It’s okay, you don’t have to do that.
Divine Aspect, Whisper of the Grave has stopped resisting death?...
For the hundredth time, I wait for Death to claim me.
The air is heavy and my synapses begin to fire off one last time before shutting down, one by one. I feel the fiery pain of life clash with the cold embrace of death. It’s a unique feeling, dying. It hurts more than anything you can imagine, but like I told Sensia, everything's alright, it’ll be okay.
We can rest now.
As my body shuts down, my soul prepares to do the same. Everything feels okay now.
I sense a presence behind me, lurking in the darkness I now preside in. My heart flutters in anticipation as I turn to face Death, but there's no one there. Instead, someone swings their arms around me, and a head comes to rest on my shoulder.
"So is that it?"
In my peripheral vision, I see a woman in that darkness. All that's visible is an outline, and I squint to discern her features.
She looks just like someone I know, but something feels different.
"Aetheria?" I ask hesitantly, my voice barely a whisper.
"I thought that you said you would forge your own fate."
"No, I never-"
"So you're just going to give up then?"
"I'm not giving up. There's nothing to give up. I'm…I’m already dead."
"But you didn't do that," she hisses, a hint of challenge in her voice.
"What do you mean? What is ‘that’?"
"What you always do when you die. Soulburn."
"There's no reason to do that this time."
"And why is that?"
"Because! This was my last chance. The only reason I ever learned that spell was because I thought... I thought that it would be able to kill me for good."
My admission hangs in the air between us. I close my eyes, and hope that she’ll just leave me be.
The woman is silent, so silent that I actually think she’s gone. But then, from the shadows, she scoffs.
"So you think you just get to pass on peacefully now, do you?" She laughs, a cold and condescending sound that roots me to the spot.
"You hit the big hundred and you think you just get your happy ending like everyone else?"
I lower my head, and shrink under the weight of her words. It sounds nice, being at peace for once. I would like that. I would like that a lot, but I know I’m not deserving of such an end.
"Of course not," I whisper, my voice trembling.
The woman pats me on the head, her touch a cruel mockery.
"And why is that?" she demands, her voice sharper than any blade I’d encountered.
"Because… I'm the worst person that I know."
"That's right! That's good, Clara."
"Even so, I…I want to see my family! I want to meet my mother once and for all, with Elias at my side. Ethel will be there too, and everyone else. I’m right here, I can just close my eyes and you’ll be gone, and I’ll be able to be with them! I’m right here! Death, I’m right here! Take me!" I scream, hoping that I'm loud enough to be heard.
"Clara, Clara, Clara! To think, we were making such good progress…" The woman clicks her tongue in disappointment. "I didn't want you to see this, please, believe me, I didn’t. But I guess it just can’t be helped."
"What do you mean?" I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper now.
The woman waves a hand in front of me, and it's as if I'm peering through a window in time. The Twisted Guardian stands over my unmoving corpse, and she makes her way to the remnants of the Aetheric Gabriel I had created as a last stand. She picks up a piece of the fallen shield, and looks upon the visage of his face. Valoria lets out a small hum, "Mm... Another of your ilk. I'll be sure to hunt this one down too. You can never be too idle." She crushes the small shard in her palm, and it crumbles as the vision fades.
I stare at the empty space where the vision had just been, unable to form words.
The stranger appears on my other shoulder this time and whispers, "What do you think will happen if you don't finish what you started?"
I’m unable to reply, but I don't have to because she answers in my stead. "He. Will. Die."
I’ve lost my voice, but her voice mirrors my own thoughts, "It will be all your fault."
I’m tempted, and hold a hand toward the darkness. Once again, the woman grabs hold of me, directing me towards another vision.
Terra’s body is destroyed in an instant, becoming nothing but a spray of viscera. "Your dear companion has already died once in life, and twice in service to you. His soul won't be able to survive another death, especially not one so brutal. And you're okay with that?... Who will bring him back if not you?"
I shake my head, tears streaming down my face. "No, I can't do it… I don’t want to, but Terra should rest too..."
The woman shouts now, "He can't rest, he's waiting for you! Just as that monster is awaiting her death you'll so valiantly bestow upon her!"
"But I-"
"Enough!" she interrupts, her voice filled to the brim with unbridled fury. "She killed her own! She destroyed your brother's body! She puts you down like a wild animal, and she still intends to do more."
My breath catches in my throat, and I can feel anger rising in me slowly.
"But I've done everything I could..." I lie to myself, my voice wavering.
"Everything? Really? You and I both know that's not true."
Her voice drops to a whisper now, overflowing with encouragement. "To go against one's fate is to challenge the very threads of reality itself, to defy the destiny woven by the hands of Gods and mortals alike. It is to stand against the inevitability of your own demise and fight for a seemingly impossible future. You know you possess the strength to change such a fate. Tell me, Clara. Won’t you burn that little soul of yours brighter than ever before?"
