Sarah opened her eyes.
Her hand instinctively moved to the gaping hole in her stomach. Strangely enough, no blood was spilling from it. In fact, she didn't even feel any pain.
Sarah looked around. 'Where am I?' She stood up, having no trouble doing so despite the literal hole in her stomach. She rubbed her butt, realising the hard surface she was sitting on. It was stone. She looked around once more. She seemed to be in some kind of broken temple. Rocks were slowly falling. A piece of the sky could be seen. It was completely white. No sun, no moon and no clear blue sky. Just white.
'This place isn't Alesia.' Sarah widened her eyes. Getting to her feet immediately, she ran to the open entrance.
"Mum! Dad! Malrik! Where are you?" All she could see was endless white space. The castle seemed to be floating on fragile rock. Sarah stepped back as a piece of the edge dropped into nothingness. "I-I'm scared."
"There is no need to be scared, little girl."
A voice suddenly spoke up. Sarah quickly swerved around. She fell to the floor as she saw the scene in front of her. Hanging on the wall was Nova Lira. Blood was dripping from her mouth, and the creature's leg was sticking out from her torso. Sarah could have sworn she would vomit, but nothing came out. This didn't stop her from hyperventilating as her eyes were glued to the corpse.
"Oh brother… I didn't realise I was going to be dealing with this again. What's this, the 50th, 100th time this week? You humans sure are emotional for creatures with such a short lifespan."
Suddenly, a white orb of light appeared next to Sarah. CRACK! A small crack formed before the whole bulb broke into pieces and shone a bright light, illuminating the area. From the bright light, a humanoid form materialised. Once it died down, all Sarah could see was a transparent being standing next to her. Inside the middle of his chest shone a white light.
"Wha-what are you? A-are you a god? Am I dead?"
A whole second passed before the thing grabbed Sarah's shoulder and shook her violently.
"What do you get off, calling me a god?! Are you trying to get me replaced, man!? They will kill me if they hear I am being treated as a god, you clueless, insignificant creature!"
Sarah felt like she would pass out any moment. "Please stop, I'm sorry,"
The being calmed down, crossing his arms in annoyance. If the thing had a face, Sarah would swear it was frowning right now. 'This thing is like a baby… Reminds me of Malrik.'
"Stop comparing me to your adopted brother," spoke the being, much to Sarah's shock.
"You… you can hear me?!"
"Of course I can," it stated, like it was some written fact. "And since you're so eager to know my identity, listen closely because I will only say this once."
The being raised his hands as a strange sun appeared behind him.
"I am not a god; I am a Law. I am the Law of all magic and the one who distributes all Titles. I do not exist to be worshipped by you mortals. I exist to guide your beliefs and bring them into reality. So, to answer your question, what am I? What I am is the Law of Recognition!"
--- Stadium ---
Dain and Elara looked up to see the Demon descending on them through the air. Elara quickly jumped towards it, plunging her spear right through the beast. Dain disappeared and instantly appeared next to the Demon, swinging with his sword and slicing its head in half.
Seeing this, the kids cheered. However, it wasn't over. Still headless, the Demon grabbed the spear, took it out and delivered a vicious kick to Elara, sending her flying into the wall. Dain tried disappearing and appearing in front of him to deliver another sword strike, but the Demon's head had regrown itself, and it knew exactly where Dain was. It grabbed Dain, turned around and threw him into the wall. It then inhaled deeply, then let out a spiralling shockwave towards Dain, its loud screeching ringing in everyone's ears.
Dain had no time to teleport, as he was smashed into the wall again, unable to get out. The shockwave intensified, plunging Dain deeper into the wall.
"Dad!"
Malrik tried to run to his father, but the girl stopped him. He turned around.
"What are you doing?"
"Are you crazy? That Demon is taking on a Champion. What makes you think you can help your father? You don't even have a Title," barked the girl. Malrik swatted the hand away.
"So? You expect me to just stand here and watch him die!?"
"No, but getting involved is just going to get you killed. Your father is Blinking Star, trust me, he will be fine."
"I don't get it, though." The boy clenched his fists. "My dad is super-fast. How is the Demon even able to keep up?"
"Your dad is using magic to teleport. Bending time and space to move from one place to the next. It's an incredible, deadly ability, but it has a flaw. Dain's magic is too noticeable; all the Demon has to do is sense his magic, and he can tell where Mr Aurelion is going to appear."
As Dain continued suffering, he started considering his last resort. However, suddenly, Elara appeared behind the Demon, her spear spinning above her. She quickly swung with a downward slash at the Demon, but the Demon stopped its scream and moved its body out of the way, letting Elara miss her attack, falling beside it. As Elara fell, the creature attacked with a punch. However, Dain suddenly appeared, plunging his sword into the side of its fist. Seeing this, Elara quickly grabbed Dain's leg as Dain swung her towards the Demon. The Demon roared in pain as Elara thrust her spear into its torso.
"Where is its core? We need to end this bastard!"
With his golden eyes, Dain quickly scanned the Demon. The monster used one of its legs to pierce Elara, but she quickly jumped back, leaving her spear. A large hand cannon suddenly appeared in her hands as she aimed it at the Demon.
"Where? Dain!"
Channelling magic through his arms, Dain ripped off the Demon's hand. He cartwheeled back and disappeared. He appeared again in front of the Demon and sent a magic-enhanced kick, sending it flying into the wall.
"It's the fifth leg on the right. That's where it is!"
Elara quickly aimed for where the Demon had crashed. The Demon slowly crawled out, its eyes fixed on Elara with furious passion.
"It's finally going to end."
