Soul's Requiem: B1 - 1. The Apocalypse (Patreon)

PoV:

1. Clover Emberfield (Our High Lady MC!)

Soul's Requiem Index

-------------

“Is Perfection found in oneself or in the service of others?” - Clover Emberfield, The Lost Diaries, Vol. I.

-------------

The saliva in Clover’s mouth dried as the ground filled with a murky, shadowy substance, and four wolf-like hounds only slightly smaller than her original quarry materialized out of it—the same type of creature that killed her family. How did she get into this situation? Everything felt so off after she’d fallen from the heavens, and these strange creatures assaulting her didn’t fill her with dread...instead, clarity bloomed in Clover’s chest, and a small smile lifted her cheeks.

“Hmm. More wolves? Are there any other kinds of shadow creatures? If only I had…”

Her focus swapped to her left hand as a shimmering teal light appeared at her side, and an energizing pulse erupted within her breast, calming her turbulent emotions; a sweet taste, unlike anything she could compare it to, touched her lips, sweeter than honey, causing her tongue to slide across their surface.

The rays of light materialized into a wicked-looking blade; it was nothing like her fencing sword, yet a strange familiarity returned the moment her fingers closed around its hilt.

“Huh... The Viper Blade,” she whispered, having used this blade at some point she couldn’t quite recall. Why was her brain so foggy? “Heh-he-he-he, I don’t know the reason, but I like this taste... Okay, I’ll play with you.”

The four wolves didn’t wait for her to finish her examination, leaping toward her; only slightly shorter than her at the shoulders, they were larger than any natural predator she’d seen, yet Clover didn’t hesitate to set a stance that came as naturally as breathing. She was a high noble, so when had she become so accustomed to the prospect of dying?

Their movements were telegraphed to her sharp eyes, and, taking a step forward, she shot into a jab, sliding across the ground like ice. Her segmented blade pierced the front wolf down the center, passing through its skull as if a hot knife through butter; a shadowy substance erupted from the creature’s lethal wounds.

Twisting her hips and gaining surface tension with her boots, Clover spun, retracting her blade to send the edge cleaving into another in a flourishing, upward-to-downward arc. Flipping into the air to soar over the next that pounced at her back, the sword extended like a whip to tear up the pavement, splitting its tail and digging into its spine in one flick of her wrist.

Still airborne, the last wolf lunged at her; it was so slow to Clover’s heightened perception that it was laughable. Using her momentum, her heel struck the side of its skull, somehow finding purchase in the air and causing it to do a full 360 to regain its balance while skipping to a stop. It didn’t retreat, though, charging her again with a loud snarl.

Touching pavement, Clover circled to the side of the wolf, dodging its snapping jaws to weave her segmented blade around its torso. The edges bit into its skin and drained its strength, feeding her—empowering her. Twirling as it passed, she kicked its ribs, ripping the beast in half with the kinetic force and sending one chunk tumbling into the ruined construction zone wall.

Her blade returned to its original state, the tantalizing combat scenario not yet finished; she felt so alive—intoxicating, hot electricity pulsing through her veins the moment her weapon bit into their fur, pulling back some instinctual urge to find more prey. It was like she’d sunk her teeth into a juicy piece of meat seasoned to perfection, and this wasn’t the first time. Yet...to her, it was.

Clover’s gaze drifted to the final two wolves that she’d sent flying on her sides; they were starting to recover. Shadowy liquid fell out of their wounds, snapping their jaws with agitation while turning to attack her. She wasn’t so concerned, though, her mind retreating to everything she remembered over the past week while swiftly dispatching the two monsters.

She remembered being in a fancy car, returning home to the manor after finishing the day’s after-school activities at the noble academy she attended. There were protests, which was strange for her parents’ territory. The pain from what she found at home was dulled when she knew it shouldn’t be, and closing her eyes as the world hazed, she sank into her past.

Memories flooded Clover’s mind as she recalled her time learning to fence with Tanner, her older brother. She’d practiced the deadly and refined art since she was five; Clover was good—there was no point being ashamed of it—yet she’d never dueled without the protective gear and non-lethal swords used.

Born into the sophisticated and opulent lifestyle of high nobility as an Emberfield, her parents were the ruling sovereigns over East Skydream, a massive province of the Skydream City-State.

Clover started fencing competitively at the age of eight, to her parents’ delight, and continued until her seventeenth year; it was a popular discipline amongst the upper echelon and brought her a great deal of respect with her advanced prowess.

