Chapter 32:
Leia opened the door to reveal Axel. He was standing there, clad in his armor, his side turned toward us. His head slowly shifted, and his face bore a tense, uncharacteristic expression.
Leia froze, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Axel...” she finally managed to whisper, her voice barely audible.
Axel gave her a tentative smile, his usual laidback persona nowhere to be seen. “It’s good to see you, Leia. May I come in?”
Leia hesitated for a moment, then nodded, stepping aside to let him in.
As Axel entered the house and made his way to the kitchen where I was seated, he nodded at me. “Glad to see you made it.”
“You had doubts?” I asked. “Where were you all this time?”
He chuckled. “It’s a long story.”
His eyes scanned the room as if looking for someone.
“Is Seb here?” he asked, his voice showing concern.
Leia shook her head, still too stunned to speak.
I saw Axel relax slightly, a sigh of relief escaping him. But his mood quickly turned somber as he faced Leia.
“Leia,” he began softly. “I know it’s been a long time. I’m sorry for just showing up like this.” He glanced at me. “And for even sending a friend here all of a sudden.”
‘Friend’ was a big word and not accurate at all, but I decided to let it slide this time.
“I haven’t spoken to you in years, and I regret that deeply.” Axel’s voice was filled with remorse. He took a deep breath, his usual confident demeanor slipping away. “I feel like I owe you an apology. For everything. For not keeping in touch, but worse of all, for not sharing Ann’s fate.”
He paused, looking down on the floor, the weight of his sorrow visible in his expression. “I watched her suffer everyday,” he continued, his voice cracking slightly. “That terrible sickness...it was relentless. Every day, I saw her condition worsen. Her strength faded, her spirit dimmed, and I felt so helpless. Here I was, a champion of the kingdom, able to fight armies of demons, but I couldn’t do anything to save the love of my life from this cruel disease.” He paused, his eyes filled with pain as he continued. “It broke me inside, knowing that no matter how strong I was, I was powerless against something so insidious. I didn’t want anyone else to feel that way, to experience that same helplessness and despair. That’s why I didn’t tell you or Seb. I thought that if I kept it to myself, I would protect you from the horrible pain I felt, but I was obviously wrong, and I’m so, so sorry.”
I seemed like he was holding back tears - or was it all an act to gain her trust again? It was so hard to tell with this guy.
Leia took a step forward, her shyness momentarily forgotten. “Axel, it’s...it’s alright. We just wanted to be there for you and Ann.” She said softly, her voice trembling. “We missed you."
Axel looked up, seemingly surprised by her response. Before he could say anything, Leia stepped forward with her arms open, attempting to hug him. Surprisingly, he declined the embrace and took a step back.
“I’m sorry, Leia, but I don’t deserve this.” He blurted out. “I failed you both, and don’t deserve such quick forgiveness. Let me earn it.”
Leia seemed taken aback by his deep self-blame.
“It’s alright.” she repeated, her voice steadying. “We missed you. And I understand.”
“Thank you, Leia.” Axel said, his voice softening. “I’ll earn your forgiveness my way.”
I watched the scene with a mix of skepticism and curiosity. I still couldn’t fully trust Axel. His apparent remorse, like his entire help so far, could easily be an act. Annabel’s words on our journey here weren’t enough to change my mind.
Speaking of Annabel, I knew I needed to ask Axel about her disappearance.
“Your hair looks almost like mine now. It’s so long.” Leia suddenly said with a light laugh.
Axel looked surprised by her comment but chuckled. “It is, isn’t it?”
“Oh, I must show you something.” Leia said excitedly.
Without waiting for a response, she dashed toward the staircase and hurried upstairs.
“Speaking of my wife, where is she?” Axel asked me while Leia was gone, a confused expression etching across his face. “I can feel her presence here somewhere, but I can’t see her...”
I shiver ran down my spine. “I haven’t seen her for a week at least. I thought you called her back.”
Axel’s face grew more concerned. “I didn’t. That’s…strange...”
