Chapter 8: Invasion (4)

The untouchable flames of Hell were being sucked into oblivion by a mere book. The Gate Keeper could not believe this scene. The more flames it breathed, the more those get absorbed until Cerberus finally gave in. For the first time in its life, it encountered a mere mortal who was able to fend herself against the blue flame. Was it the power of the Usurper?

“Beware the Usurper, Cerberus! If you encounter the thing, immediately retreat and inform us!” Cerberus remembered the words of its master. A faithful beast, it was. However, its pride refused to let the girl go. If it could kill the Usurper, its master would be very pleased. It had to beat it.

Cerberus howled majestically, commanding the Orthrus to charge toward the enemy: a little girl.

Meanwhile, Astora has retrieved the book in her hand. With a new inscription, the book, and by extension herself, gained a new power. With the beasts coming toward her in packs, the girl had little moment to waste. She opened the page with the new engraving depicting the blue flame and put her hand into the page. “” Astora performed a second command.

When she pulled her hand back, the image on the book also came back with her: a blue flame wielded in the small hand of a teenage girl. Yet, it did not hurt her as if it was a part of the girl. The other beasts, frightened by that tiny yet terrifying flame, halted their assault. Some were starting to turn back and flee.

“Impossible! How can a mere mortal wield the Flames of Hell?” Cerberus roared in disbelief. The untouchable flame in the hand of a mortal girl, preposterous.

“You dared hurt my mom. I won’t let you go!” Astora raised her fiery fist and smashed it into the ground. The flame from her hand transferred itself into the soil and in an instant, erupted a pyre of extreme conflagration toward the sky, engulfing all unfortunate enough to be within the area. The beasts were roasted alive so quickly they returned to ashes before they had the chance to flee. Not even the owner of this flame was able to get away. The Flames of Hell spared no one.

“ha…ha….ha” Astora breathed heavily. The attack really took a tow on her. She felt weak while her legs were giving up on her. The girl fell on her knees, her hands struggling to hold her up on the ground.

“You did good, mistress. But that was quite reckless, to use all your spirit in one attack like that. What if one of them survived? You would be dead by now.” Grimora denounced but changed his tone. “I like your style, mistress. It was a right decision to entrust me to you after all.”

“Oh shut up!” Astora shoved the flying grimoire lightly. She barely had any strength left. “I did good, didn’t I?”

“Yes you did. For your first time, you still have a lot to learn but we will take our time. But seriously, you were lucky this time. Don’t let your emotions get over your head or you will lose your life!” the book said.

“Yeah yeah I know.” Astora laid flat on the ground and took a long breath. She tried to stretch her arms around but was interrupted by a shadow casting on her.

“Astora? What was that?” Fiora asked her daughter. “Was it you who did that?” Fiora looked again at the scorched earth still on fire with patches of blue flame. “How did….?”

Astora looked at her mother in reverse from the ground and smiled brightly. “It’s a long story, mom”. Truthfully, it was hard to explain everything to her mother. She herself couldn’t believe what happened to her. One by one, Astora told her mother how the last five years have been a nightmare without her, how she met Grimora and how everything ended un here. The girl couldn’t hold back her tears. It was only after the battle ended that it all came back to her. Five years of loneliness, of pain and torment, it all came down at the same time.

Fiora listened attentively to each and every word in silence. She simply hugged her daughter closely as the small girl told her story. The two didn’t care about the current situation nor their surroundings. They just wanted to take this moment and catch up with each other, to soothe their pains.

“Hic..hic.” Grimora sniffed. “So touching! Woa woa...” the book cried out in tears with its only eye from listening to the stories of the two.

“Thank you for having taken care of my daughter!” Fiora pat her little girl’s head. “I wouldn’t know what to do if something happens to her. Thank you!”

“You are embarrassing me, lady.” Grimora shied away. He noticed Fiora’s observant stare at him. “Something the matter?”

“You are a talking book, right? Could it be that you came from the same world as Alastor?” Fiora posed a sudden question. “The world of Astora?”

“What are you talking about, mom?” Astora asked. “What do you mean ‘world of Astora’?”

“…..” Fiora bit her lips. She has long kept this secret from her daughter. But now she felt that it was the time to reveal the truth. “Astora is…the name of the world your father came from. And it is also the reason why I named you after it. So that you could one day find him.”

