
In Anna’s mind, it was simple; if she didn’t use her apex sigil on Aria, she could use it in a worst-case scenario. Actually, she knew it would probably be on the Barbarian.
She didn’t know what would happen if she attempted to use it on an accursed, but she could theorize. One of their souls would get consumed. If that happened, she might just end up making a far, far stronger accursed.
That was why she hadn’t tried it yet—too risky.
But if she had no choice, she’d do it.
Furthermore, the only real benefit it would have on Aria was making her feel better. There wasn’t any advantage to using it until Anna got stronger and could do more herself—her target shouldn’t be the one needing to do all the work.
The only reason Aria wanted it was for Anna to be safe.
It wasn’t wrong, but Aria wanted her to be like the sheltered princess people used to make fun of her for being. Staying in her head, safe from all danger.
What good was she then? Although, standing on the second floor and throwing bolts evidently wasn’t much help either.
But her decision was correct because the worst-case scenario arrived.
Something unexpectedly hit Aria—its color blended perfectly with the ocean of grey. It was Manabolt, the first they had seen.
That small opening was all the Barbarian needed to slip through Aria’s focus.
Before he even hit Aria the next moment, Anna was already on the rails to leap over and activate her apex sigil.
But then, everything got confusing.
One moment, Anna was just about to leap off the second floor with her apex sigil less than a breath away from activation. But the next, a blinding light gave way to a much louder Barbarian.
Except that was one she immediately recognized.
Yet, she still found it hard to believe her eyes weren’t fooling her. Her senses were going crazy, right?
Thagrin, his boisterous laugh shaking the eerily quiet battlefield.
Along with that, a tingling spread across her body as the library drowned in a violet hue.
Another familiar sensation and color.
“Brother, I’ve come to free you!” Thagrin shouted, his axes extended in both of his arms. “No magic—let’s go wild!”
He instantly intercepted the accursed Barbarian, slamming his axe into the massive hammer.
That clash alone hurt her ears. But the battle that erupted in there tore everything to shreds like two tornados rampaging through the battlefield. Nothing survived.
Nothing could interfere with that fight as metal hit metal over and over again, spilling blood and ripping bodies apart with every thundering step they took.
And that was only within a couple seconds.
Too many things were happening.
A soft hand landed on her shoulder.
“Hey princess, miss me?”
How long had it been since someone called her that?
Only one person in the world of magic would use that name.
“Alisha,” Anna whispered.
She slowly turned her head, and there she was. That immature woman who introduced her into the world of magic so long ago.
Still wearing boring hoodies and ordinary pants and still wearing that mask with holes for her piercing blue eyes.
Yeah, Anna even missed her and that stupid tone that seemed like she knew everything.
“Bingo!” She patted Anna’s shoulder again. “I’ve missed you, Annabelle. But I knew nothing would be able to harm you.”
And what did that mean? Anna couldn’t take that as a simple vote of confidence—Alisha knew something. God, she had questions.
But those had to wait.
“Frost,” came the next familiar voice of the man who led her to Sorana.
He was behind her, looking the same as he did nearly a year ago—imposing with his slicked-back hair, scar, eyepatch, and dark, heavy outfit. Not to mention that predator-like gaze.
Of course, it hadn’t been that long. But time seemed to pass so slowly when she was alone.
“Jaxon,” Anna said. She didn’t have that many special feelings related to him. He was one of those hard-on-the-outside types, but she had no real connection to him.
But he was the man who led the expedition that got her trapped in Sorana. She didn’t blame him in any way for what happened. He tried to help them, but Eclipse was too strong. If anything, she owed him for forcing Aria to not risk her life. Eclipse would have killed them all.
Alisha’s eyes didn’t leave Anna’s, even as Jaxon spoke. She looked like she wanted to see everything there was to see.
“You’ve grown,” he said, nodding approvingly. “I’m happy to see your isolation has not resulted in stagnation.”
“Of course!” Anna said. Seeing his approval was good. She remembered him being so harsh and not the type to compliment.
But he definitely felt responsible.
They could have that talk another day when everything was over.
And it was about to finally be over.
