Chapter 3: The Truth Among the Frozen Hellscape
Kezaniah pushed on despite all the conflicting emotions. A part of her wanted to stop, to apologize to Nel and Nil for her brash and brutish attitude. But every other part of her willed her further on towards the next battle. She looked ahead to hear the shouts of battle ahead of her, as her gaze widened slightly.
"Are Elusia and Solm already locked in combat…?" Kezaniah remarked, before she smiled slyly. "Good. That means this becomes all the more quicker." She remarked, taking flight in her Fell Dragon state, Tifa and Mont at her sides as she rushed forth to the palace of Elusia to burn it to cinders. After that… the rulers of Elusia and Solm would feel no mercy from her ruthless jaws and flames of violence.
As Kezeniah moved to raze Elusia while the armies were fighting, the group managed to use the time to get to somewhere near the battlefield, as they managed to hear the sounds of battle, indicating the battle that was occurring.
"It seems that they're fighting already." Richard remarked. "...Two nations razed, and still Elusia and Solm are warring against each other… I wonder who are the people that are responsible for such a hard-headed decision."
"That explains the feeling of getting here too easy." Gregory winced. "...I… I must confess something."
"Go on." Alear remarked.
"She's your sister in your world, right, Lady Veyle?" Gregory asked Veyle, who tilted her head. "Kezaniah, I mean."
"Oh, yes. Yes, she is. What makes you feel so uneasy?" Veyle questioned back with a nod.
"It's just…. I find that you two are more diametrically opposite than I once thought." Gregory remarked. "You spoke in favor of parlaying with the nations, even though it might be a moot effort. Meanwhile, Kezaniah did not show any restraint or mercy in eradicating her foes. She acts with such ruthless efficiency that we have not had to fight a single time for our lives…"
"But isn't that good?" Richard asked back. "After all, you Four Winds are more tailored towards reconnaissance and subterfuge than in proper combat. I mean not to mock your prowess, but I don't want to put any of you in danger."
"I thank you for your concern…" Zelestia remarked. "But please, Lady Veyle, why does she act like this. Surely it can't only be just because of her pained memories of seeing Lady Nel and Lord Nil."
"I'm afraid that's just how she is. She is a good person, but she is far less inclined to show mercy." Alear answered back. "Please understand when I tell you that she has suffered just as much as we did in our world, if not more. And we have not suffered a small amount."
"...I think that's the whole reason why she is being so aggressively efficient." Siege remarked. "Because of the pain she suffered being reminded by being around Nel and Nil…" Siege stated. "So she wants to get done as quickly as possible, before she mentally breaks down and causes more harm than good."
"...Hopefully the line is well-defined…I don't want to have to hurt her if she goes over it…" Richard scowled.
"Regardless, this should be where we would meet up with Madeline, who's been spying for Elusia." Gregory declared. "The plan was for her to meet us here within a few minutes. Should be any minute now."
The group then saw Madeline run up to them, as being Marni's alternate doppelganger, she retained the blonde hair and blue eyes, and she was similar down to her outfit, with hues of blue instead of hues of red.
"Hello, Lord Nil, Lady Nel." Madeline remarked, with a refined voice that actually made Marni twitch slightly in surprise. "I have your journey wasn't too arduous. Gregory and Zelestia, you look well."
"Welcome, Madeline." Zelestia remarked. "I'm glad to introduce you to the Divine Dragon and her companions, who all hail from another world nearly identical to ours. As you may notice, we have also bumped into our doppelgangers in that world."
"Incredible… Outward differences aside, it feels as if our leader was brought back to life." Madeline addressed Alear. "What to say? I'm at a loss of words."
"I understand how you feel, Madeline. I was moved to tears upon our first meeting." Zelestia remarked. "It's all right, just let it out."
"Zelestia, I am not going to cry. Would you please stop treating me like a child?" Madeline remarked.
"Hey! She was just praising you!" Marni exclaimed, as she rushed forward, offended by Madeline's words. "Where I'm from, that is quite rare before things take a good turn for me!"
"And you must be the other me." Madeline stated, before looking at Marni with curiosity. "Strange, I can see that you share my figure. And yet your mannerisms are so much different to me. A direct opposite, it seems."
