Chapter 8 - Chapter 8

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 8: "𝕶𝖎𝖙𝖙'𝖘 𝕿𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖔𝖓𝖞—𝕶𝖎𝖙𝖙"

…Coughing, I gasped as I lifted my head from the water, extinguishing the last traces of flame that evaporated into the air beneath the starry night sky. Breathing heavily—

"Oh, shit!"

"You guys alright?!" I whipped my head around, only to see faint thumbs-ups from all three of them. I sighed as we all swam to the edge of the lake. I stood, walking out of the water, and pulled the others with me. As they dried themselves off, my gaze fell on Lee, who was wringing out her hair, looking a little cornered.

"I'll deal with you after," I mumbled with a frown, then turned my attention to Ethan—

"Why are you all pale, bud?" I asked. He stared at me with a blank expression.

"These two..." he exhaled, completely fried, shakily pointing at Zawi and Lee."...will be the death of me one day—" Then he dropped to the ground with a thud. We all stared at him blankly.

"Did he just pass out on you, but not me?"Zawi asked.

"Lucky me," I chuckled wearily.

I pulled my two fingers back just as the woods ignited in flames, blowing lightly on the growing fire as it spread. Zawi draped a cloth over Ethan's body as he lay fainted on the grass, propped against a log. A moment later, he dozed off too.

Can't believe ghosts can sleep... Dramatic.

This is it. It's about time. I pulled out the splattered silver pieces from the wrapped cloth in my pocket and began to heat them up.

.

.

.

I'm Kitt Asford, the Walldwellerof the Crimson Reapers. I always obey my kingdom's rules—but I've never stood with injustice, even if it comes from my own homeland.

I'm just grateful to Ethan—always—for treating me like a brother. He forged me into a Primal and never gets fed up with me, even after all the hasty decisions I make.

And now... it's all on me. I can't disappoint him any more than I already have. I'll handle this situation myself. Ughh.

I grumbled under my breath. "Damn."

I knew it was her. A new chaos arriving—right after that bitch, Eva.

I ran my thumb along the ornate silver hilt of my dagger, wiping off the ashes of my abilities. There it was—the symbol. Recognizable anywhere, to anyone.

"You can't get away," I muttered to myself, glancing around in the dim glow of the lantern and the rising smoke from the bonfire.

Both boys were sound asleep. And she was sitting, cornered at the cliff's edge, not even bothering to acknowledge my attention.

I slowly stood and made my way toward her.

"Do you need anything?" I asked quietly. All I got was a faint nod.

"Fair enough," I shrugged. "After the brutal brawl we had, makes sense—"

"Listen up," she cut in, standing up and turning to face me. "It doesn't matter to me if you lose or win. You're only off my radar because Nik vouches for you."

She stopped, but I kept going.

"You're lucky your Nik has a soft spot. Otherwise, we'd be having a very different conversation." I added, "Miss Lysandra."

I saw her faintly stiffen at the mention.

"Elaboration, if I may ask," she peeked over her shoulder at me.

I glanced down at the dagger in my hand, then lifted it so she could see it clearly.

"It belongs to you, right? Or should I say... it's from—"

"What are you trying to imply? There are many surnames like that. Why doubt mine?" she shot back, not only defensive but clearly confused about how I got hold of her broken dagger.

"Enough with the games, Lee." I stepped forward as she turned fully toward me. I pressed the dagger lightly against her throat and muttered,

"I can restore metals to their original shapes just by firing them—your dagger included. It was busted along with my sword during our trial. So tell me, what are you? And where are you from?"

"And what if I am… from the Lysandras?"

I frowned.

"So, you're not some homeless fellow from Filthshore's slums?" I repeated.

"I am," she said flatly.

"Would you rather explain all this bullshit than play the 'I am or not' game?" I shook my head in frustration.

She moved the dagger away from her neck, taking it back.

"You also have the wrong impression of Lysandras, like the others. I belong to that family—but I'm not like them," she said quietly.

"You think I believe you?"

"Believe me," she smirked.

"What's with that smirk?" I shot back.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked so amusedly that I shook my head in disbelief.

Sighing, I keptit.

.

.

.

Letting the night pass by, I lay beside Ethan, unable to deny that my entire perspective had changed after hearing her side of the story. But a part of me still couldn't fully accept that she... wasn't lying. She had proven it multiple times.

I exhaled and tilted my head against the hardwood. Everyone else was sound asleep—except me—in the dead of night. At least I had the company of the stars, until after a few moments they began fading into dawn. The sun's rays peeked out from behind the blue sea, the clouds painted all pink and gray.

"Weather's not great today," I muttered to myself, eyes tracing the grey swell of clouds overhead.

"I call it just right," came a groggy voice beside me.

Ethan stirred, dragging himself upright after what must have been the best nap of his life—especially after that hell of a ride.

