Damn it! Who are you!? Who the hell are you!!? I thought with my eyes closed, trying to process and understand the strange sensation I got from exchanging glances with that woman. Because that sensation… felt unsettlingly familiar.
"Drake! Open your eyes! This is incredible!" Zoe suddenly shouted excitedly, breaking my concentration amidst all the noise from the start of the Storm Festival.
Several minutes had passed since that moment, and the questions still pounded in my head like a waterfall.
"Yeah… Zoe." I replied in a low voice, looking at the ground thoughtfully after glancing at my sister beside me for a second.
"Hey! Don't be so melodramatic and boring. Better appreciate this, because it's not something you see every day." She finished saying, before grabbing my hand when she saw I was still hesitant.
"..."
The festival had begun, and after the alarm, all the city's barriers had been activated, calming the people who had been alarmed by the monstrous storm approaching, with tornadoes and lightning striking the sea.
Once the entire city was covered in darkness, all the lights in the streets and houses turned on, as if it were an eclipse. Among them all, several began to concentrate on a single point, catching my attention before I felt a tug from my sister.
"Drake! Do you see that!? I think the Storm Walkers will come out from there!" Zoe shouted so I could hear her, as the sound of the thousands of people surrounding us and the storm made it impossible to talk without shouting.
Heeding her, I focused a bit of mana into my eyes, seeing in detail what the lights were illuminating. It was a stone platform jutting out from the cliff, and on it, dozens of people were equipping themselves at full speed.
They were grouped by the colors of their outfits with a luminous fabric, adjusting strange dark glasses and a kind of fins on their hands. On their legs, they secured a short, wide board, similar to those used for surfing in my past life.
They look weird as hell, but… I have to admit they look pretty cool. I confessed upon seeing the shape of their equipment. I remember they said the sport was focused on surfing the storm, and not so much the waves of the rough sea as I thought they would.
As I watched, an alarm sounded, followed by an amplified voice that echoed throughout the city, imposing itself over the roar of the tempest.
"Welcome everyone to the Storm Festival! Beings of different races!"
What? Where the fuck is that voice coming from? I said, confused, turning my head to look for the source of the sound until I realized it was coming from the street lanterns. The lanterns are speakers? How weird….
"In just a few minutes we will begin our main event! Where our competitors, 'The Storm Walkers' will strive to reach the crown asssss…. the new Storm King!" The voice announced with overflowing enthusiasm. "The event will be available to all districts in their central square, and for those in the central district, we ask you to get comfortable because this is going to get fucking wild!"
There was a pause, and the crowd roared before the announcer finished with his slogan.
"Because to ride the wind is to live, and to master the storm is to be a LEGEND!"
Fuck, that was so cringey…. I thought, until my trance was broken by a tug on my hand.
"Come on, Drake! Let's find another spot, because you can't see very well from here." Zoe shouted, dragging me through the crowd without giving me time to react.
Being dragged by her, I regained my composure halfway, correcting my steps so as not to stumble until we stopped at the edge of a main road near the carriage terminal we had arrived at, where curiously there were fewer people than at the shops.
Glancing at it superficially, I noticed the spot was perfect, as you could see the huge stone platform from where the competitors would emerge without obstruction.
"Yep, this place is perfect." Zoe said, smiling at me.
I nodded in silence, before analyzing the surroundings with my eyes. Wait… the large wooden railing, the specific design of the lanterns, the exact angle from which the cliff is seen….
A strange and chilling familiarity began to invade me. My mind closed in on itself, connecting blurry images from a repetitive memory.
This place is—
"Thank you for your patience!" The announcer's voice boomed, interrupting my thought. "For our first leg, all walkers will exit through the Northwest Zone, to the fishing district in the South, among whom is our current Storm Queen! A legend among legends! With three consecutive championships wonnnn… Hanna Weisz!!"
The crowd erupted in a deafening roar, but for me, everything went silent, feeling as if a final nail sealed the coffin of my tranquility.
This place is… the one from my dream.
With my heart hammering in my chest, I gently tugged on Zoe's sleeve until she turned around. I leaned closer to her ear, trying to make my voice sound as calm as possible.
"Zoe… I'm scared… this-this is the exact place I dreamed of." I said, unable to control my fear and nerves.
Her smile vanished instantly. She frowned seriously and went on alert, closing her eyes as I felt her activate Perception to its maximum capacity.
Those seconds felt like an eternity. While she scanned the area, my eyes moved frantically through the crowd, searching for any possible threat, any hooded face. I readied my core, preparing the little mana I had left to activate my only Rune, Atlas, at any moment if necessary.
After a while, Zoe opened her eyes, with a completely relaxed expression.
"Calm down, Drake, there's nothing strange within a 15-kilometer radius. So it's impossible for anything to happen, at least for now." She said calmly.
