|Location: Wasteland, Clear sky|
-OMNISCIENCE-
After receiving a fierce, full-blown attack from his sister, Nuk lay helpless on the ground, his back pressed hard against the cold earth. A numbing sensation crept through his body, starting from his chest and flowing down to his legs, tinting his skin with a sickly purplish hue. He tried to scream, but his lungs and throat betrayed him, refusing to produce even a pip of a sound.
His breathing grew shallow and labored, his vision blurring and growing heavy with each passing second. No matter how fiercely he tried to will his body to move, it remained unresponsive, as if locked in place by an invisible force. Suddenly, an intense burning sensation flared across his face. Veins bulged and pulsed violently beneath the skin of his arms and legs, and a fierce internal agony ripped through him, as if his body were tearing itself apart from within.
Nuk's mind raced—he instantly recognized the torment he was enduring: Sertium contamination.
This realization struck him with crushing clarity. He was experiencing the deadly consequences of having pushed far beyond his limits with reckless abandon.
In a world where humanity's strength is earned through painstaking steps, and miracles belong only to the 'gods' and their followers—ancient beings who had haunted this shattered land for over two millennia since the Great Apocalypse—such a reckless use of abilities could only bring ruin to one's body.
Desperately struggling to stay awake, Nuk forced himself to crawl toward Zero, every movement a battle against the overwhelming weakness pulling him under.
Meanwhile, Dia completed her eerie ritual, absorbing the lingering fog that cloaked the wasteland. Massive, twisted antlers erupted from her head, her hair transformed into writhing vines, and with every step she took, the earth glowed beneath her feet and blood-red flowers blossomed. Her eyes shone with a terrifying brilliance, but the most chilling sight remained her sinister smile—a wide, unsettling grin stretching from one ear to the other, the smile of a predator who kills for sheer enjoyment.
She slowly turned, her eyes locking onto Nuk's trembling form, and that diabolical smile deepened, sending a cold shiver down his spine. With deliberate, haunting steps, she advanced toward her injured brother. Each footfall breathed life into the ground beneath her, yet as soon as her radiant light moved on, the earth withered, leaving a path stripped of all vitality in her wake.
"What? Are you regretting it now that you dared to fight me?" Dia sneered, leaning forward until her face loomed just inches above Nuk's. Without warning, she grabbed a handful of his hair, her grip tight and unyielding. She paused for a moment, her eyes flickering over his battered, pathetic form. A dark amusement danced in her gaze, but beneath it stirred a bitter reminder of a past she loathed—the tangled roots of her origin and the woman she despised as the source of her misery.
"Don't worry," she hissed venomously, "I'll end your suffering… by killing you."
Her hair writhed suddenly, twisting and curling like serpents, slithering with malevolent intent toward Nuk and Zero.
"B**ch! Not on my watch!" A fierce, angry voice cut through the tense air from a distance, drawing Dia's attention. She spun her head, eyes darting wildly to locate the source of the interruption. Before she could fully react, a massive greatsword hurtled toward her, slicing swiftly through the air.
Dia barely managed to step back in time, the blade landing with a thunderous crash between her and Nuk. As she searched for her attacker, a flash of red caught her eye. A strange figure, a woman with a silky red bun, suddenly appeared mid-air. Before Dia could mount any defense, a fiery kick smashed into her face, launching her backward through the air.
"Ah! Fire! Fire!" Dia screamed, clutching her burning cheek, her hands clawing desperately at the scorched flesh. Golden blood oozed from the wound, shimmering as it began to mend the burn. Her recovery was swift, but her anger flared even hotter. Ahead of her, a towering wall of fire rose, blocking her view and separating her from the woman who had attacked her.
Fuming, Dia pounded at the fiery barrier with wild, furious strikes, each blow shattering into ash as her vine-like hair turned to cinders. Frustration twisted her features into a snarl. "Who did that!?" she demanded, voice ringing with rage.
