Dawn- An age of Darkness

Chapter 177 - This Isn’t Cheating? RIGHT!?

The dragon rotated its head and spotted the kid. Smoke came out of its nostrils and mouth. The atmosphere felt heavy with extreme pressure. It flew towards the boy in slow motion and fires descended from the heavens. I didn't have any way to protect the boy or myself. But I had the crystal. It belonged to a god of ice presumably. And from what I could tell, my bag was more than just cold. 

This thing will make me go crazy huh? Well, it's better than dying…. 

If Dick was right, I could use the crystal to make ice like that monster. I betted on that possibility.

The boy gave up all hope, fell on his knees, and looked up at the sky: Why the hell did he even bother if was going to give up halfway? 

Everything was moving too slow. It was like I had an eternity of time. But then again my body moved slowly too. So the eternity wasn't really helping.

There were screams from behind me.                     

"Daarc! Get back here!" Dick yelled. "Do you want to die!" 

Too late.

I reached the boy a second before the fire reached. My hand was already inside the bag. When it came out, the glowing stone encased my body in a pale blue light and I focused my mana. 

Only a second!!

  But just a second was enough. I could feel the heat. I smiled bitterly and held my hand above my head. 

Here goes nothing. 

I closed my eyes and focused as much as I could. This was a risky gamble and I didn't know if it'd work out or not, but this was a gamble I was willing to take.

***

And then everything went cold, as though time itself had stopped. I opened my eyes but they didn't open or maybe they were already open. Either way, I couldn't see anything.

"We meet again…"

I recognized the voice. It was the same voice I heard when I fainted that night. It was the voice of the monster that killed Brenda. But this voice was calm and feminine. 

"You!" This wasn't the time to get heated up and I knew that. "What is this place! Where am I!" But I couldn't help it.

"You are inside your own body. This is a mere projection. I am talking to you by the stone you hold. Our time is limited."

I couldn't see anything and the voice was all around me. I couldn't pinpoint it.

"What do you want?"

"Revenge!" Its voice sounded more like when I first encountered it. "We want revenge!" Even just a second ago it was calm but now it was more or less like when I fought it.

"WE?" Didn't it start with 'I'? I guess both heads had their own stuff going on.

So this thing is made of two parts? Should have known that I suppose.

"However we've come to the realization. We cannot kill you: not yet. But you can…" Now it talked in unison. I could hear a feminine and a masculine voice at the same time. They were in sync.

I looked around for the source but my eyes failed me and the voice echoed everywhere. 

Is it really inside me?

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"IN time you will know. But for now, you shall survive. And to that, WE shall lend you our powers. You must survive and then… end all this…."

I didn't understand. I couldn't. "Wait I don't understand….. What is going on? What are you talking about?"

"For millennia have we walked on this land in this vestige of a monster. Though we hate that wretched snake, we have come to hate ourselves. You shall end it for us. So you must live. We don't have much longer. Farewell…."

"Hey wait!"

***

A scream woke me up. Someone was crying near me. I looked down and it was the boy. "Lady, are you okay?" He looked like an ugly mess.

I was standing with my arm up. I looked up and saw a dome of blue. It wasn't mere ice. It was pure crystal. I could see traces of fire raining down but they couldn't melt the crystal ice. I grinned. "I'm fine…"

"But your hand…" 

I took a good look at my right hand. I could see the veins and arteries. They all had an azure glow. I suppose I might lose this one too… however something was different. I actually had a left arm. It was pure crystal but didn't feel cold or odd. I tried moving it and it moved! 

I couldn't help but chuckle.

  I don't even care about what the hell is going on anymore.

The barrage of fire ended and I tried to move my arm. I didn't have too much hope but I moved and somehow I could still feel my right arm. The crystals in front of me reflected some light and I could see my reflection. My eyes, hair, and whole-body glowed azure. I could feel power surge within. 

This is…. What Dick talked about?

I laughed again and tried to dismiss the crystals in front of me. They all disappeared. 

Wow! It works!

It worked just like my holy magic, if not better.

"Daarc!" Lianne shouted and rushed to me.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Dick yelled in surprise. 

"Me either. But give me a status report." 

  Dick had a shield on his hand. It glowed just like the mystic blade. 

It didn't take a second for me to yell stuff. "You idiot! Hide that damn thing!" He immediately hid the shield behind him without a doubt. I couldn't see the dragon anymore so I had to ask them. They all looked at me with pitying and twitching eyes. "I see."

I turned around and met two massive black crystalline eyes. Finally, I could see its color. It looked blood-drenched. "I've seen clichés like this but never thought I'd see one in my life- at least not like this..." I gulped and looked carefully. I could actually see better. What is this? Even my senses were enhanced. My whole body still radiated a faint azure glow. It was like I was using Imbuition on my body but it didn't destroy me like last time. 

Is my body going crazy because I'm about to die? The crystal! 

My hand was still glowing. It was in my hand.

I see.

I noticed the bleeding lady near me. Something about her felt odd. She was still alive and I could even hear her breath. 

How is this possible? 

"Lianne, I think that woman is still alive. Take her and leave…" I shifted my gaze to the monster in front of me. "I have an idea."

The dragon didn't roar and I could see its spiky teeth. A single one of them was as big as my long gone arm.. The damn thing was pretty much the size of three school buses side by side.