"Woah… that's amazing."
"She can use magic without chanting? Isn't that cheating?"
A wave of whispers swept through the exam grounds as the testing dummy that once used to be a solid mass of magic-resistant alloy liquifies, melted by the extreme heat.
The examinee who made it just stood there, silently watching the glowing puddle and sizzling ground.
Not only were her flames far more intense than those of the other examinees, but she had also invoked the power of mana without uttering a single word. Not even a single phrase of magic chant or the faintest invocation of words of what was known as God's Tongue. The sacred language that commands the mana itself.
Such a feat shocked the spectators into thunderous applause. After all, it was an unbelievable achievement that not even the wizard kings of the past were able achieve.
It was common knowledge that mana could not be invoked without the Tongue of Gods—the sacred language that was required to harness the magic dwelling within one's body.
Likewise, to draw upon the mana of the world itself, one had to offer an equivalent exchange, matching the volume taken with equal value. But even that exchange still required spoken invocation.
And yet, one girl did it just because she finds it troublesome to memorize the language.
In a world where a mute was no different from an ordinary human, where magic itself demanded a voice to shape and command it, her existence alone overturned common sense.
To a few, she was a prodigy, an object of envy... or a monster who is believed to have sold her vision for power.
"This is absurd," the headmaster said quietly. Pondering while looking at the report paper "Your reasoning contradicts centuries of study… and yet, here you stand. Just how did you—"
Alone in the office with the girl, the man stepped a bit closer, and his expression was calm, a gentle smile resting upon his aged face— a look that carried nothing but amusement and disbelief at the absurdity that stood before him.
"Perhaps if it's you— " for some reason he stopped mid-way before placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm proud of you. Truly. But if this becomes public knowledge, it will cause an uproar. Worse—this will draw the attention of the wrong people... You need to understand… no. You have to understand."
"Why?"
"Just trust me"
The small child looked at him with an understanding expression. She understood that the man in front of her meant well, even when she doesn't know the danger the old-man spoke of.
"Headmaster…"
At that thought, Nimue woke up from her slumber.
It's been 2 days since she found herself in this world filled with dead machines.
To stave off hunger, she had no choice but to eat the birdlike creatures she had burned during the attack, freezing the edible portions with magic to preserve them and discarding what had been burned beyond consumption.
She was only able to salvage a little meat after failing to control her output. Well, if she ran out, she is more than capable to go hunting for more.
Fortunately, they had a pleasing taste, making them easy to swallow. Not exactly the best but it was better than nothing.
During her time aboard the ship, she found nothing of use, nothing but more skeletons resting in the other rooms.
At that moment, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened in this place and what story lay behind it.
By now, the ship had traveled far enough that a ruined city lay beneath it, the vessel hovering above the skeletal remains of the once-mighty structures.
When Nimue saw the strange shapes below, she quickly leaned over to the edge, surprised to see odd structures.
As she flew beneath the ship, examining the shapes, she realized they looked more like ruined buildings than the strange stones she had imagined.
—Where is this place? — Just yesterday, she was still in what look like graveyards of machines.
As she scouts the land from above, she decided to descend down to get a better view from the ground.
When objects entered her field of vision, she finally saw the lines of ruins covered by what looked like vines. So far, the area was clear. The place looked isolated, free of any animals and humans
—but it wouldn't hurt to remain cautious.
Also
—Am i in some kind of ancient ruin? —
The farther she ventured, the more convinced she became that this place is, or could be an ancient ruin as more collapsed structures surfaced one after another.
She even nearly stumbled over an overgrown root that had split the rocky path apart.
As she continued forward, a solitary figure emerged ahead—standing tall atop what felt like a raised platform.
—Is that a person? —
She hoped they are friendly...
—because if not, It won't be my first time taking a human life —
"Hey."
She called out, expecting a response... But none came.
When she drew closer and reached out, her hand only met the cold skin of the figure with skin hard as a rock. It was a statue.
