Lyria  PoV

 

The earthborn sentinel it had popped up out of nowhere on two separate occasions. Did it follow us all the way here? If it was always on our heels, I would have known for sure its mana is way too imposing to not notice.

So why did I not see it before it started attacking? As if it was teleported to our location. Were the admins of this trial responsible for this as well?

What’s even more strange, this thing just suddenly made a beeline for Atsumi and has been chasing her for the past five minutes. Maybe it saw her as a threat. I mean, she destroyed its stone armor, which even I couldn’t do, so I could understand if it was wary of her, but this is too strange.

 

No one knows exactly how cryptids are born, but the most widely accepted theory is that cryptids are born when an object becomes so imbued with mana it takes on a life of its own. It could be anything from a rock to a tree to a literal corpse. No one knows why this happens, since it takes place in unpopulated areas, so no one really has time to study them, especially since the usual reaction is to kill them on sight. And since a majority of cryptid encounters happen outside of Gaia, hauling one all the way back home is impossible, well mostly because they fade away after death.

Overtime, some gain a sense of simple understanding and intelligence, making them much harder to deal with. 

This one certainly acted strange even among the intelligent bunch. They usually aren’t this hyper focused.

We chased behind both Atsumi and the sentinel, throwing spells at it to drive its attention away from her, but to no avail. It was simply hell-bent on dealing with her.

Senna's arrow bounced off its stone armor as if she had thrown a toy arrow at it. “Can’t even scratch the damned thing.” She said, as she knocked another arrow.

Atsumi had already fought a tough battle against “golden boy” and, based on her aura, she was approaching her limit. Honestly, humans are so fickle. 

During the initial ambush, I had lost track of the draco girl and her team, disappointing to see them cower away when the situation became dire, but I probably would have done the same thing myself.

I kept track of Atsumi and her physical state. The fog that obscured her core was now gone as she channeled mana through her underdeveloped and mangled mana veins, something typical of all humans.

 I don’t get how she, a human, manifested a soul fate of legends, a thing most people consider a myth. 

 

That’s right, I found out about her secret. She really is naïve to have believed me. I may not be an aspect, but these are the real deal. They made me in her likeness, after all.

 I couldn’t tell at first because of her seal. It was like trying to read text with another page over it or like fog obscuring the way forward. I could only see her mana veins and a body writhed with impurities, again typical of most humans, but I couldn’t understand why someone would even bother placing such an intricate seal on an otherwise normal human child. 

My intentions for helping her was just as all my inevitable obsessions begin, just simple curiosity. Going as far to spin up a tall tale that would make her feel at ease and drop her guard around me. In actuality, these eyes only manifest in those chosen by gods and they don’t pass on to your offspring. 

How I came to acquire it, well, let’s just say they are more unconventional ways to pass them on.

I knew how seals of this nature worked, and in time she would have to use her mana. I expected something amazing, but I never expected this.

The moment she activated that magical art and mana flowed through her body, radiating outwards, like a strong breeze that blew away that annoying fog, revealed the most pristine of mana cores.

 I could barely control my excitement. A human with a celestial fate soul, people would think I was mad if I spouted such nonsense, but there she was an ambiguity among ambiguities. A myth becoming reality in the most unlikely of candidates. I had found a godly treasure that even the Nephilim, the so called most powerful race, would covet.

Her body, however, told a different story. I understand now why she needed a seal. Such pure mana would kill her and possibly take out everyone in a several mile radius. I think I remember a term humans used to call these people. Fragments.

 

Pausing my little monologue, I look towards the outskirts of the stadium. Beyond it, a wall of smoke and ash that surrounded us like layers of silk curtains. We had no time to waste, failure loomed just behind these walls and I had no intention of meeting it.

It was then I heard a splash in the distance, snapping my focus away from the pillars of smoke. Atsumi had fallen and was scrambling to get back up. The cryptid approached quickly, its spear bearing down on her.

 

I cursed myself for being distracted and channeled mana into my staff, water and earth mana came crashing into the crystal orb giving it a new form, this mana pumped itself into the surrounding plant life immensely increasing their rate of growth and giving me some authority over them. Branches and vines swooped down, wrapping themselves around its limbs and pinning the cryptid in place. I couldn’t use this often because it drained a substantial amount of my mana, but there was nothing else I could have done. I just need to buy her some time.

“Atsumi, run towards the gate.” I shouted.

