Chapter 2: What they saw amidst the darkness

After the initial moments of unrest had settled the scholars of the Clock Tower had quickly proceeded with their investigation into the unusual outbreak of the Void Corruption within this village.

"What do the initial readings say?" Yu's inquiry earned a light shake from the agent's head who had been reading something on a peculiar machine he was carrying. "The scans are negative Director. There are no signs of a rift having opened here in this village."

Hearing these words Yu brought a hand to her chin, tapping it lightly as she pondered a bit more on the statement she had just received. "So there is no rift, meaning the exposure to the void must had happened elsewhere. No matter, I will be tending to some of the victims now, please keep me updated in case you get any news."

Heading inside the large building where the guards had kept the victims of the voidal corruption Yu was escorted to one of the rooms. Upon opening the door it was not difficult to notice the lone individual in the chamber. A youngling, perhaps a young adult in human years was crouched against the back of his bed, holding his head close to his knees and sobbing softly.

"Have they been like this for long?" Yu's question made the guard nod his head somberly. "Ever since the arrival of that foreigner. While you made it clear that Salem had nothing to do with the outbreak, most of the individuals had contact with him at some point during his stay."

Yu tapped a finger lightly against the side of her arm as she processed this information. "How peculiar, did his staff trigger something dormant in the victims?"

Yet it would do her no good to just speculate like this. No, she needed to find answers, not conjectures and as such she took a step forward toward the sobbing stranger. "Ser, can you hear me?"

Yu's soft voice barely got any reaction from the man, whose tearful visage looked like his mind was in some sort of trance.

"Its coming... We shouldn't have woken it..."

The feeble whispers of the man didn't go unnoticed by Yu who took a seat at the edge of the bed besides the man. "Who is coming?"

A hand gently reached for the man's shoulder, attempting to comfort him as the human weeped softly. "The monster, the monster inside the void!"

Yu gently raised her other hand, resting it on the cheek of the man to make him look at her. "It's alright, whatever woke up in the void, it won't cross over to here. I and my colleagues will make sure of that. But you need to rest ser, rest and regain your strength so that you can tell me just what in the world happened that got you so restless."

As she finished speaking she helped the man lie down on the bed and proceeded to approach the doorway, giving a final glance at the resting human and then stepped outside. It didn't take long for her to be approached by one of the agents of the Clock Tower who bowed lightly at her. "Director? We compiled the information you requested."

Yu nodded her head lightly, uttering a word of gratitude as she started reading the report. "So according to the relatives of the victims they all went to Talaz Lagaar during the time period that the rift was active. From that alone we can already conclude that their exposure to the void happened there. But why did they start reacting like this after the closure of the rift? Earlier that man mentioned that something awoke in the void but judging from their words I would presume the thing was still inside the void itself."

Pondering a bit more Yu took a seat at a bench the moment she left the building. She needed a moment to process the information she had learned so far and put her thoughts together on how to proceed.

"Albion-" Yu called out, leading to the disguised dragon to step beside her. "Do you think I'm on the right track?"

Albion nodded her head lightly. "It is unlikely a powerful denizen from the void would have slipped out into Earthland without alerting the Clock Tower. As we have discovered the more powerful the denizen, the more their presence leaves behind traces. The absence of these in the earlier readings taken at the village makes it likely that-"

Yu smiled briefly at Albion as she finished the dragon's line of thought: "The connection is psychological, basically they are mentally connected to whatever is in the void?"

Albion nodded her head firmly. "Precisely."

Then there could be a cure to the victims of their condition. "By severing the connection we should be able to ease their suffering and make them regain their sanity. But I'm not entirely certain if I can provide such succor with my powers."

Yet the same moment that Yu stated these words something peculiar unfolded: All of a sudden the sky looming overhead turned dark, as if night had fallen over the village.

"What the- It is still noon, and there was no reports about an eclipse happening..." Yu's restlessness was only amplified when a collection of screams came from inside the building and from the outskirts of the village a knight came rushing over.

