Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 897: Vharakha [2]

"U-eukh!"

Kiera’s fingers tightened around Dawn’s wrist as another dark vein crawled beneath her eye.

She could feel it moving.

The heat beneath her skin had become almost unbearable, spreading towards her forehead while the whispers continued to overlap inside her mind.

Her nails dragged against his wrist, leaving faint marks that disappeared just as quickly as she left them.

"L-let... g⎯!"

Dawn’s fingers pressed harder against her jaw.

Her teeth clicked together, cutting off the rest of her words as her head was forced slightly upwards. She tried to turn towards him, but his hand kept her in place.

Even now, he wasn’t looking at her.

His golden eyes remained fixed on the arena below.

On... Julien.

Above them, the enormous creature lowered its head.

The movement brought its hooked jaw closer to the highest platforms, and dust began to fall from the buildings beneath it. Its wings moved, pulling the air towards them before sending a heavy gust through the city.

Kiera’s hair whipped across her face.

For a moment, she couldn’t see anything beyond the white strands. Then they parted, revealing the enormous claws slowly opening above them.

Her fingers stiffened, and so did her breath.

It was looking at her.

She could feel its attention settling over her body, pressing against her chest until even the warmth moving beneath her skin seemed to pause.

"...!"

Kiera pulled harder.

Dawn’s arm barely moved.

His eyes never left Julien.

"L-let...me...!"

***

"...A cleansing? What are you talking about?"

Leon stared at Julien, his eyes wide as he struggled to grasp the meaning behind his words.

Something about the current Julien... felt weird.

He felt quieter than usual. As if his mind wasn’t on the present.

People were still trying to move towards the exits, but the pressure made every step difficult. Some had given up entirely, crouching between the seats with their hands pressed against their heads.

"W-hat’s going on? Julien... do you know something? Say... something!"

Julien didn’t answer.

Even as the sand whipped over his body, he didn’t move.

He felt there, and not at the same time.

The wind pulled at his clothes, carrying sand past his shoulders as he continued looking up. Leon waited for him to answer, his gaze briefly shifting towards Kiera before returning to Julien’s back.

The creature was getting closer.

As it drew closer, the pressure around grew with it, even forcing Tharvek’s expression to turn grim as he looked up.

"J-ulien."

Leon called out again, hoping for something.

Several seconds passed before Julien’s lips finally parted.

But the words that came out of his lips weren’t the ones he wanted to hear.

"Leave this place."

Leon stared at him.

"...W-hat?"

"Take the others with you."

"What are you talking about? Kiera is still—!!"

Something suddenly shot through his mind.

Instantly, his words stopped as his hand moved towards his chest, but before he could complete the simple movement, the skin along his forearm split open.

"—!!"

The pain flooded his mind in an instant as blood ran between his fingers, spilling over the hilt as a sharp pain spread towards his shoulder.

"Ukh!"

His knee struck the sand.

For a moment, he couldn’t understand what had happened. He couldn’t even think properly as his mind blanked, only for his skin to pull together the next moment and heal.

The wound closed beneath his fingers.

He drew a breath, trying to refocus his mind.

But...

"...!"

Blood sprayed against the ground as Leon bent forward, his forehead almost touching the sand beneath. The pain spread through his chest, reaching places he couldn’t even press his hand against.

His back tightened.

He tried to straighten, only to feel something tear along his side.

Pain flooded his mind again.

⎯⎯!?

Not even a scream escaped his lips.

It was so sudden and unexpected that he found himself completely breathless.

To make matters worse, Leon could feel every part of it. The flesh drawing together, the skin tightening, the brief moment when he could almost breathe normally, and then his skin rupturing again.

The pain grew worse with each cycle.

It came so quickly that he couldn’t separate one injury from the next. Before the ache in his arm could fade, his chest would split. Before he could press against his chest, something in his leg would give.

Blood gathered beneath him.

His thoughts scattered with every new burst of pain, leaving him unable to focus on anything beyond the next breath.

"The power is eating at you."

Julien’s voice reached him from above.

He was still looking up.

Leon tried to lift his head, his fingers slipping against the blood covering the hilt.

W-what...?

"You’re incomplete."

The skin beneath Leon’s collar tore.

He pressed against it immediately, feeling the wound close beneath his palm before warmth spilled between his fingers again.

Incomplete...?

W-what sort of...

"Your body is starting to break down."

Julien spoke quietly, his gaze remaining fixed above.

"You’ll keep healing, but it’ll only happen again. You won’t even be able to die."

Leon’s breathing stopped for a moment.

I won’t be able to die? What does that...?

"Uekh!"

His hand tightened against his chest as the flesh beneath it continued to tear and mend, each time leaving him with less room to think.

"It won’t stop until... we get you a new heart."

Leon raised his head.

Julien’s clothes continued to flutter in front of him. Through the gaps, Leon could see Tharvek standing motionlessly beyond him, one hand pressed against the dark veins spreading along his throat.

But Leon could hardly spare him a thought.

What new heart?

He wanted to scream the words, but nothing came out.

Just a few random hoarse sounds.

But he didn’t need to speak, for Julien understood as he spoke the next words softly.

"My brother’s heart."

".....!?"

Leon went quiet.

His lips remained parted, but the words he had been trying to force out disappeared.

For a moment, all he could hear was his heartbeat.

Ba... Thump!

Even now, beneath the pain tearing through his body, he could hear it.

