Further Beyond

Chapter 40: Further Beyond

I hastily looked at my palm, and seeing that it was normal, without any otherworldly aspects to it, I heaved a sigh of relief.

If everything was going right, I would survive.

But even then, how could I survive?

Faced a with a god, faced with true divinity, how could I come out as the winner?

Since my hand looked normal, it was true that I could survive at the moment. But then, if I chose to pursue a fate depicting death or serious harm, would the condition of my hand change, allowing me to understand if I was inside a revelation?

Was the normalcy hidden within my palm only a ruse, something that would change just as soon as I changed direction?

Was this just a stalemate?

Therefore, I would survive, but only for a couple of minutes, or even seconds possibly. Ultimately, while I was safe for the moment, my situation could change awfully soon.

I stared at the hydra-like abomination in front of me, my brain buzzing with torment. Even now, I could not comprehend fully what was standing in front of me.

And surely, I would not understand what would come.

The words my religion teacher had spoken in class resounded inside my head.

"We have seen God! We will surely die!"

In many religions, the encounter with the divine would bring unfathomable consequences to mortals such as myself.

Could it be my fate?

'Will Genesis activate soon?' I did the reality-check, yet I still wasn't inside a revelation.

I gritted my teeth.

If this meant my eventual survival, I had to act upon it before the moon god would descend!

Although its world perished billions of years ago, before life even appeared on Earth, it was a divinity nonetheless!

'Maybe, if I kill the white-haired girl, their connection will get cut off…'

'But even then, would the multi-faced being stay unmoving?'

It was preposterous to even think that it would stay still, awaiting for me to slaughter His only means of descent!

I couldn't help but scoff at myself and at my situation.

To think that I, one who became a Nephilim not even a month ago, would have to face a divinity as his first true opponent.

Had it not been my real situation—had I instead read it inside a book, I would've found it laughable, mocking the sheer unrealism of such a clash.

I then did the reality-check.

My hand looked normal, awfully so.

Taking a deep breath, I walked forward, mental burdens washing over me. Images of past events glimpsed inside my mind—agonizing memories of generations upon generations of slaughtered beings rummaging, smashing through my mind.

I heard their prayers, I heard their fears, I heard their pleads.

It was if I myself became the moon god, the ruler of the desolate world.

My mind shook and trembled.

Soon after, Mnemosyne's Antiques did the same.

The rows of torches shone brighter, yearning to greet their ruler, their light quivering with a fervent and zealous anticipation. Ceramic plates, vases and jars shattered, exploding in a thousand pieces. The wooden furniture cracked in pieces, their contents spilling on the cluttered floor.

As I rushed forward, suddenly, every face of the many headed turned towards me, a sharp, cold wind following soon after.

I could not help but falter.

The sewn one moved his head frantically, hitting and bumping against the central head. The one eyed gazed at me, leading me to feel a scorching, agonizing sensation on my forehead, as if I was being branded like an horse.

Although the pain was immense, I had to keep moving.

I stared at the white-haired woman slumped on the ground, noticing that she had already lost her consciousness, prompting me to take a deep breath.

I already had to face a divinity, plus his multi-headed, incomplete avatar, I could in no possible way try to fight her too. She was more experienced and powerful than me, yet, thanks to Genesis—thanks to Mother, I could manage with her.

Had she not possessed those trump cards, I would've surely been capable to slaughter her.

Yet…if she hadn't yearn for my death as much as she had—had she instead possessed a calm mind like mine, I would've surely lost—I would've been cut down effortlessly.

Sure, I might've annoyed her with Genesis for a great deal of time, dodging her attack like a human-sized cockroach, but in due time, my defeat would've been assured.

Genesis is not omniscient, after all.

I gazed upwards. There, I noticed that the main-head, the one engaged with a deep-sleep, had its crescent shaped imprint shine brighter.

I immediately did the reality check.

My hand was normal—I wasn't going to die!

Just as soon as I thought that, I felt an immense weight being lifted from my torso.