Slowly, the mother recalled the story from fifteen years ago when the Traveler, Alastor, came to this world. How she met him, how she fell in love with him. But the worst of all, Fiora was unable to tell her daughter one last thing: the truth about her birth. Watching her mother agonizing in silence, Astora could already deduce the reason.

“Is it about my birth? How I was artificially created from his blood?” Astora bluntly said.

“What? How do you know?” Fiora asked in tears. Her mind, filled with dread, feared for this day. Would her daughter hate her for what she did? Would she feel despair from the terrible truth?

“The man in charge of the prison I was in, Chris, told me about it. He wanted to find out about Alastor…dad I suppose. So he told me the truth in order to get me to resent dad.” Alastor coldly recalled. “Of course, I didn’t know anything to tell him.”

“Do you…resent him?”

“Frankly, I don’t know…” Astora turned to her mother. “Does he even know that I am his child?”

“I…He doesn’t know anything. It was me who took that decision. If you want to hate anyone, hate me!” Fiora knelt on the ground.

“How could I hate you, mom? You took care of me all these years by yourself. And I don’t hate anyone. So please stand up!” Astora pulled her mother up. “Mom, can I ask you something?”

Wiping away her tears, Fiora firmly spoke. “Of course, anything dear!”

“When all this is over, let’s go find dad!” the girl proclaimed.

“What?” Fiora uttered in shock. She was so used to wait for Alastor to come back that the mere thought of going after him never occurred to her. It made her wonder why she never thought of that.

“You have waited for him for far too long. You want to see him yourself too right?” said Astora.

“I…I do.”

“Then it is decided.” Astora cheered.

*THUNDER CLAP*

Without warning, the sky darkened. Sounds of thunders could be heard from the horizons and they were getting louder and louder as if a storm was approaching. Then all of a sudden, a spark of lightning hit the ground between Astora and her mother, resulting in a thundering clap and blowing them apart from each other. Luckily, they avoided any major damage. But the threat was far from over. It has just begun. This sudden appearance of a storm was indeed unnatural and the culprit behind it has just made their appearance, along with several unwelcoming guests.

From the sky, the dark clouds separated and revealed a holy pillar of golden light. A figure could be seen floating with two beautiful maidens in white revealing chitons by his side as they descended from the light. Wearing shiny white cloth made from light, the man had short white hair and boxed beard of similar color. His body illuminated with sparks of lightning and emitted a holy aura. The man was without a doubt, a God. Quickly, countless knights in golden armor also descended and gathered behind the God. With a stern expression, the God spoke. His thundering voice spread across the land.

“I call upon the One who would rebel against the mighty Gods. If you have any shred of honor in that sinful heart of yours, then take your own life right now! Or face my judgment, I, the Ruler of Olympus, Zeus!”

Astora watched in awe. This dreadful aura emanating from Zeus was unlike all others she has seen. Next to it, hers was like a droplet among the ocean. Her body trembled in fear. Was this God really her enemy? Could she even compare to him? Even with Grimora, could she take him on? No matter how hard she thought, the outcomes were always the same: she couldn’t beat him.

Not far from there, the two men who have engaged in battle just noticed the enormous presence of Zeus.

“This aura…could it be…?” Steven muttered.

“A Tier 1 God?” the bartender spoke silently. “And this lightning storm…Zeus!”

“Friend, now that a troublesome opponent has appeared, how about we join hands?” Steven proposed with a smile. “Regardless of our goal or prejudice against each other, anything is better than losing her to the Gods, don’t you agree?”

“…Very well!” The bartender abandoned his fighting stance. “But don’t think for one second that I trust you.”

“Like wise! Perhaps you should call your friends over too. That would make things easier for you.” Steven grinned.

‘This man….he knew about the other two and yet he still didn’t try to run away. What is he planning?’ the bartender thought in his mind. He snapped his fingers and instantly two figures appeared by his side. “Madame Rouge. Cronos.”

“Master.” The woman in red and the nobleman nodded. “Do we really need to ally with him?” Rouge asked. “Can’t Cronos just stop time and be done with it?”

“No can do. One of the major gods is here. He would simply break my domain.” Cronos shrugged.

“Besides, I would advise using your domains here. It would alert the other gods still watching from above.” Steven said. “They are being cocky like they always did because their opponents are just some mortals and a kid. But if they notice your involvement, this planet would be obliterated instantly.”

