Symbiotic Ascension : A Progression Fantasy Adventure

Liara had only felt like that a few times in her life. The first was when Salim, her best friend growing up, betrayed her and her father. The second time was when she watched Glenn die. And today was the third time. The third time, she'd let one of her loved ones slip through her hands, killed by monsters undeserving of even the touch of the sun.

She had had enough.

The light of the white cross on her forehead intensified. Bird-Mask's yellow, predator eyes squinted at her, studying its prey from every angle. Sand rose around Liara, reality trembling as she drew out all of her power. Unlike Sahro, she used a mix of Aura and Mana, instead of the Primal Aura he used. She couldn't risk her life in some hazardous experiment, after all. She had responsibilities and the fate of her people resting on her shoulders.

"Enough," she muttered. She smashed her Aura and Mana together, just like how Sahro had described it. Her Mana Heart, before she created Whitey, had been a white, pearly egg. Now, it was a beautiful source of white light, a well of purity. Her Aura would only taint that purity, that perfect white.

But she couldn't care less. Bird-Mask sensed that Liara was doing something dangerous and frowned. It shrieked and disappeared in a flash. Its talon shot for her throat, but a golden glaive stopped him from touching her skin.

"Fucking... Bird!" Decimius roared as his Aura exploded, one-handed his weapon with righteous fury. The monstrous bird flew in the air, staring at Decimius distastefully. It broke the sound barrier as it dove for the Orc's remaining arm, but Decimius parried him with a backhanded blow. The skin on his fingers cracked open, and his palm burst out with blood, but Decimius clenched his teeth and held his ground.

Even with a missing arm, the Orc stood proudly, unfazed by his wounds. He raised his glaive and took a deep breath.

"Pro honore!" He shouted, his roar echoing all over the Ink Dunes. It was so powerful that even Bird-Mask had to take a step back.

While Decimius occupied the monstrous bird, something was happening inside Liara. All of her rage, grief, hatred, and sadness combined in a melting pot of emotions that influenced her Mana and Aura. The two energies collided violently, exploding in search of equilibrium. Aura and Mana. Mana and Aura.

Creation and destruction. Two sides of the same coin, one unable to exist without the other.

Sahro's path was the path of ruin, the path of the warrior. The Primal path.

But this wasn't her path.

She dreamed of rebuilding Thalorieth, of reviving her kingdom, of ruling it... And have a family. She wanted to be strong enough to protect all of them, her friends, her subjects...

Her lover.

The energies within Liara finally fused, the collision exploding out of her in a grand disk of light. An armor of pure white covered her from head to toe, embossed with white crosses on the pauldrons and the chestplate. A pair of armored wings spanned out of her back, her golden eyes barely visible through the slit of her crusader helmet.

An energy to protect. An energy to create. A Mana so powerful it was almost... Ethereal.

Liara ignored the power surging in her chest. She didn't care for it whatsoever. There was only one thing she desired currently: saving her friends. She looked up, seeing Bird-Mask rip Decimius' remaining arm, the Orc still standing despite a large hole in his side. His golden Aura flickered out, out of energy.

The bird monster pushed away Decimius mercilessly, its yellow eyes stuck on Liara like she was the most delicious-looking prey. Liara took a long, deep breath and let her power flow out. A pale, ethereal light washed over Lucian and Decimius, pushing back against Bird-Mask and burning him. Her sword was like a beacon in the night, shining brightly.

"I, Liara Thalorieth," she pointed her sword at the bird creature, "Will kill you."

The bird monster shrieked violently and shot out in a sonic bang, its talon aiming for her arm. Liara's eyes shone with a bright white, and her head snapped in the monster's direction, her sword moving before she knew it. The talon was cleaved in two, black blood pouring out profusely. The bird monster cried painfully as it crashed into the dunes. It held its talon, trying to stop the bleeding, but the flesh wouldn't mend.

Liara calmly marched toward the monster, dragging the tip of her sword through the black sand. The bird monster stood up with hatred-filled yellow eyes. It sharpened its claws and cracked its neck at her, shrieking in rage.

"Come," she simply said. The bird threw itself forward, its madness overflowing.

***

Cold.

It was cold. The sun was high in the sky, crushing the desert with its heat, yet Lucian felt cold. He couldn't feel the life flowing through his veins anymore, the Mana filling him with confidence, nor any of his pride at being the son of the King of Munirp.

He could only feel the cold.

'So cold.'

He could almost imagine the wind passing through the hole in his stomach, caressing the hanging guts and freezing his blood. He couldn't hear his heart beating, and his thoughts were slowly coming to a stop.

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'I am so stupid,' he thought. Numerous times, his father offered him precious artefacts, armors, and miracle elixirs to help save his life. And every time he'd refused, preferring to send these resources to the fighters on the frontline or keep them for truly critical situations. His father had respected his decision, but he had always warned him.

"You are strong, Lucian. But death comes even for the strongest. Never be too confident. Never trust yourself. Never believe you will survive everything. This will keep you alive."

Lucian had always kept that advice in mind. Every time he moved, he did it with as much knowledge as possible, as prepared as he could. He ran every scenario, learned about all the possibilities, and planned depending on them. He hid himself behind a mask of pride and confidence, always calculating everything. For the sake of Munirp and its citizens, he had to think about everything.

