As Max fell back, he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer and his body had stopped responding. “Max? Max! Open your eyes! MAX!” Her voice was the last thing Max heard, as for the first time, the world around him grew cold.
20
Sephiel never thought much of being a Kitaan. Without a goddess to watch over, she resigned herself to aiding the Xegin. Their goals seemed to be the most inclined towards peace in the world.
And Sephiel would be the angel of retribution.
She did not share Keta’s goal of pacifism. She knew that ushering in a new age would require power. If anyone was able to stand up to a greater Demon who had descended into madness, it would be Sephiel.
But first she had to take care of a certain problem. Standing in front of her was a Human that did not belong here.
“Administrator Raphael Mcpherson,” she announced. She had heard the stories of the great man who escaped the tyranny of the Empire to lead those who would follow to the great nation of Teforia.
But seeing him here in front of her, she was disappointed. He was small even for a Human. She shook her head. “I never expected you to be involved in all this,” Sephiel said.
The man smiled. His eyes remained closed, but he had shifted to be looking at her despite his blindness. “Indeed. I am quite the actor, aren’t I?” Raphael said. Sephiel felt slightly dizzy at the sound of those words.
Sephiel raised an eyebrow. Just what was going on here? “Why?” She asked. “You understand what the Brotherhood intends to do, right?”
Raphael chuckled. It was a chilling sound. “Indeed. And why not? Humans don’t deserve anything. Didn’t that kid Keta tell you anything? Don’t you understand. Humans killed our goddess.”
Sephiel narrowed her eyes. She hadn’t heard any of the details from Keta or the others. She had returned intending to fight Keta and avenge Tianna. After she had discovered her friend had joined Keta’s party, she had as well. If Tianna was on board, she would be too.
But this intrigued her. “Start talking,” she said, crossing her arms. And so she listened to the Human tell her about the death of the goddess at the hands of the Empire. She didn’t interrupt the entire way through. When it was done, she wasn't surprised. “So this is all because of one Human?”
“One Human? Oh no, we as a society are a plague on this world. Humans persecute the Demon clans. We’ve hunted them, experimented on them, nearly drove them to extinction. It is not right,” Raphael said.
“Have you done any of these things?” Sephiel asked.
Sephiel was often blunt in her words. Raphael opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He lifted a hand to his chin, and looked thoughtful. After a moment, he said, “Well, my people are responsible for many things in this…”
“Spare me your sophistry. Are you responsible for any of these things personally?” Sephiel demanded.
“No, not personally. But…”
“Then our business is concluded. I’m not here to do dirty my hands with some whiny Human who feels bad. Get out of my way and go back home.”
She didn’t get far when a figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It attacked from the fog, and Sephiel deftly avoided a knife being plunged into her heart. There was an assassin in the midst.
“So, can’t afford to face me on your own, Human? I suspected as much,” Sephiel said, and she got started tracking the assailant. She became aware that the fog had become much denser, obscuring her vision.
“Have you ever heard of Grand Commander Thomas Durail, my little friend?”
The Human was still talking to her. Sephiel’s first instinct was to ignore it, but then...she could not seem to pinpoint the location of her mystery attacker. So she decided to indulge the man. “Everyone knows the mad emperor.”
“The man who successfully murdered a goddess, but there was more to his crimes. You see, even after the Xegin and the Demon clans banded together with Sanction to push back his forces, he had been seeking ways to rectify his defeat.”
Sephiel avoided a knife strike, and thrust with her palm in the direction. Her attack hit empty air. I missed?
“He had somehow found more Xegin, but Tyrannes had managed to turn those to his side as well. So he gave up on Xegin technology...and began focusing on Demons. Genetics, to be specific.”
Sephiel frowned. Why was this man telling him all this? “What’s your point, Human?”
“My point is that the Grand Commander has a weakness. Or rather, a fondness. You see, his son was stricken by blindness at a young age. Medicine, Xegin technology, nothing could help him. And then the madman turned to something else, something he had spent years despising.”