"Well, yeah. In fact, I don't know whether I should hate you for having all the praise you want… or feel fairly envious due to the fact that you're so independent while I never had someone who took me seriously." Marni remarked, before she then cleared her throat. "But I suppose that I should put that aside. It's nice to meet another me. Sorry for the outburst, I'll try to be better."
"Then please take my apologies for offending you indirectly." Madeline answered back, before noticing Mauvier. "And it seems that you have Mauvier as well… How odd, there seems to be no difference between the both of you."
"None?" Mauvier remarked, intrigued with a eyebrow raised.
"That's gonna be difficult…" Siege suddenly remarked. "No differences in Mauviers will make it hard to call each one for their unique talents, let alone be able to distinguish the two of them." Siege deduced. "Speaking of which, where is your guys' Mauvier, Zelestia?"
"He should be spying on Solm. But if the battle is raging as we presume, no doubt he is on his way to meet us." Zelestia remarked.
"I suppose introductions are unneeded, due to the fact that I'm sure Zelestia must have told you." Madeline stated. "I shall protect you, Divine One, no matter if you're our own or not, come what may."
"Thank you, Madeline. I'm sure that with Marni and you, you'll both be able to fulfill your personal wishes." Alear smiled back.
"Wow, you were such a snot-nosed little brat when we first met. But you've grown a lot, kid." Gregory remarked. "I bet Mauvier, I mean, the one we're familiar with, is proud too. Especially after he's the one who recruited you."
"Huh, guess that's common between us." Marni remarked, exchanging glances with Mauvier, and then looking at Madeline. "He's certainly a proper guardian figure to the both of us, ain't he?"
Speaking of Mauvier, suddenly, the other Mauvier ran up to the group, just as Zelestia had predicted, as he seemed to have some urgent news.
"Just as Zelestia deduced. Mauvier has arrived since Solm has attacked Elusia." Siege remarked.
"Madeline, you are unharmed." The other Mauvier remarked. "What a relief, and it appears this area is still secure."
"It seems that we managed to rendezvous without problems." Zelestia remarked. "That is a boon of itself, due to the current state of affairs. Solm has attacked Elusia, has it not?"
"How did you know so soon?" Mauvier of the Winds exclaimed with surprise.
"We already got news of it, after hearing the fighting be that close to here." Zelestia answered back. "We should proceed with haste, if only because I worry for Kezeniah, due to the fact that she will have to fight two armies at once, opposed to each other they might be."
"Actually, before that, I think that you should take a look at who we have." Gregory stated, as Mauvier of the Winds bore witness where Veyle was, as he choked on his own breath, as the sensation lingered upon seeing his alternate self before you.
"It… It cannot be, Lady Veyle… you live again…!?" Mauvier of the Winds exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Mauvier, but I'm not the one that you have served, identical we might look and seem." Veyle answered back, with a shake of her head. "I can see that you are just as much of a knight as you have been in the world I have come from. You and my Mauvier are so similar that very few could tell the difference between you both."
"And I concur on that." Mauvier of the Hounds stepped forward. "I expected that there would be much difference between us both, but to see that you are so similar to me, it is equally shocking." Mauvier answered back. "Tell me, what are the Winds to you?"
"They are a close-knit family of mine. One that I have founded before I met Zelestia." Mauvier of the Winds answered back. "And you?"
"...It was not me who formed the equivalent of the Four Winds here, which we dub as the Four Hounds." Mauvier of the Hounds shook his head. "That belongs to Zelestia's alternate self, Zephia. Our relationship took a far longer time to coalesce, and it was only due to a certain… incident that we were able to realize how close we were to each other."
"I… I can see that it is not a light-hearted story compared to our conception." Mauvier of the Winds stated. "If you wish to seek a shoulder to discuss that sordid tale, I will listen impartially. As for you, Divine One… You must be the Divine Dragon from another world… considering that your own mannerisms are far different to the one that I recognise."
"I get that a fair bit." Alear nodded back. "If I have your aid, that would be excellent."
"I shall do my best to serve under your command, as well my fellow Winds." Mauvier of the Winds answered back.
