Mad God – Reborn

Everything happened so fast that neither Ariana, Jishan, nor Orsi could react. They found themselves falling towards the dark abyss that opened up below them and swallowed them whole in the blink of an eye.

"Here!" Jishan shouted, igniting flames on his back like a cape so they could still see something. While he did so, he also reflexively grabbed Ariana and Orsi, trying to shield them with his own body as they fell.

It only took a second before everything went dark again, and they could only see their immediate surroundings, even with Jishan's fire covering the group. At that exact moment, none of them truly felt fear. The trio was almost hearing their Elders' words in their heads: Never panic and trust your brothers and sisters. Trust your own strength.

"I can levitate us for a short period!" Orsi inhaled sharply as an invisible bubble surrounded them the next moment. They could feel themselves slowing down as their speed approached a full stop.

She gently moved herself in a randomly chosen direction, and under Jishan's orange flames, she finally could see the rugged, dark brown walls of the earth. They continued to slowly descend when, out of nowhere, a sharp, protruding platform came into their view. Orsi hurriedly diverted themselves towards it, landing on it with a thud.

"Ugh…" She moaned, withdrawing her mind, holding her head, shaking it a little. "How far have we fallen?" Orsi asked as she looked up, but saw no light reaching down to them from above. As she strained to see, a human body flew past them, continuing its free fall, swallowed by the darkness. They couldn't make out who it was, but they were sure it was someone without any cultivation, wearing regular civilian clothing.

"Damn that old bastard…" Ariana whispered, turning towards the wall. That was when she noticed a narrow crack in it that they could push themselves through. Just as she was thinking about it, the earth itself rumbled around them once more. "This way!" She shouted, going in first, followed by Jishan and Orsi. Not long after, the platform they were standing on was smashed to pieces by falling chunks of earth, the size of small buildings, coming down right behind the three.

"Now what?" Jishan groaned as they were sandwiched inside the crack. He carefully lit up his finger so they at least had some warm light source and could see where the hell they were. Dying like this was... not something he wanted to experience.

"Try to burn the least amount of oxygen so we won't suffocate!" Ariana said, holding down her own panic, doing her best to stay calm and collected while Orsi was already heaving heavily. Her eyes were moist as the fear was slowly setting in, but she was trying to force herself to calm down and not start panicking and crying.

"This is really… narrow…" She murmured after half an hour as they carefully inched forward, feeling squashed between the walls on either side.

"Sometimes being beautiful has its disadvantages." Jishan chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

"So you want to say I'm not pretty?" Ariana's playful voice came from the front, drawing a smile onto Orsi's face, quickly picking up on the cue and deciding to play along. Their little banter was somewhat easing her nerves, too, but they were stretched to their limits already.

"Oh, no, no~! Of course not!" Jishan said again, "I just commented on the fact that Lady Orsi here has been blessed by the goddess of love."

"Lucky meeeeh?!" Ariana screamed out as she suddenly looked like she had fallen forward. Before they could react, their bodies followed suit, as if an invisible hand pulled them out from the crack, landing face forward on the hard ground.

"What the…?" Jishan groaned as they fell on each other.

"I can't breathe…" Ariana moaned, who now lay below them, squashed by the two.

When they managed to stand up, the cave they were in was eerie and weird. The walls were glowing a turquoise color, covered in an unknown substance, pulsating very slowly. Looking up, they saw a small crack that seemed to be on the ceiling.

"We climbed… downwards? How?" Orsi asked, furrowing her brows.

"I did not feel like going downwards..." Jishan said, sharing Orsi's confusion.

"Look!" Ariana pointed forward and saw something that completely contradicted anything they knew about physics. A small stream of water was 'falling' upwards, flowing towards a different crack, rising from the ground like a sneak, spiraling towards the ceiling before disappearing into it.

"Did we die, and this is the plane between the afterlife and reality, or something?" Jishan groaned as he twitched his mouth, watching.

"Surely not! We did not… did we?!" Orsi gulped before Ariana held her hand, calming her down.

"Relax, we are alive. It's the gravity that is jumbled up here... Probably because of the powers of that damned Zelig! When we fell over, we were falling way too fast. I have flown with a Master before and experienced free-falling. It was not as quick as we descended at that moment." She explained as she looked around. "We must be deep underground, who knows where... We need to find a way back up!"

