Chapter VI
Arriving at the black iron gate, Nakoma Taurus glanced up at the large, three story mansion just on the other side. It was clearly an expensive place and one befitting the rank and prestige of the one who lived within. A lush green lawn separated the fences from the house, and he could see an elaborate stone fountain not far to his right, the soft trickling of water serving as a rather soothing sound in the otherwise silent neighborhood. Not seeing anybody nearby, he gently pushed the gate open to find that it was unlocked, so he simply shrugged and followed the marble pathway that led directly towards the porch and the two front doors. The Master of Fire couldn’t help but notice that the building was far nicer than his own home, and he had to remind himself that he didn’t need that expensive of a place since he tended to stay most nights at his quarters up in the Citadel.
Knocking three times on the beautiful oak surface of the door, Nakoma stepped back and stuck his hands into the pockets of his crimson coat, waiting for the homeowner to let him inside. I do wonder what she wants, he internally commented for what felt like the millionth time since receiving the request to pay her a visit. It’s not like I really know her that well, but she seemed pretty anxious when she approached me, so I can’t help wondering what the matter is. After all, she hardly shows any emotion at all, so if she’s anxious then this must truly be important.
He stood there for what felt like quite a while, and despite knowing he was there exactly at noon as requested, he couldn’t help wondering if she was even home.
Or she fell asleep again. Can’t really discount that, now can I?
Luckily, just as he was about to knock a few more times, he felt a surge of mana on the other side of the door as the security charm was deactivated. Seconds later, it was pulled open to reveal a young woman with long silver hair and half-lidded pale eyes, wearing a white silk dress that left her shoulders exposed. Like she typically did, she appeared rather tired, as if she hadn’t slept in weeks, but despite this, she smiled pleasantly and bowed her head in greeting.
“Master Taurus,” she said softly. “You actually came.”
Regarding the Master of Water, Nyx Rana, with an expression that didn’t fully conceal his curiosity, Nakoma gave her a smile of his own and replied, “Of course I did. I’m not one to turn down a request from a fellow Master.”
Nyx raised her head and then tilted it to the side, her lethargic brain seemingly struggling to process his words at the rate of a normal person, but knowing her strange tendencies like he did, Nakoma politely waited for her to speak.
“Mm. Well thank you,” she murmured, stepping aside and motioning inwards. “Please enter. I won’t keep you long.”
“Of course.”
Stepping into the mansion’s entrance hall, he couldn’t help but glance around to find it rather empty. There was a large staircase leading up to the second level just before him, and there were doorways into adjacent rooms on the two walls to his sides, but there was an odd lack of furniture or any wall decorations such as paintings or sigils. In fact, despite knowing that Nyx was one of the few Masters who spent most of her time living in the city rather than the Citadel, the mansion appeared as if nobody inhabited it. The only indication of a consistent occupant was the obvious lack of dust. At first, he opted not to comment on it as he undid his boots and left them by the front door, but when she led him through the door on his right and into a living room, he was once again thrown off by how utterly empty it was. Even the dining room she brought him to only consisted of a small wooden table with a measly two chairs, leaving a ton of open space for something that could seat more guests.
“Master Rana?” he began hesitantly. “Not to be rude, but why the lack of decorations…or even furniture? Do you not stay here as often as I believed?”
Taking a seat at the table, Nyx apathetically glanced up at him, considered the question, then shook her head. “No, I live here most of the time. I merely do not need anything more than this. I would have bought a one-room house, but Sinna said that wouldn’t be appropriate for a Master of Ijiria, so here I am.”
“But then…why not just stay at the Citadel?” he inquired with a cocked eyebrow. “Most of the other Masters don’t have any homes outside of it anyway. In fact, I think the two of us and Master Cartus are the only ones who do.”
“I like my privacy.” That was all she said before lazily gesturing at the chair across from her. “Please sit, Master. Let us get to it.”
Deciding that trying to put logic to the actions of Nyx Rana was pointless, Nakoma sat down and folded his hands on the table, regarding the woman for a moment as he awaited the start of the discussion. However, they yet again found themselves in an awkward silence, Nyx merely blinking at him with eyes so distant and glazed she might as well have already forgotten he was there. He cleared his throat as an indicator that she could begin, and when she didn’t, he gave an internal sigh and did it himself.
