TheFallenHer0: She does. She's a good actor. And about the mistake...oopsie. You see, with many of the chapters of Cursed, I copy over dialogue from Elemental (it has to match, you know?), and change the tense. I guess I just didn't catch it while editing. Sorry 'bout that!
When a word looks like this, for the time being, it means that it's spoken in English. There's really only one word, but it's needed to work.
"When you sacrifice for someone else,
and you put them before yourself,
and you don't think about what you're giving up,
that's love."
—Matt Kennon
Chapter 5—(Chapter 56)
Selene was fighting Jerkward. She was struggling past where most would have given up, yanking on the person holding her, screaming in high, shrieking tones at them to let Klaus go, to let him leave. She cared more about Klaus getting away than she did her own self.
Philyra wondered what it'd be like to love someone so much that nothing but their safety and happiness mattered to you. Where they were more important to you that you were. In a way, she envied the girl despite the position she was currently in.
Selene, realizing the screaming was futile, stopped. "Please! Let him go!" She begged, her voice cracking, "He's done nothing wrong!"
"And why should I? He's broken into my house, immobilised several of my men, and destroyed a good deal of my possessions. I've had people executed for less." Jerkwad eyes kept scanning Selene's body. At this point, Philyra could tell it was with nothing more than lust, for power and for...dirtier things. "Give me a reason to let him go."
She hesitated and looked down. "I–I'll do…anything…" she whispered.
His eyebrows raised, and his lips curled into a smirk. "Anything, you say? So you'll agree to become my weapon?"
"NO!" Klaus roared, his struggling renewing, "Selene, don't! I promised your brothers—myself!—I'd get you out of here! It doesn't matter if I die! You must get out of here!"
She glanced at Klaus, on the brink of tears and biting her lip, "It does. It matters. I'm sorry, Klaus, but I can't let you die. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I'm sorry for being selfish, but I can't. Tell my family and friends that I love them all, will you?" She almost sounded like she had given up. She had given up.
Philyra was astounded, both at Selene's words and her break. So this is what it took to break the rebel, to tame the fire, to suffocate it into submission. Threaten someone she loved. No wonder Jerkwad killing her oldest brother had lured her out so easily. Philyra was jealous that someone could love so much. She wished that someone would love her that much, and teach her how to love like that.
Jerkwad flicked his hand in Klaus' direction, using his magic to prevent Klaus from speaking further. He then pulled Selene, his left arm wrapping itself around her waist, the other winding itself in her hair and yanking her head back. She gritted her teeth, trying not to cry out in pain. "I think I'll make him watch for a while. After all, he must be punished somehow. What better way then watching his beloved be taken before his eyes? For he must love you a great deal to work so hard to recover you. This'll be fun—especially when there's nothing he can do about it." The man's laugh was nothing but evil.
Klaus thrashed even more as the hand Jerkwad had in Selene's short hair yanked again. A single tear slide down Selene's cheek, her eyelids screwed shut and biting her lip so hard blood began to slowly drip from it, trailing down her chin from the side. Her fisted hands trembled.
She was scared.
And that terrified Philyra more than she originally realized.
Philyra watched as Klaus' face twisted in concentration,and watched as something flew out of his boot and towards Selene like an arrow. "Selene! Catch!" he cried, sounding like he was choking the words out.
Selene's eyes snapped open and widened as they saw the object—it was a wand. Selene's wand, Philyra guess, seeing as how it was metallic. But as soon Selene reached out for it, her hands were grabbed and the wand was caught by another hand.
He laughed, clutching Selene to him with one arm around her throat, making Selene flinch involuntarily as his breath was in her ear. "Clever, mortal. Real clever. But not clever enough, I'm afraid. I learned how to sense Cadeyrn's unique magical creations a while back." His ankle hooked with hers and the arm whose hand had been holding her hands released them and moved to where the hand of the arm around her neck was. She pulled at the arm that was choking her with what feeble strength she had left after her adrenaline ran out and so many weeks of mistreatment and abuse.
