A Distant Reverie

Chapter 113

Her haunting cries shuddered through the space. The echoes sent shivers down Suisei's back. She fell to her knees, overwhelmed by the sudden flood of emotions pouring out of the godlike entity. Each tremble of Lady Ouro's voice quivered with an unfathomable sorrow. Each echo sent a psychic buzz into her head. Suisei grasped her chest. Tears streamed down her face. She was overcome with an unbelievable sadness. The emotion felt invasive and foreign as though it wasn't hers, but forced upon her by the wailing immortal before her.

I...

She couldn't think. The sadness turned into euphoria then descended back to grief. The whiplash of intensity was tearing her mind apart. Her head felt like it was melting into the confines of her skull.

"Ah..."

Lady Ouro screamed.

The area around her crackled with violence. Mana raged with turbulence. Ripples and fractures in space spread everywhere like cracks on a glass screen. The very real fabrics of reality appeared to be tore apart by her grief.

"Ahhh!"

Suisei felt herself airborne.

A sense of weightlessness enveloped her. Suddenly, the intense sadness that held her mind in a chokehold lessened. She could hear herself think again. Her senses returned.

It was only then did she realize that she was falling.

A portion of the platform atop of the spire had been broken. Stones chunks fell alongside her. The spiraling stairwell was to her side. Her stomach churned as she remembered the height of the spire. It was going to be a long and painful descent.

Fuck.

She clawed and pulled, trying to right herself in the midst of freefall. If she was lucky, she might have been able to position herself to grab onto one of the steps of the spiraling stairwell. The problem was that her body was tumbling. The momentum of her descent had sent her into a spin. Nausea clouded her mind from the violent turbulence. The panic of her imminent death made everything she tried ineffective.

Goddammit!

Her vision suddenly steadied. Something had grabbed onto her. As her eyes adjusted, she realized Marine was beside her.

"Vesper! I have her!" she overheard her call.

"Caeli stratum!"

The chaotic mana at her periphery suddenly surged with order. Suisei felt her descent slow until her body abruptly screeched to a stop. She grunted in pain at the sudden recoil. Stone fragments from the broken platform descended towards her.

"Get us out of the path dammit!"

"Sorry!"

Only then did she feel a blanket of air beneath her body. The dense air pocket carried them towards one of the steps of the spiraling stairwell. The falling stones barely missed them as they landed safely back onto solid grounds.

Suisei crawled to her knees. Everything was still spinning. She closed her eyes, fighting the urge to puke.

"Are you okay?" Marine asked.

She was a mess. Tears, snot, and dirt clouded her face and clothes. Her heart was still pounding—the whiplash of the intense sadness forced onto her mind followed by the panic of death was too much to bear.

"It's okay. We're still here."

She felt Marine pull her into embrace. A second body joined them. Vesper. It was only then did she realize that she was crying. The warmth of their bodies and presences was so comforting that Suisei didn't want to let go. For the first time in ages, she felt safe. Even if it was in the middle of a godlike entity's rampage.