❆ ❆ ❆ Chapter Twenty Six ❆ ❆ ❆

A Friend’s Duty

Finding Laura was easy enough. She had left a trail of destruction near the southern thicket forest. The trail ended at a small grove coated in small frozen flowers.

Aela and Snow stood across the grove, a small pond separated them and Laura. Laura looked in even worse shape, her body had even less flesh, one of her eyes was gone and half her body was iced over.

“I’ll back you up Aela.” Snow said.

“Okay.”

Laura was alerted to their presence and roared.

“AELLLLAAAAA!” Laura screamed as pillars of ice shot up from the pond. Aela flinched at her name, like a small child being yelled at. Snow saw and knew that any hesitation can lead to both of them dying.

“Aela, stay focused, or we’ll be dead too!” Snow shouted. That seemed to bring forth some resolve in Aela.

The pond in between them slowly frosted over, creating an arena in this sad but beautiful grove. Aela charged forward, her long butcher blade grinded on the ice as she entered combat against her close friend;

“I'm sorry, for not being strong enough and waiting this long.”

More deathly pillars shot forth, all aimed at Aela. All missed.

“I'm sorry, for not listening to you.”

Laura slammed both her hands down summoning a blooming crystalline flower, the flower grew to maximum size and exploded. Aela summoned a miniature tornado in between them that redirected all the shrapnel.

“And I'm sorry, most of all, for not being there when you needed me the most.”

Aela took out the vinesword, the sword of her best friend, and launched it at Laura’s chest. The sword penetrated and a growth of vines rapidly emitted out from it, coating Laura’s chest, and wrapping around her arms.

Aela used the remnant of the bloomed flower and leaped off of it, towards Laura’s neck. Aela held the butcher blade like a scyth and was poised to behead her friend. Aela was a warden, killing a giant was quick work for someone of her calibur.

“Ae-l-a.” However it was different when it was your own friend. Laura muttered Aela’s name again, causing Aela to hesitate.

“Laura?!” Aela quickly responded, staying her attack as if there was some shred of hope her friend was still sentient in that monstrous form.

The giant ripped through the vines and grabbed Aela with a roar.

“Tck! Shit!” Aela tried to break free but she was caught.

Aela was being held like a doll, and the giant began to squeeze with anger. Aela yelled out in pained struggle.

“Not good, not good!” Snow was already running to help but she was still too far. She knew there was a chance that Aela would hesitate but she didn't expect it to turn out like this. “Aela hang on, I'm coming!”

The frost giant began squeezing Aela with both hands, Aela tried her hardest to resist but she was unable to break free. A few more seconds of this and she would be crushed in half. Aela screamed in crushing pain.

“Icebreaker go!” Snow flung icebreaker and icebreaker rapidly started spinning. Icebreaker flew in and sliced past both of the giant’s wrists, blood squirting from them and the giant dropped Aela. Icebreaker turned mid air and spun back to Snow. Snow caught it and threw it again. This time, Icebreaker flew by the giant's tendons, slicing both of them. The giant staggered and fell face first onto the ice, right before Aela.

“Aela do it!”

Aela was up, but motionless, and said nothing.

The giant, still on the ground, gave an eye to Snow and decided she was the new threat. The ground started rumbling as crystalline flowers began growing all around Snow.

“Aela. I need you to finish her, right now!”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“I... Cant.” Aela muttered, Aela had lost all courage. No, she lost all will.

The flowers grew to their max size and began to glow in volatility.

“Aela, not killing her is cruel, you have to KILL HER! Aela!” Snow screamed.

That seemed to snap Aela out of her trance. Aela screamed before swinging the butcher blade. Blue blood splattered across the ice. But, it was too late. The volatility of the crystalline flowers were already past their reversion point.

“Icebreaker, protect me!” Snow shouted.

The crystalline flowers exploded, shredding everything within the grove.

----------------------------------------

“Snow, Snow!” Aela’s calls could barely be heard. Snow only perceived the dark. Sprinkles of light pierced through the darkness one by one as Aela removed a piece of rubble that had buried her. “Please, tell me you're alive! Snow!”

“I'm here…” Snow responded, to which Aela dug her out. She arose from the rubble of rock and ice. Her entire body had a film of blue on it. It felt a bit invasive. Snow looked at her hands, they were coated in this blue ice.

“I would really not be able to live with myself if you died because of me.” Aela looked Snow up and down. “You used Icebreaker as armor?! That was genius!”