“So, what was it you wanted to talk about?” he asked her. “You appeared quite anxious when you asked me to come by, so I can’t help but be a bit concerned, especially given that you’ve never approached me like this before. Is everything alright?”
Nyx looked up at the ceiling for a second then shrugged. “It is at the moment, yes. I suppose what I want to discuss…is more an assurance for the future. You see, I’ve been pondering reaching out to you for a long time now, but I’ve never been sure how to broach this matter. It’s personal, you see, and if you were to betray me, it could spell my end.”
“Betray you? Spell your end?” Repeating those rather unnerving sentences, Nakoma narrowed his eyes. “Well, I’m still willing to listen, and so long as you’re not about to tell me something illegal, I can probably help you, but I must then ask: Why me? Why not reach out to Master Cartus? You’ve always seemed closer to her.”
“Oh, she already knows,” Nyx said simply. “And unfortunately, there is not much she can do to help. You are the only one I can count on.”
“I-Is that so?”
Frowning, Nakoma realized that her voice had briefly and subtly taken on an almost scared tone, as if behind that tired and emotionless expression was a woman quite scared of having this conversation. It was a brief but important glimpse into her inner thoughts, and Nakoma found himself almost hoping he could be of service to her.
“Tell me…” Nyx whispered. “What do you know about the types of magical creatures that can possess?”
At the abrupt question, the Master of Fire raised his eyebrows. “What? You mean, like, parasites?”
“Somewhat, yes.”
“Well…” Considering the question, Nakoma thought back to his studies of magical organisms, finding his knowledge to be rather lacking on the subject. “To be blunt, I don’t know much. You’d probably be better off asking either Ed or Master Noctis. Most parasitic creatures fall under their specialties.”
“No, I must ask you,” she repeated firmly. “If you do not know, I will explain. So please, tell me what basic knowledge you have.”
Given how unwavering Nyx was, Nakoma decided he might as well just tell her the truth and let her do with the information as she pleased. “I mean, I know that magical parasites are much more common in the hotter ecosystems down south. Some possess and infect corpses, replacing the deceased soul and taking control of their bodies, while others invade the living, killing their victim and forcefully stealing control from them. I’m unfamiliar with the types of dark parasites outside of just knowing they exist. That’s about it though.”
“Okay, that’s good enough,” Nyx replied, seeming satisfied. “In that case, I must elaborate on something I touched upon earlier. What I am about to tell you is something only myself and Sinna know, and I would really like it to stay between the three of us. That being said, as a Master, you would be obligated to reveal this information to King Markreas and by keeping it to yourself, you could get in a lot of trouble should your knowledge of it ever come to light. Sinna was prepared to risk her safety because of our friendship, but you have no reason to do that. I will not blame you if you leave this house and go straight to the king, but I will beg you not to.”
Okay, what the hell is she up to? First she asks me about parasites, and now she’s begging me to do something behind the Iijis’ backs?
Yet, as suspicious as he was, he knew there was no reason not to at least hear her out, so he spread his hands and told her, “It depends on what you have to say, but I swear on my name that I will keep an open mind.”
“Mm. Yes. That is probably the best I could hope for.” Nodding to herself, Nyx then looked into his eyes and casually said, “Master Taurus, I am possessed.”
It was so casual, in fact, that the true meaning of her words took a second to process. “W-what? Possessed?” Furrowing his brow, Nakoma stared at her, silently waiting for her to elaborate, which of course, she did not. “The hell do you mean? You seem fine to me.”
“Yes, like I said, I am fine at the moment,” she assured him. “But I am not always fine. You see, there is a fourth class of parasite that is rare, but that does still exist. It is one that does not have the ability to take full control, and instead cohabits the body along with the original owner. The one I am currently talking about is called a ‘wraith’. Do you know of them?”
“Er… Kind of,” he stuttered. “I’ve heard them referenced in some books, and I know the common people still fear them…but from my understanding, they’re extinct and have been since before the Age of Expansion over a thousand years ago.”
Nyx smiled sadly, her head tilting once again as she considered his words. “From what most believed, they were thought to be gone. Perhaps they mostly are, and the one inside of me is the last of its kind. I hope for the sake of this world that it is. To put it in simple terms, wraiths are not the ghosts of the living like most commoners believe, rather, they are a strange manifestation of a mana that resembles a normal human but lacks a physical form. So instead, they try to fuse their beings with that of us mages, but because they lack flesh and blood, they have a strong desire to consume it. Once they take possession, they do everything in their power to use their body to devour meat. A wraith is inside me right now, and as we sit here, your body smells so alluring and delicious that if I lost control, I would gladly eat you.”
