Chapter 346: [Vol.3] Quest 271- Receding Waves

The next day came, and the first one to arrive was Ai. "Get up, it's time," she said as she opened Thetis's cell.

Thetis gets up from her bed and walks to Ai.

"So, where will I be killed?" Thetis asked, walking ahead with Ai following.

"The Colosseum," Ai replied. "After you have your last meal and bath."

"Oh... so much grandeur for little ol' me," Thetis said with a smirk that Ai couldn't see.

"I suggest you fight him with everything you have. Running away is pointless," Ai said in a neutral tone.

"Can you release these shackles?" Thetis asked. Ai undid her shackles and they left the tower's dungeon.

They said nothing else as they reached the training area of the 3rd tower. There was no one there.

To Thetis, who could hear the ever-so-faint sounds of battle from the echoes of her cell, it was hollow with the absence of people.

They then took them up and then out of the tower.

“Sunlight…” Thetis closes her eyes and simply stands, feeling the rays hit and warm her. “It’s amazing what one misses when they're in the dark for so long.”

Ai brings her to the 2nd tower and before her was a feast, a grand one.

“How delectable! Far better than what dribble I had before! Nom! Nom!” she feasted on the food when she noticed Ai had left.

‘Hm? She’s gone?’

Thetis did nothing and waited when she felt a gaze on her. She turned to see a golden-haired girl staring at her as she eats as well.

“… You know brat, this food is for me, right?”

‘Who is this kid? She feels familiar?’

“I was here first,” Ais said, walking up to her.

“… You look—no, you feel familiar?” Thetis stares at her as she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“My name is Ais Wallenstein.” Ais stands up and walks towards Thetis. “And I am Aria’s daughter, (Tempest).”

A gentle wind surrounds Ais before dissipating. Her control over her wind was masterful. Thetis was impressed she has refined it to this level.

“… So you have Spirit blood in you, huh? Tch this is why I hate Revis’s bluntness. So what do you want, kid? I can’t bring back your mommy.”

“No… I want to know if my mother is down there. In the dungeon, I mean.” Her eyes were serious and sharp.

“Is that why you are here?” Thetis takes a bit of her food.

“Yes. Circe informed me, and I asked her to ask Cirrus if I can speak with you.”

“Hmm…” Thetis could see a look of a lost child in her eyes, one that seeks answers to her questions. “Can’t say that I do. I saw lots of stuff down there, so who knows?” Thetis got back to eating.

“Is that so?” Ais puts her finger to her chin, thinking of another question to ask.

“So sad,” Thetis said carelessly. “I guess I kinda wish I can help you, given you are a… wait, have Nox and Circe told you what you are?”

“Hm?” Ais tilts her head, confused. “What do you mean? I’m human.”

“Tsk! Don’t those—Hm…” Thetis’s brain went off making connections.

 ‘Ah… Yes. She is the daughter of a second generation! She is the same as ‘Her’! Then if I hold on to this information—Ah, wait. If I use this information, I would just be thrown back into the cell… bondage or death will always be my choices.’

No matter how she spun it, her choices will always be death or imprisonment, even than the one known as ‘Thetis’ will be only an empty shell of her former splendor and pride.

‘… Fuck. I thought I have accepted this. All she did was bring up my hope and… Ah. Why is this my life?’ A spark of anger flickered inside her, anger towards the one who gave her a second life.

“Are you okay?” Ais said, looking at Thetis, who has been thinking for a while.

Thetis simply smirks.

 “I am fine, as one can be on their big day. Now given that Nox the White Raze was on the run, Pasiphaë, Circe’s sister told me that Circe escaped to sea…” she muttered a bit.

‘Let’s see, how did that story go again?’

Her memories were foggy. Thinking so far back, she realized how long ago it was.

“… Can I ask you what you mean?” Ais said curiously where this is going?

“Take a seat. I will indulge you since this will be my form of spite.”

“Hm.” Ais sits down and looks at Thetis intensely.

“So… Aria was of the 2nd generation of the sprits if memory serves me right. The second generation of Spirits was far, far more compatible with mortals than the first, but… that was a massive oversight, as much as the 1st being almost carbon copies of their creators.”

“How so? Were they too weak?”

“No, no. So long as they have a contract, they were solid and had a rather average survival rate. The problem lay with their high compatibility with humanity. Do you know what a Nephilim is?”

“I have never heard the word.”

“Well, that’s what you are, a being that is of human and Spirit. These children were wildly powerful, but most of all, they had the mortal’s emotions and needs.”

“Emotions and needs?”

“Yes, you feel sad and happy, right?”

“Hm.” she nods her head.

“Do you feel hungry or angry?”

“I do.”