Typically, she would have been too busy to participate in noble activities; fortunately, her elder brother allowed her to enjoy this freedom since he had handled much of the governing portion of the province, allowing her to pursue whatever she wished from a young age. It helped that their section of the City-State had flourished for generations under the Emberfield stewardship.

However, her carefree way of life couldn’t last forever. It wasn’t long until her parents were offered seats on the Skydream Head Council, leaving Tanner to run the province in their place and maneuvering Clover firmly on the path to take over the business side of the family in her brother’s place.

Clover had a refined, noble education and a bright future ahead of her; the Emberfield family motto was ‘Always strive for perfection.’ Recently, she’d been thrilled to spend more time with Tanner and her little niece. He been moving responsibilities around to groom her for the role while his wife, Jackie, managed the majority of the corporation’s operations until she was ready. She felt a tad bad for the young woman, stealing time away from her family.

Her days of practicing swordplay were soon replaced with different duties, which was fine by her; the business world had plenty of competition to present a challenge.

Naturally, she’d grown up apart from the public, living amongst the nobility of Skydream. Proper behavior was expected of her position; although she could be too aggressive at times, part of the purpose of fencing was to help hone that edge and discipline her.

Most had given Clover the respect her blood granted her, likely because Skydream—unlike most other City-States—was reserved and moral to those it governed; the nobility was expected not to be harsh to those it managed.

They may have come from different worlds and had vastly different customs, yet that did not mean the common folk were ‘dumb’ or ‘unsophisticated.’ In fact, the public’s elected officials often brought up issues and solutions that surprised her parents.

Life had always been good to Clover over her seventeen years, and the only real thing she believed needed work was her temper, which was something she hoped she would be able to fix with some more growth.

On this fateful Friday evening, Clover returned to the manor after studies and exams, Gregory driving her private car; the Emberfield Estate was located just outside of East Skydream’s capital city, Emberfield. Ironically, it had been renamed after their family once they helped to smooth over the last Great City-State War against Jaspentale.

Legs folded while studying her phone, she couldn’t help but smile. The background was a newly taken picture of her one-year-old little niece, Leora; her mother’s sister Selin had been making the rounds, showing off the girl’s shimmering, silver hair that reflected hers so much. The joke had been circulating that she was more her daughter.

Clover sat in the car, smiling at her brother’s treasure as Gregory pulled off the freeway; she tried to distract herself from what she’d witnessed on the ride home—they’d passed an uncommon sight in the city on their way back to the estate...protesters.

It wasn’t exactly alarming or challenging to understand their position, yet it was still an abnormal sight that lingered in her mind. In truth, the population had been somewhat rowdy as of late because of some black ball that appeared over some area in the Firefly City-State: a small nation, far to their west, across the Izmier Ocean.

Reports of strange occurrences were made in West Skydream, which was so far away that she didn’t understand why the citizens were concerned in the first place.

Skydream was the strongest superpower in the world of Skyhaven—initially named as a tribute to the planet itself—it encompassed over ten million square kilometers of territory. Few City-States or independent nations could ever hope to pose a threat to its economic and technological empire.

Jaspentale tried sixty years ago, and it left them in a state of near economic ruin. Her family helped to mend relationships with them; they were slowly rebuilding and developing a Space Program over the last thirty years, which her parents were keeping close track of. The project certainly spurred their economy again.

No, Skydream’s worst enemy was itself, and her parents knew that—yet, they were dealing with it in a secretive manner, even to her, which, she had to admit, was unusual.

The Head Council even deployed the Royal Military to Western Skydream two days ago, which concerned the public. The people wanted the Head Council to be more open about what was happening, yet they responded with a gag order.

Earlier today, internet access to the area had been cut off, too. Rumors passed between circles at school about military experimental creatures of some kind, but she dismissed them. Clover hoped to discuss the gossip with her brother since tactics like gag orders hadn’t even been used in the Great City-State War.

In the end, Clover wasn’t that worried; lockdowns and curfews hadn’t been raised in Eastern Skydream. Although, how the citizens responded in the next few days might force her brother’s hand. She had faith in her family, though.

Clover was more concerned about public panic than enemy soldiers in any case; the wars of the past illustrated how public pandemonium was far worse than even an invasion, which pulled the community together.

No, the main reason she was annoyed at the Head Council’s collective silence was that her parents hadn’t returned home for over a week—at least she had her brother to keep her company.

