World Keeper

Chapter 676: Ashes to Ashes

Tsubaki listened to Dana’s pleas, hearing her mention the details of the memetic entity that had attached itself to her. Understanding that she should not press for more, she simply gave a firm nod of her head, turning and walking down the hall. As much as she wanted to be there for Dana right now, her presence would more than likely be detrimental to her friend’s survival.

Lady Leowynn, your presence is urgently requested within the Void Manipulation Research Center. Tsubaki prayed with all her might, doing her best to project her voice to the only source of Dana’s salvation. Dana has been attacked by a void entity of the information type.

I understand, I’ll be right over! Leowynn’s hasty response showed just how much importance she placed in this message, allowing Tsubaki to let out a breath of relief. As she had walked away from the quarantine area, her feet had led her to her own quarters. She passed the kitsune twins along the way, offering a curt nod to them before entering her room and beginning to pace.

However, her pacing lasted for only a few moments before an unusual detail caught her eye. Resting on her bed was a single dagger, one which looked like it had been dug from an ancient ruin, rust all along its blade. Yet, Tsubaki could still see the faded traces of blood on the dagger, and her enhanced ears picked up the faintest of tapping sounds on the floor below.

Immediately, her body erupted in divine light, her radiance bathing the entire room. The outpour of power shook the very foundations of the building, but the damage in her room was far more intense. There, Tsubaki could be seen hovering six inches above the floor, its surface charred black. Her bed had been destroyed, its frame melted and cushions burned to ash. Everything within the room had suffered a similar fate, save for Tsubaki herself.

Lady Leowynn… I would ask that you expedite your journey. I appear to have my own problems… and if I am correct in their origin, you may need to kill me if you delay. The dagger may have only pricked at her memory, but when combined with the faintest tap of an insect’s leg against the floor…

Thankfully, Tsubaki did not have to wait long. Mere seconds after her warning, the door to her room burst open. Leowynn, together with James himself, entered the room to observe the area. “Turn down the flood lights, will you?!” James shouted out, covering his eyes. Although the temperature of her lights had proven enough to decimate her room, they were not able to do more than blind the former Keeper.

Leowynn, meanwhile, seemed far more at home when bathed in this radiance. She walked over towards Tsubaki, and briefly examined her. “I don’t sense the trace of the void attached to you.” She said, before looking around the room. “There’s a faint residue in your room… but nothing anchored here.”

Tsubaki hesitated, before giving a faint nod. “The twins… Nora and Thea… they passed my room only moments before I entered… please check them for anomalies on your way to Dana.” As she said that, she gradually reduced the intensity of her glow, but did not allow her feet to touch the ground.

“Can you tell me what you saw?” Leowynn asked, given the fact that Tsubaki was not directly affected by a void entity, sharing her knowledge would not cause any harm to those around her. Instead, it would only better serve to find the root cause.

The kitsune hesitated, but nodded her head. “I will tell you through prayer. For now, go to them, please. If they share the fate I was about to experience, it will be a disaster.” Leowynn furrowed her brow at that, but quickly complied, making her way out of the room.

Tsubaki looked at the former Keeper, who simply offered her a comforting nod before leaving her alone, and then closed her eyes to focus. What I saw was a dagger, one which once nearly claimed my life when wielded by a trusted friend. I cannot be positive that it was the same one as it had been so long, but there are few other daggers of similar shape that have left a heavy impression on me. The one that wielded this dagger was a girl possessed by a mind-controlling spider.

Leowynn knew that there had to be more to the story, given Tsubaki’s extreme reaction. However, what she had revealed was already enough to send alarms ringing in the goddess’s mind. Mind-controlling insects were not entirely uncommon within the world, but such a thing would never make it past the strict safety features of this research lab.

“So, did you already finish compiling your report for the boss?” Nora asked playfully as she nudged her sister, who only gave a helpless smile in return. “Wait, seriously? I thought you weren’t going to rest until you got it done?”

Thea shook her head as the two walked down the hall, nodding towards the eight-tailed kitsune that passed by them. “I was going to, but I had to get out of the lab. Chel was starting to nag at me to get some fresh air.”

