章節 10: Chapter 10: Deception
This was the first time Astella experienced "Astral Traverse."
Before her eyes swirled masses of color and shifting lines. Indescribable sounds echoed in her ears, and bizarre, kaleidoscopic scenes drifted around her. Her sense of space dissolved, and past, present, and future blurred into a chaotic swirl. It was both awe-inspiring and dizzying. All she could do was cling tightly to her two companions, trusting her instincts to pick a direction and press forward.
In what felt like just seconds, they burst out from a series of overlapping doors, landing upstream relative to Tasok. The three high schoolers tumbled out, pale as ghosts.
"Are you... okay, Essie?" Cohen asked cautiously.
"Sure, I just saved you, but isn't calling me that a bit too familiar...?" Astella felt a wave of nausea hit her. She nearly vomited. As a Sequence 8 Extraordinary, she felt embarrassed that it took her so long to recover. In her past life, she'd ridden every roller coaster without a problem. Who would've thought that as an Extraordinary on the Apprentice Path, she'd get motion sickness from "Astral Traverse"?
If she ever advanced to "Traveler" and had to do this regularly, how could she even survive?
With a heavy sigh, she approached Lena, who stood nearby, her pupils trembling violently, her face deathly pale.
The girl had her fingers buried deep in her soft, shiny hair, her eyes wide and tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. Her lips trembled as she let out pained, hysterical sobs. It was clear she had suffered a massive shock and was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"Listen, Lena," Astella gently patted the girl's shoulder. "We need to get to the church now—"
Slap!
Lena swatted her hand away. The sharp, cold sound echoed across the deserted field outside Backlund and was instantly swallowed by the deathly silence.
"What did you give him?" Lena nearly screamed. "I asked you, what did you give him? Why—why didn't it work?"
"It was my fault..." Astella lowered her eyes, her voice filled with sorrow.
"You're so smart, aren't you? You're amazing, right? You've been an Extraordinary for a while now, haven't you?" Lena's voice cracked as she wept, "Why didn't you save him? Why didn't you stop him?!"
"Why..." After getting no answer for what felt like forever, her voice faded into weak, breathless sobs. "Why did it have to turn out like this..."
Astella stood silently beside her.
She didn't know what to say.
She wasn't particularly smart, nor powerful. And right now, no explanation, no comfort, no blaming could change anything. It wouldn't bring the dead back to life. It would only push Lena further into her despair and pain.
The sun had already set. The red moon was hidden behind layers of clouds, painting the horizon a blood-red hue.
.
Astella reached out, gently tapping Lena's forehead. The girl's mind, already at its limit after crying her heart out, sank into unconsciousness, her limp body collapsing into Astella's arms.
This was the "Fainting Spell" of a "Trickmaster." If she were in the mood, Astella would've called it "Drop Like a Rock." It was nowhere near as powerful as the "Sleep" ability from the Path of Night and would only make lower-sequence Extraordinaries feel a little dizzy in actual combat.
Pressing her lips together, Astella turned to Cohen. "Let's head to the nearest Steam Church."
At this point, it didn't really matter which god they prayed to. The "Church of the Steam and Machinery God" had previously explored the area, so if there was even a sliver of hope to reverse things, they were the best bet.
Just as she was about to lift the unconscious Lena and instruct Cohen to flag down a carriage, something strange happened. The red moon, faintly visible through the thinning clouds, suddenly changed. The crescent moon, which had once been a sliver, seemed to be dipped in blood-red ink. Within seconds, the bright crimson hue spread, turning into a full, ominous circle.
Astella's light-gray eyes reflected the blood moon, and all she could think of, besides a string of curses, were three desperate words: Help me, please...
"Am I cursed just for saying I wanted to go to the Steam Church...?" she wondered with a bitter smile, teetering on the edge of despair.
.
With a thud, Astella collapsed to her knees. Her thick hair, disheveled by her body's sudden transformation, scattered around her shoulders, flowing like ink spilled across her back. The strands trembled, as though they had gained a life of their own, even growing and splitting in eerie ways.
"Close your eyes, now!!" Astella let out a sudden, sharp scream. "I'm fine, I'm fine! Trust me! This happens to me twice a month—just like that time of the month, yup! No big difference! Oh god, I'm dying, help, help, help..."
In theory, an ordinary person looking directly at a low-sequence Extraordinary losing control wouldn't immediately go mad. But Astella wasn't sure if this curse-induced loss of control, possibly from a higher-ranking being, would be any different.
.
As a traveler from a materialistic world, she never quite grasped what "indescribable whispers" were supposed to be. Well, now she had firsthand experience!
These strange sounds, beyond any human comprehension, weren't something any living creature could produce. They echoed in her ears, originating from some far-off, unreachable place, yet feeling disturbingly close. Her sense of space was utterly confused. These sounds, exceeding the limits of human perception, twisted her mind, warping her senses. It felt like something was writhing and squirming inside her, ready to tear through her skin and emerge, dripping with blood.
Astella wanted to scream in terror, dance wildly in madness, or laugh uncontrollably. She even had the urge to vomit up her own guts. But thankfully, she did none of those things—just rolled on the ground, clutching her head, emitting sharp, explosive sounds.
The only small mercy was that these maddening whispers seemed hazy, as if muffled by some unknown force. She was sure her original body had endured something far more painful than this. At least she had enough mental clarity left to daydream as a distraction, shifting her focus away from the agony. The signs of losing control weren't too obvious, yet.
"Maybe this is some kind of beginner's protection for people who cross over worlds..." she thought, darkly amused.
If this "newbie protection" lasted long enough, maybe in a few months, she could handle drinking that "Astrologer" potion.
.
Those few minutes felt like an eternity to Astella.
Finally regaining her senses and composure, she knelt on the ground, burying her face in her hands, panting heavily in pain.
"It's over... It's over," she murmured, trying to reassure both Cohen and herself.
"Essie? Are you okay?"
Cohen's voice came from behind her.
"Ah... yeah."
Too tired to correct the overly intimate nickname, Astella tilted her head slightly, forcing a smile.
"You've made it through this, Astella," she thought to herself. "Just hang on a bit longer. All you need to do is get them to the nearest church..."
Her thoughts trailed off.
"Hmm?" Noticing her sudden change in expression, the boy, with his unremarkable features, leaned closer, smiling warmly at her.
He adjusted the crystal-clear monocle resting on his right eye, his gaze filled with playful mischief.
His smile grew wider, more defined.
Astella could no longer hold it together. She broke down, screaming in utter terror.
——————
PS: Amon calls Astella "Essie" because earlier, when Lena first addressed her in the main tomb, she referred to Astella as "Essie." Amon's just mimicking that in a teasing way.
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