Chapter 292 - Soulgazing (1/2)
Li blinked as he found himself back in the world. He was kneeling down, his wooden fingers curled over the [Thousand Eye Band] at his arm. The exact same position he was before he had entered into Sho-Gath's dimensional prison.
Except that the Old One had done as Li had initially bid, loosing his anti-magic smog all around the area. The smoke was darker than the night and flashes of red shaped in brief visages of eyes dotted its body.
”You win this time, destroyer,” said Lira. Li saw her on one knee a few meters away, her glowing red body standing out amidst the thick, living smoke. Her massive magical aura was completely gone now, eaten away by the darkness around her. The smoke seemed to curl into her being, little gaseous wisps from every direction flowing into her and slowly breaking her magically constructed body apart.
Lira leaned her weight shakily against the Prometheas as she planted it on the ground. ”But heed my words. With my demise, my true self will return, and whatever death and destruction you wreak now I will undo. I swear it upon all the lives that depend upon me.”
Li shook his head. ”Perhaps now you will be more inclined to listen.” He saw how weak she was. The smoke had eaten away immensely at her health, and right now, she was holding on by a sliver, her magical form moments away from dissolving completely.
He dispelled the [Thousand Echo Band], and it faded away, the faintest of laughs echoing as it disappeared. With it, the smoke went, clearing the darkness from the area to reveal the still molten, smoking, and cratered landscape that Li and Lira's battle had created.
Lira glanced at Li before she grunted, willing herself to stand up even at the tiniest sliver of health she had left. Her magical body was completely lined with cracks now, and she looked transparent, an opaque image of the area around her visible through her.
”You intend to play with me? Torture me?” Lira smiled, fangs bared fully as she took the Prometheas in hand and wielded it once more. ”You'll not find me easy prey.”
”No, you have not been,” said Li. He sighed. ”And I never intended to hunt you down. You simply do not listen. Maybe now that your construct is about to fade, you will be more open to talking.”
”Talk? What is talk but another means for your kind to manipulate and scheme?” Lira shook her head. ”Destroy me. Call to the rest of your kind through the tear. But know that I will return, and that I will halt your advance in this world.”
Li wondered whether it was a hallmark of an old and great adventurer to be as stubborn as a rock. First Old Thane, and now Lira. He tried to think of a way to get her to stand down for after talking with Sho-Gath, he knew that Lira had information he was quite curious about.
Such as the nature of the dimensional anomaly she was guarding. The fact that she seemed to have traveled to multiple worlds and fought beings like Li throughout them. But just as he started to have trouble thinking about how to approach the topic, he could feel a familiar presence nearing him.
Tia burst through the fog, her wings beating wildly behind her as she propelled to Li at speeds that sent waves of wind spiraling behind her. She slammed into Li with concussive impact that probably would have killed a good majority of creatures in this world, but Li caught her in a hug.
”Papa!” said Tia with relief, shivering a little. She looked up to Li with her black and green eyes and smiled. ”You alive!”
”Alive? Tia, you know by now to have more trust in me,” said Li teasingly.
”True,” said Tia. ”I mean, you okay too.”