The white-haired girl stared with anticipation as Malrik looked at her with confusion.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, to kill a Demon, you need to destroy its inner core. Now that they know where it is, all Mrs Aurelion has to do is shoot the spot."
"What if Mum misses?"
The girl looked at Malrik with shock, stunned at the words coming out of his mouth.
"That's your mum you're talking about."
She looked at him like the answer should be obvious, as Malrik just stared back, confused as always. The girl sighed.
"Your mum's Title is Sheltered Weapon. It allows her to instantaneously create any weapon she desires. Not only that, it also gives her incredible skill in any weapon she creates. Your mum has never missed a shot, and she isn't going to start now."
The tension between the three combatants was as thick as their magical aura. Each eye was locked on the other, studying their opponent and preparing their final moves.
Dain frowned. 'That Demon isn't stupid; it must know we have it checkmated. So why hasn't it moved? Why hasn't it done anything to try to escape?'
The Demon stayed locked in place, seemingly having no intention of moving. It stared at Elara with a smirk on its face, daring her to take the shot. Sweat dripped from the woman's face.
'It's planning something.'
Elara's finger rested on the trigger, itching to press. She had to make this shot for her family. This shot was riding on their safety and the safe return of her daughter. Her grip tightened. The world had stopped before her like it had always done. Just like all those times, there were stakes—stakes she was ready to send to hell.
She looked over at her husband, searching for instructions on when to shoot. After a few minutes had passed, he finally looked back and nodded.
As soon as that nod registered, time sped up. The monster suddenly grabbed a large rock, throwing it at Elara, who started shooting. The monster wasted no time moving around as Elara trailed it with her gun.
Smiles attached themselves to everyone's faces. The monster was done, and it was only a matter of time before Elara caught up. Malrik looked over at his fallen sister. 'We've got this, sis. Now you just need to come back to us.'
He suddenly heard the sounds of shooting stop. He looked over to see the monster still hunched over, triumphantly. He then looked over at his mother before widening his eyes.
Elara suddenly felt something breathe on her. A large shadow covered her from the light, making her freeze. Dain and the children widened their eyes as the Hollow Echo grinned. With everyone distracted, the Demon let out a loud shriek of sound waves, which smashed into Dain's back.
Meanwhile, Elara quickly turned around, only to see a large sword come flying at her face. With pure instinct, she lifted her arms and summoned a shield. The large sword collided with the shield like a train. Elara felt her muscles vibrate from the impact. She sent magic to her feet to stand her ground.
Malrik stumbled back, staring in shock at the scene taking place. The white-haired girl also looked shaken.
"Wha-what's going on?"
"I-it's another Demon!"
They stared at the giant Demon towering over their mum. The beast held an enormous crimson sword. A massive, feathered cloak—deep red like blood—billowed behind it, thrashing in the wind as the thing clashed with the woman. Its legs bent like a kangaroo's, but they were sleek, black, and metallic, clanking with each movement.
On its head sat a twisted knight's helmet, the mouthpiece jagged like a lightning bolt, revealing nothing inside but a seething, glowing red which dripped like molten lava. The Demon finally overpowered Elara, sending her crashing into several buildings. Malrik was convinced she had landed on the other side of the city… maybe even dead.
The two children stared in horror as the dark purple magical aura restricted their movements. The violet words revealed themselves above, exposing its cursed identity.
The Nightmare Vesper
--- With Sarah ---
"So, to answer your question, what am I? What I am is the Law of Recognition!"
Sarah stared at the being in front of her. "Am I dead, or am I just hallucinating? Where am I?"
"Technically… you're dead," answered the Law, as Sarah widened her eyes. "Now, as for where you are, well…"
The being looked around and sighed. He lazily kicked a piece of a brick pole, making the whole thing collapse before them.
"This unfortunate place is your Mind Realm. Pretty depressing, huh?"
"What do you mean, my Mind Realm!?" Sarah glanced around her in surprise, staring at the broken palace she was in.
"Let me put this in terms a human can understand. This is the realm of your mind. Every sentient being has an inner realm, shaped by their beliefs, fears and memories. Yours happens to be… well, this."
The judgy voice from the Law couldn't be hidden as he eyed the place like royalty spawning in the slums.
"But it's so empty and fractured. I didn't choose this."
Sarah looked at her idol, still impaled on the wall. Her face… it was so hard to forget. Her pained expression, the way her eyes teared up like she was going through a breakup. The blood leaking out like a tap, the hand curled up like boxing gloves, covering up the pain inside. Every detail was exactly how she remembered it.
Sarah looked to her left before stumbling back, unable to withhold her stunned sound. She stared at a different memory, one just as painful—her own father, violating a different woman from her mother. The man was an animal. His predatory expression, his lustful touch. The woman, enjoying every minute of it, her legs wrapped around him like he was her precious possession.
She wasn't sure if this was actually what happened, but this was how she remembered it. She couldn't deny the undeniable fact that her father was a cheater, a liar.
The being watching slowly walked up to her.
"Of course you didn't choose it, no one completely chooses who they are and what they want to be, not even the gods themselves. However, you did shape it. That's what beliefs and memories do. They either create or destroy the world around you."
Suddenly, the roof above them collapsed, landing through them like projectiles. Sarah stood up as the two faced each other.
"Your father's affair. Your idol's death. Two people who were your world, your fortress, your protection."
The Law of Recognition placed its transparent hand on Sarah's forehead. The world around her began to turn white for the girl as she started feeling sleepy.
"It is up to you to decide what you will be reborn as. A girl who will let her problems and experiences make everything she has crumble, or one who will rebuild and expand on what she still has."
As those words settled in, Sarah entered into nothingness.