Sylaphine's Perspective:
1/1/2018 - 10:56 AM
"This labyrinth's walls will only limit my enjoyment of humiliating you."
I didn't bother with pretense. The corridor emptied as the stones obeyed my summons; the air thickened with pressure and green motes.
"Umbrae, silete. Aqua, vertite. Fulmen, vinculum!"
"Tenebrae cadant, locus tremat, ferrum ignis — Oblivionem!"
They folded the space like a page and spat us out on a high ledge that overlooked a raw, grassy slope—rocks scattered like broken teeth, wind throwing my hair back. Butterflies spread behind me and vanished into the new geography.
He registered the change a fraction of a breath before I did. The color of his eyes didn't shift, but the line of his jaw did—interest.
Kaiser struck first.
A long cross of motion—dagger, coming directly at me. He tested my guard, angled to find the weakness.
I met him, drawing defensive skin-thin barriers that flared and shivered under his edge. He slashed the air; the barrier rang. He tried to topple me with a kick aimed for the face. Instead he hit the barrier.
I tasted his worthless attempt and smiled.
Amusing.
"You're a tough one," he said, smirking.
"Let's see how long you last," I answered, and I didn't wait.
Water rose. Spirals, not gentle but hungry—coiling like living ropes tipped with cold lightning. I wove the wind to carry their paths, and the ledge below turned into a maze of whorls, each a trap and a conductor.
A single touch would electrocute him.
He saw it and did not hesitate.
He drove a dagger into the ground as an anchor and dropped, sliding on a strip of grass that sang beneath his weight. The whirlpools hissed, seeking a throat; he fell through a shallow gap, a movement so quick the water only nicked his sleeves. He rolled, dagger into hand, and was up in the same blink. Running downwards the valley.
I followed him down the slope like a storm, bringing the fight with me. I do not attack in straight lines; I change the ground beneath his feet.
I slammed spikes of frost from the soil—thin, sharp blades that stabbed up between rocks. They were meant to pin ankles, to force him into a stumble.
He didn't stumble.
He slid a foot along the ground, using the dagger he'd driven into the earth as a pivot. With that tiny anchor he spun, turning my trap into a stepping platform and carrying his momentum past the ice.
I sent a ring of water coiling with electricity. He saw it and moved before the circuit closed: dagger into stone, a low roll through a gap, and then up again. He kept his shoulders low, knees bent, everything compact — no wasted motion. He used the slope: a slide under a wall of water, a push off a loose rock to clear an electric arc.
When shards of frozen light rose to cage him, he slashed the nearest strand and used the falling fragments as footings, stepping on each like a set of tiny platforms. He planted his dagger, hooked a heel on a shard, and vaulted over my trap.
"Shift left," he muttered once, more to his body than to me.
He struck the dagger's pommel against stone; the spark scattered the nearest whirlpool and broke its current. That small, precise action turned an imminent shock into harmless spray.
I threw a spear of water braided with thunder—fast, narrow—meant to punch through his path.
He slid beneath it on the slope and let it slam into the ledge where he had just been standing. The explosion of spray and sound blinded that space for an instant; he used the brief blind to appear where I did not expect.
Every time he slipped through, his speed increased.
He was always measuring distance, weight, the smallest advantage: a planted dagger, a kicked stone, a shoulder used as a battering ram.
He was no ordinary human.
I made the field worse. Vines with hooked thorns burst up to snag sleeves and trip ankles. I threw flashes of broken light to hide points of pressure. I made the grass slick in lines, then reversed tiny patches of gravity so footholds became betrayals.
The valley narrowed; the wind pushed him toward the places I wanted him to go.
When my frost rose, he slashed at it and used the slabs as steps. When my water spiraled, he drove his dagger into the ground, used it as a brake, and rolled past the arc. He lunged through one trap and came up in a stance that took my breath for a second.
"You rely on tricks," I called, watching him wipe sweat from his brow.
He looked up, light scattering from his hair, eyes flat and cold. "'You're predictable,'" he said.
"Oh, you think so?" I muttered, the corner of my lips curling.
I raised my hand and began the chant, voice echoing in a deep, ancient rhythm.
"Aqua Abyssi, Mare Profundum, Devora et Vincula."
