Inside her room, Kourin stared at Carmilla for several seconds. The woman before her undoubtedly looked real. Her white hair flowed gently from the evening breeze coming through the window. Her red eyes were staring directly at Kourin with relief. The person before her is the real deal.
The real Carmilla.
Yet something was wrong.
This was her dream.
A place she had created to escape everything outside. A dissociative act. It shouldn't have been possible for anyone to be able to enter. Perhaps not even Morgwyn herself could ever manage to do that.
"Carmilla..."
"Yes?"
Kourin slowly raised her hand and pointed at her.
"How are you here? This place..." Kourin gestured around her room. "This isn't real. I know for a fact that I am dreaming."
Carmilla held up a smile.
Kourin walked toward the window and looked outside.
Recca was still watering the flowers.
People were walking through the streets of Aurelius.
The sun remained perpetually stuck near the horizon.
Everything was exactly how Kourin remembered it.
"This is my dream," Kourin continued. "Nobody has ever been able to enter this place before. Everything happened here happens on a loop. A solace before her experimentation continued."
"It's one of my spells." She continued.
"A spell?"
"Yes. One that I created myself." Carmilla walked toward Kourin before looking outside the window with her.
"I call it 'Engage'. Specifically made to engage dreams. Rather than simply observing someone's dream, I can temporarily enter it and interact with the person dreaming."
Kourin stared at her.
"You created something like that?"
Carmilla nodded. "I originally created it because..." She paused. For a moment, her expression became melancholic. "...I wanted to speak with Illias one more time before her death."
Kourin's eyes widened slightly.
Carmilla continued looking outside.
"I didn't know whether it would work. At the time, I didn't even know if what I was attempting could be considered proper magic. I simply knew what I wanted to do."
"What you dreamed of doing." Kourin said.
Carmilla turned toward her.
Kourin nodded almost immediately as if everything suddenly made sense. "So it's true."
"What is?" Carmilla asked.
"Indeed. You possess the power of Dreams." Kourin said with certainty.
Carmilla's expression changed. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "How is it that you know of this?" Kourin remained silent for a moment before showing a smile.
"It's because I was the one who researched it."
Carmilla blinked. "What?"
"I was one of the pioneers in researching magical energy." Kourin walked toward her bed and sat on its edge. "Before Psytelier. Before all of this happened. I spent my years researching magical energy. Even to the point of how it reacted differently depending on human psychological states."
Carmilla listened quietly.
"Even though back then, before 2020. Magical energy is hardly ever found, I manage to gather it. Back then, it was like a ghost particles much like Neutrinos. Which needed dense materials such as pure water of Antarctic ice to even detect it. Moving on, from 2012 I manage to save up magical energy to finally experiment. One of the most interesting thing was that It is so influenced by their surroundings particularly human emotion that is currently touching it. Hence, I began suspecting that magical energy followed three primary paths."
Kourin raised three fingers.
"Hope." One finger lowered.
"Determination." Another finger lowered.
"And Dreams." Only one remained.
Carmilla red eyes stared at Kourin's hand. "The three paths of magical energy..."
"That was what I suspected." Kourin said closing her eyes briefly.
Carmilla slowly nodded. "Then before joining Psytelier..." She looked directly at Kourin. "You must have been a researcher born in this world."
"Yes. I am." Kourin gave her a faint smile.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. It had been so long since Kourin had talked about herself. At least, in her mind it has been that long.
"So..." Kourin looked toward Carmilla. "Tell me what happened outside. What has transpired since I went missing."
Carmilla sat beside her. And so they talked.
Carmilla told her about United Front. About Zuatha. About the Artifact War. About Thalamik. About Raymed. About everything that had happened while Kourin disappeared.
For what felt like hours, Kourin listened.
Sometimes asking questions.
Sometimes laughing at something insignificant.
Sometimes becoming completely silent.
Until eventually...
"I see..."
Kourin lowered her head.
"So that's what happened."
Carmilla looked toward her.
"Then, what should we do, Princess Kohime?"
Kourin's eyes immediately sharpened.
Her relaxed expression disappeared.
"In any case, we must prevent the gigantic Black Ring from ever being manifested."
"The Black Ring..."
"Up until now, the person who will ultimately create it could be anyone."
Kourin began counting names on her fingers.
"Zuatha. Lizwell. Puck. Or perhaps someone we don't even know about yet. My guess, Faker is probably in it as well."
Her hand tightened into a fist. "But it cannot be allowed to manifest."
Carmilla spoke. "What happens if it does?"
Kourin looked toward her.