"I agree. I don't want to live my life underground!" Jishan sighed. "Where to?" He asked as he looked at Ariana, who quickly blinked her eyes, realizing it fell on her to be the leader of their group. After taking a deep breath, she focused her eyes, observing her surroundings.

"Let's try to follow the stream. It must come from somewhere. If we follow it back to the source, we may find a way up. But be careful, and let's throw rocks before us! If the field of gravity changes, we may find ourselves falling upwards or something. Impaled on a sharp rock does not sound… nice."

"Agreed." The two nodded at the same time as Jishan stepped out. "Let me go forward; even if something happens, I can activate my flame armor to protect myself."

They were walking for hours, but there was no end to the cave. The most frustrating thing was that sometimes the gravity changed so weirdly and abruptly that it confused their senses. One time, they needed to jump forward, but mid-jump, they just fell to the right and landed on the wall, now standing on it at a 90-degree angle compared to their previous position. Continuing their trek onwards, this happened sometimes only after a few minutes, sometimes after half an hour of travel. Soon, up, down, right, and left completely lost their meanings as they constantly changed directions. Lucky for them, the cave system was 'lit' all the way, with the weird, fluorescent slime covering everything. It was sometimes sticky, sometimes slippery, and was just as unpredictable, making them pick up new bruises frequently when they slipped. Finally, after hours of confusing traveling, they reached a much bigger, open cave. From there, multiple entrances led to many dark routes, who knows where. Walking up to one, just stepping through, Jishan felt as if the gravity had changed again, and he was pushed backward.

"This may lead upwards." He turned to them. "When stepping halfway in, I felt like falling down."

"Who knows…" Orsi gulped. "What if it does feel that way, but we would just climb downwards?"

Nobody had an answer for her, since it was a possibility, but neither of them had a better idea of where to go from here.

"Do you have any weapons with you?" Ariana asked as the two shook their heads. "I have my spear." She continued, patting the small pouch on her side. "I can fly, and we can stand on it, but I won't be fast with three people on…"

"You can take Orsi," Jishan said. "I can propel myself forward. If it is a long journey, I can drill a hole in the wall and rest a little. Plus… I still have energy pills with me."

Before they could come to an agreement, a strange sound caught their attention. It was coming from one of the entrances, and soon, from a different hole, two people emerged. Surprisingly, one was Foydor from Heaven's Gate, but the other wore the clothes of an Ironclaw warrior. Now, without his mask, it was revealed that he was also a Naulin. He had short, white hair and violet eyes, surprised to meet disciples of the Immortal Wonders Sect here. Standing opposite each other, they said nothing, just watched one another in silence.

"They can't leave; they saw us together." The Ironclaw member spoke up, releasing his aura while ice quickly covered his hands, turning them into blades. It immediately revealed that his cultivation was at the Harmony Realm.

"I agree." Foydor nodded, drawing a sword from his back.

"The Ironclaw guy looks injured." Ariana quickly sent a voice transmission when she first recognized their presence.

"Leave him to me," Jishan answered, engulfing himself in his fiery armor after he threw a couple of pills into his mouth. "Deal with the kid quickly and assist me in killing that son of a bitch!" He said as he shot out first, not wanting to give the Harmony expert the advantage. It was a smart move, as he had already summoned a giant pair of icy blades, turning his hands into weapons, meeting Jishan's attack head-on.

"Hmf!" His enemy groaned while holding both of his hands before him, blocking the tip of his flaming lance. He had to stabilize his footing before being able to smash against it, breaking it into flaming pieces. After that, he was able to step forward, dodging the rest of Jishan's momentum, trying to stab him in the neck from the left side.

"No, you won't!" Jishan shouted, raising the heat as the mantis-like hands of his enemy clashed against his armor. It released steam and sparks everywhere, while Jishan also formed two flame swords. By now, they were fighting like two berserk warriors, swinging blade against blade.

While their fight went on, starting in under a fraction of a second, Foydor was already aiming at Jishan's back. However, before he could hack at him, black, ink-like tentacles coiled around his arm, pulling him backward. Looking behind his shoulders, he could see Ariana casting her spell, preventing him from attacking Jishan, while Orsi levitated rocks up from the surroundings, aiming them at Foydor.

