Violet PoV

  Master, remember to not overdo it this time and do not try to reject it. Apple suggests to me, as if I do not already know that.

  The ground feels solid beneath me, strange to think that a few hours ago it was a massive ravine. Now I am surrounded by a lush field, a faint floral scent hangs in the air as flowers bloom for the first time in a decade.

  Hopefully I don’t destroy it.

  I take a deep breath and begin.

  “Vixelos, o grand nature of space. I plead that you lend me that which can make which is not into that which is from what could be.”

  I can feel the aether concentrate around me, and a jolt of pain runs through my arm just like the first time.

  Mortal I will ask only once more. Do you accept the price for this power?

  I can feel it tug at me again. The horrible feeling of my soul being dragged out of my body, elsewhere. This must be Vixelos. It seems Apple’s theory was right, the words of the incantation are significant.

  Regardless of that, I must attain this power. I can not afford to reject it again.

  Whatever it takes. I plead into the beyond.

  Very well then, mortal. Say the pledge.

  Words fill my mind. I can feel the weight of them as they rest in my mind. This must have been what Maka did as well.

  “Nature Vixelos, I accept your challenge and shall pay the price for what I desire. O great nature, humble me with your burden.” The words flow from my lips and feel as though they echo through space itself.

  Your desire and resolve have been seen and understood. Awaken, Avatar of Annihilation.

  My body erupts into pain, as if every single one of my nerves is being ripped out one by one. I can feel something near me. It feels powerful. Something not of this world.

  Perhaps this is the Vixelos that Maka was talking about.

  I feel a sharp sting, though not a physical one. It is like something stabbed my soul directly.

  The pain stops and a warm breeze surrounds me, as if caressing me. Then, two messages appear in my vision.

  [Special Skill Gained: Stage 1 Avatar]

  [Stage 1 Avatar]: A Nature has chosen to attach a fragment of its being onto your soul. As your power grows, so shall the fragment. Over time this fragment will grant tremendous power. But, mortal souls are not meant to become avatars, this is a process that defies the rules of reality. You have been warned.

  To evolve this skill you must reach Rank 4 in both of your paths.

  [Title Gained: Avatar of Annihilation]

  {Avatar of Annihilation}: You have chosen to become an avatar for a fragment of a Nature’s being. You will suffer. You will gain. Above all else, you shall become strong. Do be warned, the paths to this power are best left untrodden. Make your choice, and wield the power of Annihilation well.

  Stage 1: [Spatial Control]: You may carve out a piece of space itself. Then you may manipulate this piece of space. This piece of space will never recover and will forever leave a scar on the plane of reality. The cost of this power scales exponentially with the size of the area carved. There is also a tremendous cost added to carve out any beings capable of complex thought.

  You are able to overwrite another piece of space with a piece of carved space. The cost of this action depends on the space you wish to overwrite. Be warned that everything within the overwritten space will cease to be. You also choose to place the space exactly where you carved it from, and mend it. However, the energy used to carve will not be returned.

  You may also choose to store the held piece of space, at the cost of continual energy drain. Withdrawal of the piece is free at any time. Should you wish, you can also annihilate the piece and everything within, generating tremendous energy from the destroyed space. Though do be ready to collect and harness said energy.

  Stage 2: Reach Rank 4 in both your paths and learn the meaning of what it means to annihilate something to unlock.

  Stage 3: ???

  Note: It is wise to avoid sharing the finer details of your titles and special skills.

  My head spins as I read the messages. Just what the fuck have I done?

  Master, I believe we are now complicit in a violation of the rules of reality. Apple comments.

  Rules? Screw rules, those are just suggestions for one such as I anyways. What the fuck does it mean I am an Avatar?

  Do you not feel that, master? It feels as though your soul is a lot different than before, almost like it is larger than before and full of a weird energy.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  I check myself, though I do not feel anything strange. At most I feel a bit stronger than before, but that is all. I do not think I can perceive my own soul.

  That would make sense. For now I think it best if we just roll with it. Apple says, which is exactly what I was about to think. He has grown shockingly similar to me, though his pride does need a beating every once in a while. For some reason he is extremely arrogant and prickly at times, unlike me.

  I stand back onto my feet, and suddenly feel very weak. Then, my vision goes dark.

  Maka PoV

  The instant Violet collapses onto the ground, I Blink out from behind the shield and run right next to her. I notice the ground around her is slightly burned as I pick her up.

  I rush her back to the medics and pace back and forth as their devices examine her thoroughly.

  Gaema walks up to me, “She will be fine, just tired is all.” He expertly concludes.

  I walk into the medical tent and look at Violet inside the med pod. She has a look of exhaustion on her face. I wonder what she experienced when we all felt that surge of aether.

  Apparently it was nothing even close to when I got my title.

  Lucien appears next to me. I never noticed it before, but he is quite muscular. Though muscles aren't a direct indication of power because of the system. Perhaps he tried to impress Bellaris or something and failed. “Hmm.”