Leon stared at Julien’s back.

"Y-our..."

"Hueeeeeek!"

The screech swallowed his voice.

Above them, the creature finally moved.

Its wings folded slightly, and the enormous body descended towards the two figures suspended beneath it. The claws that had remained loosely open suddenly curled, reaching for the small figure held within Dawn’s grasp.

The air pressed down.

Leon’s shoulder struck the ground before he could brace himself. Sand burst across his face, and somewhere above him, the sound of breaking stone echoed through the stands.

He forced his head up, trying to see what was happening.

And as he did, a pair of eyes greeted his.

Dawn was still looking down.

Even with the claws approaching, even with the creature’s shadow swallowing the last of the pale light, his expression remained unchanged.

Then he raised his free hand.

The world turned white.

The Great Sun Shone.

It enveloped the entire world.

***

By the time the light thinned, I was already in the air.

Wind dragged at my clothes while the azure orb turned slowly within my Domain, keeping me suspended a short distance from Dawn.

His hand remained closed around Kiera’s jaw.

Up close, I could see the dark veins spreading across her face. They had reached both her eyes now, branching towards her temples before disappearing beneath her hair.

Her fingers pulled weakly at his wrist.

"...You made it quite quickly."

Dawn watched me for a moment.

"Has he passed?"

I stared at him without answering.

A gust pulled at my sleeve. The fabric had gone stiff near the wrist, and I kept my arm at my side.

"I even gave you two time to be together during his final moments."

His voice remained calm.

"You should be grateful."

He was different from the man I once knew. It wasn’t so much that he felt colder. It was different.

He held an indifference that almost made me want to lower my eyes.

"....."

Kiera’s shoulders jerked.

Her eyes met mine through the strands of hair covering her face, and for a brief moment, her fingers stopped pulling at Dawn’s wrist.

"...Ju."

She tried again, but his fingers pressed against her cheeks, forcing her mouth shut.

A notification appeared.

[+1%]

The veins beneath her eyes darkened.

Somewhere below us, someone screamed.

My gaze lowered towards the city.

Near one of the exits, a man pulled his sleeve back and was rubbing desperately at a dark line beneath his skin. He looked confused as the woman beside him reached for his arm, trying to see what was wrong.

Unlike him, her hands were unmarked.

So was her face.

[+1%]

Kiera jerked in Dawn’s grasp.

Below us, the man stiffened as another vein appeared beside the first.

"....."

My gaze moved towards Tharvek.

He was still standing in the arena, one hand pressed against his throat. The dark lines had spread past his jaw now, reaching towards his ears.

I had noticed this even more.

But it was clear...

I looked towards Kiera.

’It’s because of her.’

Her awakening was exposing the corruption within the city.

"...You’re using her to find them."

Dawn followed my gaze towards the city. He didn’t show much of a reaction as he looked below us. His soft yellow eyes graced every speck that stood beneath him with the same indifference as the sun itself.

But then, a shadow passed over us.

An enormous claw emerged through the light behind him, reaching towards Kiera.

Dawn raised his free hand without turning.

The light flared.

"Hueeeeeek!"

I narrowed my eyes as the creature’s screech shook the air around us. Another gust caught my sleeve, pulling the stiff fabric away from my wrist.

The pressure coming from the creature only grew.

But the Great Sun showed no reaction.

Neither did I...

"I’ve always wondered why you provided Noel’s blood to the people so easily."

I looked down. Towards the people not affected by the curse.

"You were trying to see if the blood could heal from the corruption."

That had been Dawn’s goal all along.

The entire city was nothing else but his testing ground. He had even been aware of... Noel’s weakening, and waited for him to fully transfer his power over to Leon in order to repeat the same thing over again.

From the start, the Great Sun knew it all.

"....."

A movement in the arena caught my attention.

It came from Leon as he dragged himself upright.

Blood covered the sand around him. As he tried to take a step, his shoulder jerked, and his free hand immediately pressed against his side.

The fresh wound closed before he could reach it, his body healing and breaking in repeated patterns.

My fingers slowly curled.

[+1%]

Kiera’s nails dragged across Dawn’s wrist.

He adjusted his grip, barely sparing her a glance.

Dawn’s gaze was now on Leon.

He watched it heal and break in real time. He stared at him, or, to be more specific, his blood.

And eventually, he turned towards me.

"...You’ve always been selfish, Emmet. But I hope you understand that this is for the betterment of humanity. I’m doing all of this in order to save the little future that we have left."

His hand slowly raised.

Below us, more people had begun pulling at their sleeves and collars.

Some called for help. Others pushed through the crowd, trying to hide the marks appearing across their bodies.

Dawn’s gaze passed over them as his hand slowly started to clench. In an instant, a bright light shone from his body, and by the time I managed to see again, a fire had begun to spread.

"Haaaa!"

"H-help...!"

Screams came from all sides.

Blood mixed with the screams as I slowly closed my eyes and drew a slow breath.

Dawn’s soft voice reached me at the same time.

"...I’m not your enemy. I was never your enemy. Your only enemy is your own selfishness."

Then my fingers loosened.

Within my Domain, the azure orb slowed to a stop.

Dawn’s gaze shifted back towards me as I opened my eyes again.

"...Never forget."

His golden eyes hummed ominously.

"You can never outsee a Seer."

I lifted my head back up towards the massive creature in the sky.

It screeched even louder this time.