“And that was the first time he began experimenting on Demons.”
Sephiel folded her arms. “Why are you giving me a history lesson, Human?” She realized, panicking a little, that she could not see the blind Human any longer.
“It will make sense. You see, Durail spent years studying Demons for a way to return sight to his son’s eyes. And yet, he wanted that son to aid him in his conquest. So he gave the boy a special set of eyes, from a Greater Demon. Then, he slaughtered the rest of the clan so that his son would be the sole possessor of these special eyes.”
“That seems about right. The man is insane after all. He only wanted to strengthen his army,” Sephiel said. It was a fairly simple tactic. Limit what your opponent can do while maximizing your own power.
There was a light bit of laughter. “Ah, but see the thing is, the father really did love the son. He thought that in doing this, by giving the boy power, it would show how much the man cared.”
Sephiel blinked. Was she going crazy? She could she see glowing figures in the fog? A man and a child, and the child turning away and running off. “What are you doing to me?”
Raphael ignored her question. “But the boy was a gentle creature, and he wanted nothing to do with wars and bloodshed. This act caused the boy to leave, and the man never saw his son again. What he did not know was that it was this act that caused him to join the Brotherhood of Shadows.”
Sephiel blinked, and the Human was in front of him once more. But now, the man’s eyes were open and Sephiel could see that he possessed the trademark red eyes of a Demon.
“You are Thomas Durail’s son?” Sephiel exclaimed, dropping into a defensive crouch.
Raphael nodded. “Erisda thought that Ivaldi was the one. He was simply utilizing a disguise. With the power of these eyes, I changed my body. I changed my name. And I fled. I sought out the Brotherhood of Shadows. I wanted to atone for my father’s crimes.”
“And what about the other Humans that you would condemn when your new tyrant of a leader enacts his plan? They will all die,” Sephiel said, frowning. Why was this man saying all this? There was some kind of trick, some angle she was missing. Perhaps she needed to appeal to him.”What about your mother?”
Raphael tilted his head back and let out a bitter laugh. “You’d have to ask my father about that.”
The son of a madman… “What do you mean by that?” Sephiel asked.
But the Human shook his head. “I’ve no time to waste explaining exactly why my father should be removed from his throne, nor the atrocities he’s committed. I know what you are, Kitaan. You have nothing to fear from the events to come. We need not be enemies.”
Sephiel studied this man. By all outward appearances, he did not seem to be a bad person. Nor did he seem particularly malicious. He’s not even afraid. He knows what I am, and that we stand as enemies. There is no fear, Sephiel noticed.
And yet… “If you know what I am, then you must realize that I would never stand idly by and let this happen,” Sephiel said, though with a twinge of guilt. Had she not so long ago endorsed General Delta’s plan to wipe out the Humans of Teforia?
Sephiel clenched her fists. What had changed? Was it because of Tianna? Was it because of Keta? She didn’t know any longer. She would follow Tianna…but did that make her a puppet? Tianna herself
had expressed regret for her actions.
Why am I questioning myself now? Inferno is attempting to summon a goddess. I am the only one who can understand what it means to face a deity. Well, perhaps that fake Keta...Sephiel thought, but she wondered...they were allies now, she should treat him better.
Still, she knew what she would do. “Get out of my way, Human. I have bigger things to deal with than you.” And with that, she pushed passed the Human.
It’s up to me to defeat Inferno. I am the true Kitaan, Sephiel thought to herself. She entered the fog. And immediately found herself in a new location. Except she was surrounded by even more fog.
“How unfortunate that you did not accept my clemency. But, I will not fail the Master. Forgive me, but you will not leave this place. At least, not until this is done,” Raphael’s voice echoed in the fog.
Sephiel frowned, keeping her senses keen in case something attacked him from a blind side. How was that man able to do this? There had to be a secret, but she would need time to figure it out.
