Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 57: Storm of Hearts, Part Thirteen

Lianna and Sylver moved cautiously through the ancient ruins, their every step echoing softly in the haunting stillness of Kaelen.

The labyrinthine passages unfolded before them, the soft glow of the same enchanted crystals casting elongated shadows on the weathered walls. The air was dense and cold. Lianna shivered, but she couldn’t tell whether it was due to the low temperature or because she was scared.

Not scared for herself, of course. She had been sectioned off alongside the strongest person in the group. She wasn’t too scared for Hazel, either. Hazel had intended to come here on her own and ended up in that very position. Surely, she could take care of herself.

No, she was dreading the possibility that Enverna and Mel would both get hurt.

Sylver led the way with calm grace while Lianna used {Through Enverna’s Eyes} again. Her friends were still alright, which Lianna used as motivation to keep herself relaxed while she moved behind the sorceress.

"So, Lianna," Sylver’s voice cut through the quiet, "what’s your take on this situation?"

Lianna hesitated, the gravity of their circumstances settling in.

"I... I didn’t expect things to go south so quickly."

"Indeed," Sylver nodded as they rounded a corner. Sylver’s gaze was fixed on their surrounding but Lianna felt as though she were looking right at her. "In our line of work, the unexpected is to be expected. That said, it is important to, well, roll with the punches, if you will. Things went wrong, we were separated, and now we must improvise to find our way out."

She stopped to turn and look at Lianna, her gaze falling blatantly on her.

"I tell you this because, remember, you are a member of Search and Rescue. Do you know what that truly means?"

"Uh..." Lianna shrugged. "That I’m supposed to help people?"

"That when things go horribly wrong, terribly wrong, ungodly wrong, you are the person others will look to for salvation. In precisely these kinds of situations, you’re the one who needs to stay focused the most."

Suddenly, it made sense.

[Oh. She could tell I was scared as hell.]

"I-I know, I just..."

"It’s alright to fear for your friends," Sylver told her. "But, don’t let that fear take away from your ability to solve the problem before you. Because, as a member of Search and Rescue, that is the core of your duty. Now, come with me, I believe I feel something coming from this direction."

"A way out?"

"Probably not. It would be far too easy. No, I feel some source of concentrated mana," Sylver replied. "The name Mana Sense refers to more than just using mana to see, you know. And, I’m guessing that, perhaps, whatever generated the mana that made those barriers from before may be nearby."

Lianna breathed a sigh of relief. One that Sylver immediately stomped out.

"Don’t feel too good about this," she said with a smirk. "If something here is still generating mana, then... It stands to reason something else is keeping it in place."

—

{Mel}

Enverna walked ahead of Mel, the rich girl’s confidence making her look like a moving beacon of light in the darkness.

They navigated through these spinning, weaving halls with caution. It was a desperate situation, but Mel couldn’t really tell whether Enverna was truly feeling any sort of anxiety, as she wore a mask of pure focus.

Meanwhile, Mel’s heart had been pounding hard for the last ten minutes. Enverna paused at junctions, her sharp gaze assessing the various paths that branched off in different directions. There didn’t seem to be any enemies around, but they couldn’t afford to be careless. "Stay close, Mel," Enverna advised, her voice carrying a hint of authority. "We need to find a way to reconnect with the others. Keep your eyes peeled, alright?"

Mel nodded, remaining silent.

[... Hope Lianna’s alright.] As they ventured deeper into the heart of Kaelen, Mel couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong about this place.

Being a child of mana, Mel had been ostracized for so long on account of resembling what people believed human Fiends to look like. She’d always disregarded that notion, but here, trapped in this fortress, the air weighed down on Mel’s shoulders with a peculiar energy that felt both chilling and familiar.

The narrow passage suddenly widened into one, wide, spacious arena. The scene before Mel and Enverna sent chills down their spines.

"Aeeeergh!" A Fiend gave a ghoulish shriek up ahead, the tentacles on top of its head wriggling with sudden bloodlust as Enverna brought her spear out and held it in front of her.