The group then moved to the battlefield, as they could see that Kezeniah has blazed a war-path through both armies, as their downed corpses could be seen everywhere, as what was remaining was being struck down by the relentless Fell Dragon.
However, it was as the battle was finishing when they arrived, and there was no sign of Ivy or Timerra… until, from afar, as Kezeniah flew over to where the battle was…
"AAAAGH!" Ivy yelled in fear and anguish.
"EYAAAAGH!" Timerra yelled in the same manner, as the group rushed ahead, to see Kezaniah holding two bracelets.
"An altar to my wretched father destroyed. Two more bracelets acquired… we're closing in on the end of it all." She remarked, as the group arrived. "Hm. I see you all arrived quicker than usual. I suppose you're questioning why I have been so lethally efficient in dealing with the kingdoms."
"Yes, why are you-!?" Siege was about to exclaim when Kezaniah stopped him.
"You all heard the screams of Ivy and Timerra, did you not? This is where I killed them. In the manner I killed them, there should be blood, and corpses… take a look around. Tell me what you see." Kezaniah would say.
Alear and Veyle did so, as they began to inspect the bodies, before noticing that the corpses were dry of any blood or fluids, and the bodies looked like that they have been risen from the dead.
And what was more… Ivy and Timerra were fully gone.
"What… the bodies…" Siege remarked, having also looked. "But then… What does that mean?"
"You still haven't figured it out? Use your heads. What foe have we faced before, that leaves bloodless corpses… or none at all for fading away in Fell particles." Kezaniah would quip.
"Which means that they were Corrupted… or an analogue to them." Richard answered back, before turning to Nel. "Do Corrupted exist in your world?"
"Yes." Nel simply answered back.
"Then all along, we have been fighting Corrupted." Veyle declared in defeat. "...That is why sister did not have any regrets snuffing their lives out. They were twisted reflections of those that once lived here. The fact that they are so negatively impacted is proof that humans here are not as good as the ones we knew back in Elyos… and it hurts me."
"Wait, then that means… are any other humans still alive? Or is it just… us?" Gregory asked, with concern in his voice.
"The commonfolk I spoke to during my mission in Firene… Were they all Corrupted?" Zelestia asked, as there was betrayal in her voice, however much she tried to hide it. "I…"
"We've been fighting a war that had no purpose in winning." Madeline solemnly declared.
"I'm afraid so." Kezaniah remarked. "Which is why, now, that I must come to terms with myself, and do what needs to be done for the protection of all of you." Kezaniah would say… as Nil suddenly had Kezaniah's sword at his neck.
"Kez!?" Siege exclaimed.
"Not a word!" Kezaniah yelled at Siege, before glaring at Nil. "...It was you… back in my world… gullible you… Taking your sister's dragonstone… when you took that stone of Nel's, Sombron had his means to get rid of your weakling self. And so, he did. He turned you against your sister, with the very dragonstone on your chest. You fought with her. And in the end you both killed each other. Why have I been so distant? Why have I refused to look at either of you for any longer than a few minutes? ….Because the same events are going to play out here. In a moment of time… that dragonstone will take hold of you, and you will want nothing more than your father's ruthless, uncaring ambitions. It's through you that Corrupted are summoned. You hold Sombron's will to your very core, all because of this damned DRAGONSTONE!" Kezaniah yelled, blade now on Nel's dragonstone. "I won't see it happen again. I won't dare watch it again! I can't watch it again! I refuse! I refuse, I refuse, I refuse! So I'll do what causes me the least amount of pain in this moment of time here and now! I'm going to end you, yes, you heard right! I WILL KILL THIS WRETCHED IMAGE OF MY BRETHREN WHO WRONGFULLY FELL BACK IN MY WORLD!" Kezaniah yelled as she drew her greatsword back, ready to take Nil's head off in a single, fluid swing!
"Wait, Kezeniah, you can't-" Veyle tried to call out, before Nel rushed in between Kezeniah and Nil.
"...If you will kill Nil, even if it is the right choice… then you'll have to kill me as well." Nel declared firmly, her eyes locked with Kezeniah.
