He looked like he was about to reprimand Mumu for suggesting such a thing, but in the moment that followed, a silent fury, he let out a deep sigh.
“You know, maybe that isn’t such a bad idea.”
Mumu made her axe disappear and sat up, turning fully to face Dollman.
She hadn’t given her question much thought since, at least back in GOG, only endgame-level bosses could actively use MAL energy. That was because most of them were transcendent beings, gods who could bend the cosmos to their liking.
But this wasn’t GOG as he remembered, and the old rules weren’t absolute.
“Yeah, like you said, this war has been going on since forever. Clearly, drastic measures are needed, and even if I'm unsuccessful, it will be worth it if it means we get that much closer to some kind of peace.”
For the first time, Dollman was speechless.
Mumu knew that he had considered the idea in the past, what with how dire the situation was and, for whatever reason, he didn’t pursue it.
Which made sense, but something had to change.
Mumu glanced at Cian to see that she was clenching her jaw a little.
Of course, she was.
Malignant energy ate away at creation, and Mumu couldn’t imagine what Cian had lost to it or because of it.
“Mmm…” Dollman droned, his eyes darting back and forth.
“I'm gonna have to make some adjustments to your heart. MAL energy is still actualised and has essence, direction and, most importantly, power. As destructive as it is. If we can turn your heart into a sort of engine that takes in MAL energy, mixes it with regular matter, destroying it and generating the energy you need to use your skills but… no. that won't work. The energy produced won’t have the same properties as that of Realstone. Mmm… Mumu?”
“Yes?”
“How do you feel about not being able to use skills ever again?”
“I literally haven’t used the ones I’ve gotten so far!” Mumu grinned, making Dollman nod.
“Alright. You will get a massive boost to your PHY and MAL affinities, but you’ll also be more vulnerable to DIV attacks. Also, doing this will inevitably cost us our neutrality in the eyes of the Saints. Is that something you’re prepared for?” Dollman asked, his eyes quaking with anticipation and dread.
“Yes!”
“Alright. Oh—while we’re at it, we might as well teach the boy how to use skills. We’ll do it step by step, but it should be interesting to see just how his body will use his ingrained Realstone essence, but I will leave that in your capable hands. For now, I need to design the… Malignant Engine, as it were.”
Mumu nodded and hopped onto her feet before taking hurried steps towards the room that was closest to the chamber, which she opened a little, only to be met by Lav’s glares as he sat on the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket.
“Still upset?” Mumu smirked as she rested her weight on one leg.
Lav scoffed and turned away, making Mumu’s smile widen.
“That’s fine, but Cian and I have just been given permission to teach you some skills, and we won’t be able to do that if you’re still mad at us.”
Lav’s eyebrows wiggled a bit.
He took the bait.
“Oh, well. I guess we’ll just have to continue fighting on our own—"
“Wait,” Lav muttered as he allowed the blanket to roll from his shoulders.
“Yes?”
“I… I forgive you.”
Mumu grinned before making her way to the bed, where she sat by his side, wrapping her arm around him and pulling him close.
“Thank you. Your Big Sisters will try to play a little nicer next time.”
“There won’t be a next time! I had to bathe with the others for so long, and bathing alone feels so much better!” Lav whined, making Mumu’s pointed ears wiggle with joy.
“Yeah, yeah. Suck it up, buttercup.” She teased while pulling him down onto the bed, and try as he did, the boy could not escape her grasp.
“Now, let’s get some sleep. We have a lot of work to do. For the sake of that peaceful vision, the glimpse I saw even in the flames of conflict, a peaceful little home for us. A sanctuary for just us.” Mumu yawned, and upon hearing her words, Lav stopped resisting and let out a thoughtful drone.
“You’re starting to sound like Mr. Dollman.” He groaned, making Mumu hold him even tighter.
She giggled for a moment before finally allowing her body to rest.
Her golden heart made her even more energetic, but it seemed as though she could partially control her metabolism and body to a greater extent, which allowed her to sleep and rest at will.
She closed her eyes, hugging Lav tightly from behind as the two drifted into sleep.
.
..
Even in sleep, Mumu’s mind raced.
She recalled everything he remembered about the lore of GOG.
How it differed from what was playing out in this realized version of Neo-Earth, and how she could leverage what she knew.
