LIMINALITY
Table of Contents
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 56 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 ENDChapter 24
With no one to occupy him this time except these aggravating voices, Janus marched alone and vulnerable towards the unknown. Despite his intense need to reject it, he wants to recognize that he is beginning to miss an person's sense of presence.
Taking the dagger from his back neck, he looked down at his left hand, gripping the weapon tightly and saying, "I can't believe it actually hurts," commenting on how everything in this strange new world is capable of hurting him, from the littlest cut to the harshest damage.
The weapon looks very ordinary, almost as if it were an ordinary knife. The blade is thin and sharp, with a simple wooden hilt. As he holds it in his hand, Janus notices a slight tingling sensation in his fingers and palms. Making him realize something important about it.
"You feel it, don't you?" The narrator said to him as Janus continued onward, "This small blade lacked any sort of quality, but it possessed abnormalities that would affect a powerful god such as ourselves," detailing the strangeness emitting from some lackluster weapons that are simply crafted from gathered materials.
Then it clicked him: "Everything made from this realm can hurt us." His eyes widened at the realization, "But why and how?" Janus questioned, not sure why everything in this realm could hurt him. He couldn't sense any magical properties from this dagger he was holding.
Before he could channel his thoughts further, reality around him began to shift and change once again as he dropped the dagger in surprise, "huh?" Confused in what's happening to him, he says, "Something...something is not right," answering with a cautious attitude of preparing for what's next.
Feeling slightly dizzy and disoriented, Janus watched as everything started to change in a dreamy-like haze. It's as if someone had taken all the colors in the world and sucked them into this single place until, finally, it shifted back to a normal state.
Instead of being in the same place, Janus notices himself clearly in a different part of the cavern, likely either having taken the wrong turn and ended up lost or somehow being transported further into its depths without knowing where he was going. Either way, it didn't matter to him too much because now that he was stuck somewhere, he had no idea where he was or where to go.
"W-who's that?"
Saturn, along with his scared, frail, and elderly voice, pointed out an unknowable figure standing just in front of them. Its skeletal-like form, with its almost spidery appearance, had completely caught him off guard, even for the likes of themselves.
And it spoke, "Let me introduce myself," he said politely, "I am once a former human follower of the great darkness before my ascension in this godly form." With slow steps, he began walking closer towards them, "Bishop Rugos, at your service." The thing introduced himself in a polite manner, as if wanting to befriend them. "I heard of the news regarding the god, Janus, I presume," it said with clear interest to the said person before stopping. "You are him, correct?"
That name... Janus has no doubt this is the individual responsible for sending those madmen pillaging that village he went to earlier. "Where's Schrodinger?" Eyes narrowed suspiciously; there is no doubt this creature has taken the poor cat, and its future fates are what most concern him. "Tell me where he is?!" A voice echoed throughout the cave.
His answer came when a white cat crawled out of its mouth and said, "Janus!" Schrodinger's little head and front paws were visible for all to see. "You have to help me in getting out of this disgusting place—" Suddenly, he was sucked back in, disappearing once again to leave only a silent shock that hung in the air between them.
"I apologize for that," Rugos giggled madly at this embarrassing scene before continuing, "while I could reveal him again, he is needed for my master's god." This immediately made Janus raise his spear towards him, "did I hurt a nerve?" Mockingly questioned at this sight.
Serious as ever, "I am not going to ask you again," his patience was already worn thin from being tired of repeating his question, "Release him and tell me everything you know," slowly pointing the tip of his spear towards the thing's skull.
Rugos laughed, finding it amusing: "Do you really think I would betray my master?" He told him in a mocking tone of voice, "He is everything to me and the future of the dreamlands," refusing to be intimidated by this minor inconvenience, "You have to kill me first for it."
"Then so be it."
Dashing towards the bishop with unmatched speed, he shrugged his spear towards his opponent's skull, only to be blocked by an invisible force. "Hm?" Surprised but not taken aback by such action, he teleported back to his original position and said, "How many of these weapons of yours are present?" Knowing full well that the being is manipulating some unknown force he can't understand.
The bishop tilted his head and said, "Ah, I can't give any of my secrets to you." He said that with a smile on his face. "Besides, would it be any fun if you knew all the tricks already?" Chuckling at this absurdity of all this before snapping his fingers, "Why don't we make this little more fun for us?"
In that moment, the entire cavern expanded kilometers around them to an extreme scale—"spatial manipulation?!" Janus said, finding it possible due to being linked on the nature of its abilities, as he was sure it had a limit in expanding the entire cavern and its walls, but to what extent? He will need to discover more about what it can and can't do by learning about his opponent.
"Correct," Rugos sincerely smiled before continuing, "this place will keep us company during our battle," admitting as he began to float in midair while manifesting staff on each side. "Don't worry, as long as you hold that spear, you might survive from my attacks," he mused over his words. "It won't be as easy as you believe it to be, but I will guarantee you victory for this outcome of mine."
