MAGUS INFINITE

I saw myself standing in a field of wheat that seemed to stretch out forever, and for a moment, I had forgotten everything, but then I looked down, and I saw that the ears of wheat were just skulls whose mouths were open in silent screams.

’Where am I?’

I looked around me, and this field of skulls went on forever, and then I felt cold hands wrap around my waist as someone leaned on my back. The hands around my waist was fair with perfect black fingernails, which was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

The arms were wrapped around my waist so tight, but it did not hurt, and the chill that I felt from it was... nice; it was as if I was burning with a fever, and they were the cool nourishment for all my aches.

”There you are, Beloved. You called for me, and I reached out to you.”

”What... who are you?”

The presence behind me giggled, ”You are my Consort, and I am Death, and now, everyone will know whose you are.”

Then she let go, and the world came in.

∞

I came back in the same instant I died. My internal clock told me that no time had passed at all, but everything was different, because in the space between my death and resurrection, a rain of blood was pouring from above me, but the blood was cold, and it reminded me of her.

The demon was still in front of me, and my hand was still outstretched towards its face, as if I wanted to caress the damn thing.

I had expected that I would be in pain, but I was not; everything about me was in perfect condition, not as if I was healed, but as if I was brought back to a perfect state.

My Anima Depth was full, my marrow was bursting with vitality, as if I had not given everything to break the demon before me.

My hair floated up in front of my eyes, bright, arterial red, and I knew that this was not done by the blood falling down from the sky. The fox was no longer on my shoulder, but I could feel her inside me, and I knew it was because the Hollow Avatar had just equipped my second Mythic Title, and two of those could not be equipped at the same time.

In fact, Storm Bearer was also gone; Death Consort seemed to be... jealous.

The fox would be upset, but I would find a way to console her later. This battle was supposed to be for both of us, but there would be other battles in the future.

Even the lightning that filled my body was now red, and it was as if I had lava flowing underneath my skin. I don’t know what sort of lightning this was, but it felt... cold.

Then I looked into the Hollow Room, and it had shrunk, and I could not even detect the presence of the Hollow Avatar any longer. I don’t think it was gone, but it would seem that as long as I had this title, everything else would be suppressed.

I sighed before I froze, as I felt something click in the depth of my soul.

[ Crystallization: 99% → 100% ] [ Anima Crystallization complete. ]

∞

I was dimly aware in the back of my head that my soul was climbing to the Arcanist level, but I was in a battle fever, and I did not acknowledge these changes. This final point that pushed me past the limit was like a wave of cold pouring into my head, and I froze.

The Hollow Avatar, bless its cold heart, must have been following this growth, and when I perished, it had ensured that I returned, even if it meant using this Title that creeped me out.

[ Anima Depth: 89 → 90 ] [ Threshold crossed. Adept → Arcanist. ]

I had been pinned at eighty-nine for a while now, and I had unconsciously pushed it away from my head, and I was shocked that it arrived so suddenly.

Sad’s eyes found me, and whatever was left in that ruined thing understood what it was looking at, and it made a sound of fear and tried to move and could not.

I stood up, and the world seemed to rise with me. I knew that this was a mental trick by the fact that my Anima was surging through my body like a flood, but it felt too real.

A rain of blood was pouring down upon me, and my red hair was floating in the air as if I was underwater. I don’t know what this broken demon saw when it looked at me, but right now I did not care.

I did not seek power for power’s sake... but this feeling of omnipotence, there was nothing like it.

I am still very young, and so I can remember what it is like to be a mortal boy, and I can tell you for a fact, that no mortal would ever understand what it felt like to have the world move at your whim, to feel the raw power of creation in your veins... by all the light in heaven, I hope you can feel it one day,

Then that feeling of invincibility began to vanish, and the feeling began in my marrow, as if it was being drained. I staggered as an enormous pressure coming from high up and far off began to press down on my soul.

It was as if a massive thing had just turned around and looked at me.

Storm Sense went white, and goosebumps broke across the entirety of my skin. I knew that feeling, because I have felt it before, when the heavens decided to check whether I should be allowed to continue existing.

”Oh,” I said. ”You have got to be joking. I thought I was done with this by now.”

The fox, even though it was suppressed inside me, began to move. ”Elric? What is that?”

”That,” I said, ”is a Tribulation, and it is coming to erase me.”

”Oh, oh, that tasty stuff, let me out... please!”