Ittindi’s body was flowing with mana, he hated the feeling he had to exert over it. The feeling between chaos and authority only one mistake away, he could hear Lady Lumikki’s voice. The problem was he could hear everything, even things that shouldn’t speak had their own aura now and while Lady Lumikki’s dwarfed the others. Ittindi could see the muddling of his own aura and Naki’s. The words she spoke earlier became visible to him, while also listening to her describe her own path. It was interesting that he found a teacher that so closely mirrored his own path. Or was it ordained, why Illumin would want him to learn with a demon was beyond his understanding. However, he knew when too many coincidences lined up it was surely the work of the divine, how far he must look from worthy in this moment. At the same time, he remembered the story of Mary who stood against demons and was rewarded with rebirth. Ittindi story was similar just that he wasn’t reborn as an angel, and he could hear Naki’s laughter at his thoughts,
I remember a priest telling one of my avatars it would be a devout man that tamed me. That religion was so great that it could conquer even death, but it’s not religion its delusion. Yours is so strong a never-ending well of experiences to feed on. I can feel it even now we’ve died and walked back so many times together. Not once a sign of your god but plenty of others cast judgement. I know you’ll say that’s because your god is more powerful than the pretend ones I see, our final death will just be that more delicious when you embrace the nothingness. That’s when I’ll claim you my elegant partner until then let’s see how you fare with my power untapped.
Another time their speech might have shaken Ittindi, and they could call it delusion. They both knew that his faith not just in Illumin but in mankind itself was what fueled his great “strength”. Every entity would call it foolish, but they were all drawn to it anyways the quick burning flame of human life. Ittindi had found a way to continually rebuild his candle afterwards, would he lose something in that process? So far he hadn’t, but he had always known how to let go when it mattered, like now. To fully embrace the powers of a Demon of Death even if it were from another reality was not a light feat. Ittindi’s human mind would shatter trying to comprehend the perspective, it was not wrong to admit that, so why focus on any of it? He’d simply be, he knew what needed to be done above all, those moments of cruelty in his job. The first time he had been swiped with the butt of a sword by an angry Lord Shi, the even worse punishment from the head butler for complaining about it to him. To set aside one’s emotions were not to bottle them, Ittindi remembered the first time he let go of his bottled emotions. He was in a back alley getting jumped, all was fine until they scuffed his recently purchased Italian loafers. Ittindi knew that as soon as he engaged he would have to kill them to not endanger his family so he had taken the beatings the same as from a employer.
It wasn’t even the thugs that Ittindi unleashed his anger, it was the betrayal from the head butler who to this day Ittindi loved and respected. The lack of communication with the Young Master even though he knew, his anger against his father being partially Ittindi’s fault for opening new avenues of hatred. Stoicism helped in the job but it didn’t help with the tears, Ittindi had to learn other outlets. The first time he cooked a full course meal for himself, other professionals asked for cleaning advice, refining his magic the list would go on. That was when Ittindi found inner peace and started looking for meaning within his own life, when he let go not when he fueled himself with his emotions or logic. It was a tiring process, something that Ittindi didn’t face everyday though he could hover in a state of semi content easier than others. Tapping into this karmic state he’d channel even more of his mana.
His body would start to glow and he could actually see Naki for once as a spirit before him, he hadn’t expected them to be so tall. Ittindi wondered if he would grow when he assimilated, first he wanted to stop time. They had done it plenty of times when he died, what was doing it for battle purposes. He wouldn’t be content with just doing the same as the other avatars, he had already become a different race all together. Some would say a demigod others would say a demon, Ittindi knew that he was neither, a human repurposed. That was all that was needed to tap into the universe, who needed understanding he had faith and purpose. Lady Lumikki was explaining that even without the Young Master they would have eventually found each other.
Ittindi opened his mouth a crack to respond, when he would feel mana escaping. Quickly closing his mouth he’d summon whatever mana he felt out hidden. Emptying himself until his body felt flat as if he’d float if the wind blew to hard in a direction. Mixed with his aura of divinity Ittindi could sense any danger in the area, and Lady Lumikki would raise her hand to the sky. As the magic seal appeared, Ittindi knew he was ready for what came next.
