Chapter 387: avatar of chaos
While Amelia was on her way to the city, she kept trying to contact Amaya through the communication crystals given by the academy, but still got no response. But when she got closer to the city, another message appeared in her head, though just like last time, it too was broken, like something was interfering in it.
[Come fast _ hide _ secret_get caught_call _ Rio_tree_ very dangerous_ will die.]
Amaya's voice this time sounded much duller than normal, making Amelia increase her speed many times. While taking out a magical cloak that reduced her presence to a minimum. She even passed over some students hunting in the forests but she paid it no heed.
Saisha looked up at the empty sky and frowned after sensing something.
"Miss Saisha, are you okay? Did you notice something?" Siri came near her, waving her hand as roots rose from the ground and pulled the boar-like monster about to attack her.
Finding nothing, Saisha shook her head and turned her attention back to Siri, "I told you, you don't have to act like this. Just treat me like you treat them." She said pointing at the group of students fighting a little distance away, sneaking glances to their place from time to time.
But hearing her words, Siri just raised her hands and shook her head in hurry, "How can that be, you're the first to be chosen by Godmother in so many years. If you were a native, my father would've named you his heir or even handed his crown by now."
"It's not that exaggerated, that pearl just shone as I have a perfect affinity for nature, that's all. And besides I've already told you my answer, I have no interest in getting any blessing from your godmother or being part of any ritual."
"But _."
"There's no but, you give us refuge and provide information and manpower to help find our friends, and we help you win this war. That was the deal your father made with Amaya, and that stays in effect." Saisha said and walked away.
Siri stared at Saisha leaving and then took out a green orb from nowhere. "Don't worry Godmother, she will be your vessel before this war starts."
…
Back in the city, Amelia entered the premises over the walls and found that there wasn't any danger, any chaos as she assumed, everything was fine. Pedestrians were still walking around and roaming in markets as usual.
'Did I misheard the message?' Amy thought as she walked in the clouds, moving towards the castle to find Amaya. Only to see her standing in front of the nursery building where students were sent to get treatment.
"There she is, but she looks just fine." Amy said to herself, taking the entire surroundings in view to see if there was any enemy or anything suspicious, but still found nothing.
"Amaya, is this another one of your games,_" Amy started speaking as she directly appeared in front of Amaya, after putting the magical cloak away. "I think my brother told you to not mess around. Also what's with that message, did you do that? Why?..."
Amy was throwing her questions like she was on a 15 seconds rapid fire, not noticing the expressions changing on Amaya's face. From the initial surprise, to sudden shock, and then to hostility.
"Also what's happening to your eyes?" Amy said as she looked at Amaya's pupils changing colors and turning green.
"You came _ Is this your final struggle?" 'Amaya' spoke, her tone switching between two voices. One excited and relieved, while the other angry.
Amy stepped back, sensing something wrong, "Who are you, where's Amaya?" she asked warily, raising her sword and pointing it directly.
"I'm Amaya." ×2 Both voices spoke together, like something straight out of a horror movie possessed scene.
"Amaya, what's happening?" Amy asked, as she waved her hand and dozens of trap talisman appeared all around Amaya from invisible space and started burning at the same time.
"You shouldn't have come back." 'Amaya' said, as she raised her hand and Amelia felt like someone grabbed her head and pressed it between two squeezing walls.
She tried to struggle to use her mana, bring on any treasures and artifacts to free herself, but felt her body being trapped. A pressure similar to what she only ever felt in the presence of Gods whenever she got a blessing directly, came over her shoulder. Pressing her directly on her knees.
With her physical body, spiritual thoughts and magic powers all rendered useless, she could just stare at the ground, as the concrete slowly ripped apart and a sharp wooden tip rose from it. Slowly coming for her heart.
Some barriers appeared automatically trying to protect her, but just like before, none of them could be helpful.
"Blame her for your death so early." 'Amaya' said and clenched her fists, as the sharp root broke all the shining barriers in its wake and penetrated the black armor on her chest.
"Goodbye, _ don't ignore me you damned tree." Two interlapped voices sounded through Amaya's throat again, before something happened and Amaya just grabbed her head and started screaming in pain, before her body went limp and she fell to the ground with green eyes still wide open, staring at the sky.
The spell and pressure over Amy's body disappeared instantly and she felt life return to her lungs with the next breath. She coughed a few times as she crawled further back and started panting heavily.
'What the hell is happening?' Amelia thought, staring at Amaya who seemed to have gone into a coma. Except for the slight movement of her heaving chest, there wasn't even a sign that she was still alive or died already.
