POV — Isabella
I roused from my state of disorientation just in time to witness the collision of those two monstrosities. It was a sight I knew instinctively I shouldn't be seeing, some kind of foreboding clawing desperately at the back of my mind about what would come next.
Time seemed to slow to a pause as I watched them–fists stretched out, ready to collide–moving closer to each other.
It was then, in that frozen moment when even my body was stagnant, save for my mind, that I remembered I wielded a force similar to theirs.
If not in lethality, then in its arcane nature. My powers didn't need to unleash the same destructive force to be equated with theirs. In my own way, I was lethal… but now, the lethality of my powers couldn't provide me the capability to survive their clash. Its utility, however, could.
Feeling the intoxicating surge of my powers coursing through my body, I warped space with a mere thought, attempting to rift as far as I could. Of course, I had to enhance the "probability of success" around my Rift.
I wasn't an anomaly. The chances of my Rift failing still existed, but with the augmentation of my Enhancement, I could practically make it nonexistent. It was one of my more ingenious uses of Enhancement: enhancing the chances of success.
I had no time to dwell any longer on irrelevant matters. My body tore through space as I prayed silently to get as far from Fragr as I could.
The issues of Fragr, no matter how much it pained me to admit, no longer concerned me. This was simply beyond what I could handle… and I knew why.
The sinister man… his means were beyond me. He knew something he shouldn't. He "knew" me. Every word from his mouth reverberated, pulling at my thoughts. I didn't know what it was, but I felt a strange, compelling force interacting with me. It wasn't about fighting him physically; it was something more… ethereal.
I vanished. I was gone from that strange cathedral harboring monstrosities. My mind could finally rest at ease. Though… I did feel guilty for leaving Talen behind. I couldn't do anything to help him. I hoped he might find a way to survive what was going to happen next.
But then, my thoughts collapsed.
I had found myself standing on the lawn of a manor. Not just any manor, but one within Fragr. The intricate, layered structures sprawling around me made it clear I was still in Fragr.
Then I heard an explosion. A powerful detonation that sent tremors rippling through the ground, sending a sudden shock through my entire body.
I turned toward the sound, my eyes wide, as a hill-like formation of buildings piled together broke apart and exploded outward, sending countless fragments flying.
Without waiting a moment longer, I attempted to rift out of Fragr, to a place far beyond–practically any place that wasn't Fragr, to be honest.
And yet, every time I activated my Rift, I was teleported to different sections of Fragr: manors, apartment buildings, construction sites, retail stores. Over and over again. It was as if I couldn't leave the boundaries of Fragr, no matter how much I enhanced my Rift.
Though I refused to enhance it to the fullest extent, for I had already begun to feel the claws of Corruption encroaching. Its whispers had grown shrill, more akin to shrieks clawing at the back of my mind. I couldn't use my abilities too much anymore, otherwise I'd risk getting utterly consumed.
"Causality". I was hit with that realization. The very world itself was against me leaving this accursed city. It didn't matter that the chances of my rifts failing had been decreased till it was practically non-existent, as long there existed the chance of failure, Causality would pick that to be the outcome. You could say that at this very moment, I was plagued with misfortune.
As such, I sat on the roof of the furthest building, the one that gave me the clearest view of where the madness raged. I couldn't see what was happening inside the cathedral, even though that timeless structure had been unearthed and defaced by their clashes. I had to restrain myself, to wait until the feeling of Corruption subsided, or it would tear straight through my sanity.
And so I watched. Waiting for something to happen again. Maybe I was waiting for an explosion. Maybe I didn't know what I was waiting for at all, only that something had to happen.
And indeed, in the next moment, I saw a sight that would forever be engraved in my mind just like the scene of Valor laying waste to the city of Grede. In fact, this scene was so strangely beautiful that I no longer cared about the consequences of using my ability. I had to see it—see in utter clarity that picturesque moment being carved into reality.
It all happened too fast. I was only able to quicken my perception at the last moment, just before everything was set into motion.
Falling slowly was a large figure with vast wings unfurled, each feather shimmering faintly even through the dust and debris.
He was a fallen angel striking the pose of an icon being cast down from the heavens. Its arms were stretched upwards, fingers splayed in a desperate, reaching motion, as if grasping at some unseen salvation far above while it plummeted downwards like a celestial comet losing its flame.
And above that winged figure was another form, darker than the sky itself, clad in a living shadow that bent around him like a cloak of hatred. His body leaned forward in perfect predatory grace, knees bent, arms out like talons poised to strike. He dove downwards in a merciless arc, not falling but hunting, his silhouette cutting a line of pure malice through the dim light.
