《Thera》1.06
Advertisement
Thera 1.06
“Hey, Luna,” Marcus said as he took a seat across from the girl.
They sat in the open air cafeteria of the school, carved into the cavity of a giant Odin Tree and illuminated purely by natural sunlight. The boy carried a wooden tray full of roots and leaves with a single purple fruit on the side. Grinning, he leaned forward conspiratorially as Luna glanced up from her own meal.
“My Father told me that you’ve met a Mystic Turtle before. He said you saw it lay its eggs. Is this really true?”
Luna paused. She slowly lowered her fork as she gave him a small nod. “That’s true.”
“Seriously? That’s amazing!” he exclaimed, but she quickly shushed him.
“Don’t be so loud!” She pressed a finger over her lips, glancing about nervously.
“Oh, sorry.” He scratched the back of his head apologetically. Marcus continued in a quieter voice, “I heard that one of the Wardens visited the Mystic Turtle’s nest a month ago. They say that all the eggs had already hatched. That’s six months earlier than the Sages predicted!”
“They… did?” Luna’s eyes went round.
“Yeah! I just wish I could’ve been there for it. It must’ve been a wonderful sight.” Marcus sighed blissfully, unaware of the many horrors that baby Mystic Turtles went through.
Luna, however, knew about it. At least, from what she’d been told. “I don’t think it’s as wonderful as you’re imagining it, Marcus. It’s a lot… messier than that.”
He blinked, facing her. “Right.”
They both settled down, focusing on their individual meals. The buzzing and hubbub of the other students in the cafeteria didn’t die down, but the noise faded into the background as Marcus piped up again.
“I wish we could do something about it,” he said. “Save all those little baby turtles from dying.”
“We can’t!” Luna protested, standing up. A few heads turned her way, and she flushed. She sat back down as Marcus crossed his arms.
“Why not?”
“A single invasive species could entirely change the ecosystem of an environment, Marcus. They teach us that in class. And if we’d done something, we’d be doing exactly that.” She wagged a finger at her friend.
He blew his hair up. “I know that, I know that. It’s just… why can’t just one of the Wardens intervene? Just how much can a single person change?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.
“I…” the girl trailed off.
It was not like Luna could give him one. She sat there quietly, mulling it over. Because, as much as she believed her mother, deep within her heart, Luna agreed with Marcus. She wished she could’ve been there to watch the birth of the Mystic Turtles.
Just how much can a single person change? Luna wondered. It can’t be that much, right?
* * *
“Soul magic,” Mors’ explanation echoed in Thera’s head. “It is a magic that draws power from your core. Not from your surroundings like elemental magic, nor does it come from the heavens like divine magic. It comes from deep within you.”
The Fledgling Testudine slunk through the shadows of the flooded hallway. A pair of long dark figures swam silently past a doorway, unaware of what hid within the room. A beak-like jaw lashed out and dragged the first Pygmy Phlegling into the darkness.
It squirmed in Thera’s mouth as she bit again and again and again. [Power Bite] wore her out, but it was effective in tearing through the monster’s stone-like skin. The second Phlegling charged her as she continued ripping apart its partner. It struck the baby Mystic Turtle’s shell— only for a golden glow to stop its attack.
Advertisement
“At its very essence, soul magic is your power and your power alone. The Xanadians— those that had ruled the seas with these ships so long ago— understood this. They were masters of their own soul.”
The first Phlegling stopped moving in Thera’s clamped jaw. She released it and turned to the other monster. It was gnawing on her back— its teeth unable to tear past the golden aura shielding her. Her eyes shone as she looked up at it.
It backed up, but before it could escape, the light covering Thera wrapped around the Phlegling. [Manifestation of the Heart], her newest Skill. The Phlegling was caught by the thin tendrils, thrashing in the tangle of gold light as Thera loomed over it.
“If you can master your own soul— learn to temper the power within your core— then nothing will be beyond your power. Nothing.”
The Phlegling squealed, even in the water. Thera tore it apart slowly, shredding through its skin. She only stopped when the Voice of the World resounded in her mind.
You have leveled up!
[Fledgling Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 6] -> [Fledgling Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 7]!
Skill gained: [Underwater Maneuverability]
Thera smiled at that. She grabbed one of the dead Phleglings by her jaw and swam away from the room. Another Skill! It excited her. It had been a while since she agreed to Mors’ offer, and this was her second time leveling up since then. Her first level up gave her no Skills, although even then, she still grew stronger from it.
But getting a new Skill was always good. This new one, [Underwater Maneuverability] seemed to work at all times too! The Fledgling Testudine smoothly swam down the empty corridors, moving far more adeptly than she had before. She could turn the corners swiftly, speed up and slow down with ease. It was a minor but substantial improvement.