On the other side of the wall, the woman reached into a pouch strapped to her leg and retrieved a small vial filled with a translucent pale blue liquid. A sweet scent of lime escaped as she uncorked it. Gently, she lifted Nuk's head and forced the potion down his throat. Almost instantly, the deadly Sertium contamination ravaging his body began to recede. The purple discoloration faded from his chest and arms, the violent pulsation in his veins slowed, and his breathing steadied.
Relief washed over the woman as she saw Nuk's condition stabilize. Though he was still injured, he had escaped death's grasp. Her eyes then flicked to the raging monster trapped behind the fiery barrier, its furious attempts to break through relentless.
"Damn it, I can't fight that thing and protect him at the same time," she muttered, clicking her tongue in frustration as she surveyed Nuk's battered form. His injuries were severe, and the weight of a promise made to Leila pressed heavily on her heart. She grimaced, feeling the sting of nearly failing that sacred request.
"Come on, we need to get out of here," she said firmly, attempting to lift Nuk by the shoulders.
Despite his weakened state, Nuk resisted. "No!" he rasped.
The woman's eyes widened in shock. "What? Do you want to die out here because of that thing?" Her voice sharpened, disbelief and worry intertwining.
Nuk's gaze shifted weakly to Zero, who lay motionless on the ground like a broken doll. His voice, hoarse and strained, barely rose above a whisper. "Please… save him too."
The woman hesitated, her eyes scanning Zero's body. To her, he looked like a dried-up corpse—his torso dislocated, joints twisted unnaturally, skin cracked and parched. It was hard to see him as anything but dead.
"That... that corpse?" she asked, voice trembling.
"He's not dead," Nuk insisted, though his mind was clouded and wavering. "Help him... friend."
"Shit! Don't pass out now," the woman panicked as Nuk's body went limp, consciousness slipping away like sand through her fingers. Her eyes quickly shifted to Zero's motionless form lying nearby. The words from the letter echoed in her mind—she couldn't just ignore him now that Nuk had called him his 'friend.'
Confusion and worry knitted her brow as she scratched her head, torn between the impossible choices ahead. She couldn't just leave two severely injured people alone in this hostile wasteland. Carrying both by herself was a daunting, if not impossible, task, and dangers lurked around every corner.
Just as despair threatened to overwhelm her, time seemed to align perfectly—Joshua suddenly appeared behind her, his presence sharp and urgent.
"Sister! Where did you disappear to?" he called out, rushing to her side.
She let out a relieved breath and smiled faintly. "Ha! Perfect timing," she said, though a fleeting thought whispered that this meeting might have been orchestrated by fate itself. Shaking off the notion, she focused on the task at hand.
Joshua's sharp eyes immediately caught sight of the figure in his sister's arms. Despite the wounds and bruises that marred the body, the familiar broad shoulders, the green hair, the pointed ears, and even a glimpse of the face stirred a deep well of nostalgia in him—enough for him to recognize instantly.
"Is that… Nuk?" he asked, his voice a mixture of hope and disbelief.
But before more could be said, his gaze snapped toward the raging battle beyond the fiery barrier. Twisting vines and Dia's sinister form clashed fiercely.
"Gah! What the hell is that thing?" Joshua exclaimed, alarm flashing in his eyes.
Without hesitation, the woman handed Nuk over to Joshua's strong arms and gestured toward Zero lying on the ground. "Take these two and find somewhere safe to hide. I'll handle that... monstrosity."
Before Joshua could protest, she dashed headlong into the wall of fire, unscathed, launching herself into a brutal duel against Dia. Flames roared and vines whipped through the air in a deadly dance. It was clear Dia was being pushed back—the woman's mastery of fire was a powerful counter to the creeping darkness.
Joshua wasted no time. He hurriedly carried Nuk and Zero away from the chaos, his footsteps light but steady. Teleporting was out of the question; the sudden spatial shifts could worsen their injuries, potentially turning their fragile states fatal. So he carried them, one by one, with all the strength he could muster.
"Phew... this place should be safe," he said softly after setting Zero down gently beside Nuk.
Suddenly, Nuk coughed harshly, the sound raw and ragged. His eyes fluttered open, consciousness returning like a slow tide. Panic gripped him as his gaze sought out Zero, the hesitation he'd seen in the woman's eyes haunting him—he feared Zero might be left behind.
