Chapter 53 - Stitched Up

Nova walked through the suffocating darkness with measured steps, following the thin white thread that stretched ahead of them. His mind kept slipping away from the present, tumbling through questions that refused to settle.

‘It was all a fabrication… Right? Can I really believe that? Why would it bother to alter my memory like that in the first place? Because its madness didn’t work on me? But then, why would it be able to alter my memory?’

“Nova,” Annelie whispered near his ear, pulling him out of the reverie.

"Yeah?" He adjusted his grip on her legs, trying to keep her comfortable despite his tired arms.

“Can you use one of the souls you got to speed up? Somehow?”

"Ahh... Good question. Let me think." Nova's pace slowed as he focused on the problem.

‘Speed of movement doesn’t matter in here, and the Shadow Jump could put us anywhere, so that would be too risky. Teleportation should be possible with the power the Cardinals have, but I have no way of knowing the destination… Or do I?’

He stared at the white string cutting through the darkness, watching it pulse with faint spatial energy. A plan started taking shape in his mind as he studied the familiar runes woven into its light.

‘Can I use the end of the string as a destination? It’s partially made from spatial runes to lock itself in place, so it should be possible… But I would need to create a new formation. Maybe walking is faster? How long did it even take us to get here?’

"What are you thinking about?" Annelie shifted on his back, trying to see his face through the silver helmet.

"Uh, I'm wondering if I can use the spatial runes in the string to teleport us to its end." Nova traced the thread with his eyes as he spoke. "It would require a lot of power, but any of the three souls should be enough.”

"Three?!" Annelie's voice rose as her arms tightened around his neck. "Another one died?"

“Oh, right. Victoria is also dead. It happened while I was…” Nova's voice trailed off as he remembered the rage that had consumed him in that moment. He had killed her as soon as he felt the pull, barely even aware of it.

Annelie sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder. "Okay, so now only Shivere remains... I don't know much about her compared to the rest, but she seemed dependable."

“Yeah, that’s the impression I got as well. Very thorough, and acting decisively when needed. Let’s just hope it makes her more resistant to the madness…”

"...It's strange that three Cardinals lost to the madness, don't you think?" Annelie lifted her head, scanning the darkness around them. "Four if we include Petyr. It hasn't even been a day."

Nova's brow furrowed as he considered her words. “I thought about that. I wonder if time moves quicker in the void… It’s also strange since they were discussing precautions before we left. You’d think some of them worked.”

"...Either way, let's hurry." Her arm tapped against his chest. "Do you think the formation will be quicker than walking?"

“Probably. We don’t know what we might meet on the way, and I should be able to figure it out without using too much time.”

“Well then, get to formationing.”

“That’s a word?”

“Formatting?”

"No, that's something else." His feet stopped moving as he prepared to work on the formation.

"Then I stand by formationing. Get to it." She squeezed his shoulders encouragingly.

"Already on it," Nova mumbled, dropping to one knee on the dark ground. His fingers hovered over the surface as he prepared to trace the formation. "Ah, I can equip the Gorton fragment since some time has passed. But I won't be aware of anything around me, so keep watch, will you?"

“Sure.” Annelie climbed off his back, looking much steadier on her feet now.

‘Okay, the time that has returned on the fragment is thirty minutes, meaning about… six hours have passed? But I don’t know if that’s adjusted for time in here, or if it is time on the outside.’

[Fragment of Nova Gorton equipped.]

The divine focus seized his mind instantly, shutting out all thoughts of lighthouses or time-sensitive tasks. The void around him faded to background noise as the formation began taking shape beneath his hands. Only the formation existed, slowly taking shape on the black surface under his feet.

‘Thread, spatial runes, returning starting location as destination… Pulse through string, giving both distance and coordinates… Teleportation, large enough for two people, takes a bit of energy, but Darius had about 2,600,000 essence when I received his soul. Should be enough.

Send two pulses, comparing destinations. If mismatch, stop process. If incomplete teleportation, stop process. Connect string to center, using the formation on my hand. Have to transfer it…’

Nova lost track of time as the lines shifted and changed beneath his fingers. The formation grew more complex with each adjustment, spreading outward in an intricate web of spatial magic. Finally, the pattern settled into its final form, and Nova released a long breath.

[You have learned the skill: White String Teleportation (Grandmaster - 100%) {Grade 11}]

[A teleportation formation that connects to an existing String of Ariadne, using its ending location as the coordinate of the teleportation.]

[A newly created skill has no basis for mastery. You have been chosen as the baseline.]

"It's done." Nova pushed himself up from the ground, studying the completed formation with satisfaction.

Annelie stepped closer to him, studying the patterns with interest. “Good work. Are we ready?”

"Yeah, any time now. I might need to be quick, though, since I don't know how well I'll be able to handle the Soul Power of a Cardinal." Nova checked the formation's lines one final time, making sure every curve was perfect.

"...And you spent all of the Archbishop's soul?" Annelie's fingers twisted nervously at her side.

“Yeah. But I can regenerate, so it’s not all that risky.”

"Oh, really?" She turned to him with surprise, but quickly shook her head. "No, never mind. Let's go, then!"