It was smoothly carved piece, standing roughly 6 feet tall. It was an incredible piece of craftsmanship. Whoever sculpted this clearly possessed remarkable skill. No matter where her hands roamed, even though she couldn't see, she could feel the intricate details of the work.
Even the private parts.
"He's not wearing anything below..."
—Is this considered gay? I feel like I'm violating an innocent man—
As someone who used to be a guy, her action seemed weird to even herself.
Suddenly, a loud scream echoed from afar.
Nimue turned to find the source. Was it a beast? A human?
It just sounded like a really loud scream from above.
Just as she was about to lift off the ground, something hard struck her unexpectedly.
The impact sent her flying, skidding across the ground before she came to a stop, feeling a severe abrasion on her left side and back. Her clothes barely survived the attack.
—What the hell was that? It felt like an iron fist— a blow so powerful it might as well have come from a swinging morning star from a brawler.
As she slowly rose, her left arm dangled limply, with bone protruding through her skin. Whatever had attacked her seemed intent on finishing her with a single strike.
"It hurts…" blood began to pool, and her heart was beating fast.
If there was anything she wanted to reflect on is that she always drops her guard when there's no danger in-sight.
As Nimue prepared to attack, worried voices reached her ears.
Causing her to pause in confusion.
"Mue, are you alright?"
Hearing this voice, Nimue screamed back, calling "NOAH!"
And as the dust clears, a towering outline of a creature stood where she was smashed away.
What stood before her were inhuman—one limb shaped like a human arm poised to grab, the other ending in a massive pincer. It resembled a crab warped by extreme mutation and a lot of tentacles like thing behind and what looked like a 3rd limb raised up.
Every time it moves it makes a creaking sound of grinding shells.
—How did I not hear something this loud approaching? —
"Mue, let's go home"
Meanwhile, high above the skies was an armed man preparing to infiltrate the vessel.
* * * * * * * * * *
After 2 days of preparation, a hover car drifted cautiously along the edge of the flying ship. From behind the vehicle, the pilot retrieved an object—an item called sonic bomb.
With a click, the red light on its surface flickered, then turned green. After confirming it was safe outside, he opened the barrier shielding the car from external threat.
And just like that, he pitched a throw and the bomb stuck to the ground like it glued in the moment of physical contact. Shouting-
"GO!"
The barrier snapped shut behind him, and another weapon was already in his grasp.
Three seconds later, the ball burst open, unleashing a deafening screech.
...
...
—Eh?—
After a while, the sky remained eerily silent, with no sign of the swarm he had anticipated.
"What's going on?"
—Is the item fake? Does it even work? —
—No way...
He heard the loud scream when it exploded.
He took another and threw it at the ship again. exploding... but even so right after as it exploded, none of the sound sensitive creatures he expected ever appeared.
—Just a week ago, these birds were so sensitive to sound that even breathing was dangerous... And you're telling me, something as loud as that doesn't wake them? —
Or perhaps they've relocated.
Hopefully...
—Well, better safe than dead. —
Seeing no progress in his end, he deployed a drone to scan the area to make sure it was completely safe inside.
The first thing he saw was the dented door. Seems like someone has already been here before him.
He couldn't believe it...
"No way... "
But the fact that the ship was still flying meant they likely didn't have a way to take the core if they are after the same thing as him. They were probably unprepared, or worse being devoured by the sky piranhas, since none had emerged from the ship. But it's still unlikely for these creatures to ignore such a loud explosion.
Regardless, he decided to check. The small drone slowly made its way inside.
It was dark inside, but fortunately, the drone's lens was equipped with night vision, allowing him to navigate easy.
So far, all he had seen were human skeletons and charred spiders.
"This place is clear of those birds..."
but there was clear proof that this is definitely a nest seeing the shells of empty eggs and scattered feathers.
He wanted to know how the sky piranhas vanished, but he needed to prioritize his objective first.
Retrieve the object and leave the planet as soon as possible, before he found himself at the mercy of the catastrophic creatures of Tera.