The world twisted. The ground shattered into liquid glass, and suddenly the air was gone. Water rushed in from every direction, swallowing us whole.
We were deep beneath the ocean now — pressure crushing, light fading. The sound of bubbles and rushing tides filled the void. I stood still within a spiraling barrier of air that wrapped me like a throne's curtain, while he flailed for a heartbeat, struggling to breathe.
His lungs burned — I could see it in his eyes — but he refused to panic. He turned upward, swimming with all his strength toward the dim shimmer above. I raised a finger and smirked.
A vine of deep-green coral erupted from the seabed and coiled around his leg, dragging him down.
"Not so predictable now, am I?" I murmured, watching his desperate struggle.
For a moment, I almost pitied him.
Almost.
With a flick of my wrist, the water shattered — like glass breaking into shards of light. The ocean vanished, replaced by open sky. The wind roared in our ears. We were falling, both of us. He coughed, gasping for air, still recovering from the near-drowning.
"Let's see how you handle this," I whispered, raising my hand once more.
The air behind me tore apart — several black portals opened in the sky, each glowing from within with bright slashes of white light. They shot out like arrows, infused with the wind's fury.
One cut across his shoulder — a clean, blood slice. Another came from below, and he twisted in midair to block it with a cross of his daggers. He spun his body sideways, using the wind to change direction, letting one slash graze his coat instead of cutting through him.
Then — three more came, spinning toward him like blades. He spread both arms, daggers flashing. He flipped backward through the air, one blade deflecting the first strike, the second used to parry the next before planting it momentarily in the air — using the sheer force of his movement to vault around and redirect the final blow past him.
Even falling, he moved with grace — every motion measured, sharp, and fluid.
"...Interesting," I muttered, smiling faintly.
The portals closed. The sky rippled — and the next instant, the world shifted again.
We landed in a dense forest — tall trees bathed in a dim green glow, the air thick with mist. Bioluminescent flowers pulsed like breathing hearts, and the scent of moss hung heavy.
"You adapt almost instantly," I said softly. "Let's test how deep that skill goes."
I lifted my hand, and the forest came alive. Roots tore out of the ground, twisting like serpents. Trees bent and cracked, branches forming spears that lunged toward him. He dodged the first few, slashing through the vines with precise, short cuts — but the forest didn't stop. The roots kept multiplying.
A branch caught his side — a clean hit. He winced but didn't slow. Another root wrapped his arm, and he used the other dagger to slice himself free, rolling to his feet.
Then, he adapted. He read the rhythm — the delay between the roots' movements, the order they grew in. He ducked under one, rolled aside, and struck a vine at its source. The entire patch of roots trembled and stopped.
A smirk touched his lips as he disappeared in a blur. Before I could react, he was behind me — daggers drawn, aimed clean at my back.
"Too slow," he whispered.
For a moment, I almost let him believe it.
But then the world froze.
His blade stopped mid-swing, the air itself refusing to move.
I stopped time.
I stepped forward, touching the edge of his dagger with one finger.
"Awww," I giggled softly, leaning closer to his ear. "So close."
"Yet so far…"
The forest was silent. Only the faint hum of my magic filled the air — the sound of time, chained and unmoving.
I looked at his frozen expression. "You really are interesting, Kaiser Everhart," I whispered. "But remember… in my world, nothing moves unless I allow it."
I unfroze time, my fingers flicking slightly — and the air snapped.
The ground beneath us trembled, pulling up into sharp stone spikes that wrapped around Kaiser like serpents.
He grit his teeth, trying to pull free.
The stone coiled tighter.
"Ghh—! Damn it—!" he groaned, voice breaking as cracks spread beneath his boots.
The earth swallowed him whole in a violent tremor.
Then boom — the floor gave way. He plunged downward, crashing into the hollow below.
Dust rose in thick clouds.
I slowly descended, heels tapping the fractured earth, looking down at his body half-buried in stone and dirt.
"Still alive?" I asked softly, voice dripping with disdain.
He coughed, dragging his arms against the floor, shaking, blood trickling from his lips.
"You'll… have to do better than that…" he said, barely able to stand.
I smiled coldly, my shadow stretching over him.
"Oh, I will," I whispered, tilting my head. "Because I'm done holding back."
