Crimson Twilight: Dusk

Chapter 30: Light

"Nothing…" Silmeia mumbled quietly. The word was drowned out by the sounds of the cathedral burning and collapsing. The double doors of the cathedral came crashing down in a shower of cinders; narrowly missing a pair of knights who were helping some of the surviving priests out of building. Several wizard divisions had been dispatched to control the fire and the quiet Pronteran night had changed into a frantic predawn.

The soldiers of Prontera, knowing that they faced battle the following day, moved quickly and efficiently. They didn't talk among themselves while they put out fires, helped the wounded or carried away the dead. No one wanted the reality to set in yet. No one wanted to think about the terrible loss of the cathedral and everything it meant.

Despite the constant crackle of fires, the crashes of falling rubble and the urgent shouts from the soldiers, Agranias heard the priestess nonetheless. Thinking that she was starting to stir after being knocked out by the strange explosion of red lightning; he set her down gently. She wasn't waking up though. She was mumbling in her unconsciousness. Her eyelids were moving and Agranias wondered if the Dark Lord had trapped her in some sort of nightmare. He knew what the former Grand High Priest of Glastheim was capable of. Abraxil Sovivor could lay waste to an entire city with great combinations of unholy spells or he could focus on just one person and meticulously squeeze out every ounce of suffering.

No one else had noticed Silmeia's condition yet. Around them, several knight divisions rushed about trying to assist the wizard divisions in putting out the fire. Many of the priests who survived the Dark Lord's brutal attack on the Church were in a state of shock. Agranias watched the priest divisions sadly; half of the priests who attended the High Mass had been killed. Half of the remaining priests were in no condition to fight tomorrow or for a few days for that matter. He couldn't blame them. The power of the Dark Lord was overwhelming. In his attack, he had proved himself impervious to any attack the priests were capable. All by himself, Abraxil Sovivor proved that he could take on the Church and win.

Agranias returned his attention on Silmeia. She continued to murmur the same words over and over again. It was painful for him to watch her like this.

"All that sacrifice..."

Agranias clenched his fists. The Dark Lord's words had, somehow, wounded Silmeia deeply and those wounds were beginning to fester. 'No, the wounds were there for a long time already.' He realized. 'Abraxil simply reminded her of how painful they really were.' Agranias continued to stare at Silmeia silently. He wondered why the Dark Lord seemed to target her specifically. She was not the highest-ranked priestess in the Church. The Council of Cardinals was easily defeated but it seemed as if that wasn't even the real purpose for Abraxil's sudden appearance.

Around them, Makaelthos and Eliarainne directed the efforts to prevent the fire from spreading.

"Nothing..."

Every time Agranias heard the priestess say that, he wanted to grasp her by the shoulders shake her to her senses. "That's not true!" He spoke quietly. "Look around you! How many of these people did you personally save? Look at me! Would I be here if it wasn't for you and your sister?" Agranias couldn't bring himself to look away or try to help the soldiers around him. He shook away the impulse to shake her violently or to splash some cold water on her. In a past lifetime, those were the only methods he would have taken to wake someone from unconsciousness. But what should he do? He had never, since the time of his creation, had to deal with people like this. His training excluded any human interaction save for learning how to end human life. Against a squad of elf hunters, Agranias could fight and win with ease. Faced with a single troubled person, he was completely lost. 'What can I do?' He asked himself helplessly.

Silmeia suddenly shifted and moaned slightly. At a loss and desperate, Agranias pulled her close and hugged her tightly. Part of him protested violently at the sudden, unthinking action but he ignored it; paying attention only to her softness and warmth as well as making sure that he didn't crush her against his armor.

It was then that Silmeia finally regained consciousness. She found herself in Agranias's arms and pressed against his chest. "A-Agranias!" She protested. "What are you-?"

Silmeia hesitated and then stopped herself mid-protest. The feeling of being hugged by Sir Agranias was different from the time Sir Gardzen had tried to embrace her. She had blasted the rude knight's face with a holy light spell, back then, before kicking him towards a warp portal to the Coal Mines she had opened behind him. After a grueling trek back to the city, Gardzen had arrived just in time for a trashing from Eliarainne.

