Current Residential Area:
Roswaal Manor
Total Loops:
3
Loops in the manor:
1
It had been over 50 years ago since the demi-human war had finally subsided. Well over a decade of pain, death and strife, finally coming to an end with Luginica reigning supreme. The war may have been center based in Luginica but the scar it left affected every country, regardless of their involvement. Be it peasant, noble, knight, farmer, warrior or king, it didn't matter what their status was. The lives of everyone across each nation was affected by it one way or another.
Of course, just like all rules, there were some exceptions. Some places like the Pleiades Watchtower or the Sanctuary were left completely unchanged by the machinations around them. A similar occurrence happened, or rather didn't happen, in the recluse areas of Gusteko. Across the naturally formed mountains that divided the Holy Kingdom from Luginica, Karagi, and the great waterfall, there was one place that was left completely untouched by the devastating war.
Upon the most northern peak lives a beast of much renown but just as much mystery. Said to have the authority to decide the holy king of each generation. Here resides the great spirit of water, Odglass to the common folk and Wol to those that knew her personally. The only people that have the authority to speak to her are members of the royal family and the protectors of the great spirit.
These protectors were known as the Valkine, the vanguard of Gusteko. A warrior race hailed as the first and last defense from foreign invaders. They are very rarely seen outside the Gusteko mountains but if somewhere were to see one, chances are they didn't live to tell the tale. Their common traits of shimmering gold eyes and giant white wings, makes them recognizable at a glance but a simple glance is already a death sentence under most circumstances. The only reason the common masses are even aware of them is due to the Holy Kingdom using their reputation as both a symbol of security and fear.
Little is known about their tribe except for the common 3 facts. 1 They are loyal only to the great spirit of water and by extension the royal family. 2 They are one of the most dangerous races known to man. And 3 they all disappeared 15 years ago.
This was common knowledge and accepted as fact across the world yet here one was, currently in the air, battling with the great spirit of yin.
"You are an annoying little bird in fact."
"..."
The great spirit smeared as she shot round after round of purple crystals towards the valkine. Rem wasted no time going back on the offensive. She jumped into the air, twirling her body as she attempted to slam her morning star into the winged assailant multiple times. This deadly combination of precise crystal artillery and unpredictable swings of metal would have ended any normal foe in a heartbeat. Unfortunately their opponent was anything but ordinary.
The man showed no visible emotion as he maneuvered flawlessly through the wind. The corridor wasn't cramped by any means but it was impressive that the lack of space didn't hinder the valkines movements. In fact the closer he got to the ceiling, the more of a blur he seemed. He darted back and forth in the air but showed no signs of slowing down or any hints of fatigue. The great spirit had more mana to last multiple lifetimes and the mad oni's relentlessness showed no signs of letting up, but even so the 2 spectators on the ground couldn't tell who would tap out first.
'This is nuts! Aside from Reinhard I don't think I've ever seen anyone move that fast, not even Em-san!'
While Subaru was looking in awe of what was essentially a scene straight out of an anime, Emilia's body went rigid. There was not a single doubt on who had ended her life now. If anyone was capable of decapitation within a split second, it would be this individual.
Emilia's eyes darted back and forth as she watched the scene unfold above her. Beatrice and the Valkine in the air, Rem jumping back and forth in an attempt to catch the winged assassin. Ram on the floor, breathing heavily and looking worse by the minute. Subaru on her right, just staring in awe. Emilia would chastate the boy for being so awestruck at such a crucial moment but now she had bigger things to worry about, getting him and Ram to safety being the first.
"Subaru enough gawking, we need to get you and Ram somewhere safe, follow me!"
"Huh? R-Right!"
Subaru snapped out of his trance and proceeded to run towards Ram, picking her up bridal style.
Emilia took a glance towards the 3 in the air and then towards the nearest door.
"Beatrice!"
The Half-elf yelled towards the great spirit in hopes of gaining her attention.
"I need you to connect your library to this door!"
Beatrice took a sharp look towards the Half-elf before immediately turning her attention back towards her opponent.
"Very bold of you to demand a great spirit to do your bidding! Unfortunately I'm quite busy at the moment"
This short loss of focus was all the valkine needed to immediately close the distance and go on the offensive. The man dived towards the great spirit while dodging the incoming crystals. His black wings began to glow with a golden aura as his body started to spiral like a drill, inches away from splitting the great spirit In two.
"Ektrè"
"!..."
Before the Valkine could make contact, a bright purple wave rippled around the great spirit. Gold and black Wings clashed against the purple barrier, causing winds of pressure to encircle the two. The man showed visible signs of struggle on his face meanwhile the great spirit showed no signs of fatigue. The bystanders couldn't help but watch in awe as bright colors swirled like a cyclone within the center of the collison, we'll all bystanders except for a certain maid.
The valkine was too focused on the opponent in front of him to notice the giant morning star coming his way. Luckily for him he was able to hear the rattle of chains before they made contact with his internal organs. He stopped his assault against Beatrice just fast enough to block the incoming attack with his still glowing wings. The collision caused sparks of metal and black feathers to spread across the area as the valkine crashed into the ground like a bullet. The shockwave from the impact caused the birds outside the mansion to fly away in a panic.
Before the dust could settle, Rem rushed into the dust filled collision in hopes of getting the jump on him. Meanwhile Beatrice extended her hand and focused on the door to the right of Emilia.
"There, now take the maid and leave I suppose."
Beatrice's demand was met with an immediate nod from Emilia and Subaru.
"Right!" The two said in unison.
Emilia wasted no time capitalizing on the time she was given. With Subaru carrying Ram, the 2 rushed to the door in hopes of gaining safety for the non combatants. With her hand on the door she yanked the door open revealing the enormous library. Under normal circumstances she would've taken a moment to marvel at its interior seeing as she's only seen it herself a handful of times, but right now the situation was anything but ordinary. She was careful in keeping the door from closing entirely. She knew the rules with the forbidden library. Once the door was closed there's no telling where they would be sent to.
Subaru rushed to the nearest bed and carefully laid Ram down. Her breath was haggard and heavy but it was still there. This was enough for Emilia to breathe a sigh of relief but Subaru was anything but relieved.
His hands were clenched to the point of leaving prints in his palms. His teeth grinded back and forth in frustration. His powerlessness in the situation made him want to pull his hair out. If only he had known about this beforehand, he could've asked Emilia to fix her before the curse even took effect. Or better yet, asked Roswaal to teach him how to dispel curses when he had the chance. If only he had seen this coming.
"Damnit she's getting worse by the minute! Em-san can you help her!?"
"No…but Roswaal can! Come, we need to go look for him!"
