I looked to Dad as Sebastion told the story of my past. I had no regrets about what I had done during that time. The leaders of that empire had wanted to side with the Demons. My actions had saved countless lives but the story still did not paint me in a flattering light, especially not the way Sebastion told it.
To my surprise, though, Dad actually started laughing after hearing the story. “That sounds like something she would do. She probably had a huge smile on her face the entire time, too, but I think you are horribly mistaken about the type of person Aurielle was.”
“You think you know more about her than me?” Sebastion growled.
“I do,” Dad replied confidently, “You knew Aurielle when you were young. To you, she was an authority figure that had the answers to everything but let me ask you this, have you ever seen her cry? Have you ever seen her struggle in indecision for days to come up with a solution when up against an insurmountable enemy? Have you ever seen her fear when someone she cares for is hurt?” Sebastion remained silent as he looked at Dad for any signs of deception. Dad completely ignored Sebastion’s scrutiny as he continued to speak. “Regardless of whatever you think Aurelle once was, my little Wren cannot successfully lie to a toddler. The woman you once knew has changed forever… and I think you know that. You are afraid of trusting her, not because you fear that she will stab you in the back, but because you are afraid that you might see her for what she truly is, a human with faults. She is no different than you or me. You are afraid of losing that unrealistic image of her to direct your hatred towards because then, the only person left to blame is yourself.”
“Enough!” Sebastion shouted. His voice resonated through the prison. One of the crystal-like energy siphons of his cell popped and shattered into tiny shards.
Dad shook his head as he looked the angry Sebastion directly in the eye. His expression reminded me of when I threw a tantrum when I was little. It was an stern look of chastisement. “You still have not answered my question. Demons have invaded the realm. Your capital has fallen. Your people are dying. What is the real reason you cannot set aside your grudge and refuse to work with Wren until the threat has passed?”
Sebastion’s fury faded into a dark simmer. He spoke with a mix of rage and sorrow. “Do you know what happens to Aurielle’s undead after she losses connection with them? When she is around, they are able to feign being human well enough... but once she is gone, they begin to degrade. They become violent, attacking anything and everything. Their intelligence fades to that of an animal. The few words they do speak are usually just garbled threats. For fifty years, I have cared for what remained of my wife. For fifty years, I watched as she became less than a feral beast. I swore, if I ever saw Aurielle again, I would make her suffer for what she had done to Lucia.”
“Lucia’s body still exists!” I exclaimed in surprise.
“Of course it does,” Sebastion replied with a sigh, “Even as an undead, how could I ever harm her? She is my wife.”
“Where? Where is she?” I asked quickly.
“Why, so you can add her to your horde?” Sebastion replied with an angry glare.
“No, you infuriating brat! My talent has evolved. I can bring her back as more than an undead. I don’t know if she will be the same as when she was before but at least she will be alive!”
“You expect me to believe that? I have read all the information the Thirteen Divisions has on resurrection. None of them end well.”
“I don’t care whether or not you believe me. Tell me where she is!” I shouted in frustration.
Sebastion stared at me for a long moment. I could tell he was skeptical and suspicious but ultimately, he just sighed and shook his head. “It does not matter now. She was in the vault below Ater-Albus. I doubt the Demons have let her be.”
“Was the vault locked?” I asked and Sebastion nodded. “Then we still have a chance. My vault is not so easily broken into. You were only able to enter because I gave you permission. Help me rescue her Sebastion. Help me bring Lucia back.”
“You are serious? You can actually bring someone back to life?” Sebastion asked in a mix of disbelief and doubt.
I looked Sebastion directly in the eye and nodded. “I can.”
“Prove it.”
I frowned but agreed. I could not expect Sebastion to believe such an outlandish claim on my words alone. I thought through the list of undead under my command and ultimately decided on one. A few minutes later, a beautiful woman arrived in the prison.
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“This is Marilyn,” I explained to Sebastion as the woman approached, “She has been acting as me in public. Say hello Marilyn.”
“Hello,” Marilyn said with a flattering smile.
“Hold out your hand,” I commanded. Marilyn obeyed. She did not even flinch as I cut her palm with my dagger. Green flames leaked from the wound, proving that she was one of my undead.
I then explained to Sebastion that I had two ways of bringing her back. The first was with the collar, draining the excess energy and allowing the undead to retain their features and the second that was more volatile and unpredictable. I told the truth without holding anything back.
“I will not allow you to collar Lucia,” Sebastion replied firmly.
“Then I will use the second method,” I said with a shrug, “I have not tried the method on a human yet. This will be a new experience for both of us. If something goes wrong, I can show you the other method.”