For some strange reason, Agranias's arms were…not unwelcome. They felt comforting in fact. Despite the intensity of his embrace, she could feel his arms tense as he maintained control. She suddenly became aware that, if he wanted to, he could easily crush her in his arms. 'How difficult it must be, having to constantly hold yourself back for fear of destroying everything.' She thought. His hold seemed to dispel her self-loathing and helplessness. She instinctively leaned against his chest. His armor felt warm and she could feel his unwavering strength past it.

"Please come back."

Agranias's words carried plainly to Silmeia despite his voice's being less than a whisper. They tugged at her softly. There was something about the plea that stirred her to wakefulness. Silmeia's eyes widened in realization. For all his strength and armor, Agranias was vulnerable too. He needed protecting, just as he protected her. Silmeia looked up at Agranias's face. Sure enough, she saw deep concern in the knight's black irises; concern and fear.

"Please come back."

Silmeia rested her head against Agranias's chest while he began to stroke her hair gently. The feeling felt so reassuring that, for a brief moment, she wanted to forget that the cathedral would be ashes by sunrise. All she wanted was to stay like this for a while.

"I'm here." She told him. She could feel his arms relax in relief.

Makaelthos Solcry finally allowed himself to sit down on one of Prontera's stone benches and rest. The fire was under control at last but their losses were staggering. The Dark Lord's attack had crippled their priest divisions and, as soon as word got out, city morale would drop. 'All that in a single attack.' He thought. 'Is that the true capability of an immortal?'

He searched the place for his friend and companion, Silmeia Cafilence. He knew that she would probably be affected the most by this. When he found her, though, his worries about the priestess seemed to lessen and increase at the same time.

"Curse that floating, misbegotten pile of bones! Why did he have to attack!"

Makaelthos quickly recognized the familiar cursing behind him. "You had best reserve what energy you have for tomorrow, Eliarainne." He said. "That fire stands out in the night like a zenny-laden cart in Morroc. The orcs are bound to notice that everything's not alright in Prontera."

Eliarainne took a seat beside Makaelthos and watched the diminishing fire with him. "So much for sleep tonight." She replied. "It's like the Dark Lord is working with the orc tribes or something."

Makaelthos watched the cathedral in concern. "Perhaps. But I think the Dark Lord wanted to destroy the cathedral for another reason."

Eliarainne raised an eyebrow. She had seen Seihanine and Kreizen helping out in controlling the fire earlier. There was one other she was concerned with. "What about Silmeia?" She asked. "How's she handling it?"

Makaelthos looked at the priestess direction briefly. "See for yourself."

Eliarainne managed to find to the priestess quickly enough. She reddened slightly and stared at the two. "That's Sir Agranias, right?"

Makaelthos nodded. "It worries me somewhat."

Eliarainne turned to stare at her partner. "In what way?" She asked. "Agranias seems a good enough knight. He fought well this afternoon."

Makaelthos's eyes narrowed. "Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that we know next to nothing about him."

Eliarainne returned to watching the two.

"I think it's good for Silmeia. This is the first time I've seen her open up to anyone other than us."

Makaelthos shook his head. "That's what makes me so uneasy." He replied.

'With barely a push they fall into place.' The Dark Lord laughed silently as he stared at his handiwork from atop a building. "How foolish these mortals are! At the face of tragedy they cling to anything for help, even the edges of knives that had hurt them before!" The Dark Lord stared at Agranias. Thousands of years ago he would have known the abysmal knight captain as the perfect soldier of Glastheim; strong, unwavering, fearless and merciless. Right now, he was as pathetic as the rest of the human race. "That's right abysmal knight. Hold her tight; let your darkness swallow everything in her heart. Her loathing, her despair and…" The Dark Lord's voice dripped sarcasm. "…her love! All the more to bring my plans to fruition!"

The Dark Lord's eyes glimmered with amusement. If all goes well, his prize would be secure with the upcoming battles. As for the priestess… "For someone so gifted how easily you fall prey to your emotions!"

"Not as easily as you will fall…before me!"

The Dark Lord whirled about to see who had spoken. Before he could react, a bandaged fist smashed against his cheek. He crashed to the ground at the force of the blow. Indignantly he raised himself from the ground once more, his hands crackled with black lightning as he stared at the one who dared to attack him. "Osiris…" He sneered. "When was the last time you struck me like that?"