The creature’s presence seemed to distort the air around it, and an unnatural stench invaded Mel’s nostrils.

"No way out of this but to fight, Mel," Enverna spoke up. "Help me as best as you can!"

With that, Enverna ran forward.

Elegantly, she dodged a couple of sudden, quick swipes from the creature’s tentacles as she closed the distance.

Once she was close enough, she used some sort of skill that caused her image to become blurry.

Mel, who had gone with Lianna and Enverna to hunt Fiends before, hadn’t seen this ability, so her eyes widened with awe as the Fiend slammed a tentacle down on her only for the image to fade away.

Enverna reappeared at the Fiend’s side, impaling it with her spear.

The Fiend screeched, trying to swipe at Enverna again, but missing as Enverna pulled her spear out and stepped back. Mel, knowing she couldn’t just stand there, conjured a flickering ball of lightning in her palm, trying to contribute in whatever way she could. Mel then unleashed a bolt of lightning toward the Fiend that pulled a shriek out of it as well. The Fiend’s one, bulging eye widened as it landed on Mel.

[H-Huh?]

More agile than she anticipated, one of its tentacles lashed out with surprising speed, swatting Mel aside before she could react and sending her crashing into a wall.

Pain shot through her, and she crumpled to the ground. "Mel!" Enverna’s voice cut through the chaos. Mel lay there with the wind completely knocked out of her lungs. Enverna stepped forward. The tip of her blade was coated in water as she grabbed hold of the Fiend’s attention again. The Fiend went to strike her next and she dodged the relentless assaults of the creature, her movements graceful yet purposeful.

The dance between Enverna and the Fiend unfolded, a deadly ballet in the dimly lit chamber while Mel tried to stand up.

[I-I need to...]

Mel raised a hand and cast more magic.

The clash of steel against flesh echoed, punctuated by the occasional burst of Mel’s feeble lightning spells. Despite the odds, Enverna’s raw talent shone through.

She evaded the Fiend’s attacks with practiced ease, exploiting openings and striking with precise counterattacks. The dance continued for some time as this Fiend didn’t go down easily, but each movement Enverna made, coupled with every occasional bolt from Mel, was a calculated step toward victory. With a final, decisive strike, Enverna drove her blade into the Fiend’s eye, causing the creature to convulse and emit an agonized howl.

Her spear dug so far into their opponent that it was half-swallowed by its body before Enverna pulled it out.

Enverna breathed heavily as the Fiend slithered back, a few final, desperate motions to try to escape the situation, only for its body to give out in the end.

The chamber fell mostly silent, with Enverna’s labored breaths being the only sound in the air. She went to loot its body which Mel didn’t bother arguing, given that Enverna had done 99% of the work. Enverna hurried to Mel’s side after a while, her expression a mix of concern and relief.

"Are you alright?" Mel winced but managed a nod.

"I’m fine, just a bit shaken. You..." Mel had to admit it. "You were amazing." "I know." Enverna offered a reassuring smile before completely setting aside the praise she just received. "We need to keep moving. There’s no telling what else awaits us in these ruins."

As they pressed forward, Mel couldn’t shake the newfound respect for Enverna. Although her talent was evident, it was also clear that Enverna had been working hard to refine her skills.

At the same time, Mel couldn’t help but feel bad about her own "skillset", whatever set that was.

Enverna cast a reassuring glance at Mel, suddenly.

"By the way, you did well back there. The Fiend reacted to your presence so harshly because it understood that it had no chance of winning with both of us standing before it."

Mel managed a weak smile in response, appreciating Enverna’s attempt to comfort her.

Yet, beneath the surface, a seed of jealousy took root.

She admired Enverna’s prowess but couldn’t help but wish for a fraction of that strength.

The passages echoed with the distant sounds of shifting stones and the occasional murmur of unseen creatures. The air grew even heavier, carrying an ominous undertone as they delved deeper into the bowels of Kaelen.

