Worlds In Limbo

Kouki Kurayami is a Chimaera born in Liminalis. Once, he possessed Nullification Magic, which was feared by all who shunned him, but it evolved. According to a deep desire, he awakened a much-needed power.

One that allowed him to cleanse all negative emotions, one that could let him feel nothing, one that let him break through his limit, and one that could transcend my expectations: Sensory Magic.

A simple yet complex ability that allowed him to manipulate perception and perspective. 

If most people were to obtain this magic, they'd stop at enhancing their eyesight and their hearing, but not Kouki. His desire to keep going never allowed him to stop experimenting.

The landing awoke him, but he didn't feel anything. His senses were already dulled far before the cliff eroded.

The grass brushed across his unit as he took in a breath of fresh air. It was bliss. He opened his eyes and got on his two feet, observing the forest he was in. 'This... This isn't Gaia.'

The trees, though incomplete, had a sense of familiarity. The twilight he was bathed in felt natural and comfortable. And the grass. They weren't cutting open slits over his ankles but were welcoming him, embracing him warmly as if this was his home.

The Runes around his body dimmed, sinking into his skin before he noticed a floating word.

'Op...tion?'

The word was bordered by a crimson box, encasing it as it contrasted with the dark background of the forest. 'Is this an Abberant?' His hand flew through the panel, phasing through it as Kouki's eyebrow was raised along a cynical expression.

He called out his Runes as they surfaced and etched themselves into his unit, directing rapid glances around him until he noticed a bright red flash, delivering a swift straight punch that phased through the panel of words. 

'What...?' His eyebrows furrowed as he read it.

[You have activated Equilibrium Shift!]

'What the hell is this?' Confusion had a firm grip on his conscience, but he ignored it, deciding to dart his vision all around him again, unable to catch anything he would deem 'suspicious.'

'What's happening?' The forest was destroyed, though there was no evidence of Abberants. 

'My glaive.. isn't with me.' He tried to recall its whereabouts, but he had no recollection.

The fog was thick, but his Runes allowed him to see through it, and he confirmed nothing was there. He glanced at the panel of words as it disappeared, reverting to a panel labeled:

'Options.'

Kouki went silent, commanding his Runes to enchant his hearing, converging behind his ears as it became elf-like. 'There's... something.' A soft tremble rang beside his ear. 'Very far...'

His body remained still, focusing every ounce of his energy into his 'sense of hearing,' noticing the trembling becoming louder and closer. 'It's getting clo-' A deep ache echoed from his heart, prompting him to grasp at his chest. 'My- AH-' 

"My adaptation..." His voice shifted from a raspy, clear voice to a hoarse tone, feeling his muscles tensing. "Why..?" He questioned, trying to force his adaptation back to counteract his age, but he was alerted by the 'Abberant.'

[!New Quest!]

[Slay All Amalgamations. (0/5)]

[Rewards:]

[Rune Experience]

[Gold]

[Relic Selection Chest]

The panels stacked on each other, lining up in front of Kouki as he quickly swatted it away, holding up his fists as black Runes enchanted his knuckles with the 'sense of fear.' 

Tremors were sent through the ground, while footsteps of an irregular shape were ingrained within the earth. 'This... isn't an Abberant...' The Amalgamation consisted of bodies molded together within a smooth skin. Runes slithered on its surface as a bulge followed, converging toward its right side as a giant fleshy mass burst out, moving the flesh from its left side toward the lump of flesh, sculpting a perfect arm.

'This... This is definitely not an Abbe-'

"MISTER KURAYAMI!" Rhian and Gideon were standing behind a tree stump with Rhian yelling to gain his attention before throwing his glaive at him.

'T-That didn't go too far...' Rhian thought to herself, timidly hiding behind the tree stump before hearing a grunt.

"TAKE IT!" Gideon rushed out to take the glaive, enchanting his elbows with Runes as fire burst out before throwing the glaive at full force, thrusting the weapon directly into the Amalgamation.

Kouki smirked under his helmet, looking at the Amalgamation who was slightly pushed back from the force, quickly running up to it and punching it with great force before removing the glaive from its body and jumping back.

"A-Alright. We can let Mister Kurayami deal with this." Gideon was out in the open with a wide smile, watching the Amalgamation repair the cut with flesh taken from the hand.

"Rea-lly?" Rhian gulped, glancing toward the Amalgamation which slammed its arm down with strength, destroying the ground as tremors shook the body of Gideon and Rhian.

"Y-Yeah. After all... He's relentless." Gideon spoke with a sense of confidence as another tremor was sent through the earth.

'Some sort of Body Magic that allows it to control any 'body' it comes in contact with. If a part of its flesh is separated, it cannot recall it and must retrieve it manually. With my ever-increasingly weathered body... Smyra and Gideon are the only people who can effectively eliminate this... Abberation.'

Kouki dodged the downward strike, brandishing his glaive as he enchanted it with black Runes before thrusting it deeply into the flesh of the Amalgamation, retrieving his weapon quickly before it got ensnared.

However, the Amalgamation wasn't fazed and responded with a smile on the little heads protruding out of its body, repairing the wound with more flesh. 'My 'fear' isn't working and I don't have enough firepower to just destroy the flesh.'

Kouki came to an impasse. The amalgamation was a great counter to him, being able to nullify the fear injected by his Runes and invalid any wounds done upon him.

"I NEED HELP SMYRA, GIDEON!" Kouki called out to them, dodging an arm of greater size and force.

'WHAT?!' Rhian was still hiding.

"What do I need to do?" Gideon, however, was ablaze and beside Kouki, ready to take orders from his senior.

Kouki raised an eyebrow, glancing at Rhian. "Brace." He quickly turned the glaive to its blunt side, slamming it onto Gideon's stomach to push him away from the swipe of the

Amalgamation. "Alright... All I need is for you to destroy the flesh." Gideon rubbed his stomach before standing back up, nodding with his hair and mane ablaze.

Rhian... however, was still scared and afraid that she would die. Terrified of the pain she would feel again. Petrified that... her second chance would just slip away.

She is but a human, unconditioned to this hostile environment, her instinct only tells her to hide and not use her abilities.

[Tips for eliminating the Amalgamations:]

[Destroy its flesh.]

[Destroy its body.]

'I-I- How?!' Tremors were continuously echoed through the forest, followed by sounds of stabbing and the crackles of fire burning the trees and grass.

[Strong Vibrations.]

Rhian reads the panel, looking at her own trembling hands. 'I-I can't!'

She peeked around the tree stump again, seeing Gideon shooting jets of fire at the Abberant while Kouki was staring at her, holding a black blade that quickly formed before she saw it flying at her.

'Wha-'

It plunged into her head, injecting Kouki's Runes into her. 'I-I'm not afraid...?' 

Her eyes went blank before reverting, but her pupils shrunk while her body stopped trembling.

Her Runes started to surface around her body, encircling numerous parts of her body as she stood up from behind the tree stump, releasing a deep sigh. 

"Is this what confidence feels like?"

A sense of rejuvenation surges in her body while her Runes vibrates stronger.

"What can I do?"