Emilia reached out for his hand once again but Subaru brushed her hand aside before she could grab ahold of him.
"He's not here! He said he had something to take care of. Said it would take a couple of days."
Emilia had the wind taken out of her sails upon hearing that. Roswaal was their best bet In fixing…well everything. From the curse to defending the mansion to finding the shaman. If anyone could solve all these problems it would be him yet he isn't here when he's needed most.
Subaru meanwhile, was panicking more and more as their options grew fewer by the minute. Between having almost died 3 days ago to seeing his newest companion on the verge of death and his friend almost dying on MULTIPLE occasions, the stress of the situation was beginning to rip and tear away at his rationality. What was even worse was the lack of awareness in all this. As if somehow everyone was ready for this sort of event EXCEPT for him, leading to him having no control of the situation whatsoever but could he even be blamed for this? One moment he's asleep in bed and the next he's fighting hooded assassins and a freaking birdman! How the hell do you even prepare for that!?
"W-What about Puck?! Let him remove the curse like he did with me!"
Emilia clenched her teeth in frustration. She was out of options now. She could help Beatrice and Rem defeat the valkine but Ram might expire in the meantime. It would be a different story if Subaru could supply her with mana to keep her stable but he's far too inexperienced to do it properly. There was only one option now. The Half-elf has never once had to resort to this. Not once did she think she would have to do something so drastic but alas there was simply no other way.
"Subaru, stand back for a moment."
Subaru was perplexed at her sudden request but did as instructed.
"*inhale exhale* Ok let's do this."
Emilia brought her hands to her chest and clutched the jewel with a firm but gentle grip. Once she closed her eyes the temperature in the room took a significant drop much to Subarus discomfort. The Half-elfs jewel began to spew out a bluish white light, glowing and growing like a river, covering her entire body. Once it fully enveloped her, her heartbeat started to become audible like a surround sound speaker, beating in synchronization with the glow emanating from her.
badump *badump *badump
It was slow and steady like a heavy drum, calming and relaxing to everyone present.
Subaru looked at her in awe. He had seen her in the midst of combat and was taken aback with how otherworldly she seemed. He'd seen her conversing with spirits on his first day in the mansion and was seemingly in a trance with how angelic she looked back then. These moments were grand and if Subaru was a lesser man, he would've taken her picture to savor the moment. But both of those moments paled in comparison to how she looked right now. Her body was glowing like a calm white torch. Bright and pulsating but gentle and calm at the same time.
Subaru was so mesmerized he unconsciously reached out his hand to touch her.
"Ghk-AH!"
Emilia gave a sharp wince and hunched over before Subaru could reach her. The cold glow around her started to become erratic along with her heartbeat.
badumpbadumpbadumpbadump
She clenched the jewel on her chest harder to the point of drawing blood. Her heartbeat grew faster and faster along with the glow emanating from her. She gave out slight gasps in pain from the overwhelming pressure.
"Em-san what's going o-ack!?"
Badumpbadumpbadumpbadump
Subaru tried to approach her in a panic to see what was wrong but he stopped midway to cover his ears from the ever increasing loudness.
The sound emanating from her was no longer a steady, slow rhythm, but an erratic and loud boom that echoed across the Library.
BADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMP
It kept growing louder and louder to the point werevSubaru was on the ground yelling in pain. His eyes were shut and he was kneeling over with his forearms to his ears, desperately trying to block out the piercing noise. His screams were blood curdling at this point but it was completely overshadowed by the ever increasing noise.
BADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMP
BADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMP
"MAKE IT STOOOOOAAAAA-!"
Then it stopped.
"-AAAHHHhhh?"
Subaru discontinued his screams of pain, slowly but surely opening his eyes to see the outcome of…whatever that was. His vision was blurry and his ears were ringing, all he could see was Emilia sitting on the ground next to him with her trembling hands holding something.
"Bea…cur…gerous…don't go!"
Words were melding together in the boy's head. He couldn't make heads or tales of what was being said. All he could tell was that there were two voices instead of one now. He slowly tried to get up but every attempt at it made his head throb more and more. He stopped struggling and decided to focus his senses before moving his body. This bore fruit as his vision finally regained clarity along with his hearing. The first thing he saw was long flowing silver hair and the next was a door being opened.
Slam
And then immediately closed.
It took Subaru only a couple of seconds to realize what had happened. Emilia had left…without him.
Rem's relentless assault was finally starting to slow after casting multiple huma attacks. The valkine capitalized on every mistake she made. A miss of her morning star equaled a kick to her stomach. A miss of her ice attacks equaled a sever of flesh from his deadly wings. Even with Beatrice's support, the end of the fight was drawing near with Rem being at an extreme disadvantage.
"*Huff *Huff *huuaaaahhh!"
The maid roared as she reached into her deepest reserves of mana. No longer caring about technique, precision or tactics, she focused every once of her will into catching and killing her opponent. Her teeth grinding in frustration like a crazed animal. Flailing her morning star in whatever direction she saw black.
"I'll KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"..."
The valkine gave her a slight look of disgust before parrying her mace and giving the maid a devastating axe kick, causing her to slam into the ground.
"Ghk!"
She winced in pain but only for a second. She immediately grabbed the handle of her morning star with her left hand and attempted to swing it towards hi-
"MOVE MAID!"
Beatrice's warning came too late. Before she could register what happened her hand was bitten by a dog looking mabeast.
"Hgk!"
The maid retaliated by shoving her hand deep into the beast's jaws and slamming it into the ground. Its skull gave a disgusting crunch as it bounced off the floor.
Before she could comprehend why a mabeast was present, a small chunk of debris fell on her alongside a massive amount of moonlight being exposed from the entrance of the mansion.
She stared at the corpse in her hand for a split second before looking up to see a dozen beasts coming out of the huge hole that used to house twin doors. Each mabeast looked identical to one another except one massive beast that dwarfed the others, presumably the one that created the giant hole in the mansion. It sat on its behind in front of the hole it created as if it was guarding the exit to keep no one from escaping. Its jaws moved ever so slightly, grinding the corpse of a little girl within its teeth. It made sickening sounds as teeths pushed back and forth between the girl's abdomen, guts and spine with her upper body being exposed and her lower body stuck in its mouth.
It was clear that the dog wasn't chewing the corpse out of necessity but out of enjoyment, essentially using the orange haired girl's body as a chew toy. This alone would be quite the disturbing sight but what was even more sickening was the individual riding on top of the dog's head. A little girl no older than 12, could be seen sitting criss-cross on the dog's head, whistling a hearty tune as if it were just any other day. Her blue hair was braided to the side and she wore a black gown with striped leggings to match. She carried a satchel that was slightly too big for her petite figure.
