"Uwa..."
Asher clutched his head. A wave of dizziness hit him. Which side was up, which was down? He didn't know.
He frowned.
His hands were wet.
All around him—darkness. A shallow sheen of water rippled beneath his feet, reflecting nothing.
A chill pricked at his spine.No.Not again.
The panic rose, clawing its way up his throat like a forgotten nightmare resurfacing.
The void.
He was here again.
But this time… it wasn't just fear he felt.It was anger.
"What the hell?!" he snapped, his voice echoing strangely across the emptiness.
He stood up quickly, swaying for a moment before steadying himself. "I can't even rest in peace?"
He looked around him. He remembered how Notics once mentioned about the shadow realm. The dead are cleansed in the Shadow realm...
"Am I in the shadow realm?"
Somehow, he was doubtful. Asher looked at the ground. He couldn't tell what it was.
Normally, thanks to his eyes, he could easily tell the difference between darkness and shadow.But the ground beneath him—if it could be called that—was neither.
It wasn't shadow.
It wasn't darkness.
It was nothing.
His heart skipped.
"Wait a second…"
he pulled his cheek, pinching it tight.
He sighed. 'As expected'
He didn't feel pain. He narrowed his eyes, looking around him. "Meaning... this area isn't real."
"That is trueeee!"
A quirky voice resounded all over him.
Asher flinched as the world around him quaked. He spun around just in time to see the still water beneath him begin to swirl violently, rising into a spiraling column before erupting in an explosion of droplets.
Rain fell from the black sky, splashing down in ripples—and from the center of it all, a figure slowly floated into view.
Suspended midair.
Long, light blue hair drifted around her like silk in water. Asher squinted through the mist.
It was a woman.
Her porcelain white skin sparkled under a sudden burst of light.
A white orb descended into the void, with the orb came stars, scattering around the sky. The world around him no longer felt unfamiliar...
No, that would be inaccurate. It felt as if... It was a part of him.
That was when the realization dawned on him.
His breath caught in his throat. He looked at the woman again.
A translucent black gown fluttered around her, the fabric rippling as the orb drew closer.
His expression twisted.
"No way..." He muttered, "Is she..."
Her eyes opened, revealing two vibrant vermillion eyes.
"...bringing my soul sea to this place?!"
Indeed, Asher found himself in his soul sea once more. But it was different this time. It felt... different. The woman walked on air, towards the bright orb as Asher watched.
Then his jaw slackened.
Crack—
The Soul core cracked
Asher ran towards his soul care while shouting, "You physco woman! What the fuck are you doing?!"
He instantly felt a wave of heat hit him. A pain broke in his solar plexus and he felt his very being shake.
He collapsed to his knees, wheezing.
The woman remained still, her hand now sunk deep into the pulsing core, her expression deadpan.
The pain, it felt unbearable. He rapidly lost strength as he realized, 'I'm losing my soul fragments.'
Forget that!
She was going to kill him.
His vision blurred as pain gnawed at every part of his existence.
He was going to die... AGAIN!
All of a sudden.
The woman frowned, her eyes narrowing.
Something began to spill into the cracks of the core. A black, inky substance poured into the fractures, coating them in a glistening obsidian sheen.
Asher screamed.His body thrashed, convulsing on the ground, hands clawing at his chest as if he could rip the pain out.
He struggled to glance upward.
He was terrified seeing the black obsidian seep into his core. The bright part of the core remained but the space where the cracks were had the black ooze pulsating through them.
'Is that... corruption?'
Asher gritted his teeth. It wasn't. Asher could feel it, it definitely wasn't. It was something else entirely. The woman's eyes widened as a sharp force pushed her down.
—SQUACH
Something slammed the woman into the ground—flattening her in an instant. Blood sprayed.Her limbs bent at abnormal angles.
Asher, finally being able to breathe again, looked front, eyes wide. He stood up, his legs trembling in pain. The woman.. She was quite literally squashed by that force. Blood and guts everywhere. Asher wanted to puke. But there was nothing in his stomach.
"Hmm... I see. That's a problem." A melodious voice spoke behind of him.
"Ekkk!" Asher flinched as he turned back to see the woman that just died.
She tilted her head, studying him. Then—
She gave him a funny smile, proceeding to wiggle her fingers in a wave.
"Hii~!"
Asher didn't hesitate.
With a flash of blue light, the Azure Blade appeared in his grip. He lunged, slashing straight at the woman without a word.
She stepped back effortlessly, obsidian-glass heels tapping lightly against the watery floor, sending ripples outward with every movement.
"Calm down and listen, would you?" she said, her voice airy and laid back.
"W–Why the hell would I listen to you, bitch?!" Asher snapped, jabbing a trembling finger at her. "You tried to kill me!"
The woman giggled, bringing her palm to her lips, "Hehe. But you just listened."
Asher felt a vein pop on his jaw as he rushed at her. The woman giggled, steeping to the side, her gown fluttering behind her. His blade sliced cleanly through empty air.
"Okay, okay—no more jokes!" she said quickly, dodging backward with a fluid twirl. "Just—just hear me out!"
Asher paused, blade still raised. He narrowed his eyes.
She didn't seem… hostile. For now at least...
He stood still, looking at her. "What?"
The woman sighed, exhaling loudly. "Finally, now, how about to put the sword down? You don't want to point it at a damsel do you?"
"..."
She sighed. "Fair enough."
"…Who are you?" Asher cut in, trying to sound as calm—and cool—as possible.
The woman blinked, then tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Hmm… that's a hard one. It's been so long, I'm not quite sure anymore…"
Then, as if remembering something, she lifted a finger dramatically. "Ah—yes!" A playful smile returned to her face.
"I'm what my largest fragment's little trinket calls…" She struck a mock-grand pose.
"'Unknown.'"
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[A/N: Wait! Don't drop the fic! (Idk, I feel as if some of you will drop it if the dream god looks like THIS Things may seem weird now, it will make sense the next chapter!)
This is the 700 collection chapter btw.]