Chaos Cycle: The Eye of Genesis

Betrayal.

'I should not have thought better of half-blooded devarians, just because I am the same,' she thought, gritting her teeth. Life was already hard for them. Why would they still stick to the ideals. Well, as if the pure devarians stick to it. These two actually did not betray her, but Leroy. If she wanted, she could join them easily to get away in the submarine, but that would leave a deadly threat to Leroy if he did not manage to win against his opponent quickly.

Perhaps her mind was already corrupted with all the exhaustion and the foul air. Anyway, all that would hardly matter if she didn't make it. If she was in her right mind, then perhaps she would go for the submarine as well, thinking Leroy could make out alone—as he had done before. no harms there, yet here she finding herself, drawn towards the levers.

The water would flood the chamber with all the doors being closed. Gritting her teeth at the two fellows moving towards the submarine, she crept towards the lever. There were similarly six of them here to close the water from flooding the other chamber. Unfortunately, with the violent current of water being flooding, it was far more difficult for her to close it.

Yet she still tried, revolving her mana like crazy. Lord, it is hard, she screamed, pushing the latch of the lever. The current of water weighed over thousands of kilograms. It would have been difficult when she was in a fair state, much less now, when her state was just better than collapsing. Her bloody leg was throbbing with agony, her palms were no good. The latch stuck without moving.

Inari coughed out, struggling in the middle. In her dilemma, she had breathed in mid-water, making it even more difficult for her. She cursed herself and the two that betrayed. The lever did not budge, and Inari pushed it like crazy, using it all. Veins in her temple popped, her face turned, blood rose as golden light flickered, surging with strength again.

The latch moved, and Inari pushed further. Giving her all, she finally managed to close one of the levers. Unfortunately, it took away all her sudden impulse of strength, and when she got to the next one, all the strength sipped out of her body, like water sipped out in a canal.

Yet she did not give up. The two already reached the submarine though had to find a way to enter it. Though that won't be that far away, water was also an issue for them. Opening the lid will be problematic, but those two were together. They would most likely succeed before she closes the latch—if she ever manages that.

All sorts of depressing thoughts swirled in her head, telling her to give up, but she was still on the latch, pushing it, gritting her teeth, screaming like crazy in her head.

Suddenly, the lever she was pushing became a little easy to push. No, it was a lot easy. Inari did not even have the right mind to think about it, and pushed with whatever she had. As the lever was done, one of the slid was closed, and only then did she figure out what was going on.

In one of the slid she found a figure, barely keeping up against the current of water. Leroy, gesturing to tell her something, not that she could make out anything. Perhaps he was telling her to move to the next lever, thinking that Inari moved towards the next one.

It was not easy at first, but after exerting some of her strength it turned easily, and so does the next one of them. It appeared she was barely doing anything, and the levers were closing on its own. She was finding a little hope in her heart and at that very moment, that hope was crushed, feeling the disturbance made by the starting of the submarine. Perhaps she might still make it if she rushed now, but could she give up just before succeeding?

Inari cursed, and moved toward the last two levers, pushing the two with both of her arms. Now she really was mad. Well, she was mad to even on her brightest days, but it was outright madness. A madness where she cared nothing for her life. The submarine was on its path of leaving and perhaps she could cling onto it to leave as well, or ask the other two to let her in. They did not abandon out of jealousy, after all, it appeared as a necessity to them.

Yet she did not let go of the levers

The last two were the most difficult, as all the pressure was on the last two of them. The disturbance behind them increased, and she found herself blaming Leroy. 'Fool. Fool. If that bastard came with me, everything would have been fine.' In her state, she even forgot that Leroy had to fight against the superior. He actually managed to beat his opponent, which she never could in such a state, and helped to close the lid.

But now her, his, their situation was dire to the point of impossible. The door barely budged with both of their efforts. Inari revolved her mana for the last time like crazy, as well as triggered the blessing of potency when she had no fuel left. She had already gone over getting herself left bedridden for weeks, and if she pulled from the blessing of potency again, she did not know what her state would be.

Well, on the fair site, she only has to care about it if she manages to keep herself alive. Not a bright thought to have in such situations, but it was all she made out.

The golden light flickered again, and this time it was far brighter. The light rose until all her skin was glittering in the luminescence of the light. Inari found herself drunk in strength. This was really overwhelming. What happened? What did I do? All sorts of questions appeared in her head as she pushed the levers.

Even in her fair state, when there was no injury, she was never this powerful. But that did not matter for now. For the first time, she got the better of Leroy in pushing the levers, and finishing that, she finally noticed she was actually able to sense all things within her surroundings. The water had calmed down mostly, and a new pressure was coming from the submarine.

Right, submarine, she thought and shot towards the submarine, which was about to leave. Inari did not think more. With newfound strength, she shot like a bolt of lightning. The friction of water did restrict her, but the light never gave in. She got the back of the submarine in time as it shot out of a hole.

Inari clung to it and found herself held onto it like with all her body, as if her life depended on it. Actually, it did. Fortunately, with her newfound strength, perhaps she will manage to cling onto it.

And then the golden light dimmed, and all strength sipped out of her body again. Before, if it was slipping out in a canal, then currently, it went out like breaking the dam. Even keeping her mind awake was difficult and air. She finally remembered she needed to have air to live.

Even cursing in her head turned difficult, as the friction of water hit her. The weakness, the heavy water, strangled her. This was not really normal water. Perhaps she managed to ignore its effect with her blessing, but currently, she had nothing against it.

She felt extremely foolish for her deed. What she could have done there was what she regretted believing the two devarians. She regretted herself closing the holes. Those that lead to her death. Well, at least she did not hate doing all that. A good thought to have before her death.

Strength left her as the submarine rose up, leaving her. Her eyes closed as her body floated down slowly. All that effort for nothing. 'Perhaps Ellora finally hates me for leaving her.' 

Just when all hopes were lost, a voice with her head and lights appeared into some massage, that she could not make out anything with her state.

[Apprentice Inari, would you like to give up on Trial-1?]

So, it was a trial. Of course, it was, and she failed. At least she will not die. At least there was some silver lining. However, she was so exhausted that she could not even give a mental command. Fortunately, the system would take her silence as an affirmation.

[Apprentice Inari, would you like to give up on Trial-1?]

The message repeated in her head, though she could not hear it clearly. It was perhaps repeated more than twice.

Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Finally, she felt her body surging upwards of the water. 

______________

These last two chapters turned out to be not what I intended.. Still, it had the result I wanted.