Chapter 34
The Dark Half
"You..." Rogue hissed.
Platina simply pointed a thumb towards herself. "Me."
"Platina!" Beth and Arania exclaimed together.
"Silver girl," Gajeel growled, making a fist. His defeat by her hands was still fresh in his mind.
"Platina?" Glacia uttered uncertainly, having no clue who the woman was.
"Wait a sec..." Arania shook. "You mean we had a shot at winning...and Platina gave it up?"
Risley sweated. "At the time, we had no idea she would do this."
"No way you're alive!" Yaeger yelled. He pointed to Avian, who stood supported by Mizuno. "He cut you up!"
"Hm..." Avian looked at Platina before nodding in recognition. "Yes, I did."
"Ah..." Platina's hands flexed. "Let's just say I stitched myself back up."
"No kidding," Risley and Arania muttered.
"Und yet...there are vounds that cannot heal as easily," the silver witch admitted sadly, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her shorts. "Vun can only hope to soothe them...even ven it is clear they vill never heal. Your guild especially, nein, little pup?"
"Now you see how much we suffered, Gaci? What that little brat behind you did to our guild? You realize all that but you're still defending her?"
Platina's ears twitched. "Yes...not even I can deny the actions ve as a whole committed." Many heads turned at Platina's words, not fully comprehending their meaning behind them. The dark-haired woman lifted her head, light blue eyes glinting dangerously. "But I can prove our actions as a whole void. Vat you refuse to accept is that our actions vere not our own."
"You weren't there last year," Yaeger growled. "There's no way that girl's innocent of murder."
"Oh?" A snide smile crossed the silver witch's features as she withdrew her right hand from her pocket, a small blue orb in her grasp. "Vat is zis, then?"
Many people shielded their eyes from the blinding radiance in Platina's hand. The few that chose to look on saw the blue egg-shaped crystal sitting in the palm of her hand. Sasori, particularly, reached into his pocket, where he had the crystal. Lo and behold, it was gone.
"Man, the girl's sly," Jigumo whistled appreciatively while supporting his brother and master.
"Vun pure Dragon Lacrima," Platina stated. "Crystallized magic taken from a single girl, including ze malevolent force that vas called ze Dragon Queen. Vould you still condemn a defenseless child for actions that vere not committed of our free vill?"
"Und you, Herr Cheney." Platina inclined her head towards the Dragon Slayer. "Vat vas that? After ze pathetic vay you lost, how can you even hold your head up? How dare you assume zat you are more deserving of mein Imperial Highness?"
"And where do you get off," Rogue retorted, pulling away from Sting, who helped him stand, "deserving to fight the victor when you threw the game?"
The silver witch shrugged, her usual sneer painted to perfection. "In all honesty, Herr Cheney, ven it comes to Glacia, I don't approve of you."
"Rogue, heel!" Sting used every last ounce of power he had left to hold back his shadow counterpart from ripping apart the dark woman. Honestly, when did he get worked up so easily?
"Platina, stop!" Meanwhile, Glacia attempted to do the same with Platina, albeit pathetically. She looked like a little kid tugging on the arm of an adult. Platina rounded on Glacia, who flinched under the harsh glare of the woman.
Finally, Platina brushed Glacia away like a fly. "Fine, little vun." She strutted away, annoyance radiating from her sinister figure. Glacia bowed her head in shame, knowing it was because she was a shell of her former self now. After all, what right did she have to command a mage when she herself no longer wielded magic?
The ground near her left exploded, making everyone flinch. Glacia looked behind herself and found the culprit.
"Never..." Minerva had her arm extended towards the space where Glacia stood, hand glowing in preparation of her next spell while her face distorted with a deranged expression. "Never again...I will not have the name of Sabertooth sullied...by the likes of you!"
"Milady, stop!" Sting shouted.
"How is it that a little squeak like you...could wrap two of our mages—one who is now a traitor—around your finger?"
Platina spun around in time to see the spell leave Minerva's hand. Kicking her feet off the ground, Platina sped towards Glacia, who was too shocked to move. The silver witch grabbed the former Dragon Slayer just as the spell made its mark.
"No!" Beth screamed.
The smoke cleared away, but Platina and Glacia were nowhere in sight. Minerva smirked, lips curling with snide satisfaction. "Gone for good."
"Not. Quite," a voice said behind her. Minerva wheeled around, only to receive a backhand that struck her nose. A sickening crack resounded as the tigress flew from the impact, with Platina speeding after her in hot pursuit. Glacia sat where Platina had set her down: next to Kagura, supported by Millianna.
"No way!" Lector exclaimed, shaking in fear of Platina as the woman continued her onslaught on Minerva. "How did she survive that?"
"How?" Frosch repeated.
Minerva sent another spell at Platina, but the moment it hit her, the magic dispelled. "Why aren't you affected by my magic?"
"Sie idiotischen Frau!" Platina mocked in another language at the same time that she kicked Minerva in the ribs. Once more, the song of bones breaking resounded while the tigress hit the arena wall. "Did you really think I vould come to the games vithout my favorite outfit—lined vith Maginium?"
"Maginium?" Orga questioned.
"If I remember correctly, it's a highly magic-resistant alloy," Rufus said.
"Stop, please!" Glacia couldn't sit still any longer. Running towards the silver witch, she grabbed her arm, hoping to drag her back. But that same arm bent and elbowed Glacia away roughly, tossing her to the ground. Glacia landed on her left elbow: a sharp flare of pain shot through her entire arm before it faded, leaving it completely numb. She tried to move her left arm, but it wouldn't respond.
"Pathetic. It makes me embarrassed to be the other half of your soul."