But his time with Glenn had changed him. It was fun. Even if they often fought against impossible odds and survival was all but guaranteed, it was fun. He understood what friends were for for the first Time thanks to Glenn, and even considered what love was seeing his relationship with Liara.

And now, a shot of overconfidence later, he was dying. Or perhaps he was already dead, and that was what death felt like? He should have asked Glenn about it; after all, the bastard had already died once.

'But now it's too late.'

He didn't expect to have this much regret. He wanted to do so many things! He wanted to keep exploring the world, discovering ancient secrets, and fighting abyssal monsters.

Lucian wanted to live. He wanted to live so badly.

'This is unfair,' he thought, an ember lightning up in his chest. 'I can't accept it.'

Thump, thump.

'I have so much left to do, so much left to see. I can't stop here- I REFUSE!'

His Mana, still like the surface of a lake, suddenly trembled. A pulse of energy ran through his limbs, a soft white light helping soften the pain in his stomach. Flash mended itself as missing organs grew back. Even shattered bones began to return to their original condition.

"How..." He coughed out a lump of dry blood, his rage and desire to live overflowing. "Can a mere bird... DARE..."

Like a strung-up puppet, he rose to his feet, animated by a strange force. "How can it DARE KILL ME?!" He roared, his Mana exploding out in a massive wave of twilight. The sun high above was obscured, covered by a layer of Mana. Lucian's crown, shattered into thousands of pieces, became whole again, shining with a new, unbridled power.

Lucian opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

The air was warm. Hot, even. Crushingly hot.

***

Liara wasn't sure what this Ether power was, but she was going to use it as much as she could. The bird was struggling to parry her blows. She wasn't particularly faster, though, nor really any better. The difference was in the strength of her blows- they carried a sort of... inevitability.

Every time the bird dodged, it failed, and miserably so. It was healing its wounds by sticking sand in them and somehow turning that sand into flesh, but it wasn't working out great. Liara felt a surge of confidence as she pushed back the bird again. It felt like her power was made for destroying that monster. She could feel that she wasn't a Newborn Ruler yet, and despite that, she could still push back against the Bird.

That's why she did not expect it when her armor suddenly came undone and her strength left her.

'No. No!' She desperately reached for the bottom of her Mana Heart, searching for one last drop of power. She had almost finished the creature! Her body gave up, her knees buckling and sending her crashing into the black sand. The bird was heaving with difficulty, covered in bleeding wounds. Its eyes glinted with a nauseating, vicious look. It knew it had won.

Liara pushed herself up, using her sword as a makeshift cane. The blade shattered, unable to handle the strength she had sent through it.

She glared at the bird angrily, tears welling up in her eyes. 'I have tried everything. Everything. What more can I do?'

The bird stood before her, victorious. It raised its talon for a downward cut, its bloodied claws glinting in the sun. Liara closed her eyes, abandoning herself to her fate.

Clang!

The distinct sound of metal clashing against metal made her open her eyes again. Decimius was standing before her, her spear clenched in his hands, made in golden Aura. The Orc coldly stared down at the bird and, in a dominating fashion, headbutted it.

"For... Honor," coughed Decimius. The blow sent the bird tumbling into the dunes while Decimius collapsed, the last of his strength expended.

The Bird trembled, its feathers falling off and its claws retracting. Its talons returned to look like human hands, and its beak became smaller. Bird Mask groaned, holding his wounds painfully.

"How is this... Possible?" He muttered in disbelief, grunting with every step. He dragged himself to Decimius, heaving with difficulty. He grabbed the spear from the ground and tiredly raised it above Decimius, aiming for the Orc's Heart. Just as he was about to strike, the sun suddenly disappeared, and all light turned to darkness.

Bird-Mask looked at his surroundings, stepping back instinctively as he felt fear creeping up his spine. Cold sweat drenched his back, and he raised his spear defensively.

"This is impossible... I defeated all of you, you damned fuckers!" He cried, his spear trembling in his hands. He had already expended every drop of his Mana, and his body, even as a Newborn Ruler, was so exhausted he could barely stand. A shadow slowly walked out of the shadows, twilight following him closely. Gold and magenta crowned his head, and in his hand was contained a power that made reality shiver.

"Crépuscule."

Lucian's voice echoed all over the Ink Dunes, the shadows twirling and moving according to his will. They encroached upon Bird-Mask, pulling at him and ripping his skin off.

"Get off, get off!" He screamed, weakly beating away at the shadows. Lucian stood before him, a cloak of twilight hanging from his shoulders.

"I, Lucian Magnus, Prince of Munirp, hereby sentence you to die." A greatsword appeared in his hands, vibrating with power. "Do you have any last words?"

Bird-Mask trembled in horror as he gazed at Lucian, unable to believe his eyes. "But... I killed you?"

Swing!

The motion was perfect, like a clock's hand. Inevitable. Lucian shook his head as his Mana receded, finally feeling the side effects from using such incredible power. He crashed in the sand and sighed heavily, the sight of the sun returning as his spell faded away.

"You," he sighed, "Did not kill me. Thank Onnea."

Finally, only the wind could be heard whistling through the dunes.

The battle was over.