Nora giggled at that, nodding her head in understanding. “Right, I guess that makes sense. Anyways, it looks like we’re about ready to start-” Her words were cut off as an explosion rocked the room, the two girls narrowing their eyes and relying on their training to stabilize themselves.

Although they never talked about it, the two of them had been raised by the same ninja clan as Tsubaki, only many generations later. Their training was nothing to laugh at, and they could fight most high-level combatants easily. Naturally, they were able to identify the origin point of the blast from just the shockwaves.

Nora turned her head to look back at the room that they had passed not a minute prior. Searing light poured through the crack beneath the door, charring the floor outside black and bathing the hallway in a midday glow. However, what caught her attention after that was the faint voice of her sister from beside her.

“Sorry, Nora…” She muttered in a sad tone, and Nora felt a pinch at her side. Looking down, she saw her sister stabbing her in the side with what looked to be a rusted, iron knife. The blade easily pierced her clothing and her skin, sinking into her body, yet it only served to confuse Nora even more.

“Thea, what…?” She asked before watching her sister retrieving the knife, plunging it into her again at a different angle. Yet, there was no blood. This was to be expected, as both of the twins had already achieved perfection in both body and soul. Although the dagger did cause very slight damage to Nora, it was nothing that would threaten her life within a short amount of time.

“I’m sorry…” Thea muttered again, tears forming in her eyes as she stabbed for a third time. This time, Nora could feel the destructive energies that the two of them cultivated coating the dagger, and she immediately jumped away. Although its blade still cut at her uniform, she had reacted in time to prevent a serious wound.

Nora looked at her sister, seeing the grief-stricken face staring back at her, and seemed to understand something. “I see… I guess it’s come to this?” She asked with a bitter smile, assuming a combat stance in the hall.

“Nora, Thea, whichever one you are, get down!” An authoritative voice called from behind Nora, whose eyes went wide in shock. She dropped prone to the ground, tucking her tails in out of instinct as black energy flashed overhead. She recognized the voice, albeit faintly, and knew that it was the Goddess of the Void that had issued that command.

The black stream of energy crashed into Thea, throwing her back several feet and sending her to the floor. For several moments, Nora could only hear Thea’s heavy breathing accompanied by the clicking of heels against a steel floor. “A puppet type…” Leowynn’s voice spoke up in frustration, and her hand sliced at the air in front of her.

After the gesture, Thea let out a sharp gasp, one hand clutching her head. Slowly, she sat up, the dagger still in her hand. She looked at it, shaking as she threw it away before bringing her arms to wrap around her body. “I’m sorry…” She cried, causing Nora to look up at Leowynn. When the goddess gave her a nod, Nora rushed over to her sister, holding her in her arms.

Leowynn looked down at the two of them with a soft gaze. “Thea, sweetie… I need you to tell me who gave you that dagger. When did you start feeling weird?”

Thea shuddered, looking up at the goddess with tears spilling down her face. “No… nobody gave it to me… it was just there, in my hands. But… the thing… it happened before I left the lab. I just suddenly started thinking that everyone should just turn to ash… why would I use a dagger for that?” Her face showed clear confusion, though her words seemed to confuse Leowynn just as deeply.

Leowynn shook her head, looking around the hallway. She could see countless strands connecting this place to the void. Each one could lead to either a portal used for various experiments, or a void entity that had snuck through one of those very experiments. The problem was that it was too difficult to tell which was the case exactly without investigating each thread. However, she did know for certain that the main body of the void entity had not been on Thea’s body. Rather, it was only a small puppet that was being controlled remotely.

“I’ll find the source of this before I leave.” Leowynn promised, before turning to rush down the hall. Although Thea’s infection originated from the lab, Leowynn still had to deal with Dana’s affliction first. Having someone like Dana on your side would make anyone feel more comfortable.

Once Leowynn arrived at Dana’s containment room, she could see two strands of the void attached to the little elf’s body. Dana herself stood completely still within her room, her head lowered. Yet, in her right hand, Leowynn could see the presence of a rusted dagger.

Without hesitation, Leowynn slashed at both void threads, severing their hold over Dana. The elf’s eyes went wide at that, and she lifted her head. The dagger in her hand dropped, clanging against the ground. “Is it gone?” Dana asked, staring at Leowynn through the window in the door.

