[Salvos] 624. Impassioned (Patreon)

624. Impassioned

***

“I think I see land right ahead!”

“Do you?”

“Yeah, it’s right there, Salvos!”

“Um, Aemula, no offense, but the last time you said that, you led us deeper into the lake of fire.”

I glanced up at the [Fiend] as she pressed her face against the glass-like wall of [The World Of My Mind]. Aemula blinked a few times, before turning back to face me. She scratched the back of her head.

“That is true… but look!”

Aemula exclaimed as she gestured emphatically at a white spot in the lake of white fire.

“That looks like land, doesn’t it?”

It didn’t look any different than the rest of the burning landscape. But I couldn’t really bring myself to disagree with the [Fiend]. Even though she was massive— nearly as big as Haec was— she seemed like a softie. So I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

“I mean, maybe?”

I said apprehensively, glancing between her and the spot in the distance. Unfortunately, because of [The World Of My Mind], I couldn’t use [Manifestation of the Old Gods] to pierce through this white veil of fire. When I activated it the other… day? Or however long ago it had been… I had been blocked by the walls of my pocket space.

And unfortunately, when I tried to open a small hole in the walls of space to peer through to the Netherworld, I was immediately assailed by a blast of intense heat. So I closed the hole immediately.

It wasn’t bad enough to harm me— it was only mildly discomforting— but Aemula wasn’t nearly as resilient as I was. And even Taburas and Bertrugil found it to be rather uncomfortable, struggling to move when under pressure from the heat.

Anyway, the Beast had transformed the Netherworld into a truly hellish landscape with only a single Skill. Or maybe that was a Grand Skill. I didn’t really know. But with the molten terrain spewing pillars of fire into the air, [The World Of My Mind] itself shouldn’t have been able to protect us from it all.

And yet, as a flaming spout shot up right in front of us, I didn’t even flinch. I wasn’t even afraid. I had no reason to be scared.

After all, we were completely safe as long as we weren’t in the Netherworld. And that was the thing— we weren’t completely here. Using my spatial magic, I could bend [The World Of My Mind] between the folds of space. So while I could visibly see everything around us in the Netherworld, no one without any form of space magic could see us here. And we’d easily phase through any danger just fine.

Well, not any danger, I thought as I remembered when the Beast first unleashed its attack that created this lake of fire.

Even space collapsed from the sheer force of the blast. And while we were far away enough from the epicenter of the explosion that I no longer saw floating rifts hovering in the sky, the memory of nearly dying from that attack was still burned into my mind.

Anyway, we were mostly safe as long as we traveled in between the folds between the planes and the Netherworld. I had seen my dad do this before, but he could travel much faster than I could. I was far more inexperienced, and that was the reason for my glacial pace of travel. If I was moving [The World Of My Mind] simply through the Netherworld, then I could travel much faster. But then I wouldn’t be safe from the raging inferno beneath us.

And if I simply traversed the folds between the planes, I would certainly be able to move much faster. But I’d also kind of get lost since I wouldn’t know where I was going. I only knew of a single ‘location’ there, and that had been where the Devil’s Lair was located. Unfortunately, now that didn’t exist. So I’d have just been lost wading through the darkness.

I didn’t want to take the risk of getting myself killed traveling through the folds between the planes. And that was why I was stuck doing this— moving sluggishly over this lake of fire.

“Well, we’ll get out of here eventually. So whether or not you actually saw land, it doesn’t really matter.”

I finally said as I turned back to Aemula. She pouted and crossed all four of her arms.

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

“...kinda?”

I answered sheepishly, and the [Fiend] harrumphed. I watched as she plopped herself to the ground like a little kid. Her gaze was fixed on that little bit of so-called ‘land’ she had pointed out. I pursed my lips, unsure of what to say to cheer her up.

I glanced back to either Taburas or Bertrugil for help— the two Archdemons knew Aemula better than I did. But unfortunately for me, Bertrugil was sleeping, like he normally was. And Taburas just shrugged back at me when I gave her a pleading look.

I sighed as I turned back to the [Fiend].

“Aemula—”

I started. But before she could even face me, I heard a loud thudding sound coming from the back of my pocket space. I blinked, feeling a soft reverberation run through the glass-like floor beneath me.

“What was wha—?”

Bertrugil jerked up from where he was sleeping, wiping the drool off his mouth. Taburas frowned and snapped her gaze to the back of the room. Even Aemula craned her neck back in confusion. I narrowed my eyes as I saw a shadowed figure shifting there.

I took a step back, raising a brow at what I saw.

“Haec?”

Taburas called out as she rushed to the shifting figure. I narrowed my eyes, watching as a pool of an inky black liquid spilling on the floor. And rising from that dark puddle was a tall red figure with long black hair.

I recognized Haec’s hair anywhere. But it was different. He was different. I whispered as I nodded approvingly.

“His evolution is complete.”

Of course, he didn’t undergo a significant change. His hair was slightly shorter and less spiky than it was before, falling straight down his back instead of spreading out like a massive mane. He still had that single stripe of yellow that ran across his bangs, but I narrowed my eyes as I caught a glimpse of his face.

Right below his right eye, beneath his yellow stripe of hair, looked like a scar. But when I peered closer, I saw a stripe of yellow there, like his skin had been tattooed with that strange mark. He straightened, standing shorter and leaner than before. But he was still significantly bigger than me. Just no longer so bulky.

And behind him, I watched as something black moved. I blinked a few times, and Taburas paused when she caught sight of it too. It was—

“A tail?”

I blinked a few times. I looked back up at Hace as he slowly turned around, still looking down at himself.

“Huh.”

Haec whispered as he stared at himself. I would have copied his remark, sharing his sentiments, if I had not used [Identification] on him. What I saw made me pause.

[Devil - Lvl. 150]

“Woah.”

That was all I could muster up. Taburas ran up to Haec and looked him up and down.

“Haec— you’ve changed! I mean, you’re still kind of the same. But…”

She eyed his tail, before staring at his arms. He no longer had those gauntleted-like fists. His arms looked normal, except for what looked like the small horn-like spikes that jutted out from his knuckles.

Haec chuckled as he shook his head.

“I have changed. But as you said, I am still the same. Just more… complete.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. She slowly nodded with a smile as she looked up at him. But he walked past her, and she blinked. Haec turned to Bertrugil first who just scoffed.

“Looking good. But no need to wake me up just to show off.”

Aemula stood up excitedly as she stared at Haec.

“That’s amazing! You’re a [Devil] now! I’ve never seen a [Devil] before!”

“But… you’ve seen the Devil before.”

I said, scratching the back of my head. She paused, placing a hand on her chin.

“Wait, he’s a [Devil]?”

“I mean, I assume he is? But if he isn’t, you’ve seen me too.”

“Wait, you’re a [Devil]?”

Aemula’s eyes went wide in amazement. I just bit my lower lip, unsure what to say. And Haec called out to me, drawing my attention from her.

“Salvos.”

I faced him and tilted my head.

“Yep, that’s me! What do you need, Haec?”

I gave him a curious look. He looked down at himself one last time, before looking up to face me. His eyes glinted as he spoke simply.

“Let’s fight.”

And that made me pause. Taburas froze. Bertrugil furrowed his brows, and Aemula glanced between Haec and I with round eyes.

I hesitated.

“That…”

And I grinned back at my first companion as he smiles at me.

“Sounds like fun!”

Author's Notes:

What thonk?