He expected a magic seal, and the size was the largest he had created yet. It was over the floor and Ittindi didn’t even need to make any cast motions, this was his very essence in the casting. As Lady Lumikki’s spell materialized a barrage of vectors coming from all angles. Ittindi’s sense was a migraine of alerts, as it all stopped the serenity of that moment. The stillness in the universe besides Ittindi. There were multiple angled attacks all closing in on him, he’d nimbly move through them as if playing a party game. That’s when time would unfreeze for the first time as the crash of some of Lady Lumikki’s projectiles, while others formed to erase his existence. His danger sense still on an all time alert, Ittindi tried to freeze time again and found success. There was no magic seal this time, making him wonder what his limit would be, the goal was to get closer to Lady Lumikki, they were still a decent distance away. This time he’d find himself in an odd limbo position when time would start again.
As more projectiles rushed past him, Ittindi realized it couldn’t have been more than a second maybe less, he probably looked like he was teleporting to Lady Lumikki. He wondered if she could tell the difference between the two, it should be easier with Ittindi already revealing how he planned to move around. This time the threat came from below, Lady Lumikki’s spell didn’t want to give up on it’s prey. Third freeze and Ittindi didn’t feel his efforts slowing as he did a well executed jump inching closer to Lady Lumikki.
BOOM! CLAP!
The sound of Ittindi’s heart beating as loud as the projectiles that were below him a moment ago. There were two different angles of projectile Ittindi dropped to one hand doing a handstand flag to dodge one. His danger sense told him he wouldn’t be dodging the other as he forced time to freeze. On attempt 4 he was starting to feel the effects on his mana as Ittindi carefully went back to the standing avoiding any stray projectiles. There had to be a better way for him to close the distance, this time he’d see if running made time resume any faster. It didn’t seem to have any major effect as when time unfroze seemed to be consistent with the same interval. Which meant he’d need to start lunging and moving to get to Lady Lumikki he had a plan now. As Time stopped for the 5th time, Ittindi would have to make a shape best accomplished with the splits. It was a throwback to his time with some of the poorer street cleaners when he thought he might be able to be a butler dancer. That dream was quickly dismissed when he learned the main stayers in that industry were the gigolo variety.
As time unfroze Ittindi would look quite goofy as the blasts passed through another image of where he was. This time while popping up he’d say something to Lady Lumikki before the next round or iteration, Ittindi wasn’t sure what to call the iterations within this spell. Even with his assistance from divinitas, Ittindi wasn’t perfect and his pants and shorts had cuts and rips from his rapid movement. Proof if Lady Lumikki was paying attention that he was moving not teleporting, with the trajectory of her spell this time, Ittindi realized he could pull off a cool enough slide tackle. Doing so right as time stopped for a 6th time. He’d be at the end of his slide tackle popping up, taking in where the next attack of this spell might arrive from.
This time he felt a prong attack coming from his back, knowing that one should never look behind them when trying to escape, Ittindi would take off at full speed for Lady Lumikki. Time would stop again and, when it did Ittindi would take a glance back to see the spell a centimeter from connecting with his back. Ittindi would dive forward as time started again, the spell once again colliding with itself instead of finding Ittindi. He’d tuck and roll forward, dodging two more strikes. He felt his limits finally approaching, not sure how many time stops he had left, Ittindi would continue to run straight at Lady Lumikki. There was a chance he’d make it with enough forward momentum. His mana his glow it was all starting to fade along with his enhanced view of reality. One last stop as the spell threatened to take him a mere meter away from Lady Lumikki. He would make it to her left shoulder tapping it right as time unfroze.
”Lady Lumikki, please stop your spell now.”
Ittindi would be panting and sweating worse every breath he could feel every one of his muscles burned out from the spell he just learned. Hopefully the next time he used it wouldn’t be as dramatic as fighting Lady Lumikki. He’d continue to pant heavily for another couple of minutes before talking to Lady Lumikki again.
”Lady Lumikki….Woo I think I’m ready for the transformation. I just need a small breather. Hopefully not to many ever have to see any of this effort.”
WC: Complete/2,000 (50% WCR INT) Split Second Evasion