Got to go back, she told herself. Show this to Mors.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she came to a halt. A dozen figures waited up ahead for her. They’d been drawn by the sound of the previous struggle. Pygmy Phleglings. Enough of them that they filled the whole hallway. Thera stared at the swarm of monsters. They made a hissing sound in the water.
She dropped the dead Phlegling and fled. They chased after her as Thera escaped into a destroyed room. She slammed the door shut, but they broke in quickly after her. Squeezing through a hole in the wall, she made her way into another room. This one was full of debris and destroyed furniture. The Pygmy Phleglings flooded in one after another. She navigated around the floating debris as the monsters crashed into it, their movements stalled.
But just as she reached the doorway, a larger Phlegling smashed through the walls. It was about three times the size of the others, and it shoved past them without care, even crushing some of them against the wall.
Thera blinked once as it stared directly at her. And then it gave chase.
[Hunting Dive]. Thera fled down the hallway as fast as she could. But this larger Phlegling still gave chase. It saw the trail of bubbles she was leaving behind, and it was determined to get to her. The interiors of the ruined ship blurred around the baby Mystic Turtle. Corner after corner. Up the stairs. Into another room. Back into the corridors—
Yet, the larger Phlegling didn’t let up. It was quick, but messy with its movements. It crashed into nearly everything in its pursuit. Thera glanced back, her [Hunting Dive] boost having ended a while ago. The monster was catching up. It was right on her tail. She turned another corner as it wildly pushed itself off the back wall, snapping for her.
Advertisement
The baby Mystic Turtle squeaked—
And a golden beam shot past her. The attack struck the larger Phlegling, boring a hole through its side. Thera blinked as the monster recoiled in pain, before narrowing her eyes. Now!
She spun around and charged the long creature. It whipped its body at her, but it moved much slower now. Thera easily dodged the attack and clung onto its side, biting into the bloodied hole. The Phlegling reeled back as it tried to pry her off it, but she clung on, exhausting herself with consecutive [Power Bites].
A yellow sphere whizzed past Thera as she chewed into the large Phlegling’s skin, striking the monster’s head. The long creature jerked back once— and stopped moving. Sighing in relief, the Fledgling Testudine peeled herself back.
“A Juvenile Phlegling,” Mors said as he swam through the gilded double doorway. “Those normally don’t venture this high up in the ship. How peculiar.”
Thera looked at the Luminant Lophis as it waited before the Grand Library of Brunnholl’s Fleet. She’d just barely made it back, and Mors must’ve heard the fighting so he came to save her. It ushered her back into the expansive chamber as she excitedly nodded back— a gesture which she learned from it.
Look, look! she tried to tell the Luminant Lophis as she circled around it. See how fast I can swim!
Mors picked up on this and waved a fin dismissively. “Elemental magic.”
Thera paused as the double doors closed behind them. Her confusion was evident. And the Luminant Lophis shook its head, speaking in a lecturing tone.
“That’s elemental magic, Thera. Not soul magic. You’re attuned yourself to your environment. To these depths. Just like with that other Skill you have which lets you propel yourself forward— it is a subtle manipulation of the water around you.”
She brought her flippers to her head, still unsure of the distinction. But Mors didn’t explain any further. It came to a halt in the center of the room as Thera followed.
“Even still, I must admit that you have shown a vast improvement in such a short amount of time… in all aspects except for one.” It waggled its fin as a whirlpool sucked in a nearby tome towards him.
The leatherbound pages were enchanted so that it survived both the ocean and time itself, yet it was still damaged. Pages were missing, and some of the text had been smudged to the point of unreadability.
Not that Thera could read very well. She froze as Mors shoved the book in front of her. The Luminant Lophis flipped through the pages.
“It’s time for you to train your mind,” it said with a smile.
She stared at Mors with a pleading look. No, please, she begged in her head, but it couldn’t hear her.
“Don’t give me that look. You’ve been slacking on your reading. You’re barely even able to read even after all this time. How long has it been? Two… three months, now?”
The truth was, neither Luminant Lophis nor Mystic Turtle knew how long it had been since they met. Thera just knew that it felt like it had been a shorter period of time than she spent in the kelp forest, and Mors simply spouted random numbers. For the actual amount of time that passed— it had been over four months.
Four months had passed so quickly. But it wasn’t four months of constant, grueling death and battle. In fact, most of the time had been spent here, in this chamber. Whether it be learning how to read, or learning more about Brunnholl’s Fleet, or both like right now—
“Read it with me: this… shipment… of… magic… crystals…”
—Thera found it to be incredibly dull. She just wanted to leave this place already. There was so little to explore. She was always holed up in the same little room, swimming down the same flooded hallways, and fighting the same monsters. She needed a change of scenery. She wanted to find this supposed treasure that would get her out.
