Aranea's Nightmares

Aranea despondently kept the flames going for a few minutes. She wondered to herself throughout the cremation, did she do the right thing?

She wondered so for both this ordeal and her connections with Silvia and Savana.

She presented herself as an apathetic Mage to Silvia yet here she was helping Savana and praising her.

If Silvia ever suspected her then it would be bad, seriously bad.

But she didn't think Savana would ever tell Silvia that she treated her differently.

Not with her unique personality.

Still, Aranea was slightly worried.

---

Florin's eyes remained glued on Silvia.

The Swordmaster swept through the smokescreen like a storm, she brandished her sword with real determination to kill.

Ducking beneath the combined attack of two Corrupted Humans, she held the ground with her left hand and swept her legs out like a whirlwind.

Their bodies crumpled like sand castles, blood coughing out of their mouths as she followed through with her Aura.

Splurt-

Their intestines spilt over their abdomens, splattering onto the ground.

Silvia adapted to killing quite fast.

Florin didn't know what her mental state was like but it certainly wasn't affecting her combat effectiveness.

Drifting in and out of the smokescreen, the powerful winds battering into it made it look like the smoke followed Silvia's body wherever she moved.

And where Silvia went, a body followed.

It was a majestically harrowing sight.

Such a great beauty was slaughtering without batting an eyelid.

Her initial inefficient movements changed.

Silvia went from decapitating the first leader to slitting the throat of the next one. The attack required less stamina and effort and got the job done all the same.

She was smoothly scraping the flesh off their bones all the while avoiding contact with the bone itself.

"Good." Florin muttered to herself.

This one had real potential.

---

Still in the cave, Aranea dragged the corpse of the Corrupted Human behind her and walked up to Savana.

"How did it feel?"

Savana was cleaning her daggers in the snow, as much as she burnt everything off, grime still stuck to them, "Fulfilling."

Aranea smirked out of Savana's sight, "Why so?"

"That piece of trash deserved it."

Keeping quiet after that, Aranea walked by Savana and made her way out of the cave.

Silvia waited patiently on the side of the cave with her back leaning on it, the blood splatters on her face and her uniform stunk with the stench of Abyssal Power.

The slight decaying effect in their blood couldn't hurt Silvia.

"It's done."

Silvia glanced at the corpse behind her, "I see, where's Savana?"

"Coming out."

Making her way past Silvia, Aranea surveyed the battlefield.

The corpses littering the ground were getting pecked by Iced Ravagers, birds that fed on corpses in this icy mountain range.

Aranea threw the corpse onto the pile, the eyes of the birds lit up as they began to eat up the new well-cooked corpse.

A fight even erupted between them for the cooked meat.

"Do we leave them out here?" Silvia asked her from behind.

Aranea looked back, specifically at Silvia's eyes.

Her apologetic feelings disappeared.

The horrors of death were etched into them instead.

And attached to those horrors was a small tag, a constant reminder of the one who introduced her to those horrors.

[Aranea]

That's good enough for now.

With this, they've passed the ordeal and they can survive the battlefield.

As for the First Act, -The Drowned-, Aranea wasn't so sure.

It was the sales killer for a reason.

"Yes, these lesser things are good feed for those flying things."

"...Never thought you for one to care about 'things'."

Aranea gave her a small smile, "You don't know, do you?"

Silvia frowned, "Know what?"

Then, Aranea deleted her smile.

"I won't tell you."

Silvia felt a sense of deja vu.

Savana exited the cave at the end of their short conversation, her daggers were sheathed and ready for any upcoming battles.

"Is it safe to go back to our camp at this time?"

"Yes, we aren't the only ones who need sleep in this accursed mountain range."

Once again relying on Aranea's confirmation, the group made their way out of the vicinity of the campsite; it was time to rest for the night.

-----

That night Aranea had one of her recurring nightmares.

The pain was vivid; just like those days all those years ago.

Her body was smaller, her power weaker, her Curses less potent.

She stood beside an ocean of inky liquid.

The crashing waves were silent.

The wind which usually whistled was silent.

The moonlight cast by the twin moons was dull.

'It's this again.'

It was about to happen.

Looking at the distant ocean.

At the distant waters.

She saw the water swirl.

Revolve.

A whirlpool.

Soon it would partially reveal itself.

And, as always.

As the water parted as though a hand of God had pulled it apart.

As the skies quivered from the beckoning of its call.

Aranea was smothered.

Extinguished.

---

The nightmare changed.

This time, Aranea stood on a grass field.

The grass white; the dirt black.

The sky white; the clouds black.

The sun, an eclipse.

Her body was even smaller, returning to its original state a few weeks after her awakening.

A breeze swept by. But even the breeze was black and white.

She wore a dress, a black and white dress.

She lifted her hand, and within her inky palms, she saw her reflection.

Her revolving eyes were gone, instead, one eye was white and the other black.

Lowering her hand, Aranea glanced into the distance.

At an endless void.

Within this void, she could see it.

She could see them.

They danced a frugal dance, a dance of innocence and joy.

A dance of hope.

Their white smiles leapt from left to right.

Their black eyes giggled up and down.

And then, as always.

It began.

The black melted into the white.

