novelnext The Traversed Echo
The Traversed Echo
(...If it hadn't been for what you showed me at that moment, I wouldn't have reached this conclusion.)Far from the dantesque setting of the clearing in the forest, in the world of Ky'lar, the currents of destiny moved in a suffocating stillness within the deepest corners of the continent.
(I thank you for breaking the 'first' chain.)
And inside the opulent and noisy Commercial City of Argol, the bustle of merchants and the clinking of gold coins faded away completely upon crossing the thresholds of the most prestigious and expensive medical establishment in the metropolis...
"..."
There, in the most isolated and guarded room of the compound, the silence was interrupted only by the intermittent echo of a silent agony, while memories of the past resonated.
"...Mmmgh."
Remembering, upon the immaculate and neat white bed, a figure remained plunged in a deep coma, subtly shaken by involuntary spasms.
"¡...Mmmgh... uuhg... hhh...!"
The muffled and trembling groans escaped from his dry lips intermittently, echoing off the walls of the room like the testimony of an endless nightmare—an abstract suffering that seemed to devour his consciousness.
(Hey, Shija... I... I am so envious of how free you are... I have so much wrath... over how unfair everything is... I have so much gluttony for what lies beyond, and... lust to experience... Perhaps... I am very greedy for wanting to be human... Or perhaps... I am both slothful and proud...)
That battered body belonged to Shija Retsu.
"¡¡...Gh-hff... mmg...!!"
Months ago, the name of this young warrior had been cheered in every tavern and square in Argol, unanimously considered a legendary hero after having risked his very existence to repel the devastating crisis of the "Evil Goddess" that was on the verge of erasing the entire city from the map.
(...But even so... I... Although I know it's selfish... I want to ask you for one last favor...)
But no one among the ordinary citizens suspected that that entity was none other than Melioris—the mastermind who, from the shadows of that distant incident, had already moved every piece and manipulated every thread with surgical subtlety, influencing the wills of the world to inevitably trigger the events of the current war now consuming the planet.
(I am a terrible mother, selfish and a liar, but I beg you for one single thing...)
However, the price for Argol's salvation was cruelly carved into the hero's current physiognomy.
(...I beg of you... Please... Should we meet again... You must not hesitate, no matter what...)
When observing him under the dim light of the room, Shija's youth seemed to have been torn out by the roots, leaving behind a devastating image of decrepitude and sacrifice.
(...You must make sure to cut me down.)
His body appeared drastically aged, as if it had consumed decades of vitality in a single night; and his once vibrant mane had transformed into a pure, mortuary white hair, scattered across the pillow without any luster.
"¡¡¡...Khff... shhh...!!!"
The medical sheets revealed the definitive absence of his left arm, permanently lost at the climax of that battle, while the visible skin of his torso and face was scarred by multiple, deep keloid scars that twisted like dark serpents, a perpetual reminder of the divine punishment he had received.
"¡...Gh-hff... mmg...!"
At that moment, Shija's groans became sharper, trapped in the echo of that confrontation, while drops of cold sweat soaked his temples and his remaining fingers dug into the mattress.
(...With that said... I suppose the time has come... Right...?)
And suddenly, the room's atmosphere changed completely.
(It is time to wake up, Shija Retsu.)
The air in the room turned frigid and heavy in a blink.
(...Chhh-krr-chhh... It was... Krrr-ssss-kzzz... fun... Fzzz-krsh-fzzz... traveling together...)
The windows vibrated subtly, and an invisible weight—like a colossal, oppressive pressure completely alien to all logic—dropped upon the place, expanding from a distant direction.
(...Bzzz-ssss-bzzz... Your teacher is... Zzzz-fzzz-zzzz... say hello for me... Ssss-zzzh-ssss~)
The memories began to fade more and more as the pressure swept through the place...
"¡¡¡...Gh-hff... mmg... Wait... Mmmgh... uuhg... hhh... COME BACK!!!"
As a result, Shija's eyes snapped open, fixed on the ceiling, while his chest heaved in a desperate gasp of air, feeling how that indomitable and monstrous vibration resonated within the deepest depths of his being.
"¡¡¡...Hah... hah... hah...!!!"