"Then I'll deal with you first!" He said as he turned around, tearing himself away, quite literally. He was ignoring the wounds it left on his arm, switching his sword-wielding hand easily and cutting through Ariana's tentacles. "Kneel." He whispered under his breath as his eyes lit up in the dim cave. He was focusing his mind, assaulting Ariana's consciousness. She stumbled as she fell to a half-kneeling position, yet to the surprise of Foydor, she could still cast another spell. A new, black spike sprang up before him, almost skewering him as he was already in motion to strike a killing blow.

It was enough to make him falter, stop in his tracks, and for Orsi to immediately launch the rocks she was levitating. Yet Foydor was faster. He was cutting through them easily, running forward once again, now looking at Orsi. She immediately felt something creeping up along her spine, an old, fragmented memory from the past. She could hear the noise of the city, the laughter of people, and the stench of the sewers. She felt herself growing hungry and desperate as she begged for food… Then a pair of eyes was looking at her, just like now. It was only a quick moment, but for her, it seemed like years as she heard Foydor's commanding voice... 'Stand still...' It echoed inside her mind forcefully, wanting to command her not to dodge his incoming sword.

"No!" A loud yell came, but it was not from Ariana, who watched it all unfolding, but from Orsi herself.

Her scream echoed loudly, and Foydor felt his own mind being assaulted by a strange feeling. It was unknown to him, yet familiar at the same time. He heard his own words inside his mind, echoing out with the same commanding force that he intended to use on her. 'Stand still...' He could not refute his own thoughts as Orsi's silvery eyes were shining brightly, blood flowing from her nose at the same time. Yet, Foydor had completely stopped by then. He just stood there, unmoving, sword in his hands, frozen in time like a statue.

"Nice!" Ariana shouted, not letting the chance slip by. She brought forth her spear, and with one stab, she made it count. Its tip went through the head of Foydor, killing him instantly by blowing the top of his head right off. Though his brain was already sliding down from the sharp end of Ariana's spear, his body was still standing still, even after she flicked off the bloody chunks of his skull from her weapon. "Are you okay?" She looked at Orsi, who just gasped heavily and wiped her bleeding nose.

"Yeah! Yeah… I am!" She nodded, ignoring Foydor's body. "Let's help Jishan!"

Clearly, she was shaken up, but her body was flooded with adrenaline, and she ignored everything else, rushing to help her friend out with Ariana.

"No way…" The Ironclaw warrior grunted, not just because of Foydor's sudden death, but because a body refinement cultivator was stopping him in his tracks. He fought multiple battles, and even as he was injured and drained of a lot of energy, he should be able to deal with someone who was this… weak. "Weak?" He asked himself, and as soon as it came to his mind, he flinched and paused in his attacks a little. This was a fatal mistake. It gave Jishan a chance to drive one blade into his left shoulder, lodging it into him. "Ugh!" He coughed up blood, but it was already the end for him.

Black snakes formed around him from his own shadow, coiling around his legs and biting into his calves. Next came the sudden feeling of losing control of his arms as a foreign force grabbed onto them, blocking his movement so Jishan could finish him off.

"I was the weak one…" He whispered under his breath as a flaming sword stabbed through his chest, burning his heart into ashes before he collapsed to the ground.

"Finally…" Jishan sighed, extinguishing his flames. His body was falling backward for a moment, but he managed to stay standing in the end. "Damn, it felt like hitting a steel wall!" He groaned, shaking his hands with a grin, looking towards the girls.

Ariana was about to say something when the whole cave trembled, and from one of the other entrances, a figure walked out. The moment he appeared, his presence sent chills through the trio, as it was none other than Rudrick.

"Nice. Really nice!" He clapped nonchalantly while Jishan quickly swallowed an energy-refreshing pill, then gave his remaining ones to the girls. "Don't bother with it." Rudrick shook his head. "Even if there were twenty of you here, you would be dead. I only need to think about it. What do you say? Do any of you want to join my Heaven's Gate?" He smiled.

"No." The immediate answer came without hesitation from all of them.

"I thought so. At least I asked." He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Well then, I'll just dispose of you three! I can't let you spread what you just saw here." Rudrick chuckled, looking at the dead bodies. By only using his voice, he seemingly was able to ignite the remaining blood inside the corpses of the two Naulins. They caught on fire and burned into ashes in only a few seconds, making Jishan gulp loudly as he had no idea how he had done that.

