Chương 87: The Aftermath

Archmage Yseult landed on a street in the Melendez Way, expecting to see dead Phasewalkers. Elric should have been done killing them by now. As planned, a report had come through for missing Phasewalkers, and Yseult was supposed to be the first on the scene. He expected to find at least one body torn to shreds. He felt slightly ill thinking about it, but comforted himself with the thought that it wasn't his idea. His idea had been simple, with no deaths.

It was to capture Elric, threaten him with demonic possession so that he would agree to alter the evidence of his investigation, then erase his memories thoroughly and systematically. But Mordius had refused and said that wouldn't work for whatever reason. He also seemed particularly interested in making Elric a demonkin. So it had come to this. Yseult gritted his teeth, feeling his soul sink further into pits that he had not thought it capable of. Every day, it was harder to justify his actions, but he still did.

If only Elric had minded his business, none of this would have happened. Besides, the only other people harmed were Phasewalkers. Most of them were criminals, even though they liked to pretend they weren't. They had been a thorn in the council's side for some time. Their deaths were probably a net good to the world and meant that Elric would be more susceptible to Mordius' control. Elric was not the type of Archmage to kill casually, not even when it came to criminals.

Even if he regained awareness at any point after the initial haze of rage, knowing that he had brutally murdered people uncontrollably would have psychologically broken him and made it easier for Mordius to recapture both his mind and soul and bring him under his supreme command. Plus, Mordius took a sick joy in seeing humans broken. It made Yseult sick, but once again, he did nothing to stop him. It's a necessary evil. However, to his utmost shock, the Phasewalkers were not dead.

They were buried in the ground, screaming obscenities at the sky." How long does this cursed spell last?"" She's paralyzed us, brothers! We are doomed."" Wait, no. I can feel my toes again. It's wearing off."" Does she plan to keep us here forever?"" I told you this was a mistake. I told you!"" Oh, cease your sanctimonious scolding, brother. Yes, we agree! It was a mistake! Do you feel better now?"" What happened?" Yseult said as he approached, drawing the attention of the group." Who are you?" One of them asked.

Another snapped out a response." What do you mean, who is he? He's an Archmage, clearly." Yseult typically kept his authority restrained, but they could probably tell from the tassels of his robes." Why are you lying there?" Yseult asked. Rocks and sand had been heaped on their bodies, as though by a child building a sand-tomb." We were on a journey," the central man said," To the mountain to train, when we got ambushed by a girl in a mask and her pet bird."

Of course, he knew half of that was a lie, but the other part could be true, as ridiculous as it sounded." A girl in a mask?"" Yes. She had an obvious glamour pretending to be a low-level mage but cast wordless spells, and she did something to us that paralyzed us. We can't move now. She left us for dead and flew away with her darned bird that created a portal out of its beak!" Anyone else would hear that as the hysterical ramblings of an insane man, but Yseult knew they had to be telling the truth.

Fact was often stranger than fiction. Not to mention that it fit the description of the girl who had defeated the trolls in Khor and come to the young Lord and Lady's rescue. So a mage in disguise, with a white bird who could spit out portals…. Vittoria? Of course. It had to be her. She must have somehow figured out the plan and saved Elric at the last moment. He had underestimated Elric.

At first, Yseult didn't know how he had broken the seal on the scrolls he'd taken from the sect, but it seemed he had used Vittoria. Vittoria's involvement just complicated everything. Darn. He thought she had resolved to stay out of council business forever. Had Elric been infected with the demon blood? Or did she stop that too?" I'll be back," Yseult said. As he vanished, they screamed after him." Wait, don't leave us like this! We need a healer!" He ignored them, appearing in Yvoirren next. His blood ran cold.

It had been a massacre, but not the type he was imagining. There were demon remains scattered around the place, the entire ground soaked with black blood. Other mages were on the scene, investigators murmuring amongst themselves, likely wondering what caused this. Elric's distress call had made it into the system, but at a time when all the other Archmages were busy.

Mordius had precisely timed the attack, and unbeknownst to Elric, Yseult had reassigned the priority level of his mission to a non-emergency and appointed himself as the attending Archmage. It was something unique only he could do. As an expert on demons and as a higher-ranked Archmage, he had the power to recalibrate the threat levels of demonic attacks. People tended to panic when they heard the word' demon' and assign it as a higher threat when it wasn't necessary.

After years, Yseult had lobbied the High Ascendant for this privilege such that, in times of multiple crises, he could run quick evaluations to determine whether such an attack was high priority or low. Elric's had been the lowest in his view. When asked, Yseult would simply state that when he arrived on scene, there was nothing here, and the nearby village was safe. The Overlord had cast a spell over the arena, so that it would appear as though nothing was happening, or as though it had already been resolved.

By the time he figured out the truth, it was too late. Carelessness and worth censure on his part, but not criminal and understandable given all the other rifts happening at the same time. But Elric had defied expectation. Not Elric. Vittoria. Had she done this? Massacred all those behemoths? No wonder they called her the Golden Beast. However, he needed to ensure that Elric had truly been infected.