The one advantage she had over most of her opponents was that she could see their stats, but according to Dollman, this was an ability held by all Recrudescent beings.
Mumu made sure to take note of that reality before dragging Lav out of the bunker and down the hill where Cian awaited them.
The archer gave Mumu a peculiar glance, a warning, a plea to try another path, but Mumu knew that the path ahead was one of fire.
It was also the path that she was determined to take, so she gave Cian a dim smile.
The archer winced a little before turning to a yawning Lav.
“Alright, Lavie. If what that old bastard said is true, then you should be brimming with Realstone. We will find out now just how much you have and whether or not you can effectively use your special blood. So, how do skills work? Firstly, what is Realstone? it is a crystallization of reality itself. Thought, physicality, all that was, is and will ever be, all of that potential is stored in Realstone Shards. When you use a skill, you are channelling that primordial essence and actualizing it. Every known skill was devised by the old gods and Great Beasts, beings of such immense actuality, they were able to inscribe their wills onto the fabric of reality itself, subsequently allowing us to use Realstone to invoke their wills in the form of skills.” Cian said without taking a breath, much to Mumu’s delight.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
“So, close your eyes. To normal people and we KVL, possessing a Realstone feels like having a lump in one’s throat or pressure in the chest. Search for that pressure and release it in whatever way feels right. Focus on it and let your mind echo the divinations of old.”
Lav nodded and did as he was instructed, and almost immediately after, the air around them shook, and the boy’s eyes began to glow brightly purple. His irises became like galaxies, swirling with light.
“I can see it…” Lav muttered as Mumu and Cian watched with widened eyes.
“See what?” Cian had to raise her voice a little to be heard amidst the now turbulent air.
“Everything.”
Mumu gasped as she looked at his stats again.
- Name: Lavender
- Title: None
- Race: Human
- Age: 19
- Gender: Male
- Class: ??
- Affiliation: None
- Actuality Level: 1
Attributes
- Health Points (HP): 100/100
- Realstone Shards: ???
- Damage Reduction (DR): 10%
- Affinity: (PHY)
Combat Statistics
- Physical Damage (PHY): 0
- Fire Damage (FIR): 0
- Frost Damage (FRO): 0
- Divine Damage (DIV): 0
- Malignant Damage (MAL): 0
- Unarmed Damage: 10
- Total Damage (Without debuffs): 0
Skills:
Equipment:
Mumu finally remembered that players in GOG passively regained their RS over time and, in essence, had a limitless amount.
While Lav’s case was most likely different, it made sense that he, the one who was supposed to be the protagonist, had this ability.
But just how much RS did he have?
“Try using a skill! It will feel like a more streamlined path of release!” Cian yelled over the winds of the darkening skies.
Lav nodded before slamming the ground with his palm as hard as he could.
Sensing danger, Mumu and Cian immediately jumped backwards just as a massive beam of light fell from the sky, incinerating the ground which Lav had touched.
Lav too was spooked by this and immediate recalled his leaking energy, falling onto his butt afterwards.
“What was that?” He screeched.
“That’s my question!” Mumu cried as Cian cautiously approached the ring of scorched earth that surrounded the boy.
“That was [Divine Retribution]. A skill only available to Saint Kathiah and her followers.”
Mumu helped Lav to his feet and nudged him away from the small hole he’d made.
“Normally, to get a skill, one has to absorb the RC of someone who already has it, have a natural inclination for it or affiliation to the god of Beast that devised it,” Cian explained while eyeing the boy over.
“Mmm… try using another skill.”
Mumu stepped away and watched as Lav closed his eyes again, and as if his body was being driven by something beyond sight, he spread his arms and began emitting a warm glow.
His hair was like the fire of a candle, and its light was so soft, so gentle, that even Cian seemed a little more relaxed.
“That’s [Sunlight].” Cian couldn’t hide her surprise, and as for Mumu, she tried her best to hide the small bit of envy in her chest.
She had worked so hard for her skills, and yet Lav was seemingly just born with them.
Or maybe not.
Mumu knew that Lav had been made that way by cruel hands, and so she scolded herself internally for feeling the way that she was.
She instead decided to cheer her Lil Bro on as he unlocked his abilities.
She watched as he went from five to ten and, by the time the sun fell into the horizon, Lav had unlocked all thirty-six known skills.
Lav excitedly tested each one out while a defeated Mumu and Cian monitored him.