Because of that, cold sweat ran down his face, soaking the strands of his white hair that clung to his burning forehead as he gasped.
"¡...Hah... hah...!"
Whereupon, with wide eyes and constricted pupils, he remained completely motionless in bed, unable to tear his gaze away from the flat ceiling, while his mind attempted to process what had happened.
(¡DUM!)
And in that state, while his heart beat intensely, echoing, Shija turned his head toward the window in panic.
"...Haaa... Fuuuuuuuuff... Breathe..."
But the view through the glass only revealed how the sky had turned leaden.
"...This is bad."
His eyes, fixed on the sky outside, perceived the authentic horror as he remembered those words calmly spoken at the tea party...
(¡¡¡...Gulp...!!!)
And aware that it was already too late...
(...It has begun)
He swallowed hard, feeling a chill that froze his blood.
(¡Clack!)
However, at the same time, the soft click of the lock broke the trance.
"¡¿?!"
And entering with pleasant surprise, a shocked nurse from the prestigious hospital greeted him in disbelief.
"¡Ah! B-But you've awakened! It's a miracle!"
But despite that, oblivious to the commotion and the hurried footsteps of the woman running down the hallway screaming, Shija did not utter a single word.
"......"
And next, keeping an absolute and heavy silence, he tightly closed his eyes while gritting his teeth, bringing his only hand directly to the center of his chest—where his heart continued to beat with frantic violence, dictated by a signal of change.
(¡¡¡¡FIIUUU-KABOOM-SHHHH!!!!)
Amidst the gale-force wind, the crack of thunder, and the pouring deluge, that deafening heartbeat was the echo of the very same shockwave that, at that precise instant, traversed the continent in reverse.
(¡¡CRACK-BOUMMM!!)
Across valleys, oceans, and plains at the speed of a lightning bolt, lay a forest.
(¡¡¡ZAS-KABOOM!!!)
However, isolating that forest, there was a barrier around it; like a translucent dome of colossal magnitudes that rose majestically, vanishing from sight on the horizon as it completely covered the immeasurable expanse of the forest—just like an infinite green ocean of continental proportions extending as far as the eye could see.
(¡¡PLATA-PLATA-CHAAAK!!)
Nevertheless, that imposing mystical structure had altered the laws of space, tearing the entirety of the gigantic region from the world's geography to confine and isolate it within a completely independent dimension.
(¡¡¡¡¡CHSSJSJS-CRACK-RUMMMMM!!!!!)
And holding the fabric of that titanic barrier from the outside, multiple high-ranking spirits were stationed.
(¡¡FIIIIIU-CHSHHH~!!)
Those entities, amidst the storm, channeled their immense power in unison, straining to their absolute limits to keep the space sealed and ensure that the devastation roaring inside would not escape to the outside world.
"¡¡GGRRR-RRAUUU-GH!!"
And upon crossing the threshold of the titanic barrier, the exterior stillness instantly dissolved into the absolute chaos of the captive dimension, returning to the very epicenter of the storm.
(¡¡¡KRAK-SHINGGG!!!)
Where, in the midst of the devastated clearing, the chimera remained standing, surrounded by thick smoke and imminent destruction...
(¡¡¡¡¡ZRAKK-KSHH-TK!!!!!)
But at that moment, the violent lightning storm enveloping his body began to behave erratically, responding to a wild instinct for survival.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡CRACKLE-SCHWIIING!!!!!!)
Next, with a crackle that fractured the air, the scattered electrical energy began to be sucked in with brutal force, condensing and compacting directly into the beast's limbs.
(¡¡KZZZ-SKRRR-CHAK!!)
In this manner, the power finally concentrated in its four legs.
(¡¡¡BZZZT-SHRRYY-KRAK!!!)
As a result, a pure and wild incandescence began to manifest as the electricity solidified into a radiant energy.
"¡¡¡GRRR-RRR-ARRGH!!!"
Thus, in both the front and hind legs, the light expanded outward violently, molding into gigantic, stylized claws of a sharp, sky-blue glare.
(¡¡¡¡¡KRAK-ZHHH-SHINGGG!!!!!)
And with its new and colossal sky-blue claws gripping the ground, the chimera dug its supports into the mud, ready to tear apart.