Darkness clapped. “Bravo, Fellis. Excellent job in figuring that out. Yes, you are correct.” Darkness’s ruby lips twisted into a pleasantly unpleasant smile. “We’re here to take you back home, Dark Lady. I do hope that you’ll cooperate with us.”
“I’m not going back!” Enyo declared, though most of her attention was focused on Jacob, who hadn’t said a word since they arrived. “Jacob? Why aren’t you saying anything? Why are you just standing there?”
“The hero can’t hear you, dear,” Darkness said. “He can’t hear anything except my voice.” She gazed at Jacob with a hungry look that made Enyo sick to her stomach. “Isn’t that right, my hero?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect me you.”
“What? Jacob?” Enyo gawked. What was going on? Something had obviously happened to her friend, and it was clear to her that this woman was responsible. Mind manipulation? No, this seemed like something else. “What have you done to Jacob?”
Darkness looked hurt. She placed a hand against her bosoms, as if Enyo’s words were an arrow piercing her heart.
“What makes you think I’ve done anything? Perhaps the hero has simply been charmed by me.”
“As if Jacob would ever find you charming,” Enyo spat. “You’ve clearly cast some kind of magic spell on him. Return him to me this instant!”
Placing a hand on her cheek, Darkness said, “such a demanding girl, you are.” Then, in a feminine voice that made Enyo think the woman was mocking her, she continued, “Jacob, that person is attacking me! Please take care of her!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from her,” Jacob said, turning around to face Enyo.
“Jacob, stop this! Can’t you see that woman is controlling you!” Enyo said.
Scowling, Jacob shifted into a standard swordsman stance. “I don’t know who you are, but I’m going to make you pay for trying to hurt my friend.”
“Hurt your friend? Jacob, that’s not your friend! I don’t know who you think she is, but she’s trying to control you!”
“Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Enyo flinched, but she didn’t give up. She opened her mouth in an attempt to make him see reason. However, before she could speak, Fellis interrupted her.
“It’s no using trying to call out to him,” she said. “He’s not in his right mind. The only thing we can do is—”
“Nemesis,” Darkness called. “Take care of the traitor, please.”
“Yes.”
Nemesis leapt at Fellis without warning, claws appearing on his hands, which he used to try to slash her apart. He missed when Fellis leapt back, but he wasn’t deterred. He leapt after her as the woman disappeared from the rooftop. Enyo heard the clangs! of clashing steel recede into the distance.
Be safe, Fellis…
“Jacob,” Enyo called out. “You don’t need to do this! Snap out of it!”
Darkness laughed. “He’s not going to listen to the words of a villain! Jacob, please take care of her for me, but leave her alive. I think we should question her to find out what she knows.”
“That’s a good idea, Enyo,” he said.
W-what did he call her?
Enyo wasn’t given any time to speak out before Jacob was on her. He moved so fast that she’d barely seen him, like he was a bolt of lightning. Durandal slid out of its sheath with a hiss as he swung his blade. She did her best to block it with her daggers, but the attack was so powerful that she was lifted into the air and sent sailing backward.
As her feet hit the tiles, she slid across the roof, skidding until she was at the lip of the building. She almost fell off as her left foot slipped. When she looked back up after making sure she was secure, it was to find Jacob standing right in front of her, Durandal raised and ready to slice her apart.
“I’m sorry!” Durandal cried. “But my partner isn’t in control of his actions right now!”
The sword came down. Enyo did the only thing she could think of. She fell backward and kicked off the roof, soaring over the side building. Luckily, there was a rope used for drying clothes hanging between the buildings. She grabbed the robe with one hand, cut it with the dagger in her other hand, and swung down to the street below.
Jacob followed her, dropping off the building and landing in a crouch.
Enyo raced down the empty road, Jacob hot on her heels. He launched several blue crescent attacks her way. She dodged, juking left and right to avoid them. Each attack gouged chunks of cobblestone from the road. She eyed the long slash marks that traveled through the street with apprehension. She’d be killed if even one of those hit her.