"Wait—what?" Glacia asked, lifting herself up with her remaining working arm. "My what?"
"Did she just say half of a soul?" Vóreia asked.
Platina's eyes flashed as she looked back at Glacia, malice making those blue eyes glitter. Now that she looked closer, Glacia saw that they were the same shade as hers. "Yes, mein little dummkopf, your soul. My body vas vunce the vessel to hold your soul. Und ven Sasori tried to put you back in your corpse, you refused to leave the vessel. Your soul split: you vent back to the living vithout your memories but vith magic vile I stayed behind, possessing your memories und able to live vith nothing more than the disgust you had for zis welt! Yes, little vun: I vas the spine that gave you the ability to fight back!"
"Und you, Frau Minerva!" Platina advanced on Minerva, who cowered against the wall.
"No, don't come closer!"
"There's a reason vhy they say pick on someone your own size!" the silver witch spat, nearly a meter away. "Silver-Make—"
"Stop it!" An arm wrapped around her waist tightly; Platina looked back to see Glacia's only remaining eye begging her tearfully to cease her assault. "Please...I'm begging you...stop it..."
"There he is!" Everyone looked in the direction of the nasally voice.
"Ah, great. Not him," Jigumo muttered as the snide baron strode into the arena, escorted by Rune Knights and members of the kingdom's army.
Baron Hubert pointed a finger at Sasori, whose scowl deepened as soon as he opened his mouth. "That's him! He's the master of Imperial Snow! He used Black Magic to resurrect the dead; he kidnapped all those people...and he sent his brother to rob me of my money! He even plotted to usurp the throne of Fiore!"
Sasori snorted scornfully as he reached into his pocket while the Rune Knights and soldiers marched forward to apprehend his guild. "You really think we'll stand here and take that kind of crap from you?" He pulled his hand out, holding a dog whistle which he blew into.
Instead of the high-pitched tone that Sting expected, an alarm-like tone sounded shortly. "Hey, what's happening to the Lacrima Vision?" Ooba yelled as all the floating screens blacked out before showing a different scene.
"What is that?" the voice of Baron Hubert said as the image focused. Finally, the Lacrima Vision displayed Sasori and Baron Hubert, with the former returning to face the other.
"You're a busy man, I'm a busy man. But I have enough sense to make a record of this. Aren't we here to negotiate?" Sasori asked the baron on the recording. "I call it insurance: if either one of us breaches the contract, it's rendered null and void. Simply put, I don't believe in those silly fairy tales where they all lived happily ever after."
~Recording~
"But you believe in resurrecting a child who deserves to remain dead. What would the Magic Council say about that?" Baron Hubert shot back.
Sasori leaned back in his chair. "And that's why you're here: you want us to bribe you so you keep your lips shut."
"Oh, no. Not a bribe: I like to call it political negotiations."
"Sorry to disappoint, but we're not handing over money," Sasori informed.
"What I came for isn't money. What I want is an entire kingdom." Baron Hubert reclined in his own chair. "To usurp the throne of Fiore from that foolish king, I want a Dragon Lacrima infused with the element of ice. And what better magic to overthrow the king with than magic removed from his murderess of a daughter?"
Sasori sat up, scrutinizing the noble. "You realize you're demanding a high price. Once her magic is removed and crystallized, she'll die after the process."
"What do I care?" the baron sneered. "So long as I have the power to command the country, the life of a single girl has no significance!"
"So you don't care what happens to Niebel, her little brother, who we brought his sister back for?"
"The little boy should be grateful he's allowed freedom! His records state that he was a slave! Once I'm king, I'll send that boy back to that diamond mine in Bosco where he was sold!"
"Not if I can help it." Sasori stood up, knocking his chair down in the process. "I don't approve of your intentions, especially what you mean to do to Niebel." He inclined his head, eyeing the baron coldly. "Niebel will remain free, just as he deserves. We'll give you the Dragon Lacrima all right, but you'll hand over ten million Jewels." The Scorpion King raised an eyebrow at the baron's reaction. "What, did you expect to get your greasy hands on one for free? No way: you'll pay for it just like everyone else. It shouldn't be too big for a rich fellow like yourself."
The soldiers and Rune Knights looked at Baron Hubert, who seethed in anger while glaring at Sasori.
The Scorpion King simply waved. "What can I say? My hand slipped?"
"Arrest him!" The soldiers apprehended Baron Hubert, who screamed profanities as he struggled to release himself.
Before the Rune Knights could apprehend Sasori and the Imperial Guardians, a wave of scorpions erupted from the sand. These scorpions had to be as long as his entire arm, which was too long for anyone's liking.
"What's with the giant bugs!" Sting yelled as he tried to shake one off.
Glacia squeaked in fear as she backed away from Platina after a scorpion crawled onto the silver witch's shoulder. As far as the eye could see, the arena was filled with scorpions crawling onto people. But before herself, the scorpions parted as if they were forming ranks, giving her a path to...Sasori.
Rogue and Dobengal, who was held up by Jura, kept a close eye on what was happening before them, along with Mermaid Heel and Niebel. What more did Sasori want?
"Sasori, come on!" Mizuno called as he and the other Guardians excluding Niebel exited the stadium. But Sasori just stood there, as if waiting for something. Or someone.
Glacia had no idea what possessed her, but her left foot stepped forward before it stopped. The former Dragon Slayer looked at her traitorous limb before meeting Sasori's eyes. The Scorpion King seemed surprised by her actions, as if he expected to step away.
A sly smile crossed his features as he turned on his heel, but not before he motioned for Glacia to follow with two fingers.
"Wait!" Glacia chased after Sasori, the scorpions closing off her chance to go back with each step she made towards the exit.