A/N: Finally I got some ideas to write this up! Yay! Shifting away from Lightning a little, here's something about Caius and a conclusion to his past. If you remember Ellinoir, her story will be told as well...I'm sorry that I'm unable to finish HTC as I originally planned but I do intend to finish it sometime next month! Sorry for the delay folks but my brain is rebellious at times D:
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: A dark fantasy that will never taste the light within a darkened realm, harbored by black hearted beasts. May she be the one to rise above it for freedom all with a blood stained sacrifice.
Chapter 28: Burn it Down
"Yeul, what did you see?"
Blinking twice, Yeul snapped out of her trance-like state unconsciously fold her fingers over her beating heart. Barely able to sit up straight, the Seeress tilted to the right and almost toppled over. Caius hastily caught the young girl in his arms. Her skin was cold to the touch as it had been many times; it was a sign Yeul's life was slipping away. Again. His eyes bore much worry to the teenage girl. Yeul was weak, expelling dry rasps; it was the beginning of the end. It was a sign of death. She was dying, here, in New Bodhum 700AF. Her visions exposed to her the carnage and loss set to occur in the future. It was a horrible vision. Yeul was shown a future painted in red mixed with an overflowing sea of Chaos. The blood of the people were being spilled in small streams, feeding the tides of Chaos. The sounds of innocent screams... the sound of the wind scraping away sacrificed corpses... the sound of animals wailing under the moonless night. It was chaotic.
As for the heir...
"Caius..." Yeul whispered, looking deep into his eyes. Moving her hand to grasp his, Yeul spoke, "I want a future... where everybody is happy."
"As do I, Yeul. As do I."
"A lot of people died and will die, Caius, and surely you are aware of this. It's about time where the deaths must stop..." Yeul trailed off, ending her sentence with a raspy cough.
Her vision blurred, unable to focus on the man before her. There was so much to tell Caius. There were things he needed to know. Pausing into a pit of silence, Yeul carefully gathered her words.
"Caius... There is something I must tell you. It's about... my past life."
"You should not speak, Yeul," Caius whispered tenderly. "Save your strength."
"No," The Seeress shook her head. She insisted to speak on, "You need to know."
Falling silent, the guardian carefully propped Yeul upright on a log waiting for her to continue. It was not often Yeul had the opportunity to peer into her past lives but in this case, something was not right. She had not told Caius of an Oracle Drive she discovered whilst she was in Paddra. She remembered watching the recorded events unfold before her very eyes. The events she witnessed was a sea of nightmares, recorded by her past self. It brought Yeul no joy to realize one of her past lives was selfish and... cruel.
"Do you remember... Ellinoir?" Yeul asked quietly. She knew of the woman but not much about her.
The question struck a chord. There was a distinct pause from the guardian but he nodded in response, "I do. My first wife."
"She... She hated me so, didn't see? For all the things my past self has done to her."
The sudden words took him by surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Caius," Yeul breathed in deeply. "Open your heart and listen to the truth for what I'm about to tell you. Long ago when you protected one of my past lives, she was corrupted by Chaos. Her heart was infected and beyond repair. She fed on jealousy and hate of others, fueling her own agendas. She loved you, Caius. She loved you down to each fiber in her body. She loved you so much, she did everything to destroy those who were close to you."
Yeul was deeply wounded, spilling out the words of truth. There was no avoiding it; Caius had to know the truth. The truth that had been locked away in a corrupted Oracle Drive many moons ago.
"She... She was the one who caused Ellinoir to miscarry both times." Yeul suddenly paused and looked into the eyes of her guardian. With much sadness in her eyes, Yeul did the only thing she could do: Apologize. "I'm sorry."
His mind had already taken him back to the day Ellinoir lost her first child. The anguish in her eyes was enough to break his heart but it was the words coming out of her mouth that questioned his loyalty to the Seeress. Ellinoir claimed, many times through her sobs, Yeul was the one responsible for her miscarriage by poisoning her and pushing her down the stairs. In both cases, Caius never once believed her. He was unable to make himself believe the words from his own wife. He chose to believe the Seeress. Not once did he question Yeul but instead, he questioned Ellinoir, the woman who lose both children in the most tragic way. He dared to question his wife, the love of his life, her sudden accusations to the Seeress.