"The end of the world. Ars will manifest with all his Envoys and take over our world as we know it." That answer surprised Carmilla.
Kourin stood. "To stop it, we need the power of the other two."
"The other two?"
"Hope and Determination."
Kourin turned around.
"How have they been faring?"
Carmilla immediately understood. "Raymed and Thalamik..."
"Yes." Kourin nodded.
Carmilla hesitated to answer. That hesitation alone told Kourin that something was wrong. "What happened?"
"They..." Carmilla struggled to find the right words. "They aren't what they used to be."
Kourin remained silent.
"Raymed still believes in Thalamik. At least... I think he does. But their goals are beginning to contradict each other."
"Contradict?"
"Thalamik has changed."
Carmilla lowered her gaze.
"He's become much more aggressive. Much more willing to do things Raymed would never approve of. And Raymed..."
"...Would try to stop him." Kourin continued completing Carmilla's sentence.
"Yes."
Kourin's expression weakened. "So they're rivals now?"
"I don't know if I would call them enemies." Carmilla thought for a moment. "But they're heading toward different directions."
Kourin closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."
Carmilla looked at her. Kourin's expression was remorseful. "This is all my fault." she said.
"No." Carmilla interject.
Kourin opened her eyes.
Carmilla's response was immediate. "It wasn't anyone's fault except the people who did it." Her voice became firmer."Puck, Zuatha, and Lizwell."
Kourin stared at Carmilla.
"You are a victim of what they chose to do. Don't take responsibility for their decisions." Carmilla said with convincing eyes.
"..."
Kourin smiled faintly. "You're strangely good at saying things like that." She let out a quiet laugh. But it disappeared quickly. "We still need them. We need both of them if we want to prevent the Black Ring from ever coming to fruition."
She walked toward the window.
Then stopped.
"And one more thing."
Carmilla waited.
"Be careful of Morgwyn."
Carmilla's eyes widened.
"Morgwyn?"
"Despite everything she has done right..."
Kourin's voice became colder.
"She is still another betrayer at heart."
Carmilla immediately stood.
"What do you mean?"
"I remember it."
Kourin pressed a hand against her forehead.
"I remember perfectly the moment Morgwyn..."
She gritted her teeth.
"...the woman who used to be my muse..."
Her breathing became heavier.
"...betrayed me."
"Morgwyn betrayed you once before?"
"When I was still a researcher, I had a habit of daydreaming."
Kourin closed her eyes.
"Sometimes when research wasn't progressing. Sometimes when I was tired. Sometimes because reality simply became boring."
She smiled bitterly.
"And during those dreams..."
"She appeared?"
"Yes."
Kourin opened her eyes.
"A woman with white hair."
"White eyes."
"A blurred face."
Carmilla remained completely silent.
"She encouraged me."
Kourin continued.
"She praised my research. Gave me ideas. Pointed me toward possibilities I had never considered before."
"Until eventually..."
Kourin's hands started trembling.
"...she convinced me to help construct a gargantuan mana extractor."
Carmilla's expression hardened.
"What kind?"
"One designed to pierce deep into the Earth."
Kourin looked toward the floor.
"The original proposal was to extract mana from beneath the planet and redistribute it evenly throughout Earth."
"Why?"
"At the time, we believed magical energy distribution was low. Some places had too much. Others had almost none."
Kourin laughed quietly.
"By bringing magical energy to the world. We thought we were going to fix the world. Imagine the possibilities magical energy could have impacted. Creating water from Hydrogen. Creating fire from oxygen."
Then her expression disappeared.
"But now..."
She looked at Carmilla.
"If I cross-reference everything I know about Morgwyn..."
Kourin's eyes narrowed.
"I don't think she ever intended to redistribute anything."
Carmilla immediately understood.
"She was trying to extract magical energy from this world, and send it to hers."
Kourin nodded.
"Most likely. For Ars."
"To defeat Ars once and for all."
Carmilla's fists tightened.
"What happened to your research team?"
Kourin froze.
Her lips parted.
But for several seconds, nothing came out.
Then—
"Corrupted mana."
Her voice became quiet.
"The machine spread corrupted magical energy throughout the entire research group."
Images flashed through her mind.
People screaming.
Hands turning black.
Researchers collapsing against laboratory floors.
Something moving underneath human skin.
Kourin grabbed her head.
"Everyone..."
"Kourin?"
"Everyone..."
Her legs weakened.
Carmilla immediately caught her.
"Kourin!"
"I was the only one spared."
"How?"
"Because she made a deal with me."
Kourin's breathing became increasingly erratic.
