Vortex End

The next week continued as usual.

As I already knew Joel was a mind type Esper. He still struggles with the physical training, but he is slowly getting used to it. The first part of the test was also going slowly, his mental ability was not related to mind resistance, will, or courage so it didn't have any effects against my E-Rank Fear Inducement.

Joel's advance in the training line was a little slower than I expected, but in the Chaos Stones, the story was different.

We both had learned to "read" the different patterns in the chaos stones. The effects we can expect depending on the lines, colors, forms and curves varied depending on multiple variables.

I discovered the even if I could somehow affect the outcome, the primary "element" on the stone was chaos. I could guide the expected effect a little, but it was impossible to create a stone with the effects I wanted.

I already know the effects I need for the formations in the vortex for about two days, but until last night I still lacked one stone to put my plan in action.

This was the day I was going to finally take that thing down.

All the previous work… designing the formation, understanding the chaos stones, recognizing the laws around the vortex, and the first suppression and analysis were finally coming into fruition.

I decided to take it slow, I had breakfast with everyone and got ready to leave. Even if Rose knows that the cold has no effect on me she still forces me to get a jacket. After kissing her goodbye, I blinked out of the house.

I took a deep breath and mist came out of my mouth.

A small white dot fell slowly on my hand and disappeared the next second.

The snowflakes had been falling all night covering in white the city, despite everything that happened in the last months, the Christmas decorations around the city gave the normality sense that the average people need.

I walked instead of just blinking to take a look around the city.

It was early and the people around were covered by a few layers of clothes. It was probably really cold, but I couldn't feel it… it was weird, I kind of miss that feeling. I should blame Hayley for it.

In a corner between the inner and outer walls, an old lady had a little cart, she was selling hot drinks and pastries.

"Hi granny, I'll have a cup of coffee, please."

The granny gave me a smile and served me a coffee. It was when I recalled that money doesn't work anymore and got into the trouble of paying.

She seemed to notice it and said in a gentle tone.

"You don't manage the finances in your household right?"

"No, a friend does it."

"Most households had a simple code which works as a kind of credit card. Some people like to trade too."

I finally remember the code and wrote it on a list together with the price and a bunch of information.

About the people that would try to take advantage of the system with false information was something that just happened in the past.

The first days Dante would target those people and get them fined. The cases went down as people figured out that it was impossible to cheat the system. Dante was out of this are already as a few other Espers took over the operation and everything has been going smoothly since then.

After adding the number and confirming it through Dante, I thanked the granny and went out drinking my coffee, it's nice to feel normal.

________________________

It didn't last long.

Once I was out of Green Shelter, the half-collapsed buildings, the dirt mixed with the snow and the giant vortex I wanted to stop before leaving, brought me back to reality.

From this point onward I moved faster. I gave a step forward and folded the space, one block went by and the next one followed.

The vortex wasn't as big as it used to. I finished the outer layer of the formation already and it has been suppressing it and slowing it down slowly.

The only reason it was so easy to see was the snow falling.

I did a quick check on the outer layer before moving to the inner area.

The already familiar numbers and symbols started to move around, they changed constantly, but it was about what I expected them to be.

From now on I had to move fast.

Unlike the outer layer that just suppressed the vortex the inner one, reversed the movements stopping it, and sealing it with the help of the Chaos Stones.

I put down the first one without the stone and moved to the next one. The formation was already working, but it wouldn't go all out until the correct stone was on the spot.

Because of the way it worked I had to be sure that each opposite pair of the eight points start working at the same time.

The first four had to be done as fast as possible too, so it won't destabilize the vortex in the wrong way. I spent the whole morning and noon working on it. I had to adapt each formation to the Chaos Stone that would be attached to it.

To be sure that there were no mistakes and that all of them were correctly set for a different stone I checked them twice.

I was slightly nervous as it felt as it was the end of everything that went on this year.

Destroying it was the end of the war against the farmland and swamp.

I looked at the two stones in my hand to be sure that these were the right ones. After being sure that I had the right stone I drop one of them in its place in the western point.

The movement was instantaneous, I blinked to the opposite point as planned and put the second stone just in time at the eastern point.

I didn't have time to look at the effects and moved to the north. I got ready for the next two stones and made the next jump. With 4 of them activated the vortex was shrinking fast. I took the remaining stones and got ready.

The NW and SE were ready and the NE and SW followed closely.

I was close to the remains, seeing the number going down entering a chaotic state that was the way I found to destroy it.

The vortex continued to shrink until just a little dot was remaining. The only sign of the previously collapsed dimension.

The compression came to a point that the dimension wasn't able to handle itself and it became even more unstable.

The outer layer had an effect to suppress it and avoid the explosion to occur, but looking at the numbers I knew that it was almost impossible to suppress. What was happening was that the whole alternate dimension inside the cow had nowhere to be contained. Without the limit and the forces to keep them (the cow, and then the vortex) it has to go out.

I got ready for plan b (no burning it a real plan B))

Since it was difficult to prevent it from blowing up I got ready to weaken a side of the formation to guide the explosion.

I focused on the point and the data I had to be ready the moment it goes off.

If I do it before it explodes the formation might fail and the vortex would come back, if I do it too late I will blow up with it.

..

…

Now.

The northeast outer formation fell at the moment that the compression went to the max.

*BOOOM*

The crater I was in trembled with the explosion.

I moved away and got on guard for a second. Even if the chances of happening were low I thought that some beast could come from inside the collapsed dimension.

Instead of beasts, something else spread.

From my experience was a mix of weird looking trees, blood, beasts, and rock. All of them mashed together in a red pulp that spread like a firework toward the northeast.

[Ding!]

[Mission Complete: Stop the Alpha Cow's vortex

Type: Normal

Reward: D-Rank Ticket (Energy type), 5 AP, 2000EP]

The crater became bigger to the north and it was filled by the red pulp.

Despite the disturbing sight similar to a blood lake, I was happy that the vortex was finally gone.