How To Survive A Calamity

The sudden swell and spike in energy pulled me out of my reverie swiftly as the air rumbled like a boiling pot of water.

Nicodemus rose with a wrathful bellow as his presence became more ancient and deeper — more powerful.

A second deformed wing grew larger until it was of equal imposing size to the first at his back, and a third and fourth twisted horns sprouted from the sides of his head.

Nicodemus's body swole like a balloon, Dark energy raising from within his figure at an alarming rate.

The Red gem embedded in his left chest — Appraisal identified it as some ancient Artifact — surged as the air seemed to twist around it as if being sucked by it.

"[All of you — everything can just ——]"

The Demon seemed to be preparing for a final last ditch attack. It seemed something about Nicodemus had snapped and his disjointed voice that was like twsited growls roared wrathfully through the air.

Despite i knew something bad was coming, something massive, even, i found myself remaining almost entirety unperturbed.

'Ah...'

I shouldn't have gone for the book...

It was like an odd sense of listlessness and apathy.

The Flaw of Murmur's Mask filled me with almost unfeeling inhumane detachment as i watched storm clouds of energy surge around Nicodemus, and Immersion just made my mind cold and aloof.

Ironically, these too clashing effects more or less balanced each other out and made my mind as still as an unrippled glass mirror surface — deep, cold, silent and calm as an ancient lake, even.

Even the scene of an exploding bomb almost didn't seem to matter to me.

It was terrifying.

'This isn't good...'

The Flaw of Murmur's Mask only presented more dangerous risks the longer i wore it for

'I should end this.' not only because i could feel myself loosing portions and portions of who i was with each second, but also it seemed like Nicodemus had every intent to bringing an end to our charade too.

I couldn't be influenced by apathy amd forget my purpose here.

And so, i prepared to set my last course of action.

'Meta, analysis.'

[Affirmative. ]

My mind spun. No, with Immersion activated, my senses were almost completely one with the system — one with Meta.

A list of incomprehensible codes and analysis, equations, and countless deductions rapidly raced through my perception, but yet i somehow comprehended it all.

The world grew to a crawl and i was bombarded by a siege of sensory information from the very hairs on my head to the tip of my toes.

At that moment, it felt like i had become a supercomputer.

"Huuu..." I shuddered lightly.

With slight regard and consideration to what was happening to Nico right now, everything else has more or less worked out the way i wanted it, kind off.

More like, nothing Extreme or out of control has occured — well...with exception to Nicodemus suddenly deciding to go suicidal on all of us.

[Nicodemus's existence seems to be at an imbalance with the Influence of the Demon residing beside his soul.]

'Simpler.' my brows furrowed under the black Mask.

[... He's going to explode.]

'Is there anyway to stop it?'

Meta's words were curt. Although i knew the answer to that.

[Go for the heart.]

The words were short, concise and simple, but the implications and meanings were far more daunting than the surface.

'I learned Demons had more than one heart.'

But Humans didn't...

There was a reason i never thought to ask Meta if there was still a chance for Nico despite everything at this point — if Nico could still be saved.

Reflexively my finger's tightened around my blade until my knuckles popped.

Meta and i were in a state of one, quite frankly there was no need nor point for exchange or words.

Whatever i perceived, Meta could too. And whatever Meta perceived, i could just as well.

That was [Immersion]

So without Meta having to tell me directly that Nicodemus was about to go atomic, i already knew.

That was why i also knew far more than that, and inadvertently...my heart grew heavy.

Nicodemus as a person — a human— couldn't be saved at this point.

'Dammit...'

With Immersion, i settled my thoughts and emotions, and lunged forward as Nicodemus rose to the air for a final time.

I steeled my heart and resolve, shutting down every other thoughts and considerations at that moment. Wether fortunately or not, this wasn't difficult to do since i had partially began to become something more abstained from and detached from my mental and emotional behaviour with the Mask.

And then, the rest happened so swiftly, to anyone outside, it would seem like there was a gap in the world and it's timeline.

My blade viciously tore halfway into Nicodemus's neck and his eyes widened and flashed with disbelief and shock as he turned.

"[H...how---]"

I couldn't blame him entirely.

'I told you...'

To him, i had just been running right Infront of him less than a full second ago.

'None of it is real.'

I stared somberly through the crevice of Murmur's Mask, hiding my thoughts and expression behind the ancient, unfathomable Artifact.

Nicodemus's confusion was quickly wiped away the next moment with a trickle of blood at the edge of his lips as they curled in a dark smile.

His eyes glowed brightly with a final diabolical glee to his curled lips.

"[You shouldn't have gone for the head.]"

But i wanted to sigh, too.

"I know." I spoke, my voice deeper under the mask.

Really, my heart was incomparably heavy despite all the mental influence on my mind.

"I didn't."

The next second, a second sword ran Nicodemus through the heart from behind, crushing the red gem that prepared to explode.

Hamlet who had skillfully been in complete hiding all this time had revealed himself from the shadows, stabbing Nicodemus in the back like a creature of darkness, through his heart.

-His one heart.