Gregory stopped the car outside the parking area for the estate horse stables; her brother enjoyed riding—that pleasure did not extend to her—and it was the usual time he scheduled his personal riding time with his wife. Clover liked swords, and he, horses.

She glanced toward the towering skyscrapers of Eastern Skydream as the disaster sirens began to scream in the distance, warning the inhabitants to get to the bunkers.

An earthquake…or are we under attack? The City-States haven’t been at war for over fifty years, but it’s not impossible to imagine...

Her brow creased as she heard low snarling from inside the large stables that didn’t sound like horses. Walking around to the open doors, she proceeded inside. “Tanner, the sirens... What’s…” she trailed off, her voice getting lost along with her thoughts.

She stood beside the open double doors, feet planted firmly on the ground while listening the sound. Concern welling up within her chest, she snapped out of her jumbled brain and jogged forward, making it into the stables to check for her brother. The handbag that held her tablet fell to the dirt, and her body went numb. All she saw was red paint—it had to be red paint.

Tanner—what was left of him—was on the ground; the rest of his body was in the jaws of some kind of horse-sized, dog-like monster. Her seafoam-blue irises moved from her brother’s corpse to Jackie’s next to him, then the horses; everything was covered in red.

“Tanner?” she whispered, mind in a daze. All she heard was the dark-furred wolf chewing her brother; the snapping bones broke her out of the loop she was stuck in. “Tanner!”

Rage and loss filled her breast as she snatched the closest thing she could, a whip hanging on the side of the barn wall, and brought it down on the fiend. Clover dashed forward, flicking her wrist to cause a loud crack.

“Get away from them!”

The creature flinched and ran away as the whip snapped near its ear. It smashed through the nearby wall, sending wood spraying everywhere. She soon lost strength in her legs, collapsing to the ground in tears as her platinum-white hair fanned around her, unable to look away from her brother and sister-in-law—they were mutilated.

I saw them this morning—this morning... How did this happen? Where’s security?

Even at the thought, she knew they’d probably been killed beforehand. Whatever attacked them was something alien to Skydream—she’d never seen anything like it.

Leora!

A hollow sensation engulfed her heart as she stared down at the blood and guts soaking her fine pants and coat. She didn’t see any signs of her niece. The stench of place filled her nose, the ruptured stomach of her sister-in-law lying next to her bringing memories back of her pregnancy. Clover inhaled deeply in any case, bloody hands closing around her throat as she choked.

Struggling to her feet, her eyes grew cold, and a void appeared in her chest that needed filling; she knew what she should do, yet dismissed logic. In any case, her first priority was to check on her niece. Her trembling fingers reached down to grip the bloody whip, blaring siren clearer after the creature ran away.

Backtracking, she saw the car Gregory had brought her home in—it was already ravaged by the oversized wolf. She hadn’t even heard it. In fact, she didn’t know how much time had passed since it ran off, but the sun was going down.

Clover walked the entire way to the manor, ignoring everything but the single purpose filling the cavity in her heart. The house was untouched, maids and butlers calling out to her in a panic about the sirens and her bloodied appearance, but she ignored them upon stopping in the doorway of Leora’s room. Her caretaker was holding her, looking scared with a dozen hardened soldiers around her; she was safe.

“Lady Emberfield—”

“My brother and sister-in-law are dead. Take what soldiers you have, and get her to my parents. With what remains, split half the force to protect the staff, and everyone else will join me. We are going after that wolf!”

“Ma’am!”

Flanked by two of the guards who ran into the room, she let them organize the evacuation and divisions while going into her room. She recovered the surgically fashioned, thin sword Tanner had commissioned for her fourteenth birthday, making a promise on it to her beloved brother that he and his wife would be avenged and that his daughter would be taken care of.

Leaving the staff to puzzle things out with the captain on station, she tracked the wolf’s carnage across the city with the thirty soldiers that accompanied her; she couldn’t get more than thirty minutes of sleep without nightmares. Her stomach only took a tiny amount of food before the memory of her brother and sister-in-law’s guts filled her senses, turning her stomach. She wouldn’t quit, though.

The only thing on her numb mind and heart was the sight of that wolf dead at her feet. If she managed that... She didn’t know, but it was the only thing Clover could think about in her crumbling world; she had to kill it for her brother. Every day she failed to catch her prey was agonizing.