The ground shimmered. Portals spiraled open around him, their edges pulsing with divine light.
From them, bright tentacles of pure energy emerged — moving in perfect rhythm, circling him.
He raised his blades, eyes narrowing.
The first two strikes he blocked, sparks scattering.
The third tore through his guard and pierced his abdomen clean through.
"—Ghhaaaahh!!" he screamed, voice echoing through the tunnel.
Blood sprayed, dripping down his mouth as the force slammed him into the wall.
"You're weak," I muttered, expression blank.
The spirals withdrew, and his body slid down, collapsing like a broken corpse.
I walked closer, eyes glinting with faint amusement.
"You know, Kaiser…" I crouched beside his barely-breathing body, smirking.
"You really are a strange one. Most would've begged by now. If you plead just right—" I leaned in, smiling, "—I might even let you live. For my amusement."
I traced a finger down his cheek, leaving a streak of dust. "Because…" I whispered, "I've taken quite the liking to you."
But then—He moved.
His hand twitched, pressing into the dirt. He pushed himself upright, trembling, blood still pouring from the wound.
"Sorry," he said, voice cold, low, unwavering.
"It's not over."
My smirk faded slightly.
The light tentacles struck again — this time faster. He didn't dodge perfectly, but his movements were sharper, desperate, almost inhuman.
He spun sideways, deflecting one slash with the edge of his dagger, twisting his body to let another miss by a breath.
"Still moving with that wound?" I muttered, raising an eyebrow.
His steps left deep prints on the cracking ground.
Each clash of blade and light sent shockwaves tearing through the tunnels — pillars split, the ceiling quaked, holes forming one after another until the whole place began to collapse.
He dashed through falling debris, deflecting beam after beam. The pressure alone should've crushed him, but he didn't stop.
The stone crumbled into an abyss beneath us — a growing black pit swallowing everything.
"Impossible…" I whispered, eyes narrowing. "He's keeping up with the light itself?"
I lifted my hand, feeling the air distort. The space twisted violently.
Above, the ground trembled, the ceiling cracking open as the upper layers began to fall — stones crashing like meteors.
My expression darkened.
"I suppose," I murmured, "it's time to change once more."
I spread my arms wide, and the world rippled. The air filled with a low hum — the sound of something ancient awakening.
"Abyssus mare mortuorum, aperi oculos tuos et devora."
("O Dead Sea of the Abyss, open your eyes and consume.")
The floor beneath us liquefied into a deep black ocean, swirling like tar. The cold hit instantly — biting, endless. The screams of distant creatures echoed through the dark water.
From below, shapes began to rise — massive, twisted, serpentine shadows glowing faintly blue in the darkness.
I smiled, arms lowering.
"Let's see if you can swim this time, Kaiser."
However, this time… he didn't gasp.
Even with that hole in his stomach, Kaiser held his breath. His chest barely moved.From last time's fight within the sea — he had adapted.
He considered the possibility I'd changed the terrain again… to the deep sea… He had already predicted it.
That's insane.
Through the dark water, he swam upward, body slicing through the thick current like a blade. His blood drifted in small red trails behind him, fading into the abyss.
Then— he turned sharply, heading straight for the shimmering bubble of air surrounding me.
Even here, even drowning, he looked unshaken.
At this depth, light barely reached. Everything was quiet. Until—
His eyes widened.
The water trembled as something enormous moved in the shadows below.
Then, glowing eyes opened.
A massive creature emerged — its size so immense it swallowed the light itself. Its skin was like cracked obsidian, covered in glistening scales. From its back sprouted nine long tentacles, each lined with rows of jagged mouths filled with hundreds of needle-like teeth.
Each mouth dripped glowing liquid, hissing even underwater.
I smiled softly.
"You're so adorable fighting for your life," I said, watching him twist through the currents.
"But your breath… ends now."
The creature's tentacles lashed out all at once, spiraling through the water like serpents.
Kaiser turned, spinning his body with sharp, desperate precision. He slashed with his daggers, blocking the first two strikes, spinning backward to dodge another — each clash leaving shockwaves in the water.
One tentacle came from below; he flipped, stabbing it straight through the gums of its mouth. It screeched, shaking the whole ocean.
But then the main creature lunged — its gigantic jaws snapping forward.