“Why didn’t they do that already? Aren’t they here to kill the girl too?” asked Madame Rouge.

“For someone of your background, I thought you would understand the reason.” Cronos mocked. “They want to make her an example. This entire battle, if I can call it such, is being watched by many. Killing the Usurper in the most festive way for them and humiliating for her would crush all hope of rebellions.” Cronos looked at Steven sternly. “Am I right?”

“Exactly as you said.” Steven applauded.

“Enough chit chatting.” The bartender interrupted. “Our main objective is to save the girl no matter the cost.” He then turned to Steven. “Just to be clear, it will be only you or them too?”

“Them? I don’t know what you are talking about.” Steven grinned deviously.

“Cut the crap! They won’t sit still and watch her die.” The bartender argued. “She is their regent.”

“I am afraid I am not informed on that matter.” Steven said. “Shouldn’t you focus on the matter at hands? I would love to spend more time reminiscing our past but perhaps now isn’t the best time.”

“Fine. I will be watching you. Closely.” The bartender departed with his group, leaving Steven behind by himself.

The agent, or rather the person who took that appearance, smiled at the chaotic situation he was in. Not everything went according to his plan but that was precisely why he loved his job. Everything was so unpredictable. Watching others going against the will of fate was truly thrilling. “A leader must grow to the expectations of their peers. Else why would we need one? Don’t you agree, Eleven?”

“Yes.”

* * *

“” A spear of lightning appeared in the God’s hand as he threw it toward the girl.

“” the lightning spear immediately was absorbed into the book.

“Such trick won’t work against me.” Before Astora could react, Zeus has appeared by her side. His hand wielded a sword made of pure lightning arcs and swung at her. Using the book as a shield, Astora somehow managed to avoid being sliced in two. However…”Did you forget what my weapon is made of?”

Upon contact with Grimora, the lightning sword discharged an electrifying current through the book into the girl. Shocked and paralyzed by the lightning, Astora screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Her body, covered in burn patches, was still trembling from the shock. Her eyes rolled backward while her mouth was foaming.

“Puny worm!” Zeus slammed his feet on the girl’s face. “I can’t fathom why the Lords fear you that much.”

“Get away from my daughter!” Fiora shot repeatedly at the God with her pistol. But they were all stopped by a net of lightning surrounding Zeus’ body. The woman recklessly charged at the god, only to be blown away with a simple slap.

“Foolish woman, how dare you raise your hands against a God? Know your place!” Zeus made his warning by forming a cage of lighting around the woman. A mere touch would electrocute her instantly. “I will deal with you later.” Then he addressed the people around him. “This is the fate of all who dare question the Lords’ authority. Their mercy is the reason why you all are still alive and prosper. And yet, despite that kindness, there are still those who wish to take advantage of the weakness of men and spread chaos around the realm.”

Using his strong arm, Zeus picked up the motionless girl under his feet like a trophy of his hunt and showed it to his followers. “Is this the reason why you doubt you? This insignificant mortal you call the Usurper?” Zeus showed the brand on Astora’ hand: a symbol of two serpents biting each other’ tail. “Today, I will put an end to this farce and restore order.”

“No you won’t!!!” A masked man in a bartender outfit suddenly appeared underneath the tall God. Within fractions of a second, he double palmed Zeus right in his chest. Unfortunately, the lightning barrier was active and greatly lowered the power of the attack. However, it gave the bartender enough time to steal the girl away from the God’s hand.

At the same time, the woman in red has broken the lightning cage trapping Fiora and freed her. “Get out of here!”

“I won’t go anywhere without my daughter.” Fiora didn’t care who the new arrivals were. Only one thing was in her mind: her daughter’ safety. She ignored what the red woman said and ran toward the masked man who was casting some magic on the motionless girl. “What are you doing?” She pointed her gun at the man’s head.

“Saving her! ” the man chained one spell after another. Covered by a holy aura, the girl seemed to get better with each spell.

“Is she okay?” Fiora asked.

“For now! But we need to get her out of here.”

“NONE OF YOU ARE GOING ANYWHERE!!!” a thundering roar rang loudly. Zeus furiously charged at the bartender, who instantly turned back and repelled him with his bare hands. “Who are you to interfere with me?” Zeus angrily questioned.