Communications were limited and mostly down in their area. Somehow, the network had been sabotaged. It had to be some new weapon from another City-State. She used an abandoned military vehicle when theirs was destroyed by insectoid monsters that attacked them, killing half her men. She had to catch up to the beast.

Skydream was in shambles. Soon, she’d heard from the military personnel she met that it had nothing to do with any of the City-States. These creatures were not from their planet, and they were losing whatever war these alien creatures had thrust them into—popping in and out of black spheres like ghosts.

The invaders came in all shapes and sizes, and Skydream’s advanced weapons handled the smallest of them, yet some appeared utterly impervious. Worse, intelligent humanoid-like things strategically destroyed military outposts as the week went on.

She was hollow, and on the rare moment rationality returned, Clover wondered if this emptiness inside of her was simply a suicide attempt. No, it was for her brother; it was for her niece. Yet, if guns couldn’t penetrate some of these monsters’ hides, what good was a sword—even if it was crafted of the best possible synthetic material?

Still, she couldn’t stop; she didn’t want to. She picked up several scattered military teams on her journey who joined her as she directed them to secure strong points until higher officers made contact. Throughout it all, the memories were like droplets of water on a still pond in the haze that clouded her mind, each ripple was their own colliding event, and yet, she felt so detached from it all.

It could have been days or a week after discovering her brother and sister-in-law’s corpses—possibly more since she ended up in Western Skydream with her company of soldiers—but eventually, she learned small bits of information about the infernal wolf from those she met and saved.

The West had been experiencing a horrifying invasion, and Skydream seemed to be caught in a war between dozens of various alien factions because they were far from united. Their disharmony sometimes helped provide an opening for her to slip between their camps, and she sent runners to inform the defensive blockades the higher officers were setting up as they pushed deeper into more hostile territory. Humanity was simply trying to recover and survive.

Clover could only move forward, pushing down her fright for the sake of her goal. She couldn’t feel, lest it overwhelm her; she just wanted this one creature. If the world were going insane, then she would find sanity by destroying the thing that had taken it from her.

When she made it to Skydream’s southwestern border, she’d finally caught up to the foul beast; it seemed oblivious to their hot pursuit, leaving a trail of carnage in its wake—aliens and humans alike.

The monster wolf was getting larger the more it fed off the wildlife, and its released smaller, shadowy fiends absorbed stone, animals, or insects, some of which transformed to take on their appearance; they were adapting to the environment, taking on new forms.

She didn’t know how, but she would kill it with the hardened men and women who followed her. She managed to kill the small insects with her sword, but she had to kill the wolf.

Soon, they discovered that some of the weapons the humanoid aliens left helped to cut through the smaller beasts her prey had left behind. The pillaged swords and shields allowed them to better fight the wolves’ unnaturally thick hide, which shrugged off normal bullets like droplets of water.

She remembered the desperate battle against the little fiends the creature left for her to fight; they were getting better at it. It had been rough at the time, but they weren’t invincible; they bled black ink. Although her sword hadn’t been holding up well by the end of it, and that didn’t matter to her at the time. There had been no sweet taste on her tongue during those weeks; everything was bitter. Rage filled her during the bloody fights—madness.

Clover recalled glaring at a Void that appeared just hours before her arrival near the western ocean. Eyewitnesses had warned her to stay clear of this area, but she and her men would not be denied their quest. A wounded civilian told her the massive beast had entered the swirling darkness, so she had her destination, and her loyal followers were ready to enter the abyss behind her.

She stood before one of the ominous gateways that spawned these things and didn’t hesitate; she continued after her quarry, darkness enveloping her and her men. She didn’t remember any more about the wolf or her chase; it was just a weird, bizarre dream.

* — * — *

A weightless sensation surrounded Clover, feeding back a warm embrace to her mind, but it was soon gripped by something else; an incredible amount of energy that thrived for conflict was swiftly draining out of her every cell—an endless source of power—slipping through her frantically grasping fingers.

She couldn’t retain it, no matter how hard she tried to wrestle it away from whatever tugged it out, yet it didn’t leave her totally empty—the power was replaced by a simple urge—a seed of emotion to help...of security. A soft, feminine voice rang throughout her entire body, weaving into her bones.

“Clover, you will not wake to the same world you remember... You cannot return to the normal life you lived. You will consume; that is what you have become—Void Incarnate. There are enemies that seek to turn you against those that need your aid. Trust yourself. You have the strength and will, Clover—find the truth—denounce those that seek to ruin this world!”

