LIGHTNOVELONLINE 8-16 Eternity Part 2
When Tlaloc opened her eyes, the first thing I saw was Stahlia looking down at me. It seems as though she had been rendered unconscious by the moment of contact when I tried overriding the appraisal block with my Authority.
““Wait, what didst though do? What, what is this?””
Tlaloc reached a hand up and touched her forehead then her cheek. My own hand traced a similar action with Stahlia’s face. It was only then that I realized; we had both spoken the same words at the same time.
“What, what did you do!?” Tlaloc and I shouted.
We both tilted our head, the mirrored action striking eerie against the white void background.
“You, your thoughts and memories. Such a long life, far longer than you look… I see, this is the work of the Usurper.” I asked myself, or Tlaloc asked me.
“Are you, are we ready to listen? Do we even have to ask? I will.”
“No, do not think that you can control me with some cheap trick.”
Tlaloc’s eyes widened; her intended words, a retort against me, had come from Stahlia’s mouth.
Despite her incredulity I pressed on, “I only wanted to talk… going into it, as soon as she realized, Stahlia knew she couldn’t beat me. But you insisted on fighting.”
“Child, you must-”
“No. Adroni is a bastard, but they’re atleast good for their word. We’ll stay right here, until I listen to you.”
Stahlia’s eyes widened, “Do you hear me, us? You will break before long.”
A kaleidoscopic display of color seemed to radiate out from Tlaloc, seeking to seize the white expanse and overwrite it.
“Child, I can feel you now, this one can seee… but Stahlia will not last much longer.”
“She will last as long as it takes until Tlaloc bends.”
“No. Water does not bend.”
The white void began to recede, in its place an expanse of seawater. The salt in the air stung at my skin as I felt a new sun beating down on my brow. Deep within the waves, I could feel the small fish darting about in search of food. This was Tlaloc’s mind, it was biting at me, drawing Stahlia in…
“Stali….han!”
The greenish blue water paused. Centered around our two bodies, the water began to slow. Crystals of solidified dihydrogen monoxide began to form. As though the heat of Tlaloc’s being were being drawn out.
“I’ll not pass on… so easily.” There was more now, some small thing was amplifying Stahlia’s mind.
“This…” Tlaloc’s eyes narrowed, “What are you doing child!? You lack the gravitas, do you know what you’re doing right now!?”
Stahlia shook her head, “No. I’ve only been to this expanse a handful of times, and this is only the second time I got here myself.”
The colors spilling out from Tlaloc coalesced and shifted once more, now into a slideshow. Small snippets of memory. Stahlia’s memories. From the moment she was born until she fought me. I reviewed them, seeking confirmation.
“...It’s the truth…” Again the colors shifted, things I had begun to forget. The memories of another time, another life; George’s psyche.
…I really was an ass.
With the movie-like replaying of my first life, Stahlia could see things more objective now. George had lambasted his lack of influence, but it had been his own narcissistic tendencies driving away those around him. Only Franklin seemed to stick around through it all.
“And here, you were tricked…” Tlaloc paused the reply just as George was falling to his death, moments before being struck by the subway, a shadowed figure of ambiguous stature behind me, grinning ruefully, “I was murdered, yea. By Adroni most likely, or one of their pawns.”
“Yet you serve him, no; I know better.”
The ocean began to recede, the white and empty expanse was allowed to reoccupy the lost territory.
“Child, do you know what designs the Usurper has on you? What they seek from you?”
“Only as far as I’ve been told.”
Tlaloc nodded, “And what designs have thou?”
Stahlia shook her head, “I just want to live, and protect my new family.”
She raised an eyebrow, “What about the Usurper? They will keep creating new stages for you to act upon.”
I nodded, “I know.”
Tlaloc glanced back to the receding colors once more. Already, the display of memories was growing blurry, like paints mixing or separating out into pigment and oil.
“Then, come here child. Let this one watch thine performance for a time as well. Perhaps I should deign to traverse the stage once more.”
“If it means you won’t try and kill us, I gladly accept.”
Tlaloc’s body began to shine, before growing suddenly dimmer. Perhaps it was an illusion, but I felt as though a small amount of her beauty had faded. Like she had lost a quality of etherealness.
“Stalineechan!”
Again, Felicity’s voice was calling out from beyond this space.
“That bastard said he would manipulate the time flow for me, but it doesn’t sound like he did a very good job…”
Tlaloc tilted her head and stared off in the direction the sound had come from, “...This child does not know what she says. I have contained my essence into a body of flesh; I name thee as my daughter until this one’s death, for I refuse to call thee mother. Now, child, you should alight afore my presence corrupts thee further.”
