Beyond the Eternity

Only the sound of footsteps echoed.

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Accompanyed by the rapid, ragged breathes of desperation.

A girl no longer than twelve years old was frantically running for her life.

Her right arm hung limply at her side, dislocated like a broken toy. The pain was excruciating, and a part of her wished she could tear it away. It served no purpose except to bring her torment and such great pain. But the fear of death overshadowed that sensation.

During her frantic flight, one of her shoes slipped off.

Realizing that running with only one shoe would hinder her and slow her down, she kicked it off, discarding it completely, and continued her desperate flight in a straight line.

Unhinged laughter echoed through the corridor, stretching endlessly into the dark void ahead.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Her body shuddered.

It was a demon-like laughter that filled her with nothing but unimaginable dread. The reason her right arm hung dislocated, the reason pain scorched through every aching muscle, the reason her lips were stained red, and the driving force behind her desperate retreat.

A sadistic sister was hunting her down.

Moments later, brilliant flashes of light pierced through the darkness behind her, streaking toward her with gale-force winds howling in their wake.

Those light flashes were magic stakes conjured by a witch. Each of them possessed power similar to that of a sniper shot.

If even one struck her, even by accident, then her life would be forfeit.

"Ku..ahh!!"

Miyuki raised a panicked cry.

The narrow corridor stretched straight ahead, offering no cover to dodge the rapid-fire stakes launched by the white hunter. The stakes which were sharp and swift like bullets, tore through the air relentlessly with the wind. Fortunately, the passageway branched at its end, offering paths to the left and right.

The girl sprinted forward before dropping into a crouch, keeping her head low. She narrowly avoided the deadly stakes and darted into the left path. Behind her, the missed projectiles struck the walls with massive explosions, sending shards of debris flying.

Without sparing a glance backward, she pressed on and continued her flight.

She somewhat managed to distance herself from the hunter, but she knew deep in her heart that it was only a matter of time before she was caught. Perhaps she would have to use that 'power'.

The same demon-like voice echoed, as if mocking her attempts.

"THIS GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK IS ABSOLUTELY A BLAST! I HAVEN'T HAD THIS MUCH FUN IN FOREVER! I TRULY THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! AS A LITTLE GIFT, I MIGHT JUST TURN YOU INTO A STUFFED ANIMAL AND USE YOU AS MY PERSONAL BODY PILLOW! WHAT'S YOUR OPINION ON CATS?"

That was truly an unreasonable question.

To ask a fleeing enemy what form they'd prefer after capture was nothing short of a announce of certainty of her own victory. The hunter's playful voice made it painfully clear that she didn't see Miyuki Kuroi as a threat.

From her perspective, that confidence made sense as she was the more experienced individual.

She had dedicated her entire life to honing the Art of Mysteries and continuously raised her proficiency. Everything in existence was born from Mysteries, and by extension, magic was omnipotent.

If one could ascend to the higher sequences of the Path of Mysteries, they could become an unstoppable, unrivaled existence beyond comprehension.

At least, that's what the sister believed.

She had no reason to fear one measly child. At best, in her eyes, Miyuki was nothing more than an anomaly with a unique ability, intriguing perhaps, but hardly a threat to her existence.

Therefore,

Luxuzia flicked her hand, and the magic stakes obeyed, shooting forward before sharply curving midair into the left passage.

Like guided missiles, they sliced through the air, parting the wind as they homed in on the girl's retreating back, intent on piercing her.

"....?!"

Miyuki instinctively tried to evade the incoming stakes, but they veered unpredictably, constantly shifting their course as they relentlessly pursued her body.

It felt like attempting to avoid a barrage from all directions. Instead of fists, those stakes were darts tipped with unknown, deadly effects.

She quickly glanced back, narrowly evading a stake aimed at the back of her head. It struck the ground in front of her with a sharp thud, and ice began to spread rapidly across the floor's surface.

A freezing stake.

Had it pierced her, frost would have invaded her bloodstream, freezing her from the inside out and locking her in place. Death by freezing.

But she didn't falter.

Her sprint continued unabated.

Three more stakes hurtled toward her. The first grazed past as she twisted her body just in time. The second forced a desperate leap, and the third demanded a tight roll to evade its deadly path.

When they struck the ground and walls, each of them seemed to possess a different special effect. One melted the floor like hot chocolate, another phased through solid ground, and the last warped the wall into a twisted shape.

Miyuki glanced back in shock.

'Wh-What is that?'

'She can create stakes with different special effects? What is this some kind of video game ability?'

'Is it magic? Was it something related to the elements?'

She couldn't understand how it worked. Perhaps the hunter wielded more than just invisible attacks and traps, maybe they could manipulate different kinds of phenomena.

Magic and mysteries were truly fascinating. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if there was a mystery capable of summoning miracles.

But the thought quickly faded. There was no time for wonder or think.

She kept running.

Even so, it was evident that the enemy had no intentions of letting her escape in one piece.

Swish—! Swish—!

More stakes flew towards her. This time, they were only two in number.