Nyx was speaking in her typical soft and airy voice, but her words were so chilling that he felt a tingle run up his spine. However, Nakoma Taurus was a Master of Ijiria, and so regardless of the many concerns running through his mind, he kept himself as composed as possible despite having been told something like that.
“Eat me? And how likely is it that you would lose control?” he demanded.
Her answer was quick. “Unlikely. You see, the wraith is similar to the parasites that take over corpses in that so long as I am alive, it cannot take control. But if I were to be killed, an opening then appears for it to take my place, and the only way for me to return is for the wraith to then be killed.”
Nakoma let out a baffled sigh. “Okay. But then…are you trying to say that you can just die and come back to life?”
“I can,” she confirmed. “Yes, in almost all circumstances, I cannot die. The wraith’s magic preserves my body and my soul, but if it takes over, I am powerless to keep it from harming anybody the same way it is currently powerless to make me do what it wants. This is why I still look sixteen years old despite being in my late twenties. It is also why I am so tired all the time. The only sustenance that makes me feel full is human meat, and I could never devour another person. So I starve… I perpetually starve…”
As she spoke, despite how bizarre her words were, Nakoma realized that many of her eccentricities were being given an explanation, and he found himself with a little more respect for her. She was constantly suffering from an insatiable hunger and she was successfully fighting it off, something he knew he would have struggled to accomplish.
“And…has it ever gotten out? Have you died before, Master Rana?”
At that question, her lips drew thin with what was clear pain, making him almost instantly regret asking. “The Citadel would be aware of this detail, so perhaps you know already, but my entire town, including all my friends and family, were slaughtered, leaving myself as the only survivor.”
Nakoma did, in fact, know some of the details of her history. Nyx had been the eldest daughter of a rich and influential lord up in one of the northern towns, but roughly ten years ago, the entire place was wiped out by an unknown assailant that, to this day, was never identified, which had unnerved many in the Citadel due to the gruesome and shredded bodies that lay scattered around the town. At the time, both he and Sinna were serving as apprentices to the Masters of Fire and Rock that preceded them, so they were both rather privy to the details of the incident. In fact, Sinna had personally gone with her master to investigate the reports and had been the one to find and rescue Nyx. Once she was fully recovered, her talents as a water mage impressed many in Erika, and she was given a recommendation to attend the Academy.
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But…the corpses were reported to have been partially eaten, which led many to conclude that it was some rabid beast that attacked. Yet, despite the creature never being found, there was never another incident quite like it, which confused us. Sinna went north and found Nyx, but Nyx now tells me Sinna knows about this wraith. Then…
“It was you,” he stated softly, terror running through him as the weight of that revelation came crashing down on him. “It wasn’t some wild animal or a serial killer… It was you…”
“No, it was the wraith,” she corrected, her voice trembling slightly. “It got control, and it ate everybody. Most of the populace were unskilled with magic, so they could not defend themselves. Those who were skilled, like my parents, siblings, and the guards…weren’t strong enough to overcome its raw power. I do not remember eating my family, but I know that I did. Sinna has known what I am from the beginning, for she was the one who killed the wraith and returned control to me. She hid that fact from everybody and reported that I was simply a survivor…”
Cartus… You saw that massacre and spared her?
Forcing himself to set aside such questionable behavior from the current Master of Rock, Nakoma leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “Earlier you said that only I could help you, but I fail to see what the issue is here. Ignoring the fact that it’s clear you are a danger to everything around you, I want to know why you need me.”
“Very well.” Folding her dainty fingers together on the table, Nyx raised her head and once again made eye contact with him. “You see, the Wraith of Eniok is primarily made up of water mana. It’s why I’m so strong with that type of magic, but when it escapes, its ice is so cold and violent that it freezes over everything close to me. Fire cannot touch it because it gets extinguished by the cold if it comes near… But I can sense that the more powerful fire, that being blue and white fire, would be too strong for it.” She smiled sadly. “You are probably the only one in this city that can cast white fire, yes?’
