LIGHTNOVELONLINE LXXXVII. The Swordhall Falls
A spiral stone staircase descended into the depths of the lake, leaving the light of dawn behind in lieu of the warm green flames burning atop a few sconces that sparsely decorated the narrow passage.
Zephyr: We are close now, but be warned -- our souls are not the only ones wandering this place. Soon, the noise made by the others will become so deafening that any communication between us will be rendered nearly impossible... Even hearing your own thoughts will be difficult, for that matter. The previous bearers will cry out in pain, warning you of their eternal plight, advising you to turn back... Needless to say, that will not be an option. No matter how loud their pleads are or how much you wish to escape, I will not let you go.
Virno: Save it, Greed. I'm only leaving here when the sword is mine.
Zephyr's laughter echoed inside his mind.
Zephyr: Good... Let's see if your determination remains as unwavering once you enter the Swordhall.
Five minutes passed, ten, fifteen... Virno's descent felt as if it had no end. The only sound to disquieten the peace, that of Virno's footsteps and the only light to permeate the cold walls, that of a few torches. Yet, soon enough, a faint whispering began to invade his mind.
Past Bearers: ... Leave... Leave...!
As he made his way further down, their voice only got louder. Their whispers turned into the roar of a distant crowd and, not long after, it felt as if that very crowd was now directly shouting in Virno's ear.
Past Bearers: THE SHORT-LIVED TRIUMPHS OF YOUR BRIEF LIFE WILL NEVER OUTWEIGH THE COST OF ETERNAL SLAVERY. YOU ARE A FOOL TO SACRIFICE YOUR SOUL FOR SO LITTLE...
Virno: Shut up...
He had finally arrived at the bottom. There, an old but well-preserved stone arch marked the entrance of a long hall, at the end of which laid the sword and its pedestal. Though the blade rested serenely inert as if peacefully slumbering in patient wait for its next window of freedom, the way was paved with countless dried cadavers and dusty bones. Upon closing his eyes, Virno's divine sight could discern the presence of countless souls within the Swordhall, the very same ones rattling his mind tormented screams, which now seemed to reach peak volume.
Past Bearers: YOUR TIME ON THIS WORLD IS BUT A MINISCULE DROP IN THE OCEAN OF FOREVER. BEFORE LONG, YOU WILL FORGET EVEN YOUR NAME. EVEN YOUR FACE. EVEN YOUR DEEDS. ALL YOU ACHIEVE NOW WILL BE BUT A DISTANT MEMORY AND, GIVEN ENOUGH TIME, EVEN THAT FLEETING REMEMBRANCE WILL ESCAPE YOU.
Virno: SHUT UP!
Unyielding, Virno strode towards the pedestal, undeterred by the wails of the ones who had once walked the same path he now did. Whenever he blinked, he could catch glimpses of their countless hands gripping onto him, trying pulling him back and away from the blade.
Past Bearers: HE WHO WIELDS THE BLADE OF VICTORY LIVES AN AFTERLIFE OF DEFEAT. HE WHO BEARS THE SWORD OF GREED SHALL SUCCUMB TO THAT VERY SIN. MOTIVES, IRRELEVANT. INTENTIONS, WORTHLESS. TO SEEK IT IS, ITSELF, AN OFFENCE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER. TO GRASP IT IS TO SPIT IN THE FACE OF YOUR ANCESTORS.
Disturbed by the seeming hypocrisy in their words, Virno stopped in the middle of the Swordhall and exclusively directs his attention to the lost souls.
Virno: AND?! HAVE YOU NOT DONE AS I HAVE ONCE?! HAVE YOU NOT OFFENDED AND SPAT ON THEIR FACES, TOO?! I WON'T BE LECTURED BY FOOLS THAT WERE NO WISER THAN I...!
The spirits now congregated around him, embracing Virno with their ethereal bodies, continuing to haunt his mind with their pleas.
Past Bearers: HEED OUR WISDOM... CAST ASIDE YOUR ARROGANCE, FOR YOU HAVE EXISTED BUT FOR A SHORT BREATH. WE HAVE BEEN FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE UNTIL THE VESSEL IS SATED... THEN, ONLY THEN WILL WE BE FREE. WHEN ITS SHACKLES ARE BROKEN ONCE AND FOR ALL AND THE GOD OF WIND TAKES REVENGE UPON THIS WORLD, THEN WE WILL BE FREE. YET WITH THAT FREEDOM, WILL COME THE OBLITERATION OF ALL WE HAVE EVER KNOWN. TURN BACK... LET IT STARVE. CARRY THE BURDEN OF ITS CURSE UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE, AND IN DOING SO HONOR THE EFFORTS OF THOSE WHO, TOO, CARRIED THE CURSE BEFORE YOU. PROTECT OUR WORLD, AS THEY HAVE. DO NOT BRING IT ANY CLOSER TO RUIN.
Betraying a slight smirk, Virno slightly spreads his legs as he opens his hands, palms directed toward the floor.
Virno: Closer to ruin...? You old husks have no idea what I plan to do. Now step... ASIDE!
Channeling divine power into his hands, Virno kneels down rapidly, touching the ground with his magic-imbued palms.
Virno: VENTUS, TIBI PRAECIPIO...!
The room quakes as rubble falls from the ceiling. The flames of the sconces flicker, yet the voices of the deceased do not seize.
