Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 61: Storm of Hearts, Part Seventeen

The air hung heavy with unspoken tension as the group made their way through the ruins. Lianna led the way, holding Mel’s hand and trying to make sure she wouldn’t have another episode, her footsteps echoing in the oppressive silence that enveloped them.

They were all packed together in these narrow halls, but the gap between them seemed wider than the passages themselves.

Lianna hesitated, glancing between her two friends. Enverna’s gaze was fixed forward, a steely determination in her eyes, while Mel’s expression wavered between guilt and unease. It was as if the very atmosphere echoed the strained emotions that pulsed beneath the surface.

"Look," Lianna finally spoke, breaking the silence. "I know things got... pretty bad back there, but we need to focus on getting out of here. There’s a mechanism up ahead that should release the barrier blocking our way out."

No one responded immediately. The weight of unspoken words lingered, hanging between them like an unresolved chord.

Enverna and Mel exchanged guarded glances, their eyes communicating a myriad of sentiments but mainly regret and distrust.

As they pressed on, the narrow passageways seemed to amplify the echo of their footsteps, emphasizing the awkward distance between the two. Lianna couldn’t help but feel like a mediator caught in the crossfire of emotions that crackled beneath the surface.

The atmosphere remained charged just as charged as they moved through the halls and arrived at the core of the ruin that Lianna learned about from {Target Analysis}, and found the mechanism.

It was located in the middle of a tight plaza. To the right, a regal staircase unfolded, leading the way to a distinct building that bore the marks of a different age. The stone, though worn by the passage of time, retained a majestic quality that set it apart from its neighboring structures.

The engravings on the walls hinted at a narrative woven with the threads of history, a narrative that had witnessed the comings and goings of people of great importance.

A sphere of mana, crackling and spiraling, hovered before them. Blue streaks of energy ran out from its position, spreading through the rest of Kaelen despite the fact that the people who inhabited this place had long since vanished.

"This is it," Lianna stated. "Um, now we just need a strong mage to come up and sort of.. deactivate this thing."

She gave Sylver a pointed look.

"Very well."

The seasoned mage approached the mechanism, her hands already reaching out to interact with the magical apparatus.

The air tingled with the raw energy as Sylver’s mana connected with its arcane design.

However, just as Sylver focused on the task at hand, a sinister presence began to pervade the chamber.

The air grew heavy, and shadows coalesced in the form of a towering, grotesque figure. An enemy appeared from the right, descending that regal staircase.

All of them received a notification, then.

{WARNING}

{Greater Fiend nearby!}

A Greater Fiend. Lianna paled. It was said that these figures carried so much raw power that the System itself felt it was only fair to make sure everyone, even people who couldn’t see others’ statuses like Lianna, knew what they were getting into.

The Greater Fiend materialized as a nightmarish amalgamation of terror, a grotesque evolution from the regular Fiends they had encountered earlier, with a distinctly humanoid frame to it.

Its colossal form dominated the chamber, a writhing mass of malevolence that seemed to defy the laws of nature.

Bulbous tentacles and arms, thicker and more sinewy than those of its lesser kin, sprouted from the monstrous mass, their tips ending in razor-sharp barbs that exuded a sickly, otherworldly glow. The pulsating core of the creature resembled a corrupted heart, radiating malevolent energy that disgraced the air around it.

A single, enormous eye dominated the face of the Greater Fiend, its gaze holding a sickly radiance that pierced through the shadows. The eye pulsed with an ethereal glow.

The creature’s skin, if it could be called that, appeared to be a melding of corrupted flesh and shadow, constantly shifting and undulating as if struggling against its own demonic essence. It almost appeared as though it was trying to become human, trying to take the shape of a person, only to devolve into the Fiends’ standard filth.

The creature emitted an aura of dread, an oppressive force that weighed heavily on the hearts of those who dared to gaze upon it.

As the Greater Fiend shifted in the chamber, the air seemed to grow colder, and the very ground beneath it blackened and withered.

Despair and terror gripped them all. The formidable foe loomed over them, a living embodiment of dread.

Sylver, absorbed in her task, glanced over her shoulder, her expression mirroring the fear that had seized the group even though they could not see her eyes. "Buy me time!" she pleaded, her voice strained. "I can’t detach from the mechanism! Distract it!"

Lianna, Enverna, and Mel exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting the terror that now gripped their hearts.

Lianna, however, felt resolute.

[We can’t run... How strong is this thing?]

It honestly terrified her to even wonder about it, but she needed to know, so she used {Target Analysis}.

Demetrius Ackerman

MP: 500/500

---

STR: B+

END: B-

DEX: D+

MYS: B-

---

Spells:

Chilling Screech - 100 MP

{Emit an ominous roar that temporarily paralyzes opponents for 5 seconds.}

Corrupted Bolt - 100 MP

{Launch a bolt of manifested evil at a target}

Shifting Shadow - 50 MP

{Teleport a short distance away}

---

Instinct:

Dread - Passive

{Any opponent who stares at you for longer than 10 seconds straight will deal 25% less damage to you and move 25% slower until they turn away.}

Lianna’s eyes widened.

"Everyone, listen, it-"

The Fiend wasn’t about to simply wait patiently until Lianna explained everything.

Using Shifting Shadow, the Fiend appeared next to Sylver, clearly having been targeting her from the start.

[Crap.]