Their poses mirrored something primal and eternal. One was reaching skyward even as it fell, the other plunging earthward like an unholy star. The sight froze me. My powers thrummed at my fingertips, my veins humming with Corruption, but I could not look away.
"Beautiful." This was the only word that came to my mind as I watched, ignoring the Corruption already clutching at my consciousness. I was too entranced, too caught in the rapture of that impossible moment.
And then…
I watched Fragr break.
*****
And then, they struck the centre of the ruined cathedral, piercing through it like a hot needle through butter, with such immense power, with such intense force that, for a brief moment, there was no reaction.
Nothing. Just a large hole in the fragmented floor of the cathedral that had taken the appearance of one.
And then…
A destructive shockwave, so devastating and pervading with the feeling of ruination, blasted in all directions from where those two madmen had impacted.
The nature of such annihilating force was incomprehensible; illogical would be a fitting word. Their impact had generated enough energy to wipe out an entire city… and it did.
The hill-like formation that had buried the timeless cathedral was the first to experience the foreboding force that was soon to engulf the entire city.
The complex layering of buildings and streets stacked atop one another was annihilated in the same manner one would blow dust off an old book. The force was like a windstorm, dispersing and leveling an entire section of Fragr within the first second.
Isabella watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as debris–whole buildings, bricks, cars, rods, literally anything, thralls included–were hurled away as though an intense tornado was wiping out everything.
She knew there was no escape. Her Rift couldn't save her, nor could she enhance her entire body; which she doubted would give her the durability needed to survive this "even more terrible" shockwave.
All she could do was close her eyes and wait for it, and for the debris, to finally reach her. And she didn't doubt it would be very soon.
But she had underestimated the intensity far too much, because in the next moment, an even greater annihilating force followed after the first one, instantly exploding and grinding every fragment of debris into dust.
And then… all Isabella felt was a gentle caress of what should have been annihilation, followed by a rain of tiny fragments and dust.
When the quietness around her lingered too long, she finally opened her dark green eyes to take in the view of the aftermath.
"My God…" Isabella fell to her knees.
A circular crater had been created… again. There was absolutely nothing left within that zone of annihilation. Just several kilometers of emptiness.
"This is just Grede all over again," she mumbled, her voice quivering slightly.
AHHHHHHHHHHH!
A scream, filled with utter thrill. No anguish laced that cry. It was pure thrill and it came from the eye of the crater.
"I see it now. I can finally see it." The powerful voice rang loud and clear in Isabella's ears despite the considerable distance between her and whatever had made the sound.
Straining her Enhancement once more, Isabella's pupils narrowed as they tore through the haze of dust that submerged all of Fragr. Even the sun had been obscured, albeit only partially.
"Causality." Zenith walked around the broken body of Morgur that lay imprinted on the ground. "To think it could be used in such a manner. Fascinating."
The admiration in his voice was clear. The gory scene lay before him: Morgur, who had miraculously survived, but at the cost of having his entire body reduced to near paste.
"Your ingenuity, although not the best I have witnessed, is still up there." Zenith paused and bent down, bringing his face close to the unresponsive Morgur.
"Plucking away the strings of 'effect' attached to every attack of mine, thereby negating the reaction that was meant to be imposed on you from every strike… I admire your mind, Morgur." Zenith traced his finger along one of the broken feathers still protruding from Morgur's mangled back, then yanked it out.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
Morgur's eyes tore open as a shrill scream ripped from his barely intact vocal cords.
Meanwhile, Isabella could no longer use her Enhancement or Rift due to the negative toll of her passive ability, Corruption, on her mind.
She paced back and forth on the rooftop of a residential building, lost in thought, trepidation etched across her face. Then, a familiar sensation gripped her: space twisting, pulling apart. Her head snapped toward the source.
"Let's get out of here, Isabella. Quick." Talen's voice came ragged, his appearance utterly miserable, his body covered in bloody scars. Isabella barely spared him a glance; her mind was knotted with countless thoughts.
"Wait, Talen. We can't leave Fragr. Something is stopping us." She warned, watching him try to tear open a rift.
"I can leave Fragr. I already left." Talen ignored her words, forcing the rift open with stubborn resolve.
"Huh? Then why did you return?" Isabella asked, confusion thick in her tone.
"I don't know. I really don't." He sighed as the rift stabilized. "Alright. Let's get the absolute fuck out of this nightmarish city."
But as Talen pulled Isabella toward the rift, everything shifted.
"Who calls for Warwick? I've been summoned." A blissful and magnetic voice reverberated through the air.
They froze, their steps halting as they watched something step out of the other side of the rift.
"Fuck!" Talen cursed again, despair lacing his voice.