"Nh!" Kezaniah exclaimed as she stopped just before Nel received the blow as well, as her grip was shaking and her eyes faltered. "...Nel… get out of the way. Get out of the way, now!" Kezaniah exclaimed.
"Even if I get out of the way, or if someone pushes me out of it… I will end myself if you will not end me with Nil." Nel answered back, her posture not moving. "If what you say is true… then why will you not try to save Nil? Must he die, if you were able to save Veyle back in your world?"
"THAT'S DIFFERENT!" Kezaniah yelled as she slammed her sword into the snow. "I tried back in my world! I tried everything to make sure Nil wouldn't ever lose control while he held to your dragonstone! I tried everything to make sure that the two of you would never come to blows, because I saw the look in my father's eyes when you gave your dragonstone to Nil! I tried! I tried…. I… I…." Kezaniah choked, as finally, her weakened and battered interior brokenness shown in full as she collapsed on her knees before Nel and Nil, and wailing her heart out, tears flowing as waterfalls from her eyes in the snowy wasteland.
Nil couldn't believe what he was seeing, while Nel turned around, and face the rest of the group.
"Had it not been for Kezaniah, it would have been just as she said before… The Corrupted would be put down for the sake of everyone." Nel answered back. "And I would carry it out. There is nothing more that I would do. I don't care if you detest me for it. You don't seem to hate Kezaniah so much for doing all this, but that's only because you knew her longer than you knew me."
"Nel…" Alear started.
"You knew all of those Corrupted people personally. I saw the look of despair on Veyle's face when she saw them." Nel declared. "I would have spared you the sight of the corpses of your former friends and allies. And if you had to kill them with your own hands… you would have been truly shattered. Kezeniah took this burden herself, and focused it all in order to stop what Sombron intended to do with Nil. And I could have told you the truth far sooner, but I did not want you to realize this cruel truth. Alear, you are no different to the Divine Dragon of this world, caring deeply for your friends, with such strong bonds."
"Nel, we wouldn't have held it against you." Veyle answered back. "You've been through enough already, and letting this all bottled up inside is bad for your own mental well-being… With only your brother as your true company… it's no wonder that you would rather die than live a single moment without him."
"What!? Is that true, Lady Nel?" Zelestia exclaimed with shock.
"I'll tell you all why Alear's presence hurts me as much as it does for me and Nil for Kezaniah here, if I presume correctly…" Nel answered back. "It's because you remind me of the Divine Dragon so much, that it hurts so very much. Protective, caring, strong and brave. Accepting of everyone, including two wretched Fell Dragon spawn like us. He was there for me, he saw something in me that brought him closer to me, and I to him… We admired the flowers together, and laughed together, and shared so much of ourselves."
"Wait, then that means…!" Alear exclaimed, as she finally realized the source of Nel's pain.
"Every farewell was pain, no matter how brief." Nel declared. "And every reunion gave me new life. He said that he would be coming home! Right before he faced Sombron one last time! That very day! I had finally gained the resolve to confess my love!"
Nel then collapsed on the ground on her knees, as she finally cried, although it was far more controlled, despite her own gnawing grief.
"So why… Why did Sombron had to go and bring him down as well!?" Nel cried in anger and sorrow. "He promised that he would return… that he would come home and give me something to live for… We sealed the oath with our fingers interlocked. One moment, I could feel the gentle warmth of his hand… And next I felt it, it was colder than ice itself. Everything I look upon reminds me of him. Reminders of what I have lost, as our own was for Kezaniah. And yet, the more I spend with you, hearing your stories… The closer my feelings come to what they once were… And if I truly felt that way, I would feel truly rotten inside, because you weren't the one I loved, you are just another version of him, an alternate, and if I felt that way… I would be betraying my own true love for him."
Siege could only look away with a solemn expression upon his face, knowing that the fact he and Alear were betrothed was likely a further dagger in Nel's heart.
"So you…" Alear remarked, before she felt truly torn. "...I'm sorry, I should have known that, even if you did not tell me the same. But however… you shouldn't let your feelings ruin your own happiness… Nel, if I could tell you a story… my story. Once you hear it, you might feel a lot more hopeful."
