The moon hung high in the sky, with starlight shimmering all over the grassy expanse. After a long day of racing and training, Aletha chose to take a breather and savor the moment as Alai suggested.
"This chicken is so good," Aletha mumbled under her breath, savoring the sweet victory of success. "Is this what winning feels like?!"
Alai and Phthonus couldn't help but chuckle at her response. Indeed, they haven't had such a luxury at all. However, enjoying these serene moments in a place where threats lurked nearby made them even more vulnerable. They knew that their guard being momentarily lowered could cost them dearly, as peace was but a fleeting respite in a world filled with lurking dangers.
They all have tried to go to sleep, but alas… They still have yet to rest.
Moreover, Phthonus and the others gathered around a circular table near the porch, seeing the stars twinkle lovely in the expanse. Alai's face flushed red as she grabbed a glass of alcohol from the kitchen. Just from her drowsy and crimson face, it was apparent that she was drunk.
"There… there… have a sip, Aletha." Said Alai with a twisted smile. "It won't hurt."
Crushed beneath the weight of expectation, Aletha's hand hovered, her resolve trembling. Doubt and desire warred inside her for a heartbeat.
"Nope," Phthonus said as he slapped her hand. "You are too pure to have a drink." Shifting his tone, the black-scarfed man grabbed a glass of what seemed to be water and gave it to her in an instant.
"Have this instead."
This, coupled with a rare and mischievous wink from Phthonus, persuaded her—surprised and a little flustered—to have a drink of water instead.
Alai, as drunken as she was, slammed the nearly empty glass down and slapped Pridia's face randomly, saying…
"You dumb butt. You think you can tempt my poor Aletha with bland water."
"It's not bland," Phthonus said as he took a sip. "It's sufficient."
As seen from Drunk Alai's wobbly movements and spinning head, she shook her head and looked heavenward, watching as shooting stars passed in the sky. This was the moment. The moment they were looking forward to.
A moment of bliss and happiness; A moment of love and charity. It was this spectacle that caused the others to succumb to the temptations of fleshly needs, making all seem perfect.
"So, whada'ya say? For Aletha and her successes! CHEERS!"
Everyone at the table grabbed their glasses and drew close to each other, their bright, vivid smiles beaming.
Genuine faces of love and happiness mingled with a dose of ecstasy and charity.
It was at this moment that all the training came full circle. It was at this point that they raised their glasses to cheers—they were having, and leaning over to cheers…
(ZOOM)
…just as the glasses touched each other.
A bright lavender luminance flickered, its edges cracking with energy, casting eerie shadows across the field. A magenta beacon shattered her stance, powerful and disruptive, tickling the air with electricity. Suddenly, a smoke cloud enveloped the area, concealing the sky entirely. It was as if the very heavens sealed themselves out of fear, the smoke heavy with magical residue, swirling like a shroud over their heads.
Alai was tossed several meters into the air before harshly being slammed into the smoke cloud.
"ALAI!" they all screamed, stark terror cracking their voices. The crater that formed shocked them to the core, their hearts suddenly pounding, as the scene turned to chaos.
The very atmosphere was thick with a palpable sense of tension, a quietness that hinted at danger. Alai felt her head spinning as she struggled to get back up from the ground. With ease, the human figure dissipated into the wall of smoke before suddenly, a shadow cast its gaze at…
"Who are you?" Aletha asked as a silhouette appeared behind the smoke, carrying what seemed to be a human with its arm.
(TAP TAP TAP)
Their eyes shuffled back and forth; the sounds of metal scraping on the ground had hurt their ears.
(TAP TAP TAP)
Everyone at the table wore shocked expressions, preparing their weapons in fear as the figure approached.
(Tap Tap)
Then, as they came to their senses, preparing for what was coming behind the smoke, the humanoid furiously lobbed Alai to the group.
At an instant, she flew away from the hands of the creature, through the barricades of smoke, and into the ground, nearly bruising her head.
A disturbance echoed across the valleys after the shockwave of the impact had razed her house.
Pridia's wide green eyes widened with struggle. She and another companion tried to assess the situation, confusion evident on both faces.
"Who is that?" Pridia asked with uncertainty.