He struck it head-on, twin daggers slamming into its hide — but they barely scratched. The scales were solid like iron.
"Damn it—!" Kaiser thought, kicking away as one of the tentacle-mouths grazed his shoulder, teeth slicing his flesh. Blood clouded the water, drifting upward.
I watched with a tilt of my head, eyes narrowing.
"Let's end this charade," I whispered.
Then my tone deepened — almost ritual-like.
"Mare Abyssi, devora. Leviathan Vulgor… pulverize him."
The creature's body expanded, tentacles curling around it like a cocoon. Its nine mouths opened wide — bright light glowing from within — before releasing bursts of blue fire.
Underwater.
Flames so hot they evaporated the water itself.
Kaiser's body was thrown back, burning blue even inside the sea.
The fire wrapped around him, consuming everything. His muffled scream echoed through the collapsing currents, and the whole ocean turned into a storm of light and steam.
When the glow faded, nothing but silence remained. The sea was gone. The abyss turned black again.
I snapped my fingers lightly.
In an instant, we were back inside my labyrinth — the world shattering like glass before reforming around us.
Kaiser's body hit the ground with a heavy thud, black scorch marks staining his skin, smoke rising faintly.
His breathing was shallow, his chest barely moving.
I stepped closer, brushing off a bit of dust from my sleeve.
"That," I said quietly, "is what you get for opposing me."
I looked down at him — still standing, somehow breathing through the pain.
"Do you understand now, Kaiser?" I whispered. "Everything you fight for… everything you cling to…"
"…I'll take it all."
I noticed it— his finger twitched.
My eyes widened in disbelief.
Without thinking, I used the space around us— his body flung across the labyrinth, slamming into the stone wall with such force that the wall cracked in his shape.
Rocks fell, dust covered the air, and silence followed like a funeral bell.
He should've died long ago.
Who is this human?
How has he managed to survive this long... without any magic at all?
"What drives you…" I muttered, more to myself than to him.
Then, the rocks shifted.
From the rubble, he moved. Slowly.
His head rose.
Blue eyes — pale, unfocused — stared straight at me. That broken, burned body… still moving.
The two daggers lay in front of him on the ground. He reached for them, his arms trembling, legs shaking uncontrollably, every step a defiance of death itself.
"Tell me…" I said softly, my voice barely steady. "What is driving you to such lengths?"
I blinked, pausing — for the first time, not to mock him, but to understand.
My pulse quickened.
Why does my chest feel heavy? I've never seen a human like this.
What is this will that refuses to die?
"Why do you wish to live… even past such pain?"
He knelt, grabbing one dagger, then the other, blood dripping from his fingers. His breathing ragged, eyes unfocused — but still burning faintly.
"I… I m-made… a p-promise…" he stuttered, choking on his own words as blood fell from his mouth. "I… won't break it… again…"
I froze.
"From the pain you've suffered… death is mercy," I whispered, shocked despite myself.
He wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, steadying himself.
"I've already died…" he said, voice breaking, yet clear.
"…the day I lost her."
He lifted his gaze.
And in that gaze — there was nothing left but a single, unwavering flame.
"I won't die again… not until I keep my promise." His tone deepened, cold and raw.
"No matter how many times you strike me down—" He raised his daggers, his grip trembling.
"I'll get back up… and fight."
I inhaled sharply.
Time itself slowed.
I halted the world around him — a reflex born from confusion, not anger.
The air froze, droplets of dust hanging mid-air like stars.
I stepped closer, studying him. His body was ruined, yet his mind burned brighter than any flame.
What is he?
I reached out with my mana, touching the surface of his consciousness.
The world around me blurred.
Then— I saw it.
A girl.
Pink hair, a warm smile. Sitting across from him beneath soft sunlight. I couldn't hear their words, but I saw them linking their pinkies together — a promise.
Moments flashed — walking side by side through hallways of an academy, laughter, quiet glances, shared dreams.
She was his light.
Then… the memory twisted.
A storm. Rain pouring endlessly.
Kaiser stood before a gravestone, a single blue flower in his hand. His eyes— lifeless, pale, the same as now.
The pain hit me like a wave.
It wasn't anger.
It was a loss.
When I opened my eyes, I understood.
Why he fights.
Why he defies death.