Since his RS stat was hidden, Mumu wasn’t sure how close he was to running out, so they ended the day with him having used skills dozens of times.
Mumu followed him up the hill and into the bunker with Cian in tow where they reported their findings to Dollman who would have been more surprised if his head wasn’t buried in a pile of grotesque sketches he’d drawn that depicted a heart only it had a few more veins, arteries and atriums than normal.
“Yes, it would be best if he avoided using too many skills because we do not know if he will regain all the RS he spent because if he were to unknowingly use his last, he would cease to exist upon losing the last of his actuality.”
“If only there was a way to see just how much RS he had.” Mumu clicked her tongue while gently playing with Lav’s hair, which had stopped glowing.
“You said that he emitted waves of energy before, right?”
“Yes.” It was Cian who answered in her usual flat manner.
“Did you see how far they reached?”
“No, unfortunately, but the whole sky changed, so I'm guessing it was quite a bit.”
Dollman finally raised his head and faced Lav, who meekly smiled.
“So, that will be our indicator.” Dollman smiled at the boy, making Lav bashfully look down.
“The area one affects is a part of their Actuality Level, but this extends beyond the physical. One’s influence over the cosmos and one's stake on this plane is what you saw manifesting with what happened. So, in short, it should be fine for Lav to use skills until that field shrinks to his body.”
Cian and Mumo nodded before dismissing Lav, allowing the boy to step to his room; however, just as he reached the door, a massive tremor shook the bunker.
What followed was a wave of energy that made Mumu cough out all of the air in her lungs.
Dollman fell to his knees, and even though she, too, was coughing ceaselessly, Cian ran to his side while Lav rushed back to Mumu’s side.
“What’s happening?” Mumu asked as the air filled with the familiar stench of Malignant energy. Like inhaling embers from a forest fire, it irritated the lungs and skin.
Dollman’s eyes quaked as he clutched his chest.
“It's… the Serpent.”
Mumu’s heart fell to her knees.
It was Cian who acted first, helping Dollman to his feet and leading him to the stairs.
“We have to leave! Come on!”
Mumu and Lav followed the two up and out of the bunker, where they were met by a sight that stripped them of all that they otherwise were, leaving nothing but terror.
Mumu then nearly choked as the distant city of Cu?al suddenly disappeared.
What remained was a deep circular hole that went deeper than she could see, although, at this point, her vision threatened to leave him as her eyes shook.
The entire sky had turned a dirty red, casting the world in a deep darkness.
Mumu joined everyone in looking up and quaked upon seeing three dark figures floating high above the hole.
[Sit laus Domino nostro,]
Mumu clenched her teeth so hard that they threatened to crack as the dark choir above sang a song with voices so beautiful, so painfully resonant, she was driven to tears as the air grew hotter.
[quia ipse est tertius et ultimus] The choir sang as tears continued to fall from her eyes. Eyes which could not look away from the nightmarish scene they beheld.
[finis et principium!]
Something crashed into the gargantuan hole, sending forth a wave of force strong enough to shake the land and the dust cleared shortly after revealing a most terrifying sight.
Lodged into the very crust of the world was a cleaver that was half as tall as the chasm was deep.
Its design was dark and twisted with a warped, bloated snake running from the cleaver’s hilt to the tip of its spine.
The choir above then began humming their cursed song, and just as they did, another being fell from the sky, only they were clad in a white regal robe which glowed brightly in the darkness that had befallen the world. Embellishing it were patterns of golden spirals, and at its centre was a perfect golden circle.
The being descended further, revealing that they were far bigger than anything Mumu had ever seen, their head sitting in the clouds above. Their head was a star, brilliant and golden, yet it didn’t hurt to look at.
The being descended to the cleaver, and their white shoes landed on its hilt, silencing the dark choir.
They then inspected the world around them before looking down at the bottom of the chasm.
They raised their right hand as if to accept something and, after a moment, both they and the dark choir disappeared along with the redness that drenched the sky.
Leaving Mumu and the world in a deep and chilling silence.
What followed was a rolling thunder from the north, which made everyone turn their heads.
Mumu’s eyes then widened to their limits as countless cultist aircraft flew south.
Not only that, the radio that sat at her waist reported that the cultists’ ground forces were all rapidly mobilizing and making their way south.
The next phase of the war had begun.
And Mumu’s group was at its centre.