* — * — *

Clover was falling, wind whistling past her ears and pressing against her skin, threatening to rob the air from her lungs—yet a protecting light embraced her—it lasted seemingly forever, her mind flitting in and out of oblivion.

Eyes cracking open, all she saw were rusted, ravaged buses, pieces of skyscrapers, and other monuments—there was one of Skydream’s 4th President.

She struck the ground, noise erupting around her, muscles twitching against the dirt. Curling into a ball, eyes squeezing shut, she tried to come to terms with what was happening. Her insides squirmed and felt so foreign, yet there were small strings of familiarity within the maelstrom.

Eventually, her vision cleared to a barren, compact wasteland; destroyed construction equipment and partially built buildings, now old and decayed steel structures, surrounded her on all sides.

Looking up in shock, she saw a colossal void, far larger than the one she’d entered, hovering above the ruined metropolis. She’d only gone inside moments ago, yet it felt like an eternity had passed. Where were the men and women that trusted her—that followed her? No, she knew the answer, but it didn’t make sense…they were gone.

The haunting sphere spewed ominous gusts that howled through the desolate landscape. Her vision fell, and Clover’s hand lifted to touch a silky black cloth covering her mouth before she noticed the bizarre outfit she was in. Her mind went blank for a moment while she inspected herself.

“What...am I wearing?”

Her proper, blood-soaked noble clothes representing her private school—dirty and ripped as they’d been—were replaced by an utterly outlandish and uncomfortable wardrobe that showed signs of damage.

Cuts and rips were plentiful on the totally black outfit; the semi-stretchable leather was new to her, and she’d never seen so many loops, belts, and clips on an outfit in her life; the theme was entirely unfit for a noble.

A harness with satin elastics and a velvet backing was situated over a crop top, leaving her shoulders and upper arms bare. Oddly, as if a rabid dog, her neck was enclosed by a spiked choker. Gloves covered her hands, leaving her fingers exposed. A waist cincher with lace and harness garters went over tight pants that showed off her legs and calves.

Clover shifted her hips to the side to stare in disbelief at the lace-up, platform ankle boots around her feet; she’d never even seen anything like this, and she definitely hadn’t worn it when going into the gateway.

She paused, a short cough bubbling up her chest as she reached up to pull down the form-fitting face mask; the emotions regarding her brother’s death had somehow tempered. Rubbing her throat while gaining her bearings, she called out for anyone who could help.

“Where...did I—did I just fall out of that void... What in Rosa’s name!? Hey! Is anyone out there?! I... Where am I…” she trailed off, looking up at the pulsating hole in the sky—it definitely wasn’t that big when she entered—it was also on the ground and not in a devastated city.

Is this their world?

A sinister wind pulled her bangs into her face, causing Clover to brush back her long platinum hair, most of which was tied back into a ponytail with the same material as her clothes.

Why is my hair so... What happened to me when I went through that portal? My clothes—if I can call them that—are a mess... It is still better than the blood-soaked things I was in before, but ugh—my hair’s everywhere... Everything’s in chaos!

The deep-violet and inky void spun, compressed, and expanded, generating thunder; its shockwaves rippled through her bones as the gateway expelled gales of wind across the devastated landscape.

She shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold; there was something familiar about the raging tempest that resonated with her, and the moment she shuddered, a black cloak appeared out of nowhere, draping over her shoulders.

“Okay, what is going on here?!” She stumbled to the left, throwing the cloak back; it wasn’t difficult to find her balance, despite the footwear. “I was... I was hunting that—that thing... Where’s my sword…”

Her confusion tempered, darkness overshadowing her heart as the image of her ravaged family returned, yet in less than a second, a voice popped that memory like a bubble—it was in her head—it was everywhere.

“C’mon, already... What are you wearing?”

Clover spun around, taking a calculated step back as a see-through, purplish ghost child motioned to her from a dozen meters away, giving her an apathetic stare from behind her thick hood and bangs.

“Hmm, eh... You’re definitely not human.” Clover’s lips tightened while rubbing her neck and glancing around for anyone who could make sense of things or for a weapon to defend herself with. “What are you... Are you with those things that have powers?”

“Hurry—and change your clothes,” the child beckoned, her voice still monotone, but Clover’s brow creased at the underlying impression she got of the see-through girl. It wasn’t threatening—it was annoyance.

