Phenomenon

ii

"So wait, what exactly is this assignment?" Blade asked.

"We're looking for talismans so we can start using Incapus energy," Aid added, "Cassidy, I have a list of everyone's Incapus levels, I'm guessing you know a lot about it since you're the one who suggested finding the talismans."

Aid handed her a list.

"What's Incapus energy?" Blade asked, tilting his head.

"It's one of the two energies that control and power our abilities and it can also be used as a third ability. You can only access Incapus with talismans although, there are ten levels of strength, so only the matching talisman will let you use Incapus," Cassidy replied.

"Yeah sure, but what does it do?"

"Basically you can just cast a couple runes, but with an Incapus pen you can cast lots, like speed or strength runes. Oh, and the different levels basically stand for what amount of Incapus you have. There's ruby, there's lowest, amethyst, emerald, quartz, citrine, onyx, garnet, sapphire, tourmaline, aquamarine and opal," Cassidy said, counting the levels on her fingers.

"Why do you know so much about this?" Blade asked, rolling his eyes.

"Because I thought it was interesting."

•••

The ship ride was mostly uninteresting, with Cassidy and Blade chatting about nonsense and Aid steering the ship.

Aid had warned them that he would have to stay with the boat while they went to Alerith, which was fine.

Cassidy had developed a habit of practicing her sort of weak illusions by letting small, glowing yellow butterflies fly gracefully around her.

After fourteen hours, the boat suddenly stopped.

"I'm pretty sure it should be around here!" Aid called, "I'm going to stay with the boat, do you think you can do it on your own?"

Cassidy nodded, hesitantly.

"Now, I'm pretty sure you have to swim straight down, there should be a chasm, so go into there."

"You're pretty sure? Not one hundred percent sure?" Blade asked.

Aid sighed and nodded. Clearly he didn't want to deal with this right then.

Hastily climbing up on the side of the wet boat, Cassidy jumped in, feeling cool water surround her. She felt her ears turn into fins since Chorus changed underwater. Long ago, they would change fully, although some kind of genetical modification happened to strengthen Chorus, resulting in weaker changes in water.

•••

Each moment that Marline waited was agonizing. Her brain was filling with the somewhat intrusive thoughts telling her that swarmed her brain, telling her that Nai wasn't going to make it. It was horrible. She had also begun to notice that Nai's chest rose and fell after longer periods of times.

Was she truly dying? Marline shook the thought away, knowing it would come back later.

Suddenly, Nai's fingers twitched, her eyelid flickered. But that was it. This happened, ruining the hopes of Marline, Enver and Vic.

Another thing that really bothered Marline was that whenever she entered Nai's mind telepathically, it was the same yellow-ish sky with Nai floating calmly among the clouds, nothing like the regular mind with an endless black void.

"What if she stays like this forever?" Enver blurted out, looking up from the book he was reading.

Lexia, who was rummaging in her herb-filled cupboards looked at him, "she won't, either she'll wake up, or..."

"Or what?" Enver asked.

All four of them knew the answer but Enver probably hoped it wasn't true.

"She dies," Lexia muttered.