The way her held her wand was like he was going to…he was going to snap it. "I guess I'm just going to have to get rid of this, so it won't get in my way, won't I?" At this point, Selene's face was turning blue, her eyes bulging.
Then he snapped the wand.
A hot blast went through the room—so hot even Philyra in her hiding spot nearly passed out from it—making Jerkwad slam into the wall ten feet behind him, and knocking every other being in the room but on off their feet. A fiery tornado was rapidly spinning where Selene had and a roar far too loud and savage to be human literally shook the room, causing stone dust to flutter down from the ceiling.
A deep cackle rang through the room, making Philyra jump. It was terrifying, like some sort of monster. "Man, it's been a long time since I've had control! Nearly seventeen years! I'd thank you, Jerkwad, if I didn't absolutely loath you so much." The storm of fire dissipated, leaving something who looked like Selene, but covered in fine bronze scales, with hair and slitted serpentine eyes to match. Manacles that had once bound the wrists and ankles had melted to glowing puddles at it's feet. The voice was deeper than Selene's and the manner in which it stood could be likened unto a snake ready to strike. "Now I'll get to make you pay! How dare you put us through that?! You'll regret being born!" Fire began to burn along the creature, but it didn't seem to notice. "So I'm taking it you'll help, Celeste? Good. All the more fun, I say!" It flicked it's hand, flinging the elemental to the side with an invisible force. It began to toy with it's once-captor, flinging it around like a rag doll and taking slow steps toward the him, beginning shooting white hot flames in his direction, making him scream as they lightly brushed against any exposed limb.
Philyra stared, eyes wide, unable to move due to shock and fear. What was happening? What had happened to Selene?
The guards who had been holding Klaus scrambled up and rushed over, extending their hands. Air swirled around…Selene?…making the flames on it dim for a moment before they began growing stronger. It stopped its attacks on the man who had kept it prisoner and turned to face the men. "The little 'remove the oxygen, kill the flame' trick won't affect me. I'm not like the other fire types, fools. I've got wind too…do you know what the answers to that riddle were? My elements, wind and fire!" that laugh scared Philyra. It sounded too…cruel and angry to be Selene. Selene could never sound like that. She couldn't.
It flicked her hand at each guard, one by one, sending them flying, hitting the walls or floor, being knocked unconscious. It turned back to the man to had hurt her so. "Now, back to our little game!" It howled with bitter laughter, beginning again to shoot little streams of white-hot flames at the now-screaming elemental.
"Stop!" cried Klaus, "Selene, stop! Don't lower yourself to his level!"
At the sound of her buddy's voice it lowered her hand and sighed, "You're right. She would be really annoyed if I killed someone. I'll settle for knocking him out." The voice was no longer so masculine, now sounding like a woman's weary tone. But still not Selene. Like an older Selene. She spun and slammed the heel of her right foot into the side of the elemental's skull, making his eyes roll back and knocking him out cold.
Her hair went rapidly from being bronze to seeming to be made of flames, gentle, flickering ones—the scales faded, leaving pale golden skin, with hints of rapidly fading bruises and quickly healing cuts where shackles once were, leaving hairline scars that were bright red. The flames of her hair calmed a bit as she turned around and began walking towards Klaus. She grabbed the two pieces of what was once a silvery wand with golden veins. Her expression completely different, the savage, sadistic look that had earlier twisted the features of the reptilian being it had been was gone, replaced with wise eyes that an unusually golden color. She looked worried, tired. Philyra was confused, and trying to work up the courage to move. The womanly creature knelt down by Klaus, and he eyed her warily. "Are you okay? You've no need to be scared of me." She whispers, looking down. "Angel is quiet, for now."
"You healed fast." He remarked, unsure of what to say, "And what about all the guards?"
"The elements always do. I guess you'll be wanting an explanation. I'll give it to you if you'll let me heal any injuries you have…as for the guards, they won't be waking up for a while. SP, that earl person, has already left to contact the Paladin. They'll be here before morning, long before Jerkwad and any of his minions awake. What parts of you are wounded?"
