Re: Timeless Apocalypse-Chapter 61: Theory

Uriel had been drowning in glee, battle endlessly fun and his new arcane abilities like an entirely new world opened up to him.

Having talent for something, and being in love with it, were two different things, but at this moment, Uriel couldn’t help but develop an endless love for magic itself.

In his life, when had he ever been able to run so fast? To throw a punch without feeling like his arm would shatter? To feel the wind rush past his ears like this? To feel his mind bloom so freely?

It was endless fun, and he couldn’t stop grinning.

"FUCK!"

In the distance, hearing the seasoned regressor roar in frustration, he couldn’t help but feel his smile widen even more.

"I’ll show you something."

Who said Mage Types were the only ones with unfair advantages?

BANG! 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Uriel simply did not know what happened.

The imprint of a fist was carved into his chest, blood sputtering from his lips as he fell to a knee. For some reason, his coughing didn’t flare up, to his relief, but the pain remained all the same.

All his deployed spell circles shattered, and he felt the backlash hammer into him with a force he hadn’t expected, more blood jetting out of his nose as his core, which had felt inexhaustible, was dried of all aether in a blink.

He looked up, weakly, confused and shaken.

In the distance, Enoch stood, seven stars of silver light hanging at his back, each holding a world of runes in their depths.

Uriel immediately could tell that whatever these stars were, they stood as constructs equal to magic circles.

’Martial Stars?’

He didn’t know why, but it almost felt like the guide booklet in his mind whispered the answer to him, the words coming naturally.

But it was at that moment that he remembered he wasn’t facing Enoch alone.

He was facing two opponents.

Enraged by how little she’d been able to do in this fight, Ayah burned all the aether that remained in her core at once, a truly gigantic silver gate flashing into being behind her.

It flung open and—

’Holy shit.’

A tide of beasts poured out.

...

Ayah, tired and exhausted, undid her form and cancelled all her summons and contracts, her sweat-soaked body returning, shrinking back to her normal height and musculature.

She sat down in the grass, falling onto her back moments later, heaving for air, covered in blunt wounds and bruises that weren’t anything serious, yet would ache for more than a few days.

Not far away, Uriel lay on his back too, nose covered in dried blood and body littered with bruises, far more than hers.

Enoch sat on a boulder, tired as well.

Watching it all, she couldn’t help but smile faintly.

"That went much better than expected." Enoch swallowed hard, his lips dry. "We have much more potential than I was envisioning."

"Ayah, you’re monstrous. Once you properly grasp the details of your spark, you won’t need any guidance, though I would advise you polish your sword skills, or even learn other weapons, so you can adapt to your form as you go."

She nodded, seriously taking the advice.

Enoch then turned to the half-asleep Uriel.

"As for you, you need to start focusing on your spark and stop using your aether as if it were infinite. I was kind, but know that I could’ve broken any and all of your spells today."

Uriel chuckled. "Uh huh."

Enoch’s lip twitched, but he acted as if he hadn’t heard.

"You’re also going to need a weapon for when you’re inevitably pulled into close-quarters combat. With your brittle bones, hand-to-hand combat is beyond ineffective."

"You’ll also have to—"

Enoch spent long minutes detailing each of their flaws, going step by step, handing out tips and solutions to everything he’d seen.

The two listened attentively.

...

An hour later, Enoch left, heading back into the house to clean himself and prepare for the outing they’d have in a few hours.

Just as Ayah was about to head inside as well, Uriel stopped her.

"Wait."

She turned to him. He sat up, still exhausted. "I have a few things I wanted your help with. Can we talk?"

Tilting her head, she smiled. "Of course! What is it?"

Uriel scratched his head, then slicked his hair back, unsure how to say what he wanted to say. Eventually, he sighed.

"I think... I have a way to create you a Class as good as Enoch’s."

Her eyes widened.

"And I think if we both use our abilities in tandem, we can create a new, unmatched path of evolution at the first step."

Her jaw dropped.

"W-what...?"

He began to explain.

...

Moments later, Ayah sat cross-legged facing Uriel, caressing her chin in deep thought, her mind mulling over dozens of plans.

"I think it can work." She looked up at him. "If we manage to create this path, and you manage to form my class, I think I’ll be able to complete my Supreme and Death Quests at once."

Uriel was elated, but hearing the second half, he frowned. "How come you still have a Death Quest?"

She shrugged. "I’m not sure, honestly. Enoch and I both received an additional one this morning, nearly the same as the last, but harder."

Uriel’s frown deepened, but with an exhale, he shook his head and relaxed.

’What kind of game is Thoryl playing?’ he thought briefly, before slotting the idea away.

"Alright," he said. "Let’s start."

Ayah nodded, then inched closer toward him, turning her back to him. Feeling his slender fingers make contact with her back, she closed her eyes, emptying her mind.

"Get closer. I think it’s better if we’re chest to back."

Opening her eyes, she turned, glaring at him.

He pulled back, suddenly feeling a chill crawl down his spine. "I-I promise, I mean—we can try without, but—"

She exhaled, then turned back. Crawling backward, she practically sat on his thighs, her back pressed against his chest.

"Ouh!"

Uriel couldn’t help but groan as her weight pressed onto him, his frail frame eclipsed by her slender yet gigantic one.

Hearing him, Ayah trembled in barely contained rage and embarrassment.

Eventually, Uriel refocused. His hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her just a bit closer, his head practically digging into her back.

"Close your eyes," he whispered.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Their hearts thundered within their chests, echoing in desync, a chaotic rhythm that filled their skulls and lulled them both into a deep state of meditation.

Slowly, Uriel’s cold body was warmed by Ayah, and vice versa, her own cooled by his abyssally cold flesh, reaching a balance.

They began to breathe in harmony, their chests rising and falling in a single loop, their hearts following, echoing as one beat, a slow, deep thudding cadence.

The rush of blood became shared, and before either of them realized, their cores harmonized, resonating as the line between their natal aethers blurred.

They lost all sense of space, and simply felt as one.

"Try and fight the emotion."

Uriel’s voice was incredibly tender, entirely inhuman, like the whispering echo of a siren drilling into Ayah’s bones, sending a tremor down her spine and pulling her deep into a realm of her own heart she didn’t know existed.

Uriel’s spark bloomed.