“Is it?” I asked, having no idea how spirits operated.
“Very much so.” He replied, rubbing his forehead as he paused before continuing. “Is Seb treating your friend?”
I nodded but remained silent, feeling slightly off at the sudden change of subject.
“That’s good.” He nodded back. “Have you told them about the calcite?”
I raised an eyebrow. “And risk getting kicked out of here without treatment for Ren? Of course not. I was waiting for you to do the talking. You’re the one who believes that Leia would help us understand it.”
“That’s right. Good job.” He smiled weakly. “I’ll do the talking about the calcite. If everything goes well, I’ll take it off your hands for good. You’ll be safe from both archdemons and the Warblade.”
I listened to him carefully, still keeping the fact that the calcite was now bound to me until death a secret from him.
“So, you decided to keep it to yourself all of a sudden?” I asked, attempting to remind him of his reaction the last time he could’ve taken the stone from me.
“No exactly.” He replied. “I’ll keep it locked and hidden until I learn more.”
“You could’ve done that the first time we spoke.” I said, surprised. “What changed?”
He seemed thoughtful before answering. “That archdemon.” his expression turned serious. “I doubt Adar would be the last archdemon to try and take the calcite from you. There will be others, and you can’t possibly fight them. I don’t want you to die.”
I shook my head in disbelief at his words. “You’re a walking contradiction.”
He looked surprised by my words. “And how’s that?”
Before I could respond, Leia rushed down the stairs and joined us. She seemed upset.
“I thought it was ready, but I should wait a few more days just to be sure. Sorry.” She said, sounding sad.
“It’s okay, Leia.” Axel smiled. “If you say that it - whatever it is - needs more time, then I’ll see it another day.”
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“Sorry, again.” She repeated, still looking apologetic.
“Oh, no, no.” Axel said quickly. “Don’t apologize to me. I really don’t deserve it.”
Sensing they were about to go back and forth with apologies, I coughed aggressively a few times to remind Axel of why he was here in the first place.
He noticed my gesture and nodded. “Actually, Leia, I was really hoping you could help me with something.”
“Sure thing.” She said, a smile appearing on her face. “How can I help?”
“Umm, you see...My friend Luca here got his hands on a very rare mineral.” Axel began, sounding a bit awkward. “I’d like you to tell us everything you can about it.”
Leia looked surprised and then glanced at me. “What kind of mineral are we talking about here?”
I exchanged a glance with Axel, and he nodded in approval. “It’s a calcite.” I said.
“A calcite?” Leia repeated, her expression a mix of surprise and confusion. I couldn’t quite tell which.
“Show her.” Axel ordered.
I pulled the calcite from my back pocket and held it out for both of them to see.
“It’s definitely unique.” Leia said thoughtfully, examining the stone. “Transparent, but it’s definitely not quartz.” She looked at me again. “Can I take it for closer inspection, please?”
Before I could respond, Seb walked into the kitchen. It was weird since I hadn’t even heard him enter. He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he noticed Axel.
“Seb.” Axel said, his demeanor shifting to one of cautious respect. “I...I came here to apologize. For everything.”
Seb’s expression remained calm, but there was a noticeable tension in his posture.
“Axel.” He replied evenly, his voice controlled. “Don’t sweat it. I already forgave you a long time ago.”
Leia’s eyes flickered with confusion as she watched her husband speak.
Axel raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
Seb nodded. “Yes. I was mad at first, but later on, I understood your reasons. I was wrong in my reaction and the things I said. It is I who should apologize.”
Axel’s eyes narrowed, studying Seb, but his expression softened quickly. “Thank you, Seb.”
“No worries, my friend.” Seb said, dismissing the thanks with a wave of his hand. “I couldn’t help but overhear your – “
Before Seb could finish, Axel surged forward with incredible speed, his blue sword drawn. In a swift motion, he plunged it into Seb’s shoulder.
I gasped, my mind reeling in shock. But what unsettled me even more was Leia’s reaction - she didn’t scream or panic. Instead, she watched with a calm, steady gaze.