His vision was blurry, only rough shapes visible, and at first, he couldn't quite place Joshua's figure standing nearby.
"Y-you… Zero... where is he?" Nuk's voice was hoarse, trembling with urgency.
Joshua smiled reassuringly, patting Nuk's back with a steady hand. "Don't worry, he's right there." He pointed clearly toward Zero's resting form.
Nuk eyed Zero's still form with a flicker of doubt. "He's…"
But then relief swept over him as he saw Zero lying beside him, breathing faintly but alive. Nuk's lips curled into a tired smile as he sighed deeply, comforted by the sight. He also noticed the woman carrying them looked conflicted and worried, but the knowledge that Zero was still alive eased some of the tension in the air.
"Don't worry, he's not dead," Nuk said softly, offering reassurance. Yet, something about the calm settling over the group didn't feel quite right to him. They were sitting beneath the shade of a lone tree, shielded from the harsh glare of the sun—a place far removed from the chaos that had erupted moments before.
"Wait! Whe-re are w-e? What hap-pened to D-ia?" Nuk's voice was weak, but his concern was clear.
"Dia? I didn't saw her" Joshua answered sharply, then Nuk raised his hand and pointed toward the distance, Joshua's eyes squinted over the distance and his expression widen "You mean that monster."
Nuk's gaze followed the gesture and saw his sister thrashing wildly, vines writhing as she battled fiercely. The question clawed at him despite the pain twisting his throat. "W-what's ha-ppe-ning?"
"My sister's fighting that thing," Joshua replied grimly. He pulled out a wristband, attempting to contact his group for backup, but Nuk's trembling hand stopped him.
"Wait. I'll call for reinforcements since I can't teleport out with an injured person," Joshua said.
"Don't bother. Communication doesn't work in this place," Nuk shook his head, frustration and exhaustion weighing on him.
Joshua looked at Nuk expectantly, waiting for something more, but Nuk couldn't grasp what was expected.
"So…" Joshua spread his arms wide, brows raised in silent questions.
Nuk blinked, confused. "What?!"
"Seriously, don't you have something to say to me?" Joshua asked, disappointment flickering in his eyes.
"Thank you," Nuk whispered, his voice hoarse.
"Yes, that. But don't you remember me?" Joshua pressed.
"Who are—" Nuk started, but the tension between them broke as a distant memory surfaced. Recognition dawned slowly, spreading warmth through the cold air.
"Wait! Joshua? Does that mean the girl from earlier was Anna?" Nuk's voice cracked with surprise.
Joshua had changed over the years, but the golden hair and bright blue eyes were unmistakable. She was the same person who had helped him escape long ago, the first to call him brother—bound by blood through their father. Gratefulness swelled in Nuk's heart; despite everything, this sudden reunion brought a rare smile to his face.
Their fragile moment was shattered suddenly as Anna came hurtling toward them.
"Kya!" She crashed onto her back, smashing through boulders on impact, yet clutching her broadsword tightly.
"Sister!?" Joshua rushed to her side, helping her to her feet.
Dia's mocking voice echoed from afar. "Is that all you've got?"
"What happened? I can't believe a plant did that to you," Joshua exclaimed, eyes wide as the monstrous vines advanced.
Anna shoved him aside, snapping, "Shut up! She made pyrophyte vines."
"Stop talking and fight me!" Dia roared, unleashing a massive barrage of twisting vines that surged forward relentlessly, giving no time to catch their breath.
"Let me breathe, you weed!" Anna snarled, charging with her greatsword, slicing through the oncoming vines. But she hadn't noticed another wave of vines sneaking up behind her. Unable to block in time, she instinctively shut her eyes as they closed in.
"Ah! Crap."
Then, out of nowhere, a figure appeared in front of her, delivering a single, devastating punch that shattered the vines instantly. The shockwave rattled the earth and tore through the surrounding trees.
Anna looked up, hearing a cold monotone voice.
"Update complete… System rebooting…"
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