Chapter 19: A Painful Resolution
"Get out of husband's body! You wretched bitch!" Sirius's flaming chain tore through Capella who was in the form of Petelgeuse. The sickly form of the madman burned away as she switched forms once again into a rather handsome looking younger man.
"Wouldn't you prefer something cuter~? Something sweeter~? Something better than that rotting corpse you call a husband! Look at yourself! You're hideous! No-one would ever love you! You're nothing more than rotting remains! Barely even meat! An insect! A fly!" Capella's body began twisting as her flesh formed new flesh, a dragon's tail sprouting from her back and catching one of Sirius's chains from behind.
"Burn! Burn! DIE! DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE! WRAAATH!"
"Gahhahaha! Fool! This lovely lady is immortal! I can't die! Can't die! Can't die!"
Sirius's raging continued as her arms became fiery tornadoes ripping and tearing away at Capella endlessly. I watched helplessly at the battle before me. This. This was something I didn't expect. As someone who peers into the future, not being able to anticipate the next string of events is troublesome. The black ring of fire that surrounded the area continued to rage along with Sirius as she endlessly tore Capella to shreds only for her to reform anew. This fight was ultimately pointless. This was something I determined towards the beginning as soon as I realized that no matter how much Sirius fought her she couldn't win. The best she could hope for was a stalemate.
"Do you seriously care so much for that walking corpse? Then, for the rest of your short life, hold tightly and don't let go! Those bulging eyes! Those sunken in lips! That rotting meat meat meat! Because you're obsessed, you cling desperately to a man that'll never look at you? Die! Die! Go Die! Die right now!"
"Until the end of the end, until the very moment I become one with him, I'll seal these feelings inside me. I've already decided so. Yes, for the sake of Love! So, Die!"
"Just be quiet! Scum should just stay put and emanate the stench of trash! Pigs should just stay put and emanate the stench of an animal! You've never thought of it? Can you honestly say you've never thought of it once? Even a single second? What's the difference between that corpse and trash? What's the difference between that corpse and a pig? Tell me what the difference is! Tell me!"
Capella hurled out insult after insult which only served to stoke the wrath that raged passionately within Sirius. The two still engaged in their fiery duel. At this point remaining any further would be a danger to my life. I backed away from the scene to make my escape. I had already gotten what I came here for, any further involvement would be far too dangerous. Sirius already taught me that I'm no match for her. Since Capella is keeping up with her I am safe to assume I'd fail against Capella as well. However, I wouldn't count this as a defeat since I fulfilled the task laid out by my Gospel.
"Hey, meat. I can see you!"
A snake flew past my head and wrapped around my neck dragging me back to the fight. I kicked my legs as I tried to reach for my sword at my waist, but trying was all I could do. I let my guard down once again. My head still ached from overuse of the Authority. Using it any further would have severe consequences.
"Ah, what a headache. I seem to have gotten a bit excited. How impolite of me. Kahahahaa!"
The raging fight between Sirius and Capella had taken a sudden halt. Sirius was still visibly fuming with anger as she held a small black book and flipped through it's pages with vigor.
"Looks like you're being dragged away, worm."
"Shut up, Capella. Why… why now? Just when I was about to affirm that Love existed in this place. Ruined it. Ruined it. Ruined. Ruined ruined ruined ruined ruinedruinedruinedruined."
The snake that was Capella's arm which was wrapped around my neck flung me between the two lunatics, the wind leaving my lungs as I struck the ground. Rolling over I was on my hands and knees with Sirius on my left and Capella on my right. Sirius looked at me with rage in her eyes while Capella had a wide smile on her face. Before I knew it I felt an intense stinging sensation in my left arm. The sound of a chain tickled my eardrums. My weight fell out under me as I collapsed back to the ground.
From the corner of my right eye I could see the bandaged figure of Sirius walking away from the scene. I looked down at my arm to see the source of the pain that began to spread up my arm. My forearm was gone. My entire arm was severed from my forearm down. Sirius must have whipped her chain down as a send off.
"Ahh… Ahhh… AHHHH!"
As the realization dawned on me the pain increased tenfold. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. Blood pooled out from the stump that was left behind. The heat was leaving my small body. I was going to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I'm not finished yet. It can't end like this.
"Oh my~, my, aren't you about to die~? Watching the agony of this piece of meat is in… this is particularly distressing for my compassionate self who feels for others."
"Urghh… Uhhhh… Ahhhh..."
Gripping my stump tightly I gulped down as much air as I could. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. I'm dying. I'm dying. I'm going to die. Capella's form bent down next to me as I laid writhing in pain on the ground. She glanced at my face smiling as she stretched her hand to my wound.
"I wonder what kind of ugly meat you will become~?"
Capella stretched her hand to my stump, as her other hand turned into a blade, she cut into her hand that was caressing my wound. Bit by bit, her blood flowed into the stump. Red blending with black, the two blood's blending with each other, forming a disgusting scene.
"-!? Hah, ah aahhh AHHH AHHHH AHHHHHHH!"
"This lovely lady's blood is quite different from common blood. Mine is mixed with dragon's blood, which contains a great curse~. I wonder how much longer you'll last."
Capella hummed happily, but replying wasn't an option. My entire body felt dead, even the tremendous pain I felt had dulled. The blood plunged itself into my wound and ravaged my body. A great sense of violation overtook my mind. A foreign body with self awareness had entered my body, a fear much greater than any pain ravished me, as if attempting to completely rewrite me and merge with me.