I feel a spark ignite within me.
"Prove to me that you can break free from the chains of Destiny. Burn past any paradox that tries to stop you. You can always make a choice. Challenge Fate, Clara, and show the world. No, show me that you can succeed where I could not!"
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
I grip my fist tight, taking a step forward as I leave the shadows behind. The darkness that once enveloped me is replaced by a blinding blue light, it burns hot and fierce within my chest.
"I don’t know what all this talk of destiny and fate is about. I’m just doing this because I hate causing trouble for others."
"Lie to yourself however you want. As long as you fight, I don’t care. Now go and show me how splendidly you burn against that fate of yours!"
I will finish what I started.
I’m face to face with my body now, and with the flick of a hand, flesh begins to mend itself shut. Sinew conjoins with sinew. Fragments of broken bone whittle themselves together, and dirtied, oxygenated blood begins to flow in reverse as it fills my body.
Necromancy truly is the best for fixing a broken body, but it isn’t the best at giving true life.
My heart lies still within my chest, refusing to beat. I stick my hand through my chest, and with a surge of electricity, I zap it. Nothing. I try again, and still nothing. On the third attempt, my heart finally jolts to life once more, its rhythm is weak, but steady.
I slowly blink my eyes open, and my vision returns to me. No longer am I outside of my body, but I’m in it. I squint at the sight of trees towering above me, and I instinctively gasp for breath.
A Divine Aspect as old as time has found its way to you
Sitting upright, I feel a semblance of vitality return to my body, though all I can truly sense is pain.
Pain is what it means to be alive, I remind myself. It's the only thing that lets me know I'm still here, for better or worse.
Gritting my teeth, I mutter the spell under my breath. "Animasculus Excidium."
I had already cast the spell in my heart, but now that I speak it aloud, it feels as if I had somehow reinforced it. As I rise to my feet, mana begins to overflow from my form. I only have moments with the life I’ve lived, so I’ll put these meager moments of mine to good use.
The Twisted Guardian, who had begun to leave, turns to face me again.
"Zephyr's Burst!" In an instant, a gust of wind propels me forward and I close the distance between us.
The surprise in Valoria’s voice is evident as she shouts, "What?!"
I reach for her, and this time, she does not send me flying away with a gust of wind. Maybe she’s too appalled by what she’s seeing, or maybe her pride is hurt.
The Guardian's surprised expression turns into a scowl as she shouts out "What the fuck is that supposed to do!?" She swings down at me, but my hand cuts clean through her fist and forearm, splitting it all the way to the elbow. She stumbles back quickly, clutching her injured arm.
She glares at me, taking in the sickly green acid that coats my hand, and her mutilated arm.
"So that's why you have two marks. You can revive..."
My control over my body isn’t the best anymore. It's like puppeteering something from outside of it. I smile, but it feels like it’s just a bit more manic than I intend for it to be.
I can use any magic I've encountered in this life for the small price of my soul. It's hard. The spell is just a crude imitation, but with the life I’ve lived, I will make it work. More of the sickly green mana drips from my hand, melting into the forest floor below.
The Twisted Guardian shoots a spray of vines from her remaining arm, but I’m already gone. I vanish from view, leaving only a trail of wind in my wake. She looks up, spotting me high in the sky above.
She aims at me once more, but falls to her knees almost immediately. A strong gale forces her down as she looks up to see Sensia’s small form standing again.
The Guardian redirects her magic toward the dryad, but I'm upon her now.
An Aetheric Greatsword infused with every kind of magic I currently possess, comes crashing down on Valoria’s form. She deflects it to the best of her ability, but I push my advantage, landing in front of her, I dance forward. My body moves at speeds originally not possible. Each time my blade of pure mana clashes with her monstrous form, a resounding boom can be heard. Muscles tear and mend themselves, tendons snap, and I knot them back together as my speed increases once more.
Finally, a slash gets through.
A severed branch of an arm lay on the forest floor, and I stomp on it as it writhes underfoot.
My body shudders as my heart fails me, I must have overworked it. I begin to manually pump blood through my veins now. Though my limbs begin to give in to the early stages of rigor mortis, I infuse them with necromancy, driving them to move despite the pain.
At this moment, my singular goal is to kill Valoria, the Twisted Guardian, and I will stop at nothing to achieve it.
"Help... Help me!" The Twisted Guardian screams, desperately seeking aid from her minions. They emerge from their hiding places, ready to defend her with their lives. A vine erupts from the ground, and retrieves her fallen limb.
I click my tongue in annoyance, but I won't allow them to interfere. With a flick of my wrist, I conjure a small ball of fire, concentrating its energy until it resembles a miniature sun. In my other hand, a small white sphere appears. A spell I only know in theory, but with this much mana at my disposal, anything is possible.
"You take a simple Fireball, and then add Soul Siphon…"
I had seen Clarence cast one of these spells numerous times, and I had seen Ethel cast the other when I was but a child.