It was odd. Not long ago, Thera had been content living in an enclosed space, doing the same routine, hunting down Augusta Geofish and following around starfish. But perhaps that was because staying in this place was suffocating. Whereas in the kelp forest, Thera had the choice to leave at any point. Here she had no choice. She was trapped. And it frustrated her. The fact that she was now cognizant enough to be aware that she was frustrated also frustrated her. She just wanted to—
“Thera… Thera… Thera!” Mors’ voice forced her out of her thoughts. “Are you listening to me?”
She lowered her head slightly, the answer to that evident. The Luminant Lophis frowned at her.
“This is important for you to learn, Thera. The Xanadians ruled the ocean. They were land dwellers, unlike you and I, yet they thrived here simply because they had tempered their souls to achieve their full potential.”
Mors was fascinated by the people of this fleet, but Thera couldn’t care less. She simply listened, suppressing the uncomfortable feeling in her chest as the fish droned on.
“You have potential. I can sense it in you. But the mana within your core is wild and unruly. It cannot grow if you don’t foster it. Discipline it. Treat it like your own child, Thera, so that it may come to aid—”
And Thera began to choke.
“—you.”
A plume of effervescence rose from the baby Mystic Turtle. She flailed in the water as she struggled to breathe. Mors was quick to react. It dragged her up to the ceiling where there was a little gap between water and wood. She inhaled deeply in the air pocket for a moment, before submerging herself back in the water.
“It seems we have spent far too long on this session,” Mors said as she floated back down to it. “Even now, I forget that you are unlike me. One would think that it is quite unusual for a creature that cannot breathe underwater to live under the sea.”
For some reason, she felt hurt by that comment. But Mors didn’t notice. The fish gestured at the little home it had built from wooden scraps down below and spoke simply.
“Rest, then. Sleep well, child. You have had a long day, and the morrow shall be no kinder.”
Thera let out a squeaky yawn, listening to the Luminant Lophis. She descended into the hovel as her eyes fluttered shut. Mors continued.
“Dream of your greatest desire. Of the surface. Of clearer waters. Of safety. And, maybe, just maybe, it will come true.”
Its words echoed in her mind as she went to sleep. A blanket of darkness wrapped around her. And Thera only had a single thought.
I… just want to find the treasure already.
* * *
Thera didn’t normally dream much. Well, it was more like she didn’t remember her dreams when she woke up. Only the night terrors that scared her were memorable. Her other dreams didn’t stand out as much.
This was one such time Thera had a nightmare. She dreamt that she was alone again. Not because she had been swept up by a monster or by nature. It was because Mors had left her. The Luminant Lophis found the treasure on its own, leaving her alone in these ruins.
She could sense Mors leaving her. Its reassuring presence vanished from her side. The warmth it carried— gone. This scared her. It scared her so much that she jolted awake after only an hour of sleeping.
And when Thera woke up, she was alone. Her nightmare had come true.
Mors was gone.
Advertisement
- In Serial233 Chapters
Grimstone
Braytons Barracks. Their goal is to train monsters that defeat monsters. Join five squires as they stumble between classes, friendship, nobility, and war. --- Updates when chapters are completed. Need help catching up? We're working on a wiki! It's, uh, very much a work in progress. --- Book One - Chosen by the Blade Sybil Twist has followed her mentor's lead and has applied to join Braytons Barracks. Before she can even think of becoming a squire, she and her friends are going to have to pass the entrance exams. Book Two - Martyr of the Mist The Guilded Region is greeted by the beginnings of a miasma plague, bringing with it horrific beasts mutated by its curse. A surprise inspection by the Duchess of Violet unveils secrets Alton would rather keep hidden. Veximarl is tossed into the fires of captainship while his squadmates struggle with making new friends, avoiding Stonetoe's wrath and falling in love. Book Three - Stone Cages - Ongoing Sybil is still focused on trapping the ancient god, Tyrtain, within a golem. Before she could proceed, a kidnapping plot sends the knights of the barracks scattering to make a rescue. Alton and Veximarl are faced with a dire decision. Save their friend and risk destroying the Gilded Region or let the knights do their job. Even if they can save the day, they still have to prep for their first real mission. Travel home to Carapace and do whatever they can to save a miasma stricken city. Book Four - Tainted Carapace The city of Carapace is plagued with issues. Most of all is the noble class, who ignores the plights of the Crimson Region in favor of keeping themselves safe. Grimstone Squad is split among different tasks, each doing their best to stop the tainted beasts and political issues that scar the city. Book Five - Acolytes A new year means new missions for the squires for Braytons. No more miasma and no more tainted beasts. The only worries the squires have are troubles of friendship and romance. That and the gods are now warring over the unclaimed Gilded Region. Nothing to worry about! Champions will be chosen. Secrets will be revealed. Who will be the victor? Zaniyah doesn't care. She's just here to have fun. Book Six - Lost to Faith Summer begins with exams for the new year. Afterward, Grimstone Squad is split apart by their upcoming missions. Lives are put in peril as a mysterious weapon emerges in the south, yet a greater threat looms over Sybil's head as an enemy reappears to threaten her freedom. Trust is fragile, but faith is far more brittle. What will ring true at the end? --- - Cover designed by Veoridraws --- Grimstone will always be free on Royal Road. You can also buy paperback copies of completed volumes at amazon.com. Book One: Chosen by the Blade
8 137 - In Serial15 Chapters
A Powerful Duke In Another world
Sorai Hiroto, a 24-year-old guy was killed in a road accident. Meeting the god and having too much regret on himself, God Origin grants him another life. He now has to start in a cliche isekai novel like starting and vows to live a life he wanted with all his childhood fantasies that became a reality in this new world. Lyon Purgarian, a 13-year-old child who became a duke after his father's death is killed by the most unexpected foe, his aunt. Our protagonist gets reincarnated in his body to continue living as Lyon. Can he enjoy his life like he vowed or he would end up having regrets in this life as well?
