NovelChina Existential Friction
Existential Friction
The firmament of Ky'lar, completely fractured under the oppression of the thirty-fifth layer of the planetary barrier, seemed to hold its breath for an infinitely long fraction of a second.(Ssssshhhhhiiiiiiiiiuuuuuuuu...)
The charred clouds and the torrential rain—which fell with the density of liquid steel projectiles—were trapped in an unnatural inertia before the psychic dam broke completely at the absolute epicenter of the clearing.
"¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡GWRAAAA-SHWIIIING-GROOOOOOOOO-GWAARRRGHHH-AAAAAAARRRGHHH-¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡"
And in the sky, shattering the final barrier of sanity, Mireya's hybrid silhouette unleashed a monstrous and heartbreaking shriek that echoed with the force of a tectonic cataclysm—a unified cry that combined the colossal roar of a dragon of chaos, the savage screech of a wounded beast, and the sepulchral echo of an ancestral demon, so dense that it tore through the ionized air, instantly pulverizing the suspended raindrops and turning the immediate perimeter into a dead zone of atmospheric vacuum and invisible shockwaves.
(¡¡¡¡¡VVVVVVRRRRRRRR—SHHHHHIAAAAAAA...!!!!!!!!)
Right in the eye of the hurricane, trapped in a paralysis of pure fury and overflowing trauma, her majestic wings of torn, jet-black membrane folded violently against her back, contracting in a spasm of absolute muscular tension, while the chaotic aura compressed around her at a terrifying speed, compacting to form a spherical cocoon of pure energy.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KRAAA-BOOOOOOOM—KRRRRRRRR...!!!!!!!!)
As a result, the chromatic sphere reached its point of maximum saturation and exploded.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡PLAS-TZZZZZZZZ...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Consequently, the detonation of the cocoon released a torrential, chaotic rain of celestial and divine lightning bolts that pierced the sky in every imaginable direction, zigzagging with an uncontrolled static that cracked space-time in its wake.
(¡¡FZZZZ-VROOOOOOMM!!)
And in perfect, destructive synchronicity, a vortex of violet, spectral flames erupted from the base of the explosion, rising like fiery columns that enveloped the chimera and turned the torrential rain into a dense, suffocating curtain of boiling steam, while the heavy, rusted chains on her limbs and neck vibrated with a frantic clinking under the punishment of her own unleashed power.
(¡¡PUFFFF-VRAAASHHHH!!)
Immediately after, the muddy, wounded ground of the clearing responded with seismic violence.
(¡¡¡GHOOO-SHHURRRRRR!!!)
The earth, oversaturated by a gigantic mass of fire, fractured in a dull, deep explosion that shook the very roots of the forest of Ky'lar, tearing open a smoking rift right at the epicenter of the column of ashen flames that was still rising toward the firmament.
(CLANK... CLANK... CLANK...)
Whereupon, in the midst of the dense veil of boiling steam and rancid smoke, a rhythmic, heavy, and martial sound began to rip through the gloom.
(CLANK... PSHHH... CLANK...)
That sound was not the organic crunch of nature nor the chaotic rumble of the cataclysm, but the slow, implacable, and measured tread of polished metal advancing over the compacted earth.
(¡CHHACK... KRENG... CHHACK...!)
Each footstep resonated with a sovereign cadence, dissipating the elemental mist in its wake to reveal the silhouette emerging from the ashen fire.
(¡¡¡SHWIIIING!!!)
The figure that took shape among the flames possessed a dignified and majestic bearing that demanded reverence by her mere presence—an innate martial elegance that evoked the image of ancient warrior royalty.
(...CLANK... CLANK... CLANK...)
In turn, a long and resplendent mane of a pure silver hue cascaded down her back, swaying gently despite the absence of wind in that oppressive microclimate, framing a face of delicate yet firm features, completely devoid of any trace of fear.
"...."
And as she looked up, her eyes flashed with the intensity of two celestial beacons, revealing a cold gaze filled with a gelid determination and a lethal sharpness that seemed to cut through the density of the place.
(¡¡¡Krrr-clac... cric...!!!)
Her body was enveloped in an elaborate and stylized dress-armor of mystical craftsmanship, where the lethality of metal and the fluidity of fabrics merged to perfection.
(¡TOCK... CLINK... TOCK...!)
Plates of a silver, highly reflective steel, polished to the extreme, protected her shoulders, arms, and thighs with aerodynamic lines that followed the physiognomy of her figure.
"They are the enemy..."
