[TBATE] -More Than One Godspell-

Barry Warden
"Incredible..."
Ever since I saw them—those elusive particles of energy that had driven me through many tries—had made time itself, by any means possible, seem to settle back to its rightful pace. The frantic rush and sluggish drag of moments passing by, either far too fast or too slow, had grown faint. Even the erratic unpredictability of this place seemed to have settled. No longer did my surroundings reshape themselves every time I turned away.
Now, sitting before the portal, I stared at the intricate series of runes or some kind of ancient language that was carefully arranged along its frame.
"One more time..." I pushed myself to my feet and again brushed my fingers against the runes, focusing on them in a way that made me feel like I was getting closer to something—something vital, something real that existed just beyond my perception.
Again and again, I repeated the process, losing myself in its rhythm—until a sharp, brilliant jolt of pain shocked up through my body. I stumbled back, clutching my arm as the portal flickered erratically before it shut off. At the same time, my vision switched into shades of gray as tiny orbs of magical energy shimmered into view in vibrant colors around me.
"Yes!" I couldn't seem to wipe the smile off my face as I channeled mana into my eyes, believing that this would help the sight last longer.
This was undoubtedly mana. Existing in the atmosphere.
It was exactly as noted in countless books I'd poured over. And I can tell which element it was by its colors, with red for fire, green for wind, blue for water, and brown for earth. There were also some specks of purple hovering abundantly at the edges of my sight.
General Leywin might know what it was since I noticed most of his current spells carried the same strange purple aura as well.
As I observed them, I tested out what I had in mind and created a small spark of fire that appeared at the tip of my finger. Of course, the red particles around me began to react and glow brighter as I conjured fire, which means it would be the same for mages who were specialized in other elements. The purple particles, on the other hand, behaved unlike the others, just stayed where they were, and would always drift farther away from me whenever I tried to approach.
Some instinct told me it was exactly what I needed for the portal to work. I couldn't help wanting to have a closer look at it, but that would be like trying to catch the wind with bare hands.
Before I could figure out how to channel those purple particles into powering the portal, my vision abruptly snapped back to normal, and the particles vanished.
At least this time I get to see it much longer.
I sighed, and turning away from the portal, my eyes landed on the Nomes. I'd tried asking one of them if they had any idea how to get the portal to work, but the only response these fungal creatures could muster was the solitary sound they could produce.
Frustrated, I returned to the portal, sinking down until my back pressed against its solid surface. As a way to relax, I rummaged through my dimensional necklace's storage space and pulled out a notebook. Using a quill pen that had been clamped between the next blank pages, I sketched out a detailed image of a Nome staring off with the tiny limbs to the mushroom head. Satisfied, I turned the page and continued guiding my pen in a smooth arc, forming a round outline. I added a few quick strokes, filling in a couple of details, such as the runes and some cracks, until the shape slowly morphed into the portal.
"Wah!" Startling me from my focus, one of the Nomes—the one that had been clinging to that piece of jerky—waddled over.
"Did you figure out how to make the portal work?" I asked jokingly, not really expecting a real answer.
"Wah!"
"Oh..." I replied, despite having no idea what it just said. "But thanks for trying."
His beady gaze flicked to my journal, displaying a clear interest. As expected, he then clambered onto my lap, balancing himself precariously as he craned his head to peek at my work.
He tapped his palm on the page gently. "Careful," I said, watching as his palm slid toward the edge, lifting the corner of the page back to the previous pages with a faint rustle to reveal an unfinished drawing of Caera.
"..." Uninterested, he continued flipping back through the previous pages until he stopped on a drawing of General Leywin.
"Wah!" He rested his palm triumphantly on the drawing.
"Oh, this man?" I asked, following his gaze. "He's Arthur Leywin—back before he, uh, went all blonde..." I said, scratching the back of my neck.
"Ahem." Clearing my throat, I pushed on, "He's a general from Dicathen, which is where I live. I never got to meet him in person, but..." I paused, searching for the right words. "People say he's a good man. Probably one of the coolest guys around, I believed."
There was no reaction from the Nome. However, the way he kept staring at the drawing made me question just how much he understood—or if he was simply admiring the strokes of ink.
"You seem to very lik—" A familiar instinctual feeling rises within me. Everything narrowed into high definition as rumbling noises happened to be heard. More of the pink petals started to fall from the surrounding trees as the earth began to tremble with a subtle but increasing intensity.
Then, just as suddenly, it stopped. 
"What—"
***
Arthur Leywin
"—was that?"
"There! You see?! That's exactly why you shouldn't go!" Draven's voice cracked, his hand trembling as it latched onto mine. "Y-you need to stay here for a while, where it's safe! Where everyone will be safe!" His stammering plea seemed to make the cramped space shrink further as the aether started to gather and vibrate around his chest as if it was prepared for something.
'I smell suspicious...' Regis guessed.
I barely had a moment to process what might have gone wrong with it before came a sound—soft but thick with urgency—like a sudden rush of air. My head whipped around only to realize Caera and Seris were... gone.
Aether quickly formed itself into a blade in my hand. Not a single question or a scary threat came out of my mouth as my grip squeezed the hilt. My free hand shot forward, grabbing his neck and pushing him against the wall.
The blade followed, plunging into his chest, only to be stopped by some resistance—not bone, but something far denser, something that felt more than just metal.
"O-oh... no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no..." Draven cried. There was no strength left in him for a scream, only a tired, desperate tremor.
Around us, the aether thickened, spiraling chaotically, encircling us in a storm of swirling energy. Its purple hue mixed together, growing brighter and stronger until it expanded into a blinding field of white that eventually overwhelmed my sight.