FREE USE in Primitive World - Chapter 161: Cosmic Rave Gone Wrong
Isylia waved her hand again, a casual, dismissive gesture that shattered the tragic image of the Stone-Bearer into a thousand motes of golden dust, like she was swatting a fly. The particles drifted away into the void, dissolving like a forgotten memory.
"Next," she said, her tone bored but relentless, like a museum tour guide who had given the same speech for a billion years and hated every tourist, particularly the dumbass right in front of her right now.
Just like before, the scene changed instantly. đđżđČđđ°đđđ§đđđČđ„.đđđ
The crushing, gravitational weight of the Titan Realm evaporated, lifting a burden off Solâs chest he hadnât realized he was carrying. But damn, he barely had time to breathe before the air itself went feral. As it was replaced by something far more volatile.
The air in the Void Temple suddenly crackled. The hairs on Solâs arms stood up. A cocktail of smells... acrid smoke, briny dampness, mineral dust, ozone and weird sterile light... flooded his nose, overpowering the scent of ancient dust.
Sol gagged, clutching his nose. "Holy shit. Itâs like someone blended a volcano, an aquarium, a quarry, and a thunderstorm, then sprayed it with radioactive rainbow perfume. My sinuses are filing for divorce.
"Welcome to the Elemental Realm," Isylia sneered, cutely wrinkling her perfectly shaped nose as if she smelled something rotting. "It is a beautiful, chaotic mess. A garbage dump of laws."
"And by the way that is the scent of the realms, bug. Fire, water, earth, wind, and light. All bleeding into one another. A scent of chaos." She smirked.
Sol coughed, waving his hand in front of his face. "Scent? Lady, this isnât scent. This is a war crime. If you bottled this, you could wipe out civilizations. âNew fragrance by Isylia: Eau de Apocalypse.â"
Isylia tilted her head, confused. "Fragrance? Bottle? You mortals trap smells in jars now?"
Sol groaned. "Forget it. Just... keep talking before I choke to death on rainbow farts."
"Okay, then letâs continue..."
The illusion around them exploded into a storm of vibrant, chaotic energy.
Sol looked around, his jaw dropping, so far it nearly hit the floor.
To his left, a waterfall of molten lava flowed upward, defying gravity, reaching into a sky made of roiling fire. To his right, massive bubbles of air, each the size of a city, floated through an endless, dark blue ocean where giant currents moved like snakes. Above his head, islands made of solid, crackling lightning drifted in a purple void, tethered to nothing, arching bolts of electricity at each other in a silent, dazzling war.
"Holy hell." Sol swore, "this looks like a drug trip designed by a lunatic god. Lava going up? Lightning playing tag? Did someone spike reality with acid? Or did the developer run off halfway through coding this shit with everyoneâs money?"
Isylia pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering, "You are the most embarrassing mortal Iâve ever met. And Iâve met caveâmen who thought thunder was a fart from the sky."
Sol jabbed a finger at the upward lava. "No, seriously, look at that! Lavaâs supposed to go down. Thatâs the one rule lava has. And here itâs just... climbing into the sky like itâs late for work. Thatâs not lava, thatâs a goddamn elevator."
Isylia rolled her eyes. "It is the Fire Realmâs way. Upward flow symbolizes ascension, purification, rebirthâ"
"Bullshit," Sol cut her off. "Thatâs not ascension, thatâs a suicide ride. Anyone who falls in there is toast. Literally toast. Burnt toast. And donât even get me started on those lightning islands. Theyâre playing PokĂ©mon battles in the sky while Iâm down here trying not to piss myself."
Above them, another bolt of lightning cracked across the illusion, so bright it left Sol blinking spots. He flinched, ducking instinctively. "Jesus Christ! That thing almost fried me! Do they have insurance for this realm? Or is it just âoops, you got vaporized, sucks to be youâ?"
Isylia smirked, her solar eyes gleaming. "You mortals call it chaos. I call it artistry. This is the Elemental Realm. It is not meant for ants like you to comprehend."
Sol barked a laugh. "Artistry? Lady, this looks like a toddler spilled paint on the universe and then set it on fire. Donât give me that âartistryâ crap. This is a cosmic rave gone wrong."
Isylia strutted through a phantom pillar of fire like it was nothing, ignoring the loudmouth tourist. "Unlike the other realms, which adhere to some semblance of logic, or at least pretend to, this one is kinda... fractured. It is a realm of realms. While there are infinite pockets of mixed chaos where the elements are jumbled together, the Four Pillars of existence hold dominion here."
She stopped in the center of the illusion, the chaotic swirling of fire, water, earth, and wind framing her small form like a tempest.
"It is a political minefield," she noted dryly. "Letâs start with the loudest assholes."
She pointed to the quadrant of endless crimson.
"The Fire Realm."
The illusion zoomed in. Sol saw a landscape that looked like the surface of the sun, but a bit habitable.
