[Zara]: “You,,,”

  [Era]: “You know her, Zara?”

  [Zara]: (Wings fring), “Long ago, I came across a demon hunting another one of its kind. It wrought havoc to everything in its path, and I see that woman, accompanying it.”

  [Era]: “Hah, so she’s not even the one in action? This’ll be a piece of—.”

  All of a sudden, a thumping sound as she jolted for a moment. Eyes widened as she tries to keep herself composed until a rigid tentacle burst out of her chest and brought her to the air. The two witness the tip split into multiple branches of humanoid hands, and all cast the same signs.

  [Replica]: “Dark Current.”

  8 simultaneous shot of countless piercing energy sends the blood of its victim to scatter. A spsh of it paints Zara’s head. The wood creature Ael takes the initiative for a counter by transforming the ground and elevate it up, separating the both of them as Zara uses a purple wave of energy to free Era from the grasp of the tentacle, but it didn’t work.

  [Zara]: “What? Succulent Force Break should be able to purify all manner of darkness. Unless it’s stronger than, no, could it be… that thing is not actually magic?”

  All branches of tentacles turn towards her and several dark currents fshes her way but she teleported away, causing Ael to be pierced by them. She falls, but her body slowly regenerating by itself before Replica descends and send a plunging attack. Stomping her and crashes the ground that Ael herself has elevated, but she doesn’t stop there. Replica grabs the wooden woman’s head and while her body is limb, she stabs her eye and put an entire fist inside.

  On the other end is Zara sshing and cutting the tentacles holding Era until it frees her. She grabs her and teleported her away before tossing her behind a rock, letting her own body recover from the numerous holes. And it’s recovering fast.

  [Zara]: “Wait, Ael!”

  [Zara]: “I can’t sense her presence.”

  [Zara]: (eyes widened), “So that’s her pn. She knows that we’re immortal, so her idea is to incapacitate us, but if Ael’s presence suddenly disappears like this. Does that mean… she’s dead?”

  [Replica]: “Yes.”

  Jumped, she turns while sending a massively condensed energy to the direction of that voice. A rge explosive ser that reaches over half a kilometers away.

  [Replica]: “You fight as if you’re still less of an ancient being.”

  Right beside her.

  [Zara]: “How, I clearly touched you.”

  [Replica]: “Hmm, very well, I’ll indulge your curiosity.”

  [Replica]: “An illusion that alters the perception of reality. Of course, us Ethereal beings have extremely high resistances towards such things, especially so for us spell casters, but resistance is not an immunity. Under the right circumstances, even a fraction of a second is enough.”

  [Zara]: “Tsk.”

  Zara howls at her. Creating a powerful burst of pink and purple energy that scatter in all direction, and the creatures that were touched by it finds themselves affected by love. Dazed in stillness and hazed, but what about the one that got hit by the energy from point-bnk range?

  [Zara]: “Your mistake was underestimating me. Those of the living nature will always fall to the charm of their own desires. Their lust for companion.”

  [Replica]: “…”

  Her eyes opened, and it remained the same unnerving eyes as always.

  [Zara]: “Wha— how?!”

  Replica grasp the air and charged an extremely condensed orange energy, but before she can send it towards Zara, a massive gnawing jaw of a creature appears from below. She teleported away when it csps the air, revealing its form. A bck and blue feline with a crocodile jaw that constantly emits sinister energy outwardly throughout its body. A figure mounts the top of its back, Era, with half of her face recovering from the damage that Replica had done.

  [Replica]: “A titan for a minion? Compensating for something, aren’t we?”

  [Era]: “Nnnnrgh.”

  [Zara]: (descends), “Don’t fall for her provocations. We can’t afford to lose here.”

  [Era]: “Where’s Ael?”

  [Zara]: “I don’t know, but we can ask that bitch when she’s pleading for her life.”

  [Era]: “Heh.”

  Suddenly, she sensed a familiar presence approaching. An air elemental hovering besides her. It conveys the situation of what is happening in the capital briefly. The invasion of the dead beings and demons, and the commands for all three of them to return.

  [Era]: “Mage of the Abyss? So that’s the one we’re fighting against, huh. I’ll be te, so don’t wait on me.”

  With a jab, the elemental disappears into nothingness. She turns her attention to Replica who is hovering above while looking down on them. Zara creates a purple and pink orb while Era conjures two ominous daggers out of thin air. They both are ready for their second round and Replica sends herself unto them with whirling dark energy as she casts multiple signs.

  [Replica]: “Transcendental Law of the Abyss, …”

  On the other end of the world lies the battlefield against the undead. The several double-body created by Goog, the st of it, has been dealt with. However, those that were fighting them didn’t came out unscathed. Some were heavily wounded, and one is exhausted. The only source of restoration capable of healing them is Lyra which cannot be done fast enough.

  [Sis]: “Haa… Haa… thanks, Lyra.”

  The nine-tailed fox Anya got to her knee. She already lost a few of her tails and a limb. Seeing that Lyra focuses her healing towards her but even then, it doesn’t heal her by much. Something is preventing her healing to help others effectively. Anya even swallowed several pills and drinks two red potions, but neither of them are effective either. It’s like she’s just drinking water.

  [Anya]: “Xander. We’ve got to help him.”