Her torso was cinched by a rigid corselet of an argenteous alloy that broke apart at the flanks with subtle insertions of a deep matte black, shattering the monotony of the metal and accentuating the defensive sobriety of the piece.
"... Mother is upset."
And at the exact center of her chest, set directly into the seam of the armor like a latent core, a large bluish gem flashed with an internal and rhythmic glow.
(¡¡¡Fwuaaa—fwuuu...!!)
Toward the lower part, the metal gave way to a skirt of overlapping plates that mimicked the petals of a steel flower, reinforced at its underlying edges with folds of dark fabric that provided mobility and lightness to her legs.
"... For mother's sake... I will kill you..."
And motionless in the midst of the mud, the young warrior princess observed the silhouette of the Spirit Queen reflected in the distance.
"... Starting now."
As she gave her a fleeting glance, her electric-blue eyes narrowed with a gelid annoyance—a contained vexation at the planetary entity's audacity for having unleashed such an outrage against her parent...
(¡¡¡¡¡SHWIIIING—FROTT...!!!)
Only to look away the next instant, unhurriedly extending her right arm toward the void.
(¡¡¡¡¡ZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU—VUUUUUUUUUUOSHHHH!!!!)
And immediately, within a fraction of a second, the particles of silver light suspended in the vapor mist condensed in her hand, materializing her greatsword with surgical fluidity.
"For rebelling."
Only to next, in one clean movement, bring the weapon down sharply, plunging the blade with absolute mastery into the depths of the muddy ground.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡JUE-DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!)
Because of that, at the exact instant of impact, the blade of the sword, imbued with a torrent of gray, spectral flames, transmitted its energy directly into the underlying bedrock, causing a colossal, subterranean rumble that shook the periphery of the clearing, cracking the earth in concentric lines that began to glow with a mystical, opaque brilliance.
"Following the code of chivalry, I introduce myself... I am Silver, whose mother and sister you have harmed."
Without looking up, Silver spoke with a firm, melodious voice, presenting herself first in a display of honor and creed.
(¡¡¡RUUUUUUUUMBLE!!!)
To which, in response, a presence emerged from the ground...
"Descendant of the Spirit Queen. I am the Great Spirit of the Earth."
The structure of the astral plane bent as the Great Spirit of the Earth took shape in the physical plane.
(¡¡¡CRRR-CRAAA-CRAAACK...!!!)
It was an entity composed of angular geometric forms, translucent crystals of a deep ocre, and plates of floating stone held together by a core of pure magnetism, defying conventional anatomy with a conceptual, rigid, and divine aesthetic.
"I am called. Eldora-Gideon."
Immediately following those words, in a blink, the manifestation was not limited to a single being; meanwhile, the great spirit multiplied exponentially, surrounding the knight princess in an instant with hundreds of exact replicas of itself, completely blocking any line of sight or path of advance toward the Spirit Queen through an impenetrable wall of living stone and crystalline eyes that flashed in unison.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KRAAA-BOOOOOOOM—KRRRRRRRR...!!!!!!!!)
However, while the martial tension between the silver Valkyrie and the hundreds of manifestations of Eldora-Gideon solidified the air on the opposite flank, the other end of the clearing suffered its own existential transmutation.
(¡¡FLASH!!)
The colossal pillar of golden light, which moments before pierced the fractured clouds of the firmament, began to lose cohesion.
(¡¡¡FSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!)
Because of that, the mystical column decomposed suddenly, dissolving into a dense blizzard of aureate particles that floated weightlessly over the mud, illuminating the gloom of the forest with the glare of ethereal golden dust.
"Why...?"
And in the midst of that fading radiance, an extremely subtle sound, yet loaded with an overwhelming mystical heaviness, began to resonate with chilling clarity.
(¡Klap... shiiin... Klap... shiiin...!)
Whereupon, the soft and intermittent impact of bare footsteps advancing unhurriedly resonated with intensity over the damp earth.
(Ssssshhhhhiiiiiiiiiuuuuuuuu...)
From the thicket of the shattered trees, a dual and contradictory presence emerged in absolute silence—an entity whose mere energetic vibration oscillated aberrantly between the sacredness of a goddess and the perversity of a demon.
(¡Plaf... zhum... Plaf... zhum...!)
Goldie had finally adopted her human form.
(¡Tack... fshhh... Tack... fshhh...!)
Her physiognomy was crowned by a pure golden hair, cut into a geometric and symmetrical bob style that perfectly framed a face of usually serene features, which at that instant was completely disfigured by a grimace of contained rage.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡PLAS-TZZZZZZZZ...!!!!!!!!)