Confused, I slowly looked down.

The majority of my chest had been hollowed out. There were no bones nor organs inside, only the occasional drops of blood rushing over.

…

I felt an awful sense of agony coming from my Fragment.

I immediately looked at my chest.

No major wounds were present, I only had some minor cuts from her glass-explosive attack.

What I'd seen… What I'd seen was revelation coming from Genesis.

Yet, my hand looked normal.

How so?

Was my theory of the reality-check allowing me to realize that I was inside a prophecy from Genesis wrong? Was Casanova also wrong all along?

It couldn't possibly be that way.

I started to think about Genesis and its powers, rules, and regulations.

Onironauts, Nephilim who through the aid of quintessence can link their souls within the dimension encasing every dream of existence to then get prophecies about the future meanings hidden beneath them.

As Casanova said, since that dimension is the holder of all the dreams of the living creatures, it is bound to become a chaotic space, a jumbled mess consisting entirely of dreams of events bound to happen, and about events that already did.

Naturally, my dream would retain such chaotic aspects too.

But why and how could I get true revelations without the need to unravel the chaos belonging to that dimension to discover its symbolism?

Was it because my mind too, was inside the real world?

Therefore, since the reality-check could only work when my subconscious was inside a dream, it would be natural for my hand to look normal!

Dreams do warp your mind, but only when you yourself are inside one, therefore, no reality-checks would work inside the real world!

I exhaled.

This now meant I couldn't pursue dangerous actions on purpose, since I now knew that I couldn't in no possible way whatsoever understand that I was inside a revelation belonging to the power of Genesis.

This also meant I had to fully trust my power. I needed to pursue offensive actions wholly, letting Genesis do all the defensive work.

Although I didn't have many revelations left, I still had to do so, for I still wasn't proficient enough to defend myself on my own

I smiled bitterly, stifling a chuckle in such an harrowing situation.

Had she been a different Nephilim, hell, had she just been someone else who couldn't bring deities in our world, I would've had a better chance.

Nonetheless, this was my reality.

I could in no way close my eyes, hoping that it would pass like a nightmare.

The central head, the one I called the Crescent One, had its imprint brighten before its attack. While I hadn't really paid attention the One Eyed Face's imprint, I had to pay attention to its smoldering gaze.

My theory was that, before an attack as powerful that it could hollow out parts of my body, the imprint of the moon inside their forehead would brighten.

If so, how could I understand when the Sewn One would attack? It lacked any imprint on its forehead, after all.

Since they had the phases of the moon imprinted on their body, I also figured it were the rankings of their respective strength.

I theorized that the moon god Sin would have the full moon as his imprint—and with it, I figured his abilities would be unparalleled compared to His incomplete avatar.

If my hypothesis was right, for this precise moment, the strongest would be the One Eyed One, since it had an half-moon imprint. I hadn't seen his main abilities, except for his smoldering gaze, but I figured he just hadn't show them yet.

The second would be the Crescent one, while the last seemed to be the Sewn One.

While I could not really rely on the ranking I'd made for the Sewn One, as I still hadn't seen his abilities, I didn't make the mistake of not regarding him as a threat.

This calmness—this unnatural mindset for combat and planning felt way better than I could've ever expected.

It was almost intoxicating.

Did Casanova always feel this way?

If he had, his face didn't show it at all.

I slowly walked towards the multi-faced, incomplete avatar, keeping my stride constant.

As I'd seen inside my revelation, in a few seconds, the Crescent One's imprint would brighten, and with it, an impossibly quick attack would succeed it.

Had I not possessed Genesis, there would've been no way for me to dodge such ability. Yet, I figured it could've been the same for every attack of hers.

I was approximately seven meters away from her. Yet, I still didn't get attacked, nor their imprint brightened, signaling the start of an attack.

'Maybe their attacks are automatic…' I quickly guessed.

I was eager to test my theory, but I didn't have enough time. I could've used this point to maybe, find an escape route from the other places inside Mnemosyne's Antiques, but it would've meant letting the descent be successful.

