Gothica:
He jumped, well that was a surprising change in his pure mana manipulation but it is at the same time very slow, if I didn't hold back I could've killed him right when the battle began. But that is not my mission.
I have to assess this boy, protect him if needed, since there are some very very bad guys lurking around. Ezekiel... thanks to my protective charm that other Angel can't find him but this is still a stretch.
I don't know for how long we can keep him hidden, and I have to take care of that demonic Wheelborn but these are problems for later. Yet I should still rush this process... I feel uneasy, if we get rid of that block faster maybe we can enhance his self defence.
Spreading my wings once again I signaled my clones to do the same.
"If you're not gonna go down.... I'll be coming for you."
So I said but I didn't expect to see such a smile on his face. Not only does he look like he is enjoying it, he looks almost absorbed into the battle.
Maybe the battlefield is the place where he feels most natural, making him forget about the worries and pain and suffering.
In a way he's different from you, my savior, my mentor, you loathe the battlefield, you hate it, it brings you memories of pain and sadness but still.
The fact remains that you saved me from that destruction, from the rubbish I created, from the people I've killed, from the absolute madness that was consuming me and you gave me a purpose, something I never thought could happen to someone like me.
Your words still echo deep inside me today, and I pledged loyalty to the one you worship... I'm willing to die for this cause, and to die for this new place I got to call 'family'.
If you don't mind, not like you can hear me anyway, I'll share a bit of your wisdom with this unfortunate man standing at the opposite of me.
"You know" I said, stopping just at the right height to be able to look him straight in the face. "Monsters live inside our souls.... waiting to come alive, turning our hearts cold, but you can control them, and once you do you might as well become yourself a monster but you will be powerful, and in this world that means everything."
I said swinging my scythe at him and my clones followed from all directions but he chose to defend.
Blocking each attack, with insane speed... yet I could see his legs were shaking.
Advanced speed, direct pure mana manipulation... but he can't do a lot of it at once and the block I wanted to check refuses to resurface… I can't detect anything like this.
I guess I'll take it a bit more seriously if that's the case.
So I went down, leaving my clones to keep my 'enemy' occupied and I started casting something I didn't really want to reveal... but no one is around right now so it's fine to let loose a bit right? But I also have to hold back just enough so that this doesn't kill him just by appearing... Maybe around 30% would do it.
"Flowers that bloom in darkness, bear witness to the crimson I've painted across this land.
Hear my call—hear their cries.
Obey the will of those who fell upon your once-pure soil, and those who dyed your roses red with blood.
Now... manifest—Secret Garden."
Adonai:
The air drastically changed after the end of that incantation, but not only the air... looking at Gothica her eyes started to glow along with the red lines from under her eyes while the floral crown she wears all the time starting blooming with blood rosses.
The soil we stand also changed, and I mean the trees around us were basically consumed, the whole area became a dark soiled wasteland from which flowers, mainly roses started to appear, looking inoffensively.
But the pressure this field emanated made me go on my knees... I can't stay up, it feels like it's sucking the blood right from my veins.
Looking up at the one responsible for casting this impediment doom I couldn't help but see the contrast of the sky behind, as if the lines were connecting right behind her, and the light dimming more. Nature itself pledges loyalty to royalty.
"Even 30% is giving you this much difficulty? This is disappointing..." She said, this time no joke in her voice, but a dead serious and with a more mature, accentuated voice.
"But I had no choice, it's in the interest of time... taking everything around in consideration I have to see what's blocking your capabilities so much. So forgive me for what I'm about to do."
What did she mean by this? A sense of dread started resurging from inside me as she took steps after steps closer to me, leaning a bit down she placed her left hand on my cheek and gave me a smile.
This is my chance to strike I thought, she's let her guard down... but this is naivety... she won't kill me but she will push me to it if I have to guess.
The roses planted on the ground suddenly transformed into lances that bent like whips and struck me right through my back.
Not being able to help myself I vomited blood.
I'm losing eyesight...
I'm losing sense of touch...
Am I going to die?
"You won't die"
She said, as she pushed blood into me... not my blood.
My body reacted, not in a positive way obviously.... being a vampire yet knowing so little about blood transfusion is really so fucked up...
I'm in a state where I'm about to die yet I can't die... I'm being kept alive, conscious even, thanks to the constant wave of pain instigated in me from the pierces on my back yet against all odds I'm being fed blood, good, bad blood the mix somehow keeping the balance.
In this state I feel like something is trying to come out of me and help me but at the same time it can't... my vision in one of my lights is weird... I see so much stuff yet so little at the same time.
"That floral pattern... but this is not the only thing protecting you, I can sense it now, being connected so close to you."
What do you mean connected? I tried to speak but I couldn't... and I looked down and her hand was piercing right through my abdomen... This is one of the cruelest jokes ever... just let me die for god's sake.... right... there's no god to begin with.
I coughed more blood.
"This is not enough, NOT ENOUGH!" Just like a child throwing a tantrum she got frustrated with the waiting I assume... she's searching for a "block" , something holding me back but there's no such thing...
"Output increases... 50%"
The look in her eyes changed, they stopped glowing but instead they started dimming, as if looking through my whole existence… And my senses… all of them became numb… I couldn't see anything clear anymore, feeling like I'm about to fall off the highest altitude known repeatedly and hit the ground yet always come back alive to do it again,
Really why am I still conscious here... just let me...
"No... this can't be... this power, this signature... what is this doing inside you..."
What are you talking about? I couldn't speak, but I tried... the visions of something came to me... no of someone... it was an Angel... going against... Adam(?) and that is... a Dragon...
Just as I was about to see the face the memory cut short, something rushing strongly outside the door I once faced and closing it...
So there are memories inside that door... are they yours... you sick bastard?
"No... I was mistaken... this is no block... this is nothing to stop you... this is worse than I thought... you're chained and there's only one way out of this..."
Chained.... one way?
"This is too precious to do it myself... this will help you so much yet burden you forever... I can read it through your blood, I can almost come face to face with that presence… You really are an unfortunate man."
She retracted her hand and the lances that once pierced my hand became flesh, the blood I had lost... this time my own blood was put carefully back in my body... but I can't stand anymore...
"Rest well... I got what I wanted... and I won't be bothering you for a while."
...
"What... the way....?" I managed to murmur before almost fading into slumber.
But I could barely make out what she said...
"Adonai Melek... to one day get rid of these chains... you'll have to die... But it won't be by my hand... I'm sorry, you poor thing."