|Location: Wasteland|
-OMNISCIENCE-
Nuk stumbled backward, a sharp gasp escaping him as he listen to Dia's screaming. "Kya! My head!"
His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the golden blood flowing from his sister's severed neck. The molten-like liquid shimmered, almost alive, desperately searching for its source. Nuk's heart pounded with a mix of horror and confusion.
"Golden blood!?" he whispered, stunned into silence. This was no ordinary human blood—this was something else entirely. Suddenly, everything clicked into place: her strange temper, the overwhelming strength she had displayed.
It all pointed to one terrifying conclusion—Sertium contamination.
"How long have you been mutated? And why didn't we notice?" Nuk's voice trembled, a mix of fear and bewilderment.
Día's body moved awkwardly, reaching out for her detached head. With a delicate touch, she placed it back onto her neck. The golden blood slowly spread, sealing the wound, acting like a living glue as her head seamlessly reconnected to her body. She stretched, cracking her joints with a refreshed sigh, then turned to face Nuk. Her eyes gleamed with a chilling calmness that made his blood run cold.
"Ha~ You're wondering that now?" she teased, a sinister giggle escaping her lips. "It's all thanks to 'his' generosity." She brushed the hair from her face, her gaze shifting from playful to deadly. "But what's the point of knowing… since I'm going to kill you! And the rest of that filth."
The air thickened with her murderous intent, suffocating the space around them. Golden markings ignited on her skin and the earth beneath her feet. Suddenly, massive vines erupted from the ground, shaking the soil violently as they lunged toward Nuk with ruthless force.
Reacting swiftly, Nuk tapped into his seismic senses, feeling the tremors of the attack. He twisted the earth beneath him, dodging the oncoming assault with practiced agility. "Crap!" he muttered, rolling back to create distance. Without hesitation, he retaliated, hurling jagged earthen knives at Día. But the vines were relentless, intercepting the blades effortlessly.
His breath came in ragged gasps; every movement drained him. Stamina sapped by the constant exertion, his body felt sluggish—yet he fought on. Día watched him with a cold amusement, her chuckle echoing as she summoned more vines, each one writhing and striking with precision.
Nuk matched her relentless barrage, parrying and dodging with all his might. But the pain inflicted by his sister's ferocity gnawed at him, sharp and unyielding. Despite the pounding ache, he refused to falter. Memories of his previous battles—facing apostles and worshipers in the ruined lands, and the rescue by Zero—fueled his determination.
Every strike, every block was a desperate dance of survival against the sister he once knew, now transformed into a merciless adversary.
Despite his exhaustion and inability to unleash powerful attacks, Nuk relied on his sharp instincts and tactical use of his abilities. As the siblings clashed fiercely, a deep, resonant humming suddenly rose from the massive tree nearby, vibrating through the very air and earth around them.
Día abruptly ceased her assault, her eyes locking onto the tree and then shifting toward Zero. "Look! The tree is about to finish absorbing Zero."
Nuk followed her gaze and saw Zero's form enveloped by the tree's grasp. The area around his body appeared fragile, as if the tree might reject him any second. Zero's frame looked gaunt and drained, his vitality fading. The tree's once radiant golden glow dimmed, replaced by a haunting crimson hue—a bleak sign that Zero might not survive much longer if this dragged on.
Fury twisted in Nuk's chest. Clenching his fist tightly around his knife, he glared at Día. "What are you doing to him?"
A wide, unsettling smile spread across Día's face. Ecstasy seemed to flood her veins as she convulsed briefly in her own embrace before stilling, fixing Nuk with a cold, emotionless stare.
"I planned to use our sister for this, you know, as a sacrifice" she said, voice thick with dark excitement, "but thanks to her suggestion, we managed to bring him here." Nuk noticed her eyes dilate, a thin trail of drool slipping from her mouth as she continued, her tone almost reverent. "The moment I saw that face, I knew—he's the one I need to activate the tree and claim full authority. He might even glance back at me if I succeed."
She pointed at Zero, the knowledge implanted by the tree since childhood granting her formidable power but also twisting her humanity into something bizarre and dangerous. Zero's arrival was the catalyst that unleashed her desires, her madness blooming like a dark flower.
"Damn it! Stop! He saved us back then," Nuk shouted desperately.
Día scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. "I would have killed that third-rate apostle if it meant killing you." She laughed darkly. "HEHE! After this, I'll harness the power of this tree—I'll become a god."
Nuk heard the confidence in her voice, but beneath it lay a dangerous madness. Turning his head away, he muttered, "I don't have a moment to spare. I need to find a way to distract her."
Desperate, Nuk hurled several knives toward Día, hoping to draw her focus from the tree. In response, she slammed the ground with her vines, ripping the soil apart with brutal force.
"Resistance is futile, brother!" she yelled, whipping her vines in a furious storm. Nuk leapt back to evade the strikes. "Where do you think you're going? Come back here!"
He watched helplessly as Día rampaged through the battlefield, untamed and merciless.
With every passing moment, Nuk felt the remnants of his love and care for his sister crumble. The joy and family bonds they once shared dissolved, replaced by a crushing sadness that weighed heavily on his soul, stoking the fires of his anger.
But he pushed those feelings aside. Día was buying time for the tree to consume Zero, and if Nuk failed to save him now, Día would become an even greater threat.
Countless strategies raced through Nuk's mind, but only one seemed remotely feasible—though the odds of success were slim. Yet, he had no choice but to try.
"Día!" Nuk shouted, striving to capture her attention.
She clicked her tongue in disdain, disgust evident in her expression. "What are you babbling about? Begging for your life?"