“Now for us Sprits at least for the second and following generations we don’t feel hunger as we can live off the magic in the air and our contractors. Food like this is more for pleasure and approachability. Now emotions are a different thing, we have them, but we are more… dampened, shall we say. It’s something shared by the first three generations.”

“How dampened?”

"We, as spirits, possess a level of resilience that surpasses that of common warriors who have experienced a harsh life of war and bloodshed. We do not act impulsively or without good reason. This only applies to spirits who are not contracted. Once we have a contractor, our emotions are tethered to them, and we are bound to serve our master at any whim they decide. Be it for good or for bad. We will not complain, we will adapt. For example, Nox hates a deep-seated hatred for Zeus because of the actions of his spirits, but if she were to encounter him, well, depending on Cirrus, she could just straight up kill him.”

By Cirrus’s own order, Nox and Circe can disagree with Cirrus and even question him if they have a problem. This luxury was not afforded to many who contracted with Spirits.

“… And that is why Nephilim like me were killed?”

“Yes, far too much of a wild card to be left alone since they don’t have those ingrained ways of feeling.”

“… What of me? Will they kill me?”

“No, you have a god Falna, that works as a chain, so you won’t go too far with your god pulling the collar and strangling you with it.”

“I see… but has there been one who reached adulthood?”

“From memory and talks back then, it would be the strongest of the Nephilim. She was a child named Maquia. She was the reason most of the Nephilim were killed as children, with few ever reaching their teens or even adulthood. No one knows if she died somewhere in the world or if she just poofs! Gone.”

“… So there is no record of her?”

“No, just hearsay and folktales.”

“… Thank you for telling me.” Ais bows her head.

Thetis didn’t really mind it. If anything, it was a bit nice.

“Not at all. It is nice to see a Spirit or well, half of one like you walking around and not just that old hag Nox and that shut-in Circe.” she finished eating and stands up. “So I’ll be heading off to enjoy a good bath. Oh, and before I go should you ever reach where I was born and meet ‘Her’, tell her ‘F—‘.” She suddenly stops talking. “Wow. I can’t even talk badly about her. Lame. Well, you get where I was going with, right?”

“Hm.” Ais nods. “I will pass on your words.”

‘I may not be able to see ‘Her’ face, but my words will be the last thing she hears when she is dead.’

She leaves behind her last words to the one who resurrected her, and they will be filled with all of her spite and anger.

She then leaves the room to find Ai by the door.

“…” Ai then walks ahead to lead her.

 

Thetis goes back to the 3rd tower again and enjoys a nice bath, but it annoyed her that her magic was sealed off.

“At least the water is nice!”

She enjoyed it far longer than the food. When she came out, they presented her with a fine blue dress to match her hair and eyes.

“My, you truly are spoiling me.”

“A last form of goodwill from Cirrus,” Ai said.

She puts on the new set of clothes that would be her funeral attire, and they leave the tower. Down at the tower was a carriage waiting for them.

 

Thetis gets in as does Ai and they leave towards the Colosseum.

“Here.” Ai hands Thetis a bag of magic stones. “This is my last ounce of goodwill.”

Thetis looks at the bag to find all the stones to be from the 58th to 52nd floor of the dungeon.

“Not afraid I will escape? Or even kill Cirrus?”

“My husband is not that weak. You should listen to what I advise and fight him with her held up high because the second you turned your back you will only see the bottom of his foot.”

“Hm… his wife, how—!?”

Thetis felt her neck get sliced off.

She gently touches her neck to find it is still attached.

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“I am a level 7. I can easily slit your throat before you can even blink.” Ai said sternly, with eyes that made Thetis think they lopped her neck off.

“A perfect match. Two monsters together.”

She ate one magic stone after the other.

 

Once arriving at the Colosseum, Thetis’s hands shake.

No matter how many magic stones she ate, she still could not shake this feeling of impending doom.

‘I recovered a good amount of my magic, but this device around my core can still kill me instantly.’

“…” she stares at her hands, hoping no one noticed, but Ai’s eyes shifted back forward.

“Remember, my words. Sorry, I am repeating myself.”

“…” Thetis said nothing.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“… It’s time.” Ai then pressed the pearl into her earring. “I’m taking her now.”

Ai escorts Thetis to the arena where only Ais was in attendance.

‘Why are you here? We are not friends, we are not close. You are only my message to ‘Her’.’

Walking from the other end the sound of his heavy footsteps could be heard, and a slight shimmer could be seen as Cirrus walks out spear and armor equipped.

There was no theatrics or music. It was a quiet and solemn place, and they could hear the sounds of Circe and Nox landing on top of the Colosseum.

“Nothing to say?” Thetis said with a bit of a cocky attitude.

“… I will make it quick,” Cirrus said with no emotion in his voice.

He takes out a pair of gloves with a magic stone embedded at the back of them. He makes sure they won’t slip off.