When Leowynn nodded her head, Dana walked forward with determination, seeming to phase completely through the quarantine door. What’s the point of doors if you don’t use them? Leowynn thought to herself, before Dana looked up at her.

“Can you destroy every void entity within this building? All at once?” She asked, her expression solemn.

“Not without destroying all of the devices you all have built… why?” Leowynn met the elf’s gaze, seeing no small amount of grief within her eyes.

“It’s ash… no, Ashe… not ashes, a girl.” Dana muttered, shaking her head. “I’m too old, and my head’s a bit… special. It couldn’t fully control me. But I know how that one works. It’s a memetic entity that is free roaming, and follows a strict set of rules. First, it only targets females, and only those who share a close emotional bond with another female, like that of sisters.”

Dana took a deep breath, looking as if she was unsure if she should say this next part. “Next… it manifests a spider-shaped creature near the victim, which latches onto their body. Even if they are an energy construct, it can still infect them with memetic control. The controlled victim will have two objectives. One, they will try to kill the girl that they share a sister-like bond with.”

“And what is the other objective?” Leowynn asked, looking in concern at the elven girl.

“They’ll want to torment Tsuba.” Leowynn almost couldn’t believe her ears when she heard that, blinking in disbelief.

“Why would a void entity want to torment Tsubaki?” She asked, looking back down the hall the way she came. Two girls sharing a sibling-like bond… that was only too common no matter where you looked. Worse, it was hard to tell if someone met those conditions or not without thoroughly understanding them as a person.

“Revenge.” Dana said, turning and walking down the hall. “It was in my mind, but I touched its mind as well. For the record, I don’t suggest doing that… Tsuba has told me about her past, so I was able to piece together some clues. This memetic entity has the identity of a girl named Ashe. I… guess that Ashe’s spirit must have been eaten by the monster before it could get to the underworld, or maybe nobody from Irena’s side picked her up in time. I don’t know, and it really sucks not knowing!”

“What I do know is that the two of them used to be friends of a sort, before a similar spider bit Ashe. In the end, it made the two of them fight, and Tsuba won.” As Dana said that, she broke into a sprint, running down the hall. “Even if you have to destroy every piece of tech in this building, you can’t let Ashe get to Tsuba!”

As Dana called that back towards Leowynn, the goddess was left flustered. Naturally, she knew how important all of the research that they were conducting here was. But such research could never be compared to the life of the researchers, to the life of a friend…

Leowynn took a deep breath, blinking her eyes. When they reopened, they were pitch black, her silver hair slowly darkening. “May all ties with the void be severed.” She spoke solemnly, a black aura pushing out from her body to spread through the lab.

Wherever the black light passed, various devices and spells fizzled and broke apart, shattering at their core. However, Leowynn still felt as if something wasn’t right. As if she had missed something. At the back of her mind, she heard a faint giggle.

Tsubaki hugged her knees against her chest as she floated in the room, ensuring that no part of her body touched any solid surface. She knew all too well the origin of this creature, especially after her ears picked up Thea’s words. Turn everyone into Ashe… Why are you doing this?

The girl that she knew would never have done something as cruel as all of this when she was alive. Not of her own will, at the very least. Even in her dying moments, she had thanked Tsubaki for stopping her… so why?

The kitsune saw the black wave of light pass over her, and knew that Leowynn had used her power. As if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, she began to lower herself down to the floor, extending her legs downwards. Yet, that was when she saw a figure standing in her door.

The figure was a felyn girl, no more than six years old, with brown hair cut just above her shoulders. Her shirt was dirty and tattered, looking like little more than rags hanging down past her thigh, which was wrapped in yellowed cloth. But it was her face that was the most disturbing. The right side of her face looked perfectly normal, a single blue eye and upturned lips.

Her left eye, however, was disfigured, split as four smaller eyes that unnaturally fought for room on her face. The left side of her mouth was split open with a giant pincer sticking out of it. Even with the disfigurement, Tsubaki could recognize the girl. “Ashe…”

“That’s right, Tsubaki~!” The girl laughed, her voice an eerie echo of what Tsubaki could remember. “I’m back! Did you miss me?”

“More than you could ever understand…” Tsubaki spoke in a low tone. “But… Leowynn should have swept the void’s influence clean from this place. How are you still here?”