“Annabelle!” Another hand patted her shoulder, earning a jolt from her. “My student—the future greatest supporter in Bastion.”
That was such a soothing voice, even when speaking with excitement. But why was she there?
“Alice?” Anna asked.
She actually came, too? Would she really risk her life? Alice was someone who was quite arrogant because of her supporting capabilities.
She was also a supporter purist. In fact, Anna was scared to talk to her about choosing a hybrid path back then!
“The girlie is hardly your student,” came the voice that made her happiest of them all. “Support? Nope.”
Anna quickly turned around to see the man who was her dorm master, offered her guidance, and made some delicious food. But most importantly, the man who helped raise Aria and protected her.
“Gromak!” She exclaimed, nearly running over to hug him before stopping herself.
“Haha!” Gromak laughed and slapped Anna’s shoulder a few times. “Girlie, you’re lookin’ better than ever! I thought maybe you’d gone insane, but you still got the light in your eyes! No, it’s even stronger!”
“I’m way stronger now!”
God, she had so much to talk about.
“I can see it, girlie! You got a fire in you, one that only grew since I last saw you!”
“Aria is fine,” came another voice, one Anna didn’t recognize. He was a heavily robed man with a mask, and he was holding Aria. “But I’ve never seen this ability before.”
“Aria!”
The man gently laid her on the floor as Anna ran up to her.
She looked fine—just unconscious from using stage two of Demonification. It would only last a few minutes. The repercussions after that… well, they didn’t know.
“Girlie…” Gromak muttered, stepping up to her and staring at the fading horns on Aria’s head. “What kind of abilities have you been absorbin’? Darkness?”
He looked to Anna for the answer.
“Darkness, hm?” Alisha mused as she leaned down to see the claws. “But, horns? Claws? And even the early form of wings… That isn’t a known ability.”
“Worse,” Jaxon said. “That wing ripped through her back—it’s fucking adding to her body structure.”
“He’s right,” Gromak said, gesturing toward the hole in Aria’s shirt. “The hells are we looking at right now, girlie?”
She felt proud to see and hear their shock.
Another boom shook the air from the battle between Thagrin and the accursed.
They were all ignoring the rampage happening below. But each blow that the Barbarians exchanged rocked the air loudly enough to spread across the library.
Thagrin wasn’t using abilities—it was literally a battle of pure physical power.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Anna said.
“Let me see,” Alice said as she leaned down next to Aria’s back. But her eyes only went wide at what she saw. “This…”
The wings were the last part to fade.
“How is she?” Anna eagerly asked.
“Wow,” Alisha said, her eyes burning with a curiosity Anna had never seen from her before. “What are we witnessing right now?”
Anna saw it.
But it wasn’t on Aria’s back—that just looked like an open wound.
No, it was on her head.
“H-her magic is gone, right?” Anna asked.
“Yes,” Jaxon said. “What the fuck is this?”
There were slight—almost unnoticeable—points on Aria’s head where the horns were. Were. Except those were actually the early stages of some about to grow.
“Her magic affected her body?” Alice asked as her foggy-grey threads went from her hand to Aria’s back. “The bone structure on her back is… changing—minutely, but the early stages are there.”
What did they do?
“Girlie, what in the hells did you guys get up to?”
“W-we… we have a lot to talk about,” Anna repeated.
Screw a Demonification ability… Aria was actually turning into a demon?! Was that her ability? Was it a side effect? What would happen if she went up even more stages?
She really, really needed to talk to Anavel.
Gromak snorted. “That we do…”
“Anna, are you okay?!” Elyanthra’s voice came from above as she gently floated from the higher floors.
Saved by the bell.
Except, Anna instantly felt bad.
“Elyanthra! Yeah, we’re fine, but…” she gestured toward where the platform was. “We had to destroy it.”
She released a heavy breath as she landed. “As long as you’re fine, then it’s okay.”
“Barely,” Anna said, turning back toward the destruction below. They didn’t even need to go down there—everything was dying in the crossfire.
“And now we’re here!” Alisha said. “I’ve missed you guys quite a lot, Annabelle. And you both have grown… stronger... and weirder!”
