"E…"
"Elea…"
"Eleanor!"
The blonde-haired girl did not move even as Lady Ariel, Lady Prudentia, Lady Strixen, and even the youthful Sir Antoine attempted to snap her out of the trance that she had been found in.
All but Ariel forced high-level healing magic into the girl's core to fight against the degeneration that sapped at any strength it could muster, even the faintest ounce of mana, a possible sign of life upon a near-lifeless child.
The Angel of Grace and the Queen of the Angelic Order, Ariel Elaris, used layered clarity spells directly on Eleanor's skull, attempting to control the rampaging corruption that tore away at her existence.
No surviving witness had seen her enter or leave the catacombs; so it could be called a minor miracle that she had even been found in such a condition.
Only by the will of Death himself, who had instantly noticed her tampering with the Divine Authority that he himself was a part of, did the other True Angels come to find out about her abrupt mission and goal.
Even so, their arrival was slow, and their healing wasn't perfect; the damage attempted to drag the girl into a state of irreparable and permanent death on the verge of prevailing.
At first glance, the traces of foreign deities were apparent on her form, a clear sign that she was either a contractor or had used a weak shard of gifted mana.
With the latter an impossibility, it was almost certainly the former, which, based on her origins in the Dimension of Waves, was accurate.
The Mark of Dreams, as the natives called it, had been overworked in a state of total anarchy, a full bodily shutdown, only a logical conclusion.
However, such backlash was the simplest of her injuries; the main issues included the single protruding rib and at least three others that were shattered to dust.
Her stomach was torn to shreds with a strange ethereal substance that oozed spiritual energy, the only thing preventing its collapse.
Not a single one of the True Angels on site could identify it, but that was not the priority, for if they couldn't bring back the girl from the brink of death, then it would not just be her they would lose.
"Do we know if she got it?"
Performing weak chest compressions, Strixen looked up at Antoine with a pale, worried expression, one that he echoed.
His pink eyebrows slanted in, and his pale lips moved slowly but steadily.
"The Lord said it to be so; however, it should've been impossible for someone in her condition to even make it there…"
Speaking through the constant doses of mana that he fed into her body, the man's fingers trembled, and a cold sweat dripped down the side of his head.
Prudentia muttered something obscene under her breath, quickening the speed of her spell casting.
Mental alarms blared inside her head, the world itself ringing and her vision blurring as she thought of her apprentice.
I-I shouldn't have sent her… I-I knew it was too dangerous.
Her emerald eyes betrayed an emotion so complex that it would take decades for the usually bland woman to assess, yet at that moment she had no time for such thoughts.
Casting them aside, she worked diligently, ignoring anything other than the revival of the young girl.
She couldn't care less about her previous student, Esmerelda; at that time, the only goal was the safe return of her current one.
…
Eleanor never saw Aurora again after she awoke, neither Death nor the Angels certain of where she had vanished to.
The date had ticked up to November 18th, the deadline for Aaron Grimstall's survival fast approaching, with the blonde priestess still incapable of doing anything to stop it.
It had been about a week since the Great Beyond was bathed in an orange glow, the Dimension of Waves exhibiting another uncharacteristically dangerous explosion.
She had only heard rumors from her mentor; however, it was said that even Death could feel a year's worth of mana sucked away, the eternal and immortal god losing an incredible amount of mana.
Yet, even the gods were helpless to stop the siphon, the source tightly guarded by not only the Gates of Heaven, but also an invisible force far more powerful than they could know.
The Second Great Tremor is what they're calling it…
Her gray eyes with a microscopic tinge of gold glanced over the graveyard's entrance, the statues hanging over the fence watching her ominously.
With the best treatment the universe had to offer, her bones had been mended quite quickly after her awakening, the blood loss the only tricky recovery.
Furthermore, the Aether itself had fought back against intrusion by the Angels, intent on healing Eleanor's stomach itself, even without the mana to do so.
Even as she stood at the gates in the present day, she still smiled at the thought of the jealous sludge that had wanted to help her in its own unique way.
It's okay, little guy… I won't abandon you as your old master did.
Regardless of whether she thought it alive or dead, she still gave the exterior pieces that acted as a bandage against blood loss a gentle scratch and began forward.