What? What do you mean nothing will happen? Her confidence frustrated me. She didn't understand.
"No, you don't get it, Zoe, the woman I saw—-." I started to say, but I fell silent again due to the nerves the announcer's voice was giving me.
"We start in three! Two! One! Go master the storm!!"
With fear running down my spine, I turned to insist, to try to explain the real danger she couldn't perceive even with Perception, but she stopped me, putting a hand on my shoulder and showing me a smile full of confidence.
"Drake, seriously, calm down, nothing will happen. I'm here with you."
Her confidence confused me. I wanted to insist, to explain that her Perception wasn't everything, but looking at her, I saw her eyes were fixed on the storm, completely submerged in the spectacle. The wind howled with more force and a torrential rain began to fall, violently hitting the invisible barrier that covered the city and kept us perfectly dry.
Just at that moment, the walkers launched themselves from the platform. They plummeted towards the raging sea and, upon crossing the barrier's limit, the colossal tornadoes sucked them in instantly, dragging them towards the dark sky.
"Wow." Zoe said, completely amazed.
I, on the other hand, didn't understand what was happening. I adjusted my vision with mana, and I noticed that, instead of being dragged chaotically, they used the force of the tornadoes to propel themselves, flying through the air and passing from one vortex to another as if it were a game.
Wh–? W-why–? Ho–? What…? Ah, my poor head, why do weird things like this always have to happen? I thought, a bit resigned, as I continued watching the much-loved 'sport' that the people of this city liked.
"Drake! How do they do that!? It's incredible!" Zoe shouted excitedly, pointing to the figures that looked like fireflies crossing and advancing among the tornadoes towards the south of the city. "Look, Drake, that one in yellow must be the champion they announced, the… Hanna… Hanna something." She continued, pointing to one of the lights that moved with astonishing fluidity and speed in the darkness.
Her excitement continued, with the announcer's commentary in the background narrating everything that was happening along with another person, until suddenly they said something that filled everyone near us with worry.
"I can't believe it! It seems that the walker James from the capital is losing control!"
"Could it be that we have an accident in the first round of this competition?"
"James is being sucked in! If he doesn't do something, he'll fall soon!"
"Wait, Kuso, James is correcting his route, making a full circle around the tornado that made him fall."
"That's right, it seems he will soon rejoin the other competitors… But I don't think so! LOOK! HE'S AT THE SAME HEIGHT AS GARU FROM SILA, WHO IS APPROACHING THAT TORNADO!!"
"That's right, if he doesn't do something to avoid him, there will be two casualties instead of one."
"James is about to complete the turn, and… he didn't dodge it, that's it."
"It can't be, James is veering at high speed towards the city, while Garu falls into the sea, unable to do anything."
"I can't believe it! In the first round we have two casualties! Something not seen in decades!"
"That's right, Ramus, for the people near the terminal we ask you to be alert, the impact will occur soon."
Terminal? BUT THAT'S HERE!
Activating Perception, I noticed how the body was heading towards this place at full speed.
Without anyone being able to react or do anything, the walker's figure was seen crossing the barrier and falling violently, crashing into a nearby food stall as if it were a meteorite. The impact was brutal; the wood shattered and a cloud of dust and debris covered the place in an instant.
I instinctively separated from Zoe, moved by a mixture of concern and a morbid curiosity to know what had happened. Several people did the same, cautiously approaching the disaster. Peeking through the smoke, I only saw a jumble of broken boards and a trail of blood next to parts of an unrecognizable body.
My suspicion was confirmed a second later by the voice of the announcers.
"Kuso, they confirm that competitor James died upon crashing into a stall in the central district, it's a great shame, really."
"You're right, Ramus, but the competition continues! And so do we!" They said, as if they didn't care in the slightest, before continuing to narrate the rest of the event with the same enthusiasm.
What the fuck…? How is it possible that they place so little value on this death? I thought to myself, having a mental debate while listening to the comments of the people around me, wondering who would clean up this mess or that they knew the owner of the stall.
Everything continued, until in my annoyance, the feeling of being watched reappeared, activating all my senses instantly.
Shit, could it be….
Activating Perception again, I identified the exact place where the sensation was coming from, managing to locate it just like the last time.
Looking through the rubble, the hooded woman emerged, making me take a few steps back as I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing.
Of course… Now everything makes sense, the fear, the feeling of being watched, of feeling like a mouse against a lion….
The woman removed her hood, clearly annoyed, while holding a cup of tea with one hand stained by the blood that had splattered on it. She dropped it, letting it fall to the ground, and then looked at all of us who were nearby.
She was a woman of about 30 human years, extremely beautiful, but not human due to the features in her ears and eyes. She had light green hair, blue eyes that matched the necklaces and golden ornaments she wore in her hair and on her neck. EVERYTHING about her was simply majestic, as if she were royalty.