Nakoma cocked an eyebrow. “Most likely. But you said Sinna managed to kill it, so—”
“No.” She interrupted sharply. “I am not here to request that you bring me back should the wraith take control. I told you earlier that in most circumstances, I cannot die, but should my body be disintegrated into nothing…without even a cell left…both me and the wraith will permanently pass.”
Her request finally dawning on him, Nakoma sat up straighter as another look filled with pain came over her delicate features.
“I have never forgiven myself for what happened to my home. I did everything in my power to become the Master of Water because the Masters are the most powerful mages in the Empire. It is very hard to kill one, so I sought a means of never dying. But…” She grit her teeth. “That doesn’t mean I won’t ever die again, so if the wraith gets out, I want you to eliminate it. If it comes to it…”
“Then I beg of you, Master Taurus, please kill me!”
Standing at the top of a shopping street, Nakoma could only stare with horror and regret at the dozens of mutilated corpses that lay scattered around, covered in their own blood. Some of them were wearing the armor of the city guards, which he knew were aligned with Miyon, so he could hardly mourn their deaths. But amidst those bodies were plenty of innocent civilians, and even a couple of children. Sometime after fleeing the forest and rushing through Hiriech’s collapsed eastern wall, the fireworks had ceased, leaving the road silent of all noises save the violent and desperate chewing coming from roughly forty yards down the street. He could see the darkened outline of a person hunched over, and when the moonlight caught her silver hair, stained red, he knew without a doubt that it was Nyx. He had never seen the Wraith of Eniok himself, for it had only ever escaped once before, but the corrupted mana emanating from it told him without a doubt that he had not been mistaken.
I’m sorry, Nyx. We should have been more careful, but we were outplayed. We allowed your presence to be exposed, and that gave Miyon’s allies the opportunity to kill you. I imagine they used their control of the guard to find your location, and I should have been better prepared for that. Like you, I prayed the Wraith would never escape again, but I could not prevent it.
Fire erupted around his left hand, and this sudden drawing of mana caused the Wraith to stop chewing, its body going rigid before turning a hideously deformed face, eyeless sockets, and a gaping maw of bloody jagged teeth towards him. Immediately, an excited smile twisted her features as she slowly rose to her feet and, to his surprise, called out to him.
“I recognize that scent! You’re that fire mage she was counting on to kill me, aren’t you?!” Her voice was a strange combination of Nyx’s normal voice, and one far more raspy and monstrous, as if two people were speaking at the exact same time. “Well, I was kind of hoping you’d make an appearance! Especially after seeing that huge mountain of flames just moments ago. That was you, was it not? And given you’re the only one likely to be able to kill me, so it would be best to get you out of the way before I’m forced back inside of that wretched girl!”
I’m the only one with the ability to permanently kill it. That’s what Nyx has always said, and it’s why she relied on me. Against my better judgment, I kept her secret for her, always prepared to end her life should I need to. Against all odds, I happened to be within a few miles of her when the Wraith took over again. These are ideal conditions to eliminate the last of its kind and spare Nyx of her suffering. I know that. That was my promise…but…
“Do you not feel like talking?” the Wraith asked, tilting its head in a similar fashion to Nyx, but without the innocence usually seen on her face. “Well, I’d be happy to just get right to it! Would you like that, Fire Mage?”
I’m low on mana. I was nearly killed by Miyon and his knight, and using Coreptio drained me of much of my power. Casting white fire might just be beyond me right now. Oh well… What a pity… I guess I won’t be able to disintegrate her. In that case…returning Nyx’s body to its proper owner is my only choice.
“Correio.”
Casting the spell, Nakoma extended his hand to the side and used wind magic to summon a one-handed sword dropped by one of the dead guards, waiting as the hilt soared into his hand. He momentarily opened his senses to see if there were any civilians nearby, but he found there wasn’t anybody within a mile of his location, leading him to believe they must have evacuated the area after the Wraith appeared.
Good. Then I can fight it without worrying about more casualties, he internally remarked. Though, I know this is selfish. I always figured I could do it, especially after seeing the carnage left in its wake. But she…
“I beg of you, Master Taurus, please kill me!”
The look on her face when she made that request was the look of a girl who did not want to die—a girl who was terrified of dying. Perhaps it was the pain in her eyes, or the way she was so desperate to control herself, but I protected her secret nonetheless…and I do not want to see such a strong and respectable Master get put down like an animal. So…
I will bring her back!