8 102 - In Serial84 Chapters
Unbound Plane Traveler
The uncertain life of farming for the dubious privilege of living had always been the norm for Thom, a young man born the son of a farmer. Although his mother had given him and his siblings the gift of literacy, it had only served to make him realize how far-fetched his dead dreams were. His life was spent aimlessly and with few hope, until a starless night a girl crash-landed on his field.
8 59 - In Serial26 Chapters
Tellus Stirs (Previously Earth AA)
The year is 2030. Earth is dying. War, pandemics, overwhelming pollution, species going extinct, climate change, etc. The so-called human race has brought more harm to their planet due to greed; their increased energy needs were on a path of decadence even with their increased technological advancements. Tactical Nukes were already used in conflicted zones in the fight for resources. The conclusion was a deep and frightening hum unleashed deep within the earth, heard by every living creature, and with it, civilization has ended. Those who survived wished they were slain along with their loved ones as the dead didn't have to endure what came after. Others took the opportunity to gain unimaginable power and prestige as a new age began. Chaos reigned as per the prophecies foretold in the past. Those who did not believe knew the signs were actual; these prophecies were no longer popular folk tales. Such titles, the Breaking, the Rapture, the Malhama, and many others, came at a high cost. After all, every city or densely populated area had been hit with natural disasters that encompassed tsunamis, Earthquakes, Firestorms, Typhoons, and hurricanes. Power, food, infrastructure. All of it was gone and what came after was worse as humans were no longer top of the food chain. Yet the imminent destruction of the 21st century re-opened a veil that had kept the world safe from hidden dangers, or maybe it was the other way around. Time will tell. In our story, the Protagonist rises from the ashes of the apocalypse. A desert child soldier nurtured by tragedy and death looking for an escape to fill the void in his heart. By chance, in his hand, he held a blade with immense possibilities. Notes: (30.06.2021) - I have re-edited and revised the following chapters up to Chapter 24. - Changed the Title from Earth AA to Tellus Stirs. (3.07.2022) - Edited the Synopsis Cover Done by [email protected] (Permission Given).
8 162 - In Serial16 Chapters
A Legend Reborn
This is the story of Morgan Ayers. The boy who witnessed and fought during the Apocalypse and became one of the seven gods, to rule creation, only to be reincarnated on Earth 1500 years after his presumed dissapearance. Join Morgan as he tries to unravell the reasons for his death and reincarnation while he tries to become a god again. But will his path lead the new and old races of Earth to peace or destruction just for the sake of fun? (To the readers: This is my first novel so go easy on me, but do tell me what you think! (Depending if I feel like it or I am on vacation and I have the time to write, or there is a big demand for it I could post one or more chapters sometimes even in one day, but lets see where this goes. Also English isnt my first language so again go easy on me!) (WARNING: there might be loads of blood and some mature parts do watch out!)
8 86 - In Serial48 Chapters
Endangered
The Lycan race is dying and there's nothing they can do about it but watch their race die out.Since then they have resided in a cave sleeping until they were disturbed by people roaming around. Awoken in a fit of rage the group of Lycans chased out the humans and killed them. Feeding off of the humans got them their strength back unless the host was sick then they would have to fight off the sickness themselves.They decided that the best way to repopulate their species is to breed any and all women. Now all that stand are five lycanthropes who have to adjust to the new world, feed without being discovered, and breed with women. Mortal women.
8 82