It has been one moon since Onee-sama has been launched into the heavens. We have been staying in the depths of the Lost Tombs since then, but Senka could not make any contact with Onee-sama for all that time. We stole many long-lasting food products from the underground arcade that had been vacated after we came back out that night, and returned into the labyrinthine bowels of the underground.
Vitalis has been going into the Royal Academy to spy on their activities and see if she is able to gather news about their continued plans from now on. She has left for two days each time and returned with some useful news. Senka informed her about the person called Runa Sigint, whom she should keep an eye on due to the fact that she will likely be among the first to hear about Rolan and his group's whereabouts, which will in turn lead to finding Kamii. However, for all this time, there were no news in that regard.
I am more interested in information about Onee-sama...
I am the only one who has nothing to do and am simply practicing light magic in an environment of absolute darkness. I used to love the sun, but now that I have gone for so long without it, I realize that I am not missing it in the slightest. In my childhood, I used to fear the dark, to the point where I could not sleep unless there was a light source nearby. That improved the older I became, but only after Onee-sama corrupted me have I lost that fear completely. It seems that I have gained night vision, too, so staying in this eternal darkness is not putting a strain on my nerves as it would have before.
It is all thanks to Onee-sama...
Senka never sleeps. I realized that when I watched her for a long time. And since she has very keen senses, I am never really alone, either. In fact, I am relying on her for night watch duty, but sometimes, I wish I had some private time. Ever since Onee-sama embraced me during our journey back from the desert, I have been itching to do more. I am a bad person for thinking about pleasure, when both Kamii and Onee-sama are missing... but it is also Onee-sama's fault for showing me that aspect of life.
Onee-sama, please come back soon, I cannot live without you...
"My report on the Royal Academy's activities: The reconstruction of the destroyed main building has been completed and classes have returned to normal. They will send an expedition into the Lost Tombs within the week. Still no news on Kamii or Onee-sama's whereabouts." Vitalis reports after returning from her two days of reconnaissance. When she calls Onee-sama that way, I feel a twinge in my chest. I understand that Onee-sama is not the type to be satisfied with having just a single person by her side, but letting a girl she only met the same day call her in such a familiar way...
"Thank you and keep up the good work." Senka says while sitting on the ground like a broken doll, not even moving her mouth while speaking. She says that it is to conserve her energy, because she does not have many opportunities to replenish it in the underground. I do not really understand what she means, but it appears that she is not using magic, or at least none known to me. "I think it's time for us to consider moving out of the city." When she suddenly says this, I stare at her in disbelief.
"Did you not say that it would be best to remain in the Lost Tombs and wait for Onee-sama's return?" I feel indignation well up inside me. I have been cooped up in the underground for thirty days without hearing from Onee-sama. While I was able to smite undead and train to fight using a glaive scavenged from the underground arena - Senka said it was the most suitable weapon for when I am airborne - it provided little distraction from the fact that I was unable to help Onee-sama in the time of her greatest need. If I had been there, maybe I could have used my cursed eyes to kill Thorvadis - although I still do not know how to activate them, because they did not work when I tried them out on some undead. Maybe it requires a living target, but I cannot rely on such speculation in a real battle.
"They are sending an expedition down here to find us. We may be able to hide, but what happens if they discover us?" Rotating her eyes towards me without moving her head, her expression remains a neutral one. "How many will there be? Will we kill them all? What if they quarantine the Lost Tombs? I can survive without food and water, but how about you?" Her piercing gaze seems to bore into my soul and I avert my eyes under the pressure.
"... what do you have in mind?" I will not concede so easily, but it would not hurt to hear her thoughts on this matter at least.
"While they haven't closed off the entrance yet, we sneak out of here during the night and get out of the city in our own ways. That little change of locations doesn't make much of a difference for my ability to communicate over long distances, so when Makoto comes back here, I'll still be able to find her." Senka's line of argumentation is sound and I have to admit that it would be better than to be found and caught down here. Also, I would be able to breathe fresh air and feel the wind on my skin again.
Maybe I am missing the surface more than I thought.
"Of course, the chance that they're distributing false information to make us come out of here exists, too." Her voice is not changing and she is simply listing the various possibilities. "This would mean that they could be expecting us to make our move right now and already locked down the entrance."
"But what if that is the case? Would we not walk right into their trap, then?" I am skeptical about her reasoning. Of course, the Lost Tombs are a confined place with only one known entrance, so if they blockade it, we would be trapped here forever - or until we either have the luck to discover an unknown exit, or fight our way through the blockade.