Janus didn't care about being humbled by such a notion: "That's good to hear; now let's get this over with already," raising his weapon once again in thrusting position, "I am getting tired from your endless ramblings." His frustration in all this was clearly evident, making the bishop laugh.
Spreading his arms wide, he said, "Come to me, star warrior! Come and witness the power of what our god is capable off!" A distortion rift appeared within his hands, becoming an ominous energy in mere seconds before dispersing it towards him as a speeding series of violent winds formed, forcing Janus to resist this incoming assault by going through it.
"Incredible," he said under his breath, "even the simplest winds can actually affect me," excitement once again rising up within him. The realization that anyone who holds the lowermost weapon or sorcery can damage him was a sensation he always enjoyed.
But he was not going to give up on this, pushing through until the tip of his spear reached towards his opponent before being blocked once again. "Again?" Sighing disappointingly at this, "Oh, I see," despite how the weapon is struggling to make an impact on Rugos, there were invisible fields that surrounded and protected him.
"Space and air are my specialty," Rugos said with a gloating smile. "Everything here is my weapon." With one simple snap of his fingers, a blast of wind violently pushed Janus backwards, throwing him into the cold, hard ground.
As he looked up the ceiling, getting close and personal would be futile, despite how much he enjoys fighting close with a weapon in hand. However, killing this creature with his powers would be just too easy. There is no fun in that.
And so, Janus made a plan to use only less than a percentage of his power to get a fair chance at matching this person's power. "Alright," mentally smiling at having to fight and saying,Let's make this more challenging," conjuring translucent blue identical spears of his own, they began to throw themselves in the bishop's direction before ricocheting themselves in a chaotic pattern.
Having the same thoughts in mind, he immediately shrank within his summoned immense dome made out of compressed space, "hmph," smirking in pleasure at his Janus attempt, "what else will that do to me?" He wondered while believing himself to be safe from it.
Trails of the spears afterimages were moving across every angle and direction, some already successfully hitting it to the point of Rugos feeling his compressed dome shaking violently from the continuous hits. It felt like hours, trying to withstand those damn projectiles in order to find a way of performing a counterattack.
"He won't last soon," he said, watching his spears hit Rugo's cracked dome without halt or mercy. "A couple of seconds and it will break." When five more seconds passed, the only thing shielding his enemy had finally exploded into pieces.
Exposed from the elements, "what?!" In disbelief at seeing his own unbreakable barrier had broken so quickly, he was then hit by the spears all around, causing him to feel burning sensations all over his body from these unavoidable attacks.
Forced to endure this pain, he can't even try to manipulate the space to protect him due to being unable to concentrate from the constant piercing he is currently receiving. "This is..." gritting through the endless bouncing spears moving everywhere, "unbelievable!"
Janus watched with delight, praying deep down that his enemy would show him the strength that is truly within. He wanted to be challenged in a fair fight even though he himself can easily kill this person without much effort. "Do what you must, but survive as much as you can!" Encouraging Rugos to get back on his feet.
Wincing and panting in agonizing pain, Rugos made the choice of defending himself in other ways by manifesting a bright yellow star behind his head, producing light so bright that it melted several meters around him, causing the incoming spears to dissipate rapidly.
Without further hesitation, he brought his two staves together as luminous green light emanated from them, changing them into single tridents to the point that a singularity of dark energy grew above its three prongs. "I hope this won't disappoint you," he said, smiling as he then fired an overwhelming beam of plasma that decimated the area surrounding him.
More than happy to oblige, Janus allowed his weapon to float beside him before bringing both of his hands together in one thundering clap, conjuring a tiny red dot before releasing a beam of his own blue energy headed towards the plasma as the two made contact.
The two gleefully smiled as they watched their energies battle it out, each side showing no sign of relenting. Instead, they push forward, their beams of energy crackling as they try to overcome one another. The tension is real, and it was clear both of them were having fun.
His thoughts were over the place, and Janus is enjoying every single minute of this intense battle as his mind constantly buzzes with ideas, questions, and possibilities. His adrenaline is pumping, and his heart is racing. He felt like he could stay this way forever.
It was like they were connected on a spiritual level. His opponent seemed to be thinking the same thing, and it was clear they both shared a passion for combat. As the saying goes, 'great minds think alike.' Neither were intent on stopping, for the two of them desired to revel in the glory of their victory.
Before long, the entire cavern began to shake violently, unbeknownst to the duo, who were so keenly focused on one another that neither cared about what was happening outside their circle. Their respective beams of energy continued to rage on, oblivious to the fact that the entire place was starting to come apart at the seams.
Ignoring such a threat, the two of them were beginning to gleefully laugh with one another, unable to hold back their excitement over their current situation as they pushed their power against each other, putting more force into their efforts in trying to gain the upper hand.
It became clear they were not going to stop until one of them was victorious. It was a game of stamina and endurance, and the bishop knew he couldn't keep this up much longer. For all his grandeur, he is still unmatched by the primordial god.
But a sudden, thin blade then went through his chest, causing Rugos to widen his eyes in shock. "Who...?" He couldn't see who had done this as he tried to turn his head over his own shoulder before the cave finally collapsed.
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