My hand is steady as I hold the black ball of flame in the air above. It has red swirls in its depths, like bloody stars sailing through the cosmos. A few of the dryads attempt to flee at the sight of it, some try to dodge, and others charge to their deaths. A moment later their life essence is aggressively drained from their bodies, and burns within the flame in my hand. I crush it, and it fuels Soulburn, however slightly.
"Carrion Nova..."
I had only read about this spell in Ethel’s grimoire recently. I never thought I’d be using it myself though. To think, if Clarence reaches adulthood, he may be able to cast a spell similar to this one.
The dryads deaths are swift and merciful, unlike those they have caused.
Falling is a horrible way to die.
The Guardian roars in blind rage, her vines shooting out to protect her as she charges me. She’s fast, carried by her own wind magic. She pierces through my midsection with her arm that she’s reattached. It runs me through, and she lifts me into the air.
"Stay dead this time, filth!" Valoria shouts, and I feel something sprout in my stomach like… flowers?
A hot bloom of agony tears through my gut, and I can’t breathe. I hear it more than I feel it. The wet, splitting sound of everything inside me coming apart. The vines. Gods why, the vines. They twist up through my stomach, my ribs, and coil around my spine like they wish to hollow me out.
I try to scream, but what comes out is blood. It floods my mouth before I even know I’m coughing. Hot, thick, and metallic. I spit and choke, and I paint Valoria’s face red as she lifts me into the air.
Everything inside me is gone. I can feel it. My organs aren’t mine anymore, they’re nothing more than mulch. Just meat wrapped around vines and roots.
For a brief moment, my vision flickers, and my head droops low.
But this is not the end.
I would just have to manually give my body orders via necromancy from this point onward.
Aetheric Needles bloom from within me, puncturing Valoria’s arm as if she just stepped into an iron maiden. Our blood mixes, and I open my eyes once more.
"WHY ARE YOU GOING SO FAR!?!" Valoria shrieks, trying futilely to free her arm as she slams her head against mine over and over "JUST DIE ALREADY, YOU CRAZY FUCK!"
"Not yet!" I choke out, my gaze meeting Valoria’s. No longer are her eyeballs completely black. The sclera still is, but the iris is red, with a small, black dot in its center. She was really looking at me now.
With determination, I grab hold of Valoria’s arm with all my strength. One hand ignites with flames, while the other shrouds itself in a cold mist. Heating and cooling her arm all at once, it grows brittle as my fingers dig into her flesh. She releases a horrible, blood-curdling scream.
The vines around us fly into a frenzy, slashing at me, whipping, slicing, stabbing, prying, and I ignore them all.
This is the end. I can fight with reckless abandon. It doesn’t matter what happens to me as long as the opponent before me dies too.
Finally, the Guardian's arm is severed entirely. She stumbles back, released from my grasp and begins to run to the largest tree in the clearing.
I collapse to the ground, my legs refusing to move. I look down to see two mangled appendages underneath me. No amount of healing or necromancy could mend the damage wrought upon my flesh now.
My eyes lock onto the Guardian, and I grit my teeth.
"Discard what’s not useful anymore and give chase," an Aetheric blade appears, and I remove my legs without a shred of hesitation.
A gust of wind carries me forward, allowing me to reach the tree just before the Guardian does.
"What’s so special about this? It’s just a stupid tree…" I say, grinning at the Twisted Guardian.
As I touch the tree, a series of prompts flash before my eyes, and I understand Valoria just a little better now.
You are currently under the effect of ■■■■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■
Divine Aspect, Dominion of the Burning Soul is offended that another Divine Aspect is trying to keep secrets from it!
Divine Aspect, Eidolon of the Slumbering Tree hates Divine Aspect, Dominion of the Burning Soul
Divine Aspect, Dominion of the Burning Soul has set fire to the stupid filter!
You are currently under the effect of Dreams of the Whispering Forest
"This tree is a Divine Aspect itself… It creates a dream space that follows the creator's rules with the tree serving as the heart of the dream."
None of the participants of Dreams of the Whispering Forest will take damage to their physical bodies while in the dream
Everything is beginning to make sense. Valoria likely uses this Divine Aspect so that she can learn about her opponents weaknesses, and then she takes care of them accordingly in the real world.
If this was true, then I wouldn’t be able to defeat her in the waking world either. A dark curiosity takes hold of me though. What would happen if I were to create a dream within a dream? What if we played by my rules?
"Get away from there!" Valoria shouts, but it’s too late.
As the Guardian lunges for me, her eyes filled with murderous intent, I infuse my mana into the tree and whisper the incantation. "Dreams of the Whispering Forest." And with that, Valoria and I delve deeper into the dream.
I wonder… What kind of dream will I make?
His Instagram is "Achan Draws"!
? Blood warning! – Click to Reveal Image