x
Silearza "Noira" Solara walked through his vast library, the silence around him profound and unbroken. Rows upon rows of ancient tomes lined the towering shelves, their spines etched with titles on magic, discipline, forbidden arts, and secrets long buried by time. The flickering torchlight cast dancing shadows between the volumes, creating an atmosphere of otherworldly knowledge.
He paused before a particular book, its cover embossed with shimmering letters that read: ᴘʟᴀɴꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ "Ｇｒｅａｔ Ｒｅｖｉｖａｌ".
This was his personal journal, a meticulous record of his thoughts and strategies for the time after the Great Revival. Within its pages, he had scrawled countless notes, theories, and contingencies. Yet, despite his Perfect Intuition, the future beyond the Great Revival remained shrouded in mystery.
One certainty stood out: he must confirm whether the power he sought truly resided within Lila. To do so, he planned to capture her and test the depths of her essence.
"I'll do it tomorrow," Noira whispered to himself, extinguishing his torch as he stepped out into the night, heading toward the King Kingdom.
The Next Day - Twelve Years Before the Second Jewel War
In the bustling streets of the King Kingdom, Captain Erisa and Lila walked side by side. Their destination was a supply shop to get more equipment for the dojo within the kingdom where the Seventh Squad had a training session. The morning air was crisp, and the streets buzzed with the usual activity of merchants and citizens going about their daily lives.
As they strolled through the lively streets, the ground suddenly began to tremble beneath their feet.
"What's happening?" Lila asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Captain Erisa's eyes scanned the surroundings, her expression hardening as her warrior instincts kicked in. "Stay close, Lila. We need to find out."
Suddenly, from the cracks in the ground, Phantom Soldiers emerged, their forms shadowy and menacing. The spectral warriors rose like smoke given substance, their ethereal weapons gleaming with otherworldly malice.
"Lila, hurry back to the dojo! Get Kaipo and the others!" Captain Erisa commanded, drawing her weapon to defend the civilians who had begun screaming and fleeing in terror.
Lila nodded and sprinted back through the chaos toward the dojo, her heart pounding as she navigated the panicking crowds.
Upon reaching the dojo, Lila burst through the doors, alerting the squad. Kaipo was the first to respond, his expression immediately shifting to concern. "Where's Captain Erisa? Is she alright?"
"She's fighting," Lila replied breathlessly, still catching her breath from her desperate run.
Kaipo quickly turned to one of the squad members. "Contact the other squad captains about this attack. Now!"
As the squad prepared to rush out and join the battle, a figure dropped down before them with supernatural grace, landing silently in the center of their formation.
"Kaipo... it's nice to finally meet you," the figure said, his voice calm but carrying an edge of menace that made the air itself seem to chill.
Kaipo frowned, confused by the stranger's intimate knowledge of him. He had never seen this person before, yet something about him felt deeply wrong.
"Your power... it's lacking. Crazy to think how weak you once were," the figure taunted, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
Kaipo's frustration grew with each mocking word. Without hesitation, he charged at the figure, his magical energy flaring to life around him.
The sky darkened suddenly as a star streaked across the heavens with unnatural speed.
"𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 ℝ𝕖𝕟𝕕," the figure intoned, his voice resonating with cosmic power.
A concentrated blast of magical energy shot from the star, striking Kaipo with devastating force. The attack was so powerful that it defeated him in a single, overwhelming blow, sending him crashing to the ground unconscious.
"KAIPO!" Lila cried out in anguish, watching the strongest person she knew fall helplessly.
The other members of the squad rushed toward the figure, but he stood motionless and unleashed Shadow Wave—a pulse of dark energy that spread out in a wide arc, draining their strength and magical power. One by one, the squad members collapsed, their energy sapped from their bodies.
All that remained standing was Lila.
The figure noticed the approaching presence of other squads in the distance. Moving with predatory intent, he advanced toward Lila, but Captain Erisa suddenly leaped between them, her weapon raised defensively.
"If you want Lila, you'll have to kill me first," she declared, her voice unwavering despite the overwhelming power she faced.