The pincer in the left half of Ashe’s mouth clicked as she laughed. “Silly silly. Why would she kick me out? I came from here, didn’t I? I’m just back where I belong, now. Just you and me… always, just you and me.”

Tsubaki felt a chill fall down her back as she heard Ashe’s words, before the girl spoke up again. “Oh! Did you like my gift, by the way? I thought it was important to let you know I was coming by, but I didn’t know how to tell you… I thought that the dagger would work, and ‘poof’, it was there!”

The four eyes on the left side of her face were half-lidded as if looking for praise. “It’s not been easy, being alone out there, all this time. I’ve been looking for you, always looking. You promised to listen to me if we made it out. You promised that we’d always be together. Right before you stabbed me in the chest. I was so cold… so alone.”

“The spider’s venom stayed with you, even as a spirit.” Tsubaki muttered in sorrow, looking at the disfigured traits on Ashe’s face. That was the only answer that she could come up with, the only thing that could explain what was happening.

“Hmm?” Ashe tilted her head, her pincer clicking again. However, before she could see anything else, another burst of dark energy wrapped over her body. This time, it was not the work of Leowynn, but rather Dana.

“Get away from my Tsuba, you possessed witch!” Dana’s voice shouted out furiously as the ball of shadows containing Ashe was thrown against the wall. “You think that you get to act all crazy just because you died and had to stay alone for a while?! Join the club! I was left to rot in Hell for gods know how long!”

As Dana entered the room, shadows could be seen rolling along her arms, and she stared at the ball that she pinned against the wall. “You had your chance with her. You let some bug-eyed freak take you over and turn you on her, and now you want to take her away again?! Over my dead body!”

“Is that all it will take?” Ashe’s voice spoke up from within the ball of shadows, before dozens of black daggers shot out towards Dana. Dana snorted, waving her hand to the side as a giant hand rose up to swat down the daggers. Ashe’s figure walked out of the ball, her neck and arms twisted at unnatural angles. Even still, she settled her limbs back into place with sickening cracks, her health bar never appearing over her head. “I only have to kill you, and I get Tsubaki?”

Tsubaki, feeling as if something was incredibly wrong, rushed over to stand with Dana. If they had to fight, they would fight as a team. However, this only served to make Ashe stare at them, fury settling within her five eyes. “Really… after everything we went through… you’re choosing an elf over me?”

Ashe’s left hand distorted, numerous sharp claws seeming to grow out of her flesh. “We’re going to be together again… always, together.” Tsubaki could hear that Ashe’s voice was growing more and more crazed, as if her sanity were further slipping from her with every passing breath.

“Like I said, you had your chance!” Dana shouted furiously. “I’m not going to let you do anything to her now!”

“Neither will I.” A calm voice spoke from the hall. Dana turned her head and saw the head researcher, James standing there. In his arms, he held the curled up form of Chel, her tails wrapped around her. Dana could faintly see a line of dried tears on Chel’s face, and her eyes went wide.

“Oh… oh, you touched her?!” Dana asked incredulously, looking towards Ashe. However, her gaze now seemed to hold a touch of… pity? “But wait… Chel doesn’t have any female friends that she’s close enough with to meet your conditions, does she?”

“The host.” James said as he stepped inside. “They’ve been together since they were born, sharing every memory and emotion. But Chel did not dominate the mind of her host, and cooperated with her instead. In a way… they were closer than any sisters.”

Dana blinked at that, before her eyes truly went wide. “No… she tried to…”

Before Dana could finish her sentence, James lifted a hand. Ashe’s body, which had effortlessly withstood Dana’s attack, was slammed against the wall again. Her right arm was crushed, her left leg twisted around with the bone sticking out. James looked coldly at Ashe, with no regard for her past relationship with Tsubaki.

“Become as dust on the wind.” James commanded, his voice carrying a strange power that Dana couldn’t recognize. Ashe froze, her five eyes shaking in disbelief as her body began to change, losing its color. Before her health bar had even appeared, she crumbled, turning into a pile of dust that collapsed on the ground.

After killing Ashe, James looked down at Chel, his gaze softening. Still holding her in one arm, he turned and walked out of the room, the door closing behind him.

“…He stole my kill!” Dana called out several seconds later, waving her fist angrily towards the door.