I need to do something. I need to snap him out of this!
Something was wrong with Jacob. That said, she didn’t know what was wrong with him. It was definitely some form of mind control, but there were several methods of controlling the mind. Fellis had taught her a few of the ways. There was mind manipulation, which was Fellis’s magic, but there was also charm magic and illusion magic. Charm magic did exactly what it sounded like. It charmed a person into being someone’s slave. Illusion magic was the ability to project illusions into a person’s mind, making them see things and think things that weren’t real.
Jacob had probably fallen for one of these two magics. As strong as he was, his strength meant nothing in the face of this type of magic. They didn’t affect the body. They affected the mind. What made these two magic types so insidious was that it didn’t matter how strong, be it mentally or physically, a person was. Everyone was affected the same way.
Another crescent wave of energy cut the air near her, and Enyo threw herself out of the way, letting the attack hit a wall. She winced as the wall exploded. Scraps of brick flew in every direction. There were shouts coming from inside of buildings now. People were turning on their lights and coming to the window to see what the commotion was about.
I need to leave this place before people see us.
Turning down a corner, Enyo raced into an alley. Jacob followed her. He didn’t fire off any more of his crescent attacks. She could hear Durandal screaming at him.
“What are you doing, Partner?!”
“What do you mean ‘what am I doing?’ I thought that would be obvious. This person tried to hurt Enyo. It’s only natural that I fight them.”
It’s just like when he was with that woman. He called her Enyo.
That meant Jacob thought that woman was her, which lead her to believe that he was being affected by an illusion and not a charm. Charms worked under the principle that the person who’d been charmed had an irrational love for the one who charmed them. Illusions placed false images and thoughts into a person’s head.
For example, creating an illusion to make someone think you were someone else.
The sound of running feet drew closer. She looked back. Jacob was closing the distance between them. He was already right behind her, swinging the screaming Durandal. She ducked underneath the blade, feeling the air being sliced as it passed her. Several strands of her hair were cut. They fluttered away as she leapt back up and continued to run.
Ragged breathing. Heart pounding. Jacob swung his blade, tearing through a wall like it was made of parchment. Her heart nearly leapt into her throat as she realized that he was actually trying to kill her. It felt like her chest was being pierced by a dagger.
He really… thinks I’m his enemy!
All the while, Durandal screamed. “What the hell are you doing?! Get ahold of yourself, Partner! That person isn’t your enemy!”
“You’ve been tricked, Dur. That woman has cast an illusion over your eyes!”
“I don’t have eyes!”
Enyo burst into another open street, Jacob hot on her heels. His sword was a flash of light. Enyo raised her daggers and crossed them in front of her. She clenched her teeth when her arms protested as Durandal slammed against them with the loud clang! of steel ringing against steel. The attack was so powerful that her feet left the ground.
She sailed backwar
ds, slamming into the road. Yelping, she rolled along the ground like a doll thrown by an angry child. When she stopped rolling, she groaned and picked herself up.
Jacob was already running toward her.
He’s too strong!
Enyo had known that Jacob was a powerful swordsman. Many of the stories about him told of his unprecedented strength, and she’d seen his power in action before. However, it was one thing to hear and see the strength of a person. It was quite another to be on the receiving end of that person’s power.
“This is the end for you,” Jacob said, raising Durandal above his head, ignoring the blade’s protests. “I’ll make you regret trying to fool me!”
Enyo knew that she needed to do something. Jacob would kill her if she didn’t. But what could she do? Magic? Would magic even work? Also, she didn’t want to kill him. What kind of magic could she use that wouldn’t—
Binding!
“Religo. Revincio. Restringo.”
A circle appeared underneath Jacob. Dark threads shot from the circle, latching onto Jacob’s arms, legs, and torso. The threads tightened to restrain him. They were unable to fully stop him, however, as Jacob merely grunted and ripped through the threads pure brute strength. Gritting her teeth, Enyo chanted some more.
“Conteneo. Confuto. Conpesco.”
