MEMORY FRAGMENT

Nymph Capital Sorgente, Nymph’s Era

Clouds floated gently above the ocean, colored bright orange in the sunset. Most would find them calming, some might even call them beautiful, but Giaccia knew all too well that they were neither.

“Now!” she whispered, swimming up to the surface.

Dozens of nymph soldiers followed, combat splitting as they did. Hundreds of water tendrils shot up towards the sky. Moments later, they were sliced into pieces by just as many air currents originating from the clouds.

Scavengers, Giaccia thought. That was good. Anyone stronger would have come with battle mages.

What are their levels? Giaccia asked in her awakened realm, focusing on the largest of the clouds. If she managed to destroy that, the rest would be easy to follow.

Twenty-three, the echo of the group’s mage replied. Twenty-three to thirty, mostly.

Third gaters? That was low, even for scavengers. That explained why they had tried to sneak their way through Icestream territory, as well as why they were so bad at it. Any children?

None that I can see. All of them are awakened.

That settled it. It was impossible for a group of awakened to gather by accident.

Hundreds of nymphs broke through the watery surface, attacking at the invaders. They were instantly met with a rain of air bolts and arrows.

Giaccia paid no notice, letting out three line strikes through the larger clouds. The thread of destruction sliced through, filling the air with a horrifying scream; a cloud creature had just died.

“Focus on the clouds!” Giaccia ordered. “That’s—”

Wait! The mage echo shouted within her realm. There’s a thunder fury with them!

A web of lightning emerged, raining gown on the nymph attackers. Dozens were scorched on the spot, their bodies transforming into charred remains. Dozens more were wounded to the point of uselessness.

Magic symbols covered Giaccia’s skin. It wasn’t her doing it, but the echo of the mage within her realm. Both knew that against such an enemy, it would hardly matter. Lightning was natural magic of a higher order. It would take a mage of over eighty to create a spell to adequately counter it, and right now, all mages of that caliber were tending to the royal heir.

More lightning strikes followed; far smaller than before, they targeted individual nymph groups. Finding themselves suddenly outmatched, most of the nymphs quickly fled back into the water. Giaccia didn’t.

You mustn’t stay up there, the mage’s echo insisted. They aren’t looking for a fight. If we let them through, they won’t follow.

If we can’t stop this group, we won’t be able to stop the rest.

Running on the ocean’s surface, Giaccia sprinted in the direction of the lightning source. The remaining clouds made it difficult to see, but based on the bolt’s position, she got a good idea.

Line attacks rained up on her, slicing the ocean surface as if it were a wax. The furies who had been losing a moment ago, now took advantage of the situation, focusing on any enemy they could see. At the moment, that was less than a handful.

How many are we? Giaccia asked the mage’s echo.

On the surface? Five.

How good are the other three?

Having no time to waste on the lesser opponents, she performed a point attack in the direction of the cloud above her, then spun her wrist. A spiral of destruction formed, combining the devastating features of point and line attacks.

A fair distance away, an aether sphere appeared, surrounding another of the nymphs. It was good to know that the company mage had remained in the fight. Giaccia caught sight of another nymph—an old veteran who had been dealing with skirmishers for decades. His magic was low, allowing him to only cover his skin with a thin layer of magic threads.

Pincer attack, the soldier gestured, forcing the water beneath his feet to rise like a tower launching him up in the sky. Half a dozen water copies followed.

Giaccia immediately did the same.

Where are you? She split into three instances, searching for the thunder fury.

Droplets of water shot out in all directions. Even if the fury was using something to become invisible, the spray of water would reveal it.

Several new bolts of lightning gained form, targeting both attackers. Half of the veteran’s water copies were obliterated.

Another bolt flew by Giaccia’s, though it wasn’t remotely as threatening. The enemy’s aim didn’t seem to be all that good at close distances.

Two more nymphs shot up from the ocean, converging on the target. Aware of the overall situation, they launched as many water projectiles as they could handle. They weren’t the only ones. All and any remaining furies quickly flew in that direction as well. This was the key point of the battle: either the nymphs would manage to fend off the attack, or they’d lose.

Found him! The mage’s echo said in her realm. The gap in the spray.