“Well, I won’t make it easy. Now, are you gonna remove the restrain, or are you just gonna kill a pretty girl without a fight?”

Cirrus holds out his hand, and his magic circle appeared.

“(Damocles).”

“!!”

She could feel the metal tool unlock and rip out of her. It returned to Cirrus’s hand.

“Here.” He tossed Thetis a small bag of magic stones. “Eat up.”

“How nice of you huff.” her wounds slowly healed on their own as she opened the bag and swallowed magic stone after stone. Her wounds then healed far faster. “Ahh~ the feeling of power…” she curls her fingers.

‘More of my magic is back, but it is still nil compared to when I was in the Knossos.’

“I am ready when you are.” He said, standing still.

“Don’t worry I’m—(Old man of the sea, place your water onto me)!! [Laconia Styx]!!” Thetis chanted far quicker than before, and a massive amount of water appeared coming towards Cirrus, but he simply swung his spear upwards cleaving it as though it was the red sea.

The water crashes into the sturdy walls. Thetis shot out.

‘Did he really think I wouldn’t try to—!!!’

Suddenly, she could feel a foot on her back, slamming her into the ground.

Thud!!

“Tch,” Cirrus said, disappointed.

Thetis tried to turn to water, but the second she tried, Cirrus chanted quickly.

“(Sing your Vespers).”

Crack!!!!

“GAAAH!?!?”

Lightning coursed through her veins, causing her to convulse and go back and forth into reality.

Cirrus took this time to grab her hair and, with all of his strength, threw her back into the Colosseum.

Boom!!

 

Dazed and confused, Thetis tries to collect her thoughts but they were all jumbled with pain.

‘… What happened? Why did it turn black?’

She could only see darkness, she could not even feel the dirt from how numb she was.

Thetis slowly realizes what happened and picks herself up to see she is back in the arena.

“Stupid fool… you should have faced him,” Ai said as she watched.

Thetis looks up to see Cirrus on top of the Colosseum with a handful of her hair. He lets it go, having it be blown away from the wind.

He jumps down and lands with no sound.

“I said I will make it quick.”

“You fin—!” A sharp feeling of pain jolts through her body. She looks to see Cirrus’ hand on her chest. “You… you never showed your true fangs, have you?”

Cirrus looks her in her eyes. With an empty expression, as if he was bored, dissatisfied by this ending.

“Unfortunately, no one in a long time was strong enough to handle it. Fafnir only lasted a while running away.” He then pushed deeper, grasping her core. “Activating magic tool.”

Shine!

The glove then glowed, and circuits covered Thetis’s core and then the rest of her body.

“Gasp!” She felt as if he gripped her lungs. Her life was now literally in his hands as something moved across and through her body. “I… should have faced you head on…”

The circuits appeared like tattoos on her body.

“Any last words?”

“Yeah. Fuck you. I do not want your sympathy.”

“Well, that isn’t the worse last words I heard.”

The circuits then turned green to signify they were ready.

He then rips out her core in a single motion.

“Gah!? Thud!!” She falls to her knees; she grabs onto Cirrus’s armor. “I… I… curse you… Upon… my death… you will be claimed by the sea… Cir… rus.”

Thetis eyes go dull as she hits the ground.

Thud~

“Not turning to dust…”

Cirrus watched her to see that she was slowly turning to water and ash from the ends of her hair and limbs.

 

Cirrus stands there with her deep blue magic stone in hand. His armor fades as Ais walks next to him.

“You can do what you want.”

Ais nods and picks Thetis up.

“(Awaken).”

A steady breeze kicks up, and she quickly leaves the arena with a bitter but solemn look.

Ais held little an opinion on Thetis, less of a person and more of an enemy, but even she was still a Spirit, or the very least the remains of one. The same race as her mother, who found themselves on the opposite side of theirs.

To Ais, that was enough to have some connection. She is a water spirit and she at least deserves to die where she loved the most, the sea.

“Goodbye, Thetis,” Cirrus said, storing Thetis’s core into his shadow and walking away.

 

‘She grew up.’ Said Nox watching from on high.

‘Yes… It must be hard to see a spirit die.’ Said Circe. ‘But it won’t be easy going forward now that more spirits are being brought back deep into the Dungeon.’

‘Haa… do you think there will be spirits of my strength?’

‘Who knows? You are powerful, but others are just as deadly back then.’

‘Yeah, but how many actually made it and died in the dungeon?’

‘… Fuck.’ Circe goes quiet for a bit. ‘… I wish I can keep working on the Spirit Radar, but it needs data to be improved.’

‘Well, isn’t Cirrus planning an expedition? Maybe you can do it then?’

‘Hmm… I will have to see. I need to get going. I have orders to do.’

‘Right, and I still have time to enjoy some time at the café before it closes!’

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