Why he hunts my lord — Myriacron.
He seeks to bring her back. No matter the cost.
For a girl long dead… clinging to a delusional promise.
"…Futile," I whispered, the word cold as the wind that swept through the ruined labyrinth.
Time then continued to flow.
The air rushed back into motion — dust fell, mana rippled faintly, and he gasped, his first real breath dragging through the silence.
Before he could move, I bent space around him, invisible threads locking him midair.
He froze where he stood — struggling, trembling, unable to do anything but breathe.
I walked closer, heels echoing lightly across the fractured stone.
When I reached him, I raised a hand and brushed the edge of his cheek — fingers cold, almost curious.
"You're quite the find…" I murmured.
His breath shuddered against my palm.
"In all the ages I've walked this wretched world," I continued softly, "I've seen beings rise, gods fall, and promises burn into dust… yet not one of them ever stood before me like you just did."
My thumb traced the cut near his jaw, watching him wince. "Not one of them ever refused to kneel."
I leaned closer, eyes half-lidded, a faint smile curving my lips.
"For over seven thousand years, I've searched for something—someone—who could stand beside me. A consort worthy enough to rule this dying realm with me. A mind that could see beyond fear… and a will unbent by pain."
"And then you appeared." My voice lowered, almost fond.
I tilted my head, studying him the way a serpent studies its prey — equal parts admiration and possession.
"Even if your resolve is born of delusion, or grief… even if every word you've spoken was painted with desperation… the way you fought, the way you thought…" I laughed quietly, a dangerous, musical sound. "It was almost beautiful."
I pressed my hand to his chest — mana flowing faintly through my fingers — and whispered a soft healing spell. The burns dulled, the shattered veins soothed.
He gasped as his jaw loosened, the stiffness fading enough for him to speak again.
"I knew, of course," I said calmly, "that you accounted for Celia's plan from the very beginning."
His eyes flicked up, faint shock in them.
"Your gears," I continued, voice sharp with amusement, "were designed to function beneath the Frostcrawler's depths. You prepared for every possibility — even a battle beneath the water. You weren't reckless. You were meticulous."
I smiled thinly. "You predicted your own suffering and still chose to walk into it."
He looked at me, half-breathing, half-bleeding — too tired to speak.
"Admirable," I whispered. "And foolish."
With a flick of my wrist, I released the spell.
He dropped to the ground, coughing violently as his palms hit the cracked stone.
"What… are you doing now?" he asked weakly, voice hoarse.
I crouched slightly, enough for our eyes to meet — his exhaustion, my amusement.
"Just ensuring you live," I said. My tone softened, but the danger in it didn't fade. "At least… for the present moment."
He blinked, confused, breathing uneven. "Why?"
I smiled — slow, deliberate. My hand lifted his chin again.
"Why?" I echoed softly, then let my gaze trail down his ruined form.
"Because…" I leaned close enough that my whisper brushed his ear.
"I want you."
I guided him to stand, letting him use the wall for support, his breaths still ragged, the wounds fading slowly under my subtle healing.
I lifted my hand, and the space around us twisted like silk, stretching and folding, revealing vast vistas that hovered before his eyes.
"Look closely," I said, my voice low, deliberate, commanding. "The world is far larger than you've ever imagined."
With a gesture, the terrain shifted. Mountains rose and fell, rivers snaked and split, cities glimmered like stars caught in crystal. The map of Celestine hovered in midair, perfectly rendered in luminous light.
I walked slowly, heels barely touching the ground. My fingers traced the paths of kingdoms. "There," I said, pointing. A dark, jagged territory appeared, burning with crimson light.
"That is the Demon Realm — Lucifer Azravael."
The Demon Lord stood infront… his white hair, red eyes featuring his striking presence.
"An avatar of the demons. Almost as powerful as I am."
Kaiser's sharp eyes caught the figure, still, observing. His hand flexed at his side, though he said nothing.
I shifted the space again. The Elvian Realm appeared, serene but edged with latent power — a white-haired woman with blue eyes and a crown hovered above a shining city.
"Asora Aeralurea," I said. "She, too, is an avatar. And like all avatars, her influence stretches farther than most dare to see. Belonging to the Elves."
