Tales of Undeath: The Von Virtus Chronicles

LXXXIX. Ego Relinquished

The great beast drops down aiming to land squarely on top of Virno, crushing him. In a swift motion, Virno swings the sword behind him, channeling additional energy into it. A burst of wind erupts from the tip of its blade, which propels him forward with a sudden surge of speed, narrowly avoiding the devastating blow. Frustrated, the creature opens its mouth to reveal a swelling orb of raging fire.

Virno: Come on... Do it, then. I can take it!

Still wracked with pain as his body re-adjusts, Virno gathers his focus and pivots sharply, performing a 180-degree turn. Though still gliding away from the beast, he was now facing it head-on. His opponent wastes little time, and rapidly fires a spherical inferno in his direction.

Virno: GRnh!

Raising the sword and pointing its tip toward the fireball, he once again imbues it with more magic. With the surge of energy, a new configuration of runes etch themselves on its blade -- different from those of the earlier wind burst. A tornado just large enough to engulf the fire emerges from its tip, devouring the attack and claiming its flames for itself, sending a hurricane of fire back towards the attacker.

The Guardian: A quick-witted fool... But still a fool, nonetheless.

The enemy spreads its wings wide, forming a wall of grey energy in front of it. As the flames come in contact with it, they vanished instantly, as if consumed by an endless void. Once the inferno was fully absorbed into the abyss-like shield, Virno's line of sight becomes unimpeded and reveals to him a completely unscathed opponent.

Virno: Dammit...

He grits his teeth as he keeps moving away, the pain finally starting to subside as his frame resembles its original form once more. Yet, no quarter was given. The guardian launches itself forward, soaring above the waters and making its way toward him. Being faster than Virno, it wouldn't be long until it caught him.

The Guardian: What's wrong...? Where has your bottomless confidence gone?

"Bottomless confidence"... Its words make Virno recall the myriad events where his excessive confidence brought him humiliating defeats. From the times where he still lived in his mansion, losing against Venna after almost having blinded his instructor, Pocna... All the way to his present life, fighting to protect those he loves, utterly powerless to do so, yet still recklessly endangering his life blinded by his impulsive ego.

Virno: I still haven't learned a goddamn thing, have I...?

Looking down at the sword, it is as if time freezes around him, as he focuses on the hypnotizing dance of the sigils that covered its blade.

Virno: Are you still in there...? Can you hear me?

They spoke a language he could not yet fully grasp... Yet one that was oddly familiar to him. Ever since the obelisk's visions, he felt like he could understand them more and more. Then, once his body transformed, it was as if they were one with his thoughts. Their secrets were unlocked, and he could easily bend them to his will. At that point, it felt like the power he commanded was no longer a mystery... However, that was gone, now. The farther he got from his newly-acquired form, the more foreign they became to him. It seemed that, as his body reverted so, too, did his primal understanding of the runes. 

Virno: I've seen what it can do... I tasted it first-hand, even. But I got careless.  So, as much as it hurts, I have to ask...

As the enemy closes in, mere moments away, Virno does the only thing he could think of.

Virno: Please, take control again. Please...

He imbues the sword with magic... Yet nothing happens. The runes change continuously, confused, attempting to decipher his intentions... But they cannot settle on a specific pattern.  

The Guardian: Pathetic.

Now within range, the beast claws at Virno, its sharp talons slicing his flesh and hurling him against a nearby building. He breaks through one of the windows, landing inside as he rolls on the ground, his blood painting its floor red. Curled up in a ball of agony, he can barely gather the strength to stand back up.

Virno: I'm gonna die... I'm going to die. This is it. Thisisit!

His heart rate increased as the looming fear of death caught hold of it. The beast latches onto the building, its gaping maw perforating the floors above and below Virno's, locking its mouth tightly around the window he had entered. Glowing flames start amalgamating inside its throat.

Virno: Icoudln'thelpthem, couldn'tdoit. IwastedEVERYTHING. FatherMotherFayaBallo...Ifailedyouall! IFAILEDYOUALL...!

As the monster prepares to burn him alive, Virno manages to stand up, his shaky legs barely holding him upward. He tries to concentrate on the runes, attempting to control them... But the stress he was under made it impossible for him to do so.

Virno: DAMMIT... LISTEN TO ME! WHY WON'T YOU DO WHAT I TELL YOU?!

Even as he tries to command them using his very flesh at the cost of his own health... They would not answer. They no longer recognized his intentions.

Virno: DO... WHAT... I.. TELL... YOU!!!

In a moment of madness, Virno turned the blade toward himself, pressing its tip against his stomach. With all his strength, he drove it through, piercing his torso from side to side. A torrent of runes escape from the blade, flooding his skin with a chaotic mass of pulsing, overlapping glyphs. As the shock set in, he glanced down, realizing what he'd just done. His strength drained away, his skin turning pale as he collapsed to his knees.

Virno: it... must... die...

A wall of flame fills the room, emanating from the guardian's maw. The beast had launched its attack, vaporizing everything within. Its breath lasted for several seconds, ensuring that it would leave nothing but ash in its wake. When it was done, nothing remained. Nothing, except for the sword, devoid of magical energy. It was embedded on the torso of a being of pure green energy, surrounded by several floating sigils. It graciously commands a set of sigils to line up in front of it, then flicks its index finger against its thumb. A gust of razor-sharp wind explodes from the sigils, cutting straight through the building and severing the two right wings of the Guardian. In pain, it falls from the building and onto the river below, screaming in agony.

The Guardian: GREEEEEHH...!

As the guardian looked up at the towering structure, an immense force suddenly erupted from within, shattering the building from the inside out. It crumbled into millions of tiny fragments, all swirling around a single focal point—the glowing green figure. Bleeding profusely from its recently-severed appendages, the guardian cowered in fear for the first time...