More threads shot out from the circle and bound Jacob, wrapping around more of his body, covering it in darkness. Even with all of the bindings keeping him in place, Jacob still pressed forward. The black threads were tearing. It wouldn’t be long before he was free.
Enyo needed to do something, and quick.
She stood up and, barely thinking about it, rushed at Jacob before he could break free. The arm holding Durandal had already broken its bindings. He raised it into the air as if to split her head open. Enyo placed her hands on either side of Jacob’s head, pulled him down, leaned up, and kissed him.
Time stood still. Enyo had closed her eyes, so she couldn’t see what Jacob was doing. A loud clattering rang in her ears, followed by an indignant squawk. A pair of hands settled on her hips. They were large, masculine and calloused, yet warm and gentle. Jacob’s lips were rough and chapped, but she didn’t really care. Enyo tried to pour all her feelings into her kiss.
She pulled back and looked up. Jacob was gaping at her, his mouth open and his eyes wider than she’d ever seen them. At the same time, he wasn’t attacking her anymore.
“Are you… back to your normal self?” she asked.
“Uh… I think so,” he muttered, raising a hand to his lips. He was still staring at her. “You just kissed me.”
Enyo felt heat rise to her cheeks and ears. She looked down at the cobblestone floor. “S-sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Jacob said. “It’s not like I disliked it or anything…”
She looked up at Jacob, who was looking everywhere but at her. Under the pale glimmer of moonlight, she could see the redness of his cheeks.
“Oh… well, um, okay.”
“Right…”
They both stood there in awkward silence, neither of them speaking because they didn’t know what to say. Enyo was embarrassed by her own actions. She really hadn’t thought this through, and now she’d ruined the atmosphere between her and Jacob. There was no way things could go back to the way they had been after this.
“Anyway,” Jacob continued, “we should, um, go and help Fellis. I’m sure she’s in trouble by now.”
Enyo shook off her embarrassment and nodded. “You’re right. Fellis was fighting that Nemesis guy. She’ll need our help.”
The two took off again in search of their comrade. It wasn’t hard to discover her location. All they had to do was follow the clashing of steel.
Fellis was still fighting on the rooftops, leaping from buildings as she and Nemesis clashed in a series of sparks. Every time she landed on a roof, she’d leap off again. Then she’d swing her steel-tipped whip at Nemesis, who would knock it aside with his claws.
“We need to get up there,” Enyo said. “Jacob?”
“On it.”
Jacob scooped Enyo into his arms, bent his knees, and jumped. The air around them whistled. Enyo wished she could have enjoyed the moment. It was too bad they were in a combat situation.
His leap took him above many of the buildings. He landed in a crouch, then set her down. Enyo looked around, her head turning until she spotted Fellis’ and Nemesis’ battle not too far off.
“Let’s go!” she said.
“You two aren’t going anywhere,” a voice said behind them.
“Close your eyes,” Jacob warned. “She puts illusions on you through eye contact.”
Enyo closed her eyes, even though the part of her that was wary wanted to leave them open. She trusted Jacob, however.
“I see you figured out my power,” Darkness said.
“It wasn’t hard to figure out.” While she couldn’t see him, she could imagine the nonchalant shrug Jacob gave the woman. “Once Enyo broke me out of the illusion, I realized what happened. Since you and I were never in physical contact, the only way you could have put one on me was through eye contact.”
“Such an admirable deduction,” Darkness purred. “It really is a shame that I have to kill you. You’d have made the perfect toy.”
“This toy would have broken you in two if you tried to play with it,” Jacob said, and his words were followed by the sound of boots sliding along tile.
“This toy seems to be quite full of himself,” Darkness murmured. “It sounds like I’ll need to teach him a lesson.”
“Enyo,” Jacob whispered.
“Yes?”
“I want you to go help Fellis. I can handle Darkness.”
Enyo wanted to look at Jacob, but it was kind of hard with her eyes closed, and she knew not to open them. She also understood that time was of the essence. They didn’t have time to argue.
“Be careful,” she said.
“Don’t worry.” She could almost hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll be fine.”