C-come on, I-I have to move! Quick!! I HAVE TO WARN ZOE!! I shouted inside myself, uselessly because my body wouldn't respond.
I was paralyzed by fear, a fear that made me fully understand the true nature of that woman, because it was the same feeling I had the first time I saw Bernal, but many times worse.
Without hiding her annoyance, she exchanged a fleeting glance with me and then with the people around me, before turning towards the storm, starting to walk towards the wooden railing, passing right by our side.
I-I have a bad feeling about all this.
Straining with all the will I had left, I managed to turn to look at her, opening my mouth to stop her.
"D-d d-don't, Don't do it!!" I shouted, with all the strength I could muster. "W-whatever you intend, don't do it! Please!"
With one foot already bent and placed on the railing and the other still on the ground, she stopped at my shouts, looking at me over her shoulder before smiling flirtatiously and looking at the sky again, continuing with what she was doing.
Fuck! She won't do it, she won't stop, then… I have no other choice but to stop her by force, yes! That's what I have to do! I have to stop her! Or we might all die. I concluded, remembering the mission Bernal had given me when I accepted his deal.
Flooding my entire body with the mana I had left, I prepared to dash after her, but as I took a single step she had already launched herself, but not into the precipice, but into the air, rising towards the storm.
Shit! No, there's no time, I won't be able to do anything… not against her, but for Zoe, yes for her!! I concluded, feeling the difference between us. I must save her! At least her!
Turning to see my sister, I noticed she was staring at me, confused both by my shouts and by the mana I was expelling in my attempt to stop the woman.
Come on, what can I do? Leave the city? Hide among the people so she doesn't attack us? Surrender in case she spares my life? AHH! I DON'T KNOW!!
The instinct telling me to run was driving me crazy, until, giving myself a hard slap on the leg, I managed to calm down. Breathing deeply, I opened my eyes with a wide grin, showing again that part of me I didn't like to acknowledge.
I must analyze the situation more calmly, or it won't matter what I do.
"Drake, what's wrong with you? W-why are you smiling like that? And your mana…." Zoe asked after approaching where I was, having no idea what was happening.
"Hahaha, look." I said, pointing towards the abyss of the storm calmly.
The woman, once she reached the edge of the barrier, passed through it without any problem to continue floating, but not by the force of the tornadoes, but by her own will, floating calmly and serenely as she rose higher and higher.
"I-I can't believe it, s-she is…." My sister said, before that woman took off her cloak completely, revealing a light-colored dress, the color of sand, with golden arrangements and luminous marks all over her body. "She is Thania Ozdem, the Goddess of Spirits."
Subsequently, an overwhelming mana was felt, a pressure that covered and silenced every person in the entire immense coastal city, causing everyone, including my sister, to kneel instinctively in the presence of a mythological event.
Thania flew for a few more seconds until she stopped, turning to look directly towards Skipton, concentrating pure mana into a single point in her hand, so intensely that it contrasted violently against the dark background.
Hahaha, so, even Zoe kneels? Well, I guess it's normal, since this power is greater than any other I've ever felt. It's as absurdly large and dangerous as I imagined it would be when I met one of them. I thought, looking directly at her as I took slow steps forward, putting a thick layer of mana on my body.
"Drake, get down." My sister said from the ground, making me look away from Thania for a second.
"B-but…."
"Do as I say, it's best if you get on your knees so you don't disrespect her."
Changing the smile I still held for the whole situation, I calmed down instantly upon seeing my sister's expression. Not knowing what to do, I turned back towards Thania, managing to see with my enhanced vision her gaze fixed on me, being the only one standing.
Kneeling while watching her, I saw a smile form on her face before she turned back to the storm and threw the sphere of light she held in her hand upwards.
The sphere of pure mana, upon hitting the clouds, lit up completely, producing a light greater than the midday sun that expanded until it covered the entire black sky.
A few seconds passed, until the light diminished and disappeared, revealing a completely clear sky and not a single trace of the storm as far as my eye, reinforced with mana, could see on the horizon, leaving me speechless with my mouth open.
"I was not expecting nor looking to interact with you at this event, human successor of Berni. But, I suppose it couldn't be helped after this silly storm ruined my vacation." A female voice said in my head, before changing to a more humorous tone. "Besides, the fact that you knelt, also being a God… hehehe, I think it makes up for the annoyance I felt."
Smiling, she looked at me one last time before stretching out her right hand to grab space and pull it, opening a kind of portal that showed vegetation and a super high place on the other side.
"We'll see each other later, Young and New Dragon God." She said before crossing the portal and disappearing into the blue sky.
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Joshua_Goose: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to share it with your friends, acquaintances, or lovers :D That inspires me to keep writing (Plzzzz). My IG, I've got some pictures of the novel there: @joshua_goose