Mari’s opened her eyes slowly her body aching down to the bones as she forced herself to sit up she found herself in a most comforting environment.  A chasm of desolation, a listless place where only the fortunate may enter.

 

                                                                         “Hey there, partner.”  Mari smirked.

                                                                        “My favourite piss ant awakens, how splendid.”

                                                                       “I missed you too, you faceless bitch.”

                                                                      “Mari, listen I don’t know how to soften this, so I’ll be blunt.”

                                                                      “Go ahead, not like my heart could be anymore broken.”

                                                                     “The million or so citizens of Vallagunia have been killed.”

                                                                     “What…how’s that possible….” Mari stuttered.

                                                                      “Lili…” Mari shrieked.

                                                                      “Not again, damn it, no.”  Mari cried.

                                                                      “Mari you’re a worthless piece of you shit!”

                                                                    “You swore It’d never happen again.”

                                                                    “You, fucking  liar”

                                                                   “Um…Mari…” Velvet tried to interrupt.

Mari was sobering as she hammered the ground over and over until her fists where bruised, battered, and bloodied., the thought of losing any of them was too painful to contemplate.

Velvet appeared behind Mari and in a most out of character behavior knelt behind her and wrapped her arms the crying girl bringing into a warm embrace.   Velvet planned on telling Mari the truth how her classmates were safe and sound, but she knew that Mar needed this.

Velvet had felt every ounce of despair and self-loathing that Mari had been drowning in, she had watched the nightmares play repeatedly every night, she had watched powerlessly as Mari wept and begged over the memories of her fallen lover.

Suppressing her emotions and losing control is liable to get her and those she cares for killed in the upcoming war, so letting her grieve and allowing her eyes to run dry will prepare her in the likely even that her fears turn into reality.

Time enough had passed and Velvet relieved Mari of her fears revealing that she swooped in like a big damn hero at the last moment and whisk them to safety without a moment to spare.   Mari’s self loathing and despair turned to relief than once more to anguish.

                                                                                             “Thank you so much, Velvet.”

                                                                                            “Can’t have you crying over anyone else.”

                                                                                            “You’re shockingly kind for an incomprehensible entity.”

                                                                                          “Bullshit and flattery will you get you nowhere.”

                                                                                         “Those bastards will pay for every life they've trampled."

The utter disregard for the value of human life stirred something deep inside Mari’s gut it was a visceral nausea that spread like lightning throughout her body starting in her stomach and progressing upwards towards her throat.

Her burning grudge and need for vengeance aside Mari wished that she could have saved all those people the good people and the bad because humans are all the same when they are dead just rotting sacks of flesh of bone.

                               “I knew that boy was soulless but not even I thought he was capable of mass genocide.”   Velvet said returning to her feet.”

                                                                               
                                                                        “You’ll be awake soon Mari so shut up and listen”.

                                                                        “Yeah, Okay.”  Mari grumbled. 

                                                                        “It’s time I reveal the secret of void magic.”

                                                                         “Dissimilar to the other elements void is restricted to a tiny volume of spells.”

                                                                        “How many?”  Mari asked.

                                                                        “I told you to shut up, speak again and I'm  going to spank you.”

                                                                        “Fine no need to get physical, not that I’m opposed.”

                                                                        “Void magic has ten spells in total and you already know three.”

                                                                        “ Orthi, My Blades and The Gauntlets.”    

                                                                       “You actually nicknamed the abyssal hound?,  I’m getting too old for this shit.”

                                                                      “At any rate, there is a loophole that will open the door to possibilities currently unavailable to you.”

                                                                    “if it’ll help me get stronger than tell me Velvet, please.”

                                                                     “You're not nearly skilled enough, but oh well you'll figure it out."                                                   

The first form of Void magic is it's most versatile and thus powerful asset it is known as Devour and it allows the caster to consume the magic, element, strength, abilities and knowledge of the being that it’s devoured, by doing so the caster may grow infinitely stronger.

                                            “That’s swell and all but what are the penalties?”  Mari asked.

                                           “Straight to the crux of the matter, I like it."

                                           “You'll gain the memories of the person whom you devour”.

                                          “I can live with that, anything else?”

                                           “Never use it more than once in 24 hours or you’ll perish."

                                          “That’s concerning but I'll manage, so how do I use it exactly?

                      “Once a living being is in Golden Time place your hand upon their body and utter the chant.  Void Magic First Form: Devour, and the rest will be automatic”

 

                     “Should you devour a human, you’ll gain their magic, however if you devour a beast it’ll turn into a summon just like Orthrus” Velvet finished her explanation with a wearied sigh.

 

                                     “Amazing!  I should probably be getting back now, so I’ll limit my questions to just one.”  Mari said stretching.

 

                                                            “What’s this Golden Time you mentioned?”

                                                          “Golden Time Is the short window between death where a soul has not yet departed the mortal realm.”  

                                                          “Short window huh? How short are we talking exactly?”

                                                           “Varies depending on the amount of Ballum could be a few hours to as long as a month”.

                                                               

Short window my ass Mari thought as her eyelids grew heavy and she fell into unconsciousness leaving the void once more, she didn’t have the words to convey the depths of her gratitude for Velvet if she hadn’t intervened, they’d be dead.

She would be sure to properly express that gratitude upon their next encounter, this had been a most fruitful conversation learning the most powerful void spell and that there are far fewer true spells than she had imagined.  

Mari couldn't deny she was excited to use her new spell but reminded herself that there was a limit, only using once every twenty-four hours meant she would have to be tactical and selective about when to use it.

If only she could devour the relentless grief that swelled inside her heart.  Shinobu, I love you Mari thought awakening with a crisp jolt.