"Am I a fool?" he murmured, dipping his head in anguish. "Or am I simply blinded by lies?"
"Caius..." Yeul trailed off. "This is the truth. The truth that was shielded from you for many centuries. My former self had no excuse to act the way she did. I can only imagine the Chaos that infected her heart was deeply rooted it tainted her soul. Fueled by corruption and hatred, she wanted you all to herself."
What was there to say? All this time he believed Ellinoir blamed Yeul, using her grief as the sole excuse to demoralize the Seeress. Caius remembered well, Ellinoir going on rough tangents about the Seeress when Caius was summoned to the temple or rather, when he was summoned to be close to her. She expressed her grief and cry until she cried no more, falling asleep in a dark corner of the room. Her behavior was unpredictable; on sunny days she was normal but on days which rains slammed against cold stone, she became erratic and irrational.
As time ticked by, Caius slowly distanced himself from Ellinoir. Rumors had spread across Paddra Ellinoir was beyond help. The woman was lost to her own madness and in doing so, she went against the Seeress. Many voted to oust the woman but Yeul refused to listen to the outcry by her people; Yeul simply kept her around until...
"Did she wait for me to kill my own wife?" Looking at Yeul almost hopelessly, he repeated, "Did she? Did this Yeul wait for me to kill my own wife? With my own hands?"
Yeul pressed her lips together. She did not want to answer him yet, she had to. Closing her eyes, she expelled a quiet answer, "Yes."
Carefully extending his hands in front of him, Caius eyed his hands. The same hands he used to kill his wife. Caius was aware of his actions that very day, waking up to the sound of crackling flames and fumes pushed by the wind. Snapping his eyes open, he leaped out from the mattress, his eyes focused on the blazing inferno creeping across the entire room. Orange and yellow flames crawled across everything it touched; the bouquet of white flowers, the sofa, woven textiles and the wedding bracelet he gave to his wife on their wedding day. Covering his nose with his arm, he grabbed Ragnarok and dashed to the door, kicking it as hard as he could. Breaking into miniscule splinters, Caius rushed down the spiral staircase before the flames devoured him. Reaching the base of the tower, Caius exited and heaved. Taking in several deep breaths of air, he straightened himself to witness a burning nightmare before him.
Paddra was dancing in red, yellow and orange. Everywhere he looked, there were flames. Wasted corpses succumbed to scorching flames dancing on their backs while others rushed to the aid of others to douse the fire.
"Yeul!" Caius shouted, searching for the Seeress. "Yeul!"
His shouts were overpowered by the sounds of civilian screams and sobs. Biting his lower lip, he looked over to the tallest tower in Paddra; the Seat of the Seeress. The entire tower was engulfed in flames. Caius watched intently the flames spilling out from the exposed windows. He saw women waving to him or anybody to save them.
"Help me!" he heard them shout. "Help me, please!"
Narrowing his eyes, he was unable to do anything the moment the flames caught hold of the woman. He heard her scream, waving her arms madly before toppling over the edge and plunged to her demise.
"What is this madness...?"
Suddenly hearing the sound of unfamiliar clicks behind him, Caius whipped around and was confronted with twenty or so men in bird masks, a distinct feature of the northern tribes of Pulse: the Ta'khal tribe. Other men in the group were decorated in Behemoth skin, fangs and claws resembling men from the Shka'llal tribe; the tribe under the leadership of Chief Shal.
"Traitors..." Caius growled.
Hearing a distinct grunt from the group, the group parted to reveal a short, stocky man with ferocious Behemoth paws clamped onto his broad shoulders. Lifting the Behemoth mask off his face, Caius remained unmoved at the presence of Chief Shal. Tapping his staff three times, the men surrounded Caius in an instant. Each men was equipped with either arrows or crossbows. Caius theorized the tip of each arrowhead was poison, ready to be injected into his immortal flesh.
Tightening his grip on Ragnarok, Chief Shal immediately wagged his chubby finger. "I wouldn't do that if I were you,"
The sound of leather bowstrings tensed around him. Caius was unmoved, drilling his eyes into Chief Shal.
