Manifest War: The Weapons Within

Don and Kat stared at the intruder with great confusion and curiosity, eager to learn who was stupid enough to interrupt this mission.

“You’ve got some nerve interfering with our job! Who are you?” Don asked, annoyed that someone was ruining the fun. The mysterious person slowly and quietly stood up as the cool wind blew their robes.

They turned around and out of nowhere, the mysterious individual was wielding a giant scythe-like weapon. They spun and twirled it around with unimaginable ease, making it seem as though it weighed no more than a feather. Then, with incredible speed, they darted towards the duo.

As the person approached, their hood fell back, revealing a woman with sparkling silver hair, piercing red eyes, and fair skin. The look on her face was that of great anger, sending shivers down their spines as her haunting glare cleaved them in two.

Kat and Don braced for combat, but just as they tried to fight back, the woman split into five different copies of herself. The clones completely overpowered the two mercenaries, knocking them to the ground with terrifying force.

“What the hell lady!!” Don shouted, aiming his rifle at her.

He rapidly fired his gun at the scarlet robed woman, hoping to end this fight quickly. To his surprise, she twirled her scythe and blocked all of the bullets with ease, not phased at all by their deceptive movement. To make matters even worse, she was handling them without even using a Manifest. Her skillful weapon handling was unreal, making Don look like an amateur in comparison.

Suddenly, a scythe blade swiped at his face from his left and another from behind. The woman’s clones were relentlessly attacking them from all angles and directions, not giving them any room to fight back. Kat and Don dipped and dodged some of the swift slashes, but they couldn’t keep up with the ever increasing speed of them.

They quickly fell victim to the sharp and cold blades, getting deeply cut across their chests and arms multiple times. The immaculate coordination of their assault was a sight to behold and unlike anything they had faced up to this point. It was as though her clones had minds of their own while also sharing the same consciousness.

As Kat was knocked to the ground, she quickly cushioned her fall with a sharp gust of wind before coming to a complete stop. She then gripped her hammer tightly and rapidly wound it up, spinning wind currents together in a violent fashion. Once she gathered enough power, Kat unleashed a massive burst of compressed wind outward.

The attack was incredibly sharp and dense, cutting up the nearby trees and ground as it raced towards the woman with unending voracity.

Her clones dashed backwards and assumed a protective position around her, clutching their scythes in front of their bodies at an angle. Kat's attack connected within seconds, causing a large explosion of debris and heavy winds. As the dust kicked up, Don proceeded to fire off an incredible amount of rounds into the cloud. This onslaught continued for what seemed like an eternity, until they finally felt satisfied.

"Hmph, well that was easier than I thought." Don said with a slight snicker, resting his rifle on his shoulder.

Kat walked over and stood next to him, waiting to see the outcome of their coordinated efforts. However, what they saw once the dust cleared made their jaws drop.

The scarlet robed Vesta stood there behind her clones, completely unscathed. Not only was she unscathed, but the number of clones she commanded had increased by five, raising the number to ten.

"Tch.. Damn." Don remarked, feeling slightly uneasy about how this fight was going.

He really needed a moment to figure out his next move, but unfortunately, he wouldn't get a chance to. Suddenly, hands burst forth from the ground beneath them and gripped their legs tightly. The woman had clones attacking them from below as well, catching Don and Kat completely off guard.

"WHAT!?!" Kat yelled out as multiple clones held her legs down, not allowing even an inch of movement.

As her attention was aimed towards the ground, the ten clones in front of them leapt into the air with perfect coordination, their scythes twirling in complete unison. They landed and bombarded the duo from every angle imaginable, swiping their cold blades and punching with terrifying force. The woman watched as her clones did all the work, making the two mercenaries look like absolute children with no chance of survival.

Kat and Don endured the assault for several seconds until the clones combined back into five and sent the final blow. They slashed their scythes, causing a dark burst of Core Energy to fly out and crash into the duo. A sizeable explosion occurred, forcing Kat and Don into the air in spectacular fashion.

The duo landed and rolled onto the ground, severely bruised and cut up from the brutal attack. Kat tried to stand, before ultimately kneeling down while completely out of breath and holding her bloodied arm. She wondered what their next move should be and tried her best to devise an escape plan. However, in that same moment, she came to a grave realization and her eyes went wide. Just before Don slowly stood back up to charge in again, Kat quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Wait... R-Red eyes, silver hair.. A scarlet hooded cloak and scythe.. I-It’s.. Her! Zalthia of One! The Scarlet Reaper!!” She exclaimed with the look of absolute horror on her face.

Don glanced at Kat and then back over to Zalthia, who was now slowly walking towards them along with her clones. Realizing the grave nature of their situation, he started backing away, terrified of what could be coming next.