It took a fraction of a second for her to see what he was referring to. As water and air clashed, a silhouette of emptiness briefly formed in the distance. That was where the thunder fury was hiding—just below what remained of a cloud cluster.

Boost me there, Giaccia ordered.

That’s a bad idea. With all those clouds, there’s—

Do it!

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Magic patterns formed on Giaccia’s back and legs. A new force emerged, propelling her forward like a slingshot.

The fury’s reflexes were likely on par with hers since he responded by launching a web of lightning her way. Deep inside, Giaccia smiled. The challenge of combat had swept away the cobwebs and mold that life in the capital had stuck to her. In this moment, she felt alive, eager for the fight, eager for the kill.

There was no point in relying on any guard skills now. Taking full advantage of her training, Giaccia combined acrobatic and attack skills, targeting the lightning itself.

Force met magic. That alone wasn’t enough to negate the enemy's spell, but when combined with a spiral strike, she was able to swirl all the lightning bolts, creating a tunnel of safety through them.

My turn to counterattack. She followed up with dozens of point strikes.

Clouds exploded, shredding into nothingness as they were pushed away from the target. The figure of a small fury formed, its black skin leaving no doubt whether he was the lightning caster. Now, Giaccia could see him for the first time.

The fury was old, far older than she would have expected. No doubt he was experienced, continuing to cast lightning while at the same time surrounding himself with air currents in a desperate attempt to deflect Giaccia’s attacks. In another time, he might have been a commander, possibly even a general. Now, he was nothing but the scavenger, sneaking through Icestream territory.

Careful! The mage echo shouted as the nymph veteran was struck in the funder fury’s latest attack. He had taken the brunt of the attacks, providing Giaccia’s an opening and she intended not to waste it.

Continuing with piercing attacks, Giaccia reached the thunder fury. From this distance, the air currents were so thick, that the magic within them had created a semi-transparent layer of purple.

The fury turned around. In that single moment, both attacker and attacked knew that only one of them would survive. The difference was that Giaccia had no doubt as to who the survivor would be.

“Spark,” she said out loud.

Her blade danced through the air. Faster than the eye could see, it sliced through the gaps of the air currents, carving them out like threads from a ball of yarn. Before the thunder fury could commence his response, hundreds of them had snapped, creating a crack in the otherwise invulnerable shield. Yet, a crack was enough.

Splitting into four instances, Giaccia thrust her rapier forward. The tip of the blade entered the inside of the air bubble, releasing the raw power of a point attack, along with a jet of water.

Sparks of lightning had just emerged, but it was already too late. The moment the jet hit the fury’s chest, he exploded in a burst of blood and bones. No longer under control, the air currents untangled, pushing Giaccia back, and scattering the fury’s remains within miles.

I won, Giaccia told herself.

Her heart was beating like crazy, eager to continue the fight. Right now, she felt like she could fight the world itself, yet there was no one left to present a challenge. At the sight of their leader’s death, the remaining furies stopped their attack, turning around to flee in all directions. They wouldn’t get anywhere. The surviving nymphs that had avoided the thunder battle were already emerging from the ocean again, ready to make up for their behavior. They’d have no trouble mopping up the remains.

Leaving gravity to take its course, Giaccia relaxed as she fell down. Twenty feet from the surface, the water rose up, gently meeting her fall.

“Well done again,” the mage floated next to her. The protective aether bubble was gone, but he still used a flight spell to remain in the air. “You didn’t have to take him down yourself. We would have managed.”

Maybe, maybe not. “Why didn’t you spot the thunder fury?” she asked.

“Magic is an art. There was no reason to think there would be one hiding among scavengers. The more important question is, why was he here to begin with?”

“He was experienced. I saw that much.”

“A thunder solder?” The mag rubbed his chin. “They didn’t look like an attack force. I mean, look at them.”

That much was true.

“Maybe trouble’s brewing east again?” he suggested.

After the collapse of the copyette empire and the banishment of their race, the east continent had become a mess. Gorgons, dwarfs, and dryads were scattered among small kingdoms, surrounded by a wilderness of monsters. Even the furies had avoided the area.

