Chapter 56: Shared Reality
Continuing their mission in the dark chasm, Jett and his companions spotted more wicked souls. Each one tried to seize the bodies of the dragons under Jett’s command and trumpet its return to the living world. Yet everyone now understood the Harbinger’s scheme and dealt with the spirits in the only fitting way—by beating the shit out of them.
Eleonora’s swift swordsmanship moved like a breeze that could only be felt against bare skin. For the wicked souls, however, that breeze tore their cloudy bodies open, leaving raw wounds that bled the Harbinger’s mana.
Jett’s crimson stare became the final nail in their coffin; under his gaze every spirit spat out the Harbinger’s seed, which he then crushed beneath his sole.
In Noctlisa’s case, she dared not cleave the souls outright—doing so would kill them, and that ran counter to Jett’s explicit wish. Instead, she swung the flat of her greatsword, slamming the spirits into the basalt walls and grinding the blunt edge deeper until they surrendered every last drop they had swallowed of the Harbinger’s power.
To say the least, the wicked souls were forced to disgorge everything they had consumed from the Harbinger. Naturally, Jett crushed those seeds with equal swagger.
When too many spirits gathered at once, the dragons fought together, defeating them and laying the glistening seeds out on a proverbial silver platter for Jett. He chuckled and pressed on with what had quickly become a rather entertaining adventure.
The fun ended, however, when he spotted the first victims of the Harbinger’s plot. A dragon in human form and a handful of human knights barely stood on their feet; yet they faced off on opposite sides, weapons half‑raised, preparing to clash. It was nothing short of a miracle that any of them had survived.
"You despicable humans!" the dragon barked.
"Shut up, monster!" the knights snapped back.
Neither side made the first move, held in check by the wounds they had suffered when they fell from the chasm’s ceiling. The mere fact they had survived the fall was a miracle, but their bruises and broken bones screamed with pain, reminding them of their limits.
Just then a third voice echoed through the chasm.