"What tale could possibly lift my spirits?" Nel argued.
"You'll know why, once I tell you." Alear stated. "A long time ago, a thousand and a few years before this very moment, I was a Fell Dragon Child. Unlike here, where I was blessed to be born as the daughter of a Divine Dragon, the Divine Dragon Empress Lumera… I was born as a daughter of Sombron. Emotionless, distant and spiteful, much like the siblings that you might be used to."
"...What?" Nel remarked, as the four Winds were shocked, and Nil was caught with a stunned expression.
"My only purpose was to gather the Emblem Rings. Nothing more." Alear answered back. "I had nothing else in my mind, because if I had anything else, Sombron would have thrown me away as a defect, just as I would have, if I failed in my task. But then Siege came to me, and my life turned for the better, not that I had realized at the time. We got close to each other, although Siege was the only one who felt that way. It was mostly a one-sided relationship at first. And then Lumera came into my life, at my worst, in order to take care of me. She pitied my own miserable state, and on Siege's plea, she adopted me as her daughter. That was the moment I lost all loyalty to Sombron, and wanted only to live with Siege, and help Lumera stop him."
"And you did stop him, right?" Gregory asked.
"I did, but at the cost of losing my life." Alear answered back, as the Winds gasped in horror, while Nel's eyes widened, and Nil looked at Alear as if she grown a second head. "Yes, it's surprising. I truly did die that day. But I was brought back to life, thanks to Lumera sharing her own life essence in order to slowly revive me. To me, it was a millennium-long slumber. And when I came to, I was back in Lythos, where I was greeted by Richard and Siege. At that time, Siege remembered nothing of his past, due to a certain incident."
"And what came after? Surely things changed, as we can tell now." Zelestia stated.
"What came after was a quest to stop Sombron. Memories or no memories, I knew my duty was to do one thing. Protect Alear, and defeat Sombron." Siege pretexted.
"Sombron returned, and a whole new war occurred." Alear answered back. "Among those who served him… was Veyle initially, and… I must truly apologise for what you're about to hear, Zelestia, Gregory, Madeline and the other Mauvier… the Four Hounds themselves."
"Wait, you served Sombron!?" Zelestia exclaimed, as she seemed to more bewildered than truly betrayed, as she looked at Zephia, who merely took a deep breath.
"...Yes, and because Sombron was a far more active influence in our world, our stories were far more different." Zephia answered back. "...I was a Mage Dragon whose power got out of hand, and ended up killing all my kin. Griss was adopted and twisted by Sombron's cult, Marni was thrown away by her own family to be in Sombron's service. The only one who had a semblance of a happy life was Mauvier himself, just as yours had."
"Why… Why would you serve Sombron? Don't you know what he would have done!?" Gregory exclaimed with anger at Griss.
"Well, gee, I wonder if the idea of crossing Sombron would have come to us, being so long under his rule and care." Griss sarcastically said. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it, we've done many horrible things under Sombron's orders. But since we're all here, it's obvious that we decided to jump ship, and work alongside the Divine Dragon. Turns out we might be valuable, once someone offers something better, we get tossed away. Pretty ironic considering that Zephia dispatched that one Elusian mustached freak for failing to get Queen Eve."
"How… No. You said that you were abandoned by your parents… and you said that you would have been happy with praise…" Madeline told Marni, before the dots connected in her head. "...You… you're obsessed with praise, because it's the only way you feel that you could feel validated as you grew up?"
"And still am." Marni declared. "I'm happy with the Divine Dragon and everyone else. You have no idea of the kind of people they keep company with. I even made friends with a fox-girl, and a girl with wolf-ears, and they're both really great friends for someone of my age, or at least physically and mentally close to it. I managed to get over everything that I've been through, and decided to work towards being a better person."
"Then what about Lady Veyle… how did she come to fight alongside you?" Mauvier of the Winds asked.
