Ssshhhhooo!
Stab!
Chucck!!
“KKKYYRRAAAA!”
The cursed wyverns screamed in agony as an arrow lodged itself into one of their heads, Then—
Thud!
An ice spear pinned another wyvern to the ground, freezing its body to the ground.
“There’s just so many of them! And they’re not even dying!” Selene said, her voice laced with frustration as she glared at the cursed wyverns swarming around her and Aria.
“What’s wrong? Already worn out?” Aria asked with a raised brow, her face twisted in amusement as she prepared to loose another arrow at the encroaching monsters.
Selene snorted, She gave a sly grin, sighing with exaggerated patience, “Oh, I suppose it’s time I use this, then,” she said, holding her hand aloft.
A dark, metallic substance rippled across her skin, winding around her arm like nanobots before merging with her ice spear. As the spear began to glow with a blinding white light, she smirked, “Alright, let’s dance~” she teased.
She launched herself at a nearby wyvern, and—
Tang!
Ting!
She spun her ice spear effortlessly, slicing through its head as if it were made of paper. Selene chuckled seeing the monster turning into ashes, inspecting her spear’s tip, now coated in a shimmering white light, “All it needed was a bit of purification,” she mused.
The light radiated from her weapon, potent enough to cleanse even the cursed creatures around them and it was truly made by her beloved!
“Fu~Fu~Fu~”
And,
Tang!
Ting!
Tang!
She carved through them one after another, her movements sharp and graceful.
Aria watched, captivated by Selene’s fluid motion, ‘Not bad… not bad at all,’ she thought, impressed. ‘Though maybe she could still make a half-decent side chic—’ she caught herself and cleared her throat, ‘a sidekick, I mean, for my husband.’ Her thoughts were interrupted, though, as—
“KKKKYYYYYYYRRRRAA—” A cursed wyvern lunged at Aria from behind, its jaws snapping. But—
Stab!
A spear impaled it, pinning it to the wall!
Selene strode past Aria with a mocking smirk, wrenching her ice spear free, “You really need to stay focused, Aria. Otherwise, who knows… you might lose something important,” she said, her grin both teasing and fierce.
Aria snorted and shot her a narrowed look, “Don’t act like you’re the only one with those artifacts….. He cares about me too…” With a quick, defiant motion, she notched another arrow, its tip glowing with a pure, crystalline white light.
“Watch this.” She fired, aiming precisely.
“KYYYAAARRR—“
Thud!
The arrow struck the wyvern’s throat, lodging deeply, and then—
BOOM!
A burst of white light erupted, incinerating the creature to ashes in an instant.
Aria flashed a cheeky grin and winked at Selene, “A lot~ I suppose…” she taunted playfully.
Selene’s eye twitched, and then her competitive spirit flared. “Alright, whoever finishes last is gay!!”
Aria blinked. “Wait—what?!”
Ting!
BOOM!
…..
……
“Vesp!!” Kai’s shout echoed across the battlefield as he desperately tried to reach Vesperine, who was surrounded by cursed wyverns closing in.
“K-Kai!!” Vesperine called out, her voice trembling with fear, her eyes wide as she struggled to fend them off.
Nearby, Leon was blasting away the monsters with bubbles that exploded on impact, yet they kept coming, relentless and overwhelming.
“Kai, I could use a hand over here!” Leon shouted. But Kai was barely holding his ground, dodging a torrent of molten lava from a massive wyvern’s jaws as he pressed forward to reach Vesperine.
“Get the hell away from me!” Kai roared, shoving his sword into the monster’s maw to block its teeth as it tried to snap at him.
Lava oozed from its mouth, dripping dangerously close. If it touched him, he’d be cursed, and the stakes were too high!
Watching his friend struggle because of his own mistake, Leon’s expression softened, a faint smile crossing his lips. He took a deep breath and snapped his fingers, summoning a ring of shimmering blue bubbles around him, “Alright, come and get me, you scaly bastards!” he taunted, his eyes flashing with anger as the wyverns turned to him, sensing his provoking dragon bloodline.
Leon’s grin widened as the wyverns shifted, drawn to him in fury.
Kai hesitated, caught off guard as the wyvern about to maul him suddenly focused on Leon instead.
Without a second thought, Kai sprinted forward toward Vesperine.
Leon’s smile faded slightly as he watched Kai break free, ‘Guess I’ve really lost him…’ he thought, a pang of sadness hitting him. Then, regaining his bravado, he shouted, “Come on, come for me, you damn low lives!!”