"If we think that way, we're already trapped. Well, Vitalis can move through small cracks, and I can go through walls, if I have to." Her unmoving eyes seem to suggest that this is for my sake and that I should stop arguing. "In either case, we will leave right away. It's evening now, but until we're up there, it'll take a while. Vitalis, can you scout ahead? But make sure not to be discovered. Give me a detailed report about the number and the appearances of all people in the underground, from the last store still in use up to the exit."
"Understood, Senka." With this, Vitalis slithers away, with the lower half of her body turned into the shape of a snail. Apparently that is a slime's true appearance and it can be used to move very fast on any kind of terrain.
"Alright... since we don't really have anything to pack, shall we go?" Standing up for the first time in several days, Senka's limbs creak as if they are hinges in need of oiling. I am still not very comfortable with her appearance, but knowing that she is the one person Onee-sama has the most special relationship with, I can only endure. Adding to that fact is that she can communicate with Onee-sama over long distances using some kind of magic, so I need... for now...
The only one I really need in this world is Onee-sama, after all.
"The number of people in the underground arcade is normal for the current time and most of them are regulars. However, above ground I spotted Miss Tarragon sitting at the fountain and eyeing the entrance to the Lost Tombs." Vitalis returns to us halfway towards the surface and brings her report. The mention of Dregana reminds me of how we separated that day, after Onee-sama fully corrupted me. She was an enemy when Onee-sama attacked the academy, and helped Thorvadis in sending her to the heavens. If she is there, it is clear that they are watching the entrance and for me in particular.
"Thank you for telling us. Keep an eye on her and see if she moves away. Come back to report to us as soon as you can, when she does. We'll make our way for the third left bend before the last inn." With a thoughtful expression, Senka expresses her gratitude for Vitalis' work and send her off to conduct reconnaissance again. "The dragon is bad news. We can't fight her."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Maybe there is something I can do here. After all, Dregana and I shared a time of friendship, even if I did send her away when she showed hostility towards Onee-sama. She must still possess those feelings for me, and I may be able to use them to my advantage. I could even try to convince her to serve me, instead of my father, and remove her power out of the equation, from the academy's side. And if not, I will have to kill her after she transforms back into her human form.
"Let me lure her away." I propose and Senka turns to look at me with a questioning expression. "No mage can catch up to me when I fly, so I can make sure that only Dregana follows me."
"Are you sure about that?" She asks me with a serious expression. "What if there are mages with long-range spells that can hit you from the ground?" I considered that possibility, but it is a risk worth taking - especially if I can turn Dregana into an ally. She is also the only one who could catch up to me in midair in this kingdom.
"It is worth the risk." Is all I say. Her concern is understandable, but I would prefer if she did not question all of my actions. Regardless of the situation, I will get through it all; I will not die before I meet Onee-sama again. In fact, the only person who is allowed to take my life is Onee-sama.
I feel my heartbeat quickening at the thought of Onee-sama and being back in her embrace again someday.
"Miss Tarragon is still at the fountain. The plaza has mostly emptied out and the remaining people are clearly mages. But I do not know them from the academy, so it would appear that Master Eklundstrom has called for reinforcements from all across the kingdom." Vitalis reports after we meet up again at the agreed-on location. It is not far to the entrance from here, but people generally take the first or second right bend when coming from above, since the path is easier to start on. Considering the fact that the Lost Tombs are most likely not publicly accessible right now, the likelihood of someone stumbling upon us is miniscule.
"This means you have to fly out of here. You won't have the time to take off when surrounded by mages, since that will leave them too much time to chant their spells." Senka turns to look at me. "Don't worry about me, I can get out of here without a problem. You're the one who has it the hardest." She seems to have guessed that I am concerned about how she will make her escape, but it is solely because she is my lifeline to Onee-sama right now.
"I will meet Onee-sama again." I speak with a determined look and we step forward, walking towards the underground arcade for the first time in over a moon. According to Vitalis, the civilian population has been strictly monitored and have a curfew to follow, so it is empty right now; however, we have to assume that there is going to be an ambush. Therefore, I keep my glaive at the ready and hold it in a position from which I can strike in any direction. While thirty days is very little training, Senka has proven to be a good teacher in armed combat - to the point I have to wonder where she learned it despite her small stature - and I am able to handle packs of undead with little difficulty, even in the confined space of the underground passageways.
"I sense people hiding in the buildings ahead of us. I think it would be best if you take flight now and make an escape before they can react and block the path." Muttering without looking at me, as to not give away the fact that she has seen through the hiding enemies, Senka suggests.
"Then I shall be going ahead." The underground arcade is just wide enough to accommodate my wings at full spread, and since I can use magic to propel myself forward, it is not such a big problem. "Ventus!" With this, a gust of wind carries me forward and I shoot through the corridor. Holding the glaive like a lance, I quickly travel past the closed stores and stands, straight towards the stairs.
