Bruce’s voice echoed through the dark space for a few moments before fading away.
The eyes of the being that had opened stared out, unfocused, as their dim intensity slowly sharpened. An indeterminate stretch of time passed before a voice rang out through the space once more, different this time, belonging to the figure itself.
"Ah, it’s you. I’d almost forgotten you existed."
The voice was hoarse, a little broken, as if the being were learning to speak in that very moment. The words came slow, as though it were weighing each one carefully, making sure of what it meant to say.
None of this seemed to trouble Bruce, who remained silent, as if silence alone said everything that needed saying.
The being didn’t speak again right away either, seeming to mull something over before opening its mouth once more.
"Strange. You shouldn’t be here.. it’s too soon for this," it said, still with a hint of uncertainty in its voice, as if it were digging through memories from entire eras long since gone.
"Hmm. The seal has been compromised. It’s deteriorating far faster than it should. I can only assume your presence here means there’s been a shift in plans too large for you to manage on your own," the being said, its voice a little steadier now, as if it had examined the situation enough to reach a conclusion.
[That’s correct. The seal on the Abyss has been compromised. The first signs have already begun to surface. It won’t be long before a large-scale invasion arrives,] Bruce said, his voice devoid of much emotion, as if the words themselves meant nothing to him.
"I see. But that doesn’t explain why you decided to open this dimension so soon... unless..."
The being’s words trailed off, as if another possibility had just occurred to it. But before it could voice its doubts, Bruce’s voice rang out once again.
[He’s here too,] he said simply, and that alone seemed to finally provoke a reaction from the being.
"He’s here? Why? It’s not time yet. This cycle only just began. He shouldn’t be ready to come here yet. What’s going on?"
The being’s voice sounded confused as it searched for some reason to justify what it had just heard.
[This time, his growth has been rapid. His assimilation with the other fragments is progressing very quickly, as is his grasp of the fundamental concepts.]
[I’m sure you can already sense it yourself. His evolution has already reached an ideal point to move on to the next step,] Bruce said, his words echoing through the space, and through the mind of the being, who seemed to lose itself in contemplation for a moment.
Several seconds passed. Then minutes. And then... after an unknown stretch of time, it finally spoke again, its voice noticeably different this time, no longer the tired, lifeless tone from before, but something more energetic.
"I can sense his presence now... Finally... this cursed nightmare is finally coming to an end."
The being’s words rang with something like joy, as if it had just found something it had long since stopped hoping to find.
Bruce said nothing, staying silent and letting the being pour itself out. Eventually it calmed down, but unlike him, the space around it began to change.
"I can feel it... he’s about to take the next step. I understand why you’re here now. It’s time for me to return to the original," it said, as the surrounding space began to grow turbulent.
The dark clouds started glowing with a greenish-gray light, swirling around the being. Two bright flashes burst from what looked like its head and its chest, one an intense dark blue, the other green.
The dark sphere suspended in the air, bound by its chains, began to tremble, visible cracks starting to spread across its surface.
"My friend, then I suppose we’ll see each other again soon. I only hope the circumstances are kinder to us this time," the being’s voice rang out one last time, weaker now, as if it were fading out.
[I hope so too,] Bruce’s voice answered, followed by an invisible force that seized the two sparks of blue and green light and pulled them into a strange, translucent blue casing etched with strange symbols.
It hovered there for an instant before shrinking rapidly and vanishing from the spot entirely.
The moment that happened, the black sphere began to collapse. Cracks spread across its entire surface, pieces starting to slide loose and fall, but before they touched the ground, they dissolved into dark particles.
The thick, massive chains binding it began to fall one after another as well, the heavy sound of their impact cracking the ground in several places.
They lay there on the snow covered earth, driven into the ground under their own weight, for an unknown stretch of time, before they too began showing changes.
Strange symbols started appearing across their surfaces, covering every inch of them, symbols that began fading away one by one from the broken ends inward, as if whatever had been feeding them was no longer there.
While all this was happening, in an area of the forest near the Catskill Mountains, several Forsaken could be seen scattered across the ground, all dead, some mutilated, others simply lying there with no visible wounds, all of them crumbling into particles of light.
At the center of the massacre stood Evan, sword raised, staring down at the massive Forsaken in beneath him.
He looked at the pitiful figure, and without hesitation, brought the blade down.
The sword pierced straight through the creature’s chest without mercy.
[Ding! You have slain a B-Rank (Advanced-Stage) Forsaken!]
[You have earned +10,000,000 ESS]
The Forsaken’s massive body stopped moving beneath him, its form already starting to crumble into particles of light. In no time at all, its body dissolved completely, leaving nothing behind but a ravaged battlefield, scars of the fight, and three figures standing among the wreckage.
"Hmm, that should do it," Evan said, as his clones began to disappear from the spot, Ash returning to him, Shadow returning to Lirien.
[Ding! You have reached 100% ESS]
[Processing...]
[Ding! Advancement mission available!]
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