[F29 | SP][EV] Delivering the Sword #4

[Edict 0]

Scattered light formed at the surface of the water, calling to him with a myriad voice that soothed whatever he called a soul. "Rise."

[OOC: I'm writing the "Lady of the Lake" as a combination of all the players that helped in this fight. (I'll leave how much of a hallucination it is to your personal preference.) I'm avoiding direct references to avoid writing other characters without their consent, but I am using text colors for all the players involved. If you do not want your character's likeness used (in the form of the Lady of the Lake's dialogue color), reach out to me and I'll remove it, no questions asked.]

Above the surface of the water, the shape of the Dragon's lair took shape once more. The beam of light had become a person, a single, coruscating entity that rippled as they shifted between familiar faces. This Is It. I finally lost it, didn't I? The glitches in the game had finally become too much for his mind to handle. And now the Lady-of-the-Lake was here, encouraging him. The Easter bunny was next. I better move along before the tooth fairy gets involved. Death was one thing, but getting rescued by the tooth fairy would be downright embarrassing.

"Don't listen to him. What does a dead old labyrinth boss know, anyways?"

Familiar hands brushed his palm, retreating quickly into the tides of images the being projected. But he had recognized those hands, and his own words came back to him,

"And how I wouldn't be content to leave you without a proper goodbye. That I was coming back, no matter what."

He owed her an explanation, and to the frontlines, everything else. Death was his debt to pay later; for now, Edict did as he was commanded and rose. With every ounce of strength remaining, Edict dragged himself upright using the pedestal as support. Hands (not his, but attached to him nonetheless) clambered for the sword. The arm’s length felt longer than the combined journey of every step he had taken in the game. Finger by finger, his hand curled around the Sword of Kings—Its song, now an echoing cacophony, drowned out the dead dragon’s call, and so reinvigorated by the strength of the others, Edict drove the sword back into the pedestal.

For a heartbeat, the Sword ceased its song. The entire floor held its breath, uncertain what would happen next.

The song redoubled, and the room exploded in scintillating lights. It was as if every surface had become a mirror, the surface of a perfectly polished sword. Edict saw himself refracted into a hundred shapes, each slightly different from the next: a new cape, an axe instead of a sword, hair that was Theo’s instead of his own. All different Edicts, yet all of them Edict, stared down at him with the same, sorrowful stare, fading as the blinding light from the sword settled into a glow. Edict was once again alone.

“You should not have touched that.>>

Half of the dragon spoke to him. Half of something—someone—had crept into the thing’s speech, lifting the monster’s voice to a grating resonance. Another boss or glitch in the system, desperate to leave Edict with its parting words.

<"Your story is one of tragedy. And with your decision, you have sealed your fate.>">>

Another light exploded, and Edict reeled with things that at one point had not yet happened.

Spoiler

 

The chaos had crystallized into a single, silver moment. Splashes of blood marred the splintering wood swirling listlessly around the pair. Fractures in the furniture hadn't even rendered, leaving black gridded placeholders where the textures had split apart.

The voice shifted in tone, warbling darkly with emotion. Wisps of blue rippled through the air, pulsing with animosity.

Edict's eyes welled up for just a moment. “I'm not collected. I'm losing my fucking mind.”

—I hate this. I hate you. I hate you for being the one—

A feeling, lighter than air. Can I call it death if I never lived?

 

Edict gasped, sucking in air to replace the void the visions had left. The dragon (and whatever glitch had consumed it) were gone as well. Only the sword remained, shining like a lighthouse beacon, singing a song of renewal that reverberated on silvery wings.

“It’s over.” He whispered, unable to believe his own words. “Now please, come home.”

Edited 1 hour ago by Edict

[Edict 0]

THREAD SUMMARY

Experience | 16,673 / 5 * 1 = 3334 Experience
Col | 400 (Bonus Page) = 400 col
Other | 1 mon (EV thread)

Sword relay word count | 3,115 (Thread #1) + 6,493 (Thread #2) + 7,520 (Thread #3) + 16,673 (Current Thread) = 33,801 words. Sword Returned!
(Hyperlinks go to summary post on each thread.)

Edited 1 hour ago by Edict