"There she is!"
"Halt!"
"Catch her!"
"Damn, she's too fast!"
There are voices of people around me, but my speed is not something a human could catch up to. However, I notice a man in a heavy dark brown robe standing at the bottom of the stairs and chanting something. Not good, that must be a mage with an affinity for earth magic, trying to close off the exit with an earthen wall.
"Ohnd Spyd!" I shout and glare in his direction. While my output with this spell is nowhere near Onee-sama's, it is enough for use in combat. A spear of pure blackness, the color of my corruption, shoots forward and pierces the man's shoulder, before dissipating moments later and leaving a large hole through which he begins to bleed out. The pain interrupts the mage's concentration and he stops his chant for a moment, enough for it to completely lose its effect.
In the next moment, I am out of the underground and fly directly upwards into the night sky. The cool air and the radiance of the full moon greet me with their delightful sensation and beautiful view. Yes, I missed this while I was forced to hide in the eternal darkness of the Lost Tombs for more such a long time. Gaining in altitude, I take in the natural all around me, feeling my spirit replenish after such a long time of being surrounded only by stone and death.
"Miss Hestia!" I hear Dregana's voice coming from below and look down on her with a cold gaze. "Don't attack her. I'll bring her back myself!" With a mighty roar, her body bursts out in flames and from within, she leaps up into the sky in her dragon form. I immediately speed off, flying in the opposite direction of where we agreed to meet after our escape. I can reach my maximum speed much sooner than she can reach hers, so I need to use that to gain a head start; in her dragon form, she is slightly faster than I am, meaning that she will catch up eventually.
"Please wait, Miss Hestia!" In a booming voice, Dregana yells after me, frantically beating her wings to increase her speed. "Your father, he wishes for you to return to his side!"
At these words I very nearly forget my objective for a moment and have to hold myself back from turning around. My father... that man, he wants me to return to the Fatas Triarchy? Even though he was the one who exiled me because I am an illegitimate child... even going as far as not teaching me the purification ritual, so that I would eventually succumb and die to corruption in a foreign land. I am sure Dregana went back to my father's side to report that I am still alive even after my wings have turned completely black. Now he must be thinking that I may be a curiosity and wants to use me as a research subject.
No, even if he wanted me to return as his daughter, the Fatas Triarchy is no longer my home. My place is by Onee-sama's side, and my loyalty is for her alone.
"He says they can revert the effects of the corruption!" Dregana's roars and I feel anger welling up inside me. Why would I want it reverted? This is the proof of my connection with Onee-sama! "Your father wants to legitimize you!" I have absolutely no intention to call that man my father ever again, even if he suddenly begins to think of me as his daughter. Therefore, I have absolutely no need for his legitimization.
"Please, listen to me, Miss Hestia!" Her voice sounds closer now, but still far enough that I do not feel the need to check the distance between us. Instead, I concentrate on flying as quickly as I can, so that we can get further away from the city. We have passed the gate already, and the guards on top of the walls are pointing at me; they will come out chasing after me, for when Dregana finally catches me. Therefore, I need to make it as far as possible, so that I have more time with her alone.
Thus, we leave the close vicinity of the capital and fly towards the north, Dregana continuously trying to convince me to go back with her all along the way. Finally, when her voice sounds like it is coming from right behind me do I turn my head to look at her. She is a mixed race, the bastard child of a member of the earth clan and the fire clan. The dragon form of earth clan members have sturdy bodies but underdeveloped wings, rendering them incapable of flight, while the fire clan members have a more graceful form made for flight, but lack physical power. Dregana has the characteristic of both sides, possessing the ability to fly, but also having a strong body. However, the trade-off is that she tires more quickly when flying.
I stop and turn around in midair, to look into her eyes for the first time since I emerged from the underground. Shocked at my sudden actions, Dregana quickly beats her wings to decelerate and comes to a stop in front of me.
"Miss Hestia! Are you finally willing to listen?" She asks, most likely a hopeful expression on her face; since she is still in her dragon form, her facial muscles are limited and cannot show any emotions. Wordlessly, I descend into the forest below, and she quickly follows me.
I land on the ground gracefully, but due to her size, Dregana crashes through the trees and lands heavily on all fours. She was always a klutz and would break things because of her brutish nature. For a moment, I feel a gentle smile creeping onto my lips at the memories we shared during the journey from the Fatas Triarchy to my exile in the Kingdom of Lares, in the form of the giant birdcage that was the Royal Academy. Back then, I still believed that she was my friend, my ally, even when she became colder towards me, acting like an instructor at the academy...
"Dregana..." I mutter, my smile fading as I look into her fiery eyes. Pointing my glaive at her, I issue an ultimatum. "Make your choice now: Follow me or die."