Her eyes, which used to harbor the warmth of the most translucent amber, had transformed.
"... Unforgivable."
Although the iris retained its original golden hue, the exact center of her pupils now glowed with an intense, bloody crimson flash—a spark of pure loathing directed fixedly toward the distant silhouette of the Spirit Queen.
(¡¡¡SHHHHHH—FROTT...!!!)
Enveloping her silhouette with divine sobriety, she wore a deep scarlet-red robe that covered her body down to her ankles, swaying slightly as her aura fluctuated in response to the hatred gnawing away at her interior.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KABOOOOOOOM-FSHHH!!!!)
But before Goldie's next bare step could touch the mud, the ground in front of her fractured in a perfect line, and from the rift rose a colossal wall of fire that licked the sickly clouds of the firmament, blocking her path completely.
"You will not take another step!"
The scorching heat evaporated the torrential rain within a fifty-meter radius, turning the air into a fabric distorted by thermal reverberation.
(¡¡¡SHRRRRRR-VROOOOM-KRRRR-SHHHHH!!!)
And emerging directly from the heart of that fiery wall, the great spirit of fire took shape with untamed ferocity.
"I, the great Keahi, as the primordial fire spirit..."
His appearance was composed entirely of dense, viscous magma that flowed and solidified into plates of black basaltic rock as he moved.
"Decree that you will burn, consumed among my flames!"
Cracks of an incandescent yellow furrowed his entire torso, acting as veins of fire through which the thermal energy of the planet rushed, while his head was crowned by a mane of vivid, blue flames that crackled with the sound of snapping wood.
"Did you hear me...?! You damn abomination!"
Two empty sockets of pure white glare served as eyes, overflowing with an intense, destructive, and savage temperament.
(¡¡ZRAAAAAAAKISH...!!)
However, despite everything, Goldie did not even bother to divert her gaze from the distant silhouette of the Spirit Queen.
"Move."
Keahi's imposing presence did not cause the slightest alteration in her face, which remained sculpted in a sepulchral coldness; instead, she uttered a warning like a sharp whisper, devoid of all affability, with the rigidity of a divine sentence that admitted no reply.
(¡¡¡FWOOOOSH!!!)
But in response, the great spirit of fire burst into a wrathful laugh, and the magma from his fists began to drip onto the ground, melting the mud into liquid glass.
"You should move if you value your existence!!"
Behind the colossus of magma, the flames of his wall burned with renewed vigor, rising like a grim backdrop that threatened to devour everything.
(¡¡¡¡ZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU—VUUUUUUUUUUOSHHHH!!!!)
Meanwhile, right behind Goldie's silhouette, the blizzard of aureate particles suddenly intensified, generating a glare of golden light so pure and blinding that it began to eclipse the fire, creating an absolute border between the destructive heat of nature and the implacable judgment of the sleeping deity.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡VVVVVVRRRRRRRR—SHHHHHIAAAAAAA...!!!!!!!!)
In this way, while the flanks of the clearing became pressure cookers on the verge of exploding, the center of the stage transformed into an absolute vacuum of existential tension.
"Grrr..."
There, two forces of irreconcilable natures stared at each other, on the verge of beginning.
< .... >
The Spirit Queen stood with hieratic immobility and a gaze of deep indifference in her two sockets of abyssal green, while behind her, the thick ancestral vines and the ramifications of dense mud that composed her hair waved and twisted with a parsimonious and reptilian rhythm, like plant serpents testing the atmospheric currents before attacking.
(¡¡¡CRRR-CRAAA-CRAAACK...!!!)
Beneath her bare feet of pale jade, the natural energy of the planet vibrated with a seismic and subterranean frequency, as threads of a phosphorescent green and telluric pulsations rushed through the cracked ground, stabilizing the bedrock and nourishing the sovereign's form with the raw power of an entire ecosystem, vibrant with life.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KRAAA-BOOOOOOOM—KRRRRRRRR...!!!!!!!!)
However, high up in the sky, reality agitated in a delirious agony.
(CLANK... CLANK... CLANK...)
The sky, tinged with sickly colors in constant fluctuation, twisted and creaked like tempered glass under intolerable pressure.
"¡¡GWAAARRRR-OSHHH!!!"
The mere presence of the unstable chimera, suspended in the eye of the storm, forced space-time to bend and groan, creating an unbearable friction.
(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ZRAAAAAAAKISH—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM...!!!!!!!!)
Thus, the unsustainable friction between the solidity of the earth and the delirium of the sky reached its absolute limit of conceptual tolerance, on the verge of colliding.