Chap 3
"This is unbelievable." Selka cautiously made her way through Rulid. "Everything is frozen solid." The whole village was covered in a thick layer of ice. All the flowers, trees, and rivers were now crystallized; never to feel the sun's rays again. Each home and merchant shop; now void of life, their only company a chilly breeze that swept through the silent town. "What happened here?" She shivered and then pulled the blanket she found in the guard's shack tighter around her body. "It almost looks like…no, I shouldn't think like that." Selka continued through the village; being careful not to slip. She was still in a lot of pain form being with Jink but she had to find out what happened to the villagers and to her father. "Where is everyone?" Suddenly, the air turned brisker and the ice doubled in thickness upon the ground. "There must be something up ahead." She took a deep breath and trudged forward preparing for the worst. When she got to the center of town, she gasped in horror.
Everyone was frozen in large chunks of ice; their individual ice prisons wrapped in an extra layer of icy thorns and blue roses. Elongated, blood soaked thorns crisscrossed through each person's body causing large amounts of splattered blood to coat the inside of the ice. Terror and panic were etched on everyone's faces as they reached for their loved ones or tried to escape. Selka tried not to hurl as she passed a mother and young child, both dead in their forever cage. Deep in her heart, she knew her father fared no better than the others. "Oh father…" she started to cry; her tears instantly froze upon her cheeks. "…I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help everyone." Selka dashed as quickly as she dared through the villagers hoping to find someone who may still be alive.
OOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo"Where is Eugeo?" Fizel absently played with her dagger. "He's supposed to come get us when it's safe to go back into Rulid. I'm getting bored."
"There is a lot of ice in there." Linel peeked inside the front gates. "I remember Chudelkin mentioning something about Eugeo's arts consuming him as well. Do you suppose…"
"If that's the case, Lady Pontifex shouldn't have put so much trust in him." Renly readied his weapons. "We can't wait any longer. There's a limited amount of time to grab all that sacred power."
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"Everyone's gone." Selka wiped at her eyes. "What do I do now?" She looked towards the spot where the Gigas Cedar Tree once stood and decided to head there. As she drew closer to the stump of the tree, she saw the outline of a person. "Is someone there?" She quickened her pace; excited about the possibility of a survivor. "Hey! Hello?" Selka cried out as loud as she could. Finally, she reached her destination; however, she didn't expect to find Eugeo. At first, relief crossed her face but after seeing an icy path shoot out from the Blue Rose Sword and straight into Rulid, she felt anger and confusion. "Are…are…you responsible for this?" She stood before the blonde' her watery eyes searching for an explanation. "I don't understand." She whispered into the frigid air as she took in the blonde's predicament. Eugeo's eyes were closed and he appeared to be in some sort of paralysis state locked within his own ice. She was so distraught she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Did you do this in retribution for what happened to Alice all those years ago? Did you find closure in creating a massive tomb filled with innocents all because she was taken wrongfully? This was our home."
"Stop yelling already." Fizel grumbled as she made her way over to Selka. "Your voice is making my ears bleed."
"You three?" Selka jumped in alarm as Renly, Fizel, and Linel appeared beside her. "Are you behind this?"
"That was our mission." Linel tossed a dagger into the air. "Although, Eugeo was supposed to kill everyone. Now, somebody knows what really happened here." She threw her dagger near Selka's feet. "We should correct Eugeo's mistake."
"Wait, Linel." Renly placed his hand in front of the overzealous girl. "We got what we came for." He placed a large bag filled with many containers on the ground before Selka.
"Is that…" Selka eyed the bag warily.
"Your village's sacred power? Yes, all bottled up for Administrator's purpose."
"Administrator is dead." Selka countered.
"Of course you'd think that." Fizel jumped in. "Ignorant people like you and your town were the perfect target for our Lady Pontifex. You see with Rulid being so far from everything, it'll take days or even weeks for anyone to discover what happened here."
"People will find out." Selka mustered up some courage. "And when they do, you'll pay for what you did."
"Ooooo…." Linel mocked. "Little girlie here is trying to scare us." She quickly grabbed onto Selka's right arm and twisted it behind her back.
"AHHHHHHH!" Selka screamed out in agony as she felt her bones break.
"So what do we do with her? Should we just kill her? After all, she was raped and then discovered everyone in her village has been wiped out. Maybe she wants to die."
"No, this girl knows Eugeo." Renly pinched Selka's chin between his fingers. "Perhaps she can be used somehow."