As long as he was infected and not dead, they could control him and make him access all his system notes and alter those copies of the investigation. Suddenly, he heard the voice in his head, low and threatening." Report to Mordius now. Something has gone very wrong, and the Fifth Son is missing."

Vittoria teleported Arielle into the forest by the sea. It had gotten dark, but not dark enough for it to be curfew, and she could still hear stray conversation of students walking by the dining halls. She could also hear the gentle crashing of the ocean, the breeze ruffling through the trees and through her hair." I didn't do much while pretending to be you," Vittoria had told her before she brought her back." I was quiet on the journey back from North Base, which the custodian seemed to accept as normal.

I walked around campus to ensure I was seen by enough people, then I had a short conversation with your male friend."" What friend?"" I don't know. I never found out his name."" What does he look like?"" He's quite tall with blue eyes." Riorke? Probably." I ensured the conversation was mostly focused on him and his life goals. He was a smooth-talker and loved to talk about himself, so I didn't answer many questions about myself, though he did at times try to divert the conversation that way.

But I am a skilled deflector. He didn't notice anything amiss." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Arielle had nodded mildly, while her mind remained on Elric and his disease. Vittoria said she had a good idea of where the antidote might be and that they would attempt to retrieve it tomorrow. Arielle still felt unsettled. She didn't like to rely on anyone else's plans when it came to saving Elric. She wanted to do it herself. Could she heal him?

She'd never tried it before, and she knew nothing about healing. It was famously a difficult art, one that required extra training for everything except the most basic injuries. Worse, his curse was demonic in nature and was attached to his organs. What if, by pulling it away, she caused something to rupture? Vittoria had said she was getting a healer for Elric. She had said he would be fine for the next three days. Arielle wasn't comforted by that.

She didn't trust Vittoria or anyone, really, when it came to Elric's life. Sometimes, it felt like she might be the only one who truly cared about him. Not to mention, this was all her fault. She inhaled the sea breeze deeply and held back her tears. She couldn't cry. Vittoria had said she had to act normal, and if she went back to her room with a puffy face and red eyes, Lyra would know that something was wrong. At least coming back late meant that she could comfortably skip dinner and go straight to bed.

She wasn't hungry anyway. Ari left the forest and went back to her room, hyperaware of every eye that turned her way. She tried to smile at people to show she was totally normal, but the smile felt stiff on her face, and everyone she made brief eye contact with gave her a strange look in return. She managed to make it to her bedroom without anyone stopping her, but unluckily for her, Lyra was at her desk." Oh, good, you're here," she said as she flipped through her spell book." Something incredible just happened.

So I was trying this spell and I–" She finally looked up as Ari shuffled toward her bed. One look at Ari's face and her words died." What happened?" she asked." Nothing," Arielle said quickly. She took off her robe." I just don't feel well. I'm going to wash up and sleep early."" Um… okay." But Lyra watched closely as Ari entered the private chambers with her nightgown in hand. When she came out, Lyra was still staring at her." Is it the dean?" she asked." Did he do something again?" Arielle shook her head."

Selena then? Or Anne? Was she bothering you?" Thinking about Anne made her remember Elric, and she had to bite her lip really hard to distract herself from the internal pain stabbing her chest." No," Arielle said." I just don't feel very well." She got into bed, and though she typically preferred to sleep on her back, she turned to her side so that Lyra couldn't see her anymore. That way, if she started crying in her sleep, her roommate wouldn't notice." Do you want some tea?" Lyra asked quietly."

No," Ari responded." I just want to sleep." But even though she closed her eyes, she couldn't sleep. She just kept picturing Elric again, wounded, breathing harshly on his hands and knees, and that behemoth smiling at her with a piece of Elric smeared over its teeth. Her hand clenched into a fist by her head. She wished she could kill it again and again and kill all behemoths forever. She tried to distract herself, but that was never her strong suit.

She tended to hyperfocus on one thought for a long time, and the image of the smiling behemoth only made her angrier and angrier… until she felt a hand stroking her hair. Lyra's. It was small and lightweight, the touch barely there. Ari stiffened instinctively, and Lyra diluted the contact even more. She lifted her hand by an inch, so that only her fingers skimmed over Arielle's hair strands. It reminded her of Celie. Arielle's muscles began to ease slowly. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

She didn't know when it happened, but she must have eventually slipped off into sleep, because her eyes opened again, the sun blared through her windows, and sounds of movement had her sitting up. Lyra was moving around, getting her clothes together." Good morning," she said." Feeling better?" Arielle didn't answer as she rubbed her eyes and peered at the shining sun outside. How late was it? Had Vittoria told the dean the news yet? She was tired of hiding her emotions."

You probably don't feel good because you haven't eaten anything," Lyra said." I didn't see you at dinner either. You should at least have breakfast." Arielle was about to shake her head again, but decided that her not eating for that long would be unusual. Breakfast was the one meal she rarely skipped, and she never skipped it the day after skipping dinner." Okay," she said." But I need to do some meditation first."" I'll leave you to it then.