“I cannot fight, my body is frail. However...these eyes, given to me by my father, allow me a way to protect myself. You and I are trapped in this illusion. Even if I cannot fight, I will not allow you to become a hindrance to Master Inferno,” Raphael said, his voice coming from all directions.
So that was his plan. He was going to keep her here until it was too late. How annoying. Even if he can’t fight, I can do nothing while I am being misled by illusions. It was a clever strategy, she admitted begrudgingly.
“Very well, Human. I did not wish to do so, but I must now treat you as an enemy, Sephiel exclaimed, breaking into a sprint. But no matter where she went, it was just more fog. She knew it was just illusions, she just needed to uncover the truth behind the fiction.
And she would need to hurry in doing so. There was no telling what sort of nonsense the others would get up to in her absence. She only hoped they were making better progress than she was right now.
***
Pent walked towards the sobbing Formetis, who was draped over the body of Inferno that laid on the floor. And judging by the fact that the man wasn’t moving and the amount of blood surrounding them, he was no longer amongst the living.
How could this have happened? When he had first set out, Pent had always imagined that this would all end with Inferno and Pent in a final clash. It had been madness to think of course. The first time he had fought the older Demon, he had nearly been killed.
Still, it seemed the only way for it to end would have been a sword fight between Pent and Inferno. Keta and Inferno had history, sure. But the Kitaan would never have had the nerve to face his former master.
Or the resolve to strike him down for the greater good.
Seeing the man lying dead here, Pent felt a pang of sadness. It was his warrior’s blood. For all his hatred of this man whose ambitions had gotten his father killed, he hated to see such a regal warrior die.
Pent’s thoughts were interrupted. He had run out of space between him and his enemy. “What happened?” he asked. There was nothing from her. She just kept her head down, a quiet sound emanating from her. Pent tried again. “What happened?” he said, a little louder.
“Are you here to kill me?”
It was a quick and simple question. And yet it was one Pent could not answer. He didn’t know what he was going to do about her. He had been intending to fight Inferno.
“Are you here to kill me?” the young girl asked again. She rose from her position and turned to face him, her hood falling. Pent stepped backwards in shock, his mouth open. The person in front of him was Formetis, but her hair had become silver and her eyes golden, just like Keta and that other Kitaan kid.
“What are you?” came the question from his lips. Pent was trembling from anxiety.
Formetis stared at him hard, eyes piercing him. “I asked you a question, mortal!” She screamed and raised a hand. Dark energy began to form into a ball, which she threw at Pent.
It was a clumsy throw, but Pent had still been caught off guard by the revelations that he only barely evaded it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it fly off into the distance.
Another distraction. Pent growled and focused, for the girl had started flying towards him. She was becoming more accustomed to her powers. He tried to draw his weapon, but he was too slow and she slammed into him. Normally, a frail little girl like Formetis tackling him would have been easy for him to absorb. This time, it felt like he was being hit by a horse.
He was thrown off balance, wincing from the pain as he fell backwards and hit the ground hard. Ignoring the pain, he threw a hand out from underneath him and jumped to his feet. Breathing heavily, he returned his attention to Formetis, who stood before him with hands on her hips. She wore a cold expression on her face.
“That was a warning, mortal. Now I will ask you once more. Do you intend to strike me down?” Formetis asked, her hands glowing with that dark purple energy.
“I’m not here to kill you, Formetis. I came to stop you and the others,” Pent said. Formetis was acting differently. It’s like she was being possessed by something else.
“You lie!” The girl spread her arms wide and several arcs of dark energy lashed out from her at Pent. His eyes caught the movement and he leapt backwards out of their range, as they crashed into the ground violently.
“I’m not lying. I’m trying to end this without any more bloodshed. But you all keep pressing me,” Pent growled. The girl came flying at him again. He narrowed his eyes. She was slow. He sidestepped, her eyes wide as he did. He didn’t draw his sword. Instead, he swung with a fist, striking her in the stomach.