"Other than my ankle, only a few bumps and bruises. Nothing I can't fix." Klaus said.
She looked him in the eyes, "Not without a wand. Which you don't have. And which none of the people here use. Let me help. I'll only do it if you let me, though." She looked worried, her hair flickering weakly.
"Fine. But I'll hold you to your promise of an explanation."
She smiled ever so softly, "Of course." She pressed a finger to the tip of Klaus' nose, and every bruise and cut and his twisted ankle healed themselves. "There. I just sped up the natural healing process. That's what the pure healing magic of a true elemental form does naturally, but I'm able to let it filter into other creatures who aren't elementals, mostly humans."
"So you know you're only half human, then." He said, sounding unsure as she sat a few feet in front of him, curling her knees into her chest. Klaus knew she was only half-human? Philyra thought. How does he know that?
"I do. Selene's the one who didn't until recently. She didn't know I was sealed in her, or that Angel was. She guessed at my presence, but Angel was buried a bit too deep to ever show himself. He's sleeping now. He's as tired as the rest of us. That fire storm was a huge burst of energy that had been pent up from being confined by those restraints, and most of the magical energy we had is used up. Do you know about how elementals have three forms then?" They do? That was news to Philyra.
He nodded, "Yeah, the human, the element, and the animal. I'm guessing you're the element, from your hair?"
She nodded, confirming his answer. "Since I'm half human, I don't completely transform, but retain some sort of human form. I'm the elemental, while the Selene you know is the human, and she's the one usually in control. Angel, what you saw when the wand was snapped, was the animal side. He's a dragon of sorts."
"Then are you still Selene when you're like this?"
"Well…how do I put this…there are two different sides to a coin, correct? Let's put it this way. Each side has a different picture, right? It's still the same coin, whether one side be face up or the other. I'm like that. I'm the tails to the heads of the girl you've grown to know. It's like…she's Selene and I'm Celeste. It's still our name, but they're different parts of our name. Just call me Celeste if it makes it easier. I am literally the more fiery one of us." Her weak attempt at a joke made Klaus smile ever so slightly. Philyra just shook her head, this isn't the time to be cracking jokes. Or maybe it was the perfect time. "Angel, though, is a bit different. He's almost like a protector—a 'Guardian Angel' or sorts, which is why I gave him that name. He's like the hidden edge of the coin. And just as difficult. Our father, whoever he was, knew that for half human elementals the elemental and animal sides can be overpowering. A halfling of our sort isn't as...as smoothly combined as a full elemental. Instead of the three forms being seamlessly melded together as one consciousness, they are three separate consciousness that share the same existence. The reason for this is in the fact that we are half human—in a full elemental, each side is equal, in a human halfling, they are not. Humans tend to be stubborn that way."
"I was told by Sienna—she's a fire fairy who's been watching over you for the past few months on orders from your father, and she and Blayze helped me get here—that you can't be resealed unless you consent this time. Are you going to?" He asked. He wanted to move closer to her, but he didn't know if that was wise.
"No." She responded gently. "But I will cooperate with her. It's better if we coexist. It'll make it easier for the both of us. If I was entirely fire, I'd probably refuse out of sheer stubbornness. But I'm tempered with wind, so I'm a bit more reasonable. I don't want to be resealed, but I don't want to cause trouble. Does this all make sense?" She bit her lip at the end of the last sentence. "Angel, though, will need to be sealed again. Until Selene and I can work to 'tame' him in a way. With the way he is, he's not what you consider safe in everyday life. He will seek to eliminate and destroy anything he perceives as a threat. Eventually we'll be able to make him understand what is and isn't a real threat—he works off more of instinct than anything, being more animalistic in mindset."
"Then she'll be different than she was before?" Klaus asked, not meeting her eyes.
How could she not be different than she was before? Philyra wanted to tell him. How could she not be changed, at least in her mind?