Shattered

The Capital Burns - 1

"Kondou, go and investigate the sealed cave for any clues on the storm dragon's disappearance. The rest of you, go and continue what missions you were previously working on before coming here. Dismissed."

Kondou, and the rest of the single digits, bowed, before leaving the palace through [Space-Time Domination.] Most went to resume their missions, but Kondou wanted to get some air before departing for the Jura Forest. He teleported to a balcony in the Eastern region of the palace, a good place that overlooked a large portion of Nasca.

He gripped the railings lightly and closed his eyes, feeling the gentle breeze sweep past him. The capital shone like a beacon in the darkness with its innumerable glowing lights; the view was no different than what one would expect from a city of the modern 21st century.

The sky, with its uncountable stars, looked like a mirror reflection of the city's lights. For a moment, Kondou felt as if he were back in his own world.

His lips tugged upwards, forming a smile; something that rarely happened with Kondou. He stayed for some time, enjoying the moment before deciding to head back, until-

Hmm? His gaze flicked to a corner of the capital. An empty side alley, surrounded by houses all around. His instincts screamed at him, demanding that he not take his eyes off for even a second. Kondou trusted his gut, like he'd done many times ago, and teleported to a spot in the sky that gave him a full view of the alley. Eyes narrowed, hands on his trusted pistol, with a gaze sharper than an Eagle's, the lieutenant's gaze hung at the same spot, but nothing showed up. The strange responses from his instincts had died out as well; he felt no sense of danger.

Could the stress have been getting to me? He sighed, disappointed in himself, and prepared to teleport away when he saw it-

A shimmer, like light being reflected from a shiny object, but there was no such object in the alley; the shine came from the very air. His eyes widened slightly. An illusion spell? Perhaps its for invisibility, the genius lieutenant decoded the nature of the shimmer, taking barely any time in doing so.

Thinking quickly, he looked deep within his core. A pillar of mana, higher than most skyscrapers, flowed within his soul in a compressed form. Slowly, he reached for it, and plucked a sizeable chunk from the top. The captured magicules dissolved, losing their solid form and turning into a river of energy. It crossed the barrier between soul and body, between the physical and metaphysical, entering his bloodstream. His cells were revitalized, welcoming the familiar warmth of magicules. Then, he gave it shape, not too different from how a potter would create pottery. The river of mana compressed into the shape of a needle before gathering at his palm. He pushed it further and further, beyond his cells, beyond his skin and finally beyond his body.

Kondou didn't chant any incantations or make any grand gestures: such things were below him. He simply send a mental command, and the needle of mana went flying.

It hit the spot where the shimmer had been, but instead of lodging into the wall, it hit something in the air. The needle hung motionless, seemingly stuck to the air. A moment later, a dark violet magic circle appeared a hundred metres above the ground. Runes flashed upon it's translucent surface.

Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the anti-illusion spell finished it's work.

A tiny shimmer, no bigger than the dot left by a pencil on paper, appeared right where the needle of energy hung. Then, the shimmer grew bigger and bigger rapidly. The violet magic circle vanished, having completed its work.

Kondou narrowed his eyes. "Your highness," he called to the emperor. "What is it?" Came the reply, though the emperor's voice had a tone of curiosity. Kondou's gaze flicked back to the person in the side alley. With hair that gave off an almost supernatural glow and a mask that hid her face, the woman behind the illusion now stood still. "I've spotted a blue-haired girl within the capital-"

and I've neutralised her with a paralysis spell, was what he wanted to say, before his body switched into battle mode at the sight in front of him.

The woman who he previously thought was helpless before him suddenly looked up, right where Kondou was floating in the air. Sweat slid down his face. How did she break out so easily?

Regardless of how she broke out, Kondou had to admit: he had miscalculated the strength of an opponent. He prepared to teleport away and request backup, before he saw it-

-The woman's left arm was raised; her palm facing heavenwards, and then, she closed it.

Pain of a level he had not even imagined to exist hit him. He screamed with a voice not of a human but of an animal, it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! He cried, he yelled, Stop it! stop it! stop it! IT HURTS! He raised both hands and thrust forward, trying to pry away the pain as if it were a physical entity. The pain did not stop. Punching, scratching, kicking, tearing, he tried to do anything to stop it. He felt blood rising up from his throat; it was sore from his all of his guttural yells. He felt something try to speak with him, it sounded familiar, but his brain had no time to ponder on it.

He stopped hovering in the air, his brain too chaotic to maintain flight. Gravity took hold, and he crashed downwards. Another few seconds of unbearable pain passed, but he didn't make no contact with the ground. He wished he had. If the fall killed him he wouldn't need to tolerate the pain. The pain the pain the pain the pain the pain why won't it stop

He kept falling; the pain kept chewing away at his sanity. A faint voice whispered directly into his mind, "Nihility Seed-," the voice was sweet. Kondou embraced it, knowing the pain was about to stop. It spoke again, "-Sprout"

And then, Kondou smiled. The pain had ceased to exist.

And so had he.

***

I apologise for the short chapter. Next one's coming soon.