Ethereal Paradigm: Arcadia of Darkness 27 Atlas To a World Unknown

-Aldous Huxley

━━━━━━━━┓ ✠ ┏━━━━━━━━

As the overwhelming charisma amidst the atmosphere began to grow more potent, people start appearing. Some at a nearby building's rooftop, some are poking their heads out of their apartment's window, and below, the roads which were busy with moving high-end cars stops all of its operations as drivers stood up from their seats to behold the extraordinary scene up above.

"So they intend to finish us all even before the warfare starts? Celes. Stay with me! Young man! Stay with your goddess and brace for impact!" Deus hastily converged to a defensive stance.

"Lacrimosa, what do we do?"

"I suggest you enjoy this last scenery of a normal world."

Now, what did she say?

"So. Uhm...Are we gonna die?"

"Fortunately no. That man is someone far worse than a scum if he were to obliterate us before the official commencement of the game. He is planning something else entirely. He's just got impatient on the leisure turn of events." Lacrimosa said as if she is acquainted with that viscount-like figure.

"What is he planning then?" I asked.

"I don't know, maybe teleport this whole island to a new world? Even without the discretion from those Divine echelons."

Is she serious? How did she know about this? Is she somewhat connected with that man?

"Lacrimosa! So it's true, that you already teamed up with them!" Deus suddenly talked in anger while embracing fear.

"My my, again I ask you. On what basis can you say that?"

"How else could you put on that confidence! Why then did you not show up in our gathering? How then did you know that he is planning something else and not destroy us here so he could reclaim his right?"

"My my! I highly recommend you think out of your cute box Deus. Did you think that I joined those in opposition just because I did not show in the first-day registry? Well, isn't it too trivial for me in the first place to attend meetings as instructed by someone inferior?"

"What do you mean by that. W-wait are you calling the Magistrates inferior?!?"

"Yes. I now can't even find myself appearing in those meetings instructed by the Highest one and you expect me to submit my time to your little gamble? FYI. I was even forced to choose my Herrscher by an intimidating note. If that did not dame, I could have not brought this boy here to become my pawn, and I should have had attained my life of solace."

"So you're saying?-"

"I'm glad you caught up. Correct. I am still to choose which faction I would plead my allegiance to. Although, you could say that I'm also a threat, but not in a way that you're aiming to eradicate me in our reunion. That's just a harsh way to treat a young lady." The Goddess proclaimed.

"That... makes sense. "The phantom understood.

"Just to remind you though, you're already 997 years old. You call that young?" Deus added. Hmmm. If I were to impersonate him in the four major characteristics of anime girls, he will without a doubt fall under the 'tsundere' type.

"Of course! I'm even seconded by my youthful countenance!... And how I might have known what he's planning you ask? Simple. Look at that magic circles that my Herrscher mistook to be four suns in its dawn. Surely, the hieroglyphs do not state that it is destructive" she said to somehow clarify a subsisting misunderstanding.

What? Hieroglyphs? What is that supposed to be? While I question myself that, Deus then cease from his defensive mannerism and starts to look at the magical circles himself. As well as Celes.

"Y-you're right," The phantom exclaimed.

"Sire, It is indeed something else" Celes seconded to the thought.

"What? What's right? What is this 'something else' supposed to be?" Once again, I found myself drifting in a world of questions.

"It's not a destructive spell. " the Goddess, seeing my perplexed expression extrapolated.

"R-right. So, is he planning something else entirely perhaps?" Deus asks.

"That's the best hypothesis for now."

I understood too little of their conversation. That is to be expected though. Not that I also want to consume another brain cell for superfluous introspection.

Reaching about five-three thousand feet up, the feared figure ceased to go any further and apparently he draws his golden-encrusted sword and from there, raised it on the air. It is shining in its might and is engulfed with this immense power that I could feel even at several feet below, to say the least.

And then an echoing yet calm and majestic voice starts to project through the air.