Lyra went into the privy, while Arielle sat cross-legged on her bed and did centering exercises. I am Arielle Blacksoil. I am a Mossborne. Elric is dying because of me. She felt the heat of the bands around her neck, yanking her back from guilt, helping her feel the weight of her thoughts. I am Arielle Blacksoil. I am a Mossborne. I am the daughter of Torv and Thessa Blacksoil. She continued listing all the things she knew about herself, and then repeating it as well, adding new details each round.

I am Arielle Blacksoil. I am a Mossborne. I am being haunted by a primordial. That thought was also cemented in her brain, but it triggered a brief sensation of vertigo, and her eyes popped open. What was that?" Arielle?" She opened her eyes and saw Lyra already fully dressed and seated on her bed. It didn't feel like she had been meditating that long, but apparently she had." Done?" Lyra asked." Almost," Arielle responded.

She closed her eyes again and meditated for a few more minutes, until the orbs absorbed into her brain. At breakfast, Arielle tried to follow the conversation between her friends, but nothing could hold her attention. Not even when someone slipped onto the bench to sit beside her. By that point, most of the sound was droning in her ears, and it wasn't until it stopped that she noticed that the rest of the table and some surrounding tables had gone hush.

That was when she looked up and finally saw who was sitting next to her. It was Lord Wesley's son. Wulfric. He smiled." I wanted to see how long it would take for you to notice me this time." This time? What was he talking about? Arielle raised an eyebrow." Sorry to interrupt you all," he said, addressing the rest of the quiet table." I was wondering if I could steal Arielle for a few moments."" For what?" Ari asked." For a… conversation." She shook her head." No."

He opened his mouth to say something, but luckily, they were interrupted by a student, a second-year Arielle didn't recognize." Hey," the student said to her." The dean is looking for you." Ari shot to her feet and immediately hurried away. At first, she ignored the leisurely footsteps behind her, but then, when she was halfway up the staircase, she spun around." Why are you following me?" Wulfric's smile was blinding." I thought maybe we could continue our conversation from yesterday."" Conve–" Oh. Blue eyes.

He must have been the one Vittoria had talked to, not Riorke. That was strange. Why did Vittoria assume he was a friend when the two of them had never had a proper conversation before?" I see," Arielle responded. It would look strange if she didn't continue the conversation at least briefly." Alright. I'll be back."" I'll be waiting."

Arielle was annoyed at his wink, but she would either have to tell him to stop, or tolerate it for a short enough time to explain to him that they could not be friends because she found him fundamentally irritating. She appeared in the dean's office, and the door opened to allow her in without knocking. It also closed behind her." Arielle." Dean Octavius' voice was soft, a regretful expression on his face." I'm afraid I have bad news for you. Please sit." She obeyed, sitting with her hands curled in her lap."

Elric has been gravely injured in a battle. Vittoria just sent word today and visual confirmation too."" I see."" You don't seem shocked." She paused and attempted to arrange her expression in a facsimile of surprise." I am." He cocked his head." You knew he was wounded already."" No." The dean didn't look convinced. Ari tried again." Perhaps, I had a feeling. Can I go see him?"" Yes," he said." You don't have any trials for the next week, so I was thinking–"" Just one day will be fine."

The dean paused with his mouth still holding the form of the word." Are you sure?"" Yes."" You don't think you would need longer than that?"" No. I promised Lyra I would help her with her spells. And I have Professor Woden's presentation coming up."" I can postpone that for you."" No need." The dean scanned her, his face carefully empty." I see," he said finally." Well, I am here to talk if you need it." Arielle nodded, but quickly she left the office.

Wulfric was standing by the door, and she told him," We'll have to talk later. I'm afraid I have to go."" Go where?"" To see my cousin. He was wounded." She glanced at him." Do you happen to know anything about how demonic poisonings affect the human body?"" Erm… no?" She sighed." Shame." She left him behind and continued back to her room. Ari gave Lyra a brief explanation before she left, for which Lyra gave her far too many hugs.

Maus, at least, restricted himself to one, although it was a long one, unusual for him. Then she was taken off campus by the ferry and was picked up in Khor by an older woman who was clearly Vittoria in disguise. They teleported to Vittoria's home then." You're walking into what is most likely a trap," she said." Yseult might know we're coming, and in fact, he probably does want us to come. He thinks it's just me, though, and he will instill mechanisms that counteract my magic.

So that's why it has to be you, with me there in spirit. Together, we will get the antidote." Arielle nodded." It's going to be a developing situation," Vittoria told her." He will have curses in place, much like the ones around the scroll. We might encounter a demon or two and whatever traps that entails. Things will change, and you will have to react in real time to everything I tell you. Don't hesitate at all. When I say something, you do it. Do you understand?" Arielle nodded."

If anything happens, I'll pull you out of there. Now, I'll teach you a few better spells that will work for direct combat–"" No need. I'll be fine," Arielle said, taking a long, grounding inhale." I'm ready."