Osiris had landed in front of the Dark Lord. Red eyes gleamed from his cloak. "More than a thousand years, Abraxil." He answered. "You were an ugly and cowardly bastard back then; it looks like undeath only worsened both for you!"

The Dark Lord shook off Osiris' blow and unleashed a bolt of dark lightning at him. Osiris dashed to meet the lightning before dodging it. His foot lashed at the Dark Lord in a heel kick. The skeletal being floated back though and slammed a wave of invisible force against Osiris.

"You're a fine one to talk, Osiris!" The Dark Lord taunted back. "Centuries of undeath have apparently done nothing about your barbaric ways!"

Osiris rolled on the ground as soon as he flew from the Dark Lord's spell. He tumbled to his feet and positioned himself in a martial stance. The Dark Lord laughed and gestured; opening a large warp portal before him. Osiris was about to charge again when the hulking figure of Baphomet emerged from the portal.

The goat-demon howled with killing-lust and swung his massive scythe at the mummy. "It's about time you signaled, Dark Lord!" He bellowed. "I was beginning to think you were keeping all the carnage to yourself!"

Baphomet swung his scythe again; forcing Osiris to take several steps back. Suddenly, something crashed against the goat-demon; sending him tumbling to the ground. The doppelganger rolled away from Baphomet and raised his broad sword.

"I've got a bone to pick with you, you grass-chewing piece of hell-scum!" The doppelganger shouted. He was still smiling despite his threats.

Baphomet got on his feet and roared. The doppelganger merely smiled even wider and then charged at the demon. Meanwhile, Osiris lunged at the Dark Lord once again; his fists struck his opponent's skeletal figure while the Dark Lord's bolts of lightning seared his own undead flesh.

"Nothing ever happened in our battles before, Osiris!" The Dark Lord said. "What makes you think you can conclude this now?"

Osiris' eyes flashed furiously. "Your insanity destroyed the Glastheim and threatened to destroy Morroc, Abraxil!" He answered. "Tell me why I shouldn't try to end your miserable existence!"

The Dark Lord suddenly waved his arm, causing a wall of roaring flames to spring forth in front of him. He heard the horns sound from the walls of the city. "Do you hear that, Osiris?" He taunted. "The horns of war sound once more! The orc tribes will soon resume their attacks on this city!"

Osiris leaped above the flames and launched a flying kick at the Dark Lord.

"Leave the mortals to their concerns, Dark Lord; your fight is with me!"

Makaelthos heard the horns from the orc tribes' camp from his place near the center of Prontera. "They're going to attack again! Eliarainne!" He said.

Eliaraine nodded and immediately ran towards Bristle. She rode off to gather her division in an instant.

Makaelthos turned to find that both Agranias and Silmeia were getting ready as well. 'I hope it doesn't affect her performance in the war.' He thought. 'With half of our priests dead, we need her more than ever.' He rushed towards the south gate as well. As much as he didn't like to admit it, there were greater problems to be addressed besides the uncertain relationship between his priestess companion and the knight. 'I wish I could trust you, Agranias…although I don't seem to have much of a choice in the matter do I?' With that, he pushed all remaining thoughts about Agranias and Silmeia out of his mind. Now was the time to focus on battle.

The moment Agranias first heard the horns of battle. He immediately looked at the priestess's reaction. He realized that the last thing Silmeia needed was watching more of Prontera's army dying. It surprised him, though, to find her face resolute. The surprise wore off, though, and was replaced by relief. Silmeia had gained her composure. "Priestess, are you alright now?" He asked.

Silmeia found herself smiling at Agranias. "I'm a little better." She answered. "Thank you."

Agranias avoided the priestess's direct gaze as he took his arms off her. Once more, the guilt came to him. He knew that he could comfort her now because she didn't know who he really was. "I'm glad." He said. "We have to go now, priestess."

The priestess squeezed the Agranias's gauntleted hand before making her way to the remnants of her division.

"Please…call me Silmeia."

World Notes

The Coal Mines – the Coal Mines are the remains of an elven mine in Mt. Mjolnir. It used to be a great labyrinthine mine and an important resource for the elven capital of Yuno during the Age of Glastheim. During the Elven Extermination War, it was collapsed by Abraxil Sovivor, sealing a great portion of the place underground. Undead elven miners still haunt the lower sections of the place while Prontera has resumed some operations on the upper levels.