All at once, the Wraith dropped back to all fours and practically propelled itself across the forty yard distance while Nakoma sent orange fire surging into the blade. He was well practiced in the art of merging swordcraft and magecraft, but since most weapons he had ever used were forged with magic in mind, he had a nasty feeling that a simple blade such as that one would not withstand his power for very long.
That was why he knew he had to make the first shot count.
In those two seconds where the Wraith dashed towards him, Nakoma could feel the subtle but undeniable chill in the air that followed it, so recalling Nyx’s warning from many years ago, he turned his fire blue at the exact moment the Wraith’s claws came swiping down on him and swung his sword upwards. The flaming blade made contact, casting an ominous blue glow over the nightmarish visage now in his face, and though the fire wavered due to the Wraith’s power, it didn’t extinguish like it seemed to expect. In an instant, there was a violent explosion of blue that singed a part of Nakoma’s body and blasted the Wraith of Eniok straight into the wall of a nearby shop. The moment she hit the stone wall, she crashed straight through it, causing the building to tremble as the flaming body exited through the back wall.
An average mage would have died the second the spell landed, and even most above-average mages would not have survived going headfirst through a wall, but Nakoma could hear its shrieks and could sense its mana roiling violently, indicating that their battle would not end so easily. Just as expected, the sword had blown itself apart, leaving him holding just the hilt, so he tossed it aside and cast Correio a second time, bringing another fallen blade to his hand.
It was just in time, for the shop where the Wraith disappeared abruptly exploded, a huge mass of ice smashing through the roof and the walls as the monster possessing Nyx continued to scream from within. From the base of the building, the street began to rapidly freeze over, coming straight for the place where he calmly stood, and knowing that he could not allow it to touch him, Nakoma muttered another incantation, raised his foot, and stomped it onto the shattered cobble ground. Blue flames erupted in a ring around him, melting the ice with ease and sending a wave of fire surging towards where he could sense the Wraith.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the Wraith did not intend to hide as it appeared among the frozen spikes on the shop’s roof a mere second before it used magic to propel itself down to him. Curiously, he did not sense any wind magic behind that propulsion and could only conclude that it must simply be due to its physical prowess. He didn't have time to ponder the matter as it reached him almost instantly, but this time, it didn’t take such a direct approach. Like before, Nakoma turned the fire around his sword blue and swung for her neck, but the Wraith dodged under it, using its flexible and spider-like nature to avoid his strike and attempt to get behind him.
Cursing under his breath, Nakoma was then put on the defensive as he dodged forward to avoid the speed of its claws—claws that just barely missed his back as he used his momentum to spin on his heel and turn to face it. The blue of the fire and the silver of the moonlight merged with the deathly cold air to create an ominous scene, and Nakoma could feel a powerful fatigue from already using so much of his mana to fight Uma and the knight, to heal the many wounds dealt to him that night, as well as to cast the most destructive spell he knew. The Wraith was one of the fastest things he had ever encountered, and it practically merged with the darkness, so Nakoma was only barely able to keep it at bay as he swung his sword, watching as it dodged and weaved around his attacks, forcing him to do the same for her.
Frustrated and desperate to both lock the Wraith back inside of Nyx, as well as to go and verify the current state of Ilirianna and the royal team, Nakoma knew that he had to tap into everything he had left, no matter the cost.
Sending mana back into his feet, Nakoma stomped on the ground again, sending out yet another ring of blue flames, leaving the Wraith unable to extinguish them. A brief fear flashed across its face as it stumbled backwards, and Nakoma quickly took advantage of that fear. The flames around his blade were created with fire mana, the most destructive of the base five classes, so every time it made contact, rather than slicing through her body, it would instead create a burst of fire that would destroy any normal person. With this in mind, The Master of Fire stepped forward and swung the sword as if it were a blunt weapon rather than a blade, allowing the fire around it to connect with the Wraith’s body and once again create a burning explosion of blue that sent the monster tumbling through the air parallel to the road. However, unlike last time, Nakoma didn’t intend to give it a chance to recover.