"Cities of brass built on seas of liquid flame," Isylia narrated. "The architecture is crazy just like the inhabitants here... spires of obsidian and hardened magma that rise miles into the burning sky, as if they wanna reach and conquer other realms too. But well, thatâs just their impossible dream. Anyways, it is home to the Efreet, the Salamander-kin, and other such fire elemental freaks.
Sol watched as tall, muscular beings with skin like charcoal and hair of living flame hammered away at anvils.
"And just like Titans, they treat smithing not as a craft, but as a form of prayer, no more like a crazy cult." She explained. "They hammer their souls into the metal. They believe that to forge is to mimic the act of creation itself. They are proud, arrogant, and they view anything that cannot burn as âimpure.â Truly arrogant bastards."
"So, theyâre blacksmith cultists," Sol muttered. "Great. Iâm sure theyâre fun at parties."
"They are the party," She corrected. "If you like parties where the guests immolate themselves for fun."
"Yeah, hard pass. I like my skin not crispy."
She swiped her hand to the right, and the heat vanished, replaced by a crushing, deep blue pressure.
"The Water Realm," she continued. "A world of vertical oceans with no surface and no floor. It is an infinite column of water."
Sol stared at the illusion. It was beautiful and terrifying. Massive currents acted as highways, carrying bioluminescent creatures that looked like whales made of glass.
"Mer-Lords and others live here in pearl-citadels suspended in the deep, anchored by heavy water chains," Isylia said. "Laws here are governed entirely by pressure and current. Down is where the pressure crushes you; Up is where the current takes you. If you donât know how to swim in three dimensions, you drown before you take a breath."
Suddenly, a massive air bubble drifted past, one bursting silently into a spray of glittering mist. Sol pointed at it, horrified. "And what the fuck is that? A balloon the size of a city just popped like it was made of soap. Do people live in those? Do they just... die when their bubble explodes?!"
She shrugged, bored. "Sometimes. That is the way of the Water Realm. Pressure, currents, collapse. Life is fragile."
Sol groaned, dragging his hands down his face. "Fragile? Lady, thatâs not fragile, thatâs a death lottery. âCongratulations, your house popped, you drowned instantly.â What kind of sick joke is this realm?"
Isylia tilted her head, her lips curling into a cruel smile. "The kind of joke the universe tells when itâs tired of mortals whining about fairness."
She pointed to a figure in the water... a humanoid with scales that shifted color and eyes that glowed like deep-sea lanterns.
"Anyway, they are fluid," she said. "In politics and in form. They value adaptability. But even they hate the Fire Realm with a passion that boils oceans."
"Of course they do," Sol muttered. "Fire and water. Classic. Next, youâll tell me Earth and Wind hate each other too."
Isylia smirked, her solar eyes gleaming. "Youâre not as stupid as you look."
Sol raised a brow. "Wow. Thanks. Thatâs the nicest thing youâve said to me all day. Should I save it as ancestral sayings for my future generations?"
Isylia rolled her eyes. "Donât flatter yourself. I said not as stupid. Youâre still stupid. Just... less than usual."
Sol jabbed a thumb at the glowing fishâman. "So, whatâs their deal? Do they just swim around gossiping in bubbles? âOh, darling, did you hear what the Fire Realm did? They boiled my cousin alive.â"
Isyliaâs lips twitched, almost amused. "More or less. They trade in secrets, currents, whispers. They are manipulators. Theyâll smile at you while plotting how to drown you in your sleep."
Sol grimaced. "Great. So basically, wet politicians. Slimy bastards with scales. Love it."
She chuckled darkly. "Better slimy than crispy. At least they wonât set you on fire for fun."
Sol threw his hands up. "Oh, fantastic choice. Burned alive or drowned alive. What a buffet of death options. Truly, the Elemental Realm is a fiveâstar resort."
Isylia blinked, frowning. "What is a... five s-star resort?"
Sol waved his hands. "Never mind. Forget it. Just... itâs a place. A place for powerful bastards to look down on poor peasants. Doesnât matter."
Isylia rolled her eyes. "You speak in riddles, bug. Always with these strange references. fiveâstar resort? Lava as elevators? Developers running away? None of it makes sense. You sound like a madman."
Sol threw his arms up. "I am a madman! Thatâs the only way to survive this nightmare world. Youâve got lava waterfalls going up, lightning islands playing tag, and fish politicians trading secrets. If I donât laugh, Iâll cry."
Isylia smirked, clearly enjoying his frustration. "Cry, then. At least that would be useful. Tears are currency in some realms."
Sol groaned. "Of course they are. Why wouldnât they be? Next youâll tell me sneezes are sacred offerings and burps summon gods."
Isylia tilted her head, considering. "Not burps. But sneezes, yes. In the Dust Realm, a sneeze is considered a prayer."
Sol stared at her, horrified. "...Youâre joking."
Her solar eyes gleamed with amusement. "Do I look like Iâm joking?"
Sol was completely speechless now, this world was truly insane.
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.