"Ummm…how are we supposed to get Eugeo back to the Administrator?" Fizel was attempting to pull the blonde from his rooted spot. "He's stuck here. Not to mention, I can't even hold onto him for that long. He feels like negative twenty degrees."
"ROOOAAARRR!" The howl of a dragon echoed in their ears.
"Deusolbert!" Fizel and Linel cheered in unison while gazing up at the incoming dragon.
"Well, this certainly is convenient." Renly swung the bag onto his back. "Guess he'll solve the frozen Eugeo problem."
The dragon landed gracefully; its mature rider wearing red Integrity Knight armor. The sides of his hair were braided into a ponytail. "Lady Pontifex told me this would happen." He raised his bow and instantly set an arrow aflame. Deusolbert then pointed it at Eugeo. The arrow embedded itself into the thin sheet of ice, melting it instantly. Eugeo crumbled to the ground unconscious; he was burnt but nothing too serious thanks to the protection of the Blue Rose Sword.
"Eugeo!" Selka cried out.
"Everyone gather on my dragon. He's been decked out for numerous riders. I'll take care of Eugeo." Deusolbert stepped down from the magnificent beast and walked over to the blonde. He then picked up Eugeo bridal style. "We need to leave immediately. I assume everything is done here."
"Yes." Renly replied while fastening the bag of sacred power to the side of the dragon. "Everything ran smoothly, well, except for Eugeo there. We even got a little bonus." He gestured to Selka. "She knows him."
"Then bring her. Administrator is waiting." They all headed back to the Capitol.
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"Hope you enjoy your stay." Renly pushed Selka into a small, gloomy cell. "But don't get too comfortable. I'm sure Lady Pontifex will want to talk with you soon." He slammed the door shut and twisted a key into the padlock. Selka could only stare as she held her broken arm. "So scary." He mocked before he left her in darkness, alone or so she thought.
"I'm sorry they treated you like that." A female voice spoke from outside Selka's cell. The girl was wearing an oversized cloak, carried a sword at her hip and held a lantern in one hand and a bundle of clothes in the other. "Here, take this. You don't want to be stuck wearing a blanket." She tossed what turned out to be a simple dress and shoes into the cell. "You're probably confused about what's going on."
"I know exactly what's going on." Selka rebutted as she quickly donned the clothes. "You knights have turned against the Human Realm."
"Do you believe it to be saved?"
"Of course I do." Selka countered. "Now, stop being so secretive. I hate not knowing who I'm talking to."
The mysterious girl lowered her hood. "I'm Tiese."
"I've heard your name before. You're Eugeo's page."
"Was." Tiese corrected in a bitter tone. "These days, I'm promised more."
"What are you talking about? What do you mean by that?"
"No questions." She leaned against the iron bars of the cell. "I know you ran into Eugeo earlier. Surprised to see him alive? Did he recognize you?"
Selka thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I'm not sure how to answer that. He seemed like two different people each time I ran into him."
"You saw him more than once?" Tiese's eyes widened.
"Yes. The first time was when he killed the man who raped me. The second, although he didn't actually see me, he was frozen after using his enhance armament to turn my village into an icy wonderland."
"Did I make him do that?" Tiese thought to herself. "Were the memories I changed the cause for all that death? Surely hating Alice wouldn't have provoked him to kill everyone?"
"You know what the worst part is, Rulid will be forgotten and no one will care. We were such a small village…why did that have to happen?" She angrily placed her hand on top of her injured arm. "System Call, Healing Element." She hurriedly bit out.
"What happened to your arm?"
"One of your fellow Knights thought it'd be fun to break it."
"I'm not an Integrity Knight." Tiese softly spoke.
"If you aren't one of them then why are you here?"
"Because I'm promised Eugeo, that's why."
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A soothing hum stirred Eugeo awake but he didn't yet open his eyes; for he was enjoying the warmth of a bed and the soothing strokes of someone caressing his hair. He didn't remember much of what happened at Rulid but he did recall the young girl's voice. "Did you find closure in creating a massive tomb filled with innocents all because she was taken wrongfully? This was our home." He furrowed his brow as he felt tremendous pressure from his forehead.
"Relax, my dear Eugeo." Administrator cooed in a sweet voice as she gently pushed the Piety Module back into place but not before she noticed how the module had changed slightly in color. "Hmmmm…"
"Lady Pontifex?" Eugeo's eyes popped open; all recent thoughts fading away. His emerald eyes locked onto the Administrator lying beside him. Startled, Eugeo scrambled up and took in his surroundings. Golden pillars marked the found corners of the enormous bed. Each one supporting dark pink, velvet curtains which allowed for privacy from the rest of the room. Thin sheets the color of lilac covered the soft mattress and thin pillows sat at the top of the bed. He was mainly dressed; the only difference was that he was sporting a white undershirt instead of his usual blue armory top. "Why am I here?"