Miyuki shifted her body to fully avoid them, but she underestimated the power of those magic stakes. Instead of clattering uselessly to the ground, the stakes shifted mid-flight, realigning themselves. Their trajectory was no longer random, they were tracking her relentlessly.

"Guided stakes..." she grimaced.

It was clear the enemy was manipulating them, likely by sensing her mana signature and adjusting their flight path accordingly. No matter how deftly she maneuvered, the stakes would pursue her without respite, intent on their singular mission, which was her elimination.

She quickly swept her gaze through the corridor, seeking any possible advantage.

Dodging was futile.

No matter the direction she took, the stakes would follow as long as her mana signature could be tracked. The idea of taking refuge in a nearby room briefly crossed her mind, but she dismissed it just as quickly as it came. It could easily be another trap laid by the enemy.

Then her eyes landed on a beautifully designed vase resting on a pedestal.

With no time to ponder its aesthetics, she grabbed it with her only good hand and hurled it at the incoming stakes. The decision was instinctual, so much thought wasn't put into it, but in that moment, she chose to trust her instincts.

The moment one of the arrow made contact with the vase, It lost its form and shattered round

In an instant, an explosion erupted, flames surging outward. The blast consumed the other arrow, which held an unknown effect, was obliterated in the fiery wave. But now, the very flames that had saved her were racing toward her, threatening to engulf her in their heat.

'Ah... That's not good!!' She desperately thought.

Miyuki ran more forcefully, but the flames closed the distance effortlessly. She immediately made a dash for the staircase to her side. As she jumped further and further down, the flames continued to pursue her in the form of a tidal wave like a hungry monstrosity. The roar of the flames, along with oxygen, seemed to mock her desperate flight.

She burst into another long passageway, followed behind by the flames.

Everything in its path was consumed, obliterated by the relentless fire, as if to declare, "She must die today."

'This is not fair... This is not fair at all!!'

She felt like crying. Like the unfairness of being on the short end of life, she felt the occult was completely ruthless to beginners. Could she conjure water to extinguish the flames, or imagine them vanishing into nothingness?

But deep down, Miyuki knew it wasn't that simple. If it were, she wouldn't be running for her life.

As if to cut off her train of thoughts, The flames roared behind her, reminding her of her precarious situation, and the heat intensified, drawing closer.

With a frustrated click of her tongue, she summoned every remaining ounce of strength in her legs. The passageway ended ahead, branching left.

Without hesitation, she sprinted along the passage and turned left, racing down that path.

But—

"...!?"

She abruptly halted, and she felt like she could no longer breathe. In any other situation, she wouldn't have panicked like this, but she was frozen in place because of the scene before her.

There was nowhere to go.

The path had led her to a dead end.

"Ah!!"

She realized her predicament, and instinctively tried to turn back. But even that was futile. With a roar of oxygen being consumed, the flames emerged, licking at the walls and barreling toward her.

Like a carnivorous beast, the flames closed the distance impatiently.

Miyuki's eyes widened due to terror. She stumbled back and continued to move backwards to escape the scorching flames. But her attempt was short lived as her back soon pressed against the wall.

There was no space to move.

Trapped, with flames advancing from the front and a solid barrier behind her, she found herself staring directly into the jaws of death.

Like a rabbit stuck in a death trap, she could only wish for salvation.

In such a scenario, her only salvation was a quick death, but she completely rejected that reality.

Was death truly the only way out of this situation?

No! Even if that was the case, she desperately failed to acknowledge that reality and crushed it!

Miyuki stretched out her hand, determined to harness the power of Mysteries. Perhaps she could counter the incoming flames with her own. It wouldn't completely extinguish the blaze, but, at least, it might buy her a few precious seconds. Maybe, just maybe, a miracle would unfold in that fleeting moment, but she knew that was just wishful thinking.

Even so,

Despite that,

Miyuki focused, manipulating the mana swirling around her. It surged toward her palm, coalescing into a defined shape, warmth radiating as flames began to materialize.

A few seconds later, a flickering sphere of fire erupted to life before her.

Low Sequence Flame Magic.

A magic born from Miyuki's own power and imagery.

It was not a magic created by Miyuki herself, but the distortion in the world caused by her virtual reality was ranked under that sequence.

As she imagined the flames, they simply took form.

Without the need for instructions or manuals, she had manifested that fire.

Channeling all her mana and strength into the spell, the sphere of fire continued to expand.

In no time, a fireball with a five-meter diameter took shape, pulsating with raw energy.

As if waiting for her command, the sphere of flame trembled impatiently as though lamenting.

Miyuki steadied her hand, ready to fire that spell. But before she even had the chance to fire that spell, something strange occurred abruptly.

Creak—!

Accompanied by the sudden creak of a door opening behind her, two hands emerged from the shadows, reaching out silently.

"Wh-Wha...?"

Before she could comprehend the situation, she was grabbed and yanked into the darkness.

Without a scream, she had disappeared into the depths.

The spell she had prepared to unleash, vanished in an instant, along with her disappearance.

In an instant, the door slammed shut as if it had never existed, vanishing from sight, while the flames surged forward, swallowing the empty space where Miyuki had previously been.