"This was your plan from the beginning, was it not?" Caius casually spoke. "Earn the trust and respect of the Seeress, unite our two tribes and watch Paddra burn to the ground along with its Seeress."
"You figured it out. Bravo!" Chief Shal clapped. His features suddenly darkened at the Time Guardian. "It worked better than I anticipated. You foolishly marrying my whore of a daughter was just the first step. She is a good daughter, following daddy's every order. Until she even believed she fell in love with you. Pathetic!"
"I loved your daughter," Caius spoke coolly, trying to reason with the Chief. "With all my heart I—"
"You loved a traitor, that's what you did! You opened your heart to a traitor! One who was never supposed to spend the rest of her life with you! One who's mission was to take away the one thing you cherished most: Your whore Seeress!"
Chief Shal marched to Caius, carefully circling the man like a vulture would over a decayed corpse. With hands behind his back, the Chief was going to make sure Caius learned of everything before these arrows tore through his flesh. He had it all planned out; upon a moment's notice, the arrows would be lodged into his body and he would watch the guardian writhe in pain, combating invisible flames from the toxic venom. He would enjoy it, witnessing Paddra's most feared warrior succumb to venom and a slow, excruciating death. Chief Shal had hungry Behemoth pups ready, locked away in a cage. The pups were purposely starved for two weeks for this fitting sacrifice. He figured, he would release the hounds when the Seeress was captured. The Chief wanted the Seeress to understand how it felt like to lose something dear. Something so dear, it pained every time she thought about it and the agony Caius suffered to protect her damned existence.
And perhaps to satisfy his sick desires, he would 'feed' the Seeress to his men then to the dogs.
Taking in a deep breath, Chief Shal continued, "My daughter tells me you no longer love her. You fuck her then toss her aside. Is she nothing more than trash to you?!"
Chief Shal's fist connected with the side of Caius's jaw. The guardian remained rooted to the spot feeling the subtle pain pulsing against his skin.
"But it's alright," Chief Shal growled, eyes flashing the madness of a madman. "She was never meant to fall in love with a monster like you. She only bedded with you to get close to Yeul."
Delivering a strong punch to the gut, the force alone was enough for Caius to topple over and kneel. Without a moment to think, he felt another kick from the side and to the back of his head. No matter how many times the guardian was beaten, he remained collected and composed. Even if a trail of blood escaped his lips, Caius remained unmoved. Chief Shal bit his lip realizing Caius was not responding to his attacks. Turning to one of the archers, he nodded.
Instantly, a shot was released into the back of Caius's thigh. He merely looked down at the protruding arrow in his left thigh as red oozed out from the wound. Yet, it wasn't the wound itself that began to wound him but rather, it was the sudden sting from the wound that caught his attention. In one swift movement, Caius gripped onto the arrow and jerked it out from his thigh. Tossing aside the blooded and broken arrow, he smoothly stood up with the support of Ragnarok. Until now, these men had no clue Caius possessed the accursed Heart of Chaos. No matter how many times he may be stabbed, slashed and poisoned, he would never die.
"Not giving up?" The Chief raised the tip of his staff to Caius's chin. He wanted to see the face of a man struggling to maintain his pride and dignity. "As expected from Yeul's guardian; not even a flinch. How about—"
Before Chief Shal could finish his sentence, Caius wrapped his fingers around the man's neck. Lifting his tubby frame off the ground, the guardian growled prompting a sudden blood lust. The archers immediately lifted their arms to target his head.
"You test me, lowlife," Caius uttered. "You dare speak ill of the Seeress? You are nothing but a fool."
Tightening his grip around Chief Shal's throat, Caius felt a sudden pierce in his back; another shot was fired.
Turning his attention back to the Chief, Caius spoke in a deadly whisper. "Command your men to leave Paddra at once and never return. As gratitude, I will spare your miserable life to live another day."
"N-Ne... ver," Chief Shal sputtered. "The... The Seeress must... die. She brings... harm and... chaos... she is the spawn of Chaos!"
