Book 3. Chapter 23.

“Shadows, rage, blood and tears.” Part 1

Warning: this chapter contains offensive and obscene language.

All was darkness.

Rage grows inside Kalysto in gushes just like froth when milk boils non-stop at high temperatures.

The brunette clenched her fists tightly and pounded the dark floor. The sound spread through the vast emptiness.

“Are you out of your mind?” She mumbled, unable to believe the stupidity she was hearing. “How the hell do you think I'm going to join forces with the same guy who sent an army of monsters to destroy the city I used to live in... Are you crazy?” she pressed, but Persephone didn't answer. “That guy almost killed Tsuki last time!”

It wasn't until much later when the dizziness finally began to subside that 'her other half' deigned to answer her.

<<...You are always so melodramatic!>> the black-haired girl complained.

<> She clarified.

<>

“…” Kalysto opened her mouth to rebut her, anger getting the worst of her, but then she stopped and frowned, “What the hell are you talking about? The only rabbit I ever had was a teddy bear when I was nine. Tsuki is my first living pet.”

<<...>>

“...Persephone? What rabbit were you talking about?” she questioned suspiciously. Persephone's silence only added to her anger, “Have you killed any of my pets before and I don't remember it?”

<<...>>

<<...It was an accident.>> She defended herself, her voice sounding childish and completely unguarded all of a sudden.

<>.

Kalysto felt the strong desire to throw a punch in her face.

“You'd better stay away from Tsuki! I'll never forgive you if you hurt him! Is that clear?”

<<...>>

<>

“...You!...Damn you...!...Agg!” She screamed. “I can't believe I have to explain something so obvious to you! Here I am pissed off because I wasn't fast enough to force my father into the damn inventory, nor strong enough to protect him from that fucking shitty goddess that killed him! And you instead of helping me find a way to track her down and finish her off steal control of my body! For what? To call in a serial killer who enjoys destroying worlds just because his whore of a mother didn't know how to keep her fucking legs closed and went on a rampage to seduce another woman's husband?”

<> She excused him.

“And that gives him the damn right to go around destroying dimensions?” she shouted as she scoffed. “I'm supposed to feel sorry for that?” She mocked, “Don't give me that shit! As far as I know, the god of darkness is asleep and sealed, not dead! My father is dead, after being kidnapped and tortured for ten years by that crazy piece of shit and you don't see me out there going around killing everyone on this planet just because I want to get rid of one person!”

<> Persephone shouted. Annoyed that Kalysto never took her side.

<>

“What the fuck are you talking about?” she shouted, somewhere between confused and surprised. After her father greeted her by placing a hand on her thorax and sending out a Mana wave that caused the seal to react like an echo, Kalysto suspected that he had been the one to put it there. But there was only one seal within her, not two. “Where is the second seal?”

<<...>>

<

“If that's the second one, where the hell is the first one?”

<<...>>

<<...I destroyed that one many years ago...>>

“When?” Kalysto pressed, beginning to suspect that perhaps the accident she had as a child in which she lost her memory had something to do with Persephone.

But this time, she didn't answer back.

So in anger, Kalysto began to concentrate her mana, but it proved to be extremely difficult to attempt any kind of magical attack now that she had no system to back her up.

“Shit!... Shit!” She screamed feeling frustrated, trapped in the middle of that sea of darkness where the only thing that existed was the strange sensation pointing her in the direction of the seal. And a soft glow around her own body. “Shit! Come on, Kalysto! Focus! There must be some way I can get out of this!”

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That's it! She perked up suddenly, feeling the coldness cover her head, descending to the tips of her toes, shutting off all emotion like a switch and helping her focus. How the hell did I not think of that before, Absorb!

The darkness surrounding her outstretched palms against the floor shook. Little by little, small tentacles of darkness began to form and began to cling to her skin, disappearing inside her.

Absorb! Absorb! She repeated several times as if it were a mantra, at the same time that slowly the darkness surrounding her hands began to disappear leaving a huge white canvas where before there was only black.

A slight half-smile appeared on her face and from that moment on she dedicated herself to continue absorbing the darkness that surrounded her as if her life depended on it for what seemed like hours.

Until finally when a large patch of the vast emptiness turned completely white, Persephone spoke to her again.

<>

“Give me back my body!”

<>

“I don't give a shit what you think you're doing! I want my body back now! And if you don't hand it over right now I'm going to absorb the seal with you inside!” Kalysto threatened her, finally standing up and starting to walk towards the direction where the seal was. But before she could reach it a strong dizziness seized her, causing her mental body to stagger and fall limply to the ground.

Shit, the curse must still be active!

<> Persephone asked, but this time it was Kalysto who did not deign to answer her. Instead she concentrated on finishing moving forward, as she crawled along the ground, the two meters she needed to get to where the cracked seal was.