Zalthia glared at them with her piercing red eyes, not speaking a single word as she menacingly got closer. Kat stood and quickly threw down a smoke bomb, rapidly filling the area with smoke as she used her wind abilities. Zalthia stopped her approach and covered her face with the edge of her cloak, blocking the smoke out. When she lowered her arm, the two enemies were nowhere to be seen, having fled within the smoke like cowards.

She absorbed her clones back into her body and quickly rushed over to her terribly beaten sister and travel partners. They were all unconscious and unresponsive, looking as though they had just been through war. She quietly scanned their surroundings and noticed the scale of the devastation, seeing the flattened trees and crushed earth beneath them.

“Goodness. Just what did you do Carmen?” Zalthia asked in a quiet whisper, realizing that she was probably the one responsible for all of this.

Moments later, some of the Volairen soldiers that were accompanying her earlier arrived at the scene.

“Lady Zalthia, what happened here?” One of the guards asked, confused by the mass of destruction.

“Never mind that, bring the carriage ASAP. These people need medical assistance right away. Take them back to the castle using the teleport.”

The soldiers quickly gathered up Carmen, Sarah, and Rivell, placing them inside the carriage as gently as possible. Zalthia walked over to the old lady and noticed that she was no longer breathing.

She knelt down and checked her pulse, however Zalthia felt nothing. Mierle had perished under the immense weight of Carmen’s Manifest ability, her old body standing no chance to handle that much gravitational pressure. Zalthia closed the lady’s eyes and quietly said a prayer, paying her respects.

She searched around the rest of the area to find any clues, trying her best to fully understand what occurred here. After a brief inspection, all she found was a black, ripped piece of shirt that had a streak of blood on it. She placed it inside of a vial and closed the top with a cork while walking back to the carriage.

Zalthia stepped inside and they rapidly set off. The royal carriage began to glow with a dark purple aura and in a flash, it warped into a separate dimension. Seconds later, they found themselves in the courtyard of Castle de Belouis, Nation of Volaire. The guards quickly took the injured trio to the infirmary so they could get medical treatment, not wasting even a second. Zalthia motioned to Nadine who was rushing down the steps in a panic, seeing Carmen being carted off down the hall.

“My lady, is everything alright?!” She asked, looking incredibly worried.

“Yeah. I need you to inform her Majesty of the situation.” Zalthia said, remaining as calm as ever.

Nadine bowed her head and quickly trotted off towards Azhane’s sleeping quarters. She pounded on the door with a loud and rapid knock, making sure that the Queen could hear her.

“Yes, come in.” Said Azhane as she sat at her desk, reading some documents.

“Pardon my intrusion My Lady, but we’ve got a major situation!” Nadine said in a panic, gripping the sides of her maid dress tightly.

Azhane, noticing the uncharacteristic behavior of Nadine, quickly shifted to a serious tone.

“What’s wrong?”

“The young miss, Carmen, is here and she isn’t well! You must come quick!”

Azhane’s heart dropped and she jolted from her chair, quickly grabbing a shawl to cover her sleeping gown.

“Take me to her now!” Azhane replied with great authority, fearing the worst.

They made it to the infirmary and Azhane saw Carmen’s lifeless body laying on the bed, severely beaten and bruised up.

The state of Carmen’s body was nothing short of sickening with how battered she was, her broken arm on full display. It was abundantly clear she lost a fight she had no chance of winning. Azhane rushed to her side and grabbed Carmen’s hand tightly.

“Carmen!! Are you okay?? Please tell me she’ll be okay!!” She cried out, overcome by emotion after seeing her adorable little sister in such a sorry state.

“Your Majesty, she'll be fine. She’s just unconscious. But please, we need to prep her for surgery to stop the internal bleeding.” The head doctor said, trying to calm the Queen down and reassuring her.

She reluctantly let go of Carmen’s hand and backed away, watching them cart her off further into the infirmary. Azhane averted her gaze to the opposite side of the room and saw Sarah and Rivell laying in nearby beds, also unconscious and fairly bruised up.

“Come My Lady, let’s leave them to do their work. We have some of the best healers in the nation, the young miss will be fine.” Nadine said softly.

Azhane quietly nodded and was escorted out of the room, still reeling from what she had just seen.

As they entered the hallway, Azhane stopped walking and an immense, deadly feeling of pressure began to fill the air. Incredible amounts of bloodlust and rage seeped out of the Queen like water rushing from a broken dam. The guards and Nadine all began to fear for their lives in that instance, having never felt such sinister Core Energy. The silence of the scene was broken by Azhane’s forceful, yet soft voice.

“Nadine… Call for The Six… All of them.. And they better not keep me waiting…” She said with a quiet, dark and evil tone, a tone the maid had never heard before.

“Y-Yes My Lady. I shall do so with haste.” Nadine stuttered, clutching her chest and trembling with fear.

Not saying another word, Azhane walked off down the hall in a silent rage.