"Deusolbert brought you as I requested." She stretched her arms above her head and then sat up; allowing the blonde a good look at her naked body. "Renly gave me an account of what happened at Rulid. Although I am impressed; there's still a big problem we have to solve." The Pontifex sidled up next to him, placed her hands onto his wrists; her thumbs rubbing small circles along them. "Any ideas on what that could be?" Her lips lingered near his mouth.
"I can't think of anything." Eugeo's voice was barely above a whisper as his gaze focused on the Pontifex's mouth. Seconds later, his lips were on hers sealing them together with a fierce and frenzied kiss. His hands went to her cheeks; his kisses traveling from her tempting mouth to along her neck and collarbone. The Pontifex leaned her head back; happy to allow Eugeo to do as he pleased. After a few moments, Administrator pulled him down on top of her; their mouths joined once more as Administrator's back landed on the bed. She then shifted into a more comfortable horizontal position beneath Eugeo; her hands grasping at his shoulders to pull him closer. Finally, they broke apart, their lips swollen, their breathing ragged. Silence floated between them as they stared at one another.
"You have the most mesmerizing green eyes." Administrator cupped his cheek. "But yet, there's a sadness to them. A sadness so deep inside you that my love can't seem to penetrate."
"I disappoint you." Eugeo responded softly.
"No, as your lady, it is my responsibility to make sure nothing interferes with your obligations as my Knight. My love just needs to be given more fiercely and then that feeling will go away."
"…"
"The people of Rulid will make an excellent weapon…" the Pontifex began. "…and because of you and your Blue Rose Sword, that dream will become reality much sooner that I planned. And so, as a reward, you've earned my permissions to put your mouth on my breasts." Eugeo paled; uncertainty reflected on his face. "Silly boy, you kiss my mouth quite well, this should be no different." He still hesitated. "This isn't something I give out easily, so I suggest you get over your embarrassment rather quickly."
Drawing in a deep breath, Eugeo closed his eyes and then slowly kissed the top swell of each breast before continuing to explore the rest of both soft mounds. A moan escaped the Pontifex's lips as she ran her hands through his flaxen locks. "Mmmm…" Administrator shivered in delight as she felt his lips close around a nipple. "Apparently swordplay isn't the only thing you pick up quickly." She arched her back; enjoying this intimate time with her newest knight. A few moments later, she felt Eugeo's hand sliding down her flat stomach; moving farther down. "Not this time." She warned. "You don't deserve that privilege yet." She shoved his hand away. "Perhaps this is a good time to stop and continue our previous conversation."
"I'm sorry, Lady Pontifex." Eugeo's eyes reflected sadness. "I didn't mean to overstep any boundaries."
"Well, you did," Administrator ran her knuckles along his round face before pulling him back up so they were facing each other once more. "However, you weren't made aware of what's acceptable, so I can't fault you too much. Now we need to discuss your sword arts."
"My sword arts? What about them displeases you?"
"I can't have you freezing up after using your enhance armament. You were lucky that Deusolbert was available to free you. It won't always be like that."
"I need to obtain perfect weapon control."
"That is true; however, that won't fix the problem." Administrator played with the fluffs by his ears. "You need a way to disconnect from your ice." Her hands snaked under his arms and stared the rub small circles around his shoulder blades.
"But the ice stems from my Blue Rose Sword. If I let go of it, the arts won't work."
The problem isn't casting your arts. It's how your sword captures you in the process."
"I don't know how to avoid that."
"The answer is wings, silly boy." She smiled playfully.
"Wings?" Eugeo scoffed at the idea as he moved off the Pontifex. "I already have elf ears, now you want me to have wings? The other knights are going to notice."
"Let me worry about them." Administrator pushed herself up. "Kirito had wings, it only makes sense that you do too."
"Kirito?" Eugeo tested out his once best friend's name. "Isn't he the one I'm supposed to fight?"
"Eventually."
"How do you even propose I get wings? What will they even look like?"
"We can thank Kirito for the answers to those questions." She wrapped her arms around Eugeo; pulling the blonde's back against her chest. "You see, everything that boy has done has been recorded on the laptop found in my tower. It's all very intriguing." She planted a kiss on the back of his neck. "You'll look magnificent with wings and when they become second nature to you, you will complete your next task."