Without giving Zeus any chance to approach, the bartender immediately engaged him in a fist battle. Meanwhile, his two followers were also pushing back against the golden knights, halting their assault. “Get her out of here!” The bartender instructed Fiora.

“….Right!” The woman nodded in agreement.” Thank you!”

Held by her mother’s arms, Astora slowly began to regain her consciousness. Her body still felt sore and her face aching from the damages she took. “Mo…Mom…?” Astora saw her mother’s face faintly.

“I am here, sweatie!” Fiora reassured her daughter. The woman was never one with lots of physical strength and her daughter was already in her teens. But in this moment of despair, she somehow gained a tremendous force of momentum and was able to carry her daughter in her arms by herself. Such was the power of a mother’s love.

“Mom….it hurts…”

“I know. Just hang on!” the woman had no idea where to run to. She herself was confused by the situation, between the invaders who called themselves Gods and the strangers who helped her. “It will be okay.”

“Will…we see dad?” Astora asked weakly.

“We will. I promise yo…”

“LOOK OUT MISTRESS!!!”

*LIGHTNING CLAP*

A flash of light pierced Fiora from behind and nearly passed through the child in her arms. The woman fell down and dropped her daughter onto the ground violently. As the girl tried to raise her head up from the soil, a horrifying scene was in front of her. Fiora lied motionless in a pool of blood.

“M…Mom?” the girl uttered in shock. “M…Mom?”

At the moment, the world seemed to have collapsed in Astora’s mind. The child watched helplessly as her mother was bleeding to death. She used all her remaining strength to crawl back to her mother’ side. Even with her nails broken by the rubbles, she persisted. No matter how much she screamed out with her sore throat, the mother didn’t respond. No matter how much she cried, the mother remained silent.

But then, her fingers were moving. The mother was still alive. Astora remembered the piles given to her by Steven. If she could just get to her in time, she might be able to save her.

“Mom, hang on! I am coming.” Astora crawled on the ground as fast as she could.

“As…tora…fi..nd…” the mother muttered.

“You bastard, what have you done?” Angered, the bartender threw his fist as hard as he could and dislocated Zeus’ jaws.

But the God quickly recovered and put his jaw back in place. He raised his hand forward. “Come to me, Aegis!”

The two maidens who accompanied Zeus began to dance in a circling motion before turning into a round with their image on it. As if it answered the call of the shield and its master, thunders rolled across the battlefield, hitting everyone indiscriminately.

“A Divine Weapon?” the bartender quickly evaded the numerous thunder strikes aiming at him.

“Behold the ultimate shield forged by the Ancients! With its wraith, I shall decimate this world to dust.” Zeus proclaimed as he hit the shield to the ground, creating a massive shockwave. The tremor was so powerful it split the earth itself and divided the city into two.

As the crack broadened, it spread toward the mother and daughter. Seeing the thing coming toward her, Astora increased her speed. But with just her small arms, she couldn’t make it.

“I am coming, mom. I am coming.” The girl cried out.

“Fi..nd..your…father….Tell..him…” the mother muttered quietly.

“MOM!”

“That…I love him.”

The bottomless chasm splintered the earth and swallowed all that was dear to Astora.

“MOM!!!!!!”

The heartbroken outcry of a daughter who just lost her mother echoed across the abyss but was never answered. Her hand reached out but was too late. She watched her mother, the person who loved her the most in this world, disappearing in that pit. Like a ray of light sucked into a black hole, none could escape. She tried to follow her but a floating grimoire stood in her way and tried to pushed her back to the edges. He begged her to come back to her senses, no matter how vain it might be. But she could no longer hear his words nor any sound in this world. All she could hear was silence, a deadly silence followed by the stream of despair. In an instant, the anguish of grief turned into spite, her sadness into fury and her regret into hatred.

“Mistress, please go back to your sense!” Grimora felt a sudden surge of emotions swelling inside him. This unwavering fervor of resentment he felt, it came from the girl. It turned his sane mind too into a frenzy state. The connection between the two was too strong at this point for anything to hold them back. And then when it reached the pinnacle, it exploded.