"Director! There is a hooded mage! when we tried to stop her from entering the village she cast some sort of spell and then the sky turned dark!"

Yu couldn't help but glare at the nightsky above. The magic flowing through the town was clearly voidal in nature, and these screams inside the building... "Albion, you go and check on the victims and help the guards calm them down! I will tend to this intruder! Ser Knight, rally your comrades and protect the villagers!"

The knight saluted at her orders and went to the garrison, meanwhile Yu started to dart in the direction the knight came from. This couldn't have been a coincidence... First several individuals succumbed to Voidal Corruption and now their was a flood of Void Magic in the village? This had to be all connected in some way or form! But how, and more importantly why?

So many questions lingered in the back of her mind, but for now, all she could do was go and investigate the source of this commotion!

Rushing along the street leading to the outskirts of the village Yu could already see the chaos that was unfolding. The local guards were having their hands full keeping the peace in the village. Panicked villagers asking what was going on, and in some cases people who were still healthy and sane moments ago had been forced into a state of madness and were being restrained by the guards.

This was a nightmare... This madness... This was the true nature of the void, certainly some scholars believed the void was a force of alteration, a power that was neither good or evil and that it all depended on the ones wielding it, but right now she was once more being confronted with the fact that it was way too easy for the powers of the void to be used for malicious intentions...

WC: 1200/1200

Chapter 3: Unleashed Madness

The darkened sky that loomed overhead, the sound of screams that came from the terrified villagers, the sight of people turning into a frenzy and attacking their loved ones without any provocation... It was clear to Yu that something was stirring the madness in this settlement. There was no doubt about it, the hooded figure that had been responsible for causing the sky to darken must had some important answers that she had been missing about this entire mystery.

Finally she arrived at the outskirts of the village, several of the knights stationed at the village had collapsed on the ground, still alive but clearly too injured to continue fighting. "HAHAHAHA!" A madwoman's laughter resounded through the air as the hooded figure saw from a nearby alleyway a group of knights approach, their swords drawn. "We're ready to assist you Director Yu!"

Yet while normally the sight of allies their courageous arrival would fill her with hope and gratitude, Yu felt only dread right now as the hooded figure turned toward the encroaching knights. "Begone tin cans!" The prophet shouted in anger as she swept her hand, and from the outstretched fingertips a wave of dark energy surged forward, blasting the knights away!

Some of them had endured the onslaught of magic, attempting to get closer to the prophet who prepared to launch yet another spell at the group, "DIE DIE DIE!" she chanted like a lunatic. However, this time Yu acted, raising her staff toward the cloaked prophet and allowed her mind to focus. She needed to rely on her magic, to unravel the threads of mana so that the deathly spell the prophet was invoking would be nullified.

The staff glowed bright, and she could sense the threads of magic surrounding the prophet, the energy that was being used to empower her deathly spells. Yu could feel her power growing as she concentrated, the staff growing brighter, and she could almost hear the voice of her benefactor  in her head,  "That's right Yu, do not resist the current, let it flow... Flow with it as if it was a river."

'That's right,' she thought to herself, 'I must not let her use her powers! I mustn't!'

A surge of energy coursed through her staff and suddenly the mana gathering around the prophet seemed to dispate. "Wha-" The Prophet stammered in surprise. "Quickly! Now is our chance! Detain that fiend!" The knights aiding Yu rallied, some attempting to pin down the prophet while Yu turned toward the remaining knights.

"How is the village?"

"We're still trying to calm down the remaining afflicted." One of the knights explained. "Although we should be able to succeed if we can get that monster to dispel whatever magic she has cast upon the village."

The prophet laughed shrill at these words. "Monster? That is rich coming from a baffoon like you." The woman lifted her head despite still being restrained, her glare focused on Yu as she continued. "To call our powers evil, despite the fact you wield them as well! You might be denying it yourself, but you're a monster like us! The very powers you despise so much flow through you as well!"