  In front of her is the mechanical man Rhys, dealing with the incoming skeletons with his erected barrier, preventing them from reaching him and the others. The skeletons never stop coming and they forcefully push themselves towards the barrier. It is by no means ordinary skeletons as the majority of them are equipped with enchanted weapons and armors.

  [Rhys]: “I would like to agree, dy Anya, but I doubt at our current state, we would be able to provide much help at all.”

  Suddenly a power bst that scatter all the undead and allies alike and destroying the barrier of which he created, but when the wind blows over, one can see that one of their comrades is the one who caused it. The weakest of them all, floating above the shattered ground with a rge ticking clock hovering above her back.

  [Rhys]: “You’re alive, Cindy.”

  [Anya]: (eyes widened), “Wait, is that… Sunder?”

  Glowing in the palm of her hand as she turns towards them. However, Rhys, Anya, and Lyra, they’re all wary at the sight of her as she continues to approach. But then Sis steps forward.

  [Sis]: “Good to see you’re okay, Cindy. We… I was worried.”

  [Sio]: “…”

  [Sis]: “Cindy?”

  [Sio]: “Get back.”

  [Sis]: “?”

  Although confused, he does what she says as she turned to observe the sky in the distance. Cshes of powerful energies intertwining against one another. Anya pulls herself together to walk closer towards Cindy, and she asks.

  [Anya]: “Give me the sword. We have to help Xander.”

  Cindy looks at her as Anya extends her hand, looking at it momentarily before she looks at the sword. Cindy relinquishes it to her and nodded. That action made her eyes widened. A surprised, how she can give it to her so easily. Then suddenly, her clock ticks. Anya recalls the moment it happened sometimes ago where that magic heals Cindy and Sis, and it just happens again.

  [Lyra]: “Huh?”

  [Rhys]: “This is…”

  A slight brimming of energy glowing outwardly within them. It doesn’t just heal them. It restores their strength and replenishing their power. This moment makes Sis smiles, reminding him of the moment that Cindy shows odd hesitations and behavior, only to show her compassion. That action makes Anya grips the handle of the sword tightly as she turns to the sky in the distance, and sees Xander flying towards them, but unwillingly. Sio steps forward and use telekinesis to stop him in his spiraling track.

  [Xander]: “Haaa… how can she be this strong? Even with Plysich and Sunder.”

  [Xander]: “With me once more, Cind—,” seeing the weapon is not in her hand but with Anya, “Give her the weapon.”

  [Anya]: (shocked), “But Xander—.”

  [Luosa]: “Gyaahahahahahaa. This all you’ve got, airhead?”

  He turns his attention to the lunatic that is currently with the form of their member. With a toss of her energy ball, the wounded slime, Goog, recovers rapidly and take on the human form she had before. Then, suddenly, Luosa ripped the cloths covering her head and reveals the face behind it. The same form as Goog, just with purely bck eyes and sclera.

  [Sio]: “That’s my face, damn it!”

  [Sis]: “?”

  [Xander]: “…”

  [Anya]: “I guess it’s not enough for her to copy your dress, huh.”

  [Rhys]: “Making a mockery out of our own. Unforgivable!”

  Luosa turns to see the recovered slime in the form of her own, “Tell them,”, she said. Making Goog ponders heavily with a conflicted expression. Gncing at Sio before returning the attention to Luosa, ‘What is she thinking. If I were to tell them on the Traveler, they’re bound to ruin her. But wait, does that mean that Luosa has gained independence from the Traveler? If so, then I guess I don’t need the Traveler any longer.”

  She turns toward the people below. Approaching them slight as she amplifies her voice.

  [Goog]: “Hear me, people of Lerusagon’s. That woman you cherish is but a fraud.”

  Everyone’s eyes widened as Sio clenched her fists as rage fueled. Her heart racing as she her thoughts running, anticipating what Goog is about to say.

  [Goog]: “We sent her to this realm to infiltrate your domain and steal your precious treasure. From the very beginning, she’s always a mere pawn of ours. A property of Prison Realm.”

  [Sis]: “What?”

  [Rhys]: “Prison Realm. That’s the God of Death, Lehdrith. It’s his domain.”

  [Anya]: “No, he merely governs over it. Prison Realm has its own ruler, but if they decided to invade here, does that mean…”

  [Lyra]: “War.”

  All eyes but Xander turned towards Sio. Anya grips her sword tightly as she faced her. “Expin yourself, Cindy. Is that even your real name?”

  Lowering her head slightly, Sio says, “Move.”

  [Anya]: “What did you just say?”

  [Sis]: (blocking her), “Wait, dy Anya, there has to be a reason for this. Right, Cindy? E-Even if it’s true that she’s a spy, that doesn’t mean that… that…”

  [Sis]: “Cindy… tell us. Is that true? Please, tell us that she’s lying. Please.”

  [Luosa]: “Heh, look at them bickering among themselves. I could cast a magic right now and wipe them all out, but oh how fun it is to see those critters like that.”

  [Goog]: “…”

  [Goog]: “Will you take care of the Traveler?”

  [Luosa]: “No, you do it. That’s all you’re amount to anyway.”

  Taking the insult silently, she looks over to the Traveler, Sio, and recalls the few short moments she has with her. When she observes her journey through the orb, how… goofy her behavior was, and especially when everything has settled, her smile as Sio dances in her office. Those few memories were repced after her return. She never once smiled, at least, not in the same way and the st memory of her is the unbridled rage and hatred.