SVAN CHORYTH

“Are you sure you aren't suicidal or is there something else wrong with you? No matter how I think about the actions you take most of the time, all I can conclude is that they are all sheer stupidity disguised in the form of bravery.”

I smiled broadly,

“Finally, you are back. It took you long enough.”

“I am back obviously because a certain someone is trying to get himself killed.”

“Look, Darya, I'd been meaning to tell you something whenever you showed up again. I...”

She didn't let me finish what I was saying because she already knew what I was about to say

“I know, and I've decided to go along with it.”

I had almost forgotten that she could hear my thoughts, yet I was relieved.

My smile broadened even further,

“What is the worst thing that can happen? Everyone dies, right?”

“I wouldn't feel sorry for you when you do.”

“I wonder where you would be when that happens,” I mocked.

“Hey! Shut it, before I kill you myself.”

I laughed inwardly. I hadn't felt that happy in a long time.

Darya continued,

“And don't blame me when the spells take a toll on you. You asked for it after all.”

The soldiers from the Imperium drew closer to us. They were donned in familiar attire, and just as I had anticipated, they were Arcanes from the Order of Death. Without hesitation, I switched to the grey domain. I couldn't afford any mistakes. My near-death experience had taught me a lot and one of the many lessons I learned was being careful, especially with my life on the line. Everything happened so fast as fighting ensued at the same pace. Different silhouettes covered in black and blue flames clashed against each other. I could tell mom's location; somewhere on my far right. Three silhouettes covered in blue flames clashed. It was evident that she went up against two Arcanes.

“She always does extra.”

I didn't need to worry about my mother. She could most definitely take care of herself so I needed to focus on making sure I didn't get killed.

I heard Darya’s voice again and this time, she said to me,

“Learn.”

A silhouette came at me, the figure was feminine. I didn't like the odds and I wished my opponent was a male. It sounded freety, but somehow, I started to believe I had tough luck fighting against female opponents, especially the strong ones. After all, the last time I fought against a lady, I was almost killed.

The silhouette swung its sword in my direction as I met it with mine, stopping it from reaching me. She tried to strike me several times, aiming for my vital spots but I easily countered all, thanks to the grey domain. I was faster and was even able to outmaneuver her on many occasions, landing significant hits on her although my sword couldn't cut through.

I couldn't tell if she had both abilities of a stillbringer and caster alike, just like Sophia, or was just able to conjure spells that made her body impermeable to attacks. Anything was possible, and there weren't a lot of things that could surprise me anymore since I had freed myself from the shackles of believing that the Feel had limitations.

Both of us fought with skill and speed as the constant clashing of our blades let out a flurry of sparks that produced short spiky distortions in the viscous atmosphere. I felt I could easily keep track of our movements in the grey domain, but I was almost certain that they would have been a blur if seen outside it.

I didn't want to use Realm slip or Femryn’s jolt yet, since the grey domain was enough to keep her blades away from me. She wasn't going all out so I didn't see the need to reveal my abilities to her lest she finds a way to counter them. It was easy for her to confuse me for a stillbringer because of how fast my movements and reactions were. I wanted it to stay that way, long enough until I catch her unawares, so I let her control the flow and tempo of our engagement since I didn't know what tricks she had up her sleeve.

She seemed to step it up a bit as spells came flying toward me. Though I couldn't see them since they didn't approach me head-on, I could feel the vibrations they produced as their shockwaves rippled in my direction. Normally, I would have avoided the spells by changing my position since they approached much slower in the grey domain, or would have pushed them away from me using Femryn’s jolt, but I didn’t do any of those. I just ignored the spells approaching me almost against my will. I didn't fight it, I knew it was Darya’s doing so I didn't panic.

Something strange was happening to me, my body was reacting differently. I was burning up like I had a fever but it was bearable. At the same time, it felt like something was evaporating from my body even though I couldn't see what it was. Even in the grey domain, everything was unfolding very quickly. All of a sudden, something surrounded me. I didn't know what it was, but I could see it. It didn't look like it was tangible, more like a distortion in the viscous atmosphere, it wasn’t widespread since I only saw it in the area surrounding me.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Darya’s new spell was exactly what I needed as the spells that came at me vanished when they made contact with it. I wanted to ask her what was going on, but the time wasn't right. I had plenty of it to do so after the battle. I was excited and it felt like I was enjoying the combat like it was some game.

“Can you bear the sight of cruelty?” Darya asked me.

Confused, I asked her,

“What's the matter?”

“You will find out soon enough. Now, put some distance between you and the Arcane.”

I had to do as I was told since my life depended on it. Without hesitation, I pushed the silhouette away using Femryn’s jolt as it took flight for a short while before stopping awkwardly. From the way things looked, it most likely crashed into something. I switched out of the grey domain to get a clearer view of things. My opponent was still trying to recover since I slammed her against a rock. I caught her by surprise with Femryn's jolt given that she didn't put up any defense to stop herself from crashing into the rock. There was still a lot of fighting going on and it didn't look good on our side as two lieutenants were already lying dead on the ground.