A dark aura suddenly surged from the mindless girl that could be felt even above the clouds. Even among the stars, it attracted the attention of divine beings as well as others of unknown origin. Hidden since the beginning of the battle, a dark lifeform has just been roused by this wave of madness it felt even in the space of nothingness. The being who has carefully avoided the attention of the gods was now forcing its way through the armada staying outside the atmosphere of the planet. It could no longer suppress this hunger, this thirst it first sensed fifteen years ago when it was still sealed inside a prison in the edge of the universe.

Meanwhile, on the surface, a dark mist began to ooze out of the sky. These new clouds of darkness were something else, much more than those formed by Zeus’ thunderstorm. They circled around a peculiar center on earth: a young girl holding a fiendish book.

“Stop! You cannot use that power here.” The bartender was shocked by the sudden surge emanating from the girl. ‘Could it be that this is their plan after all?’ he thought about the man posed as Steven who was absent since the beginning of the battle. However, the masked man could see Steven with a shocked expression standing on a nearby roof. He too didn’t see this coming.

“Eleven, we got a problem. I believe she is…transcending.” Steven spoke to himself out loud.

“…….”

“I know. But this…if she somehow summons that thing here, we are all dead.” Steven shouted.

……

“Lord Zeus, can you hear me?”

“What? I am a little busy right now. That brat is up to something.”

“We are detecting the presence of a portal above your location. The mana level it is emitting…it is off the charge. It seems to respond to that girl’s power. Please retreat!”

“Retreat? Never! I will just have to kill her before she could finish the summoning!”

While everyone’s attention was on the girl, Zeus used his lightning speed and charged toward her. Whatever she was planning, if he could kill her before it, it would be his win. However, to his own surprise, a barrier of paper has formed around Astora. Each revealed a magic circle of the highest level, creating an impenetrable defense and pushed back the God.

“Impossible!” Zeus screamed.

However, it was too late. The ritual has been completed.

“LORD ZEUS, IT’S COMING!”

From the sky, something big was coming down. Seemingly made of a stygian material never seen before, the object was adorned with countless gems and shiny crystal but also hundreds of human skulls on top. Its size rivaled a five floors building. As for what it looked like, the thing resembled a peculiar object found in many legends sought by many but always turned out to bring calamity whenever it was discovered. And this time, it was no exception. Slamming heavily into the ground in front of Astora, the object finally revealed its true form: a giant goblet.

“Thou misfortunate soul who know the pain of losing a loved one, what is thy wish?”

A disembodied voice rang across the field.

“Make them pay for what they did to my mom! Make them bleed! Make them beg for the release of death!” Astora cried out.

“A requirement of a thousand souls is needed. Will thou accept this contract?”

“Collect as much as you need! There are plenty around. Besides I will give you more soon.” Astora spoke in a maniac tone.

“The contract is sealed.”

The goblet radiated a wicked light of dawn. Across the city ruins, hundreds of souls from the deads and living, mortals and gods alike, were being sucked into the artefact. A black ooze filled the cup as more souls were collected. No matter how they struggled, these poor souls could never escape. Their wailings sickened even those with the strongest of hearts. Even Zeus and the bartender could only watch frozen in place. But it didn’t affect the girl who caused all this. Her eyes filled with hatred watched the souls being sucked in and yet, she felt nothing. The girl was too far gone in her revenge.

“The payment has been completed. Now, let the Catharsis begin!”

At that time, a light englobed Grimora and a new page was filled with a bloody inscription. Depicting the goblet, it said.

Name: Unholy Grail of Malevolence

Type: Legendary Artefact

Description: The source of All Evil. One of dark artefacts since the beginning of time, representing the aspect of Misfortune. Only one who knows true pain will be able to summon the Grail.

Once, a boy lost his family to a group of evil men. When he finally avenged his family, the boy felt empty. He may have quelled one evil but there were still countless evils in the world. That day, the boy made a vow to remove evil from this world. Using the bones of his wrong-doers and the ashes of his family, the boy created a malevolent chalice that can seal all evil within it. And so, the boy traveled across the land, sealing all evil doers he encountered inside by grinding them to mushes until they became a black ooze. The more evils he destroyed, the bigger the chalice became. Until one day, he killed an innocent man by mistake. Unable to forgive himself, the boy let himself be smashed by the weight of the chalice. The boy lost his life but his curse continued on, ever seeking more evils.

“Where does evil come from, if not for the misfortunes they encountered in their lives?”