The men watched Caius slowly crush Chief Shal's throat without hesitation. Watching the man's eyes slowly bulge out of his head, Caius continued to pressure his throat mercilessly. The man could only do so much writhing in the enemy's grasp, clawing for precious air. Blood erupted from the depths of his guts, spilling out of his inflated lips. Stabbing Ragnarok into the stone pavement, Caius lifted his other hand and now both hands were wrapped around his neck. Unable to hide a terrible smirk on his lips, he enjoyed watching the Chief suffer.
"Those who condemn the Seeress must be eliminated," Caius glared at Chief Shal, watching the man before him die. "Those who dare step foot into the holy land of Paddra shall be punished... slowly. I enjoy gazing into the eyes of prey knowing full well death is upon them. Watching their eyes glaze over in pure terror is truly astonishing, do you not think, Chief Shal?"
"PADHU!"
Caius stopped. Carefully turning his head to the left, he locked eyes with his mad wife. Painted in red from head to toe, she wiped the blood off her face with frozen eyes fixed on her husband. It was a soundless standoff between husband and wife. Gripping the silver sword tightly in her grasp, her fingers trembled at the sight of her father being choked right in front of her. Lowering the man down onto the fragmented ground, Caius maneuvered his hands to the both sides of the Chief's sweaty face. Both father and daughter locked eyes with one another.
"Caius! Let him go!" Lifting up her sword, the gesture prompted the other archers to suddenly tighten their bowstrings. Ellinoir took a bold step forward, crunching a piece of debris under her silver Etronian armored boot. She breathed in heavily, eyes never once taken off her father or Caius. "Let him go!"
"Let him plead for mercy," Caius spoke quietly, tightening his grip. "The man demands a huge sacrifice within the flames."
"Caius! This man is your father-in-law!"
"...Is that so?" Caius said coldly. Looking down at Chief Shal, the man sputtered out words mixed with blood. "He shall be a father-in-law no more."
Ellinoir's eyes widened watching her beloved husband twist her father's neck with a distinctive crack. She watched in horror her father's head awkwardly flopping forward with no support from his spine. Throwing the corpse aside, Caius turned his attention to the men that surrounded him, all of which were petrified. Ellinoir too, was petrified. Unable to speak and forgetting to breathe, she watched her husband march toward her calmly, gripping Ragnarok tightly. Only a mere foot away from her he looked down at her, eyes flashing red.
"Why?" Was the word that came out of him. "Why do you do this? Do you not love your new home? Do you not love me?"
Ellinoir carefully lowered her face, shielding her eyes with her blonde bangs. "I loved you," she sadly whispered. "I loved you so much it pains me to set the city on fire. But... I had to do it. I had to. I had to dammit!"
Whipping out a hidden dagger, Ellinoir stabbed the sharpened blade into his gut and tore it to the side. With tears streaming down her face, she violently shoved him aside. Commanding in an unknown tongue, Ellinoir summoned reinforcements. The ground trembled with the sound of men marching step by step towards him. Equipped with poisoned elongated spears, Ellinoir choked as she pointed her own blade to him. She watched Caius cradle his bleeding gut without saying a word. Running a hand across the opened wound, Ellinoir watched the blood that once stained his armor was drawn back into his body. To her horrifying discovery, the wound she inflicted was weaving itself shut.
"M-Monster," Ellinoir choked. Her arm shook madly while her blade was leveled with this heart. "Monster! Don't come any closer!"
"You married a monster," Caius whispered somberly. "A monster who lived for countless centuries, serving under the Seeress and her people. A monster who mercilessly destroys all those who wishes death upon the Seeress. A monster who shall stand victorious in a city dancing in crimson flames."
"Monster!" A man to Ellinoir's right voiced in his own tongue. "That man is cursed!"
Another frantic shout echoed from her left, "Kill him! Slay the beast! He is what stands between us and the Seeress's head!"
How? How was she supposed to kill her husband? How... Quickly shaking her head, Ellinoir wiped away her tears and distastefully narrowed her eyes. No. She would not allow their history to come between her and her mission: Destroy Yeul.
