(30.2) Sea to Sky

Necra's presence grows thicker and maddening, halting Pelgaius' desperate attempt to take control of the battle.

Whatever advantage Pelgaius held was brought from Necra's inattention and madness, it realises.

Now, without the bounds of the temple's walls, its power is far too limited to even contest the owrou.

Pelgaius falters.

That moment of weakness is all it took and the umibozu is completely torn apart.

Necra cackles, its thousands of voices harmonising in a sick, symphony of twisted cheer as it feasts on the temple guardian.

The ground suddenly and violently shakes as the darkness hardens with miasma under Pelgaius' influence loses shape without its master.

Aki and the others run up the stairs trying to get away from the epicentre of the miasma.

Just as quick as it began, the shaking stops. The magical darkness is sucked into Pelgaius as he gets swallowed up by Necra, returning the world to its normal level of pitch black. 

Aki's crown is no longer the only light source as the street lamps' light returns.

Necra meanwhile has grown larger and is emanating twice the strength it had previously. Its laughter is louder and more manic now as the owrou grows in size. Its gaze turns toward the city and flits from location to location with the same fire it had when looking at Pelgaius.

"Are there survivors of the Grand Volume still in the city?" Aki stops, trying to gather a clue of where they are from where Necra turns her gaze toward.

"Aki!"

Necra rises in a swirling cloud and extends its reach to blanket the city in miasma. Wails and cries of the accursed souls within echo their magical and miasmic power. Aki feels herself weaken greatly yet no status effect appears within the scope of her sight.

"Soul Sight should show all effects being applied. If this isn't a debuff, then what is it?" Aki digs her nails into her wrist trying to shake the weakness away.

"This is not worth the leaves. Nor am I as kind or naive as you to help an enemy against an impossible threat." Larx gasps for breath. Taking out a rectangular item from his belt pouch, he waves it with a weak taunt. "I won't forget my life debt and shall repay you with a grand funeral."

He breaks the object and his body crystallises into thousands of glass-like pieces before shattering. His surviving thralls silently follow suit, slashing weakly at Aki and Dent one last time on their way out.

Necra swirls overhead, feelings of dominance and satisfaction emanate from it in a sick flood of arrogance. As well as an overwhelming feeling of conflict.

"Dent, how are you doing?" Aki squints, trying to pinpoint where the weak feelings are coming from. "Can you still run?"

"Put aside thoughts of having me retreat while you fight alone, Acolyte. Though…" He chuckles and points his sword at the mass of malevolence. "I would have preferred an uphill battle against those vampires to this."

Necra lets out another ghostly wail, this time louder and far more powerful.

Aki falls to her knees. Her vision wavers abnormally.

"Again? But, this one feels different somehow." She moves herself defensively in front of Dent, although it looks more like a ragdoll defence rather than the firm stance she tries to do. "What exactly is happening?"

The presence of Soul Sight and its RPG-like system appearance simultaneously grounded her and detached her from reality. Yet now, the unshakeable presence waivers. 

The UI flickers in and out of view. Each time it disappears, Aki feels as if something is trying to rip her apart.

"Fuuu-" The pain is similar to trying to remember an otherworldly memory that doesn't exist in her. At the same time, that tearing feeling pulls at something that feels tangible yet isn't. "Is it targeting the soul? If an otherworlder can't use Soul Sight… what happens without the system?"

She tries to focus on Dent but the blurred vision does little to help her focus.

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[Forcefully accessing more of the Cr¬wn of H¬ma¬¬tas' power]

[1% power accessed]

[Detected skill: Oblivion's Call]

[Gift Activated: Reactive Adaptation]

[Acquiring new skill: Passive Skill - Soul Manipulation Resistance Lv.0]

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Her vision clears and the pain subsides, leaving her dazed and feeling a burning sensation in her chest.

"Move!"

She feels Dent's arms wrap tightly around her. The air whistles past as he leaps up high.

Magic rips behind them followed by the sound of Necra's clawed hand cratering the stone tells Aki they were just shy of death.

Dent lands just within the doorway of the temple and uses his sword as a crutch. Blood pours heavily from his right leg. A chunk of flesh is missing from where Necra's attack hit him.

Undeterred by the injury, Dent keeps running and attacking. His blood spills relentlessly behind with every step, splashing Aki as much as the ground and blocking her from healing him.

"Skies above, hold still!" Aki tries to cast healing magic on the injury again but Dent swats her away, pointing to the altar. 