Past Bearers: HE WIELDS IT ALREADY...! PAWN OF THE FALLEN GOD! TRAITOR! YOU COMMAND POWER THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN!
Suddenly, Zephyr's own voice cuts through the noise.
Zephyr: STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU WILL DESTROY THE HALL!
Virno grins as he continues the incantation, his eyes starting to glow green as Zephyr attempts to usurp his body once more.
Virno: RATTLE THESE OLDEN WALLS, TEAR DOWN THESE ANCIENT HALLS...
The Swordhall vibrates violently, as chunks of the stone floor begin to crumble and fall into the endless pit below. As Zephyr's hold over Virno's body solidifies, the young man can barely utter the final words of the incantation.
Virno: F-FACT... UT... IMPERO...!
The hall breaks in half, each part slowly collapsing sideways into the abyss. The souls of the past wielders pour out from the cracks like an egg yolk bursting from its shell, raining down the pitch black pit. At the center, the sword's pedestal meets a similar fate, having been broken in half. Now in free-fall, the dormant blade plummets down with the rest of the rubble.
Zephyr: NO...!
Now once more in control of Virno's body, Zephyr takes the remaining pieces of scrap from the young man's pockets and fires them at the blade, curving their trajectory in such a way that they strike it from the back, bringing it closer to him. Still, it is clear that Virno's body cannot channel his powers as effectively as he would like, as some of the shards miss their mark.
Virno: Do you think I'm stupid, Greed...?
Shackled in front of the obelisk once more, Virno's spirit self had an ear-to-ear smile, just like the one he had when entering the ruins.
Virno: Ever since you locked me here, I've felt it. Sensed it. The blade rested above the cradle... All this time. But now...
He looks up, to see debris and a rain of spirits falling from the seemingly endless space above the cradle.
Virno: It will rest there no more. Whoever comes to seek the blade will have to descend down to the cradle itself to claim it... If they survive the fall.
Upon hearing Virno's words, Zephyr can't help but laugh.
Zephyr: You truly are amusing, Virno von Virtus...! Cast the blade into the deepest lake, or cast it into the depths of the cradle of the world... It matters not. The hands of the last wielder will ensure that the blade makes its way back to safety, back to a place where, one day, it may once be found by a mortal hand once again. You have gained nothing with this little stunt...
Now out of scrap to use, Zephyr goes for the nuclear option. Using Virno's body to output his power, he is propelled to the air, as the skin begins to sear and the muscles begin to tear under the extreme stress of the divine magic.
Virno: Even so... That's not the only reason I brought the sword down here.
Zephyr: Oh...?
Now within his grasp, Zephyr grabs the blade in mid-air, causing it to brighten like a lighthouse illuminating the dark of seas. Down below, the entirety of the cradle is showered in its warm green glow, as the souls of the past wielders closest to it are sucked inside, filling it with magical energy.
Virno: This obelisk... This whole place. It was created by the gods, wasn't it? You, included. If the sword's power is as great as I have seen it is... Then I can think of no better testing grounds.
Although Zephyr was elated to have finally grabbed the sword, his expression began to sour upon hearing Virno's words.
Zephyr: You have no idea what you're saying... Don't be foolish.
Virno's spirit begins to flicker, as his soul is forcibly transported back to his body.
Virno: Don't I...? Maybe I don't. Maybe I'll accomplish nothing. Or maybe...
As he clenches his fist, he now feels a tight grip around a handle that perfectly fits his palm, as if it was made specifically for it.
Virno: Maybe I'll make the earth above collapse down into the cradle, exposing the core fabric that stitches our world together bare, for all to see. But especially...
Zephyr: You will plunge your world into chaos...!
Virno: ... I will destroy the obelisk that encodes the very rules of the world. I will undo creation as the gods envisioned it... As you envisioned it.
Zephyr: NO!!!
Clutching the hilt with all his might, Virno further amplifies the weapon's radius of effect, causing a greater waterfall of souls to be pulled into it.
Virno: What's the matter, Greed...? Is this not what you wanted? To destroy what you once created...?
Zephyr: CRUDE BRUTE... IT IS MINE TO DESTROY, NOT YOURS!
As Virno takes full control of his body once more, he feels Zephyr's influence vanish almost completely. As for the voices of the past wielders those, too, now seemed to have been practically entirely silenced, now hosted inside the blade.
Virno: Yours...? Nothing is yours any longer. You don't belong in this world anymore. Return to the sword where you belong... I'll make sure you never get to leave again.
Zephyr: INSOLENT MORTAL...! TRAITOR TO YOUR OWN KIND! YOU WILL NOT ROB ME OF MY VENGEANCE! YOU WILL DIE LONG BEFORE YOU ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING...! IN YOUR IGNORANCE, YOU-
Virno: Silence...
Further channeling magic into the sword, Virno raises it high overhead, as it overflows with massive amounts of energy. Zephyr's soul, who had taken residence within Virno's body, was pulled out of it and forced to join the remaining prisoners of the blade. Now with the entirety of its strength restored, the sword of Greed was once again given life, and in all of its glory, once more ready to cut down anything in its path.
Virno: ... I refuse to become just another wielder, Greed. Whatever it takes... I will make sure to be the last one. I will make sure that the title of fallen god is the last one you'll ever attain.