"Right. Just stand right here and hold my hand." Nova positioned himself in the formation's center, extending his hand toward her.

"Okay." She stepped into place beside him, wrapping her small fingers around his.

Nova drew a deep breath, planning each step clearly in his mind. He might not have the awareness to plan much after equipping the soul, and there was no time to waste. Each one only had about five seconds of time.

‘Here we go!’

[Soul of Darius Zuraski equipped.]

It was too much.

The power exploded through his body like liquid fire, setting every nerve ablaze. Blood burst from his pores, soaking through his clothes in an instant. The pain threatened to tear his mind apart as Cardinal-level essence ripped through his child-sized frame.

'Aaaaaaahh, that fucking hurts! But my body should regenerate through it!'

He felt Annelie try to pull away as his blood soaked into her sleeve. His fingers locked around hers with desperate strength, holding her in place. Fighting through the agony, he poured his essence into the formation. The runes flared to life beneath their feet as he struggled to maintain focus through the burning pain.

A flash of light burned away the darkness. Damascus materialized around them - a sprawling white city adorned with gold and crisscrossed by waterways. But they were seeing it from high above, plummeting through empty air.

Nova immediately unequipped the soul, feeling an immense relief wash over him. But Annelie was screaming at his side.

"Nova! Are you okay!" She flailed beside him in the rushing wind, struggling to keep the robe from exposing her.

His throat felt like shredded meat, but he managed a nod and weak thumbs up. Blood still dripped from his skin, though his regeneration was already closing the wounds.

"Okay, good, but what about the fall? I can't use my wings yet!" Her silver helmet nearly slipped off as she gestured at the rapidly approaching ground.

‘Uhm… Figure it out? I’ll just crash into the ground. Can’t hurt more than this did.’

His regenerating vocal cords scraped out a few rough words. "Will... you live?" He could equip Collier's soul if needed, but the thought of more power coursing through his raw nerves made him hesitate.

“Yeah! But what about you?”

He jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Tough."

“...Okay, I’ll leave you to it. See you on the ground!”

She left his side, twisting herself in the air to aim her descent. More accurately, she seemed to be aiming for one of the many artificial rivers coursing through the city.

‘That’s also gonna hurt, but I guess she has a plan… Now, how should I land? On my back?’

His body had mostly put itself back together now, with the skin and organs working like normal. It took a bit of essence to regenerate, but the power was well worth it.

With his back to the ground, Nova was prepared for the impact. At least, as well as he could be.

‘I hope there is some give in that white marble…’

CRASH

His back landed on a rooftop, barely offering any resistance before letting him through. The floor beneath proved more substantial, stopping his descent with a bone-jarring impact that sent splinters and dust raining down around him.

The collision drove every bit of air from his lungs. His vision exploded with colors as his head bounced off the hard rock. Pain radiated through his small frame despite his regeneration.

‘Agh, god! I can’t wait to leave this city!’

The worst of the damage healed in seconds. Nova blinked his eyes open, taking in his surroundings through the settling dust. The house seemed empty, but he heard a noise just out of sight. A head peeked out of a doorway, belonging to a young kid.

"Y-You fell through our roof? Are you okay?" The boy's voice wavered between concern and disbelief.

"Yeah, just a bit bruised, thanks for asking..." Nova pushed himself up, brushing debris from his blood-soaked clothes. "Sorry about that."

"...No problem." The boy's eyes darted between Nova and the hole in his ceiling. "Are you... sane?"

“Yep, completely. You as well I see?" Nova stood, testing his newly-healed legs.

The boy nodded. He was a few years older than Nova, but still listened closely to his words.

"Good. Don't worry, the rift is closing very soon." Nova offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Really?!" Hope bloomed across the boy's face.

"Yep. In fact, if you listen closely..." Nova tilted his head up, looking throught he hole he had created. He activated the trigger, letting the bomb detonate in the depths of the void.

A deep, resounding noise spread out across the entire city. The rift Nova could see through the hole in the roof pulsed outward with the blast, but then it receded quickly after. 

The void twisted as it died, producing a high-pitched whine that set Nova's teeth on edge. Reality rushed to fill the space where darkness had ruled, sealing shut with a final sharp crack that echoed across the white city.

And then it was gone, leaving only clear blue sky.

‘Good riddance… And goodbye.’

His eyes lingered on the empty space where the rift had been, thinking of the villagers who had finally found their peace. A weight he'd carried for lifetimes lifted from his shoulders, dissolving into the morning air.

[Gained soul of Void Lord Grat’zhe’lan.]

[Gained Void Lord Flesh (Rare) {Grade 11}]

[Gained Void Lord Eye (Epic) {Grade 11}]

[Gained Void Lord Heart (Epic) {Grade 12}]

Nova’s eyes widened at the sudden messages. He barely expected to gain anything from a being of the void, let alone epic-grade material of grade 12.

‘What the hell? That’s at the level of my spatial stitch formation, which took five Cardinals to even attempt! I’ll have to study these things later… It’s time to go meet Shivere. Because what the fuck happened while we were gone?’

Ch.52 --I-- Index --I-- Ch.54