Chapter 2: What they saw amidst the darkness

After the initial moments of unrest had settled the scholars of the Clock Tower had quickly proceeded with their investigation into the unusual outbreak of the Void Corruption within this village.

"What do the initial readings say?" Yu's inquiry earned a light shake from the agent's head who had been reading something on a peculiar machine he was carrying. "The scans are negative Director. There are no signs of a rift having opened here in this village."

Hearing these words Yu brought a hand to her chin, tapping it lightly as she pondered a bit more on the statement she had just received. "So there is no rift, meaning the exposure to the void must had happened elsewhere. No matter, I will be tending to some of the victims now, please keep me updated in case you get any news."

Heading inside the large building where the guards had kept the victims of the voidal corruption Yu was escorted to one of the rooms. Upon opening the door it was not difficult to notice the lone individual in the chamber. A youngling, perhaps a young adult in human years was crouched against the back of his bed, holding his head close to his knees and sobbing softly.

"Have they been like this for long?" Yu's question made the guard nod his head somberly. "Ever since the arrival of that foreigner. While you made it clear that Salem had nothing to do with the outbreak, most of the individuals had contact with him at some point during his stay."

Yu tapped a finger lightly against the side of her arm as she processed this information. "How peculiar, did his staff trigger something dormant in the victims?"

Yet it would do her no good to just speculate like this. No, she needed to find answers, not conjectures and as such she took a step forward toward the sobbing stranger. "Ser, can you hear me?"

Yu's soft voice barely got any reaction from the man, whose tearful visage looked like his mind was in some sort of trance.

"Its coming... We shouldn't have woken it..."

The feeble whispers of the man didn't go unnoticed by Yu who took a seat at the edge of the bed besides the man. "Who is coming?"

A hand gently reached for the man's shoulder, attempting to comfort him as the human weeped softly. "The monster, the monster inside the void!"

Yu gently raised her other hand, resting it on the cheek of the man to make him look at her. "It's alright, whatever woke up in the void, it won't cross over to here. I and my colleagues will make sure of that. But you need to rest ser, rest and regain your strength so that you can tell me just what in the world happened that got you so restless."

As she finished speaking she helped the man lie down on the bed and proceeded to approach the doorway, giving a final glance at the resting human and then stepped outside. It didn't take long for her to be approached by one of the agents of the Clock Tower who bowed lightly at her. "Director? We compiled the information you requested."

Yu nodded her head lightly, uttering a word of gratitude as she started reading the report. "So according to the relatives of the victims they all went to Talaz Lagaar during the time period that the rift was active. From that alone we can already conclude that their exposure to the void happened there. But why did they start reacting like this after the closure of the rift? Earlier that man mentioned that something awoke in the void but judging from their words I would presume the thing was still inside the void itself."

Pondering a bit more Yu took a seat at a bench the moment she left the building. She needed a moment to process the information she had learned so far and put her thoughts together on how to proceed.

"Albion-" Yu called out, leading to the disguised dragon to step beside her. "Do you think I'm on the right track?"

Albion nodded her head lightly. "It is unlikely a powerful denizen from the void would have slipped out into Earthland without alerting the Clock Tower. As we have discovered the more powerful the denizen, the more their presence leaves behind traces. The absence of these in the earlier readings taken at the village makes it likely that-"

Yu smiled briefly at Albion as she finished the dragon's line of thought: "The connection is psychological, basically they are mentally connected to whatever is in the void?"

Albion nodded her head firmly. "Precisely."

Then there could be a cure to the victims of their condition. "By severing the connection we should be able to ease their suffering and make them regain their sanity. But I'm not entirely certain if I can provide such succor with my powers."

Yet the same moment that Yu stated these words something peculiar unfolded: All of a sudden the sky looming overhead turned dark, as if night had fallen over the village.

"What the- It is still noon, and there was no reports about an eclipse happening..." Yu's restlessness was only amplified when a collection of screams came from inside the building and from the outskirts of the village a knight came rushing over.

"Director! There is a hooded mage! when we tried to stop her from entering the village she cast some sort of spell and then the sky turned dark!"

Yu couldn't help but glare at the nightsky above. The magic flowing through the town was clearly voidal in nature, and these screams inside the building... "Albion, you go and check on the victims and help the guards calm them down! I will tend to this intruder! Ser Knight, rally your comrades and protect the villagers!"

The knight saluted at her orders and went to the garrison, meanwhile Yu started to dart in the direction the knight came from. This couldn't have been a coincidence... First several individuals succumbed to Voidal Corruption and now their was a flood of Void Magic in the village? This had to be all connected in some way or form! But how, and more importantly why?

So many questions lingered in the back of her mind, but for now, all she could do was go and investigate the source of this commotion!

Rushing along the street leading to the outskirts of the village Yu could already see the chaos that was unfolding. The local guards were having their hands full keeping the peace in the village. Panicked villagers asking what was going on, and in some cases people who were still healthy and sane moments ago had been forced into a state of madness and were being restrained by the guards.