"Ego præcipio tibi magnus Atlas, mitto haec insula ad novum mundum de untrended", the man in black dress blues enchanted. I assume that this would be another summoning spell or the likes, but I know it's the most powerful than that of the other two that I already witnessed. I even speculate that it would be far too trivial to actually contrast this one with when Celes summoned her sword nor with the time when Lacrimosa summoned the fire spirit 'Ignitress', judging from the atmosphere alone.

You could hear not a thing. Not the winds, nor the flashing waves of the nearby sea. Not a noise of a busy city with approximately a million inhabitants. It's as if, nature is even afraid to make a little sound in his presence. All you could hear is the man's whimsical voice that is very heinous to be defined through simple terms as he uttered those Latin lexica.

"So, he is planning to summon Atlas", Lacrimosa inferred as if she understood the chanting spell that echoed through our ears.

"I hate to admit it but yes. And I know for quite sure that this is more than of a fireworks display. Celes, brace for impact, you're gonna see something very ugly. You too young man!", the phantom suggested.

"Oh, you probably should not worry about that boy. He is a lot stronger than you expect."

"Hmmm."

Well, I know why she would not worry if I were to see something horrific. I lost the ability to feel fear several years ago. Starting from that night that changed my life exponentially. It would be sardonic if I were to be afraid now of all times.

Then, the next thing we witnessed is the appearance of a very large rift in the sky. The size is approximately on par with the island itself, and in the western and eastern part of the island whirlpools, also suddenly emerged out of nowhere, suggesting that something very big is soon to ascend. The appearing rifts were like wormholes or something and from them, all, gushes forth this ominous aura.

The majority of the masses currently seeing the large tear on the sky and several other abnormalities begins to cower in fear of what's going to happen next. I saw that some were from my class, holding unto their shopping essentials, bags, and whatnots. Seeing them in fear, I presume that not everyone in this city came here to take part in the warfare. I believe that some of them decided to come here, in the hope of living anew. And now here they are, likely to be trapped in a miserable magical carnage that they least expected.

In contrast with those in fear, several fathomable others were surprisingly calm. It was as if, they too are already acquainted with supernatural events, just like us. I assume that they are also Herrschers, and in them lies the will of their deities. Well, is it just me or my sense of sight has gone up? It's almost like I can zoom in on things and still get the highest of resolutions.

Back on the display, I once again found myself observing the man walking on air while raising his sword of noble- like origins.

The deity, walking on the air, which is the perpetrator of these abnormalities redrew his sword in its golden scabbard, calmly and majestically.

It was not that moment after, that the four massive magical circles started interlinking with each other, forming this golden bubble-like structure with the artificial city at the center. It was as if, we were actually trapped like lab rats in the hand of a mad scientist.

At the giant tear on the sky, a thunderous roar starts to sound that made the wind and the waters extremely violent, from its once abnormally calm state. with the innocent masses now on the brink of utter fear and confusion. It was not yonder that the sky also begins to darken with massive bolts of lightning appearing to and fro, flashing in the skies... And something unspeakable slowly appeared on the rift. A giant scary- looking gargoyle's head, crying with blood streaming continuously like waterfalls, with the size is so great that it could without a doubt, eat the island whole in one gulp.

The masses, seeing the occurrence begin to panic even more in disparage and even Celes herself, which is far more informed than I, start to take cover. It is the utter image of doomsday, except something has just literally begun. Something that is beyond my imaginative monochrome vision.

After the putrid head appeared, something very gargantuan and monstrous also started to ascend from the occurring whirlpools on the sea. It is the gargoyle's, monstrous spikey hands, and in aggression, it starts to struggle the island that it might break to pieces. But, fortunately, that bubble-like barrier from the four massive magical circles kept us intact together inside. Still, the ground shook with a very potent earthquake deeming some infrastructures defenseless, except, the havoc's not natural. Some buildings went blazing in flames and if it is not of the island's interior and exterior design being surprisingly standard, no one can survive this.

Chapter end