The prophet cried out in anger. but Yu merely pointed her staff at the woman. "Why... Why did you do this?" Yet upon hearing these words the woman merely scoffed. "Isn't it obvious? To create a new rift into the void!" Yu narrowed her eyes. "What... What could you possibly hope to gain from a new rift into the void? How can you explain your actions?"
"Explain my actions?" The prophet chuckled. "Why would I ever need to explain myself? If a tree falls in the forest, is anyone there to see it fall? The tree is gone, and its fall is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. What meaning is there for me to explain myself, when none shall care to listen?"

The prophet laughed, but Yu could only stare at her in shock. "How can you even say that? How can you believe that you won't be held responsible for your actions?" The prophet merely cackled, "You are so blind 'Director', so blind. Don't you know that I won't be the only one to come to this village, there will be more just like me who will come in search for the glorious power the void offers."

She turned her gaze towards the sky, the darkness looming over the village was receding, "You and I are but a drop in the ocean. But one day, this world will realize what it truly desires. When that day comes, no matter how hard you try to fight against it, the future is inevitable."
"Silence!" Yu's expression changed. "I will not allow it, the world may accept it, but I shall not!" She raised her staff and pointed it at the prophet. "You have no right to say that the world shall accept this fate, you do not speak for anyone but yourself!"

The prophet shook her head and turned toward Yu. "No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to stop it." Her laughter grew more shrill as she stared into Yu's eyes. "It's inevitable."

Yu didn't say anything, she simply stood there with her staff pointed at the prophet. However, even as the darkness was recending over the village Yu couldn't help but feel something was off. This unpleasant sensation that warned her, that tiny voice in the back of her thoughts that screamed this was all wrong and that danger loomed ahead, when she realized it too late.

"Get away from her!" Yu called out, but it was too late. A burst of void magic erupted from the woman's body, consuming the knights that were restraining her and soon not a trace of their presence remained. Instead a monstrous creature towered over the spot the poor victims had been consumed at."

"Hehehaha." The monster giggled as the prophet's voice came out of the creature's mouth. "Now, shall we continue where we left off?"
Yu felt a chill go up her spine, as the monster's gaze locked onto her, the creature's maw open wide, but quickly several of the surviving knights rallied to her side, shields ready to protect her. "You're not alone Director!" One of the knights called out to her, hoping to encourage the distraught fairy.

1000/1000

Despite facing such a horrific monster the valiant knights were unwavering in the face of despair. They stood at the ready, their shields raised as the void-tainted creature launched one wave after the other at them. Even as the tendrils of the monster crashed down onto their shields like a battering ram they remained brave and defiant.

Yet was courage alone enough when it came to the void? A sudden surge of mana came from the creature as it seemingly had strengthened itself, a tentacle lashing at the group that finally broke through their defenses! Even as they were scattered the knights still rallied back trying to defend her. Why? Why?! She was but a mere child, a fairy whose powers were nothing against the overwhelming might of the void. She gripped her staff, watching as a tentacle came in to deliver the finishing blow and crush her under its might but it was a blow that never came. Instead one of the knights valiantly swung his sword at the tentacle, digging deeply inside the void appendage upon which the creature shrieked in agony, following up by sending the knight crashing into the ground by smashing it with its tentacle.

Even as they fell she could see it in the knights their eyes: hope. They truly believed in her. "You... must... not falter Director..." the knight lost consciousness, and while the large tendril of the monster started to raise the knight's body into the air Yu felt her vision growing hazy for a moment.

It was without any warning she found herself in a realm of pure white, her body still on the ground and further ahead she could see the void-tainted creature beckoning her to her demise when...

"Tell me, my lady: If you had the power to take one more step. Would you do it?"

Yu lifted her gaze, watching the small but so strong back of her beloved friend. The little Exceed stood proudly, his feline smile as he looked at her waiting for an answer: "I... I can't do this alone..." Yu whispered softly, but Nyancelot merely smiled at these words.