This was a nightmare... This madness... This was the true nature of the void, certainly some scholars believed the void was a force of alteration, a power that was neither good or evil and that it all depended on the ones wielding it, but right now she was once more being confronted with the fact that it was way too easy for the powers of the void to be used for malicious intentions...

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Chapter 3: Unleashed Madness

The darkened sky that loomed overhead, the sound of screams that came from the terrified villagers, the sight of people turning into a frenzy and attacking their loved ones without any provocation... It was clear to Yu that something was stirring the madness in this settlement. There was no doubt about it, the hooded figure that had been responsible for causing the sky to darken must had some important answers that she had been missing about this entire mystery.

Finally she arrived at the outskirts of the village, several of the knights stationed at the village had collapsed on the ground, still alive but clearly too injured to continue fighting. "HAHAHAHA!" A madwoman's laughter resounded through the air as the hooded figure saw from a nearby alleyway a group of knights approach, their swords drawn. "We're ready to assist you Director Yu!"

Yet while normally the sight of allies their courageous arrival would fill her with hope and gratitude, Yu felt only dread right now as the hooded figure turned toward the encroaching knights. "Begone tin cans!" The prophet shouted in anger as she swept her hand, and from the outstretched fingertips a wave of dark energy surged forward, blasting the knights away!

Some of them had endured the onslaught of magic, attempting to get closer to the prophet who prepared to launch yet another spell at the group, "DIE DIE DIE!" she chanted like a lunatic. However, this time Yu acted, raising her staff toward the cloaked prophet and allowed her mind to focus. She needed to rely on her magic, to unravel the threads of mana so that the deathly spell the prophet was invoking would be nullified.

The staff glowed bright, and she could sense the threads of magic surrounding the prophet, the energy that was being used to empower her deathly spells. Yu could feel her power growing as she concentrated, the staff growing brighter, and she could almost hear the voice of her benefactor  in her head,  "That's right Yu, do not resist the current, let it flow... Flow with it as if it was a river."

'That's right,' she thought to herself, 'I must not let her use her powers! I mustn't!'

A surge of energy coursed through her staff and suddenly the mana gathering around the prophet seemed to dispate. "Wha-" The Prophet stammered in surprise. "Quickly! Now is our chance! Detain that fiend!" The knights aiding Yu rallied, some attempting to pin down the prophet while Yu turned toward the remaining knights.

"How is the village?"

"We're still trying to calm down the remaining afflicted." One of the knights explained. "Although we should be able to succeed if we can get that monster to dispel whatever magic she has cast upon the village."

The prophet laughed shrill at these words. "Monster? That is rich coming from a baffoon like you." The woman lifted her head despite still being restrained, her glare focused on Yu as she continued. "To call our powers evil, despite the fact you wield them as well! You might be denying it yourself, but you're a monster like us! The very powers you despise so much flow through you as well!"

The prophet cried out in anger. but Yu merely pointed her staff at the woman. "Why... Why did you do this?" Yet upon hearing these words the woman merely scoffed. "Isn't it obvious? To create a new rift into the void!" Yu narrowed her eyes. "What... What could you possibly hope to gain from a new rift into the void? How can you explain your actions?"
"Explain my actions?" The prophet chuckled. "Why would I ever need to explain myself? If a tree falls in the forest, is anyone there to see it fall? The tree is gone, and its fall is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. What meaning is there for me to explain myself, when none shall care to listen?"

The prophet laughed, but Yu could only stare at her in shock. "How can you even say that? How can you believe that you won't be held responsible for your actions?" The prophet merely cackled, "You are so blind 'Director', so blind. Don't you know that I won't be the only one to come to this village, there will be more just like me who will come in search for the glorious power the void offers."

She turned her gaze towards the sky, the darkness looming over the village was receding, "You and I are but a drop in the ocean. But one day, this world will realize what it truly desires. When that day comes, no matter how hard you try to fight against it, the future is inevitable."
"Silence!" Yu's expression changed. "I will not allow it, the world may accept it, but I shall not!" She raised her staff and pointed it at the prophet. "You have no right to say that the world shall accept this fate, you do not speak for anyone but yourself!"

The prophet shook her head and turned toward Yu. "No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to stop it." Her laughter grew more shrill as she stared into Yu's eyes. "It's inevitable."

Yu didn't say anything, she simply stood there with her staff pointed at the prophet. However, even as the darkness was recending over the village Yu couldn't help but feel something was off. This unpleasant sensation that warned her, that tiny voice in the back of her thoughts that screamed this was all wrong and that danger loomed ahead, when she realized it too late.

"Get away from her!" Yu called out, but it was too late. A burst of void magic erupted from the woman's body, consuming the knights that were restraining her and soon not a trace of their presence remained. Instead a monstrous creature towered over the spot the poor victims had been consumed at."

"Hehehaha." The monster giggled as the prophet's voice came out of the creature's mouth. "Now, shall we continue where we left off?"
Yu felt a chill go up her spine, as the monster's gaze locked onto her, the creature's maw open wide, but quickly several of the surviving knights rallied to her side, shields ready to protect her. "You're not alone Director!" One of the knights called out to her, hoping to encourage the distraught fairy.

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