Enverna lunged forward with practiced precision, her spear gleaming in the dim light of the chamber.

The first strike was met with a resounding clash as the Fiend’s sinewy tentacles intercepted her spear, demonstrating its unnatural agility and preternatural reflexes. That said, she did stop the attack on the sorceress.

Undeterred, Enverna pressed on, ripping her spear away from its clutches and circling around it to press the attack.

Lianna watched as the creature took a deep breath.

"ENVERNA, COVER YOUR EARS!"

"!?"

Enverna glanced at her briefly.

She trusted her word, though, and instantly dropped her staff, putting her hands on her ears.

"AAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIGGGGHHHHH"

The Fiend’s screech made Lianna’s bones tremble, but she put her own hands up quickly enough to block the effect.

Mel hadn’t.

[Oh no.]

Seeing where this was going, Lianna raced to her position.

The Greater Fiend instantly dashed at the girl, intent on biting her head off.

Lianna managed to deter the attack with an arrow to the Fiend’s side.

The Fiend screeched as Enverna followed up as well, driving her spear into it just as Lianna’s arrows hit.

Lianna inhaled deeply, though, knowing that now she needed to make full use of her abilities.

Lover’s Intuition - 25 MP

{Spell}

{Unique}

{Class: Scout}

{Desc: Receive a tip as to the most optimal way for Enverna Alteri to approach a combat scenario}

{Val: N/A}

Through Enverna’s Eyes - 0 MP

{Spell}

{Unique}

{Class: N/A}

{Desc: Experience all of Enverna’s five senses. She receives 10% less damage and deals 10% more damage depending on the advice that is given to her during this ability’s use.}

{Val: N/A}

Bringing her mana down to 75, Lianna got started, using Lover’s Intuition.

The System began to feed information, then, directly to her.

{Step to the right. Avoid the coming swipes and attack the opponent from behind.}

Lianna nodded.

Activating {Through Enverna’s Eyes}, she began to spectate the scene from Enverna’s own point of view, just before giving out her orders.

"Envy!" She called out. "I need you to do everything I’m about to say, understand?"

She could see Enverna holding her spear up, the Greater Fiend in front of her turning toward her and screaming with bloodthirsty rage.

"I will!" Enverna finally answered.

Thus, Lianna got started.

"Step to the right. Avoid the coming swipes and attack the opponent from behind!" She echoed the System’s instructions.

Enverna, in sync with Lianna’s instructions, danced around the Fiend with an elegant finesse.

Her spear found its back. Because of {Through Enverna’s Eyes}, Lianna felt that the blow dealt increased damage.

[YES!]

Granted, this was a Greater Fiend. One clean hit wouldn’t be nearly enough to take it down.

But, it was a good start.

Lianna focused intently, her mind processing the information fed by the System. {Lover’s Intuition} guided her every step, and {Through Enverna’s Eyes} offered a unique vantage point as she observed the Fiend’s movements from up close without having to be in front of it herself.

"Envy, sidestep to your left, now! The tentacle is coming from your right!" Lianna’s voice echoed through the chamber.

Enverna responded with a graceful sidestep, narrowly avoiding the Fiend’s vicious swipe.

Lianna continued her real-time analysis.

"Good, now seize the moment. Strike its flank! Aim beneath its limbs! It’s weak there!" Lianna’s instructions were swift and precise.

Enverna followed suit, her spear finding its mark as she exploited the weaknesses in the Fiend’s defenses. The creature roared in frustration, its massive form recoiling from the strategic assault.

In between attacks, unfortunately, Lianna had to let those System messages go to recover a bit of mana.

It teleported to the right.

"Follow it!" Lianna cried out on her own this time, but Enverna did not need to be told this instruction as she was dashing to her target before Lianna even started speaking.

Lianna, maintaining her focus, guided Enverna through a series of coordinated movements.

They weaved a dance of evasion and retaliation, chipping away at the Fiend’s formidable exterior bit by bit. The duo seemed to be gaining an upper hand, the Fiend struggling to anticipate their synchronized attacks. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Envy, anticipate its next move! It’s preparing for a sweeping attack; be ready to jump!" Lianna’s voice urged Enverna.

Enverna, trusting in Lianna’s guidance, leaped gracefully just as the Fiend’s tentacle swept across the ground. The maneuver left the Fiend momentarily vulnerable, and Enverna exploited the opening, moving forward to deliver precise strikes to its exposed areas while Lianna reassured her that she could.

[She’s been looking away on her own, without knowing and without me having to tell her. We probably have a chance to win here... Not a high one, but a chance.]

However, in the heat of the battle, a momentary lapse occurred. Enverna, perhaps fatigued from the relentless engagement, misjudged the timing of a tentacle’s retracting motion. Lianna’s voice urgently tried to correct the error.

"Envy, watch out, it’s retracting-"

Before Lianna could finish, the Fiend’s tentacle lashed out unexpectedly, catching Enverna off guard.

"AGH!" Lianna herself felt the blow, due to their shared senses.

The impact sent Enverna sprawling. Lianna fell to her knees, holding her side.

Enverna rolled to a stop and curled up on the ground, unable to stand up.

All that, and just one solid blow from the Fiend had dealt this much damage. Lianna couldn’t believe it.

"Enverna!" Lianna cried out, her heart sinking as the Fiend launched itself at its largest threat, intending to finish the battle now.