Most importantly, she also knew my name, prompting me to not let her leave alive and well.

'Genesis.' I called upon my ability.

I took a deep breath, and with it, a silvery light flashed inside my eyes, causing them to change color.

The echoes of my voice reverberated inside my Fragment, surges of synchronized knowledge rushed inside my mind—shards depicting her attacks, her words, her hate, her moonlight abilities, and His multi-headed, incomplete avatar's powers.

I now felt a resonance with every single one of her actions—I felt a deep connection between me and them, allowing me to study them thoroughly.

Although the one I called upon was supposed to be my ability, Genesis; this didn't feel like it…it felt more like something 'else.'

Although my fighting abilities and skills were poor, not even average, thanks to all the memoirs and records depicting her attacks, I knew I could fare off tremendously better than before.

My Fragment convulsed in despair, and soon after, my soul's domain did the same. I knew this state wouldn't last much.

Not daring to waste any time, I rushed forward, running in a straight line towards the white-haired woman.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

My steps and the sharp clattering of the glass shards on the ground resounded inside Mnemosyne's Antiques; Like the past iteration, the flames quivered and rose, yearning to greet their ruler. Immediately after, the store shook, Franz's many articles of the past, now being treated as almost worthless, spilling on the floor.

Although my mind buzzed with torment, I had to stare at the multi-faced avatar.

'It should happen right now!'

I hastily changed direction, my feet almost sliding thanks to the glass shards on the floor. Not even a second later, a laser-like, smoldering hot ray shone from the One Eyed One, its heat turning the air inside Mnemosyne's Antiques almost unbearable.

I brought my gaze towards the Crescent One—his imprint was shining with a mysterious, bright light!

I vaulted sideways, and soon after, I felt a tremendously loud, booming noise. I quickly figured that his crescent attack had hit the things behind me, prompting me not to stop in my tracks.

My entire body hurt—my face, my legs, and arms were screaming for a moment of rest, quivering in pure torment.

Gritting my teeth, I kept on moving.

The One Eyed One and the Crescent One kept on attacking me relentlessly, their abilities carving crescent shaped holes and small-laser like punctures in the middle of Mnemosyne's Antiques.

Thanks to the memoirs and records of the white-haired girl's movements, I could barely dodge them, aided with the awareness that the Crescent One's imprint would brighten before an attack.

The movement originally didn't belong to me, causing me to fail in being as nimble and as precise as her. And since I didn't possess her body and the strength it contained, I naturally would end up being miles worse from the original thing.

Nonetheless, it was still better than before!

Their relentless attacks made it difficult for me to keep on moving towards the white-haired girl, yet, in due time, I would definitely reach her!

The thing was, I didn't have time!

I couldn't keep dodging her continuing attacks, I had to finish the white-haired girls, or else, the descent would be successful!

As I was gazing at them, hoping to dodge their successive attacks, I noticed that this time, both the Crescent One and the One Eyed One had their imprint shine with an otherworldly fervor.

It never happened before!

The One Eyed One would always use his laser-attacks without the brightening of its imprint, and since I was already moving to dodge the Crescent One's attacks, most of its attacks wouldn't hit me.

I knew something dangerous was about to arrive.

The Crescent One, the second in rank of strength, could hollow out parts of my body and parts of Mnemosyne's Antiques aided by the enhancing effects their moon imprint would do.

Because of this, I knew that the One Eyed One's attack paired with The Crescent one would be tremendously powerful!

'Shit!'

Suddenly, a mesmerizing, swirling bubble filled with colors I'd never seen before left the many-faced entity. If I stared inside it, I could see distorted views, sinister images of stars floating far-away.

'What…?' I was almost mesmerized by the sight.

It didn't seem too threatening, at first, but that what made it feel rather uncanny. It was like the sudden chiming of an old clock, like staring inside the mirror at midnight…

Before I even noticed, the bubble expanded, covering me entirely.