The deity and Cole journeyed through the tough lanes, busy streets and unique landmarks.
Cole was practically sightseeing, his eyes hopped from each medieval‑like structure, captivating statues and mesmerizing buildings. The streets were the same as Leon but not the people. Unlike the smell of perfumes Cole was accustomed to, there was a prevalent smell of choking fumes and what he perceived as incense?
Take away all those little factors and True Earth was just the same as False Earth; that realization was what disappointed Cole.
The deity before Cole had a more focused, determined air around her.
Cole's mind flashed back to her previous statement: "No matter what we have to find that potter. Nothing must hinder our steps."
"I know I'm pressed for time. But she's more adamant about this than me." Cole followed her movements like a shadow; hints of doubt lingered in his mind but he kept a lid on it. When the deity stopped, Cole did as well.
"We're here," she gazed forward with a smug look. "Katharis."
Cole was awe‑struck! His jaw was stuck open and his eyes were as big as tennis balls. Before him was a long road connecting to what could only be described as a large, inversely hovering cone‑like structure; aside from where they stood there were many roads connecting the Null Centura and Katharis like a bridge.
Beneath was a raging white storm cloud unaffected by the green moon; the clash of lightning and explosive sparks resembled a war between monsters. The city itself spiraled downwards, possibly approaching the depths, and was a cross between medieval and steam‑pinkish.
The deity walked forward without a care while Cole's feet went numb from the sight. A drop of sweat ran down his shriveled face as he forced a faltering grin.
Cole steeled his nerves and balanced his breathing, shutting his eyes to replace the frightening depiction with something less intimidating. He slowly parted his lids and stared at Katharis with newfound courage.
"I don't have time to be scared; time is ticking." Cole assured himself with encouraging words.
Even with his regained confidence, Cole still had doubts clouding his mind—not about the mission itself, but about his partner, or more accurately… his current boss. It didn't take his years of experience to notice she had ulterior motives.
The hostility oozing from her body, mixed with a subtle bloodlust she poorly masked with lively banter and her mysterious persona, was unmistakable. Cole narrowed his eyes to get a better view of the faint aura flowing through her figure; its appearance was damp and intimidating, a dark, straight cloud of visible smoke twirling around her like a tornado. She was engulfed in it.
Cole played dumb; in all honesty he had noticed this small detail since they entered the Null Centura. Many questions birthed as a result, but after all he'd witnessed, Cole dared not ask.
As they walked the bridge, the deity remained solitary. Cole, who paced behind her, gobbled up the scenery with his eyes. He still found the place a bit ugly because of the green moon, but the architecture of each building looked stunning from the distance.
They passed through the tattered gate and entered Katharis; the lack of any posted security nor any set made Cole's collected face dull. He couldn't fathom how a place so creatively built had little to no security.
The inside was repulsive; each building looked unkempt with faded paintings and crumbling structures. Cole's face stiffened from disappointment.
The deity hugged the air and spun a bit; the direction she stopped was the path they followed. Her methods continued to push Cole to his breaking point, but he kept himself at least dangling at sanity's edge.
The longer they meandered around each lane, the more Cole's composure dwindled like an exposed candle flame. The sight of wasted debris, along with the depressing smell of sweat, uncertainty and rotten waste, flooded Cole's nose.
BADUMP!
His heart squeezed tightly as if it were being gripped by a tenacious force. Cole found it increasingly difficult to move further. He staggered a bit, eventually stumbling to the ground. Cole's body was drained of strength; the expression on his face was grey and his motivation… dissipated like smoke.
"Why are you stopping now? We're almost there," she lectured with a sharp voice.
Cole lowered his head and wrapped his palm around his face. His chest wouldn't stop stinging; the pain was similar to his flesh being dipped in hot oil. His breaths became heavy, unsteady and inconsistent. The deity's words eluded him as the physical world grew distant; his eyes curled back and sank into his skull while his hearing weakened until all he heard was distortion.
'This pain, this torture, just why is it happening?' Cole's failing thoughts conjured, 'Internal rejection so soon?' she whispered.
"It didn't take long to occur; it seemed his body couldn't take it."
"Sad, I had hopes for you, Cole."
Bang!
Cole clenched the shattered rocks beneath his palm and gritted his teeth; a flame of endurance burned within his very heart.
Though his heart and mind may not have been in alignment, there was one common goal they had to accomplish.
"That deity has to be saved," he grumbled.
Cole stood up and glared at her with horrific intensity; his eyes swirled madly within their sockets as if drawn with black markers.
She responded with an equally violent stare that heated the air, focusing all her bloodlust on Cole. From the movement of simple fingers to the predatory focus, Cole and she would most likely exchange deadly blows.
"Stop it!" a boy burst out of a small shed, screaming.
The tension evaporated as both entities changed their focus.
Cole was confused by the person's identity, more importantly, whether he would have to kill him if he realized Cole's identity.
She, on the other hand, felt completely different. Her lips stretched and receded, flickering between a deranged grin and a shocked frown. The look in her eyes was dense and unsettling, like a glass of undissolved ice. Her blood‑thirsty aura was gone, replaced with an eerie presence looming beside, within, and above. A presence Cole could feel and relate to too well.
"Truly, Cole…" she covered her expression with her palm, but a part of a grin and bright eyes slipped through. "…Your luck needs to be studied."