Continuation

The monster started getting ready for yet another attack, clenching its fists and taking a hostile stance. Siff was helpless, bleeding and on the floor. The only thing he could do was call for Ryn, who was knocked out on the ground. Siff looked all around, trying to find a way to turn things around while the monster prepared to pierce him yet again.

Out of nowhere, the sword he was clutching in his hand started trembling. It poured out a thick blue aura, and it felt as if it began taking over Siff. The blue aura enveloped him entirely, and energy started flowing through his body. Siff's arms and legs began moving on their own—like a puppet, his body was being controlled. Although "controlled" wasn't exactly the right word; there was no ill intent or struggle. His body was being guided by the command of his sword.

He jumped to the side, avoiding the monster's attack. Rushing in with his hands up, he stabbed the beast in its left shoulder, rendering its arm useless. The monster let out a wide slash at Siff but was ultimately blocked by the sword.

Siff felt thoughts entering his mind during the battle, as if the sword was telling him its next move. A slash to the right, a fast dodge to the left, a stab to the stomach, and perfectly chained blocks and parries. Siff was like a spectator, watching a fight from the best seat possible.

Exhausted and wounded, the monster took a few steps back to catch its breath. It made a strange hand gesture that summoned a small black circle beneath Siff, pinning his feet to the ground and restricting his movement. It raised its hand, preparing a powerful attack.

The sword swung around as hard as it could, but to no avail.

"Is this it? Can I really do nothing now but wait to die!?" Siff looked to the ground, preparing for the worst, when unexpectedly—

Swoooosh!

The monster's hand fell to the ground. In the meantime, Ryn had woken up and grabbed her weapon. Unnoticed, she severed the monster's arm and stopped its attack. The black ring also disappeared, and Siff was free once more. Using the brief moment while the monster was still in shock, he rushed in, stabbing it in the throat and finishing the fight once and for all.

"Huh... we actually did it!" said Ryn, taking deep breaths.

"Yeah. Half dead, but a win is a win, I guess."

Ryn shrugged and gave Siff a confused side-eye. "So what happens now? We defeated them and stopped this world-ending ritual, right?"

Before Siff could say another word, the ground started trembling, and thick mist appeared all around. Everything around them started twisting and turning, reshaping in unimaginable ways. The ground became soft and began slowly sinking through.

"W-what's happening!? I can't stand on anything; my feet are just going through!" said Ryn, trying to grasp the soft ground.

They fell through the floor and into the thick, foggy sea of nothingness. Everything around them disappeared, and they now found themselves in a mysterious foggy space, floating around.

Small blue souls started appearing around them, dancing and wiggling in the mist. Siff could feel emotions of gratitude and happiness flowing from them.

They really did it. They broke the endless cycle, finally allowing this decaying world to rest and freeing the poor souls from their neverending torture.

Unfortunately, deep down, Siff knew this wasn't the end. There were still countless worlds that needed saving, and even if he wanted to, there was no known way for him to return to the living world.

As the thick mist started fading, it revealed a small glowing speck in the distance. It called for Siff, singing a familiar memory only his heart could understand. He swam across the white nothingness, following the melody of the glowing light.

It was a scattered piece of his soul. Upon touching it, the speck absorbed into his body. A strong rush of shock ran through him, filling him with strange memories of people and places.

Age, around twenty-five. Height, quite tall. Siblings, a brother. So many memories ran through his body, overwhelming him with information he knew was his, even though he'd never experienced it before. He saw a country, tall metallic structures covering the sky, and smoke-powered, rusty, loud machines. There were flying balloons transporting people through the air and giant copper cogs turning everywhere. The trees were made of metal, and small leaves flickered in the wind, creating a charming melody. It was the world of the living, the world he came from.

The old memories showed people and children wearing strange clothes, running around the streets and pedaling strange flying contraptions. He remembered his home and his small dog with a robotic leg.

"Iffy!?"

His dog, left in the care of his older brother. Although Siff couldn't recall his brother's name, some details still came through. His brother was strict and serious, never going easy on Siff and always forcing him to improve.

As he was trying to recall more, a wild shake threw him out of his imagination. The souls disappeared, and the white nothingness turned to black. Energy started filling his chest. It was the energy released from the destruction of the world. This time, instead of being harvested by the Elites, the energy was willfully given to the savior.

Siff could feel himself getting stronger and his body changing. Movement became swifter, and his body lighter. His eyesight sharpened, and muscle surrounded his weak frame. Unknown powers also started lingering inside him, not yet ready to be released.

His sword, floating beside him, also began glowing. A chunk of energy was absorbed by it as well, giving it sharp blue stripe in the middle.

Taking the sword, Siff felt the connection between them becoming stronger. The sword was definitely no longer just a mere piece of metal; it had acquired a great amount of power.

The soft, floaty black space became empty, and Siff started descending into a bottomless fall. The space around him began bending in on itself. There was no above or below, and his fall grew faster and faster.

As he was descending into the abyss, something pulled on him from behind. It was Ryn, clinging to his robe as hard as she could.

As they were falling a faint light appeared below them, beaming rays of hope. The closer they got to the bottom, the faster they fell. Their vision became completely disrupted, and a loud buzzing noise filled their ears.

Everything went black...

Siff slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Ryn was lying at his side, still unconscious but not hurt.

He shook her awake. "Hey! Looks like we made it, and together at that!"

Ryn sat up, brushing her eyes. "Yeah, thankfully. We do make a good team though—wouldn't want to lose you." Ryn smirked, giving Siff a poke on the shoulder.

Looking around, they found themselves in a dark alleyway between two buildings.

Siff glanced to the other side. "Are those people walking around!?"

Ryn immediately turned around and took a look. "Now that you mention it, yeah!"

They got up and exited the alleyway, ending up on a busy street in the middle of a city. Surprised and confused, they ran out to check what was happening. White, rocky streets were filled with people stomping and mumbling through them. Big, shiny marble houses shaped the horizon as far as the eye could see. There were vendors selling all kinds of goods, from food like meat and fruit to beautiful clothing made of colorful cloth and silk.

"What is happening here? Where the hell are we!?" Asked Ryn, throwing her hands in the air.

"It looks like a big city. There are people here, and it doesn't seem like any wars are ongoing. They're joyful and smiling? How is this supposed to be a world on the verge of destruction?"

The current situation confused Siff. There was nothing like this in the last world. That one was empty and dull—at first glance, you could tell something was wrong. This was the complete opposite: people filled the streets with chatting and laughter.

Ryn lightly tapped Siff's shoulder. "So what do we do now? I don't see any world-ending calamity around us."

Siff held his chin up high and took a deep breath. "Well, the only thing we can do now is look around and see. These cheerful people shouldn't distract us, because deep down we know this place will be reduced to nothing in a short while..."