Like a vulgar theater, this place previously filled with calm and so-called serenity was a spectacle of an unrefined butchery.
Shrouded in flames, the charred bodies of those I had trouble calling comrades in the past. One dying sound after another to grace my ears.
For despite this spectacle, I felt nothing.
I didn't feel anything for these poor souls.
After all,they deserved it.
"Allison! In front of you!",said Lila taken aback.
The creature responsible for this chaos stood before me, as if waiting for it's hour to strike.
A being composed entirely of fire, assuming an humanoid appearance .
"I wish I could have done something for this creature, but seems like it has no physical body."
The existence of this creature did not bother Lila in any way. As if they were occurrences in which she was accustomed to the likes of it daily .
- "Hm . I think this spell should do."
She crossed her arms in an x shape, the right arm above the left one.
As she prepared to cast her spell, a dark purple aura emanated from her fingers as the monster disappeared from our field of vision.
It was now near Lila.
"This thing's quick", Lila said distraught.
Without hesitation for a moment, the bonfire struck it's infernal drum on this junk witch.
"..."
Without giving her any time to react, the vile creature hit Lila with a powerful uppercut, aimed at her stomach,projecting her through the entire corridor, charring the center of her body. The blow so powerful, I could see Lila eyes turn to white.
Powerless, I could only look.
After all, in the end, why should I seek to fight against the inevitable.
In the end, we should let this creature destroy everything it sees. There is no reason to fight against destruction.
Destruction is in people nature, so it goes without saying that when it turns against us we should accept it.
After all, a mere human being has no value in this world.
In this sense, fighting the inevitable is the stupidest action.
"This isn't true."
A voice echoed in my mind, cutting the incessant spiral of my thoughts.
In an instant, the room had turned black , presenting me with an empty space almost frozen in time .
Before me was my own reflection, judging me with my own eyes.
"Will you let this reality come to an end? Will you let this world you live in disappear forever? Be brought into eternal chaos and night ?"
Despite the fact that this reflection was trying to communicate with me, I couldn't hear it's voice.
"This world is an unjust farce. Despite the fact that we struggle there every day, we are never rewarded for all our efforts."
The voice became clearer and clearer, vomiting my own thoughts back at me.
"Living is so painful. Living is synonymous with sorrow, regret, bitterness and loss."
This whirlwind of negative emotions that were my thoughts played a dark joke on me, the same words that I said to myself everyday swaying from left to right in my psyche.
"But what you don’t understand is that to live is to accept the same pain and bitterness that makes you suffer so much. Remember who you are , proclaims again loud and clear the former you."
I wondered what "I" meant by my older self. It had been a long time since I had forgotten concepts like joy and good cheerfulness.
Nothing had been the same since they…
Everything is different, the sweet voice that reminded me not to be late when I woke up too late, the sweet sound of this mischievous animal ravishing my ears, the incessant sermons of my father to put me in my place.
Everything had disappeared .
I have nothing left.
The spiral could not stop , covering me with a cloak of hatred and remorse.
My own reflection, as if disappointed, clenched it's fist in frustration.
"Fine! If you’re willing to let people die because of you, so be it!"
My own image ran towards me and landed a powerful left hook right in the head, with a sour and distraught look.
I couldn’t help but remember how energized I used to be from the way she moved. The way I moved...
A flash of light cut me off from this almost psychotic sensation to bring me back to the present situation, the creature still before me, however …
Despite the fact that I had come to my senses, the muscles of my body did not answer my call.
I felt that my consciousness was there but I wasn't in control of my body.
"Well, let’s take action."
Despite the fact that it was still my voice that came out of this body, I had no control over it. I was forced to observe from a bird's eye view. As if an impostor had taken possession of my flesh.
The foreigner took a stance that seemed like they were holding a sword, alas there was nothing in their hand.
A milisecond later,bursting out of nowhere,a sword endowed with a most unique appearance graced her hands.
The golden guard of the blade was in the shape of a butterfly, the handle red like blood completing perfectly it's perfect silver colour.
This strange blade which birthed out of nothing had a thin base for a disproportionately wide end.
I was certain that no normal human body could have the strength to support such weight, but it managed to keep it standing only with the strength of it's hands.
As she brandished her weapon towards the creature that had caused all this distress, I could see Lila walking with difficulty towards "me", the burn inflicted on her stomach seemingly healed.
"( Is that an Alter Ego…)"
"Karmic manifestation."
When the impostor pronounced those words, the blade between it's hands became wrapped in a dark purple aura.
I could perceive what seemed like murmurs coming out of the blade, an incessant shower of words that only I could hear.
Then, in an instant movement, the fire that composed the creature no longer existed, as if it had been vaporized from existence itself.
Looking back at the impostor, I noticed the tip of the blade was now on the level of it's feets. It looked like it used the blade in an instant.
