CLANG!
The massive greatsword bounced off the winged shield held by the champion, his stance not even budging.
That weird shield is definitely not normal. Taking a few steps back to assess the situation, the brunette flicked her fingers, summoning yet another greatsword, Gramr, shrouded in darkness. A demonic girl dual-wielding greatswords was a scary sight to behold, indeed.
Walking slowly towards the massive knight, Moonsong was about to test her raw strength once more before something peculiar happened with the shield. The red threads coming out from it slowly made contact with the threads coming out from herself, before joining and yanking the winged shield away from the cult champion towards herself. Tossing her swords, the armored songstress caught it with both arms.
Looks like the shield doesn't even like you.
Seizing the chance, Moonsong quickly rushed with the shield in front of her, slamming into the knight like he wasn't seven feet tall. The might of the surprise attack sent the champion a few feet away, with a sonic boom following afterward. Plummeting onto the ground, the armored cultist was knocked out cold with a single strike.
Huh, magic-imbued. A strong one, even.
She looked around. Looks like the rest of the cult and the knights have already escaped during her short duel with the champion.
What pushovers. At least that's one easy quest done. Now, time to do what she came here to do; investigate the statue.
Holding out the paper containing the sketch in front of the statue, Moonsong tried to make a connection between the figures.
I mean, the face does resemble her a lot.
But can someone literally turn into a massive titan overnight? Lacking any concrete evidence, she walked closer to the thirty feet tall suit of armor, before the red threads uncontrollably vibrated, as if urging her to move closer and touch the statue.
Why not.
It was a big mistake.
The memories. All these memories came rushing into her. Pouring into her endlessly like a waterfall. Goddess of Vintergard, Immortal Heroine, Titanic Empress, Vigil Six, all of it bullshit. Freya Eleria was just a girl, pulled into a sick game made by the gods.
Stop... Stop it!!
But the stream of images never stopped. The childhood, the hardship of living all alone. She was a traveler, just like her. She had dreams, to be able to uphold her value of justice. And look where it brought her; Azog, Falderen prison, Titanius, Civil War, Dragonfall.
Death.
Why are you showing me this?
Writhing in pain, Moonsong clenched her head, trying to not go crazy with so much information currently going into her head. It was like she was there; in fact, she was now here, in the middle of Vintergard, looking at the Dragonship flying down towards herself. Every muscle the Immortal Heroine tore trying to stop it, and even as her lower body splattered on the road of the city, Moonsong felt it all. She felt the betrayal from the gods themselves. She has answers to everything she didn't ask, yet one question remained as the painful images finally stopped.
After all this time? And you still wanted to protect them? Why?
Of course, no answer came from the statue. It was a statue, after all. A statue of one individual that never gave up when the odds were stacked against her. The one that dedicated her life to protecting the weak. The Immortal Heroine.
Heavily breathing and sweating, the brunette slowly got up, placing the winged shield that originally belonged to the protector leaned on the statue. She walked off, not uttering a single word and without looking back.
Dayeon's Apartment, Boston, 01.40 AM
The woman slept soundly on her bed, her safest place. While inside in her dreams, Dayeon is floating beyond the stars, the space she has for herself and herself only.
Before a golden figure manifested from above, slowly gliding down, waking the brunette up from her peaceful dream rest. Corvella. No, Freya Eleria. The figure glowing in gold moved closer to her, as the owner of the dream world asked the blonde person why is she inside her dreams.
Are you still alive?
The woman shrugged, looking at the sea of stars around her with her sad golden eyes. Her beautiful voice echoed through the space, making a joke as if they had known each other for a while.
I don't know. I'm not even here, you know. I'm just a memory.
But at least my memories live inside of you. We're connected, and there's a reason for it.
Dayeon scoffed. Has she finally gone insane from the game now? Talking to herself, no, talking to
her own perceived image of a dead person, of what they might be in her dreams. Seeing the confusion on the brunette's face, the blonde inched closer to her, putting her hands on her shoulders.
You have seen the horrors the game could bring to you. Don't you? And yet you're still going to go back to it.
I wouldn't stop you. I'm a nobody, I have no right to decide what is best for you. But...
She quickly turned into an armored figure. Metal-clad dark platings, with a visor that covered her face save for her gaze, which turn emerald green.
I still have a purpose. To protect.
Let me be your shield. In Terrasphere, in the game. If I was to protect something, it must be you.
The woman smiled.
There's a reason for everything.
Dayeon was weak, and she fully aware of it. What even was her purpose she was searching for, that she went back and back again into the game? What connected her to a fallen protector?
There's a reason for everything. And she will find the reason.
Thank you.
Was it ever important if Corvella was the Immortal Heroine or not? Was it even important if she was alive or not? Everyone has a hero living inside themselves, it's unfair to call one particular person 'a Hero' or 'a Heroine'. People die in and out of the game, slowly forgotten and replaced. Yet, the message and the spirit of the fallen should always be celebrated.
Dayeon finally found her own heroine inside of her. The one with indomitable will.
Her will to protect others?
Immortal.