He regretted it immediately. It was like punching a wall. The girl’s body was incredible tough. If he hadn’t thrown a weaker punch in a fleeting moment of pity, he could have broken his hand. But at least he had succeeded in knocking her out of the air.
The girl hit the ground in a heap. She was so lacking in fighting prowess that Pent almost felt bad for her. He was about to walk over to help her when she scrambled to her feet.
“Don’t lie to me, mortal! I have all the memories of you in my head. You and your penchant for indiscriminate killing,” Formetis said, her eyes full of hatred. She clutched her head. “All of you mortals are murderers…”
Pent flexed his fingers, still feeling numb. “If you’ve got memories of me in your head, the least you could do is start calling me by my real name. I know you can recall me, Formetis.”
Formetis stopped clutching her head and looked up at him. Her face was less angry now, eyes wide. Her eyes moved to her own hands, as if discovering them for the first time. It seemed like she had finally calmed down.
But the moment he took a step towards her, she shrieked in panic and threw another mass of energy at him. Pent leapt to avoid it, but he didn’t stop walking towards her. Again, she attacked and again he evaded. He was beginning to understand now.
He had gotten within striking distance of the girl. Her eyes became furious, and she lifted a hand. Pent was faster. But he didn’t draw his blade. Rather, he wrapped his arms around the girl in an embrace.
It was a gamble on his part. Pent very rarely enjoyed such a thing himself. However, when he was young and angry, his mother would do the same thing to him. When she was gone, his sister had done the same thing to console him. Still, he braced himself for the worst.
Instead, he felt her arms around him. He didn't get zapped or punched this time. All he could hear was the girl sobbing again. Stupid crybaby. But Pent had enough sense to let this girl be a crybaby.
And it was just like when he had been recovering from his duel with Inferno. The two of them alone. I can save this girl, can’t I?
“Pent, you have to escape from me.”
Pent was suddenly pushed away and he stumbled backwards. Formetis had begun to back away from him, her hands wrapped around her body. The light had begun to envelop her again.
“Formetis, what are you doing?” Pent ask
ed. He had felt like he was getting through to her. Why did she pull back?
The girl locked eyes with him, those new golden eyes piercing through him. Pent shuddered. He could physically feel the power radiating within. It wasn’t like Keta’s quiet strength either. This was raw.
“I remember you, Pent. But I remember everything. The memories of the goddess...my old memories. But I remember you. I remember my life, this life, as Formetis the Human.”
Pent was in awe. He was in the presence of one of the old gods. And yet it possessed the body of a girl he was acquainted with. That made it hard to differentiate. And it made it harder to think of what to do.
He settled on figuring out the situation. “What happened to Inferno?” Pent asked, nodding at the corpse.
Formetis wrapped her arms around herself. “I had always assumed that I would be the final sacrifice. Master always kept me in the dark about the specifics of the rituals. Now that I have regained my memories, I understand why. The final piece of the ritual to restore the powers of a goddess is the lifeblood of a Greater Demon.”
Pent frowned, his gaze still resting on the body of Inferno. If someone needs to shoulder the evils of revolution, then the Brotherhood and I shall bear it. And when freedom is attained for our people, I shall gladly pay the price for my crimes. The words of Inferno still resonated with him.
So Inferno had been meaning to die this whole time. He had been attempting to bring peace for the Demon clans, ready to become a martyr for the cause. The man was dedicated to his goal. How sad that fate put us on opposing sides, Pent pondered to himself. But he needed to focus on what was happening now.
He walked forward, but the girl thrust a hand out. “Stop! Don’t come any closer!”
Pent halted his advance, worried by the panic in the girl’s voice. “Why?” He asked calmly. This girl had amazing power, but she was no fighter. He could win.
“Because the old me is screaming at me to kill you and end this all!”
Chrysalis Page 27