"I… have no idea," Emine said as she struggled to push herself up. "But I know for a fact it did not come from here."
"Why?" Aletha asked with heavy breathing. "Why does it want us?"
Fear held them silent, every breath sharp and shallow as they forced themselves to plan, dread weighing heavily in their chests.
As the wall of smoke gradually dissipated, the outline of the silhouette grew clear before everyone.
Its heavy heels reverberated across every corner of the area; each step echoed like a death knell in the silence. The Attacker's presence carried the acrid scent of burning metal and ash, searing itself into the air. Its black, crooked, and contorted arms morphed grotesquely into the shape of a blade and a shield, each movement cutting through the air with an eerie swoosh. The flickering shadows cast by its frame seemed to crawl and writhe, mirroring a sinister dance of malice.
Its head looked to its left, then to its right, then, with one foot clad in black steel and flesh, an impossibly dangerous figure emerged.
(TAP TAP TAP)
Clad in black steel and flesh emerged an impossibly dangerous incarnate.
Its metal helmet shone beneath the clouded sun, slowly approaching the group as it dragged its mutated blade across the ground. Purple lights flew everywhere in the expanse, striking random patches of earth and the sky.
Time felt as if it slowed. Pridia, battered but determined, gathered her courage and called out to the figure.
"Who are you?"
Only silence responded to her words.
Afterwards, Aletha stepped in and asked as she clutched a shining silver blade, preparing.
"Tell us who you are!"
Abruptly, a lavender beam shot from its thick foggy visor and shredded the land into seven distinct parts. As its laser traveled across the hilly landscape, its particles gathered around itself and summoned glass shards which flew eastward toward them.
Aletha, her face slick with sweat, asked the being again, her voice stronger this time.
"Who are you?"
Silence answered her.
With no way to communicate with the figure, Aletha and the others readied their blades and weapons, bracing themselves as they watched its powerful display.
First, it started with Emine. She flew high up to the sky with her spells and unleashed a deadly blow at the being. But just as her magic and her blade reached it, the attack shattered at an instant. Silently, the humanoid sabotaged her attacks and snatched her.
Then, it hurriedly threw her into the air, rendering her attacks useless.
At that moment, it went for the mint-haired girl, Pridia, who had tried to use a cartwheel of attacks. It first used its sword to strike the girl down. But fortunately, it missed and was shot by a green and reconfident Pridia. Pridia was hurled by a shield, juggled midair by attacks, and was unable to retaliate. Bruised and panicked, Pridia retreated to the others as the purple-clad humanoid advanced. to the others, surrounding Aletha as the humanoid clad in purple menacingly approached them.
Explosions shot left and right. Eruptions spurted from the earth as the individual cleaved its sword through a narrow passageway of trees.
After seeing Pridia crash back down into the soil with the figure, Ubel, in the Form of Holographic wolves, hunted the being. Their maws latched on, but the figure turned them to dust with a snap, and Ubel was thrown down, gasping. The humanoid created ten clones. The duplicates unleashed a storm of sword slashes at them. The clones. Then, all the duplicates sliced and cleaved a storm of sword slashes at the group.
They collapsed, battered and stunned; a wave of despair swept through them as hope faltered in their eyes.
None of them could pose a challenge.
Not one of them had touched the quiet creature.
The humanoid's attacks were incredibly fast-paced, unlike anything Aletha had ever seen.
Suddenly, a tempest surged forth.
Reality bent with their every movement.
As it flew into the air, it swam through particles and split them into several pieces of glass. Then, it hurriedly hurled the storm of spires at Alai and the others.
Explosions and chaos filled the scene, a chaotic ballet of swords and shields. At an instant, the humanoid forced all its projectiles to barrage her. After seeing Aletha crash back down with magenta lines surrounding them, nearly everyone was forced to dance with the projectiles.
"Don't think you'll get away with this, Dunderhead!"
Just as the storm of bullets touched Aletha, Alai, with blood all over her face, formed a crimson glowing blossom, shielding the attacks. A red luminance came from her palm, erupting in a sudden stream of energy.
Furthermore, Phthonus took his scarf off and conjured an orange luminance straight to the clouded sky. Instantly, it plummeted down and struck just a strand off the creature.