The void into the sky.

The sky into the earth.

The earth into the void.

And with it, she saw their hands reach out from within.

And thus, she was gone.

Extinguished.

-----

September 12th.

Ashen Falls Mountain Range, North-West of the Imperial Alliances' Military Academy.

Today, the 1st Squadron would catch a glimpse of base camp.

Today, Aranea was quieter than usual.

Silvia and Savana noticed this change.

Their Mage would usually comment on the state of their progress and on anything they should watch out for, such as dangerous paths, routes with dead ends, etc.

But today, she was different.

She carried the luggage as usual, but the girl didn't comment once.

Not just a comment, she hadn't spoken a word since waking up.

Savana tried initiating a conversation a few times but all she received were a couple of absent-minded nods; she initially worried that Aranea might be dissatisfied about something but it didn't take a genius to realise that that wasn't the case.

It was something unrelated to them that affected her.

"What do you think?"

Shrugging, "How am I meant to know?" Silvia dismissed Savana's worries, why in the hell should she worry about Aranea?

Come on, Aranea?

Her?

That's just foolish.

She was the last person they should ever worry about. Even if the sky started collapsing she'd worry more about the Academy before she'd ever worry about Aranea.

"Forget her, look over there."

Exasperated, Savana followed Silvia's finger, "Ah-!"

Clouds of smoke filled the sky.

Insignificant figures, ones so minute you'd mistake them for passing snow.

At least if not for the massive compound of industrial buildings, the armed walls that stretched for miles, and the enormous scorched clearing around it.

That was base camp.

The Imperial Camp.

It was where all soldiers of the Imperial Alliance returned for rest and reorganisation; sometimes even mass training when deemed necessary.

It was the target for this journey.

They caught glimpses of it beyond the mountains, now they needed to walk there.

-----

"How much longer do you guys think?"

Savana looked to Aranea, the question was more so to her than Silvia.

"6 hours, give or take."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Savana turned her head back forward and trodded onward, "Silvy, are you feeling better today?"

"Silvy?"

"A cute nickname."

Nonchalantly accepting it, "About the same, don't worry too much."

"Ah- Wait, don't lie so casually like that." Catching up to Silvia, Savana kindly placed her hand on her shoulder, she wasn't going to let it go so easily.

'Traces of her uniqueness are starting to leak into her normal day-to-day personality.'

"Why would I lie to you? I'm fine, trust me."

Silvia brushed her arm off and beckoned her to continue walking with her head.

Catching up to her, Savana kept a close look on her.

And Aranea watched their antics from behind.

They took many turns through the mountains, more than she ever remembered. It was an inefficient route, she could show them a better way but it was a learning experience.

The mountain routes curved sharper the further they walked.

They occasionally passed through tunnels.

The sky was getting darker and drearier but that was a good sign, it meant they were getting closer to Imperial Camp.

Their Squadron had to wipe out a group of Corrupted Humans along the way. Silvia and Savana did better this time.

A horde of Corrupted Monsters almost ambushed them but they carefully got away.

All in all, it was a decent journey.

And soon, Aranea could see the Imperial Camp.

Looking down at its walls, Aranea clenched her tiny fists, the First Act was going to start soon.

"We finally made it."

"That was one long ass journey...!" Stretching her limbs, Silvia crassly commented on their small expedition.

"Don't be so crude." Savana bumped her arm jokingly.

Their relationship improved a lot.

Aranea held back her smile as she stared at their backs.

Suddenly-

Fwoosh...

A snowstorm came crashing down upon them, shutting their vision from the Imperial Camp.

Aranea instantly threw out ropes of Mana at them, wrapping it around their waists for safe measure.

"Thanks!" Shouting through the explosively loud winds, Savana turned her face to Aranea.

Her wine-red eyes gazing...

Indifferently at her.

"Thanks!" Shouting through the explosively loud winds, Silvia turned her face to Aranea.

Her crimson eyes gazing...

Gleefully at her.

-----

Savana and Silvia trodded on.

Crunching through the snow, basking in the ashy snowstorms. The dreary skies were their closest companion.

And they trodded.

On and on-

Past camps of Corrupted Humans-

Past nests of Corrupted Monsters-

It was a long, arduous journey.

One devoid of chatter.

And when they finally got a good look at the Imperial Camp, they turned to Aranea, seeing if the girl would finally say something.

Her bleak silence was deafening in their ears.

Only...

When they tried to look at her-

The girl-

Wasn't there.

She disappeared, along with their luggage.

Gone.

-----

Aranea looked into their faces.

Then at the snowstorm.

At the mountains surrounding her.

It had gone too dark.

The mountains had become infested with Abyssal Power, sections were falling apart, decaying.

A pungent scent wafted throughout the area.

And Silvia and Savana-

They smiled at her.

And repeated.

"Thanks."

Over-

"Thanks."

-and over-

"Thanks."

-again.

Until the darkness dripped out of their limbs.

Out of their bodies.

Out of their noses.

Out of their mouths.

And melted them.

Revealing what they truly were.

Its maw hung high above Aranea.

Raising her head, she caught a glimpse at what she had been drawn to.

At what they pulled her to.

[A True Corrupted Existence]