"That is a fairly surprising story, and it ties into why we Hounds were to be disposed of." Mauvier of the Hounds answered back. "During that time, Richard and Siege managed to find a way to split Veyle's consciousness into two. The dark personality that Zephia had created within her, although we did not learn of that until much later after the war, and the kinder Veyle that was the actual personality that she lived with. The darker personality manifested her own body, and there were certain enemies of Richard and Siege, who sent some subordinates to help Sombron's cause. Because of our failures, and the value of those subordinates, who would be called the Four Dragons, as a mockery to us, they were ordered to dispose of us. And so Griss, Zephia and Marni sought the only way to live, and that is to seek refuge with the Divine Dragon's army."
"It was no easy process, earning their trust." Zephia answered back. "But we managed to prove ourselves, when we fought Sombron ourselves, and did everything we could to help. Out of all of us Hounds, I am the one who is saddled with the most regret, because of the fact that I was the one who twisted Veyle in the first place, and I did it out of a obsessive desire to have a child, in order to create family, in a most twisted definition."
"Zephia…" Zelestia remarked with a pitying tone.
"You pity me…" Zephia stated. "...Please… do not do that. Although I am not asking you to hate my unconditionally, your sympathy hurts me, because of the fact that you have what I should have had in the first place: A proper foster family who would compromise at nothing to be together forever. I was so stubborn, so blind, to not have realized that the family I sought was right before me… and after Magina divined my future, had the heroes never come with their own interference… I would have destroyed that family in my own blindness, and that drives a wedge deeper into my heart than anything else I have done up to now."
"You… Do you really feel that way?" Marni asked, with concern for Zephia, as Zephia nodded silently.
"Hah… Here you all are… Helping out Nel in her time of sorrow…" Kezaniah bitterly laughed as her tears still fell. "How easily I'm cast aside so simply…"
"That's not true, Kezaniah. These stories are showing the pain that everyone has went through, in their own different perspectives. It's not just for Nel. It's for all of us. The Winds, The Hounds, me, Siege, Veyle, Alear, and you." Richard answered back firmly, before his tone softened, and turning to Nel. "Nel… believe it or not, Kezeniah did something in the war, in its final moments. When we were about to fight Sombron, in order to defeat him once and for all, she came here seeking revenge against him for casting her aside."
"And what happened after?" Nel asked.
"Kezaniah, tell her. Tell her what happened to Sombron when we finally defeated him." Richard told Kezaniah. "...She deserves to know."
"...Sombron is… the only reason I'm here." Kezaniah would state, her head dipped low. "In a final act to atone for what he had done… he gave me his life essence, enough to grant me another 500 years of life… as if my heart hasn't been scarred from enough wounds as it were… that moment dug the dagger within again… As if he had been sorrowful for everything. The deaths of all his children… including you two… the way he treated us all… manifested in an apology of saving my life, which I willingly gave to ensure Sombron would die…" Kezaniah said through more tears. "...That doesn't change the fact of the pain I see looking upon the both of you. Twins… so close… so endeared to one another… separated through a curse placed by a misguided father…" Kezaniah sobbed.
Nel was left silent, before she then gently bowed her head down, and scooted over to hug Kezaniah, whose eyes widened upon feeling Nel's embrace.
"Then I am sorry that you had to go through all of that." Nel answered back. "To be like me, where the only vestiges of your family lie in Alear and Veyle, while mine is my brother. I understand now why you feel this pain as I do. That's why… if you would have me, I will come with you."
"...Wh…wha…" Kezaniah said, her voice incredibly low in a whisper, hearing Nel's words. "You would… you would really… come with me… after this is all over?" Kezaniah asked.
"I cannot truly replace the Nel that you have known. But I can tell that you care for me and Nil more than you make us think." Nel declared. "...The reason that you would kill Nil now, is because you would rather have your memories untainted from seeing him turn into what has left that deep emotional scar upon your heart. And to spare me the misery as well. But I don't want to lose him. Selfish as it might be… hearing what Richard and Veyle said… it gave me hope that we can fix this… if we cling onto hope."
"Yes… Hope…" Kezaniah said, before she finally returned the embrace and held Nel close to her.
Nil was left silent, as he clutched his dragon-stone on his chest, before he then turned to Richard.
"...What do I do?" Nil asked. "I… I don't even know myself anymore."
"You don't…?" Siege asked. "...Explain what you mean."
