The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 34: The vestiges of a Witch (Part 4)

Ardent Friend:

I put my phone down and sighed. My eyes were dry and itched from all the reading I had done on my phone. It made me feel like investing into a digital reader. Thankfully all the files sent to me from Vanter had been translated by the system automatically. It was unfortunate however that documenting accurate history hadn't been much of a thing until after the destruction of Areithia. Before that, while there were historical books, they were kept in libraries that had mostly been lost. Most of what I had were books about legends that couldn't quite be trusted. For example, the Witch of Blood was said to have drained the blood of an entire city, turning it to nightmare of ghouls and misshapen animals. It seemed farfetched, then again, looking at the Field of Blades or the Sands Heart... it might just have been true.

It was while I was closing my eyes that I felt the first pulse. It was a blip of mana coming from Vanter's apartment. While odd, it was nothing terribly strange. I frowned however as the second and third pulse echoed through my body. There was no reason I could think of that they'd emit that much mana.

I stood awkwardly, hobbling to their door as I exited the apartment and entered the corridor. I knocked first. Nothing. Ana was probably out doing her thing, and the others should be in Areithia Online. Another pulse of mana passed through me and I took out the spare key in my pocket. It was as I unlocked the door that Endi's scream broke out and together with it an explosion of mana that almost sent me to the floor. The mana heart within my body immediately reacted, and suddenly life returned to my muscles.

I barged inside, "Endi!?"

She was lying on the couch, the virtual headset still over her head. Her body shook as she now let out silent screams. I ran to her side. The headset had already disconnected her from Areithia, sensing the sudden change in her mental state. I threw it aside.

"Endi!?" I called again, clutching her. She continued to shiver, eyes wide and bright red. Fervency. The bigger problem was her mana. It was covered with the stench of death. Endi's Fervency when rampant spurred on her Mana Death. She was decaying. For a moment the clear memory of Endi's death took over my mind. The sight of her weak and tired. Her veins black across her face. Her smile as she passed on. A smile that accepted her fate but wishing that she could still live.

"No!" I screamed. I'd never let that happen again. There was no point to me coming back if she died again. There wasn't enough room in the apartment. I hoisted Endi over my shoulder and ran out of the apartment and straight into the stairwell, climbing to the roof. My body ironically had never felt better from the immense volume of mana that Endi was pushing out. It was to the point that it shouldn't be possible. While Oni could generate their own mana, it should never have been this much.

I burst out onto the roof of the apartment. A communal garden space that was currently and thankfully empty. I placed Endi on the concrete ground, shoving the planter boxes away to make more space. Endi continued to shiver and now her veins began to bulge, and some even appear blackened. At this rate she really would die. Her Mana Death shouldn't have triggered yet. It should have been years from now. We were meant to have time. I needed to act.

I took a breath and stood above her body. As I was now, with my mana heart filled, I could do it. I could suppress the decay. I had to, no matter what it took. The energy pulled into my body.

"Stop!" Vanter's voice suddenly cut through my mind, his hand pulling against my shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I can't lose her again!" I yelled back at him. "I can't let Endi die."