“What are you doing?” I shouted, fear and confusion rising in me as Seb groaned in pain.
Axel didn’t take his eyes off Seb, who was now gasping, clutching at the sword embedded in his shoulder. “What the hell are you doing, Axel?” he yelled, his voice strained with pain.
“Reveal yourself, filth.” Axel growled, his voice menacing. “You are not Sebastian Thornwood.”
His words confused me, and I turned to Seb, trying to comprehend what Axel was talking about. Leia’s calm demeanor only heightened my suspicion that Axel was right. But if that was true, who was this impersonator?
“What are you on about, you idiot!” Seb shouted angrily before turning to Leia. “Leia, honey, help me, please!”
But Leia’s face twisted in fury. “You are not my husband. Where is he?”
“You heard her.” Axel snarled, twisting the sword deeper into Seb’s shoulder. “Who are you, and where is the real Seb?”
Seb’s expression immediately shifted from pain to amusement, a low chuckle escaping his lips. “As expected of Garan. You truly are the greatest demon hunter alive.”
As he finished his words, his form wavered slightly, but he still looked human. It was his eyes that changed - turning pitch black. “I was hoping to get the calcite the easy way, but there’s no fooling your nose, is there, Garan?”
His eyes reminded me of Vorlexia’s. I could tell he was a demon as well.
Leia stepped forward, her voice cold and resolute. “Where is my husband? Tell us where Seb is now!”
The demon laughed bitterly. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Axel twisted his sword again, but the demon only laughed, his form becoming more mist-like with each second. “Laughable, really. I’m not even here, you know.”
“An illusion…” Axel muttered, as if the realization had just hit him. He stepped back, sheathing his sword. “You’re the red one, aren’t you?” his voice hardened with fury. “How did you survive the holy fire? Is your master still alive as well?”
From Axel’s words, I assumed that this was the same rotund red demon who had accompanied the archdemon who attacked us in Vedem.
“Commander Adar is alive and well.” The demon laughed, his form slowly dissipating into mist. “You’re not the only one with tricks up his sleeve. Speaking of tricks, where’s your wife, Garan? You’ve probably wondered that as well, haven’t you?”
Leia shot a questioning look at Axel, but he ignored her, remaining focused on the demon. “I’ll ask again, where is Seb?”
“You’ll never find your friend.” He demon taunted. “But, if you hand me the calcite now, I might tell you. Only then.”
Leia turned to me with worry etched across her face, but before she could speak, Axel cut in. “We’re not giving you the stone, and that’s not debatable. Now, again, where is Seb?”
The demon, now fully transformed into mist, laughed darkly.
“You can try to look for him, but I guarantee it will end in failure. My illusions are already set everywhere around here.” his voice echoed around the room as the mist spread further. “But I’ll leave you with this – if in three nights you don’t hand over the calcite willingly, the people of this village and those nearby will witness the full might of the great archdemon Adar!”
With a final, haunting laugh, the mist dispersed entirely, leaving behind only a chilling silence.
“We have to find Seb, Axel.” Leia’s voice trembled with worry. She paused for a moment, as if recalling something, then spoke again. “What did he mean? When he mentioned Ann...”
Axel stood still, breathing heavily. He glanced at Leia, then at me.
“It doesn’t matter now.” He sighed. “What matters is finding Seb and stopping them.”
***
“That’s the gist of it.” I said, summarizing everything that happened to me and Ren so far to inform Leia. I carefully omitted the details about Lida’s tortures, the deal I struck with Vorlexia, and the fact that the calcite was now bound to me.
I was worried about how Leia would see me after learning the truth – that I was just a thief. But her expression remained simply worried, not judgmental. Axel, on the other hand, looked furious, though I sensed his anger wasn’t directed at me.
He took a deep breath and spoke. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of this. If I had known Vedem was run by that damned Vorlexia, I would’ve dealt with it a long time ago.”