"Enough!" Ellinoir's screech startled her men. Slowly turning her head, she met with the eyes of each warrior. Speaking in her own language she said, "Do you not see? This is the monster that killed my father, your chief, Chief Shal! Are you willing to stand there and do nothing?! There are twenty of you and one of him! We have the advantage!"
"Are you commanding them to kill me, dear wife?" Caius questioned nonchalantly. "Do you think it is a good idea to send these men to their deaths?"
"Silence! You will be punished for your crimes! You killed my father! You... You..." Ellinoir was losing it; she was losing concentration.
The longer she stared at Caius, the more memories surfaced. The memories of when she wed him, bed with him, dined with him, told him about their son or when she uttered the words she loved him. The perfect picture was painted in her mind. All of that was about to be burned into the ground.
"Then kill me," Caius said. "If it eases your internal suffering, then kill me."
Stabbing Ragnarok into the ground, the warriors instantly made their move to the unarmed man. Wrapping the beast in rusted chains, the men were relentless in their assault. Stabbing him again and again through his body, Ellinoir watched without once breaking eye contact with him. She watched him fall onto his knees with spears sticking out of his human flesh. Some spears deflected off his bone forcing Caius to jerk forward. The pain was unquestionable as more poisonous spears jabbed into him. But it never mattered; he had suffered through countless eternities of torture before. This was nothing; he was simply putting on a show for the infidels to believe they were about to kill him.
Spitting out blood, Caius grunted. He was stabbed over forty times and still he remained alive. Ellinoir took several steps back, listening to her armor rattle while she watched her men continue the torture. Taking seven more steps back, she watched the fire spread around them concealing the bloodied scene. Within the stony cracks, blood had made its way through each crevasse. Grunting, she was unable to watch any further. Clenching her fists, she damned herself. She damned herself for being a part of the Etronian Order. Sworn to keep a close eye on Yeul, she followed every step instructed in the doctrine. If only Caius was out of the picture, Ellinoir could have easily ended Yeul's life. But no, that never happened. Caius was in the picture. She wedded him and over time, gained feelings for him. She wanted to run away from the Order but she was unable to; her duty came before love.
Running her bloodied glove through her hair, her blonde locks were stained red.
"Ellinoir!" she heard a man shout. "I found her! I found the Seeress!"
It was good news. Turning around, two men had Yeul restrained. The Seeress thrashed, spat and cursed. The young girl looked up to meet Ellinoir's cold eyes as flames reflected off her blue orbs. It was the eyes of a mother who lost everything.
"I knew it," Yeul hissed. "My visions never lie. I know I couldn't trust you from the moment I saw you."
"I'm a pretty good actor," Ellinoir praised herself, putting on an emotionless mask.
Yeul narrowed her eyes. "I watched your men kill my people without remorse. Stabbing them, tearing them apart, beheading them—you savages should all be dead!"
"Savages? Aren't you the one to talk, Yeul?" Ellinoir stepped forth and viciously gripped Yeul's chin. She stared dead into her eyes. "The Seeress who murdered my children!"
"You think too much, Ellinoir," Yeul quietly replied. "I didn't poison your son... I told you: The vial was to help nourish your son, not kill him. And the stairs? I would never think of pushing anybody down the stairs, not even a pregnant woman. It's a horrible thing to do."
Ellinoir could not be fooled; Yeul was lying.
"Lies!" Ellinoir spat, squeezing Yeul's mouth. "Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie!"
"I never lie, Ellinoir. I only speak the truth." Yeul lowered her face to conceal her creeping smirk. "Though, if you believed I did it then so be it. Let me allow you in a little secret: I only intervene if it jeopardizes the prophecy,"
The warrior's eyes could not have gone wider upon hearing Yeul's venom laced words. Lifting her head, it was the way Yeul stared at Ellinoir forced the hairs on the warrior's skin to stand.
Yeul continued, "The prophecy which I saw told of a miracle child. The miracle child which was not to be born between you and Caius. The miracle child shall be birthed by another woman who is not from this time. It will be a child which will decide the fate of the world."
