Without warning, a tree root erupted from Leora's back, blooming like some grotesque flower. The sudden growth tore through her white combination, exposing her pale skin to the cube's eerie light. Cyrus's blood ran cold as he recognized the unnaturally familiar pattern etched across her flesh.
There was only one person with this particular brand of magic: Nemesis's follower, Shi.
As if summoned by his realization, Shi materialized behind Leora, her arm snaking beneath the woman's neck. In an instant, the limb transformed into a branch as sharp and deadly as any sword, its edge glimmering with murderous intent.
"You'd better not harm her," Cyrus warned, his voice low and dangerous as he drew his Mustang. His heart thundered in his chest like war drums, a primal rhythm of fear and fury. How could he have been so careless? He'd assumed Shi had perished in Nemesis's earlier attack, and now his negligence was coming back to haunt him in the worst possible way.
Shi's lips curled into a cruel smile. "I don't care what happens to me," she hissed, her eyes gleaming with fanatical devotion. "Dying for Nemesis is the greatest honor. But I doubt you'll be willing to watch her die."
To emphasize her point, she pressed her blade-like arm closer to Leora's throat. A thin trail of blood trickled down the pale column of Leora's neck, and Cyrus felt his heart skip a painful beat. Without hesitation, he tossed his Mustang aside, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.
In that moment, Cyrus was forced to confront an uncomfortable truth about himself. He simply couldn't bear the thought of losing Leora. The realization both frustrated and terrified him, but there was no denying the overwhelming power of his feelings. Was it a weakness to be willing to risk everything for another person? To have someone for whom he would gladly lay down his life?
Perhaps it was, he thought, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his emotions. But then again, wasn't love the very reason he had first entered the Bite villa? Wasn't love the catalyst that had set him on this extraordinary journey? In the end, he decided, he would rather be weak and loved than strong and lonely.
"Give me the primordial canine," Shi demanded, her voice cutting through Cyrus's internal struggle. "Then you'll open a breach in this place. If you refuse, you can say goodbye to her." Her dagger-like arm inched closer, staining more of Leora's neck crimson.
Cyrus sighed heavily, his mind racing to find a solution. With a wave of his hand, he conjured the exit of the Myriad cube transformation above them. "The primordial canine?" he asked, his tone carefully neutral.
Shi's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she advanced until she stood directly beneath the shimmering exit. Steeling himself, Cyrus reached for the box containing the precious artifact. In one fluid motion, he tossed it towards Shi, who snatched it from the air with her free hand. True to her word, she released her hold on Leora, shoving the woman aside as she prepared to make her escape.
With the agility of a cheetah, Shi coiled her body, ready to spring towards freedom. But Cyrus wasn't finished. As she leapt, he called out, his voice laced with grim satisfaction.
"Since you admire him so much and are willing to die for him, let me repeat his words for you," Cyrus said, his eyes locked on Shi's ascending form. "Someone worthy of respect once told me: a good general never loses, but a great general knows when to lose. No one stays undefeated forever."
Shi's eyes widened in sudden, terrible understanding, but it was far too late. In the blink of an eye, Cyrus activated his powers. First, he sealed Shi's body in midair with a potent levitation spell, freezing her in place like a fly trapped in amber. Then, with a gesture that seemed to bend reality itself, he summoned his discarded Mustang.
The weapon materialized above them, its barrel pointed directly at the immobilized Shi. "Impossible!" she screamed, her voice tinged with panic and disbelief.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
But Cyrus paid no heed to her cries. A shimmering blue rope materialized in the void, connecting the Mustang to his outstretched finger. He allowed himself a small, grim smile. "Die," he said simply, and squeezed the trigger.
The Lifeline Eagle shot erupted from the Mustang's barrel, a blast of pure, concentrated energy that descended upon Shi like divine judgment. In a desperate bid for survival, she spread her body wide, her magic transforming her limbs into a network of fine roots that shot towards the exit. But the Eagle shot hadn't earned its fearsome reputation for nothing.
