where she was descending to pick her up in my arms.

A warm wind surrounded her and seemed to help cushion her fall. Holding her in my hands I hugged her very tightly, as if never to let her go again. She did the same with me.

"Asriel, it's you!"

"Yes, I am. Are you okay?" I asked in surprise.

She just nodded her head. I'm so glad. Her tears soaked into my shoulder, I was on the verge of crying in the same way, I managed to hold back but still a couple of drops spilled down my cheeks.

I am so happy that she is unharmed. Unfortunately now is not the time or place to celebrate our reunion.

Suddenly from that same whirlwind another silhouette appeared and fell hard near us.

It can't be, I can't believe it.

"Zeke...?"

It was him, another one! Does he have a clone? A twin brother? What the hell is going on?

"Hey impostor, I finally found you" he said pointing his scythe at the Zeke I had been facing this whole time, completely ignoring us.

Imposter? I don't understand anything that's going on.

"Well, if it isn't the original. I underestimated you, thinking I could keep you locked up any longer" replied the supposed fake. "I'm sorry, could you come back later? I have other more important matters to take care of right now"

"Ehhh. First you trap me in there and now you expect me to agree to your demands? Ha, don't make me laugh"

He went running up to his copy to attack it, however the other reacted and both weapons clashed.

"Just because you are the real thing doesn't mean that I have less power than you"

"You think you can beat me by yourself in that state? You underestimate me, that will cost you dearly. Accel Force!"

Taking his scythe with his 2 hands in that strange position that he already knew his edge adapted slightly changing its shape and his movements became faster.

"Not so fast. Accel Force!"

The two began to fight in what was a very bizarre sight, as if someone was fighting against himself in a mirror or with his shadow.

"Asriel" said Maria who slowly peeled herself off my arms and began to look at my wounds. "You're hurt pretty bad!"

"Yes, I've had a couple of mishaps"

"What happened to you?"

"Later we'll talk about that, more importantly we have to see how to get out-"

Trying to get up I felt a strong pain in my arm. After relaxing knowing that Maria is safe made me aware of my discomfort.

"Asriel! Does it hurt a lot?"

"A little, it's nothing serious"

"But..."

"Don't worry, I'll wait for you to heal me"

"I'm sorry, I can't do it now"

"Did something happen to you?"

"Ever since we came to this city I can't materialize my necklace. Some kind of interference is preventing me from doing it"

Perhaps that's the reason why I'm also unable to take out my glove and not because of the Objects' influence as I thought, I don't know.

"I see. Don't worry, I'll just have to put up with it for the time being. Tell me Maria, where were you trapped and why did that fellow come out with you?"

"When I was kidnapped they took me to a strange prison-like place. They put me in a kind of cage and when I looked out the window outside the color of the sky was different. The scenery was very strange, it seemed out of this world"

"Out of this world?"

Was she in the dimension of a Holder? Is there a way to take people there? Or maybe there is an Object that simulates that sensation?

"I was there for a long time until I heard a voice coming from the cell next door"

"And that was Zeke?"

"Yes! He couldn't use his Object and I couldn't use my spear, so we were planning how to get out of that predicament. When I started to lose hope and think that all was lost, I remembered the wind spirit's words to use his help"

"Huh? Help?"

"Perhaps not being able to materialize part of my soul as an accessory or weapon allowed me to be calm with myself. So I realized that I felt a breeze that I didn't quite understand what it was before, and that was what he gave me before. The blessing of the wind"

As she put her palms together and separated them by a few slight centimeters I could see how a green sphere manifested itself.

"Is that...?"

"I guess it's like some kind of spirit protection, with this I can generate wind at will, at least in a slight amount. Doing this myself I threw it at a point and, boom, I managed to break the grille that had locked me in! Isn't that cool!?"

"A, ah. Of course it is"

I'm a bit perplexed. If this blessing was given to her by an elemental spirit, one of the ones that Lavos is looking for, and the one that the former clan member used to massacre all his family and friends? Does that mean that Maria has Channeler powers? That implied a contact with an ethereal being, and this counts as that? right?

Anyway, no time for that now, we'll have a chance to think about that issue later.