Well, I guess she’s trying to tell me that manipulating time isn’t that easy, and Adroni is doing their best. Still I do need to wake up soon, just… how?
“...I would love to take you up on that, but first, what the hells do you mean, ‘mother’ and ‘daughter!?’ …And, I don’t know how to wake up… Last time, Adroni opened the door for me…”
Tlaloc crossed her arms, “This vessel of flesh was formed after thine own, afore being twisted to match this one’s own self. I shall not call you ‘mother’ for thou lack the knowledge to raise. Instead, I shall seek a nurturing role. Now, open a door and step through; that will let thee free.”
…So she’s using a copy of my body, but changed the appearance sliders. Got it.
The prospect made me a bit uncomfortable truth be told, but I wasn’t about to try and force her to change. I wouldn’t be able to in any case, and so long as she continued to not threaten me and mine, then she was welcome to whatever else.
“...Fine, I won’t protest. Just… don’t go around calling yourself that publicly, please? It would cause a lot of trouble with the nobility.”
Tlaloc smiled widely, “Of course, this one is aware of your situation; thou shared thine mind. Now, hurry and open the door.”
Telling me that is all good, but do cna I really trust you? Status.
For all I knew, Tlaloc had determined she was trapped here, and was attempting to trick me into letting her out.
Life Summary Screen:
Life Point Balance: 5
Name/Age: Stahlia von Drakas und zu Ris, 17
Gender: Female
Class/Level: Custom Class, 20 | Custom Class, 8 Experience: 27840/47000
Species: Human (Halfblood[Revenant])
Social Strata: Nobility (Baron Ris, Drakas Kingdom || Queen auf Drakas, Drakas Kingdom)
Starting Gift: Budding Seed
Title: Goblin Slayer*[Swap Title]
Ability Values:
- Strength E: 133
- Endurance C: 249
- Dexterity S: 490
- Intelligence S: 555
- Charisma C: 249
- Mana A: 331
Fighting Style: Drakan Style* [Swap Style]
Talents 5/6: [Browse Talents] [ ], [ ], Stealth V*, Charm Resistance III*, [], || Monster Handling III*, ͏Dagger Fighting V*, Sword Fighting II*, Unarmed Fighting IV*, Alchemical Meister IV*, Teaching II*, Mana Efficiency III*, Fire Magic V*, Water Magic III*, Earth Magic IV*,͏ Wind Magic III*, Ice Magic VI*, Winter Magic IV, Acting IV*, Light Magic II, Spirit Touched I*,
Skills 6/6: [Browse Skills] Divine Authority[Class Features], [ ]. Blue Blooded*, Kinetic Perception*, [], Psychic Shield, || Language Proficiency[Central(human)]*,Fighting Style[Shadow Blade]*, Fighting Style[Drakan]*, Rule Breaker*, Revenant Physique*, Alchemical Heresy*,
My status opened easily enough, though the entire thing was greyed out to indicate it was presently inactive; after all, I was still disconnected. That said, I found what I was looking for; proof of Tlaloc’s trustworthiness. Namely, I had a new title waiting for me upon reconnection, “Daughter of the Ocean Mother.” If nothing else, it proved she was serious about how she intended to maintain our working relationship.
“Alright, so I just need to focus on the image of a door and open it? Should I use mana?”
My new ‘mother’ frowned and scratched her head, “Just create the door and open it? Yes, you will use mana…”
So she’s an instinctive type…
That didn’t bode well for gleaning much information or technique from her, but just having an ancient spirit nearby would already be more than I could rightfully ask for.
Well, here goes.
I pictured a door in my mind, large and intricately carved in the same manner as my chamber’s door back at the palace; it was the first thing to come to mind, despite how little time I spent there. Perhaps I was a tiny bit homesick. Regardless, as soon as I made the physical motion of turning the handle, a matching door appeared in space front of me. As it swung open, I could see a sort of out of body perspective.
We were hovering over a still scene. My body lay on the ice sheet, Felicity perched on its stomach. She was evidently in distress but hadn’t quite grasped the full extent of the situation yet. All in all, only a few seconds seemed to have passed. Off to the side, I could see a snow drift beginning to gather, some of the snow was tinged red with blood. My blood.
I eyed Tlaloc, but opted not to comment; that was probably her own newly physical body, being formed from my blood and the snow formed of my mana.
Well, I should go before Felicity gets any more traumatized.
“Invoke Authority, Reconnect.”
I intoned a simple command and stepped through the door.
Reconnecting User….Success.
System Notice to all Users of SuperUser Status or Higher:
New SuperUser: Tlaloc has Registered a System Profile.