Giaccia hated the isolationist policy of her father. As far as king Cial was concerned, “out of sight out of mind” was the greatest form of wisdom there was. In his view, Icestream had no reason to get involved in land affairs and that’s all there was to it.

“If we had captured the thunder fury alive, maybe we could have asked him.” The mage quickly caught the warning glance coming from Giaccia. “Maybe the scavengers would know. We’ll just ask them.”

Princess Giaccia! a servant’s echo said from her realm. You must return to the capital!

It had been Giaccia’s idea to invite the echoes of a few trusted servants into her realm. That way, she could remain up to date with what was going on without having to be there. Up till now she’d mostly heard useless gossip—her uncle’s inspirations to inherit the throne, her brother getting worse or better, depending on the day—but never anything spectacularly urgent. This time, it was different; she could hear the panic in the echo’s voice.

What happened? Giaccia asked.

Your sister. She went to the awakening temple and—

Did father force her? Giaccia interrupted.

It had been years since Tiallia’s last awakening attempt. The last ones had been exceptionally taxing, sapping all her strength, though still without result. For that reason, it was decided that no further attempts would be made.

No, princess. She went there on her own and has been unconscious ever since.

Unconscious?! Fear and anger flashed in Giaccia’s eyes.

Without another world, she turned to the mage, but he was already ahead of her. Several complex spell patterns had appeared in the water beneath them, forming a portal outline.

“Tell me what’s happened,” he said, continuing with the spell. “I’ll take care of things here.”

Giaccia didn’t nod, her attention entirely focused on the forming portal. Once it was complete, she leaped in. Purple exploded around her, as if she’d splashed into a pool of aether. When it cleared, moments later, she was back in the Galatea’s square within the capital. A gigantic statue of the Purple Moon stared down at her, made entirely of Moonstone. Any mage attuned with it could instantly create a portal to there; if Giaccia had an adequate magic level, she could as well. That wasn’t her concern right now. Dashing through the square, she rushed to the awakening temple.

A small crowd had already gathered by the time she had arrived. Hundreds of nymphs of various ages were there, eager to find out what was going on. The whispers in the air spoke of a member of the royal family dying. Most speculated that it was Prince Astrea. Others claimed it to have been Princess Tiallia or even Princess Giaccia herself.

Using her awakening skills to weave through the crowd, Giaccia reached the cordon of guards at the entrance.

“Move aside,” she said with the authority of a royal.

Feeling the weight of her presence, the soldier’s body instantly moved to the side, before his conscious mind could even register what had happened.

Pushing past, Giaccia rushed into the temple.

A long corridor continued for a hundred feet, splitting into three. Each section had its own awakening altar. Following the trail of guards, it was clear which one Giaccia had to follow.

“You can’t go there,” a nymph dressed in the gold and purple attire of a royal mage said.

Giaccia ignored him, rushing through the people like a needle through cloth.

“Tia!” Giaccia shouted as she entered the altar room.

Three people were present there: two royal mages and her sister lying on the floor. To her partial relief, her sister appeared to be breathing.

“What happened?” Giaccia went to the unconscious princess. “Who allowed this?”

“She came here herself, highness,” one of the mages said, his voice dripping with annoyance. “She convinced her guards that she just wanted to pray for her brother’s health.”

You silly girl!

Tiallia knew better than anyone else the state of the prince. Bishops from the Order of the Seven Moons had spent years praying for the same, with no result. The only reason she would come here was to do something stupid such as this. The nymph saw herself as a burden, so she must have forced herself to make one more attempt at awakening.

“Tia…” Giaccia put her hand on her sister’s cheek. “Why did you do this? You know you can’t fight fate.”

When the Moons decided something, nothing in the world could change their mind. After what the Star and the copyettes had attempted, there were many who didn’t blame them.

“Will she live?” Giaccia looked at the nearest mage.

“She’s breathing,” he replied. “As far as I can tell, she’s healthy. When dealing with Moon matters, one can never be—”

Suddenly, Tiallia opened her eyes. She sat up, looking around the room. Second felt like hours. No one had the mental capacity to react to what had happened, staring at her as if she were out of this world.

“Tia?” Giaccia asked. “You awakened?”

“Yes,” the other replied, looking Giaccia straight in the eyes, seeking for answers there. “Yes, I awakened.”