"A deal?"
"She would save me."
Kourin laughed.
"But in exchange..."
Her fingers dug against her scalp.
"...she would possess my body."
Carmilla's eyes widened.
"For how long?"
"I don't know!"
Kourin shouted.
The dream around them flickered.
The streets outside disappeared for a fraction of a second.
The walls shook.
Recca vanished.
Kourin stared blankly ahead.
"I don't know how long."
Her breathing slowed.
"And afterward..."
She swallowed.
"...my memories would be erased."
Carmilla held her shoulders.
"Kourin."
"My head..."
"Are you okay?" Carmilla asked caressing her head.
"I don't know."
Kourin gripped Carmilla's arm.
"I genuinely don't know anymore."
Tears began forming in her eyes.
"My memories have been destroyed, restored, rearranged, suppressed..."
She laughed weakly.
"And whatever Lizwell has been doing to me isn't helping."
"Kourin..."
"I can't even be sure what I'm telling you right now is accurate."
Her voice trembled.
"I remember Morgwyn."
"I remember the machine."
"I remember the research team."
"I remember making the deal."
"But..."
Kourin looked desperately toward Carmilla.
"What if some of it isn't real?"
Carmilla couldn't answer.
"What if Lizwell changed something?"
"Kourin..."
She placed both hands against her head.
"What if Morgwyn changed something?"
Then suddenly—
Kourin stopped.
Her expression became eerily calm.
"Carmilla."
"Yes?"
"Please help me."
Carmilla stared at her.
"Of course."
"Delete my memories."
Carmilla's eyes widened.
"I can't possibly..."
"Please. Delete my memories again."
"Kourin, what are you saying?"
"I've been experimented here." Kourin looked directly into Carmilla's eyes. "Lizwell Von Wistik's laboratory."
"Where?"
"South America."
Carmilla immediately memorized it.
"An underground laboratory somewhere in South America. That's where my real body is."
"Then we can find you."
"Yes."
Carmilla grabbed Kourin's hands.
"We'll rescue you."
"I know."
"Then why would you want me to erase your memories?"
Kourin stared toward their joined hands.
"Because I don't know how much longer I can function."
Carmilla went silent.
"You saw me outside, didn't you?"
"..."
"My body."
Carmilla closed her eyes tightening her grip.
"The extraction."
"...Yes."
"They've done it a thousand times."
Kourin smiled.
"I don't even know how long I've been here anymore."
Her smile trembled.
"No worries, I will do that for you." A man with tricorn hat appeared.
***
Carmilla awoke from her meditation. Opening her eyes revealing Thalamik, Raymed, and Grand Saint Veuz in front of her. "Kourin is in South America, Lizwell Von Wistik region, In her underground laboratory. What's more, there's a person who interrupted me. A man with tricorn hat! His name was... Faker?"
Red sparks appeared on Ray's eyes. He opened the window before saying, "I'll be there in a few secs."
"Will you be needing backup?" Thalamik asked softly.
"Unecessary." Raymed replied.
"I am coming with you Ray!" Carmilla said as Ray carried her on his back.
"Oi. Becareful not to kill anyone!."
"Will do." He said before exiting through the window soaring through the sky levitating followed with burst of light energy piercing through the air.
"Won't you follow him?" Grand Saint Veuz asked.
"Nope. He can handle this himself. I have more tasking things to do."
"I assume, it's related to Zuatha."
"Haha. Wouldn't you like to know?" Thalamik turned before Veuz.
"Thalamik. The path you are pursuing won't lead you to find any meaning in life. You know that right?" Grand Saint Veuz said in a sad face.
"My. My. Grand Saint. For once, Thalamik already died." He turned to look at her with flaming blue magical energy in his right eye. "You're pacifistic way of approaching conflict doesn't work on Zuatha, Lizwell, or Puck. The only right solution is combat."
"Then do you intend to set an example? To fight conflicts always with force and power?"
"A diplomats like you won't understand anything Grand Saint. Go back on praying and healing for all I care! I, on the other hand, will kill every last obstacle until I get to the Demon King." Thalamik said before closing the door with a scornful smile.
Tears fell from her face.
Alone inside her office at the academy.
Grand Saint Veuz weeps as she joins her hands.
"How could my pursue of peace ever brought this tragedy upon the heroes." She said before crying once again.
***
SLANG SLANG SLANG
SHRANG!!!
Chains and needles around Kourin was slashed.
The needles that administered sedatives were now pouring the liquid around.
"What a difficult sight to see. What would Raymed think seeing his lover like this?" A man with tricorn hat said.
