Chapter 71: The New Carbina

Even though I expected and trusted the Cultists to do their worsts, to keep their promise and go ahead with their plans, unhindered by my presence.

I could have never believed this is what that would look like.

Before me, Carbina has lost all familiarity. The air is soaked, dripping thick with mana, the most sinister kind of mana too.

Before now I never thought mana could reflect the user's personality, but this feeling, the way the air rubs on my skin. It frightens me. 

This is the power of the Cult; this is their nature, evil.

Kaylin shivers beside me, walking nervously across the barren fields, her affinity to mana must be as strong as mine but perhaps not because Anselm refused to fly.

Ahead, past where the little post we set up was meant to be, the image of Carbina is no more. In the place of green grasses, yellow corn fields and galloping horses, all that is left is a scorched, charred ground with several craters splayed all around it.

"What happened here?" Kaylin mutters under her breath, the thick atmosphere suffocates her voice.

A battle. It must be.

But who? Who would they battle? Who is left that could force them to such extreme and careless use of mana? Who fought the Cultists?

"Someone fought the Cultists. The Gamma warriors…"

"Yeah but, who? And did they win?" Anselm asks, his voice quivers, uneasy at the slightest scuttle and wild wind.

I can only shake my head as I look ahead. "No, I don't think they won." I sigh, pointing at the five now giant totems that stood erect in the distance.

Each of them positioned right around where the Camps were.

"What makes you think those were set up after and not before?"

"They're the source of the mana that stinks this place." Kaylin answers, "They're feeding something."

"Asher, I have a very bad feeling about this."

Me too.

"Let's just head to the proper, see what we find."

"No, I agree with Anselm!" Kaylin bursts out. Her full lips trembling as she breathes and her eyes full of uncertainty and fear. "I don't think this is what we were expecting, this doesn't feel right!"

"The Cult of Phien has never felt right!" I yell right back at her. What is this? Two against one? 

"Asher, I know you can feel it, more than any of us even, this is not the fight we're looking for."

"We don't even know where the Cultists are, I'm just say we sho-"

"Check out the city. Yes, but you realize that'll be exactly where the danger is concentrated right? Look at this place, it's hell, it's all gone, everyone is gone Asher!"

"And Leriva? What if she's alive and in there? What if she's still hanging on with Mathilda by her side, waiting for us to come back like we promised!"

"Promised?" Anselm snorts, "You've been talking about double crossing them ever since you met them! And now you're keeping promises? What about mine Asher? What about the promise YOU made ME?"

Groaning and rub my temples and try to resist, shaking my head back and forth until I can't anymore, "Were you THAT gullible!? Some stranger comes in and tells you you'll live again and you belief him? This is your fault not mine."

Before I can tell what's happening Anselm is barrelling towards me with his fist set for a visitation to my face. 

With a rattling blow I'm knocked to the ground and he's upon me, straddling me he growls, yelling in my face with an unbridled anger I've never seen before.

"Get off me you idiot!" At my command he shoots off of me, just in time too as I'm spared another series of blows.

Discovering a power I always knew I had over him, over souls and over spirits but never brought myself to use. I hold him up in the air, my mana, the mana that keeps him physical now turned on him.

I'm filled with scorn, with hatred and anger and spite. There's a heat in my head, a beating, a drumming. It hurts.

"You fool!" With my hands, with my hatred I squeeze and he screams. "How dare you…ugh, how dare you…" 

A ringing in my ears screams, yelling and bursting, distracting me and pulling me away from what I'm holding onto. Anselm drops, still screaming and soon I too find myself on the blackened ground.

What is this?

In my periphery I glance a look at Kaylin, she's knelt on the ground, screaming at something all while clawing at herself. Tears stream down her desperate face.

What is this!

I don't know how long I writhe on there on the ground or how long Kaylin screamed and lost her voice crying, or how long Anselm shook and yelled in pain.

Eventually, the ringing, the insanity of noise, of drumming and beating and screaming, it began to make sense at last.

My eyes shoot open and finally I see it!

[Foreign Influence Detected!]

[System Breached! Mind Breached!]

[Foreign Influence Expelled!]

[Foreign Influence Detected!]

[System Breached! Mind Breached!]

[Foreign Influence Expelled!]

All that ringing has been the System, fighting whatever has been attacking my mind, trying to save me, trying to warn me that I am being influenced, being controlled from the outside.

But it's not strong enough, or I'm not strong enough, the effects are being felt heavily even though the fight still rages on and the System expels it every time. 

Still, this little discovery does nothing. Even if I know, how do I escape? How do I get Kaylin to resist? How do I get Anselm to fight back?

I…I don't know what to do. Is this the power the Cultists have unlocked? How can I fight against what I can't see? What I can't touch?

And so, I suffer. And so, we suffer. 

I don't see Anselm anymore, the time on Summon Spirit must have run out. Is he free? I hope he is.

I can't hear Kaylin's screams anymore. Her voice is gone; spent from crying. Her arms are red with blood streaming from all the clawing she's done and is still doing.

She'll kill herself.

Perhaps thanks to the System's efforts, I'm not overcome with emotions, with hatred, unlike before. Now I simply lie, immobile, unable to think farther than my surrounding, unable to see a future, the future I planned so clearly for myself, for Anselm.

Anselm…

The words we threw at each other, they must be the truth we keep hidden from ourselves, much less one another. However, the truth I didn't get to tell is…

"I'll bring you back…"

I blink. My voice. I still have it. It's hoarse and crook but it's mine and it sounds like; it sounds like it's full of resolve. 

Turning my attention to my arm, to my hand and to the fist I'm forming. "I'll bring you back…"

Raising it over my head, so slowly it feels like I'm watching a snail move across salt, I pump it.

"I'll bring you back." Another.

"I'll bring you back." Easier.

"I'll bring you back!" Fiercer. 

"Anselm! I'll bring you back!" With a cry my fist pumps out a geyser of mana, untamed, unmoulded to any form or spell work or craft. Just pure mana!

It takes but a moment to notice unintended but appreciated consequence of my outburst.

My mind stops drumming. The System stops fighting; nothing to fight. And Kaylin stops clawing at herself.

Relief washes over me whereas Kaylin is only struck with horror at what she's done.

Stumbling over to her I try pulling her off the ground, yet she's fallen still in shock. Perhaps she's not out of the influence yet? Either way, we have to get out of her. I don't know how long my mind will stay clear or if the person, or thing behind that influence will be coming for us.

We can't stay here.

With the last of my strength, I pick her up bridal-style and walk back. "Kaylin, Kaylin can you hear me?"

She only moans.

"We're getting out of here, while we can. We're getting out of here."

Another moan. I sigh, at least she's responsive. I wouldn't want to have broken the elf I was meant to protect.

Still, I wonder how badly I would have been affected had I not had the System, had I not held onto its cries in my head.

As bad as Kaylin I suppose.

This…mind invasion could be affecting all the people of Carbina, they could still be alive and simply under this influence. For what reasons…I don't know. But I've been trying to be optimistic recently.

Finally, back at the carriage, I lay Kaylin down and look through the bag of alchemic bottles. 

What do these colours mean? I never got the chance to actually ask her that question as we travelled here, or talk to her much, now it's biting back at me.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I can only hope she regains some of her mind to confirm my guesses on the bottles.

For now, we rest.