A blinding flash illuminated the cube's interior as the blast found its mark. Shi's head exploded under the precise impact, her body disintegrating in a shower of ash and splintered wood. As the last echoes of the explosion faded, Cyrus heaved a deep sigh of relief. His hands trembled as he retrieved the primordial canine, adrenaline still coursing through his veins.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, marveling at what he had just accomplished. It was the very first time he had successfully executed the Lifeline Eagle shot, a technique he had been training to master for months. That it had worked when the stakes were highest felt like a small miracle.
But there was no time to relish his victory. Cyrus rushed to Leora's side, his heart clenching at the sight of her huddled form. She sat on the ground, her head buried in her knees, her body wracked with silent sobs. As he approached and raised his palm in a gesture of comfort, she flinched away, crawling backward like a frightened child.
"Hey, hey, calm down, Leora. It's me," Cyrus said softly, his voice gentle and reassuring. The fear in her eyes, now returning to their normal hue, tore at his heart. She looked so vulnerable, so unlike the composed and often aloof woman he had come to know. Tears streamed down her face, years of pent-up emotion finally breaking free.
"I don't want to harm you," he murmured, carefully gathering her into his arms. To his relief, she didn't resist, instead collapsing against his chest as if all strength had left her body.
"She said the same thing," Leora whispered, her voice muffled against his shirt. "'Leora, carry out orders. Leora, listen. Leora, Leora.' She had only that in her mouth. I couldn't play with the others. I was tortured, prevented from eating or playing. All I did was learn and do what mother wanted." A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "'Leora, it is for your own good. I don't want to harm you.' She kept repeating it, over and over."
Cyrus felt his heart constrict with sorrow as the pieces fell into place. This, then, was the root of their strained relationship, the reason behind Leora's icy demeanor. She had been raised in an environment devoid of warmth or genuine affection, taught that obedience was the only path to approval. No wonder she struggled to express her feelings or form connections with others.
"Are you disappointed now?" Leora asked, her voice small and fragile. "To know I'm not sexy and perfect like my mother?"
Cyrus sighed, tightening his embrace as if he could shield her from the pain of her past. "Silly girl," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. He held her close, afraid that if he loosened his grip even slightly, she might slip away forever.
"When we first met, I couldn't stand you," he admitted, a rueful smile tugging at his lips. "In our subsequent encounters, you managed to make yourself even more hateful. But that was before I truly got to know you."
He pulled back slightly, meeting her tear-filled gaze. With infinite tenderness, he wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Now, the thought of not having you around makes my days unbearably dull. You don't have to be perfect, Leora. Those marks on your back don't define you. And I want you to know, even if it's not reciprocal: I love you, Leora. Not your body, not some idealized version of you – just you, exactly as you are."
"Cyrus..." she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. Fresh tears welled in her eyes as she buried her face in his chest once more. He held her close, offering silent support as she finally allowed herself to lower the walls she had built around her heart.
In that moment, Cyrus understood why she had been so reluctant to wear a swimsuit back on the beach. She had been terrified of exposing this part of herself, these physical reminders of her painful past. Now, safe in his arms, she cried like a child, releasing years of suppressed emotions in a cathartic flood.
The duo remained locked in their embrace, finding solace in each other's presence as the Myriad cube continued its journey through the fiery depths of the Magma stomach. Time seemed to lose all meaning as they drifted, two souls finding unexpected comfort amidst chaos and danger.
At last, after what could have been minutes or hours, the cube's movement slowed and then ceased altogether. A familiar warmth seeped through its walls, and Cyrus knew without looking that they had returned to the villa.
As they prepared to face whatever challenges awaited them outside, Cyrus and Leora shared a final, lingering look. No words were necessary; in that silent exchange, they found a renewed strength and a promise of unwavering support. Whatever the future held, they would face it together.