Tales of Astora: Legacy

Chapter 116: Collapse

Chapter 116: Collapse

"Goodbye, Celdora!"

The sword of light came crushing down onto the dragon. But just before it could touch him, something happened. For a moment, it looked like the fabrics of space itself has been bent: the column of light was distorted and somehow failed to touch the dragon even though it was just above him a second ago.

".....You..." the doll muttered upon coming to realization about what just transpired before her eyes, and most importantly the individual behind it.

"Greetings!" the large figure landed in front of Celdora who still did not understand what happened. Possessing a strange yet unique pale glossy skin of an aquatic creature, this person was one of the last remaining members of their species. Although, to be truthful, up until just a few days ago, he has been dead for quite a long time to be accounted for. "Your favorite actor Xenes is now on stage."

"Be careful, Xenes! She is not who she claims to be." Celdora shouted.

"I know, I know." The pale dragon grinned. "I know who she is exactly."

".....What are you talking about?" muttered Stella.

"Ohoho, no need to feign ignorance! Your tricks don't work against me, little doll! You think only you and your 'friend' are aware of the events ten years ago? That is a very big assumption on your part." Said Xenes.

"......" instead of giving words, the doll threw an intense glare at the dragon. For the first time, she showed such an acute emotion: anger.

"Looks like I hit a mark." Chuckled Xenes.

"What do you know?" Stella pointed her luminous sword at the smirking dragon.

"Enough to realize that this entire thing was just a set-up, as well the what happened ten years ago." Xenes suddenly laughed out loud. "But I got to say, what you did back then, that was the most amusing piece of art I have ever seen. No wonder no one would ever suspect you. They simply can't. Hahahahaha!"

All of the sudden, the light sword slashed forward, only to miss its target once again due to that strange distortion.

"Not so fast!" said Xenes.

"What is your goal?" asked Stella with a hint of fury in her voice. But aside from the unusual intensity of emotion shown on her face, the doll's right arm wielding the sword was twitching, so much that she had to use her other hand to calm it down before muttering. "...Not now!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, apparently, that is not a very well-behaved arm, is it? Got to wonder why..." grinned Xenes sarcastically.

"Shut your foul mouth!" raged the doll. "Answer me! What is your goal?"

"He he he! I desire something very simply yet so complex no one has ever found the answer: the Truth!"

"What?"

"For now, you stand in my....in our way of finding the Truth. I won't let anything disrupting my search.

<Call of the Void>"

A terrifying sound echoed inside the doll's mind. Even more strange, it was not a physical sound that was emitted. It was something else, something that transpired even the wildest imagination of all: something not of this world. In the poor soul's mind affected by that odd noise, it was almost like something was trying to contact with her but the noise itself was so ghastly, enough to drive any perceptive individual to the borderlines of insanity. Where did it resonate from? The source was unseen, at least to the visible eye. However, the direction, the doll could sense it: it came from the sky above, beyond the limitations of this world.