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"Promised Eugeo?" Selka raised a brow. "You talk as if he's something to gain."
"He is," Tiese smirked. "Especially now that he hates Alice. There's room for me."
"He would never hate my sister." Selka stated with certainty. "You're not the person I would have envisioned as his page. Eugeo would have taught you to be kind."
"Being 'kind' doesn't get you things." Tiese gripped the bars, her knuckles turning white. "You have to be cunning to get what you want. Even if it means going against everything you've been taught."
Selka shook her head in disbelief. "If you believe that to be true, then Eugeo failed you as a mentor."
"…"
"Hate to break up your girl bonding here…" Renly suddenly appeared next to Tiese; his arm wrapped around her shoulder. "Lady Pontifex has need of the small pint."
"Whatever for?" Tiese clipped.
"Her arts, I think. For what, I have no idea." Renly moved his face closer to the ginger haired girl. "Rather odd being that Lady Pontifex is a master of the sacred arts."
"She's also the master of unfulfilled promises." Tiese muttered.
"Feeling jilted, are you? Well, if he doesn't work out…"
"Forget it!" She pushed him away.
"Your hair really does fit you," Renly laughed. "Feisty for sure."
"I don't know what you two are talking about but I am not helping that woman." Selka crossed her arms and stood her ground.
"Sure, you are." Renly opened the cell door and strode inside; his Twin Edged Blades at his sides. "Unless you want another broken arm."
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"Take off your shirt." The Pontifex demanded of her blonde knight. "It's time to make your wings a reality." Eugeo grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head. "Perfect." She was tempted to touch his slim, yet muscular back but decided against it. "As much as I enjoy having you in my bed, you'll eventually end up on your hands and knees for this."
"What? Why?" Eugeo wavered.
"Your wings will be rather large and they need space to extend. Plus, I'm sure blood will be involved."
"Blood?!"
"Don't look so concerned. I have a way to make sure you don't bleed too extensively." Her clothes returned as she pulled the golden cord to open the velvet curtains.
"Lady Pontifex," Renly shoved Selka into the bedchamber. "Here she is."
"I can walk, you know." Selka gritted through clenched teeth as she regained her composure. "I'm so tired of being treated like this." She looked up and saw Eugeo sitting with Administrator. Surprise was quickly replaced with awkwardness as her face turned a deep red. Her azure eyes roamed along the blonde's broad shoulders, across his ridged chest and down his toned stomach. Her mouth fell slightly open as she continued to stare agape at Eugeo.
"Tell me again, why you need small pint here?"
"Because, my dear Renly, as much as I hate to admit it, I need assistance." She reached for nightstand against her bed and picked up two glowing squares.
"I refuse to help you." Selka spat.
"Renly, please convince her." Administrator sighed. "I'm not in the mood for defiant little girls."
"With pleasure." He grabbed Selka by her braid; jolting her head back and then he raised one Twin Blade to her neck.
"Please don't kill me." She whimpered as she felt a painful nick upon her throat.
"Renly, let her up." Administrator commanded and he obeyed.
Selka reached for her neck; her fingers pulling back with droplets of blood on them. "What do I need to do to stay alive?" Her voice quivered.
"Use your sacred arts." Administrator kissed the curved of Eugeo's shoulder. "I want him to have as little scarring as possible."
"What are you talking about?" Selka looked between the Ponifex and the blonde. She was disappointed that Eugeo didn't seem very concerned about what was going on between her and the others.
"Renly, you can leave." Administrator waved him off.
"Lady Pontifex." He bowed and left the room.
"I hear you once saved his life."
"I did, with Kirito's help." Selka answered; hoping that dropping Kirito's name would trigger something. Sadly luck was not on her side.
"Even though, Eugeo is the cause of your villages' demise, I expect you to put that much effort into what I want for him." Administrator placed the two cubes on the bed next to Eugeo.
"I don't have a choice, now do I?"
"Oh, you do; however, if you choose the wrong one, you nor Eugeo will leave this room alive."
"I will do as you ask." Selka resigned.
"Good. Now Eugeo, on your hands and knees." Eugeo obediently did as he was asked while Administrator crutched down next to him. "You're to stay silent and still, do you understand?"
"Yes, Lady Pontifex."
"You have a name?" Administrator addressed the girl as she stood up.
"Selka. Selka Zuberg." She proudly answered; hoping that her own name might work. Again, no reaction.
"Well Selka, you're going to be part of something no one will ever forget." The Pontifex smiled evilly.
END CHAPTER 3