"Heeeeyyy Onee-san I finished my mission already! You don't mind if my buddies help you out right?"
"..."
The man gave no response aside from a nearly unnoticeable eyebrow raise.
"Jeez what's with the silent treatment? First you're worrying about me like you're my nanny and now you're giving me the cold shoulder? Whatever, let's just get this over with. Can't have mama waiting."
The little girl snapped her figures and suddenly all of the dogs rushed the maid at once.
"ARRRRHHH!"
The maid roared as she jumped high into the air before slamming her mace into the ground, killing a few beasts as well as completely changing the terrain of the corridor.
"AWOOOOO!"
Dust and rubble filled the air for a couple of moments before the giant mabeast gave an all encompassing howl, immediately dispersing the smoke and revealing the maid with her leg knee deep into a mabeasts chest. The little girl looked down at her with a cold and calculating gaze, a look completely unbefitting for her age.
The maid looked up at her with a hateful glare. Her blood rushed from her many wounds and her horn but she showed no signs of kneeling over. They stared at one another for a few seconds until the smaller dogs rushed in without warning. Rem was ready for the assault, with morning star in hand the battle commenced.
"This night just gets more annoying by the second in fact"
The great spirit gave out a heavy sigh before beginning to float in the air to face the valkine 1 on 1.
"Mediocre assassins, a valkine, and now a mabeast tamer? Quite the interesting group I suppose. Tell me boy, what is your purpose here?"
"..."
Instead of answering her question, the valkine charged at her once again but was blocked by another magical barrier.
"*Sigh* Very well I suppose"
That battle ensued once more. There forces were now divided with Beatrice clashing in the air with the winged assassin and Rem charging threw waves of beasts.
Magic particles and feathers were present in the air meanwhile bones, teeth and blood were scattered across the floor.
While Beatrice was handling the valkine with relative ease, the same couldn't be said for Rem who finally began to tire out after the bombardment of attacks from the ever increasing horde of mabeasts. Her vigor was beginning to wane along with her strength. Blood gushed from her horn as she tried to push threw the horde and reach the mastermind behind this attack. Alas there were simply too many. Her movements were becoming sluggish, predictable, and most of all weaker.
She did a 180 spin to attack the dog that was inches away from tearing out her back but tripped on her own heel and fell to the ground before she could make contact. She tried to get up but was immediately pounced on by several dogs.
What followed next was as expected. 1 dog immediately pounced on her shoulder, another went for her leg, another went for her arm, another went for her neck, another and another and another. It was becoming endless the amount of dogs that sinked their teeth into her one after another.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The pain registered like hot iron skinning her alive. Each bite teared more at her flesh with the intent to wound but not kill, ironically enough making it even more unbearable. Her roars of rage turned into screams of agony as she tried with all her might to break out the mauling session to no avail.
Beatrice took a glance towards the chilling wails to see her…partner being mauled. The great spirit wasted no time in coming to the girl's aid. She took a nose dive towards the horde and extended her arm in an attempt to cast a spell that would eradicate the beasts surrounding her.
This action would prove foolish on her end as the valkine took advantage of the distraction by sending deadly accurate feathers towards the girl as she was descending.
"Guk!"
Beatrice winced in pain once the feathers made contact with the side of her abdomen. She crashed off course of her destination and landed towards the door that connected to her library.
She got up as fast as she could but was met with a massive wing inches away from her neck. There was nothing she could do. No amount of defensive spells could help her now. Even if there was one she would have no time to cast it in time. She closed her eyes, expecting the worst.
'This is it I suppose…please forgive me mother.'
Despite her imminent death she was eerily calm. She stopped all resistance, closed her eyes and dropped to the ground expecting her neck to be severed before she even made contact with the floor.
1 second
2 seconds
3 seconds
Nothing. No pain. No loss of limbs. No more screams of agony from the maid either. All she felt was an immense amount of cold seeping into her skin. For a moment the great spirit thought she had passed on without even realizing until-
"You dare try to harm my sister huh? You'll have to forgive me but your death will be anything but quick and painless."
Beatrice opened her eyes immediately upon hearing the androgynous voice. In front of her was one giant wing frozen in place and to her left were multiple frozen dogs. Her calmness turned into relief and confusion, but mostly shame. Relief that her only semblance of family was here for her. Confusion as to how he was here, seeing that it was well past his usual hours of emergence. And shame for nearly abandoning him after just reuniting with him after so long. Sure the Half-elf would be there for him but there were some things that only a fellow great spirit could understand and confide with. She looked up to the floating feline who looked down at her with a look of immense worry.
"You alright Betty?"
The great spirit looked towards her arm to see the damage that was inflicted on her. Beatrice looked down to see the 2 feathers that were still lodged into arm. She plucked them out with little resistance, earning a slight wince in pain and a blackish purple residue on her skin. The foreign substance pulsated on her skin but it wasn't causing any actual pain, just mild discomfort.
"B-betty is indeed alright in fact"
Puck studied her complexion for a moment and drew a heavy sigh in relief.
"Good. I hate to ask you this after you almost… if you could help Lia while I take care of this I'd appreciate it."
"What do you mean in infact?"
Her question was answered immediately upon looking at the Half-elf or the ghost of her it seemed. It was clear that she wasn't in the best physical condition even beforehand. She had shown signs of fatigue and restlessness that were attributed to lack of sleep and no proper nutrition but this was far worse.
Her skin was extremely pale and a slight amount of blood trickled down her chin. Her legs looked as if they were barely keeping herself upright and her breath was labored, nearly as much as Rams. Her arms wouldn't stop trembling but her eyes didn't betray the conviction stirring inside her. This was all the signs of someone who had just used their od.
"B-Beatrice…"
"Enough talking I suppose. You must rest."
The great spirit of yin guided Emilia to the ground and began to heal her with moderate success.
"The damage is severe but not irreversible. With proper rest and proper medication you should be fine in fact."
Emilia looked towards the great spirit with relief, then it turned into evident shock once she saw something purple eroding her left arm. It was the same substance that had affected Rem in her previous life.
"Beatrice what happend!? Are you al-*cough* *cough*!"
Small amounts of blood sprayed from the Half-elfs lips before she could finish her words of, earning a frustrated glare from Beatrice.
"Enough of your dribble girl, Im quite alright in fact. Now save your strength. You've more than earned this rest."
Emilia looked towards the great spirit with a hesitant look before finally relaxing into the little girl's arm's. Her eyelids were becoming heavy but she wouldn't dare sleep now. Not while her father was going to perform a miracle in front of her.