A tense silence followed, the air thick with impending violence.
"Fine," the figure said with chilling casualness. "If you insist."
Before Erisa could even react, the figure was upon her, his hand glowing with terrible power. 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙 pierced straight through her chest, killing her instantly.
As Captain Erisa's lifeless body fell to the ground, a small portal opened behind the figure. Before the other squads could arrive, he grabbed Lila and pulled her through the dimensional rift, which snapped shut behind them.
Two Years Later
In the depths of his underground lair, an open book lay on a wooden table. Its pages contained meticulous notes written in Noira's precise handwriting:
I captured her and had the Phantom Guards only feed her bread and a special water....her memory of her capture should be faded by now because of the special water.... Kaipo should have unlocked it by now—Essence Manifest. Which is why... now... I should be able to check to see if the power manifested within her.
Written below is the spell that should be able to extract her power:
Spell Name: Essence Extraction
Incantation: "Vitae lumen exsisto, potestas revelare."
Description: A complex spell designed to extract the latent Essence Manifest power from a target's core. The caster places their palm over the target's chest, channeling a deep blue ethereal light that probes the very fabric of the target's soul. The spell attempts to draw out the essence without harming the host, but its success depends on the readiness and manifestation of the power within.
Effects:
Probes the target's life force for Essence Manifest
Can cause temporary disorientation or faintness in the target
If the power is not fully manifested or is protected by fate, the spell fails to extract
If successful, the caster can absorb or analyze the extracted essence
Limitations:
Cannot extract power that has not yet fully manifested
Requires close physical contact
The caster must have deep understanding of Essence Manifest to perform
Noira walked into the dimly lit chamber where Lila sat chained to the cold stone wall. Her once-bright eyes were now dulled by years of captivity, but they still held a spark of defiance.
"Your future is telling," he said, his voice echoing against the stone walls. "You really do possess it. The power of the future is within you already."
Confusion and fear sparked within Lila. "Let me go!" she shouted, her voice hoarse from disuse. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
Noira knelt before her, placing his palm over her chest as he began to chant: "Vitae lumen exsisto, potestas revelare."
His hand glowed with an unsettling blue light, the ethereal energy probing deep into her essence.
Nothing happened.
Noira frowned, withdrawing his hand with visible confusion. "I figured so," he mused. "Somehow I can't extract it. I guess because it hasn't happened yet, fate isn't allowing me to take it even though it's already in you."
His lips curled into a knowing smile. "That means... he does it. Kaipo, what an interesting man you are."
At the mention of that name, Lila's eyes widened in recognition. "Kaipo? How do you know him?"
Noira laughed softly, the sound carrying an edge of madness. "Well, he is the perfect human after all, the creator of Essence Manifest."
Lila stared at him, bewildered by his cryptic statements. None of it made sense to her imprisoned mind.
"When I get my hand on that power..." He laughed again, the sound chilling her to the bone. "I will be all-powerful. Though it seems before he resets everything, I won't have my chance to extract the power out of you, so I'll have to wait until after then."
He leaned closer, his eyes boring into hers with terrifying intensity. "Remember this, young girl. My name is Silearza. When the time is right, you will remember this conversation. That'll be the time I retrieve your power."
Before Lila could react, Silearza's fist glowed brightly and punched straight through her chest. Pain exploded through her body as darkness claimed her vision, her consciousness fading into the void of death.
Noira walked back to his library, returning to the open book with the spell. Taking up his quill, he began writing new entries:
It was there. The Essence Manifest. It's exactly what my Perfect Intuition predicted it would be. I could feel the raw strength from it before I even tried to absorb it. This means, though... that I have to wait... after the Great Revival.
I wonder why I can't see past the Great Revival? I was able to see from 900 years into the future up until these moments, but for some reason, I cannot see beyond the Great Revival. Or can I? I know about The Judge and his Council and their intentions, but I don't know actual events that will occur like I did before. Maybe it's for a reason...
Anyways... I'll wait, until that perfect moment.
Until then, I'll change my name and persona to... Arion Azraelis.
ns216.73.216.10da2
