[Lifespan Remaining: 19 days, 9 hours, 19 minutes.]
Water coalesced into Faust’s hand, freezing solid and turning into a blade of ice sharp enough to end Noct’s life. But whilst Faust had been spending that time talking, Noct was already chanting under his breath.
"O restless current, divide without end. Bind all beneath the heavens."
?Magia Volt — Mille Tempestatis.?
[Lifespan Remaining: 16 days, 9 hours, 19 minutes.]
’Shit... I really am eating through my lifespan.’
Out of Noct’s outstretched palm, and entering the chain around his wrist, electricity raced through the mana holding Faust’s constructs together, splitting across every binding before converging on the veil surrounding him.
Faust’s eyes widened. The blade of ice shattered on the ground as his body suddenly seized up from the thousands of volts that entered from underneath.
Some of the current tore through Noct as well. His muscles seized, and he gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the pain.
But because Faust had taken the brunt of it by being completely enveloped in water, Noct managed to recover first. And by then, Faust was already incapacitated enough to release his bindings.
Noct dropped onto the floor, breathing heavily before standing up once more. Without much hesitation, he simply said.
"You really should’ve killed me before you started talking."
...And launched himself straight into the lake.
Cool water swallowed him whole, but by then, the pain was starting to arrive. His broken hand refused to move properly, and every kick aggravated the injuries across his body. Even the remnants of his own lightning caused his muscles to spasm.
But he forced himself downward regardless.
’Come on, Noct. It’s only several meters away...’
All he had to do was reach it.
But no matter how hard he kicked or how much distance he felt like he was making; The reality of it all was that...it was still so far away.
’What...?’
Looking back, the surface had already become a sheet of rippling light. Faust’s distorted silhouette stood somewhere beyond it before stepping away a moment later.
Noct attempted to keep going, but still the distance refused to shrink. It was as though the lake itself refused to let him approach.
’A spatial spell?’
That possibility hadn’t occurred to him.
Noct tried turning back, only to discover that the surface had also grown impossibly distant. He was suspended between both ends of the lake, unable to reach either one.
’You’ve got to be kidding me...’
The air trapped inside his lungs began to run out. Bubbles escaped his lips as the pressure inside his chest became unbearable. His movements grew weaker, each attempt to swim carrying him less distance than the last.
Darkness gradually filled his vision. He couldn’t chant underwater, and his spellbook was beyond his reach. His injured body no longer possessed enough strength to fight the current.
’Am I...going to die here?’
For once, Noct had no plan. The lack of air caused his head to go fuzzy, and the last of his breath escaped to the surface that he could no longer see.
’What a stupid way to go...’
Just as his consciousness began to fade, something small collided with his cheek. Noct barely managed to open his eyes, only to see the little spirit floating in front of him.
Its tiny arms tugged desperately at his collar. When Noct failed to respond, the green light gave up and stared toward the distant lakebed.
Then it raised both hands.
Instantly, the water surrounding Noct began to tremble before he could finally see what was going on. From the lakebed, a vortex started to emerge from below. When it finally reached him, air flooded back into his lungs miraculously.
"Wha—?!"
The opening expanded before he could finish.
Water spiraled away under him, forming a narrow vertical passage through the lake. Its walls churned on either side, held apart by a thin layer of mana. It was like it had forced air through the water, creating a tunnel for Noct to go through.
But now that there was nothing separating Noct from the bottom...Gravity took over real quick.
"Wait—!"
Noct dropped through the passage as water rushed past him in a blur. What had appeared to be only several meters stretched much farther than should have been physically possible.
Above him, the water began closing again.
The little spirit descended alongside Noct, maintaining the tunnel just long enough for him to pass through. Moments before he struck the ground, a gust of wind surged upward and caught his fall, slowly lowering him down onto the rocky ground.
He stared upward, watching the air tunnel collapsing in real time. The sight was strange, as the lake’s lower surface remained suspended above him, rippling across the ceiling like an inverted reality.
Seeing that he was finally safe, adrenaline drained from Noct’s body immediately. Clenching at his broken hand, he barely managed to rasp a spell.
"O water, surge and mend the wounded..."
?Vita Aqua.?
Water emerged from his fingertips, soothing a bit of the pain and trying its best to mend his broken bones.
[Broken Bones Lv. 4 → 3]
[Hemorrhage Lv. 4 → 2]
With the worst of the pain gone, Noct leaned his head back into a pile of soft silt and began breathing heavily while looking at his surroundings.
The world around him felt strange. He was still in the cave, that was for sure. Yet, everything around him felt...wrong.
It was like he was in some kind of psychedelic episode, where objects refused to stay still.
"Great, I’m hallucinating on the verge of death," Noct groaned.
"You’re not hallucinating nor on the verge of death!"
A female voice spoke from behind him, causing Noct to flinch upon hearing it. A second later, a tiny creature floated in front of him before landing on his knee.
"Wh—who are you?!"
"I’ve been with you this entire time," the creature frowned. "You don’t recognize me? That actually hurts, you know!"
Noct forced himself to calm down. Upon taking a closer look at the thing, it seemed to be like a small human, with a pair of delicate wings and glowing green eyes.
"Are you...the fairy that’s been following me? You can talk?!"
"Not...usually..." the spirit answered. "Since we’re not contracted, you couldn’t hear my voice before."
Noct stared at her. "Then why can I hear you now?"
The spirit glanced around at the shifting cavern.
"Because we’re no longer in your world."