"I hate you. You're nothing but a monster," Nuk said, his voice heavy with pain as he gripped his blade and pointed it at her. "That makes you less than human—and maybe that's why who ever this is your trying to chase left you 'he' doesn't need you, you're anything but special"
At those words, something inside Día shattered. Her arrogance and self-entitlement ignited, consuming the fragile remnants of reason.
"I'm not special? Don't you see the power I possess? And you say I'm not!" she screamed, fury distorting her features as chaos erupted around them.
Seizing the moment, Nuk took a step back toward the forest's edge. Día's eyes snapped to him immediately, fury blazing. "Don't think you can run away after insulting me!" she roared, giving chase without hesitation.
The chase was relentless. Nuk carefully rationed his stamina, minimizing the use of his seismic powers to ensure he had enough strength left for the trap he planned to set. His mind raced back to his earlier explorations—areas filled with hidden dangers, especially patches of weak ground that could collapse at the slightest disturbance.
That was his plan: lure Día toward the largest unstable zone southeast of their current location, where the earth could give way beneath her fury.
Navigating the terrain while dodging his sister's furious pursuit was taxing. Each step felt heavier, his energy draining faster than he liked. "Shit, I don't know if I can do it with the remaining stamina I have," Nuk muttered, clenching his jaw.
Behind him, Día tore through the wilderness, trampling trees and commanding her vines with ruthless precision. Her voice, sharp and thunderous, echoed across the wasteland: "Stop! I said stop!"
Nuk pressed a hand to his chest, desperate to conserve every ounce of strength. Under his breath, he whispered, "But I need to try."
The chase stretched on, exhausting but fleeting. Nuk's path suddenly ended at a towering cliff, vines coiling around the edges—a clear sign Día had trapped him. He felt the cold weight of entrapment settle in his gut.
Día emerged, her hands concealing a wide, wicked smile. Her eyes gleamed with delight as she surveyed the cage she had built around her brother. "HAHAHA! Looks like you've got nowhere else to go."
Nuk slid against the rocky wall, masking his true plans behind a calm facade. "Nothing is certain until I give up."
Her laughter rang out as she moved closer, vines poised behind her like deadly weapons, ready to strike on her command. With a wave of her hand, the vines lashed out, aiming to rip him apart.
Nuk's only option was to act swiftly. He dodged forward, launching knives in a desperate strike at Día's eyes. Caught off guard, she couldn't fully block the attack. The blades struck true, and she screamed in agony, pulling the knives free.
Golden blood welled from her wounds, its molten light beginning to mend the damage.
Seizing the moment, Nuk bolted away, racing toward the tree where Zero remained trapped. He knew his luck wouldn't last if he hesitated.
Beneath them, the earth trembled. Cracks spiderwebbed across the cliff as Día's relentless assault weakened the foundation. Suddenly, the cliff gave way, sending massive boulders crashing down onto the fragile ground below.
"Huh?! What's happening?" Día's voice wavered as she tried to heal her eyes, failing to notice the avalanche hurtling toward her.
"This will buy me some time," Nuk murmured, pushing his legs to their limit as he sprinted away, fully aware that the delay would be brief.
"Ah!" The massive rocks crashed down upon Día, pinning her beneath their weight. The impact shattered the ground beneath her feet, burying her under rubble and earth.
Nuk didn't hesitate. "Zero! I'm here." He sprinted to the tree, where Zero's body was partially embedded, struggling to free him. Grasping Zero's legs, Nuk pulled with all his might—but the tree's grip was relentless, refusing to release its hold.
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion echoed from behind. Nuk whipped his head around to see the source: Día was returning. His heart pounded fiercely, dread rising as the ground trembled beneath her approach. The stronger the tremors, the closer she drew.
Determined, Nuk tried again to pull Zero free. Despite knowing that his earth-manipulating abilities were less effective under tension, he reinforced his hands with his power, feeling cracks in spiderwebs across his skin. Yet, he pushed on, pouring every ounce of remaining strength into the effort.
But luck had finally abandoned him. Día appeared, her eyes blazing with fury and terror upon witnessing Nuk's desperate attempts. In a flash, she swung her hand, and the tree's roots lashed out, striking Nuk with brutal force.
He was caught off guard, unable to defend himself. The impact shattered his body, snapping him in two. Pain unlike any he had ever known surged through him—so intense that he lost his voice, his breath faltering as his vision blurred. Yet, clutching Zero tightly, Nuk defied the agony, propelling them both away from the tree, crashing across the crater's opposite edge.
Enraged by the disruption, Día stormed back to the tree, glaring at the gaping hole left by Nuk's interference. "No! You're ruining everything—the ritual isn't finished!" Her voice cracked with fury as her hair blazed from emerald green to fiery ruby, and dark markings spread across her body.
"Curse you! Curse you! Curse you!"
The tree responded to her wrath, its roots writhing like serpents as they coiled tightly around her.
"W-what a-a-are you d-doing?" Nuk stammered, helplessly watching beside Zero as his sister's form began to twist and transform. Her body shattered and rebuilt itself, grotesque new limbs and features erupting fiercely.
A monumental shift swept through the wasteland. The dark fog above began to swirl violently around Día, breaking apart to reveal golden rays of sunlight piercing the sky. The earth trembled with raw energy as the tree swayed in the gusts that swept the land.
"Shut up! You ruined everything, and now I have no choice but to do this!" her voice thundered, raw and unyielding.
Then amidst the fight out of nowhere a brilliant light burst forth from the peak of the land, bathing the wasteland in its radiant glow—the sun had finally risen.
•••••••