Silver Snow
Chapter 3: Worth
Kronya ran.
She ran as fast as she could, not daring to look back. Looking back would mean to face those ungodly eyes again.
During her stay in the monastery, while she still wore her disguise, Kronya's interactions with Professor Eisner had been severely limited. She had only really heard mention of him in passing, and not exchanged more than a few words with him at a time.
Each time, however, she had been forced to look into his eyes, and wished nothing more than to see them broken.
Eventually - less than a month ago - she had finally done so, pleased to know that she was responsible for their appearance. It had made her giddy inside; ready to erupt with bubbly laughter. Pain and torment were what she lived for, and inflicting them upon other, lesser beings was oh-so enticing.
Now, the mere thought of those emotionless eyes sent a shudder down her spine. They frightened her so much that she even lost her footing, failing to notice the thick root of a tree, and tumbled painfully to the ground.
Were it not for her training, Kronya would have landed in an unceremonious heap. Indeed, it was only her ingrained skill that had her twist and flip, landing on all fours before hurrying back to her feet.
Her heart was beating rapidly, almost painfully so, as though threatening to burst out of her chest. Her breathing was labored, despite the relatively short sprint – one that would have posed no challenge in any other occasion.
With no remaining options, Kronya could only raise her head, clutching a dagger tightly in her hand.
She instantly wished she had not done so.
The professor approached her slowly; his every step echoing with a clear purpose. She lifted her dagger higher in response, and noticed that her arm was trembling.
The realization that she was scared shook Kronya far more, and far deeper, than anything else ever had.
"But how?" she whispered. "How could I really lose… to a lowly creature like you?!"
The last few words escaped her lips in an incredulous, defeated tone. She was about to die at the hands of a primitive beast, utterly helpless to resist.
A primitive beast that did not even deign to face her with anger or hatred in his eyes. There was no glint of revenge, nor was there sadness. No pleasure at having a foe at his mercy. Even the previously cold and broken gaze was nowhere to be found.
It was as though she meant nothing to him, less than even a bug to be squashed beneath his boot, and it terrified her.
"Well…"
An old, deep and gravelly voice spoke, almost mockingly, from somewhere behind her. However, it was familiar, and Kronya felt her shoulders slump in relief.
"Solon!" she breathed gratefully, before noticing that the mage made no move to protect her.
"Don't just stand there!" she exclaimed. "I need your help!"
Solon chuckled, clearly amused at her predicament. The old man had not seen what she had seen. He did not know how it felt to meet the professor's eyes; to have his entire worth assessed in an instant, only to be found lacking.
"Oh, yes… You most certainly do."
Something prickled in the very back of Kronya's mind, and an entirely new unease welled up inside her. There was something ominous about the way Solon had uttered those words.
"Huh?" she managed to ask, turning slightly, only to find a fist lodged inside her chest.
The next few seconds became a blur; her entire world transformed into one of pain. The torture seemed to go on forever, when suddenly, a horrible, squelching sound coincided with Kronya's body hitting the cold, stone structure below.
And then, once more, she saw the eyes.
Eyes which stared straight through her, even as the person they belonged to struggled against the darkest of magics. Eyes which refused to acknowledge her existence, even in her final moments.
Ironically, it was only in her final moments that Kronya understood just how apt the professor's treatment of her truly was.
She was indeed nothing.
To her enemies, she was but a despicable monster; a piece of trash. To her allies, she was but a tool to be disposed of at the right moment. In life, she had been worthless, and in death, worth only slightly more.
It made Kronya rethink every supposed event in her life, and as those very scenes flashed before her eyes, she wondered just how many of them had been genuine.
"Please… help me…" she begged, using every last drop of energy she still possessed to reach out for the professor.
She did not want him to save her - not even now would she dare entertain such a futile notion.
All she wanted was for him to see her. To remember her. To know that she had finally repented. To help her feel worth something – anything.
But the eyes merely kept staring through her, and with a final, raspy breath, Kronya died, whisked away to a world of nothingness.
Never to be seen or heard from again.