"I… I…" Nil remarked, as he struggled to get the words out. "If what Kezaniah is saying, if all of it is true… then how much of me is the Nil that she cherishes so deeply… and how much of it, is my father's puppet…? You said that Veyle was once Father's puppet, with an implanted personality. How am I sure that I'm… Nil?"
"Wait. Hold." Siege would suddenly say as his gaze hardened towards Nil. "...That line you said. 'The Nil that she cherishes so deeply…' …You looked at Nel when you said that."
"Did I?" Nil asked as he looked at Siege, before he closed his eyes and slyly smiled. "...Astute as ever, for someone who is the mirror image of the wretched Savior from my world."
"...What…?" Richard remarked. "What do you mean, 'wretched Saviour from my world'? The Sombron that we knew came to peace with his own demise, and the Sombron here is long dead, and there was no Savior… unless… you are a lingering fragment of Sombron's malice, his hatred."
"Almost. But still not quite." Nil remarked with a chuckle. "I had hoped to be a little more discreet. To save this all for our final confrontation, as well as when I had all the rings… no matter. I have no part in this world. So I suppose I could destroy it as I pleased."
"...You're not from our world… nor are you from this world." Siege stated with a harsh glare as Kezaniah suddenly rose up, glaring at 'Nil.'
"You… have you been feigning the act of Nil all this time!? Bearing his image!? Bearing his name!?" Kezaniah yelled.
"Is that any way to speak to your new brother, Kezaniah?" 'Nil' mocked before he glared at Siege. "Indeed. More reminders of the wretched, weakling Savior I once knew. The key difference between you two is that you're still alive… mocking me in the face of one I once knew. Just as Nel suffers upon seeing the Divine Dragon of your world." 'Nil' added.
"You…" Alear remarked with a growl.
"...So the one you know is dead." Siege remarked.
"She is… she pings my heart every time I look upon you." 'Nil' remarked. "But I refuse to look upon you anymore. In this barren snowfield, I shall cripple you to erase this painful feeling from my being!" 'Nil' yelled as he pulled out a tome, and shot a fierce blast of magic at Siege, who was hit by it, as he yelled in pain and flew backwards, the 6 bracelets he had on hand all falling to the ground at 'Nil's feet, as he picked them up and cackled. "Just one more bracelet to find. I suppose an otherworld bracelet as well but this will do for now. I also wonder… just what the case might be if Nel lost her precious Divine Dragon a second time." 'Nil' remarked as he soon grabbed Alear, just as she attempted to get to Siege.
"A… Alear….!" Siege exclaimed, weakened from the magic blast.
"I suggest if you want to save your precious savior, focus not on the kidnapping of the Divine Dragon, but the severity of the Radiant Savior's growing plague!" 'Nil' laughed as he began warping away with Alear.
"Plague…!?" Richard remarked, before looking at Siege.
Sure enough, dark, corrupted magic began to spread throughout Siege, as he began feeling his organs shutting down one by one. "...Ghk…!? What… the hell is… happening to… to… me….!" Siege tried to exclaim, becoming weaker and weaker at a rapid pace.
"Hang on, Siege!" Richard exclaimed, before he then decided to personally scan Siege's body, due to the fact that he had a feeling that the plague wouldn't go away with mere magic. "I'll find a way to fix this! The rest of you, keep an eye out for any ambushes! Whoever is impersonating Nil, or controlling him… he can't be working alone!"
Richard was surprised that his own expectations were subverted, as the plague could easily be dispelled by magic. It would just take a good 15-30 minutes to fully dispel the plague from Siege.
"Can he be saved?" Kezaniah would ask Richard in concern..
"Of course, but it will take time." Richard answered back. "But it will be time that our enemies will make the most use out of."
"Then I propose that you and Veyle stay here with Siege." Kezaniah stated. "Myself, Nel, and the Four Winds and Four Hounds will chase after Nil… or whoever this man impersonating Nil is."
"Alright." Richard nodded. "Take care… Who knows what dangers could come. We haven't even found the Shadow Duelists' traces here… and I doubt that they'll stay idle for long at our time of plight."
The group nodded before going ahead, while Veyle and Richard worked to save Siege.