“My... Yes, I know this is not my most fashionable outfit, and if I could, I would...Mmmmh…” she trailed off again, still trying to make sense of everything when the world introduced a new change for her to process.

Her throat rumbled as her outlandish outfit shimmered icy blue and royal purple before transforming in an instant. Even though these new clothes were made of an unknown, form-fitting leather and also showed signs of damage, oddly enough, they were reasonably acceptable attire for her.

The pants might have been tight, and the high-neck, sleeveless shirt so form-fitted that she didn’t know how she was supposed to put it on—or take it off. It was tight against her sides and flared at her hips a tad, showing no zipper, but it was far better than the mass of belts, clips, rings, and open skin she had worn before.

Her laced boots were thigh-high, and between the damage to her pants and shirt, it was still relatively embarrassing how much skin was shown; it looked like someone had taken scissors to it or purposefully cut the garments.

The fingerless gloves were a good fit—the style she normally used for fencing—and the belt accessory was a decent addition. At the very least, her hair had been pulled back into a proper ponytail, but one item was missing in her mind: an overcoat.

Clover’s full lips parted, left eye narrowing upon seeing her changed attire. “Can...I do that whenever I want... No, how did I do that?”

The ghost girl gave her a dull look. “It is...acceptable. Now, hurry.”

She glared at the monotone girl, wondering if she’d actually been the cause. “Although it’s still not entirely my style... By the way, why do I get the impression you are a downright brat? I did not choose this outfit! But...have we met before?”

Clover’s nose twisted as she stared at the transparent little child, no older than 3 years old. “I feel like we have…”

The floating little girl simply repeated the order, further agitating her.

Clover put a hand on her hip, sliding her fingers across her belt while glancing around to compose herself. “Really—am I dead—a ghost child...in a wasteland...and I feel oddly detached from...well, everything. There was that woman’s voice a moment ago?”

Releasing a low groan, she stared at the kid again, still waiting for her to follow. “Not a single person in sight but you... And why are Skydream monuments falling out of the sky?”

Her gaze shifted as another large piece of a building fell from the void, its resounding crash causing her to wince, yet more dropped out of sight behind a ruined construction zone.

“Fine...exiting this collapsing area seems to be the most logical action... You’re not going to possess me...right?”

“Move it.”

Indignation rose in Clover’s chest. “Humph. You are a brat, hurrying me along after I just...fell out of this sky! Still, you’re the only thing around... Hmm.”

She hesitantly jogged over to the girl, realizing how light and effortless her movements had become, even in these unfamiliar boots. “Little girl—or whatever you are—do you know what’s going on with…”

The transparent figure vanished, instantly appearing a dozen more meters away to float above a broken-down structure. “Hurry. Over here. So slow…”

“Mmmghmm-hmm-hmm…” Clover grunted; she was losing her patience.

You’re kidding me... Who are you to give me commands!?

 “Just tell me what in Rosa’s name is happening!” Clover growled, picking up her pace. It was so easy to move; she felt weightless.

“Over here. Quickly, sluggard.”

“Sluggard?!” she gasped.

Why is a ghost girl insulting me?!

The void sent more pieces of buildings and vehicles out, raining down behind her and causing her to pick up her stride as it covered the hole she’d made when striking the earth on her exit.

“Humph, stop being so entitled!” Reaching the broken part of the building she’d seen fall across her path, the child motioned for Clover to join her.

“Are you capable of not dragging your feet?”

“The nerve!”

“Come on.”

Looking up at the massive skyscraper chunk, she shook her head. “Uh...no? I can’t climb that or float through it like a...well, a ghost girl?” she mumbled, crossing her arms.

“Jump.”

“Heh, jump, she says... H-Hey?!”

However, the moment she tried, she leaped over three meters into the air; hands waving wildly, she was able to land on the edge of a broken section without issue, finding perfect balance, which she shouldn’t have with her boots.

Yes, as a high noble, she’d practiced fencing while in heels to provide further disadvantages and training, but she’d never found it this easy to move in heeled boots before. In fact, some of her instructors had made it seem as if they weren’t even wearing them. Nothing to this degree, though.

“W-Woah! Okay... Okay…” Clover held her fingers to her temples while shifting to make sure she didn’t imagine what she’d just achieved. “I am beginning to grow aggravated with this mystery. What is going on?! Is this a dream?”

The girl was now far above her on an even more significant rise. “Jump... You’re such a pain.”