“Stop stalling,” Sebastion growled.
I rolled my eyes and began the process of injecting the blue fire into Marilyn. It was much easier than it had been in the past, giving me ideas for gathering the best of the undead soldiers from famous veterans to create a battalion of golden flames. It would have been impossible in the past but with my new control, I might be able to create several dozen like this a day.
Once finished, Marilyn collapsed. I let out a breath and set Marilyn down a short distance from Sebastion’s cell. “The process usually takes three days,” I explained to Sebastion, “I will leave her here in the prison, within view of your cell. You will not have any complaints that way, right?”
“No.”
“If this works, will you help me?” I asked hopefully.
“I will… consider it,” Sebastion replied slowly. There was a great deal of hesitation in his voice. “However, even with my help, I am not sure I can siege Ater-Albus and retrieve Lucia. I spent a great deal of effort fortifying the capital for the day Envy returned. If the teleporting Demon did not bypass everything I set up, the capital would not fall even if an army in the tens of millions marched on it.”
“And with Berith’s foresight, I doubt we can sneak in,” I replied uncertainly, “That only leaves overwhelming the defenses with direct force. That is not ideal with my current strength. I might be able to fix that, though, if you tell me where my Chronicle is.”
“The book you always carried around with you?” Sebastion asked curiously, “It is in the vault with Lucia. It was the only thing that ever calmed her down.”
I grimaced. I had guessed it would still be in the capital but I had still held out hope I could somehow get the book and regain my full strength before the assault. “That makes things more difficult. If we cannot handle it ourselves, we will need to rely on allies to help us. Does the town of Bellator still stand?”
Sebastion chuckled. “How heartless do you think I am? Do you really think I would destroy my own hometown just because the people there are loyal to the Thirteenth Division?”
“Honestly?” I asked as I raised an eyebrow, “Based on what I heard happened to the people you once called friends, I would not be surprised.”
Sebastion scowled as his dour demeanor returned. “They were Lucia’s friends, never mine. They abandoned me the moment I refused to give them any special privileges and created their own so-called kingdoms. I am better off without that poor excuse of a council.”
“Yet, now we will need their help,” I said with a shake of my head, “Your power is not absolute. You are not omnipotent. If you had treated your allies better, perhaps the Demons would not have been able to take your capital so easily.”
Seeing that an argument about to break out between Sebastion and me, Dad quickly interjected. “Regardless of how things turned out in the past, we need to set our differences aside in the face of greater enemies. Sebastion, will you set aside your grudges long enough to save the woman you love or not?”
“For Lucia, I will suffer any torment,” Sebastion said as closed his eyes. He looked as if he was in pain and his voice sounded as if on the edge of tears. After some time, Sebastion opened his eyes and looked at Dad. “Answer me one last question though. How are you so sure that the child you know is still there? How are you so sure it is not Aurielle pretending? I have not heard a single tinge of doubt in your voice. I do not understand. How can you trust her so much?”
“That is more than one question but the answer is the same regardless,” Dad replied with a smile, “It is the same reason you took care of Lucia for fifty years, love. I will admit that I am not the most cynical of men. I follow the knight’s code to a fault. I am quick to believe people I probably shouldn’t and I have been fooled a good number of times because of my own naivety but I have never regretted any of it. I choose to believe in Wren, not because I have any proof but simply because I love her. She is my daughter and nothing in the world will ever change that.”
I felt myself blush at my dad’s complete lack of embarrassment. His words were loud enough that the entire prison likely heard his statement. Still, I could not help but feel a warmth in my chest after hearing his words.
Sebastion looked at Dad for a long stretch of silence before truning to stare at me. He did not say anything more. It was always hard to tell if any words actually reached the man. Sebastion's dislike of me was understandable but once Marilyn revived, perhaps he would have a change of heart. For Lucia, I believed we might really be able to work together.
“Sebastion, I know I let you and Lucia down in the past. I cannot ask you to trust me as you once did. All I ask is that you give me a chance, a chance to help Lucia and a chance to save this realm from destruction.”
Sebastion did not reply immediately nor did I expect him to. In three days, he would know I was telling the truth. In three days, maybe we could laugh together once again.
I could no longer handle being near the siphons in Sebastion's cell and left the man to his thoughts. Dad followed me and I smiled up at him.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I was just saying the truth,” He replied as he reached over to rub my head and mess up my hair once again. I had plenty of time to dodge his hand but instead, I leaned into it. Even though I normally hated when he did this, right now, I loved it. The two of us left the prison together as the morning light fought against the chill in the air.