" Blasting away a being made out of fire with wind. I see. You're annoying but pretty smart Allison", Lila said, not bothered by what happened in the slightest.
As the cross vanished from my iris and the color of my eyes returned to normal, I could feel again the sensation of existing and living.
For the first time in my life, I was satisfied to be there in the flesh.
"I see, I see."
Lila said in an abnormally calm tone, given the situation.
"I thought you…"
She sighed, clearly disappointed by my question.
"That’s not going to kill me,clearly! I’ve seen worse. This witch in front of you's pretty ..."
This girl had immediately recovered from the beast, in view of the fact that her ego had taken no cost.
"Extraordinary, I know…"
I couldn't help but laugh at her stupid act.
" Allison..."
She had managed to bring me into her foolishness.
" I didn't expect you were someone who could laugh."
She said, smiling out of nowhere.
" That's reassuring."
Her tone which was all cheerful a few moments ago had immediately become more serious.
" We should go back to the clu...I mean research room."
"Not in the mood."
"What do you mean?"
"I don’t know these guys. No matter what happens to them, I’ll have peace of mind."
She seemed horrified by my comments, totally distraught by my disinterest in these people.
"Would it kill you to show a little more sympathy?"
Given her expression, I understood that it was a requirement on her part and not a request.
Who did she think she was, wanting to dictate my actions and my behavior as she sees fit.
"Lila, is that it? I don’t even know you, you and your little gang met today. Do you think I care about other people when this school is in this state ?"
I could only point to the chaos and destruction caused by the flames.
She sighed, disappointed by my attitude before taking her breath.
"It’s all your fault!"
How could she accuse me of being responsible for this horrible situation.
"How dare you insinuate that I caused all this!"
It had been years since I had raised my voice. She had forced me to scream.
Alas, my sudden rise of voice had no effect on Lila, observing me straight in the eyes.
"You are an apostle. My mother has already told me about these people. For thousands of years, a group of humans who made a pact with different deities set out to eradicate all traces of the existence of witches or similar creatures giving rise to bloody wars. These humans had the power to manipulate reality as they pleased. This group called themselves the apostles."
This story seemed far-fetched but it was not what interested me the most.
"Well, it may have happened accidentally because of me. Not intentionally."
She pointed a wooden stick out of nowhere at my face.
"Your explanation better be good or I can assure you it will be your last words."
Noticing how scary she had become right at this moment, I complied.
"A strange kind of eye that told me about an apostle’s story, not sure what it means. Right after, he talked about granting a wish even without my consent because it was written in me or something like that. Strangely, all this chaos started right after."
Shocked, she dropped her stick.
"But that would mean that deep inside you, you want to … I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by that after our interaction this morning. What did that eye say to you?"
"Stories about being an apostle of Apophys or such foolishness."
Lila stood still, as if she had seen the most horrible scene after hearing what I had to say.
The drops of cold sweat dripping little by little on face, as her fear increased.
"Apophys?"
She shouted, visibly stunned, as her hands and lips trembled.
"It’s much more serious than I thought ... I should contact my mother. If we don’t seal this thing up fast enough, the chaos that is happening right now will be nothing compared to what it could do if it materialized completely in our world."
I still didn’t understand why she was still struggling if it was so bad. If, as she said, this thing was a divinity, what could we do against it?
Expecting mortals to harm divine beings is impossible.
"There should be a temple fifty kilometers away the should help us settle this matter but first let’s look for the others, they should be alive. We'll need them on the way to there."
How could she be so sure? Unless she was as lucky as us and had strange abilities, there was no way these guys could survive the flames in the club room.
"Hm, it’s true there was this strange cat with them now that I think about it."
I couldn’t help but think out loud, because of the strangeness of a two-tailed cat.
"This cat has a name, it’s Cath Sith. It’s my cat."
It must be said that I was not at all surprised by this sudden revelation.
Before I realized it, a black band enveloped the lower half of my body, emprisoning my arms and legs.
The stick that was on the ground before disappeared.
"You’re putting us in a bad spot, Allison. You should be more responsible for your actions and desires. That's why you're coming weither you like it or not."
She dragged me along all the way to the hall of her so-called club. A circle with strange inscriptions was now displayed on the door. I distinctly remembered it not being there before.
"It’s a good thing my seal held. I’ll knock just in case."
She knocked at the door, which earned her a "Who goes there?" from her comrades, who to my surprise were still alive inside.
"The great, the majestic, the magnificent, the one and only."
It was sure that her ego did not weigh the gravity of the situation.
"Miss Lila? Is that you?"
"How dare you ask me such stupid questions, Melessy? Don’t you recognize the prestance and authority of my presence?"
A silence ensued.
"..."
"..."
" Only Miss Lila speak this outdated language. It is really you!"
I could almost see Lila’s soul coming out of her body as soon as she heard the word "outdated". This Melessy girl had attacked where it hurt.
Defeated, Lila did not say a word while the door opened.
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