“Alright... Why do I want to trust someone who, heh, refuses to treat me with a modicum of decency?! Heh, he-he-he…”

She pressed her palm against her forehead before scratching her head. “Wonderful—just wonderful—no-ho-ho... I’m going insane... It took long enough, I suppose. Alright...embrace the insanity.”

Preparing herself, she ran and jumped over four meters into the air to land atop the road on the other side of the rise, dropping six meters to the rubble, and sure enough, the mysterious glowing child vanished, appearing further up the road.

“A game of tag, is—” Clover choked upon seeing what was under the girl’s hood, stumbling to a stop. The girl had her face under that thick cloak and hair—the same face she had as a tiny child.

“Whatever this dream—or nightmare—is...I want out,” she whispered, legs starting to tremble. “What’s real?”

“You’re so, so, so slow... You’re almost there... Get ready.”

“To where—for what—you entitled brat?!” She ran after the girl, jumping across the devastated construction site until she made it to a reasonably closed-in area filled with rubble that led to what appeared to be an oceanside freeway.

“Wait... Is that the Izmier Ocean? Are we in West Skydream—Sunset City? No, it’s too big…” she mumbled, looking up at the ruined, towering buildings.

Clover was slowly beginning to realize this wasn’t a nightmare—this was very real. Her memory linked up with the present from the girl’s abrasive words picking at her brain.

“At least you managed to kill those weaklings. Ah. Finally, the big one is coming. It’s starting, so you best get ready... Please, don’t die...it would be embarrassing.”

She glanced around, rubbing her right arm while studying the slaughtered wolves she’d slain. “Coming—what’s coming—more wolves? Eh, what do you mean, ‘please, don’t die?’ I can’t tell if you’re an enemy or a friend. Have you been leading me into a trap? Are you with those creatures... No, maybe it doesn’t matter. I just want...more.”

The mysterious ghost moved around the edge of the stilled battle zone, her hood blowing back to show Clover’s own face—her younger face—confirming what she’d already felt in her gut. Her little ghost half spoke in her typical dry, annoyed, monotone voice while the wolves’ energy flowed into Clover’s veins, their bodies turning into violet light to be absorbed into her body.

“Let it out... Let it all out. I am not a fan of this side of you, to be honest, but much has been carefully hidden away... Some even by yourself...myself. This will be the source of your Void Force until the end of time, as much as I hate it. The hunger for Desire Force is rooted too deep to be removed, so...consume, and feed the monster within.”

Clover didn’t know why, but it felt right—natural to feed on the things that took her family; she didn’t have time to ponder the girl’s words—there was a feast set before her.

Her smile grew as a new awareness bloomed; she could sense the hot, flowing essence within these creatures, like the scent of cooking food, and she drank it in. Questioning it was beyond reason—it was there for her to take—the fragrance only increased as eight more of the creatures appeared behind her.

She turned away from her ghost child to greet the snarling newcomers charging her. However, it was the old-fashioned truck that pulled up on a raised road beyond the beasts that caught her attention. A man and woman were getting out in a hurry upon seeing her. She dismissed them on instinct; there was business to handle.

“Q-Quick! This way!” the woman yelled. “Please!”

Jumping into a twirl as the two beasts behind pounced, her sword extended, almost decapitating both; the others were closing in. Boots touching the ground, she pivoted to dash forward, whip-like blade in a frenzy.

She cut through one, two, four, six, split the seventh in half, and twisted around the last to come to a rest on its muscular back, segmented blade coiling around its neck with the Desire Force infusing it.

“Checkmate.” The wire-like blade compressed, trying to return to its stiff state and passing clean through the wolf’s black fur, executing the beast to send globs of inky blood across the pavement.

Taking to the air as it tumbled, she did a backflip to land on the street, smoothly twisting while placing a hand on her hip. “Humph.” Her gaze fell to the strange weapon in her hand, ignoring the stunned man and woman in the face of what she’d just experienced.

A whip-sword that can also act as a fencing blade—fascinating.

“Hurry!” the woman called out again; the man was securing the area, looking frightened.

“Hmm…” Clover glanced back; the mysterious child was gone. “Why the sudden interest in me today, people—can I at least get an answer as to where I am—and these clothes?”

She sighed as the woman repeated herself—just like the transparent child—she sounded genuinely terrified, though, and seemed to be in a panic.

Clover jogged forward with the Viper Blade in hand; the blonde-haired woman was much cleaner and better dressed than she, at the very least. “Erin, you really think this child fell from the Great Void?”