  I look up at him. “What is that hmm about?”

  “Her title sounds quite interesting. Thus deserving of a hmm.” He looks thoughtful about something.

  “Well… are you going to tell me what it is or not?” I ask.

  “I don’t know if I should. She might get mad at me, as she cannot harm me, she will likely take it out upon you.”

  I laugh. “I will just extract it from her anyways, plus I need more practice dodging her punches.”

  He looks at me and smiles, probably drawing some parallels in his head. “I suppose you do. Well it says her title is ‘Avatar of Annihilation’, whatever the fuck that could possibly mean.”

  “Well damn, that sounds a lot cooler than mine. Is there any chance I can apply for a name change?” I cant let her lord her fancy title name over me after all.

  “Ha, perhaps you could ask Vixelos. Though he might charge you an arm and a leg for it, literally. Anyways, didn’t you say something about it changing whenever you completed the requirements?”

  “Good idea. Now that she seems to be fine, perhaps I should go run my own tests.”

  He smiles widely, his perfectly white teeth shining in the blueish light of the medical pod. “That sounds awesome.”

  I get suited up into the tracking devices and head out into the field in similar fashion to Violet. She is in a deep sleep and I doubt she would really care about missing my go.

  The air is nice and warm, a faint floral scent hangs in the air. I think it smells like violets, but I am not very well versed in floral smells. So it is likely something similar in actuality.

  Maka, are you ready for this? Lemon asks. Probably worried due to how Violet turned up.

  I am practically an expert at this. Like, there is no way I'll lose a limb again, right?

  You do not sound nearly confident enough in that assertion. She says snarkily.

  It'll be fine. I will just go in, ask a part of reality itself for a small favor that won’t cost me anything more than a bit of soul energy. Then I leave and all is fine.

  I focus and tug on Dimensional Shift. Just like before, the world fades into the strange world of the void. I can feel a bit of my soul draining away slowly as the world slows to a halt. The gentle breeze disappears and I feel that strange pressure that accompanies being in the void.

  I feel a presence to my side, and turn to see Vixelos standing right next to me, his blue hair and short stature as ridiculous as ever.

  “Mortal, it would do you well to be careful in who you choose to call ridiculous.” He glares at me. “Not all are as generous as I.”

  Wait, he can read my mind too? This simply is not fair.

  “You chose to come into my domain, it would only make sense that I can read your mind.” He walks closer to me. “As it is, what do you require? All that can be done is able to be done, for a price of course.”

  “Well to put it simply, is there a way I can like, know what the cost is for something before you actually do it?”

  “Perhaps…” He smiles creepily. “For a small fee of course.” I really don't like the way he said that. I feel like I have fallen into a trap.

  I guess I should've expected something like that. He does have a vested interest in extracting the most from me as he can. “Well then, say I wanted to create a hole, say five meters by five meters and ten deep. What would that cost me?”

  “Ha, that request is but a minor folly. It will cost practically nothing at all. In fact, the fee for that question is higher than the cost itself.” Instantly I feel a sharp jolt and a bit of my soul drains away. Damn, didn’t expect him to charge me just for a question. But then again, knowledge is power unto itself, so I should've expected that would be the case.

  “Well then, could you make such a hole over there?” I point to a large area devoid of anything but grass. It does feel kinda wrong to ruin the lush landscape, but I am sure replacing a bit of dirt isn’t too hard.

  “As you wish, mortal. It shall be done.” Vixelos walks over to the point I specified and as if it wasn't there in the first place, the ground disappears. I feel a small drain on my soul, but nothing compared to anything before. Vixelos walks back over to me. “My my mortal, you are quite delicious indeed. One of the better delicacies I have had the delight of tasting… Though I did get a far tastier morsel lately, truly a wonderful taste it was. Though I do lament losing the piece I bestowed.”

  I ponder his statement. There is only one other that I know accessed his power earlier.. And is currently asleep from exhaustion. “Do you mean Violet? What the fuck did you do to her?” My voice raises ever so slightly.

  Vixelos gazes at me with those orbs of energy that he calls eyes. “Oh is that what you mortals call that one? No matter, we are likely thinking of the same person.”

  I step closer to Vixelos. “What. Did. You. Do. To. Her.”

  He looks me up and down and giggles. “I am afraid that is not something for me to share, mortal. At least, not without a price you are unable to pay. You will simply have to ask the mortal yourself.”

  I calm myself down. It isn’t like he did anything bad to her, right? She would’ve had to agree to it and she is smart enough not to do anything foolish. Plus she is an absolute badass anyways.

  “Well as long as she will be okay.”

  “Speaking of the condition of mortals, I must warn you that spending any longer here will become a detriment to your own health. While I do appreciate the nourishment and the chat. You so kindly asked for me to warn you of such. Therefore, I will now take my fee.”

  Vixelos smiles, and I feel a tug on my soul again. My vision grows dim… that damn Vixelos.

  My vision goes dark just as I feel the solidity of reality return.

  Next Chapter: A Walk In the Park

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