Kourin slowly opened her eyes weakly. "You... are..."
"Faker. We have met before in your homeland."
"Fa...Ker..."
"You cannot die here, Kourin. I will guarantee that. On my life, I will protect you until your boyfriend comes here." Faker took out his blade as hundreds of dark elves surround him and Kourin.
"But first."
A snake suddenly appeared and bites Kourin on the arm.
"AAAK!"
"The pain will subside slowly. As per your request. I will erase your memories once more."
The snake went away disappearing into the air. Kourin's left palm was now marked by some kind of tattoo. "A seal?" She said before fainting on the chair she was experimented upon.
"Now to buy time."
Faker charged at the dark elf soldiers with sword in hand slashing towards some of them. He fights in almost acrobatic style jumping from one person to the other. But then the odd thing happened.
He disappeared.
The dark elves look everywhere but it had almost seem like. They didn't even remember what they were fighting. He materialized behind them thrusting his blade into several soldiers before pushing them all with his feet.
Blood decorated his outfit, yet he didn't seem bothered.
From behind him, a snake head appeared as it began to devour the dead soldiers.
The soldiers stared in horror of what they are witnessing.
"What's wrong? Afraid you will get eaten?" Faker said as he lits a cigarette.
Then suddenly a surge of magical energy began to fill the laboratory. Red light encompasses the rooms like a digital scanner. Everything was scaned in a span of miliseconds.
"He is here!"
The ground suddenly grumbles.
***
Arriving at the laboratory location.
Raymed and Carmilla dropped down.
Focusing his magical energy, Ray casted his Alterity. Red light stretched in omnidirectional area. His eyes widened and said, "Found her." He said flying to the sky, summoning his white armor and Blastur.
"Ray, you surely aren't..." Carmilla asked.
"I am.." Ray spun gaining speed as he fly to the sky. The movement like of a drill.
"GIGA DRILL BREAK!" Ray motioned himself into a drill like entity began piercing through the ground.
Carmilla smiled and said, "He still do stupid stuff like this. But it is Ray."
Floor after floor of the laboratory was drilled down by Raymed until he finally stops his movement safely landing in the ground. He was now on floor 6th. The scenery before him unfolds, as Kourin was still unconscious on a chair. A man with tricorn hat was standing in front of her with several dark elf soldiers at his feet.
"Hero. It's good to see you again." Faker said lifting his cigarette.
"Ray, this is the person who I last saw."
Seeing the scenery, Raymed understood that he is the one who unchained Kourin. He began to walk uncaringly towards him.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"I don't mean for any trouble."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Raymed stayed silent as he was now side by side with Faker.
"You got some explaining to do." Ray said continuing to hold Kourin's hand. "Kourin..." He said.
"I am afraid she is still unconscious. Won't be long before she wakes up. I am afraid it's a minor side-effect of my ability."
"Ability?" Carmilla asked.
"I will explain on the way, we should get out of here."
"What about Lizwell?" Carmilla asked.
"We got what we came for. Next time, we will deal with her."
Faker nods pointing through the hole, Raymed has made.
***
Kourin was carried on Raymed's back.
Carmilla walked in front beside of Faker.
"I can eat a person and gain their memories as my own. However, it isn't perfect. Since I am not a Hero nor have I been chosen by an Artifact, I can't get the entire picture, but all I get are glimpses of a person's memory."
"I see. Memory. How can you accomplish such a feat?"
"I won't tell you now. I am just here to return my favor to Raymed."
Faker looks to Raymed and said, "I am glad to give you a hand. I know from the news that Zuatha was already taken care of. So, it's only logical to went and take down Lizwell. I found leads that they might've been on cahoots. But, it does takes a lot of time to locate her."
"To be honest. I am not entirely sure whether to trust you or not. More or less due to this curse mark, you gave to Kourin."
"Ah, that. That is a curse mark to seal her memories away. She had requested it in her..."
"Dreams..." Carmilla said. She went on and explained Kourin's experience to Raymed.
His expression turned dark. If only he wasn't holding Kourin right now. Even Blastur would've been cracked. Magical energy fiercely hover around him. But, he controlled his anger with deep breaths.
"We must stay calm. For anger is what Lizwell wants. You two, should be heading back to United Front soon. I will take off here." As Faker walks slowly he smiled putting out his cigarette before slowly disappearing.
"We won't understand his motives now I guess. But, maybe in the near future." Carmilla walks to the direction of the port. Raymed however isn't moving a muscle.
"Carmilla, will you hold Kourin? Make sure she is safe?" Raymed said slowly descending Kourin's body.