"Lia, take all the rest you need. I'll take care of it from here."
The great spirit of fire declared before creating pillar after pillar of ice. The area once again completely changed. Ice cylinders filled the cracks in each nook and kranny created from the previous battles. The air became sharp and unrelenting.
The Valkine covered his face with his arms to fight against the harsh wind and once again covered his wings in a golden aura. Effectively removing all the ice from his wings.
The blue haired girl reached within her satchel for a coat to protect her against the harsh winds. She was now on the ground being guarded by the one giant mabeast that wasn't turned into a living popsicle. She took In the surrounding area that was more akin to a frozen natural disaster rather than the entrance to a mansion. Taking note of all the occupants and waiting for the right moment to strike. She knew better to attack either great spirit and her previous pray was out of her line of sight, either to far and obscured by the surrounding ice or was caught under the rubble.
Rem slowly but surely got up after the pain began to subside. She was out of stamina entirely but was undisturbed by the harsh winds due to Pucks careful heat manipulation keeping the cold from seeping into her skin. Her mind no longer contained her previous maddening rage and was replaced with an immense amount of clarity now that she was devoid of almost all of her mana. She sat on her legs and took a look at her surroundings. She had no way of telling where she was exactly seeing as pillars of ice were erected wherever she looked. The only thing she could see was directly on top of her, which just so happened to be the sight of Puck and the Valkine In the air, ready to put this long and egregious battle to an end.
"Tell me boy, will you die willingly and have an open casket or resist and have a closed one?"
"..."
The valkine didn't answer and instead went directly for higher altitude. Once his feet made contact with the ceiling he stayed there with his hands and feet planted. His limbs buried their way into the marble, effectively keeping him perched onto the ceiling. It was a strange and quite frankly terrifying amalgamation of a bat's ability to hang upside down and a feline getting ready to pounce on its prey. His long white hair covered his face entirely except for his never blinking eyes. The moonlight reflected off the blue ice, causing his eyes to glow along with his already glowing wings. If one were to describe him while in this stance, in this moment, it would be an archaic mix of a devil and an angel.
Pucks kept his eyes directly on him. Waiting for him to make a move, any move. This was no longer a simple case of eliminating a target. He had an abundance of mana thanks to Emilia's sacrifice but this power had a time limit. No matter how much mana was poured into him, his contract wasn't designed for him to stay longer than the usual 9-5. He was stretching the rules so while he had more than enough power to end the demi-human, he would have to do it without wasting any time on such a fast opponent. Killing him wasn't the problem, it was a matter of speed and time, 2 things puck lacked at the moment. He could make an estimated guess of 30 minutes before he would be forced back into his crystal. Going all-out right away would risk getting bystanders killed in the crossfire. Going steady would risk running out of time. Threading the needle was key here so as much as he wanted to freeze the wretched man's head off right then and there, precision was key.
The Valkine expanded his wings and pushed himself even further into the ceiling before shooting towards the great spirit like a black comet.
BOOM!
An all encompassing shockwave crossed the entire area. To everyone present it looked as if one moment the man was on the ceiling and next a giant explosion of wind occurred. Anyone that was the target of such an attack would find their body in chunks and pieces of its previous self. Unfortunately for the winged assassin, this didn't apply to the great spirit of fire.
"!"
Shock was evident on the valkines face as he saw not only did his attack not reach but was completely blocked by a condensed sphere of ice surrounding the floating feline's body.
"Closed casket it is then."
The great spirit yawned before erecting pillar after pillar of ice. Now they were coming from the ground AND the ceiling, making it harder and harder for the valkine to maneuver in the air. That wasn't the demihumans only worry as giant shards of ice were thrown at him as well. Even if they missed they would crash into another pillar creating a splash of ice debris that would more often than nought hit the valkine, creating small cuts and bruises.
"I can see how you managed to stay alive against my sister for so long. Seeing as your only talent seems to be running away."
Pucks comment was given no retort seeing as the Valkine was far too preoccupied to dodging the great spirits' relentless attacks. Retaliating was out of the question for the winged assassin. The best he could hope to do in this situation was wait for an opening.
'Huuuuhh? Onee-sans losing, seriously?'
The blue haired assassin gave a Huff of annoyance and mild concern as she looked at the ongoing battle.
'This is getting out of hand. If we fail then mama will…'
Brrrr
A small vibration ticked the little girl's arm. She looked at her left arm in confusion before nodding her head. A black bracelet with a tiny green gemstone adorned her wrist. The light from the gemstone pulsated in a steady rhythm before suddenly stopping.
"So that's why you wanted me to wear this. Talk about being over protective."
The girl muttered under her breath before jumping to her feet.
Brrrr
"Yeeeeess, I promise I'll be careful Onee-san jeez!."
She snapped her fingers and the giant dog morphed into a small puppy and hopped into her hands.
"C'mon pup, looks like we have to do all the work here."
The dog gave out a low bark in agreement as the two maneuvered around the ice as stealthily as possible.
"It's seems your out of the worst of it I suppose"
The great spirit of yin proclaimed after taking her hands off the Half-elf's chest and forehead.
"I knew it was risky but I didn't think I would be out of commission like this. Sorry for the trouble Beatrice"
Emilias ears were slightly red and her breath was becoming steadier by the minute thanks to Beatrice's healing. The Half-elf knew the consequences of summoning puck would be severe but she didn't think it would impact her like this.
"Hmph you can thank me by not pulling off a stunt like that again. Between your already exhausted body and using your own Od, If I wasn't present you could've very well died from this in fact."
The royal candidate gave no visible response aside from a mild shrug.
"You're right. I'll try to be more careful."
Her voice was flat and showed no sense of urgency from the great spirits warning. A strange sense of apathy radiated off the girl. Something that Beatrice noticed immediately.
"... For some reason I get the feeling you're not really listening. No matter, once Bubby deals with that little pest I expect to have plenty of playtime with him. I believe that is a fair trade for saving your life in fact?"
The Half-elf's lips lifted into a small smile after hearing that.
"Heh more than fair."
She then proceeded to move her body to face Beatrice directly. Now that she was back on her feet, she was no longer the top priority. There were still two people that needed treatment.
"Do you mind looking after Subaru and Ram? Puck removed the curse on her but she still looked pretty pale and… Subaru got hurt because of me."
She muttered the last part out of extreme guilt. Beatrice didn't hear it but she could make a pretty good guess of what she whispered once she connected the dots.
"I see. He must've been present when you summoned Bubby with your Od. Mana frequencies that intense probably felt like a hammer being smashed onto his head, being that close to you I suppose."