"Distance first." He takes her hand and uses wind magic to propel them.

Just as the two reach the stairs leading to the Space Gate's chamber, a wall of shadows blocks their entry.

Rapid knocking echoes off the stones and the broken pews shake violently.

["Run, run, run! Such taste's are richer the more desperate the spirit is!"] A new, baritone voice joins the orchestra of the owrou's cackling jeer. ["This seaborn monk is only an appetiser compared to a narrative being!"]

Necra appears above Dent and Aki. Simultaneously a massive entity and a tall figure peering from the doorway just outside the temple.

Its smile extends wider than its face seemingly allows and bares far too many extremely human teeth.

["The future awaiting you is unbearable. We will save you from hardships."] Necra's voice becomes soothingly singsong now. ["You can trust us. This is what is best for you, for all of us."]

Aki clutches her wrist, ignoring the slimy feeling that wriggles at the edge of her consciousness. Whatever Necra is trying to do, the power of her Crown is negating the effects.

Whether Necra notices, it makes no reaction to this turn of events.

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[Tactican Lv. 2 - Insight Granted]

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The owrou at the door and floating above them are fake. Behind!

Aki steps to the right, narrowly dodging Necra's sneaking grab. The owrou follows the path of action, swirling its cloak to scatter its darkness and pukes a miasmic mist onto Dent, forcing him down before he can react.

"No!" Aki rocks back on her feet to help him.

Left with openings from the sudden turnaround, Necra grabs Aki by the throat.

Aki instinctively reacts, unleashing a wave of brilliant burning light that scatters Necra's presence with such incredible intensity that the temple ceiling is blown off.

She raises her cloak, shielding herself and Dent from the debris scattered by the blast.

Being in the middle of the temple, along its centre line, prevents any large rubble falling on the pair.

Aki quickly brushes herself off, clearing her vision, and finds Necra above them.

It makes no moves to attack so Aki subtly begins to heal Dent and herself while Necra is distracted.

Significantly conflicting emotions fall upon Aki, each unique and stuck in a herd mentality divided between submission and violence.

["Accursed! You – friend of Winter, we are – NO!"] Necra manifests beyond the temple's walls and grasps its head in distress. Its form swirls and shakes rapidly in place of the destroyed ceiling. ["The narrative being stands in the way of our wish. We shall fix that."]

"What's it doing?" Dent coughs, struggling to remain up on one knee.

"Fighting its inner demons?" Aki offers. "If I can get close to Necra, I might be able to bring it back from its tantrum."

"You call this a tantrum?"

Necra flies up, extending its reach to encompass not just the temple but the entirety of the submerged island city.

The ground rumbles and starts to move. First to the sides then upwards. Slowly at first but rapidly picking up speed. A roar of gurgling water accompanies the violent procession.

Necra is lifting the entire island with ease.

An island that is submerged to an unknown depth beneath the Star Sea for an untold number of years is about to escape its fate of eternal darkness.

"No way, is this possible, Dent?!"

Faster Necra climbs and the pressure from the ascent bears down on the two.

"Oh skies." Aki and Dent curse in unison.

Weakened by miasma and exhaustion, Dent slams into the floor from the G force while Aki drops to a knee.

Intense pressure bears down upon them.

Aki feels her inner ears strain to accommodate the rapid change in altitude.

A roar follows as the black barrier that surrounds the city breaks. For the first time in centuries, warm evening light shines down on the lost city, making it shine like a ghostly pearl.

Yet Aki can't enjoy the sight from her tilted perch within the roofless temple. The island climbs higher still, thinning the oxygen and turning the summer evening cold.

The island is being held aloft by a massive swirling pillar of water and shadows controlled by the crazed owrou.

Its multi toned cackle echoes along the raging waves, tainting the atmosphere even more with a sense of futility. Pride and confidence tinges even the rebelling souls withins its form.

"Its attention is unstable and short." Dent rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck before aiming his blade at Necra. "A retreat seems possible as it is now. Though I am certain its fate would become just another monster to be eliminated were we to leave it here."

He looks back at the crumbled entrance to the Space Gate chamber. A little bit of magic would be more than enough to clear the rubble blockage.

"I won't run, promise or not. I refuse to be the kind of person who abandons her allies no matter how long I've known them." Aki grinds her teeth together.

Magic energy flows thickly around her body, becoming visible to the naked eye.

Above her head, the light she shines flickers as the real form of the Crown tears a small gap in space to peek out.