"Ray, you can't seriously..."
He didn't mutter another word.
"I will make sure she is safe. I trust you won't do anything rash. Promise me you won't kill anyone."
"I do. Now get out of here." Ray said before turning his back on her.
Carmilla lift Kourin on her shoulder as she starts levitating away from where Raymed is standing. As they went away far enough, Raymed gritted his teeth revealing his red eyes flaming with magical energy.
"Bunch of fuckers." Raymed said as he gathers magical energy all around him slowly distorting the enviroment. "AAAA!!!!!!!" He screams as he began charging to the laboratory once more.
"HALT! YOU MUST NOT PASS!" Dark elf armies stood in his way.
"GO TO HELL!!!" Raymed strike a kicking pose as his sheer strength manage to break the barricade of shields sending them all flying away from him. Entering through the main door, Raymed faced every soldier with fearsome strength.
A punch to the gut that was enough to send a person flying 3 meters away from him.
A punch to the jaw that was enough to send a person crashing on the ceiling.
A kick that was enough to send a person 1 floor below.
An elbow that was enough to break a person's ribcage.
A choke that was enough to make a person asyphxiate.
When he encountered a door, Raymed broke it down with his magical energy rupturing around the room. Every technology he encountered was overflown by mana that it was destroyed in almost an instant. He made trips from top to down with one thing in mind.
"Destroy any projects Lizwell has and find her once for all."
***
Watching the destruction inside a panic room, Lizwell bites her fingernails. Raymed moved like a beast securing every floor and destroying every technology Lizwell has ever built. Initiating the remote protection units several canons and turrets at Raymed.
He effortlessly dodged the projectiles of magical ballista and canon ball.
Walking past the objects, he concentrated his mana like magical energy on his hand like an orb before crushing it. "Rupture." He said, In an instant every technology there was blown to pieces even the security camera suddenly went offline.
Lizwell was on floor 13.
Raymed has just cleared floor 4 with ease.
"Everyone standby! You are to fight that person till you die."
Then the lights flicker inside the facility.
"It can't be! He destroyed the generator in floor 5 already?"
Floor 6 was where Kourin was previously held. It was now in total darkness due to Raymed destroying the generator supplying it on floor 5. What was seen through the CCTV was a figure in black with red eyes was flurrying through the halls destroying everything accompanied by the screams of soldier.
One thing was on Lizwell's mind. Her 'Death' was soon and absolute.
CCTVs on floor 10 was destroyed Raymed was on floor 11 already. Her last line of defense consists of Elite Elven Guards will surely slow her down. In the CCTV footage Raymed twist both arms on one of the guards before using him to throw at the other guards.
In floor 12, Lizwell prized possession the Thousand Elven Guard Robot halted Raymed's path. He slowly walks towards all of them, "Rupture" He said as all of the robot was destroyed in a instant. Walking to the door of the final floor Raymed broke it with just his hand throwing it away.
He walks to floor 13. Which turns out to be a spacious room. A panic room but also a mini laboratory for Lizwell von Wistik to hide. "Haha..." Lizwell laughed nervously. Before her, A man with fearsome look was piercing at her with just the look of his eyes. He walks slowly towards her.
"Wait. There's been a misunderstanding..."
Slowly Raymed is getting closer.
"I will give you anything you want."
Raymed puts his hand on Lizwell's neck before lifting her up to the air. "What I want is your 'Death'." He said slowly strengthening his grip. Red magical energy surged around him.
"KUACK! I will... Never do it... AGai....n I pr..o...m..ise..."
Raymed didn't replied as he grip harder.
"AAACKKK!!!"
His teeth grinding as he slowly scream. "AAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Then a drop of water sounded behind him.
He suddenly remembered what Thalamik had done to Zuatha.
Isn't what Raymed was trying to do the same as him?
The same as Thalamik who Raymed deemed is on the wrong direction.
'This is not right' Raymed thought.
I must let go.
I must let go.
I am... better.
Raymed lets go of his grip as Lizwell fell down.
But he was already too long choking her.
He drops down to check her vitals showing that she was just unconscious.
He took a deep sigh and said, "I am glad she was still alive." Lifting Lizwell on her collar, Raymed drag her on the way outside of the laboratory.
***
Meanwhile, in the great forest of King Oberon.
Inferno was engulfing the entire place.
A beast burning the whole area to the ground.
Fey folk running here and there in panic.
Thalamik looked at the scenery and asked, "Who the heck did this?"
"GRUAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The beast levitating on the sky roared through the night.
It was a calamity.
The Calamity of Flame.