"..."
Emilia looked down to the floor. Her palms squeezed against each other in an attempt to release some of the tension in her body. Any distraction, no matter how nonsensical, to keep her from thinking about how she inadvertently caused him pain once again. Another one of her many blunders, she could only count her blessings that this one didn't result in anything severe.
"I'll see to it that they are well. Under no circumstances should you move from this spot. There's no telling what dangers still lurk about, especially with Bubby being preoccupied at the moment."
"Understood"
Beatrice gave a nod at her swift answer and proceeded to dash towards the nearest door, which was anything but near seeing as the closest ones were eradicated from Puck's relentless attacks. It took only a few moments for the great spirits' twin drills to turn into silhouettes as she drew further and further from the Half-elf.
Once she was out of sight the half-elf took a deep breath and sighed, taking in the cataclysmic area of ice and rubble that used to be the manors main entrance.
' I can still hear Puck fighting up there. Should I try and help him? No… no this isn't like at the loothouse. I won't even be able to catch him let alone hit him. I'd only…'
She clenched her hands harder as she reminisced on the lack of actual results in her battle with Elsa. The first time she didn't even do anything and instead stood there in fear. The second time she let her emotions blind her and would've died again if it wasn't for Reinhard's intervention. Ultimately nothing has changed from that time. She was still a hindrance .
"*sigh I'd only get in the way."
Crack
"!"
A sharp crack of ice crossed Emilia's ears, causing her to tense up immediately. She snapped her neck to the right to see what the noise was, expecting another enemy. Her hand was extended with multiple tiny spirits floating around her in preparation to attack this potential enemy.
"Whoever you are, you'd better come out! I promise I won't hurt you if you show yourself right now!"
Her threat, while childish, served to emphasize her impatience towards the new individual.
Seconds passed with no voice to be heard until
crunch
crunch
crunch
3 steps hit the ground causing the fragile ice to crack under the person's weight.
Emilia took a look at her and well… she didn't know what to make of her. A little girl with braided blue hair looked towards her. The girl never made direct eye contact but instead kept her eyes to the ground with clear anxiety and caution on her face. The Half-elf put her hand down as promised but it was mostly due to the clear lack of threat this little girl emitted.
"I-I-I'm sorry if I angered you miss! Please don't be mad!"
Her voice trembled over every word. Whoever this girl was, she was obviously a bystander in all this. This was the mindset the Half-elf adopted after taking in the newcomers appearance.
"What? I'm not mad I was- Nevermind that who are you?"
The little girl clutched her hands to her chest in a timid manner.
"I'm s-s-sorry miss! Papa and M-Mama told me to come here for help!"
Once she heard that her mind went into overdrive. There was now ANOTHER problem she was entirely unaware of. This whole time she was under the assumption that these monsters were only attacking the residents of the mansion. She bit her lip at her own negligence towards her own territory. Technically it was Roswaals domain but she held just as much responsibility for its residents. But that also begged the question of why they would go through the effort of assaulting the village if their main targets were here.
'No…I'm jumping to conclusions here. I still have no idea why they're even doing this in the first place.'
The Half-elf got on one knee and placed a hand on her shoulder. The little girl gave a visible wince before trying her best to compose herself and locked her eyes to the ground, not daring to look up. Emilia frowned at this, she didn't know if she was scared because of the potential tragedy she was about to tell or if it was because of her appearance but it ate away at her that her act of reassurance only made the girl more strikend then she already was. It was a repeat of when she tried to reassure the little girl in the capital but this time Subaru wasn't around to reassure her. Nonetheless she would still do her best to get as much information as she could, for everyone's sake.
"Alright, just calm down. Take deep breaths and tell me everything. You don't have to go into detail but I need to know what happened so we can help."
Her soothing voice calmed the little girl ever so slightly. She shaked a little less and her arm slowly moved away from her chest.
"T-The village! Some weird looking doggies with horns came in and attacked us!"
This completely took her for a loop. She expected it to be more assassins, maybe even another valkine but dogs? It was strange but made sense nonetheless. The little girl was referring to mabeasts but there was a protection ward around the village. You'd have to be a very inconspicuous person to deactivate one of the crystals and these assassins could fit the bill.
"How many were there?!"
"I don't know… hundreds maybe?"
Her cheeks stiffened at this but she wouldn't dare show her slight panic to the girl.
"Ok…ok listen. Just stay here with me for now. You see that spirit up there?"
She pointed towards the floating feline that was relentlessly attacking the flying assassin
"He's reeeeally strong. Once he beats up that winged baddie, he and a couple of my friends can help you alright?"
She gave her best smile in hopes of reassuring the girl. This time her action showed positive feedback. The girl's shivering stopped and she looked upwards for the first time.
"A-alright silver Onee-san."
"Please, just call me Emilia. And you are?"
"Uuuummm"
A noticeable amount of time passed before she gave her answer
"Petra, thank you so much for helping us!"
"No worries, I'll do whatever I can to-wait. Did you say your name was Petra?"
"Yes?"
'No…'
Flashback=
"If your asking who touched my hand specifically then I guess it would be Petra and that puppy that bit me"
'Is she the- wait no. She said they were attacked by dogs with horns.'
She glanced around her vicinity and noticed the bloodied corpse of a dog trapped in ice.
'I've read that certain mabeasts are capable of inflicting curses but could it really be the case? Wait a minute!'
Flashback=
"From what I can infer, the castor was neither human nor spirit."
'THAT'S RIGHT! Beatrice said it was neither human nor spirit so it must've been the mabeasts that attacked the village! It all makes sense now!'
"Emilia-san, are you alright?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah just thinking to myself Is all"
Emilia had to force down the shock from showing on her face. It's no wonder the shaman never presented themselves because there wasn't one in the first place! With the mystery of what caused the curse coming to a close and Puck's imminent victory, this battle was essentially over. She, by all accounts, had won. All that was left was to by her time, gather her strength and gather Rem, Ram and Roswaal to take care of the mabeasts attack. Afterwards they could interrogate the last remaining assassins, figure out who "mama" is, and put an end to this nightmare.
'Still I can't believe those assassins were telling the truth. Had They not told me that theirs a chance I wouldn't have drawn this conclusion... im not any expert on bad guy tactics but I'm pretty sure honesty Is not something they usually represent.'
"Look we have to get you out of here until Puck finishes up here ok?
Emilia reached out her hand to the little girl. Trying her best to be as stoic as possible to reassure the girl but the girl in question did not look convinced in the slightest.
"Ok? You're a little weird, Emilia-san."