The others repelled in fear as the silent humanoid continued to unleash burst after burst of nine consecutive attacks on Phthonus. It seemed to them that they were unstoppable.
But then, they caught something, something far worse.
"One." Said the humanoid as it pierced its double blades through Pridia's flesh.
Horror rooted them as Pridia bled, her eyes clouding with pain and fear. The creature's relentless strikes echoed their nightmares, and as her limp figure slipped from its blade, a numbness of terror seized them all.
This, plus the first word spoken by the creature, caused them to scream.
Everyone grieved in horror as they saw Pridia, the once cheery-headed girl, get sensibly torn in an instant. She was forced to be injured, but that never changed her fate. Pridia, with luck on her side, survived the attack, leaving her body restless on the ground.
Afterwards, Emine came back from the plunge to protect Aletha.
They were at a standstill, fending off the swords' attacks repeatedly; not once had they stopped or hesitated. Then, planning their next move, Phthonus analyzed the creatures' dances.
"It seems that this being can morph its arms to blades," Said Phthonus as they watched Pridia's body flail in the air. "It is stopping at nothing. Aletha, I suggest you leave. We will handle this."
But she refused.
She was at a standstill, fending off the blades' attacks over again. It seemed to them that this creature was dual-wielding. And that, combined with the giant black shield on their back, guaranteed their victory.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Aletha screamed, tears welling up in her eyes, as she saw everyone getting bruised.
The figure remained silent, trying to slice her down with rapid blows.
Thoughts clung onto her like a spider, leeching off energy in all directions, causing her to bleed out.
With no time to waste, the humanoid split open several crevices in the ground. Glowing purple goo spewed out from those divots like geysers; its sticky substance clung to the ground. Then, as the wave of geyser fluid spilled out like a tossed glass, it slammed and suffocated yet another individual.
"Two." It counted as they noticed even more people coming forth. Its movements and attacks stained the air in crimson.
Aletha started waving and teetering her sword left and right. She was blinded by a purple luminescence that shook the ground beneath her. Pebbles spitted in all directions, with the hand of the creature mutating into a giant claymore.
As Aletha came close with Ubel and the others to slaughter the creature, a random individual with dark hair was pulled by what seemed to be arms extending out from its morphing hand.
"Three." It counted.
Then, just as they thought the fight couldn't get more chaotic, five more creepy, slender arms extended from the back of their being, carrying swords and shields etched into their very flesh. Aletha dropped her blade in hopelessness, falling down to her knees as she witnessed everyone struggling with this one creature.
Pridia tried all she could, but was instantly turned into a toy for the creature.
Emine, with her ghoul power, almost died a second time thanks to the cartwheel of daggers spawned from the creature.
Phthonus, for whatever reason, plummeted in the wrong direction, causing an explosion that not once touched the creature.
And now, Aletha, powerless as she was, kneeled before the creature and seized her life in the process.
Everyone started to feel the urge to feel hopeless.
It seems no matter what they could do, nothing could stop this freakishly abysmal creature.
They have tried striking the back, the front, and even the sides, yet not one attack phased the creature. It was at that moment that they felt despair. Aletha wanted no battles; all she expected was peace. But this unknown figure took no heed and slew everyone as it counted its victims.
"Four," said it as it juggled Ubel in the air with repeated blows.
"Five," proclaimed the creature as it threw Emine several meters underground.
"Six," declared the opponent as she almost got killed in one full swing.
This was it.
If any more would be taken, if any more anguish can be forced upon her for who knows what reason…
Just before the creature can get its hands on Aletha… just before any more injuries can be dealt with…
(PEW)
… A green laser shredded one of the arms of the humanoid.
Quickly, it shrieked at the power of the sudden attack, forming another arm in the process.
"It's the Ultimate Weapon of Wraileza." A girl said as she focused her gaze on the humanoid figure. "They have deemed you as…" Green and purple hair with cyan emerald eyes were all that could be seen.
"It's no other than…"
"The Queen of Linuxinia?" All the others shouted in unison.
Before she could get a grasp on it, the floating humanoid screeched and watched itself fall into the mighty hands of the Queen of Linuxinia.
