Chương 13: Cyrus Sanguine

"Oh my." A voice drifted down from above.

"It seems a few pests have invaded my sanctuary." Noah looked up. Something descended from the sky between the branches, lowering itself with the casual grace of something that had never feared falling.

"Are you the one who slew one of my tiger cubs?" The figure touched the ground lightly. He looked like a child at first glance, with long purple hair, crimson eyes, and skin as pale as snow. Flowing robes hung from his small frame, and slippers rested on his feet. But the rest of him was far from human. Black bat wings stretched from his back, and a scorpion's tail curled behind him. The moment his feet met the earth, a massive white tiger appeared at his side.

The beast lowered itself, and the childlike figure sat upon it as though it were a throne. Noah knew who he was before Lux even said his name. Leon Swallowtail. The God of Monsters. The ruler of Álfheimr's cursed forest. Leon's gaze moved across Noah, Ava, and Cyrus with detached annoyance. Then he saw Lux. His expression shattered. The pride vanished from his face in an instant, replaced by pure fear. Lux smiled.

"It has been a while, little Leon." Leon did not speak. He only stared at her. Lux floated closer, golden butterflies drifting lazily around her.

"I see you lesser gods are as prideful as ever," she said.

"First I get robbed by Ashe, and now this." Her smile sharpened.

"Shouldn't you be kneeling?" Leon slid off the white tiger immediately.

"Yes," he said quickly.

"Yes, of course." He dropped to his knees in front of her. Noah stared. Ava stared. Even Cyrus looked away, as if witnessing this somehow made him uncomfortable. Lux seemed delighted. She floated above Leon and lightly kicked the side of his head, more out of amusement than anger.

"So," she said, looking back at Noah, "what is the plan?" Noah blinked. Lux pointed lazily toward Cyrus.

"Turn him in for the easy victory?" Cyrus stiffened. Then Lux's finger moved toward the distance, where the Black Witch's territory waited.

"Or go after the big fish?" Noah looked at Cyrus. The demon's hands were still trembling, but he had not raised a weapon. He had not attacked them. He had only come here for the same reason they had.

"No," Noah said. Cyrus looked up.

"He has not done anything wrong." Lux tilted her head. Noah turned his gaze toward the deeper forest.

"The Black Witch is an actual villain. After what the Emperor did, she killed the remaining members of the Seventh Hero's party." His grip tightened around his sword.

"And she has committed countless other acts of evil." Cyrus lowered his eyes.

"Those heroes deserved it," he muttered. Noah glanced at him. The words were bitter. Old. Personal.

"Maybe they did," Noah said. Cyrus looked at him in surprise. Noah did not soften his expression.

"But I will ask her that myself." Cyrus stared at Noah for a moment. Then he gave a bitter smile.

"You are a strange Hero," he said.

"Much kinder than my traitorous uncle." Noah did not know how to respond to that. Lux, however, did not seem interested in the comment. She floated down toward Leon, who was still kneeling in front of her.

"Listen up, little Leon." Leon flinched.

"I have the Hero, his girlfriend, and a general from Helheim all looking to hunt the Black Witch." Lux placed one foot on the back of his head.

"And you are going to help them." Then she stomped his face into the ground. Not hard enough to kill him. Just hard enough to amuse herself.

"Lux," Noah said sharply.

"Let off him." Lux looked at him. Then she rolled her eyes and floated away.

"You are no fun." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Noah crouched and offered Leon a hand. Leon stared at it for a moment before allowing Noah to help him stand.

"I cannot help you," Leon said, brushing dirt from his robes.

"It is impossible." His white tiger moved beside him, and Leon climbed back onto its back, clearly trying to recover some of his dignity.

"I would have killed her myself long ago," he continued.

"But she created a very potent barrier to keep me out." Cyrus adjusted his glasses.

"What kind of barrier?" Leon looked at him.

"I may be able to analyze and dispel it," Cyrus said. Leon shook his head.

"Impossible. Its quality is far too high. I doubt even Lux could force her way through it." Lux smiled.

"I could if I wanted to." Leon wisely pretended not to hear her.

"The restriction itself is simple," he said.

"Anyone older than the Black Witch is forbidden from passing through." Noah frowned.

"That is oddly specific."

"And effective," Leon replied.

"I estimate she is from the same era as the Seventh Apocalypse. Naturally, I cannot break through." He reached down and gently petted the white tiger's head, calming himself with the motion. Noah looked toward the deeper forest.

"That complicates things." Then his eyes narrowed.