The stars themselves bent to my will next. We floated in the void of outer space. Planets rotated lazily, celestial bodies glittering, stretching like jewels across the black.
"And I," I said, letting the space shimmer around me, "I am also an avatar. The primordial force of Myriacron resides within me. All I do, all I plan, serves one purpose: the ascendancy of my people. The race of Sylaris."
Kaiser shifted, finally finding his feet, muscles still trembling. His gaze sharpened, piercing through the illusions.
"Then… Why me? Why do you need someone like me—someone who can't even use magic?"
I tilted my head, amusement flickering across my face. A quiet giggle escaped. "We'll get to that part," I said, letting the tension linger.
I stepped closer, my emerald eyes boring into his, cold, radiant, commanding. "Just know this… soon, the world will have only one race remaining."
"What do you mean by that?" he asked cautiously, his voice steady despite his injuries.
"The 7,000-year-old peace is over," I said, eyes sweeping over the stars I had conjured. "And they all know it now. Not only them… the dwarfs, the Dragonics, even the erased race — those long-forgotten… and yes, humans, like you, are included."
I closed the distance, letting the faint light of the void cast sharp shadows across my face, my presence dominating the space.
"The war of the races will erupt once more. And this time," I said, each word deliberate, cold, sharp, "it will be far more brutal than what happened seven millennia ago. Only one will remain standing."
Kaiser's eyes widened slightly, a flash of surprise and calculation crossing them.
I allowed the space to shift subtly again, the map bending and flowing with my words, my voice a smooth, dangerous melody. "And I intend to ensure my people are the ones left to shape the world… no mercy, no compromise, only our rule. Everything else," I gestured faintly at him, "is merely a tool."
I smiled faintly, dangerously. "Including you."
I extended my hand towards him, palm facing him — the faint glimmer of emerald light tracing along my fingertips, distorting the air around us like ripples in glass.
"I've been searching for a worthy consort for millennials," I said softly, eyes locked onto him. "Yet nobody ever stood a chance… until I met you."
He exhaled, a faint smirk tugging at his lips despite the exhaustion in his eyes. "There's nothing special in me. You're overthinking my capabilities."
I tilted my head slightly, amused by his denial. "During the banquet," I countered, stepping closer, "you managed to pinpoint a vulnerability of mine I'd long forgotten — something even avatars failed to notice. Your social perception, your emotional intelligence, your ability to read intent — it's supreme. And your intellect…" I let a small smile curl on my lips, "it's fascinating."
I circled him slowly, my words deliberate, measured. "You're scientifically advanced like a dwarf, fight like a beastkin, think like an elf, and survive with the brutality of a demon. I've never seen a being like you, Kaiser. Let alone a human."
He smirked faintly, eyes lifting to meet mine. "So you're implying I join your side."
"Yes," I replied without hesitation. "Join me — as my consort. Stand beside me during the coming war. And I promise you two things."
He raised an eyebrow, silent.
"Your friends, Lucas and Celia, will leave my labyrinth unharmed." I paused, letting my words sink in. "And I will spare your life."
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "You alone will be the last human alive after the rest of your kind is erased."
My gaze sharpened, tone firm. "Because even if those avatars are strong in their own right, I alone command time and space. The strongest amongst all."
He sighed quietly, a trace of defiance in his voice. "That's not it, is it? You're hiding something."
A small, amused smile crept across my face. "Not only will you be a worthy leader," I said softly, "I've grown quite the liking towards you during the time we spoke."
His tone was dry, though his eyes betrayed thought. "You mean the time we both held back our true natures?"
"Indeed," I murmured, eyes gleaming. "Even then, your words were… soothing."
He studied me for a moment, then asked, "You do realize I'm human, not a Sylaris. Won't that cause any issues?"
"Once all other races are wiped out," I replied calmly, "nobody will care."
I leaned closer, my voice turning colder, quieter — intimate yet absolute. "You only need to be obedient. To listen to everything I say. Even as my consort… I'm the one incharge.."
The space between us seemed to be still entirely. My palm was still extended, faint arcs of green and gold light circling around it.
"Hold my hand," I said, eyes locking into his. "And become mine. I promise you this — you will never again be the weak human you once were."
My voice lowered, a whisper carrying through the silence.
"You'll become one of us."
"Being mine."