Leonidas stared at the hands in the air, wondering how much time had passed in the real world. He had been in the imaginative world for about a dozen minutes.
Roughly around 120 seconds? Maybe…?
As he had said, it was difficult to get an estimate. Sure, he could always use the Labyrinth's profiling system to get the exact time in the real world, but for that, he would need to enter his phosphene space, and that was a headache he would rather avoid if he could.
Focusing on the hands once more, Leonidas commanded them to open wide and move downwards. It was as if the gods had been angered and were about to claim a piece of the mortal world for reparations.
He closed his left eye, while his right kept seeing the imaginative world and the descending authority of [Free Will]
The world shattered instantly. Both realities collapsed into each other, a nauseating blur of color and sensation that drove a spike of pain straight through his skull. He staggered, nearly losing the imaginative world entirely.
Dammit.
He breathed, reset, and tried again, this time slower, focusing more on the structure rather than the separate realities. Like holding two separate flames without letting them touch.
He had lived two lives simultaneously. Two sets of memories, two sets of instincts, two souls that had wrestled for dominance for an amazing body. If anyone could split their mind into two functioning halves, it was him.
It was, in essence, the most natural thing in the world for Leonidas Hector Aristeus. Or so he told himself.
He opened his left eye, reflecting the world back on itself.
To see something when there is nothing is an important skill. Yet to see something else when there is anything is equally important.
The world in front of him was entirely the same…yet different at the same time.
There were no winds, nor were there hands in the sky. What there was, however, was Willow, standing a few feet away from Fog, Seridius's sword raised high.
The smoky mouth was ignoring her existence as if it didn't exist, instead staring right at Leonidas. He tried taking a step forward, but as soon as his feet were raised…the ground disappeared.
Ahh. Dammit.
Leonidas fell with a crash, rainbow rock turning into fine dust. A small plume rose, not enough to cover his figure, but enough to get in his eye.
It wasn't that his legs had given out. Instead his mind had, bodily coordination long lost between imagination and reality.
He tried getting up, only to fall once again. Clenching his wrists—in both worlds—Leonidas stood on hazy feet. He could barely see, as if he were dyslexic and the world were dancing letters. Blood seeped from his eyes, dripping in slow lines.
"Hahaha!" The laugh escaped him without consent. His headache only intensified with every second he endured of the twisted hell. It seemed that living two different lives was too much for him.
Plip—!
A drop of blood, one that had been teetering on the edge of his chin, fell down. It was a seemingly mundane thing in the storm of madness, yet it snapped Leonidas out of his daze faster than anything else would have.
With grim determination, he stood and walked forward. Back in the imaginative world, the hands had gotten close enough that they could pull Fog out with a moment's notice.
The pieces were in place, but not the players.
"Willow! I'm about to pull him out. As soon as I do, the roses will wrap around him. Run as soon as you can; the sword will find its way back."
Leonidas shouted the words as his imaginative body raised its hand.
"..Okay…"
Willow stared at him weirdly, as if wondering why he was shouting in the silence that surrounded them.
If only she knew what Leonidas was seeing.
The winds grew stronger and louder, crashing into his body in wild waves of invisible menace. His hair whipped with force, yet he stood like an immovable mountain.
The hands grabbed Fog with full force, knuckles tightening around the mist, pulling it upwards with the strength of a giant.
Fortunately for them…or unfortunately, Fog didn't need much convincing to show his true form. Because as soon as the invisible authority of [Free Will] touched its body, the beast came out.
Contrary to expectation, it wasn't a massive dragon or an all-consuming beast of air. Instead, what came out was a tiny…water bottle, as tiny as a Pilgrim could be anyway.
A sleek black cylinder made up most of Fog's body, with two black bat-like wings sprouting from its back. They sliced air as the unexpected adversary flew up, yellow smoke doing little to conceal its figure.
Leonidas stared at the Pilgrim, utterly dumbfounded. He had expected many things, but a canteen of water wasn't one of them.
"Stupid asshat snap out of it, grab the damn beverage, and run!"
Willow's voice cut through the haze surrounding his mind, and Leonidas immediately sprinted. She was already in front of Fog, wielding Seridius's sword with surprising mobility.
The world lost its color until only a few specks of crimson lights remained, his roses. Leonidas gave them a mental command to bloom, yet nothing happened.
Huh??
It took only a moment for him to realize he had ran out of Insenium. His reserves were drier than his humor, which was saying a lot.
Oh shit. I should probably tell Willow. Yes, that would be a good idea.
"Willow, change of plans!" Yelled Leonidas as he ran towards imminent death by a flying water bottle.
Willow didn't even react to his words, busy dodging the massive chunks of illusory rock falling from the heavens. A scowl still made it on her face, though.
"I swear to the dead gods, Art. This thing is a pain to deal with. Do something quickly."
She was speaking even faster than normal, and she spoke pretty fast.
Something to do…
A scene suddenly passed through his mind, a memory of something he had read before.
That might work. Worth a try.