"You are not alone. No matter where, no matter when. You'll always have my sword." Ka-ching, the feline knight flourished his blade and in that moment Yu could have sworn she witnessed something that couldn't, and shouldn't be possible. An ephemeral presence, a glorious light that danced across the tendrils, a blade of pure light slicing from one tentacle onto the other as the restrained knights were dropped onto the ground. Even in death he was still protecting her... Her first and most beloved friend, the gentlest and strongest of knights...

"Thank you." Yu whispered as she climbed back onto her feet. The void creature turned its attention toward her, sensing the hysteria had disappeared from the fairy. Yet it was no match for the power the void bestowed onto it! The tendrils of the creature all lashed out at the same time, heading straight toward her.

Still gripping her staff lightly the tentacles looked like they were about to reach her but then suddenly evaporated, making the creature recoil in shock.

That's right Yu... Let it flow like a river... Darkness... light.... Gaia... The Void... Embrace both, love both, judge both and through balance you will become the world's arbiter!"

As the voice ringed out in her mind an aura erupted from her body. One half tainted by the essence of the void, the other a bastion of pure mana. As the magic finally subdued she could feel her body hovering slightly above the ground


The creature roared in anger at the sight before her. "You... HYPOCRITE! YOU CLAIM TO PROTECT THESE PEOPLE, BLAME THEIR RELIANCE ON THE VOID WHEN YOUR VERY POWER IS THAT OF THE VOID! YOU ARE BUT A MERE SERVANT OF THE VOID!"

The tentacles of the creature lashed out violently but it felt each time its void tentacles reached the being in front of her, the energy that held them in existence fizzled out, as if something was erasing them from existence.

The being raised her golden staff. "I am a Warden of Earthland. If it allows me to destroy wicked beings like yourself, then I will gladly take on the sin of using the Void. A hypocrite you say? Nay, I am a Voideater!"

The being lunged forward, the tendrils lashing her way being all but evaporized as she thrust her staff into the chest of the creature, causing it to let out a howling roar!

"Che... not strong enough." She had yet to land a vital hit, but as she enlarged the distance between herself and the voidal creature an idea arose within her. A hand raised to the sky as she called out. "We'll see whether Gaia still favors me!"

A sudden surge of mana coursed through her being as she attempted to call upon the champion of her people, the being that had been her confidant ever since Nyancelot died... "COME GUARDIAN OF THE FAE!"

A sudden dragonic roar revebrated through the air as the giant dragon descended from the sky. The Ancient Fae Dragon's gaze settled on the spectacle in front of her. "So this is your prey Yu?" The dragon turned toward her. "Then why, is it not already dead?" The dragon's gaze settled onto the corrupted creature, the tendrils that attempted to reach for Albion detering them not in the slightest as the dragon simply tore through them with her claws. "Such a petty trickery will not avail you here..." The dragon lashed with her tail, sending the void creature reeling up into the air while Albion inhaled sharply. A sudden beam of nature magic rushed into the body of the void creature, obliterating its body from existence till not even a trace of its presence remained.

The fight had been settled.... Turning toward her summoner the dragon watched how the magic left her body, transforming the 'Voideater back into her smaller form who collapsed onto her knees. "he...hehe... we beat it."

The dragon huffed in amusement. "Of course we did." It was a good thing that despite her transformation Yu was still herself. But to think she had transformed into that form. Could it be that she had become the next Arbiter? Worrying about it would help her little right now, so Albion instead allowed her disguised form to emerged, helping the girl upright again.

"The villagers have all returned to normal, and aside from some injuries none of the knights have died. Overall I think we can call this a success." Albion's words earned a brief smile from Yu as she staggered lightly and collapsed against Albion, at the same time as she heard one of the knights worriedly call out to her. They had won... They had pushed back the void! A victory at last, and one with a price she had been willing to pay. But god, she had been tired... Her sight growing blurry Yu felt that her consciousness was starting to slip away....


WC: 1200