"So i've been told now come on, take my hand"
The girl gave her a calculated stare before reluctantly taking her hand
Minutes passed as they searched for the door that contained the forbidden library. The plan was simple. Regroup with the others and hope that everyone was in a good enough condition to help the village. Ram should be slowly recovering thanks to Beatrice's immense amount of mana. Subaru should be fine after the initial shock. Rem is…
'Wait! Where was Rem?!'
"Wait Onee-san I think I see someone over there! A girl with blue hair!"
As if the little girl read her mind. She exclaimed the whereabouts of the missing maid.
"Blue hair-? That's Rem! Hold on a minute, I need to get her."
The Half-elf let go of the girl's hand and jumped over the fractured ice cylinders without a second thought. One would assume she would be hesitant to confront the individual that caused her so much turmoil in her previous life but for some reason the thought didn't even cross her mind. Infact none of her previous motives were in play here. She wasn't concerned for the girl. She wasn't worried. She deemed her useful but that wasn't her driving force either. This action wasn't based around any form of hate nor affection. Just the instinctive need to find the maid. That's all it was. The instinctual need to help someone regardless of if they deserved it.
Seconds turned into minutes as she searched for any trace of the oni maid only to find no one. No weapon, no strands of hair, no cloth, nothing that could hint towards the presence of Rem in any way, shape or form.
"Petra, I don't see he-."
crunch
Her words halted once she heard and felt her foot step on something hard yet squishy. Once she looked down to see what she stepped on, her heart nearly jumped out of her throat. A person was- no what was left of a person was here but it wasn't a blue haired maid. It was instead the body of an orange haired little girl. She was frozen solid but it was obvious that pucks magic wasn't the culprit towards the girl's demise. The poor girl's body was missing her entire lower body. The Half-elfs foot had stepped on her large intestines causing chunks of slushy blood and stomach acid to spew from them. Emilia's pupils dilated at the haunting sight. The way her upper body was ripped from her lower. The look of fear in her eyes despite her life being long since extinguished. It was too much, too horrific, too familiar.
Her breath became unsteady. She could hear a heartbeat like a drum in her ears. The urge to scream her lungs out was becoming unbearable, like a sickening drug. Anything to tune out the atrocities that were unfolding in front of her, but she didn't. Despite how tempting it was to tune the word out she couldn't. There was someone that she needed to protect now more than ever. The little girl that warned her of the village being attacked. The girl named Petra could be in danger at this very moment. Emilia could cry later. She could scream into her pillow and have Puck and Subaru comfort her as much as she needed. But right now she needed to do her due diligence as a royal candidate and protect one of her citizens.
She gave an audible gulp and took a deep breath. It did very little to calm her nerves but it gave her the conviction she needed to press forward. No matter what happens she would protect this innocent little girl no matter what. She looked to where she left Petra only to find that she was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did she-?"
BOOM
Ice and debris fell on top of her before she could question the little girl's absence. She tried to collect herself but was met with white hot and shearing pain across her stomach and lower back. The next thing she realized was that she was pinned to the ground and staring at massive beady red eyes. She immediately understood the predicament she was in as blood spouted from her mouth and the pressure in her stomach and back increased. She was being held in the jaws of a giant beast.
"GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The pain she felt was immeasurably worse than anything she experienced so far. It felt as if multiple red hot iron rods were being repeatedly stabbed into her. Her own blood felt like lava minus the actual blood she could taste, clogging her mouth every time she screamed. Getting stabbed and bleeding out was nothing compared to this. Her arm being severed felt like a pinch compared to this. Her heart being pierced by steel might as well be a slight itch compared to this. Her entire body felt violated as the beast's teeth sanked deeper and deeper at an agonizingly slow rate.
She clenched her hands, she punched, she screamed, she squirmed her legs like a child. Anything to distract herself from the pain and get out of the beast's jaws. Nothing worked but she struggled nonetheless.
"PUUUUCK! PLEASE! FATHEEEEEERRR!"
It was no use. Puck was too far gone to hear her screams. The great spirit had severed their emotional link so he could focus entirely on the battle at hand. He had complete faith that Beatrice would be able to keep his contractor safe so long as she was there. She unfortunately was not there. No one was there. No Ram, no Rem, no Roswaal, no Beatrice, no Puck, no Reinhard, no Subaru. She was all alone.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Her tears mixed with the tiny blood vessel that popped in her eyes along with blood protruding from her nose and mouth. She punched and clawed at the beast's ginormous snout but all it did was make the beast dig its fangs deeper.
"PLEASE! P-P-PLEASE STOP-! please!"
Her pleas became weaker along with her vision. Red and white began to swirl in her eyes. Her body started to become heavy yet extremely light at the same time. She felt her surroundings slowly fading. The only thing that was ever present was the red beady eyes that looked down on her and the drum of her own heartbeat that started to become slower and slower.
"Please…"
Everything began to become distant and fade away until.
Darkne-
SPLAT
Chains rattled in the distance.
"RAAAAHHHH!
The mabeast wailed in pain and let go of its prey. It hollerd like a whimpering pup as Its cranium was smashed in. Blood gushed from its head and into its eyes, forcing them shut. Next were its hind legs as they were smashed in by a spiked metal ball, causing the beast to fall on its side and trembled in agony.
Emilias vision was blurred but she understood one fact. Someone had heard her call. Someone was there.
A pair of hands immediately went to Emilia's side to try and heal her. If this person had arrived a couple seconds later than her lady would've surely perished. Her hands were steady but her thoughts were clouded with various emotions. Relief, guilt, suspicions, these thoughts melded together in her mind but she forced them down and focused on the task at hand.
She looked towards her lady's amethyst blue eyes and saw the color in them slowly returning. The girl gave out an audible sigh of relief.
Emilia's bite wounds were slowly healing. Her skin was gaining color. The blood on her clothes was drying. An agonizing amount of time passed but her lady was stable, that's all that mattered.
"Re-Rrre-"
The Half-elf tried to reach for the girl's face and speak her name but her arms trembled and her words faulterd. The girl understood nonetheless and grabbed her lady's hand and gave her the warmest look she could manage.
"It is all right Emilia-sama, rest for now."
Once she said that the strength in Emilia's body left her and she slowly drifted off.
Upon seeing that her lady was fully unconscious, Rem let go of her hand and proceeded to stand up. Her earlier warmth turned into cold indifference as she made a side eye to her right.
"I would recommend you surrender peacefully. I will not spare you should you show any resistance."
"!"
Hearing her deadly tone and the rattle of chains, the little girl did as instructed. Slowly she walked into the girl's peripheral vision. Standing right next to the now deceased mabeast. Her face showed nothing aside from mild irritation towards her predicament. Her body didn't reveal any hint of panic nor fear.