Yeul snatched her arms from her captors and took a bold step forward. Ellinoir swallowed. Perhaps it was her imagination but she believed it was too real to be imagined; surrounding Yeul was a thick blanket of black mist swirling at the soles of her feet. The dark smoke slithered across her body and drained Yeul of any color she had in her skin. It was a terrifying sight to behold.
"This woman, born under the Odin's constellation will decide the fate of the world," Yeul sang. "The Heir to Chaos,"
Moving her hands behind her back, her fingers linked as she circled Ellinoir, just like Chief Shal did to Caius.
"And you think he loved you?" Yeul questioned in a mocking tone. "Don't make me laugh. This man used to love you until you went mad. It's a shame really. His heart no longer belongs to you, mad woman."
Ellinoir was paralyzed by Yeul's words. Standing behind Ellinoir, Yeul stared at the woman adorned in fancy armor. She merely narrowed her eyes in disgust.
"I knew everything, all along, Elly. I knew from the moment I laid my eyes on you, you are going to betray us." Carefully unsheathing an obsidian dagger, Yeul carefully lifted her arm to stab Ellinoir in her spine. "You were going to stab me in the back and take Caius away from me!"
The guards sprung into action and once again, restrained Yeul with their tight grip. Yeul growled and thrashed, eyes reflecting anger from the beast within. Ellinoir carefully turned around, watching the girl whipping the dagger left to right, thrashing and growling like an uncontrollable beast. The warrior took a step forward and snatched away the blade. Commanding the men to release the girl, Ellinoir pulled Yeul toward her and pressed the sharpened edge against her neck. Ellinoir wanted to do it; she wanted to kill the Seeress.
"Move."
With Ellinoir behind and the blade pressed in front of her throat, Yeul took several steps forward through the curtain of black smoke. Hearing the sounds of a man's raspy cough and blood spitting onto the broken ground, Yeul did as she was told, walking to Caius's direction. She carefully made out the figure of a man on his knees with sharpened spears sticking out of his flesh. Watching the guardian suffer pained Yeul. She never meant for Caius to get hurt.
"Caius," Ellinoir called out. "Look at your precious Seeress now. What will she do without her guardian to protect her?"
Pushing the blade in deeper, it broke skin.
"This girl is the spawn of Chaos," Ellinoir exclaimed. "She has no love for her people or those who love her; she seeks to destroy all those who oppose her. Your beloved Seeress, Paddra Nsu-Yeul will no longer contribute to the suffering of the peoples of Pulse. By the orders of the Etronian Order, Yeul has abused her powers. As punishment, she must be eliminated. Just as..."
She stopped. Her hand shook, formulating the painful words which carefully rolled off the tip of her tongue.
Ellinoir took a deep breath and bravely continued, "Just as she killed my—our children."
"Caius..." Yeul whispered. She looked at him with pleading eyes, having learned of the bloody outcome. "Please... Help... me..."
"Silence!" Ellinoir growled. Pulling Yeul's hair back, Ellinoir hissed in her ear, "Don't you dare act nice and sweet for him. He's my husband."
"You do not understand, do you... my wife?" Caius spoke lowly.
His hand reached out to the wooden spears embedded through his body. One by one he removed spears out of his bleeding flesh. snapped it in half. Throwing aside the last pole, he man carefully stood up.
"I am Yeul's eternal guardian. A man made into an immortal by the goddess you worship. The goddess who cursed Yeul with the Eyes of Etro..."
In a blink of an eye, Caius disappeared; all was left was remnants of purple smoke. Ellinoir tensed, pulling Yeul closer to her body, eying for her husband. Breathing out of her mouth, Ellinoir was suddenly torn from Yeul. The blade within her grasp shattered into a million fragments on the charred ground. Even before the warrior had time to recuperate, her body was airborne before it was slammed into the concrete wall. Expelling a gasp, Ellinoir was about to reach for her sword yet she was unable to. Her hands instead shot to her throat where Caius gripped it tightly, lifting her off the ground. Clawing his fingers, Ellinoir gasped for air while her eyes opened to meet her husband's purple eyes.
"Caius..." Ellinoir choked. "Caius..."
"Elly." Caius spoke gently. "My beautiful wife."