"I am open to ideas." Jishan sent over his voice to the others.

"Me too," Ariana answered with a tired voice. However, before despair could settle in, she flinched, and a violet spark rose up above her head, flickering vividly.

"Oh?" Rudrick raised his eyebrows as the distant, rumbling noise of thunder was getting closer and closer.

Looking at the same opening Jishan had first checked out, a strong purple light was heading towards them, bringing the sound of a storm with it. It was drawing closer and closer, making the disciples of the Immortal Wonders Sect relax with joy.

A second later, Ren's serious face, with lightning dancing around her, came into their view as she landed in the cave, taking everything in while she quickly corrected her movements as gravity shifted for her, effortlessly landing on her feet. Her eyes quickly assessed the current status of the trio before turning towards Rudrick. At the same time, the little spark above Ariana's head flew into her arm the next moment, reabsorbed by her automatically.

"Good. I can take care of you, too." Rudrick said without any change in his tone.

"Exactly." Ren spat back, attacking immediately. Rudrick just pushed her back with his aura, stopping Ren's lightning spear in the air as it tried to penetrate his invisible sphere of influence.

"You are way over your head, girl. You may have fought against my father, but he was a failure as a cultivator and as a ruler." Rudrick grinned, watching Ren struggle against his aura.

"You speak like I should care," Ren answered calmly, putting more force into her spear, slowly sending it forward, right into his energy shield. Her progress made Rudrick's eyes grow a little more serious.

"You won't beat me." His somewhat angry voice came from between his lips.

"I may not." Ren smiled. "But I'm not alone."

Rudrick immediately flinched as he felt his sphere of influence suddenly disappear, giving way to Ren's spear. He instinctively raised one hand, grabbing onto the shaft of the incoming weapon made out of her energy. He dodged it by a hair, while with his other hand, he reached towards his opposite side, blocking Leinor's fist, who had just arrived from the same opening in the wall. Holding the two of them, his eyes were scanning the duo as if they were in a stalemate.

"You are getting on my nerves," Rudrick whispered before strengthening his grip on Ren's spear, flinging her into the wall while grabbing onto Leinor and throwing him over his shoulder. Yet, as soon as he finished, he was already facing off against the two of them once again. "Hmf… I'll show you what fear is!" He shouted, and his aura quickly distorted with a bloody, crimson light as blood seeped out of his pores, surrounding him like a mist.

Ariana, Jishan, and Orsi could only feel the smell of blood in the air, making them nauseous and unable to stand still. They simply fell to their knees, affected by the sick aura that Rudrick was releasing.

"Don't you feel nostalgic?" Leinor asked with a half smile while Ren just nodded.

"It does feel similar to Uncle Boursat's affinity. It gives off the scent of a mix between yours and Yanda's powers."

"I suppose it does not hurt to let you know." Rudrick chuckled proudly, holding up his hand. He was watching it with a grin as the bloody mist swirled around it. "I was always fascinated by the notion of our family heritage to control others' minds. It was always a great enhancement on our individual affinities… but it is not enough." He began speaking with a giggle as he formed a blade from it, then a bow, then a saber, changing the mist's form at a whim. "I always wanted to dominate the body, too. That way, there would be no chance for anyone to betray me. Which is especially true for my offspring, sharing... MY blood.."

"Like the thing you are doing right now? Betraying your own forefather, huh?" Leinor smirked at his words sarcastically. "Someone who easily betrays others… No wonder you are afraid to be stabbed in the back."

"Something like that, yes." Rudrick acknowledged nonchalantly, looking at them. "Being betrayed is annoying, don't you agree? Yet we humans do it all the time. Like your Uncle." He said to Leinor. "When he arrived at my Kingdom, I knew I struck gold. The years I spent with him were the best! I scoured his mind thousands of times. I learned everything I could from your bloodline, boy! And look… finally, I could modify my own affinity!" He giggled like a child who finally could show off his proudest achievements. "Now I can kill off a constantly growing problem and bag myself a new toy. I can't wait to dissect you, son of Aerthus!" He said as he licked his lips, watching Leinor's body.

In that moment... Everyone knew there could be only one outcome now. Either Rudrick dies, or they do.