“We… we’ve done a lot.”
“I can tell.”
Seeing Alisha stand there and stare gave Anna an urge to activate her appraisal, but she bit that back. She didn’t want to do something like that without permission—unless it was an enemy. Alisha would feel it, too.
“We can chat later, girlie. I want to hear from Aria, too,” Gromak said, stepping up to the rail to watch the battle below. “Let’s deal with this before the noise gives me a headache.”
Yeah, it was really loud.
Thagrin was winning, but it was ridiculous just how much power a Barbarian had without any kind of magic.
“I see… that’s how they did it,” Elyanthra said as she looked at the large gate. “But, how did they open it in the first place?”
“Extra key?” Gromak asked.
“Absolutely not—we only made one.”
“We?” Alisha joined. She briefly chuckled.
“What?”
“Just déjà vu.”
“Is there a chance the… sentient corrupted was part of the team that made the key?” the masked man asked.
“Anna, this is Samir,” Alisha quickly added.
He briefly bowed his head in greeting.
She had all kinds of odd characters working for her, didn’t she? Thagrin, Jaxon, Alice, and now a completely covered man.
“No—this key was made with the essence of my lord,” Elyanthra said. “Another could not be made without his knowledge.”
“Ah, then I get it,” Gromak said. “Common but annoyingly tedious trick, that one. As long as they know where the gates opened, they can get in.”
“Is it that simple?” Elyanthra asked. “Was there nothing we could do?”
“Nope!” Alisha joined in, standing next to Anna and waving as she took her spot. “All gates can be broken into if given enough time and the proper tools.”
“Then it is a recent change,” Elyanthra said. “But it doesn’t matter anymore. For now…”
“We fight,” Samir finished.
“Not yet,” Alisha said before Samir could jump over the rails. “Let Thagrin kill that Barbarian first.”
“Why?” Anna asked.
He could definitely clear the room alone, but it didn’t seem to be because they risked getting caught in the crossfire of that rampage.
Accursed were still—despite the massacre below—pouring into the library.
“To the Barbarians, every member of their race is family,” Alisha said. Her eyes stayed on the battle below. “Let’s not interfere until he’s finished.”
“Not like the brute needs our help,” Gromak added.
“I see,” Elyanthra said, her sympathetic gaze focused on Thagrin. If anybody could fully understand him, it was her. “I will wait until he has made his peace.”
And that happened soon after.
At first, it seemed like Thagrin and the accursed Barbarian seemed to be on equal footing—of course, with magic out of the picture—but Thagrin quickly emerged superior.
Overwhelming power aside, the accursed Barbarian was just that—an accursed. He was not as strong or as intelligent as he was before the corruption claimed him. Thagrin seemed to be going easy, too—he was only using one axe.
Thagrin’s axe ripped through the air, first killing all the accursed who tried to swarm him as it struck the accursed Barbarian’s arm.
That blow seemed to be the final hit needed, and the hammer in the accursed’s hands flung out of his grip.
Before he could charge again, Thagrin slammed the bottom of his other axe into his leg, instantly bringing him down. He repeated it for his other knee, crippling the accursed.
“It’s time,” Samir said.
He was saying something to the accursed, but Anna wasn’t capable of reading those lips.
In the next moment, his head was off.
Anna quickly averted her gaze from that grotesque sight.
“Quesy, princess?” Alisha teased.
Anna scoffed. “Just because I do it doesn’t mean I like it.” She sighed. “You just…”
“Get used to it,” Alisha finished, her voice quieter. “I am sorry, Annabelle. This should not have been your introduction to this mess.”
She sounded genuine, but Anna felt differently.
“I’m glad it was,” Anna said.
The academy would not have made her grow to the extent she had—knowledge and power.
For better or worse, being on Sorana was a net positive.
“Alright, alright,” Alisha said, wryly shaking her head. She turned toward her gathered people, all ready to jump down and fight. “Go kill them all.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
And with that, a massacre began.
first killing all the accursed who tried to swarm him as it struck the accursed Barbarian’s arm bat.
Uh... Arm bat?
A special ability I never knew he had
TFTC!