“Icebreaker, to me?” Snow called forth her blade and all the icy film on her skin receded into her palm, first forming a rock, then a sword handle and then its blade. “Incredible.”

Aela turned back to the headless giant.

“Thank you Snow, without you, I wouldn't have been able to do it.”

Snow saw a ghostly woman appear in front of them. Now, in comparison to the giant, she could see remnants of the same outfit, and even the crescent hair pin. The woman was an elf who was smirking with a brightened face.

“Um, Aela, is Laura an elf?”

“Yeah? How do you know?”

Snow grabbed Aela’s hand, golden lines flashed on Snow’s arm and Aela's eyes in response shot open.”

“Laura?!” Aela shouted.

“Watching you suffer was more painful than the transformation. But, could you have taken any longer you sloth? Gods.” Laura smiled, nodding to Snow. “Thank you for connecting us, Snow.”

“Laura! I, I should have gone with you. That day, I’m sorry. It's all my fault!”

“Don't be, it isn't. I love you, I also want you to live on. I harbor no regrets, or ill will. I am happy with our time spent together. Now, I have a message for the half blood.” She looked at Snow again.

“What is it Laura?” Snow questioned the spectral ghost, err soul?

“Goddess Regalia is a liar.” Laura said with scorn, “Do not listen to her.”

“Liar?” Snow said with concern, her grandmother, the goddess of her kingdom, “Why would she lie?”

“The seals scattered throughout the land are not for the weather. The seals are for her.”

Snow couldn't believe it.

“What about the weather catastrophe? Is that a lie too?”

“No, My hypothesis is that the ‘goddess’ herself is the energy source of the weather regulator and the seals throughout the land keep her from escaping. Even considering that, I wanted to see if the suffering souls actually existed, so I attempted to make contact with them, that's a part of the reason for my death. By connecting my soul to a seal I was able to communicate with them, but in the process it cost me my life. I am the greatest magic researcher of this age and I still would have never believed such vile acts of cruelty were possible.”

“Goddess Regalia said she was trying her best to grant them comfort?” Snow said.

“Another lie. A twisted joke even, since she is the one inflicting the torment upon them. She is the warden of their hell, and very much enjoys it. Her suffering victims are inconsequential to the seal operation.”

Snow couldn't believe what she was hearing. The goddess being some, orchestrator of hell for souls trapped in some magical furnace? Why would she do that? The goddess was her grandmother? Or was that a lie too? Snow didn't know what to believe anymore. She nearly ended the world off of blind faith. Is she really so naive that she fell for something like that? Snow’s confliction from this crisis was now replaced with the feelings of betrayal. She had been used by her very own goddess. If the peak of the hierarchy of values was rotten, that means the whole thing was rotten. Snow sat down on some rubble as her entire philosophy of life had been shattered by the realization of her naivety.

“Laura why would you kill yourself! You should have told me!” Aela shouted, unable to hold back her emotion.

“You would have stopped me.”

“Of course I would have stopped you, you would be alive right now!”

Laura began to disappear, the golden lines on Snow faded away.

“Wait, Laura, don't go!”

“I’ll be closer than you think, Aela. Don't mourn me yet. Well, I guess you already did, you look so ugly when you cry…” Laura laughed just before disappearing.

“Hey! That's rude! You weren't meant to see me like that!” Aela shouted at the now silent grove.

“She… used me.” Snow uttered. Her entire faith had been shattered.

Aela noticed Snow’s state and kneeled down in front of her.

“Listen Snow, You don't need a goddess to enact good in the world. Virtue and moralities are both conceived and enacted by humanity. The authoritative hand of a god or goddess serves no purpose but to give us comfort.” Aela could still see she was still troubled, “Now, since you don't have the comfortable fallback of a goddess, you'll be inclined to put in the extra effort of making the world a better place.”

Snow looked up at Aela, Aela gave her confident smile. A genuine Aela smile was enough to shock Snow into reality from its rarity.

“Thanks Aela. You're right.”

Aela pulled her up to her feet.

“Let's head home, I’m hungry from doing all the work in that battle.” Aela said nonchalantly.

“Hey, I saved you!” Snow rebutted.

“I know, I know. I'm just pulling your leg Snowflake. Lighten up.” Aela patted her back as they walked, “So tell me, when the hell did you learn how to make ice armor?”