"Would you believe me if I said this was all a misunderstanding?"
"Considering you were sitting on top of the mabeast that nearly killed Emilia-sama. I'd hardly consider any of what I'm about to do a "misunderstanding".
Her voice was laced with venom. The chain of her morning star was clenched so hard the girl could hear it rattle despite the distance between them.
"I'm giving you one chance and one chance only. Who hired you to attack us?"
There was a momentary pause before the mabeast tamer raised her head.
"*Sigh* Maid Onee-san I really don't have an answer for that. I'm just doing as Instructed by mama and bird Onee-san."
Once she said that the maids' scowl grew even further, staring daggers into the little girl.
"You'll need to be more specific. Who is this "mama", why is a valkine present and…why did you curse my sister?
The maid took heavy breaths to regain her patience as she questioned the little girl.
The little girl simply rolled her eyes.
"Look maid Onee~san, even if I did know, me telling you anything would warrant a ve~eee~ery bad punishment for me. Like I said i'm not doing this because I want to, I'm just following orders.
The little girl's nonchalant attitude made the oni nearly draw blood in her palms from rage.
"And that somehow excuses all this! That's how you rationalize it all!?"
Normally she wouldn't bother asking these kinds of questions but seeing as the culprit behind the many atrocities tonight were done by a child, she had to know her reasoning. She needed any form of sympathy for her. Anything to make sense of all this madness less she does something she never thought she would do to a little girl.
"That child with a red ribbon on her head… a little girl no older than you! And the rest of the village, Emilia-sama, my sister! All of these deaths– these malicious acts! Why– no, how do you justify it all under the excuse of "just following orders''!? YOUR JUST A CHILD FOR OD'S SAKE!"
She roared her questions towards the girl hoping to gain any reaction from her. A hint of grief or guilt, anything that would qualify as having a conscience. Anything to show that this little girl wasn't too far gone. An excuse to simply apprehend her rather than… the alternative.
The little girl showed no such emotions.
"Rationalize? Justify? No I wouldn't say it's that but if I had to choose between… No, that's not right either. The word "choose" never really applied to me."
She said this while putting her hand to her chin. Deciding to think and choose her words carefully with an aloof expression on her face.
"Maid Onee-san, I…I don't wanna die. I know that at least. I know it'll hurt and I'll curse and scream and bite no matter how pointless it is. I know If I lose my fangs, I'll use my claws. I know If I lose my claws, I'll use my teeth.I know If I lose my teeth, I'll use my bones. And I know if I lose my bones, I shall use my life― That is what it means to lust for battle, right?"
She ended her declaration with a question. As if she was asking for someone to reaffirm her words to be truth, to be right. That there was no other choice but to do exactly this. She was never taught to give up. She was never taught to hate. She was never taught to live by her own choices. She was only taught to kill. She was only taught to love. She was only taught to follow orders. It had been this way for as long as she could remember. Any other outcome was simply impossible. There was no alternative. Failure equals death. Success means she lived. There was no point in questioning it.
The little girl understood this as absolute. Even if she were to escape, a fate worse than death would await her. Dying but struggling to the bitter end is exactly what she should be doing now, at this very moment.
So why did the little girl step back every time the maid moved closer? Why did her heart spike despite knowing this was the preferable outcome. Why were tears welling up in her eyes as the maids chain rattled louder and louder in her ears. She looked into the blue haired maids eyes and saw…nothing. No warmth, no hatred, they were empty, as if any emotion she previously had was either shelved into the deepest parts of her soul or was eradicated entirely.
"I see… forgive me for asking such foolish questions. As the head maid of the Roswaal Mansion, it is only right that I take care of any lingering threats."
The little girl's blood ran cold after hearing her monotonous words. Each step the maid took made her tremble more and more. Before she knew it she had her back to a wall of ice. The maid was now directly in front of her, staring her down, mace in Hand, and an indifferent expression.
"It will be quick and painless. That is all I will promise."
A single ice shard the size of her fist, formed right beside the maid.
"Anything you wish to say? I will honor your last request."
Silence filled the air. Nothing could be heard. Not the cracking of ice. Not the slow and steady breathing of an unconscious Half-elf. Not even the ongoing battle of the great spirt and valkine. All that could be heard was the sniffing tears of a little girl that was about to meet her end.
"N-No…"
"I see"
Her body hit the floor. A red puddle formed, drowning out the fist sized hole in the girl's chest. The girl perished, never once having a choice in the matter.
The valkine was out of room and out of options. The great spirit of yin was one thing but this spirit no… this beast was on an entirely different level. This monster disguised as a floating cat was relentless in his assault. He took advantage of every opportunity, every mistake, blocking any means of escape while having an impenetrable defense. The valkine understood it very clearly, this battle was unwinnable.
"Tch!"
"Y'know it would be a lot less trouble for everyone involved if you just gave up."
The great spirit of fire taunted him as the Ice came closer and closer to skewering his target each passing second. The assassin was dodging the incoming attacks only by a hair's breath now. As far as anyone could tell this battle was over. Nevermind the valkine showed no hints of giving up. Despite the clear disadvantages it was clear that this assassin would fight to the bitter en-
"!..."
The assassin changed his direction mid flight and went for as much altitude as he possibly could. At this moment he had flown faster than he ever did previously. Once he was near the ceiling he stayed there. No visible movement was made but the great spirit noticed a slight shift in the atmosphere. The air had become a bit heavy and thicker.
Anyone present would assume this was an attempt at a last ditch attack to end this dance with a climatic end. The great spirit of fire was no exception to this thought process and forged a concentrated spear of ice. The spear spun in its stationary position, waiting for the valkine to attack. A fitting end for this short yet exhausting battle.
And yet the valkine made no such move. The man simply stayed in the air. No one could see the expression he was making but one could tell from his bodily posture that something had changed. He wasn't even looking at the great spirit. What could be so important that he would dare take his eyes off his opponent?
'No matter, it's about time I ended this.'
The great spirit thought as he shot the spear towards his opponent.
Magical particles and an immense amount of wind pressure emanated from the ice as it glided in the air. If this attack landed then the chances of the assassin's survival were zero no matter what. Yet the man did not move. The spear was meters away yet the man did not move. The ice was now mere feet away but the man did not move. The devastating attack was now inches, centimeters, millimeters away from puncturing his chest and resulting in immediate death. Yet the man did no-
BOOM!
Ice, smoke and wind danced in the air as nearly the entire ceiling was eradicated, revealing the moon in all its glory.
"And that's the end of that."
