-[燃燒在你自己]-

Osloate

-[對于你嘅生活絕望]-

Oedinus Lenite

The two were absorbed in a battle of language. For each spell, the other had given a counter; and although the disparity between Aren and the monster was great, Aren was holding his ground.

Yes, even a mortal could challenge such a godlike being, but it was not through Aren’s efforts that Basra was weakening.

Deep inside Basra was a very different conflict.

‘What… is this place?’

-Gatekeeper limax, you cannot keep me here trux minx.-

Gatekeeper?

The world was no longer visible.

I had receded to another dark place, yet this time I had form.

The origin of the voice speaking to me was shadowed by the strange lighting of this world, wherever this world was.

The creature’s irises were yellow slits, with the white surrounding them bloodshot and irritated.

The mouth of the creature was circular with thin bone needles protruding from the top and bottom of the ring. It had no nose, and nothing on its face had moved when it spoke to me.

-I will not go back huic ostiarius-

-Basra. I’m only able to do this much, the rest lies on your shoulders-

It had called me Basra. The Michael it knew was sacrificed, or at least the memory was. If anything, this left me with more questions than answers, but those could be resolved at a later time.

Right now, in this moment, I needed to act.

‘What are you?’

-上帝-

-What is the word in your tongue, canem inferior?-

The creature stepped from the shadows, and its entire body was on full display.

Its body was hunched, and its skin was an alien gray except for its torso which was covered in hair. It stood on two hooves, but its hands were four long fingers ending in gnarly claws that twisted into unkempt shapes.

-Your species would call me Ceres-

Ceres…

An oddly human name, unfitting of the inhuman creature.

‘What do you want with me Ceres?’

-Et nunquam regredi, I require salvation-

‘Salvation? Salvation from what?’

The creature shuddered when asked, and hesitated to answer before finally giving me its response.

-The other side of the gate. I would rather share this world with you et erunt vermes than have to ever go back-

-…-

-I’ll cut you a deal Gatekeeper-

‘In what sane reality would I ever form a pact with a demon?’

The word demon had made the monster flinch, like it felt demeaned.

Its pride was hurt, but it continued anyways.

-In uoragine we could stay here for an eternity, or you could take over your vessel once more sus stultus. I would just ask to share it with you-

Such an offer would surely have a catch, well, if sharing my body with a demon was deemed the pro of this transaction.

‘And what would you do while we’re sharing my body?’

-I would only observe-

Can I really trust this creature, the same being that had possessed me just moments ago?

The voice that had given me this negotiation with Ceres had already said it was finished, it could do no more than what it already had.

What happens next… it’s up to me.

‘Okay Ceres, you have a deal.’

If there was any chance for me to come back to the world of the living, to pave my legacy, then this was it.

Ceres approached me, and reached out its long arms ending in its disgusting hands; it was trying to shake my hand.

I reached out and joined his hand with mine. Its skin was dry, yet maintained an inconsistent slime that wiped itself on my fingers, a phantom sweat.

-[傻瓜]-

The lights in that strange world went dark, and a new light at the end of a tunnel shined brightly in the distance. This was it, my resurrection.

‘Miss, the boy… he’s waking up.’

Sophie had seen it, the aura of Basra had shifted; not entirely gone, but suppressed by a new aura, the aura of a human.

‘Aren be careful! I think that boy made a deal!’

A deal.

She meant a deal made with a demon, a creature of untapped power in the mortal realm.

If Basra made such a transaction, he was now more volatile than ever; there was no telling what he could do, but the past destruction was a good indication.

Aren rested his hand on where the pillar of light had shot out from during the ritual.

The battle at hand had ended with a retreat by the soldiers, but they would be back soon. What was left were the company of Phoenix veterans, Sophie, and Aren himself.

*hummmmm*

‘WHAT?!?!’

‘Aren what’s wrong!’

Aren was taken aback by the low rhythm of Basra’s chest. The low hum was very reminiscent of Aren’s early treasure, the conduit.

It was inconceivable, yet true.

This boy. He was able to resonate with the conduit.

Not even Aren was a match for the mysterious door, yet the child before him was now a key to a world unknown.

Extraction was neither possible, nor desired at this point; Basra was an asset, a valuable tool of untold knowledge.

‘We need him miss. He’s resonated with the conduit.’

‘!’

Sophie’s surprise was palpable. Teodora had been a golden age nation because of the conduits power, and now that power could be used to a far greater extent.

If they could control Basra, they could have their revenge and then some.

‘Wait, I think his eyes are-‘

‘ARGHH!’

Aren let out a wicked yell, and fell to the floor holding his nose. Basra had lashed out, and threw a rabbit punch into the center of Aren’s face.

‘Fucking brat!’

Basra jumped to his feet, and fled to the woods; he knew that in the forest, they would never catch him.

‘After him!’

‘No! Help Aren and tend to the wounded, we’ll regroup in Praguor.’

Vice-Captain Neveah had wanted to give chase, but Sophie had other plans. She knew the boy wouldn’t get far, and was more concerned about Arensial and the coming reinforcements from Soramesh.

‘Tell Zion to see me when he returns.’

‘I’ll inform him as soon as he does miss.’

With a chest salute, the Vice Captain returned to her duties.

It had been a successful venture for the clan.

The winds of freedom were berating my flesh; the cold sent prickles into my arms, and made my breaths exhilarating.

For so long, I was repressed, unable to feel. And now the reality of the situation came crashing down.

My drawers were filled with shit, and soaked by my piss. My body was thin and weak, and the smell lingered into my nose; I was yet to adapt to my own disgusting self.

I collapsed, and fell on my ass.

My eyes had thought it was a good time to cry, and so I wept. I cried until the tears went dry, and even then, I cringed at my self-loathing.

I was strong when I felt nothing, but living again was scary.

When I was finished letting everything out, nothing would change. I needed to run, I needed to hide; it was cowardly, but what else could I do? Even now, I feared the future. I hadn’t grown from this, not in the slightest.

-Lutum, how pitiful you are. If you want to escape Gatekeeper, just use your own gate-

My own gate?

He must’ve meant the power within me, the thing that had allowed Ceres into this world. I can escape this hell, yes; this is my answer.

‘Could you… teach me?’

What a bunch of fucking bastards.

Lord Saran was in defeat. His men had ran, and their failure was painted on their faces as they entered the walls of Soramesh.

‘GRANDAD!’

Saran’s grandson Boyar, who was still buzzed from the earlier feast, had ran to Saran with open arms.

*THWACK*

‘Knock it off you lazy oaf!’

Lord Saran had smacked Boyar hard enough to sober him up.

The incident in Praguor, that was at the fault of Boyar. His mission was to bring peace to the town, and he had failed exponentially.

‘Ye-yes sir!’

Boyar stood at attention to his angry grandfather, and had expected to get chewed out.

‘Ride out to the Korm Empire, and tell Empress Kice to gather the other members of the Belmud alliance.’

‘I know I know, it’ll never- wait what did you say?’

A new task, one could say this one was even more important than the last.

The Belmud alliance was a coalition of countries, but relations have been rocky these last couple of years. To give this quest to Boyar means to place an extremely sensitive responsibility in his hands.

‘I WON’T LET YOU DOWN SIRE!’

Boyar was rejuvenated with fighting spirit.

This was it, his chance to prove himself and be rewarded with a harem of ladies when he returned home.

‘Gather the horses and prep my gear captain! We ride to Korm immediately!’

‘Aye!’

Chapter 8 Part 2 End