The exact second he struck her, he tossed the destroyed weapon aside, placed his right foot a few feet back, then sent more fire into it, creating a microexplosion beneath his sole that launched him into the air in pursuit. While it was flying, it would be vulnerable and unable to manipulate its trajectory. Shouting out with anger, Nakoma ignited more fire around his hands, casting a blue “Infurnus” that sent a stream of flames so powerful he cringed at the sparks that burst backwards and struck his face. As for the Wraith, it struck her head on, and for a brief moment, Nakoma feared he had gotten caught up in the adrenaline of the fight, going overboard and actually killing her. Both to his relief and his horror, when the flames subsided, he found it laying on the ground, its body seeming translucent, as if it had lost its physical nature and allowed the fire to pass harmlessly through it.
Nakoma grinned bitterly. You weren’t kidding, Nyx. This thing is a damn menace!
Its physical form returning, the Wraith was already using its four limbs to rush him, failing to give Nakoma any time to recover his breath before the fight continued. He couldn’t help feeling bad for those who worked at the surrounding shops, for the battle between the Master of Fire and the Wraith of Eniok was turning the market into piles of rubble. His streams of red, orange, and blue flames often missed due to the Wraith’s reflexes, smashing into and destroying the buildings around them. The huge masses of ice did the same, but Nakoma knew that it was a necessary price to pay in order to subdue it, for if he was unable to win, then the citizens of Hiriech would lose more than just a few shops.
Lord Malloway’s going to have a headache after this one, but he’s simply going to have to handle it! I’ll come up with an excuse for all this later, but I will protect Nyx and I will win this fight!
Amidst the struggle, Nakoma barely managed to summon one more sword in order to arm himself, but the Wraith was swiftly adapting to his moves, and he had already burned himself more than a few times due to the destructive force of blue fire magic.
I’ve probably reopened the wounds I got from Miyon! I can feel my body weakening, but this thing just won’t relent!
In fact, somewhere along the way, it had begun to cackle a chilling laugh that felt like it was scraping the inside of his ears. Its mouth was twisted in an excited grin, telling him how much fun it was having, and each time the fire of his sword got close to it, it cast disturbing shadows across its face.
I truly do pity those whose final sight was this nightmare…
So many innocent people had lost their lives, and he still didn’t know the state of Castle Aquesen. He felt sick and his vision was growing blurry, but he knew he could continue to power on once he struck the Wraith down and got a moment to heal himself for the third time that night.
That being said, I am running short on mana, so I might not have anything left. This needs to end now! Maybe…I just take a chance and give everything left inside of me to one deciding blow. I have just enough to try a small amount of white fire that won’t destroy her but that could kill her and return control to Nyx! If I fail, I’m dead, but if I succeed…
With so little time to think and his strength fading, Nakoma Taurus decided that the only way out was to take a risk. He had yet to use wind magic against it, so it would not be prepared for an attack any faster than he was already managing. If he could spare just a tiny bit of mana to increase the speed of his attack and fused the blade with white fire just before impact, he could take it by surprise.
That was his last option.
And that was what he did.
I swear to you, Nyx! You’re going home safely!
Wind surged through the hand grasping the sword, the swing doubled in speed, and as the empty sockets of the Wraith went wide with what seemed to be surprise, the abandoned and destroyed street of Hiriech was illuminated in a bright and blinding white. Nakoma felt the intense heat searing against his skin, and he could hear the loud crashes of the shopping district being blown apart all around him, but he managed to stay on his feet, defending himself with a tiny bit of wind that just barely managed to protect him from the uncontrollable spell.
When the blaze dissipated, Nakoma found nothing but rubble, and a brief glance around showed him that he was alone. He could just barely sense the mana signature of the Wraith somewhere down the road, so he used his meager strength to step around the scattered stone and make his way towards it. Fifty yards away and to his left, he found the blackened and charred husk of the Wraith lying amidst the rubble of what must have been an inn. Most of it was crushed, but he could see its head sticking out, and to his shock, it was still breathing.
Well, I suppose I’m glad it’s still in one piece, but I can’t believe it survived an attack like that. Perhaps Nyx put too much faith in me.
The Wraith was whispering something, but its vocal cords would not function, so it could only gaze up at him with its empty sockets, as if silently pleading not to be killed. Nakoma didn’t so much as hesitate before reaching down, grabbing a large piece of rock, and smashing it into its head three times. Only when he was certain it was no longer breathing did he begin to dig her out, and with the temporarily dead body of Nyx Rana in his arms, the Master of Fire turned and began weakly hobbling back towards Aquesen.