Carefully uncurling his fingers around her throat, Ellinoir's feet slowly touched the broken ground. Caius watched his wife inhale precious air which was deprived from her a couple of seconds ago. His beautiful wife smeared in red.
"Ellinoir..." Caius lowered his head. "I loved you. I truly loved you but... I cannot love you any more."
She blinked. Lifting her head, Ellinoir weakly smiled. "...I still love you, Caius. I really do. We... We almost had the perfect life together."
Meeting her lips, a tear slipped out from the corner of her tired eyes. With the flames cracking around them, Ellinoir's hands gripped onto his armor. Trying to break off the kiss, Ellinoir's fingers soon curled and thumped onto his chest. Caius refused to let go. Thumping on his chest again and again, tears continued to spill out of her eyes, feeling a sharpened blade running across her neck.
"C-Caius..." Ellinoir's voice was garbled, suffocating on her own blood. "C-Caius... let go..."
He hugged her tighter.
Lowering his lips to the side of her ear, he whispered, "I no longer love you, Elly. I am sorry."
Ellinoir sobbed. Feeling her body released onto the ground, Ellinoir slumped forward and madly pressed her hands against her neck to stop the bleeding. Coughing, choking and suffocating on her own blood, she was unable to breathe. Spitting out pools of red, she gasped for air. Caius stood before her watching his beloved die before him. Glancing down at the silver blade within his grasp, the man tossed aside the dagger into the scorching flames of Paddra. Ellinoir's hand reached out to Caius's leg only to have him take a step back. Sobbing, Ellinoir shook her head and further slumped forward, choking.
"Caius..." Ellinoir crawled forward, reaching out to her husband. Each time she got closer, Caius took a step back. "You... really don't... love... me... any more..."
He had nothing to say. Sensing Ellinoir's life slowly fading away, the woman could no longer hold on. With one last ounce of strength, she reached forward and managed to touch the tip of his boot with her fingers. It was then, she collapsed on the ground in her own pool of red. Her body no longer moved. Not even a sound from the dead was heard. The Time Guardian lowered his head in respect and quietly mourned for his beloved. Lifting his hands, he killed his own wife. He killed her with his bare hands. On the ground was his undoing. The woman who he came to love and wed was now dead.
Hearing the sound of soft footsteps behind him, a hand reached out and pat his bicep.
"I'm sorry, Caius." he heard Yeul say. "I'm sorry it had to come to this."
"What is done, is done," The warrior solemnly replied. "I swore to protect you, Yeul. My oath to keep you safe is much more important than... love."
Taking a step forth, Caius gently flipped Ellinoir's deceased body to look at her face. The crimson beneath Ellinoir spilled onto her hair, dying it a deadly shade of red. No longer was she the blonde beauty he came to love but instead, she was now a maiden captivated by madness. He sadly looked at her opened eyes; she did not die in peace. Reaching out, he closed her eyes to prepare her for the long journey ahead, into the realm of Valhalla. Slipping his arms beneath her body, he lifted her and turned to the Seeress.
"It is over," he said. "I... I must bury her. It is the last thing I can do as her husband."
Yeul nodded. "Go. Do what you must."
Caius nodded and left. Yeul watched the Time Guardian walk into a curtain of smoke before he disappeared through the thick, gray veil. Once the guardian was out of view, the Seeress casually laced her hands behind her back and simply smirked. Like the little devil she was, she had known all along what she had to do to push Ellinoir to her limits. In the end, the woman was not as strong as she claimed to be. Calling herself an Etronian Warrior under the servitude of the goddess and was easily breakable just because of two miscarriages? How pathetic.
With Ellinoir out of the picture, Yeul was relieved to have things return back to the way they once were. Turning her head, her eyes watched her dear city torched before her very eyes. Buildings continued to crumble, corpses consumed in flames while the living continued to battle flames to save their loved ones. It saddened Yeul to think it had to come to this. Maybe it was time to move on and be forgotten, the young girl mused. Take Caius and a couple of her trusted maidens and disappear into Pulsian horizon, never to be seen again. Maybe, just maybe Yeul could live the peaceful life she always wanted with the people she cared for and perhaps, with the man she loved.