<>

“When did you break the first seal? Were you already with me when that happened?” she asked instead, trying to connect the dots on her lost memory. Suddenly wary about how long she had really been sealed inside her. But her questions only annoyed Persephone even more.

<>

“ ...Right…” she whispered as cold determination shone in her green eyes as she caught between her hand one of the dark Mana tentacles escaping through the cracks of the seal. “That's no longer important now, absorb!”

<>

Persephone began to shout, but her voice was lost in the vast emptiness as Kalysto's vision began to clear and change. Until she could see the beautiful clear sky as the first rays of the sun began to brighten the horizon.

Where the hell am I, she thought as weakness enveloped her as she regained full control of her body.

With effort, she managed to turn her face only to be met with a huge collection of monster bodies frozen in dark mana crystals.

“...I shouldn't even be surprised anymore,” she whispered, looking at the remains of Caranthir's house at the same time as its owner lay inside one of the many black crystals. “Shit!”

I hope I can at least recover a couple of potions from what's left of his house. She thought, but from the deplorable state of the hut, she doubted it.

“...Master!” Tsuki shouted. Taking her by surprise and making her turn around, happy that at least he was okay.

But then terror came over her as she saw the blood covering Tsuki's beautiful white fur, and the deep wounds covering his whole body.

I'm going to kill her! she thought, with determination.

“Jhil Ezhil! Ezhil Purification! Dispel Ezhil!” She shouted immediately and without thinking, as soon as she recognized the black stains starting to spread from his wounds and staining her pet's blood black.

But the golden glow never left her body, and it was at that moment that she with sudden fear remembered that she was no longer a saintess.

“No! No! No! No, I can't lose you too!” tears welled up in her eyes as despair seized her and her voice trembled, completely terrified at the stark reality that was unfolding before her eyes.

Drawing strength from where she had none she crawled, noticing the pool of her own blood she had been lying in, and ignoring the sudden discomfort of moving, not realizing that the skill of pain resistence was active and preventing her from feeling the lack of her left arm and leg.

The weakness in her body was getting stronger and stronger as blood poured out of her still open wounds, however all she could think of was to continue crawling and get to where her beloved pet was.

“Ma...master!” sobbed the puppy, who although he had already lost his childish appearance, was still behaving like a child. “Master... run away and get to safety,” he murmured with a thick tear spilling down his dirty, blood-stained cheek.

“I'm not going to abandon you,” Kalysto resisted, not at all willing to give up, even though she had no potion with which to save him, and no chance to move on her own and start looting the destroyed elf's hut.

“Master...run away...more monsters are on their way...the master must...the master must get to safety before they arrive… I am sorry I cannot protect you” more tears descended down the cold cheeks of the sacred beast and his mistress who continued to crawl to where he was.

“Can you have share a skill of mine as well as when you share with me what you are seeing? I have immunity to the black plague,” she muttered in despair.

“...I possess no such ability, master. Nor do I know anyone who does.”

“... “ for an instant Kalysto did not know what to say at that, and for a second she stood there frozen, her face bathed in tears as she watched him weaken, death about to claim him.

The sound of the growling of another wave of monsters began to echo nearby, confirming the warning Tsuki had given her.

It was then that Kalysto remembered the invitation envelope the demon king had given her. And she immediately pulled it out of her shadow and while putting her head on the wounded chest of her beloved pet, making sure she was touching him as much as she could, she tore the invitation with her teeth.

Seconds later, they both appeared right in front of the entrance of the demon king's palace, outside the protective barrier she had finished conjuring a few hours ago.

“Kalysto! You're hurt!” Alice ran to meet her, her beautiful face disfigured at the thought of losing her again. “Jhil! Jhil!” She hurried to conjure, as she put her hands near the shoulder where an arm should be. But Kalysto stopped her.

“Cure him first, not me! He has the black plague!” she informed her.

“But I don't have any ability to cure it!”

“...Then just keep using Jhil until he's cured. Regeneration! Regeneration! Regeneration!” Kalysto began to conjure, taking turns healing herself and her pet.

At the same time the poor Alice, whose hands were trembling at the sight of her friend's bad body, continued to heal Tsuki.

For several days afterwards Kalysto mourned the loss of her father, completely forgetting the whole affair with Persephone and the loss of both systems.

“Are you sure you are not hungry? I think you'd better eat at least a little,” Alice insisted, but Kalysto didn't change position, and continued lying on her half side on the bed under a warm blanket while her back was turned to Alice. While Tsuki remained lying next to her like a faithful guardian while sharing the pain of the loss of his mistress.

“…” Alice let out a long sigh and put the hot soup aside and lay down on the other side of the bed in complete silence and not knowing what else to say to her, so she started stroking her arm and her messy hair, which since that fateful day, Alice could swear it looked a little lighter.

The soft sound of crying soon filled the room and Alice hugged her tightly, trying to bring her some comfort.