Kai reached Vesperine, pulling her to his embrace, “Are you alright? Did they hurt you? Tell me you’re okay,” he asked frantically, scanning her for any sign of injury. To his surprise, her skin was unmarred, not a single wound. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire
Kai frowned. They’d been at it for a while now, so why were there no scratches—
Before he could finish his thought, Vesperine suddenly screamed, “LEONNNN!!” Her voice was filled with terror.
Kai flinched and whipped around, his heart sinking. He saw Leon standing alone, encircled by the monsters, his bubbles flickering around them as they covered them. With a gentle, bittersweet smile, Leon looked at Kai and mouthed, “I’m sorry… Kai.” Then, with a final snap of his fingers—
BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!
…..
…..
“Where… are we?” Helena asked, her voice curious yet tinged with unease as she took in the strange, dark surroundings.
She glanced at Thalia and Raven, who had just teleported into this eerie, darkened place with her.
“We don’t know,” Thalia replied, her tone strained, and Helena noticed she was clutching her side, her body bruised and battered.
“We’re bypassing the system just like you,” Thalia added, wincing. “Could you… heal me?” she asked, reluctant but visibly weakened from her recent fight. She still couldn’t believe how much trouble those cursed monsters had caused her.
Helena nodded and extended her hands, a soft glow enveloping Thalia as she began to heal her injuries.
Meanwhile, Raven’s gaze darted around, her brow furrowed in concentration. “But… where’s Aqualina? Shouldn’t she be here too?” she wondered aloud. “The orb lit up four times, didn’t it? That should mean everyone has entered the final phase… right?”
Thalia, wincing as her wounds began to mend, shrugged nonchalantly. “Who knows? Maybe the orb glowed by mistake.”
Raven’s frown deepened. Though she didn’t know Aqualina well, she knew enough to be certain of one thing: that woman was as dangerous as she was cunning. The idea of Aqualina making a simple error seemed… unlikely.
“It looks like you’re hurt too, Raven… Let me help you,” Helena said as she finished healing Thalia and approached Raven, her hands radiating warmth.
Raven watched her, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. ‘She can actually purify curses… Interesting. Is that why Aether insisted on bringing her along?’ she wondered, giving Helena a slight nod as the healing light touched her.
As they prepared to move, Thalia looked around impatiently, “Since Aqualina’s taking her sweet time, why don’t we check out the area ourselves?”
Raven and Helena exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement. They moved cautiously through the darkness, their footsteps echoing in the hollow silence until they reached a strange sight—
Drip… drip…
Blood was dripping steadily from the ceiling, falling onto the ground in dark, sticky pools. The ceiling was shrouded in shadows, too dark to see what lay above.
Helena tilted her head, a puzzled look on her face. “Is something… leaking up there?”
Thalia nodded, though she looked uncertain, “Maybe it’s just…”
However—
Raven’s frown grew deeper, and her gaze sharpened. “There’s something… missing here. Something should be here.” She raised her hand, catching a drop of the blood from the ceiling and studying it with suspicion.
“Missing?” Helena asked, eyes wide with curiosity. “Have you… been here before?”
Raven shook her head slowly, “No… it’s just a feeling. Like there’s a presence, or something crucial, that’s supposed to be in this place but isn’t.” She was about to continue when suddenly—
“Waaaa… Waaa… Waa…”
Raven’s head turned left, and she turned in the direction of the faint, eerie sound. “Did you hear that?” she asked, a frown creasing her brow.
“Hear what?” Helena and Thalia exchanged confused glances, unsure what she meant.
“Can’t you hear it? Someone’s… crying?” Raven’s ears perked, honing in on the direction of the sound, her expression wary.
Helena and Thalia shook their heads in unison. “We don’t hear anything…”
Ignoring their confusion, Raven took a step toward the sound, her body tense. “I’m telling you… someone is crying. A child, maybe.”
“Wait, Raven, where are you—” Thalia started, reaching out to stop her, when—
“Waaaa… Waaa… Waa…”
This time, Thalia heard it too, but from a different direction. The cry was faint yet unmistakable.
“There’s someone else over there… it sounds like a child,” Thalia murmured, her gaze shifting. She began walking toward the source, almost entranced by the haunting sound.
“Wait—w-wait! Where are you both going?” Helena stammered, glancing frantically between the two of them, torn between the two directions. “Are you serious? Splitting up in this place? Is this some kind of twisted game, or what—”
“Waaaa… Waaa… Waa…”
Helena’s voice trailed off as she heard the crying too, this time from yet another direction. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned toward the sound, hesitating. “H-Hello?” she called softly, her voice trembling as she took a cautious step forward.
And so, the three of them found themselves walking alone, each drawn toward a mysterious, childlike cry, each heading in a different direction into the unknown.