It floated and dodged all the lasers coming from Kali's hand.
Her left cat ear took notice of the advance, quickly dancing to the sword movements made by the creature.
Just as much could be said, the creature floated at the center of the rubble, then forced its arms through its heart, cleaving and tearing out a chunk of its flesh.
They then gathered all the energy of both the green luminance and purple flashes to craft a giant lavender bomb of deadly essence.
This ball of fury was its last-ditch effort to…
"NO!"
Aletha's heart leaped up in horror as she and the others came face to face with an ultimate being.
"COWARD!" Alai screamed as she ran to the being with rage and tears. "You can't take my friends."
Then, it was at this moment that Aletha realized.
The relentless training she had undergone; The relentless, brutal training.
All of it shaped her to be this ultimate youth. A youth who knew how to evade attacks and dance with the opponent.
Alai, in every way, had helped shape her into a healthy young individual.
(I can do this.)
Suddenly, fragmented memories surge back to her. The rock climbing, the running, the weight lifting, all of it that formed her healthy being, led up to this one moment. Aletha tied up her hair and moved forward, hearing the Queen of Linuxinina utter from behind her back.
"The Attacker." Kali Leila said as she tore green pulsing roots from the ground. "With power composed from both the Ending AND The Promise, they deem this being, The Attacker. The Ultimate Weapon of Wraileza."
As if something awakened in her, Aletha clutched onto one of the scattered swords. Memories of training came and went as she leaped back and forth, skidding her feet on the ground and throwing a choking slash at The Attacker.
After a rapid swing, she bravely tossed a wooden sword to another being and grabbed on its steel hilt in rapid succession. As the five split beings of The Attacker all conjured up a huge magenta light in the center of the house, Aletha struck the center one and tossed The Attacker a few meters back.
They then exchanged blows repeatedly in a nearly endless debate. Back and forward, front and center. The strikes of her attacks stain the sky in green luminance, pushing out the clouds as all who were wounded witnessed. One of the blows took off two of the arms of The Attacker, while another tore off its shield.
"The power of the Sealed Beatific is in her." Muttered Kali as she heard the movements from her right. "Now it's just a matter of time…"
This was it, the pinnacle of this fight. A turning point of epic proportions.
Just when things were about to take shape, just as everyone came together, The Attacker…
"NO!"
The Attacker… painfully ripped one of the major roots of Linuxinia and gulped it down in one bite. Quickly, all watched as every wound on its steel body healed itself. Aletha lowered her weapon, watching as the green luminance showered The Attacker.
An infinite amount of turmoil and determination, drained dry in an instant.
Furthermore, The Attacker, now floated in the air, unleashing a deadly violet beam straight at the house. Aletha, Ubel, Pridia, Alai, and Phthonus all gazed at the giant purple ball of chaos slowly approaching the abode.
But before the ball could touch the house, Aletha, with just a smidge of hope, parkoured her way up to the humanoid and struck one of its arms. But, to her surprise, it kept regrowing back. Even worse, it grew even more arms.
Now, it had eight arms.
Filling the ripples of destruction that hit the hills, the bomb flew back and unleashed streams of green energy toward Linuxinia Peak.
The books that had resonated within Alai's house floated upward as rocks and debris levitated around the collapsing structure.
Time stood at a standstill.
Alai's eyes widened in terror as all the books were captured by the purple luminance.
Nothing could shatter the approaching wave.
Except one being.
The other four clones shattered and dissipated as quickly as they had come, unveiling The Attacker, strapped in green luminance. First, it cut and drank all the healing essence of Linuxinia. Then, revitalized, tore the green strands.
Kali Leila, with all the remaining power she had, used the last of it to lock the creature down.
It flickered and flashed with every movement.
Every swing illuminated the dark night.
From climbing up one of its arms to recalling her rock climbing experience, all of it highlighted Aletha and Kali's efforts.
As Aletha forced her blade through The Attacker's heart, with her whole chest hammering inside and out… as the swooping heat of adrenaline coursed through her veins, suddenly…
"BOOM!"
"The Ultimate Weapon of Wraileza", The Attacker, had unleashed a devastating delivery of epic proportions.