I spotted Sophia as she squatted beside a dead Imperial soldier, not sure what she was trying to do. I didn't expect less from her, I knew she was that strong. Mom was still going up against two of her opponents, and it seemed like a breakthrough was going to be difficult for her. It would have been much easier if she went up against one at a time. I had to finish off my opponent quickly and help Mom out.

The Arcane I was fighting recovered quicker than I had expected. I just had a quick look around and she was charging at me again. Under Darya’s influence, I opened something although I couldn't see what it was. Shocked, I watched as spells appeared from nowhere, bombarding the Arcane in a relentless barrage. It was difficult to describe; messy, yet beautiful. Metal spikes, molten rocks, lightning bolts, and fireballs were all in one cluster. I was sure that I didn't conjure those spells even though it looked like I did.

“Don’t be surprised, she just got a taste of her own medicine.”

The spells were impressive, but what was even more impressive was that somehow, the Arcane managed to survive the barrage, seemingly unscathed though she looked a bit worn out, staggering a bit. She came at me again but I stood calm. I didn't even need to switch my perspective to that of the grey domain since my connection with Darya told me she was up to something.

I reached out to her in the same fashion as when I use Femryn’s jolt, but this time, I wasn't trying to pull or push her away. I was able to create a violent reaction. I couldn't see any changes yet, but I felt it. It felt as though something was about to explode. The explosion manifested physically sooner than later, and I was thrown off by its shockwaves. I knew I had witnessed something similar in the past and I didn't have to think for long to remember that it was similar to the one that happened at Ausbane, although not as powerful.

I looked up and the Arcane was gone, disappeared with no traces of her left, and the only remainder of her existence was the scars on the terrain.

There and then, I understood the meaning of what Darya said to me earlier. For me, it wasn't cruelty. It was something beyond that, and I couldn't explain it with words. She wasn't the first person I had killed, but I felt bad for her because the way I killed her was almost monstrous. It was a battle and killing was inevitable, but somehow, I felt like the bad guy.

I tried to stand, but I was wobbly. I felt dizzy and my nexus ached.

I got a grip of myself, managing to snap out of the guilt that came over me.

“Did I just kill an Arcane?”

I didn't kill just any Arcane, I killed a member of the Order of Death. It was a feat to be proud of but I was just too tired to get excited.

“You've reached your limit,” Darya said to me.

“No, I can still fight. I need to help my mother out.”

“Look around you.”

I didn't see any lieutenant standing, they were all dead. I turned in Sophia’s direction. The number of Arcanes she fought increased as she struggled badly against all three of them. Mom and her opponents were locked in a stalemate but the numbers disadvantage would eventually tell on her. My legs were heavy and all I could do was watch.

Sophia couldn't hold out much longer as she was brought to her knees. I was watching her get killed and I didn't know what to do. Her black flames engulfed her, but they burned feebly. I watched in horror as one of the Arcanes drove his sword into her belly.

“They are going to kill her,” I muttered slowly.

It was apparent that they didn't know she was a princess. If they did, they wouldn’t try to kill her since she could serve as an important prisoner of war. For a moment, I wanted to scream to them,

“She is the princess,” but I knew they weren't going to believe me.

Another Arcane swung his sword, trying to decapitate her. I didn't think, I just moved. I triggered Realm slip and brought myself to where she helplessly knelt and before the sword could reach her, I disappeared with her. I placed her gently beside a rock, but that was all I could do for her. Her black flames weren't burning anymore and her wound was still bleeding. Although she tried to apply some pressure on her wound with her hands, there was still a lot of blood coming from it. She didn't have a lot of time. I drew out my dagger and cut a sizable portion of my cloth, placing it over her wound. Her hands were trembling as she held the cloth. She was in a sorry state and she looked really scared.

I tried to encourage myself,

“I tried.”

I didn't know how I was still standing, but since I was, I had to keep moving. I triggered Realm slip once again and took Mom away from her fight, bringing her to where I placed Sophia. The expression on Mom's face was asking,

“What are you doing?”

I smiled, trying to reassure her that I knew exactly what I was doing.

The Arcanes from the Imperium approached us rather casually. I smirked. They certainly didn't see what I did to one of them which was great news for me.

I walked towards the approaching soldiers through the heavy downpour. My sword dragged behind me, its metal scraping against the ground, creating a furrowed line in the dirt as I fought each step. After putting some distance between Mom and myself, I stopped walking. I took in a deep breath,

“One more time,” I said to Darya.

“I know humans are crazy, but I think you are the craziest.”

I smiled,

“Maybe crazy is the new normal.”

I triggered Darya’s new spell once again. It was bright ahead of me, so bright that I couldn’t even see the approaching soldiers. Following the blinding brightness was a thunderclap and shockwaves which sent me flying once again. I didn’t crash. Somehow, Mom managed to catch me mid-flight.

The world faded as darkness was the only thing my eyes could see. I couldn't tell if I was coherent enough since I was too tired to speak, but I knew I said the words,

“I did it. We won.”

There and then, I couldn't feel myself anymore.