With a nod she ran towards the gate, her face covered in ash and mud and she wheezed with every breath, sprawling branches spread over her path ahead, making it even harder to traverse the terrain. I could have helped with clearing the way for her, but my hands were full of keeping this beast in place.

 

Apart from us, things had quieted down a lot. Everyone had completely stopped fighting. I could see countless figures through the foliage, they were all hiding for some odd reason. It was strange that no one attempted to climb the tower and enter the gate. Another cryptid perhaps?

 

Trying my best to focus on the cryptid ahead of me, I noticed wind mana quickly gathering towards Atsumi. At first I thought this was her just gathering mana for a speed boost, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was flowing towards the base of the tower. Atsumi noticed as well, but she could barely have turned around before a torrent of wind blasted from the tower, sending her airborne. I had no time to warn her. It happened so quickly. It was strong enough for me to lose focus, giving the cryptid just enough time to break free.   

Atsumi, who had just finished her hellish ride through the branches of countless trees, just laid there, panting as if she had given up. She looked up into the sky almost in a daze and not even acknowledging the cryptid that now loomed over her.

 

It paused for a moment, looking down at her. Its excited aura had died down. Now it seemed almost disappointed. It slowly raised its self-crafted spear to strike. 

I tried to halt its movement again, but it was taking too long to gather enough mana. At that moment, I thought she was done. I held my breath, awaiting the final blow, but it never came. Atsumi had simply vanished.

 

I looked around, wondering where she had gone, only to see her in Enan’s arms.

When did he even get over there? Did he use some sort of spell? I didn’t sense any fluctuations in the ambient mana, not even a blip. It was as if he teleported. And just as he appeared, he vanished, taking Atsumi with him. 

With its target now gone, the cryptid turned its attention to the other participants. Sending the forest into an uproar as it attacked everything that moved.

I quickly hid myself trying to fathom what had just happened.

 

No wonder no one entered the tower. It blew away anyone that got close. Even worse, I saw no mana going in or out of the gate, meaning it was closed.

 At that point, I was at a loss. They wouldn’t set us up to fail, so what am I missing?

I looked back towards the gate, my enhanced vision inspecting every nook and cranny. It was a simple marbled gate, similar to the one we used to enter, except much smaller. It had no obvious contraptions or terminals next to it, just a simple frame.

To the top arch, I spotted something that was in the shape of a four-sided diamond. It was as if someone had dug into it with some kind of tool and carved out perfect angles. Slight traces of mana oozed from the vacant cutout.

 

I thought maybe the cryptid showing up wasn’t a complete coincidence. I looked towards inspecting it the best I could, but I saw no sign of it being any different from a regular cryptid. It was closer to the tower than anyone else, but there was no reaction from the gate or the tower. It was then I looked deeper and searched for its mana crystal, and when I saw the shape, it clicked. 

Those slight traces of mana that floated in the cutout were the same as its mana crystal.

The damned bastards, this wasn’t an optional boss fight after all. No wonder it appeared inside the stadium so conveniently. Its mana crystal is the key to getting out of here.

 

“The mana crystal, the mana crystal is the key.” I said aloud.

Cedric, who was also deep in though sighed and nodded

“So you came to that conclusion as well.”

Everyone else looked at us, unsure of what we meant. 

Senna, who seemed to catch on, looked towards the cryptid as the remaining participants swarmed it. The sight of it eliminating them one by one, despite being vastly outnumbered, caused her to grimace.

“Are you telling me the only way to pass is by killing that thing?” 

She looked at me, hoping for me to say otherwise. All I could do was sigh and slowly nod.

“You can’t be fucking serious.” She said while throwing her hands up.

“So, what’s the game plan?” Bale said, his gaze focusing on me.

Suddenly, a wild Enan drops down from an overhead branch. Atsumi stood next to him, hands over his shoulder. 

“I got a plan.” 

Senna, who had her back turned towards us, practically jumped out of her skin at his sudden appearance.

“Yo dude, what the fuck?” She said, bow pointed towards him. “I almost planted an arrow in your skull.”

I took the time to walk over to Atsumi. She was clearly exhausted, but it seemed she had recovered somewhat.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not great, but i'll manage,” she said with a forced smile.

I turned my attention to Enan. “Now, what plan do you have in mind?”

“We get rid of that armor,” he said, while holding up his index finger. “And to do that, we need Atsumi to use that sword again.”