[Call Rio _ inside_ they're _nothing's real_everything _ a lie. I can't_ hold much longer.]
A final message came to her ears, Amaya's tone sounding much more desperate than ever before.
A bad premonition came to her heart, as she remembered the pressure from earlier and wondered who they might be facing against.
She looked at her hand and tried to call her brother again, yet nothing. Feeling anxious she even pulled out the emergency contact methods they had, yet still nothing.
"I hope you're okay brother, you have to be." She said to herself, trying to calm her racing heart that was causing waves in her mind, making signs of chaotic red mist appear around her body.
"Is she possessed?" Amy asked, looking at the mark of a skull on her wrists.
(Not really. But she's not exactly in control of her body either.) A hypnotic voice rang directly in Amelia's mind.
The peaceful voice of Goddess Gauri immediately calmed her anxious heart. And seeing that after entering this dungeon, Gauri was finally talking to her, she immediately asked- "My brother?"
(He's fine.) Gauri's reply came, making Amy smile slightly, before her next words thwarted it. (But you may not be.)
"What?"
(Be careful my little avatar, and always remember, you control chaos, don't let it control you.)
After giving a piece of advice, Gauri once again went into watcher's mode and stopped answering Amelia's calls.
'Gods and their twisted words.' Amy cursed gods like her brother, before stopping in her tracks as she saw a streak of blood flowing on the road. She raised her head to follow the tracks, only to see it coming from inside the nursery.
With warriness she stepped forward to open the door, only to be hit with a bloody stench that caused her to turn her head to the side. When she finally covered her nose and looked back in, what she saw was a sight that would send chills down the spine of any sane being.
The peaceful Sirus who seemed epitome of elegance, were eating on living humans like some feral monsters. The sight was nauseating to look at as those humans struggled, tried to fight back, yet those Sirus like hungry wolves just barred their fangs and dug their claws in their bodies.
"Sa_save me."
"Kill eee"
"Arghhh"
"Noooooo".
Sounds of screams, begging for mercy, pleading for death echoed in the room suppressed only by the grunts, growls and munching sounds of those royal natives.
The moment someone was about to die, a healing circle would light up beneath him and heal him back to prime condition, so some other native could come forward and feed on him again.
Amy looked at the ground, feeling her throat go sour at the horrible sight, only to see a torn piece of bloody cloth with Zenith's logo on it lying there.
"Urghhh"
She finally couldn't hold back and ended up puking as she realized the fate of her classmates.
"You_ it's you." She heard someone's voice, turning around only to notice it belonged to the student whom she saved just half an hour ago. "You did this." She watched as the student surrounded by four Sirus's crawled towards her, his body below waist eaten by these creatures. "You brought me here, you did this. Why? Why?"
The man cried and cursed as he crawled further, his face covered in blood, snot and tears. Halfway through, he finally couldn't hold back and took his final breath in agony.
Yet the next second, the ground lit up again, and his body slowly healed itself. But instead of being happy, the man started crying and screaming even harder, as he knew what was coming next.
Amy had just taken a step forward after seeing him heal, only to be pushed away by Sirus who jumped over that man's body and started notching at his face, gouging out his eyeballs.
"You damned bitch, you did this. You killed us all. You did this. Why? Why did you do it? Whyyyyy?" The man's voice got silenced as a Sirus grabbed his tongue and pulled it out, before gobbling it up with great taste.
"Yaaa aaaaa raaaaaa lllaaaa"
Amy just stared at the student crying in pain making hoarse sounds as he got eaten up by these monsters.
(Thank you for saving me. You're the best. I'm so lucky to meet you.)
(Thanks Amy)
(You really are just like your brother, an angel.)
(If not for you we would've died.)
(I'm really glad we found you. Now we can clear this dungeon together.)
(You're awesome. I really wanna be just like you.)
Words of gratitude that the students she saved these past few days said to her played in her mind yet again, but soon all those faces filled with admiration, love and respect got replaced by pain, anger and hatred - and started screaming at her. Asking her why she handed them over to these monsters. Why did she save them, only to suffer torture like this?
A Sirus who finally noticed her presence rushed towards her and knocked her over. Only this shock brought her out of her inner turmoil and back to the real world.
Arghhhhhhhhhh
All the sadness, guilt, anger burst out with a scream from her mouth as red mist gathered over her tongue in a ball, before being released like a cannon blast, incinerating that Sirus till not even his ashes remained.
Chaos spewed from her mouth as her body started floating in the ground, with her hairs flying behind her. Her face filled with an anger that could burn the whole planet, and eyes filled with hatred that could reap even a reaper's soul.
For the first time, this world was about to witness the power of pure chaos.