Puck gave out a cat-like yawn and proceeded to reconnect the emotional like with his contractor
'Alright now where's my beautiful daughter…Strange, she's unconscious at the moment. Must've been Beatrice's doing.'
The great spirit concluded as he searched for his daughter amongst the uneven and damaged terrain. Once he locked eyes with her his hair stood on end. She wasn't just unconscious she was wounded! There was no way to yell if it was a fatal injury but he could sense healing magic being used on her very recently. A foreign magic that wasn't Beatrice's doing. He rushed to aid in her healing process but stopped midway flight once he saw a bright yellow light.
'No…'
The floating feline was at a loss for words. His pupils slightly bulged as he saw something that defied all logic.
"How is he…"
The great spirit muttered as he saw what unfolded in front of him. Only a couple feet away from his daughter, stood a man that should have been dead. Yet here he was, now on the ground and nearly unscathed except for the black blood that protruded from his wings in waves and the blood in his eyes that could be mistaken for tears.
His wings no longer had a simple aura but were now glowing in a golden hue. Black blood was coming off them as if they were being cleansed, revealing a new pair of sparkling whites. His shirt was completely blown off, revealing muscles toned to near perfection. His bare back was littered with strange scars and markings that seemingly pulsated like black shadows under the golden light. They formed unnaturally around his body, like a sickening art work of torture. None of them seemed to be natural body scars. His beautiful glowing wings were a strange contradiction to his horrendous body. It also served to illuminate the atrocity he was committing this very moment.
His hands were no longer empty, now wielding a golden glowing spear that came seemingly out of nowhere. The end of the spear could not be seen for it was lodged deep within the back of the blue haired maid.
"You little!"
He muttered with a hateful glare as he conjured multiple ice spikes from the ground and even more in the air. The valkine retaliated by pulling the spear from the oni's body and sliced each individual piece of ice within a split second.
"!"
Shock was evident on Pucks face. Nothing from the assassin's showings earlier added up with this new found strength. If such a power was at his disposal then why is he just now using it? The thought of this being a ruse to waste his time dawned on the great spirit. There was no way that this mortal could know the ins and outs of his contract, nor could he have known of the time limit the great spirit had. Yet all the evidence adding up to this being his plan all along. Puck gritted his teeth in anger at the thought of being outplayed. He had 5 minutes tops before he would be forced back into his crystal…He was done holding back.
"I'm done messing around."
The wind became so chilling that anyone present would probably shatter under the cold. The entire mansion was shaking and trembling from the unnaturally cold air. Ice and debris was lunged around the immediate area like an ever increasing cyclone. The great spirit shielded his contracter and the maid from the chilling winds and debris by encasing them in a icy cocoons. The blue haired assassin, the half eaten orange haired girl and the giant mabeast were all frozen solid. The valkine however, looked completely unbothered by the cold and debris and elected to point his bloodied and golden spear towards the great spirit. It was not an act that preceded an attack but instead looked to be a declaration of some sort. The man's golden and blooded eyes looked directly into the eyes of the great spirit and for the first time since he revealed himself, the valkine expressed true anger.
"If you have any final words, now would be the time to say them boy."
Puck's words vibrated the entire room. Despite the feline's androgynous voice it still held more weight than a heavy drum. Any glass windows that weren't already destroyed in the chaos, immediately shattered after the first couple of words emitted.
"..."
Once again the man uttered not a single word.
The great spirit gave a slight chuckle along with a bone chilling glare towards the man.
No later than a second after, four rectangular pillars with pointed tips were erected around the great spirit and proceeded to aim directly towards his opponent. Instead of charging directly at the valkine, the 4 pillars began to emanate a mesmerizing blue light from each tip.
The man took the spear into his hands and spun it across his fingers before moving his left foot forward and getting into a stance. His wings along with his spear vibrated as he prepared for the oncoming attack.
The light from each pillar was nearly blinding on their own but the floating feline wasn't done yet. Each pillar began to collide against one another at the center, forming a colossal weapon resembling a butterfly as the four points made contact perfectly.
The sound coming from the four-point structure sounded like a heavy earthquake at its center meanwhile the sound emitting from the golden spear emanated a high pitch ringing as it vibrated in the palms of the valkines hands. Mana was spewing out from the ice structure meanwhile excess mana from the surrounding area was seemingly diving into the valkines weapon. Two attacks with catastrophic amounts of power. A symphony of blue and golden light clashed against one another as if one was trying to gain dominance over the other. The two stood there for a moment with their eyes in a deadlock. It was a state of mutual acknowledgement. An understanding that no matter who tapped out first, this would be the confrontation to this battle.
The valkine flexed his right arm ever so slightly.
"Ul kółgo!"
The great spirit declared with a roar as the light from the pillar extended into an all encompassing beam! White light spewed towards the valkines direction at unfathomable speed. The was no dodging thus attack. There was only one possible for him to live.
"HAAAAAAAHHHH!"
The valkine gave an almighty roar as he dug his spear into the ground and delivered a devastating upwards swing! The contact between the shimmering spear and devastating beam caused an all encompassing explosion, destroying anything that was left of the mansion's entrance. Rubble and ice were thrown completely outside towards the grassy plains. The 4 bells that decorated the top floors came tumbling down along with the inner rooms. Dust and debris settled at the bottom floor where the battle was finished leaving the victor yet to be revealed.
…
…
…
…
…
"Looks like…I'm tapped out."
The androgynous voice gave a weak chuckle as he phased in and out of reality.
"Boy, I no not If you lived but… you'd do well to continue your assault no longer. There is no reality where you will live to see tomorrow otherwise."
The great spirit declared these words right before he bursted into small beads of light and drifted slowly towards his unconscious contractor.
The battle was over.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"*Huff huff huff haaaah"
The valkine gave haggard and exhausted breaths as he fell to his knees. The grassy plains within the Arlan forest did little to ease the pain that encompassed his entire body, especially his upper back seeing as his white wings were nearly shredded. The vibrants appendages held more skin and bones than muscle and feathers.
"Ghk!"
He gave a sharp wince in pain as black veins appeared across his back and began to seep into his broken wings. Every muscle fiber and lost feather was slowly forming back to their original state, back to their black coating.
The pain felt like needles slowly peeling off his skin but he endured the pain. His eyebrows furrowed in retaliation and he clenched his teeth as hard as he could but he wouldn't dare clench his hands. Not while they were occupied with the corpse of a little girl. Her body was cold enough to give his fingers frostbite but he didn't care. His eyes were no longer stained with blood but now wept true tears as he looked down at the blue haired girl with a hole in her chest.
"I told you…to be careful."