The next room they found themselves in presented another obstacle.

A Fiend of unparalleled monstrosity.

The colossal Fiend stood at the heart of the chamber, a grotesque embodiment of malevolence and primal horror. Its form elaborated on that of the conventional horrors they had encountered earlier, pushing the boundaries of monstrous aberration. The Fiend’s twisted anatomy was a nightmarish mosaic of tentacles and sinewy appendages, each pulsating with an otherworldly vitality. Its central eye, a monstrous orb of baleful hatred, gleamed with a sickly radiance that cast eerie shadows across the cavern walls.

Surrounding the primary eye were numerous smaller orbs, each possessing a malevolent glow that hinted at dark, arcane powers. The creature’s skin, if it could be called that, was a patchwork of grotesque textures, part-scaled, part-fleshy, and wholly unnatural.

From its nightmarish core extended a network of tendrils, resembling veins of shadowy essence that writhed and undulated with an unnatural life force. Unlike the Fiends they had encountered earlier, this abomination exuded an oppressive aura, a tangible force that seemed to corrupt the very air around it.

"Mel," Enverna whispered, putting her spear up. "I’m sure this goes without saying but... This thing looks a lot stronger than the Fiend we just fought. Do you feel guilty about that last fight at all? Make it up to me now."

Mel swallowed. Her hands trembled as she lifted them, aiming her palms at the beast.

"Y-Yeah..."

The battle then quickly began, well before Mel could emotionally prepare herself.

Enverna’s elegant, practiced movements clashed against the otherworldly power of the Fiend, but its malevolence was proving overwhelming.

Even as Mel launched a couple of well-aimed lightning bolts, the Fiend largely just ignored her, putting all of its attention on the spear-wielder.

Enverna pushed a few spears away and then ran in, impaling this creature like she had before only to be knocked back by an attack that was much faster than any the previous Fiend had launched.

Enverna fell to the ground, spear in hand, but got up quickly. Blood, however, tricked down from her forehead, where she’d been hit.

She didn’t stop there, though. Enverna fought valiantly, her spear dancing with lethal precision, parrying the Fiend’s tentacles and taking advantage of any openings she could find, but the Fiend’s tentacles moved with unnatural speed, deflecting her strikes and gradually wearing her down.

[I’m doing no damage to this thing! Is it immune to my magic?] Mel wondered.

MP: 250/400

In a swift, unexpected move, one of the tentacles ensnared Enverna’s leg, dragging her toward the monstrous maw.

"Enverna!" Mel’s cry filled the air, her desperation echoing through the cavern. She launched a barrage of lightning spells at the Fiend, but its attention remained fixated on devouring Enverna.

Enverna stuck her spear into the ground. The Fiend pulled with all of its strength, trying to rip Enverna from her spot. In the direst moment, as Enverna’s strength waned and the Fiend tightened its grip, an ethereal presence manifested before Mel.

It was once again, The Tyrant.

{I wish to make you an offer.}

{Will you listen?}

{If you don’t, make no mistake, you will fail.}

{Yes} {No}

Mel hesitated, her gaze torn between Enverna’s impending doom and the cosmic, malevolent entity offering her a pact. Mel had done her research. She knew what kind of deal this would be.

And yet, all she could do was press {Yes}, as she simply did not have the power to help, in any way. The world around Mel froze.

Words began to be typed out before her.

- Finally, you give in.

- This is a rather desperate situation, isn’t it?

Mel remained silent, her slow, steady breaths filling her ears.

- Worry not.

- I do not mean to hurt you. On the contrary, I want nothing but the best for you.

- I wish to give you the power to set things right.

- And, well, why don’t we start here?

- Go ahead. Save this pathetic human.

- But do so with this in mind. The power you’re about to experience is but a fraction of what you could have.

- We will speak again once you’re done.

The world unpaused.

Mel inhaled sharply.

Finally, she could do something.