"It also explains why the Emperor has not made a move against her himself." Ava looked at him.

"He was born during the Fourth Era," Noah said.

"So the barrier would reject him too." Cyrus nodded slowly.

"The Black Witch is most likely the strongest remaining survivor of her era." His expression darkened.

"Beating her will be nearly impossible." Noah looked at him.

"But not completely impossible?" Cyrus hesitated. Then he sighed.

"I do have a spy placed within her ranks." Leon's eyes widened. Lux's smile sharpened. Ava leaned forward slightly. Cyrus looked toward the direction of the witch's territory.

"But even with that advantage, this mission will be difficult." Noah rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Difficult is fine." The others turned toward him. He thought of Gram. Of his mother's grave. Of his father's stolen body. Of Isabelle taken by The Crows. Then he looked toward the path ahead.

"I only need it to be possible." Cyrus stared at him for a moment. Then he let out a quiet breath.

"I hate Heroes," he said. Noah did not look away.

"But I will trust you." Cyrus adjusted his glasses, his dark blue eyes narrowing behind the lenses.

"For now." Ava crossed her arms.

"How reassuring."

"Only until we slay Medusa and steal back her treasure," Cyrus added. Noah frowned.

"You said you wanted to save your brother." Cyrus went still.

"What does that have to do with her treasure?" For a moment, Cyrus said nothing. Then his expression darkened.

"Do you remember what the Heroes did to my father?" Noah's grip tightened around his sword. Cyrus lowered his gaze.

"After Lumiar and Olivia died, the rest of the Hero's party dismembered him." Ava's face went pale.

"Various parts of his body were turned into items," Cyrus continued.

"They tore off his skin and made it into a coat." His voice remained calm, but the bitterness beneath it was impossible to miss.

"They used one of his fangs to make a sword, meant to hold his soul. His hair and rib became a pen." Noah felt sick.

"And what I need," Cyrus said, "is the book created from his heart and organs." He looked toward the deeper forest.

"The artifact that controls the others." Lux floated silently nearby, her usual amusement quieter now. Cyrus continued.

"The coat made from his body was contaminated by his lingering resentment. Over time, it became a living monster." Noah looked at him.

"A monster?"

"One that feeds on blood," Cyrus said, "and uses that blood to reproduce. The monster has been named the Black Mist." His hands tightened into fists.

"While I was experimenting on a piece of it, some of that monster entered my brother's bloodstream." The air around him grew colder.

"I froze him before it could fully spread." Noah's expression softened slightly.

"But I cannot remove the Black Mist without that book." Cyrus looked back at Noah.

"That is why I need Medusa's treasure." His voice lowered.

"That is why I crossed into Yggdrasil, knowing the Emperor would execute me if I were caught." For a moment, no one spoke. Then Noah looked toward the Black Witch's territory.

"So we are not just hunting Medusa." Cyrus nodded.

"We are retrieving my father's remains." Noah's jaw tightened.

"And saving your brother." Cyrus stared at him, guarded and uncertain.

"Yes." Noah took a slow breath.

"Then we have two reasons to go." Lux smiled faintly.

"How heroic." Noah ignored her and looked at Cyrus.

"I will help you." Cyrus's eyes widened. For a moment, he looked as if he did not understand what he had just heard. Ava folded her arms, her expression turning serious.

"Then we need to do this within two weeks at most." Noah looked at her.

"Because of what happened in Gram," Ava continued, "the Emperor himself may appear in Álfheimr." The air grew heavier at the mention of him.

"If he finds Cyrus here, he will use it as justification to start another war with Helheim." Cyrus lowered his gaze. His hands began to shake.

"Alright." His voice was quieter now.

"Thank you." He swallowed hard.

"Thank you so much." Noah said nothing. Cyrus clenched his trembling hands into fists.

"Even if we are not related by blood, my brother means everything to me." His voice cracked slightly.

"I cannot let him die because of my mistake." For a moment, Noah thought of Isaac. Then Isabelle. Then his mother's grave. He understood that kind of desperation. He understood it too well. Noah rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Then the three of us will hunt Medusa." Cyrus looked up.

"We will reclaim the black book," Noah said, "and you will save your brother." Ava smiled and stepped beside him.

"Obviously," she said.

"We already came this far." Cyrus stared at them both, still uncertain, still afraid, but no longer alone. Noah looked toward the darkened path leading deeper into the forest. Beyond it waited the Black Witch. Beyond her waited the first real trial of his journey. He tightened his grip on his sword.

"I promise."