Erin was a rather proper-looking gentleman in some kind of medical soldier’s outfit by the cross he wore; he lifted an eyebrow upon seeing her. “I-I don’t know, Melissa... She seems like the type, but…”

Beyond them was a vast ocean view with submerged suburbs and skyscrapers—a storm was closing in.

“Rude. I am seventeen years old—not a child—and I just so happened to wake up in a rather...unbecoming outfit before it turned into... Well, never mind,” she mumbled, letting it go. “Now, where am I—Sunset?”

Melissa looked to be trying to compile her words, her fervent, big blue eyes practically spinning while she studied the dispatched wolves, yet the radio in the truck snapped her back to reality.

“Isngneal... We lost track of Henry’s team!”

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” the man inside screamed.

“Y—no, we don’t have time... He’s almost here!” the blonde woman cried. “I’ll tell you more later. P-Please, just get in—we need to get out of here!”

“Humph, typical,” Clover grumbled, but the woman was already jumping into the truck bed to join Erin, clearing the side with surprising agility and strength. “Are you two really humans—am I?”

She reached up to take the woman’s trembling hand when a sudden burst of electrifying energy caused her skin to prickle; something was materializing nearby, and it was so far beyond the beasts she’d killed that they couldn’t even be put in the same universe.

“What...is that?” she mumbled, eyes snapping to the dismembered wolves; their bodies were still lying on the ground, but a moment later, everything metal in the area rose, along with the corpses.

A flash of light appeared, expanding into purple arcs of lightning that revealed a massive, red-furred wolf five times the size of the others—it was practically an elephant. Electricity sparked around the creature as it shook its head; the air rippled to its growls.

Melissa reached down and forcefully pulled her up in a panic. “Hurry! We’re being chased by Isngneal!”

“Go! Go! Go!” Erin yelled, but the man driving was already stepping on the gas; Clover stumbled to the tailgate as they lurched forward.

They sped off down the freeway, but Isngneal was swiftly catching up; Clover could see it wouldn’t take long for it to overtake them if nothing was done. Erin staggered to his feet, brown energy sparking around his hand.

She watched in fascination as jagged stones erupted from the ground, seeking to spear the electrified wolf; it dodged or smashed through every pillar without issue before leaping at them in an attempt to swallow Melissa whole.

Clover held up her sword to defend herself as the frightened woman released a blast of golden light, blinding it. Before she could attack it, Erin created a rocky hand out of the asphalt ahead of them to entrap the blinded beast.

Everything was happening so fast; Clover didn’t know what to do. Moments later, the stones surrounding the wolf exploded, lightning dancing across the underground freeway they were entering—the tunnel looked unstable and in decay, just like everything else in this place.

Time slowed as she felt immediate danger, and Isngneal erupted with intoxicating force as he shot at them like a bullet, purple lightning arcing across his fur. There was no way she could react in time.

Clover prepared herself as a wave of powerful energy surrounded them, slowing time itself within several dozen meters, and suddenly, her gut settled, the mysterious ghost appearing beside her.

“What...did you do to them?” she asked.

Everything, including Melissa and Erin, was frozen in the teal glow that encompassed the area, though Isngneal still managed to move at a snail’s pace through the force. Like she’d come to expect, the transparent girl ignored her.

“You and I are one and the same... You promised not to throw me away again.”

“What in Rosa’s name are you talking about?” Clover mumbled, scratching her sweating temple while realizing she’d retracted her sword. “I have no clue about anything! Where do you keep coming from?” she yelled, rising to her feet to check on the time-locked man and woman. “What…”

“Just remember that. You and I are the same... Please, find me—quickly. I’ll never forgive you if you come too late.”

The mysterious girl shot at the creature like a comet before she could respond, time resuming as the ghost plowed into the beast, leaving Clover in a daze. A radiant blue and purple wave engulfed him that acted as some kind of absorbent, draining the giant wolf’s energy. He tripped, tumbling across the ground in the seafoam glow.

Melissa collapsed against the side of the truck, sweat slicking her face. “W-What on Skyhaven?!”

“Keep your guard up!” Erin screamed, scanning the road ahead of them. “There could be an ambush!”

Clover shook her head in disbelief. “She...just sacrif…” Her words faded with her mind as the world went black; she suddenly felt so much weaker.

“Kid? Kid! Please, stop trembling! P-Pull yourself together... Kid!”

----------------

Next Chapter