As she passed through the barrier that surrounded the space excluded from the city's protection, a cool chill ran through her, a reminder of the events from days prior.
Groaning, she followed the path she had taken on her first journey through the beautiful cemetery many weeks ago.
If the mist comes, then it isn't tied to the halflings; however, if it doesn't…
She felt a twig snap beneath her feet, a sudden buzz in the side of her forehead nearly making her kneel.
"Ack!"
Closing her eyes and breathing heavily, the girl touched the surface of the tiny mark that exhibited different features than it did before.
Long gone were the stalks of wheat that resembled the Sea of Dreams; now, newly imbued by the primordial himself, was a skull covered in dripping blood, representing the Sea of Souls.
The switch was impossible to avoid due to the complete shutdown of the original symbol, while also being necessary to harness the power of miracles upon her return.
To think… He gave me something like this all for those two words…
A name, a single one, not more than an assortment of letters, worth a power that, if perfected, could allow divinity.
Could it have been his sister? His aunt?
Eleanor had never heard Aaron mention the name 'Ruby' in her presence; however, with his clear lack of memory, it wasn't surprising.
I wouldn't be surprised if he forgot his own name once in a while…
Chuckling to herself, she stored the information in the back of her mind where she could inform the boy immediately after her return.
Yet, even after all those months of waiting, she still couldn't be certain when her own awakening would come.
Anomalies surrounding the Old Man's corruption had nearly ceased since his sudden silence, the only oddity being Aurora's disappearance.
No… That's not important right now…
The grass beneath her feet was damp and cold, a familiar feeling from the first time she moved beside the same stone path.
Following all the same actions she did that day, she allowed her fingers to brush the limestone graves lining the path, their texture nothing special.
Above her head, that same withered root clung to the ceiling, albeit at a much lower altitude than before.
Could it be dying?
Without knowledge of how the World Tree functioned, she was left in the dark about how its roots lived their lives; however, she could clearly tell that this one wasn't in the greatest of health.
Turning her eyes back ahead of her, she noticed a withered patch of dirt that seemed to be frozen in ice.
Her pace halted, and her brow narrowed, a nervousness appearing in her chest.
That's it… The spot…
Recognizing it as the exact location where she had been attacked by the black mist, she tensed, preparing for the event to happen again.
Breathing quickly, she approached, feeling an aura of death emanating weakly from the patch of bare ground.
Is… It… Going… To… Happen…?
Eleanor's gaze froze, her thoughts slow and muddled exactly like before.
Not… Good…
Shooting her hands out from her sides in front of her to shoulder height, she forced her core into action, a burst of light emerging in a flash.
「Divine Shield」
One barrier wasn't enough; however, her words didn't stop so soon.
「Veil of Light」
「Holy Chyrn」
After the three chants, she stopped, attempting to speak aloud to test the effectiveness of the magics.
"Is it working better… Now?"
Noticing a slight stutter still present, she realized that in the long term, she had failed, yet for now, it was enough.
I'll… Have time to escape.
Turning around swiftly, she felt a surge in her adrenaline, her mana core similarly sputtering out as much mana as it could.
E…h?
Darkness surrounded her before she could even think, the barrier closely wrapped around her body, not allowing it to touch her skin, but unable to keep it from ripping away at its barrier.
The ground felt like mud, her feet wedged deep within, unable to be removed regardless of how much force she tried.
Panic and fear shot through her, but she didn't give in, forcing even more mana into the shields and barriers, allowing a small moment of absolute authority.
Attempting to activate the Emblem of Circe, she felt the residual backlash that she had yet to pay back only deepen.
That's a problem… For the me of the future…
Pushing off with as much force as she could muster, she leaped forward, breaking through the dark veil and into the dim light of the Great Beyond.
Breaking into a full sprint, she bolted through the escape route she had planned, never once even turning back.
Only after making it through the gates and hearing the guardian spirits activate did she relax, collapsing against the ground with a thud.
I-It's not something the halflings created…
Panting hard, she looked back behind her.
There isn't anything of value there anyway… I've already completed my mission in the catacombs, and I didn't even have to cross paths with that disgusting thing…
Closing her eyes, she turned her attention to the future.
My primary mission here is over, and all that remains for me is my return…Therefore, until then, there's only one thing I can do to help.
A small grin tugged at the corners of her lips.
Get stronger.