"Gahahahaha! Well, then~ my work here is finished. Well it's about time that-"
Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! I chanted in my head as the substance commanded a defiant refusal. I watched Capella's form sprout wings as she flew away from the battlefield. Leaving me to a rather painful resolution to this battle of Archbishops.
In a dark void there was a distant echo. Unfamiliar voices. Or did I actually recognize them? Were they men? Women? Children? Did they come from above or below? I couldn't tell at all.
"..."
A sad voice. A distressed voice filled with worry. Sound. Sound. Such a loud waterfall of sound. My identity being swept away into the raging waterfall. Head, shoulder, arms, knees, toes, legs, and fingers. Melting, melding, mixing, churning, blending together. All that was perceivable was this unending darkness. That dark haze disintegrating my body, unable to resist. Pain. Unbearable pain.
Then a voice…
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. ...Not you. ...Not the one. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
A shadow cried out words of apology. Did they have meaning? Did they even exist? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? I don't understand. I don't get it. Why? Why? What is this?
Is this death?
Upon asking the question that screamed finality a flicker of light entered my eyes.
"My Lady!" A pair of arms wrapped around me as my eyelids fluttered open. The bright light in the room burned my irises. A few moments passed and the burning faded away. My eyes that are now able to comprehend the scene around me found myself in an unfamiliar room.
There was a white cloth that created makeshift walls around me and a stone ceiling I've never seen before. I noticed the soft sensation below me. Above my head I saw two people overlooking me. One with emerald eyes and brilliant purple hair the other wavy black hair and blue eyes. They were Prylla and Ireyne both with worried expressions on their faces. I tried to sit up only to be pushed back down by Ireyne. My body ached terribly like my entire immune system was thrown on overdrive and then some.
"Where am I?"
"This is the hospital in the city. A boy told us you were in danger and ran off." Prylla explained.
"Ahhh… That was the one. He was the reason we're here."
"Don't worry about it." Ireyne rubbed the top of my head.
"The other Archbi-"
"SHH!" Prylla shushed me quickly and put a hand over my mouth before I could continue speaking. This obviously wasn't a place where I could speak openly.
"Mhmm." Prylla removed her hand from my mouth.
"I lost my arm. She cut it off. I- I- I..." The memories of what happened started rushing through my head as I started to tremble a little.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"This is a joke right?"
"Wrath did it, she cut off my left arm."
"Your arm's… I wouldn't say it's fine, but it's definitely still there."
I went to move my left arm expecting nothing to happen, however, raising it upwards from underneath the blanket that covered me I was met with a grim sight. It shouldn't be there. Why was it there? My forearm was completely intact. That wasn't to say it was in perfect health, but I still had the limb. The arm was covered in sickly black veins that ran up my arm past where Sirius chopped it off.
"Huh? How? Wh-"
"Oh, she's awake?"
A man entered the small makeshift room. Presumably the doctor.
"Yes, she woke up a few moments ago."
"You sure are a tough one. You'd been out for three days."
"Three days?"
"Yeah, I seriously thought you weren't going to make it. The healing magic did nothing and since it's not a traditional injury there's really nothing we could do. You're lucky that this young lady here managed to commission a healer from the Crystal Palace. Healers are very rare, especially in Vollachia."
"I hope you don't mind, but I did use up all of our funds." Prylla looked away nervously.
"Hah-" I let out a sigh as I let my head fall back into the bed.
"If you wouldn't mind, miss. I'd like to ask a few questions about your injury and the events at the circus."
I nodded in response.
"Firstly, what happened at that circus?"
"The Sin Archbishops of Lust and Wrath attacked it." At my response the man's face visibly froze as if I said something I shouldn't have.
"The… Witch Cult? Here? Did you see where they went?"
"No." A flat rebuke.
"Hah- Next question, what happened to your arm?"
"Wrath chopped it off and Lust dripped her blood in the wound. Saying something about it containing a curse."
The man had a complicated expression as he seemed to ponder over my words.
"Blood? I've never heard of blood being cursed."
"She said her blood was mixed with dragon's blood."
That caused the man's body to stiffen for the second time.
"Dragon's blood? Ah… I really have no idea what to do, but if it's a curse then that at least explains why healing magic does nothing. The fact you've even woken up is a miracle."
"Can you tell me anything about curses involving blood?"
"No can do. I know nothing about those. I doubt there's anyone in Vollachia that can help with that. I've heard about Shamans up in Gusteko that use curses, but that's about it. They're a shameful way to fight and any true citizen of the Empire would never resort to it."
I further explained the incident that occurred while hiding any details that would implicate myself in the ordeal. The doctor thanked me and wished me a swift recovery before leaving.
"So, Gusteko. The only place I'd learn about curses is there, huh."
"I'd advise against it. Lust operates the Cathedral in Gusteko. You'd be walking into her domain." Prylla leaned down and took my right hand in hers.
"I'm going to die at this rate. I think it's obvious. Hah- if going to Gusteko might have some answers then I think it's worth a shot. The biggest concern that I have about it is not being able to make it in time."
"Maybe Margrave Mathers would know something? He's the most talented magician in the world. Surely he knows something about curses." Prylla had a pleading look in her eyes as she spoke.
"Well I guess making a pit stop wouldn't hurt, but why would he even see us? We're a bunch of strangers. There's no way he'd even bother to speak with us."
"I think we can entice him using some of the artifacts in the Cathedral. There should be something in there that would interest him." Ireyne suggested.
"I'll send a letter ahead of our arrival too. I know someone affiliated with the Cult that can also get us access to winged dragons to speed up our trip."
"Alright I'll leave it to you…"