I wasn’t convinced by his apology and decided to ignore it. “What are we going to do now?”
Axel immediately took control of the situation, his voice cutting through the tension. “When was the last time you saw Seb? Where did he go? Tell me everything you know.”
Still unnerved by the fact that the demon and his master, Adar, had survived Axel’s divine explosion, I quickly responded. “A herald came from the Baron’s estate. Seb went with him to treat someone there.”
Leia nodded in confirmation. “Yes. Seb went to the Baron’s estate. The herald said it was urgent.”
Axel’s eyes narrowed as he processed the information. “There are two possibilities: either the herald was an illusion created by the demon – just like the fake Seb we encountered now - or Seb was kidnapped on his way to or from the Baron’s estate.”
He paused, looking at Leia. “Leia, do you have a map of the area?”
Leia nodded, quickly retrieving a rolled-up map from Seb’s workshop. She spread it out across the kitchen table.
I could see Vedem in the bottom right corner of the map, with Lind slightly to the northwest. There was another village called Dureg, a bit south of Lind, and eventually, further northwest from both was the city of Tehl, where the Baron’s residence was located.
Axel leaned over the map, pointing at the road between Lind and Tehl. It didn’t look too long, though I wasn’t sure about the map’s scale. Regardless, comparing it to the road between Lind and Vedem, it was noticeably shorter. And based on what the traveling merchant had told me that day, it should be a relatively short journey – less than a day on foot.
“Seb could’ve been kidnapped anywhere along this road.” Axel said, his tone serious.
Leia nodded, but I was still bothered by the demon’s threat.
“What about what the demon said?” I asked suddenly. “Are we just ignoring that?”
Axel gave me a confident smile. “I’ll stop them before anything bad happens.”
“Like you did last time?” I asked, unable to hide my skepticism.
Axel sighed. “I don’t know how they survived my holy fire. I assume it has something to do with the red one’s illusion abilities, but I promise you both that this time, I’ll end this.”
While his confidence was reassuring, I still wasn’t entirely convinced. His grand attack had decimated Vedem, and yet it proved ineffective against the archdemon and his servant.
Axel straightened up, his eyes sharp. “I’m going down the road to Tehl to see if I can pick up any clues.”
“So, am I supposed to sit here and wait while my husband - gods know what state he’s in - is being held somewhere?” Leia snapped, her voice filled with anger.
Axel raised his hands in an apologizing manner. “No, of course not, Leia. You sensed the illusion as well, didn’t you? You’re the only one here, besides me, who can do that. I need you to scan the village for any more illusions. If we take the demon’s threat seriously, we need to prepare for the worst - demonic breaches, hellspawns, everything.”
“But Seb is – “ Leia began, but Axel cut her off.
“I need you to trust me.” He said, his tone soft but firm. “I will find him, but I need your help here. We can’t allow innocent lives to be taken to Hell. I know you understand that too.”
Leia closed her eyes, clearly fighting back tears. Her face showed how deeply conflicted she was.
“I will find him.” Axel repeated, his voice full of determination.
Leia opened her eyes and nodded before grabbing a bag from the coat rack in the corridor and leaving the house.
“What about me?” I asked. “What do I do?”
Axel’s heroic demeanor suddenly dropped. “When I get my hands on him, he’ll be sorry he ever thought that taking Ann from me was the right move.”
I watched his face twist in fury. As his eyes met mine, he slowly relaxed. “I’m sorry. I’m just not willing to lose her again.”
I nodded in understanding. Judging by what Annabel had said, their love seemed real, and seeing Axel’s reaction to her disappearance only confirmed it.
“You should stay here for now.” Axel instructed. “Keep the calcite and your friend safe. Wait for any new information from either me or Leia. Don’t worry – I’ll save everyone.”
The situation felt tense, and I wasn’t even sure what I could even do, so I simply nodded.
Axel turned and started walking toward the exit. but before he stepped out, he paused and looked back. “And don’t forget, Luca – anyone could be an illusion. Don’t trust anyone.”