A gigantic purple rupture tore the sky into oblivion before one beam of light forced buildings to crumble and collapse.
The entire abode of Alai, from the gardens to the living room, to the training room, kitchen, and bedrooms, had all been caved into the wedges of the earth, never to be seen again. This, combined with the many injuries this one individual could commit, caused Alai to scream in despair.
"NO! That was… that was a gift."
And then, hearing Alai wail in agony, Aletha asked The Attacker again.
"Who… who are you? What do you want from us? Don't you have enough? You hurt my friends. You hurt everyone. And for what…? WHY?"
Just like moments before, all fell into silence.
The distant humming of The Attacker caused streams of purple to expand from the destroyed house to the spiraling peak of Linuxinia, from the gardens to the peak. A magenta inscription, barely noticeable, flew upward with the special book. Alai's ruby eyes broadened at it.
"The Prophecy Book!"
Although most of them have been severely hurt, not one of them was killed. Not even Pridia. It was as if The Attacker was slaying everyone but Aletha.
Even after every shock and pull it made... Aletha was the only one left untouched.
As the cloud of destruction ceased to seize the day, the special floating book, along with the streams of purple, flew heavenward to Linuxinia Peak, leaving nothing but traces of demolition behind and magical essence.
. . .
Afterward,
"The book... The Prophecy Book, it's... gone!" Said Alai, injured. Bruises were on her, from her hip to her thigh. She was grieving something. "No. That's… that's my father's book. I need it."
After a silence came forth from the injured spectacle, Alai, with zero hesitation and thought, rushed to the remaining debris in her house and proclaimed.
"We…. we need to climb Linuxinia mountain. We have to get that book."
"Hold on, hold on. Hold your horses." Pridia exclaimed as she wiped blood off her face. "Do you see what is happening around you? Everyone's injured, including me."
Kali Leila perked her ear and nodded in agreement. Although broken, she wasn't fully down.
"Yeah, just please... let us recover. We have conquered The Attacker, but not by much. The last thing we need is to pursue it. Just look at all the damage it caused."
Kali was right. The Attacker had done more harm than good. It was necessary for them to take time to recover.
But now, with Alai's house fallen and earthed into the depths of the earth, they have nowhere to go, or so it seems.
"Does anyone have any idea where we can go?" Phthonus asked as he placed his scarf over his mouth.
Just as things were about to get hopeless and homeless, Kalil bombarded the group with a suggestion in the circle of people, and added.
"Hmm, I know of a place. It's not too far from here. We can go on foot," The Queen of Linuxinia said as she pointed eastward. "I say that we can go to Toivo's household. I have heard that many lost and homeless people of Linuxinia come there to find purpose, and there are plenty of rooms."
"Toivo's household?" Aletha muttered as she fell to her knees. "Who… who is that?"
"A friend of mine," Kali said with a wink as Alai and the others looked at Aletha. "Trust me, we'll get that book back. Not just that, but some little revenge. Okay Alai? Does that help you? Alai?"
As the threat vanished, leaving nothing but traces of flesh from The Attacker and Kali Leila, Ubel, and a few others behind, Aletha started to feel dizzy.
"Kali! Heal that hole in her chest!" Alai demanded as the green-haired cat girl hovered a green luminance in her palm. "Or bring her to Toivo's Mansion. I'm sure we can get maid healers to heal her wound."
Phthonus intervened as he pulled his scarf over his mouth.
"So it appears Aletha got hurt after all." He said. "Just silently. Nevermind. Yes, take her to Toivo's mansion. As Kali Leila said, they are very hospitable. I figure that Asahi could be there too."
"How do you know?" Alai and Pridia said in unison.
Phthonus shook his head and turned to the sun, replying as a careful wind passed by. "Because I have been there too."
While seconds pass by, Aletha, with no energy, suddenly collapses onto the ground, surrounded by the circle of people and her thoughts.
Slowly falling unconscious, she heard her own thoughts fly by in a whirlwind.
"It's over…'
"But at what cost?"
"Why did we deserve this?"
"And who or what is… The Attacker?"
These were the remaining three questions that appeared in her brain before her vision went entirely black.