The guards and Nadine glanced at each other, sweating and terrified by what had just happened. She quickly gathered herself and trotted off to inform the members of Six, telling them to drop all their current missions and come back to the castle immediately.

Zalthia, who was a couple floors away, sensed Azhane’s immense power seeping out and felt a bit nervous, shaking her head in annoyance.

“Ugh, what have you morons done…” She muttered, referring to the duo that attacked Carmen.

“Literally pissed off the absolute worst person to piss off…”

She sat and looked up at the ceiling, fearing that nothing good would come out of this situation.

The late night sky was covered with thick gray clouds as though rain were about to burst forth at any moment. Two individuals, fully cloaked and trying to hide their identities, walked out from a glowing portal and into an isolated cave. The cave was just outside of the Holy City of Volta in the Lumen Theocracy, the southwest region of Resotera. Off in the distance you could see the Holy Core Church looming over the city, its multitude of illuminated windows shining a pristine white.

The two individuals knocked on a steel door inside of the cave, only pounding loud enough for whoever was on the other side to hear. A small opening on the door slid to the left and a deep groggy voice spoke.

“Who is it?” The voice asked in an almost annoyed tone.

“It’s us, Don and Kat, the mercenaries. We got the item requested on the listing. Those down below told us to come here and ask for Richard Allmark.”

The opening slid shut and a loud clasping sound was heard as the door unlocked. It opened and the two mercenaries walked into the dimly lit room cautiously.

The door slammed shut behind them and locked itself back, causing a loud metallic clang to echo against the walls. As they stepped forward, Kat and Don saw a middle-aged man with brown hair and glasses sitting at a shoddily crafted desk. They glanced to the right and noticed another man wearing all black with his hood up, standing in silence.

On his robes was a strange symbol made up of multiple white lines crossing each other. Even though they felt his presence was weird, they didn’t question it. Kat and Don removed their hoods and took out the wooden box they retrieved earlier that night. The man stood from his desk and grinned.

“Ah, so were you able to retrieve the key?” He asked while pushing up his glasses and awaiting an answer.

“Yeah we got it. You better pay us extra too. We went through a lot of trouble to get it.” Don replied, handing over the box to the strange man.

He grabbed it and looked at the contents inside, admiring the craftsmanship of this silver heart-shaped key.

“A lot of trouble you say? What kind of trouble?” He asked curiously, now noticing the bruises and scuffs on their faces.

“Well, one of the brats protecting that old lady suddenly became awakened. Her power for a newbie was incredible. And to make matters worse, the damn Scarlet Reaper showed up. We barely made it out of there alive!”

The man’s interest was piqued by Kat's reply, surprised to hear about everything that transpired.

“Oh? Zalthia of One showed herself? I wonder what she was doing all the way out in Olun territory. Hmm, well, no matter. You did well to get the job done and I thank you for your efforts.”

Richard turned around and placed the box gently onto his desk, trying his best to be extra careful. He then took the medium sized burlap sack sitting on the edge of his desk and tied it closed.

Don glanced over at the mysterious robed man off to the side, still feeling creeped out by his silent presence. He wanted to make a comment about him, but his thoughts got interrupted by Richard.

“Here. The payment for your efforts. Now, if you will please take your leave, I have work to do.” The man said, handing Don the bag and readjusting his glasses.

They accepted the payment and nodded, putting their hoods back on as they walked towards the door.

It opened by itself and allowed them to leave, firmly closing as they stepped outside. Just as the room grew silent, a new individual emerged from the shadows and spoke. The man was fairly young, seeming no older than the age of thirty, and his skin was incredibly pale, looking ghoulishly white. His face couldn’t be fully seen as it was shrouded in darkness, but his voice sharply cut through the air with each word.

“You’ve done well, Richard. I now have the final piece thanks to you.” He said, picking up the key out of the wooden box.

“For your efforts, I will spare you and your family's pathetic lives. No harm shall come to you all during my crusade.” The mysterious man added, admiring the key as it gleamed against the nearby lantern.

“O-Of course! I gave you my word that I would see this through to the end. Thank you for trusting me with such an important project.”

Richard sent the man a grateful smile as he gathered his things. He then turned his attention towards the individual in all black robes and bowed his head to him.

“Brother Karris, should you need assistance from the Cult of Unlearning again, please do not hesitate to reach out. Now, I must head back to the church before they have their suspicions raised in my absence.”

Karris nodded in agreement as Richard put his cloak on, watching silently as he exited the cave. He turned towards the pale skinned man and posed a question.

“My Lord, what shall this humble servant do now?”

“Take me to the final destination so we can begin the ritual. This world has changed so much in my absence that it's no longer familiar to me. I will defer to your guidance…” He said with a smirk as he grabbed a tattered gray robe sitting on a chair.

“As you wish, My Lord…”

The two exited the cave and began the next leg of their travels, eager to put something sinister into motion. Something the likes of modern day Alaira had never seen before.