Turning around, Enyo opened her eyes. She ran toward the edge of the building and leapt to the next one.
The sounds of clashing steel soon echoed behind her.
***
It didn’t take long to spot Fellis. Sparks flashed as she and Nemesis fought along the rooftops. Fellis was doing an excellent job of keeping Nemesis at bay. She shuffled along the roofs, lashing out with her whip to keep him from getting close. Nemesis would knock her attacks aside, but they were just a distraction, which she took advantage of to put some distance between them.
However, no matter how good a job Fellis was doing at keeping Nemesis back, it would only be a matter of time before he closed the distance so long as she kept on the defensive. Enyo knew this to be true. What’s more, it looked like Fellis was having trouble ensaring Nemesis with her Mind Manipulation magic.
Knowing better than to get mixed up in the battle, Enyo followed them from a distance. She didn’t want to get in Fellis’s way. At the same time, she also had to help her former maid. That meant using long distance attacks to distract and help defeat Nemesis.
Fellis was already leaping from another roof. Nemesis tossed something at her, which Enyo only saw as a brief flash of light. It was knocked away by Fellis. She lashed at it with her whip, and then she attacked Nemesis, who knocked aside her whip with the claw attached to his left hand. It all happened so fast that Enyo was barely able to keep up.
And then something shocking happened. Fellis was going in for another attack. Her whip soared toward Nemesis, who did not block this time. In fact, he didn’t do anything. Enyo didn’t know why—until the whip passed right through him. Nemesis’s body seemed to flicker before disappearing.
W-what? Where did he go?
It took Enyo several seconds to spot Nemesis, but when she did, shock rippled through her as she called out to her friend. “Fellis! He’s behind you!”
Fellis looked at her. That was a mistake. Nemesis came in
behind her, and Fellis screamed as her back arced. Enyo stared, horrified, as her friend’s back was slashed apart by five claws.
“No!!”
The woman stumbled forward, teetered, and then fell onto the roof and rolled down it. With fear gripping her heart like an icy fist, Enyo raced forward. Her desire was to catch Fellis before she hit the ground. She’d never get the chance because Nemesis appeared in front of her seconds later.
Reacting on instinct, Enyo yanked her daggers from their sheathes and took up a defensive stance. She expected him to toss those projectiles again. That was why she became surprised when he dashed at her, closed the distance, and attacked her using hand to hand combat.
Enyo felt the swishing of air as Nemesis threw a punch that she ducked under. Shock ripped through when she found a knee heading for her face, but she avoided it by throwing herself backwards.
Her back hit the tile wrong. She gasped as pain shot through her spine. Coming back up, she avoided Nemesis’s incoming punch by tilting her head, allowing the fist to whizz by her. Then she attempted to stab him through the chest.
In that moment, just before her dagger could hit him, Nemesis flickered and vanished.
What?!
Pain shot through her body as something stabbed into the base of her neck, sending her stumbling forward. Her legs gave out. She fell onto her knees, then she had to press her hands to the roof to keep from falling on her face. Even so, her arms shook fiercely as they, too, threatened to fail on her.
“Do not bother trying to move,” Nemesis said in an emotionless voice. “I just used my acupuncture needles to stab the nerve endings in your neck. It’s blocking all signals generated from the brain to the rest of your body. You should already be starting to feel numb.”
She was feeling quite numb. Her feet, her calves, her shoulders, all of it had gone numb. Enyo was holding herself up through willpower alone.
Fortunately, her mouth still worked. “You… killed Fellis…”
“Of course,” Nemesis said. “Fellis was a traitor to our kind. The only thing a traitor like her deserves is death.”
Enyo gritted her teeth so hard she tasted blood. This person had killed someone that she loved, the woman who’d had the largest hand in raising her. She might have been considered a traitor of the Dark Clan, but that didn’t matter, because Fellis had never been loyal to them anyway. Her loyalty had been with her, Enyo, and so as far as she was concerned, Fellis had never betrayed anyone.
Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 1 Page 20