"You seem better today," I smirked, jabbing his shoulder.

"No time for betterment. We have to get back to the village." Suddenly, he got up, stretching his limbs.

"Zawi, up now!" His voice was a soft command.

"Huh?!"Zawi bolted awake.

"Me?! No—I'm... snarky." He mumbled in his sleep, then dozed off again—this time drooling on the thick grass.

Right at that moment, Lee walked closer to us, rubbing her eye.

"Morning. Ready to leave, finally?" Her voice was sleepy.

"You slept well, it seems,"Ethan joked lightly.

"Yeah, very well—because of this—" she said, kicking Zawi's butt. "...Snarky." She added sarcastically.

He fell from his upside-down hill position and groaned.

"What?!" He woke up. "It's not my fault you're jealous of my peaceful slumber."

"Yeah, you're snoring, not slumbering,"Lee taunted.

"Now, now, the ghost couldn't keep that to himself now, could he?"Ethan said lightly, dragging Zawi to his feet by his collar.

I don't know how, but I felt my heart sink as we heard horns ringing from the village in the distance.

"What the—"

"Trial sirens?"Ethan spoke as confusedly as the others.

"Something's off. Head back to the village—move!" His voice filled with urgency. We grabbed our stuff and slid down the hill, sprinting toward the open lands.

After running for a mile, we entered our hometown again—but everything was silent. The weather added to the eeriness in the air. Thick clouds blocked all sunlight, and the smell of dampness hung heavy.

"Where's—? To the Pit, now!"Ethan commanded, urging Zawi to reach it before us. We made our way there, all three of us following close behind.

A swift gust of wind suddenly whipped around us, binding me with Lee and Ethan.

"Wait, you can't go there,"Zawi said, holding us in place.

"Why?" I asked, glancing up at the sky—silent lightning flickering in the clouds.

"Eva's here," he spat.

I blinked twice, mimicking others' reactions as Ethan and I gaped at each other.

"Eva?"Lee asked, as if she suddenly figured out who we had been whispering about behind her back. Both Zawi and Lee looked a little off—something was wrong, judging by their faces.

"Don't worry, bud. We'll handle this,"Ethan said, patting Zawi's shoulder. He then nodded at me. I got the cue; we both pulled out our swords and stepped in, opening the heavy grates.

The mist engulfed us.

We stood together, witnessing the apparent loss—both of our reapers defeated on the ground.

Clementine, wincing, laid against the wall—while Maple, bleeding through her hand on the other end, splattered as well.

Eva Daichi sat on a chair, one leg crossed over the other, her hand casually resting on the sword dug into the dirt.

"Welcome back! I was waiting for you, my dears. We have a little talk to do—" Her voice growled, each word dripping with sarcasm.

"We have nothing to say to you,"Ethan shot back.

"Hmm. Bold move, young man," she quipped, slipping off her leg as she stood up.

At that moment, Nikolaii and Kade strode in, their faces set with determination, as if they already knew what was happening. I glanced back until my gaze fell on Lee—her face pale, eyes narrowed with a deep frown fixed on Eva. It felt like she was familiar with her.

Make sense of what Eva's actions are. I gave a quick pat on her arm to steady her. Shaking her head, she cleared her throat.

"Ethan, you know what we need to do," I said, knowing full well he was shaken inside.

"Destroy that damn bridge," he exhaled lightly, shaking his head. "I can't fight her.

Only one can—and that's Maple. Heal her as swiftly as you can," he muttered, handing me a flask of elixir. His gaze stayed locked on Eva as she waited for his next move.

"I'll see what I can do with my ability."

He glanced over at Nikolaii. Getting the cue, she pulled out a rolled parchment and handed it to him.

"You think you can dominate us for history? Here goes your dream…" he hovered the parchment, then tore it into many pieces in front of her regretful eyes.

"...In the mud!"

"You think you can show me a fake, ordinary parchment and make me believe that was our original agreement?" she shouted, sheepishness dripping from her face.

"I stole it myself… along with the king's stamp on it," he revealed, while I stared blankly at him.

"The agreement… is officially over!"

Without making a scene, I summoned my fire. I nudged the flask forward with a bit of heat toward her—subtle enough that no one seemed to notice.

"You vulgar—defying royal rules?! I'll make sure to have a word with your mother," she shouted, unable to control her seething fury anymore.

"Oh, I would love to—" he turned deadpan. "Do what you can," Ethan taunted.

Her anger peaked, and with a swift move that we couldn't see, she struck Ethan. I tried to pull him back, but swifter than us, another strike cut through the air—sharp enough that the howl of wind echoed right before us—slicing through Eva's ribs, sending her flying. She crashed into the wall, shattering it into a collapsing ruin.

Maple stepped onto the ground, carried in by the wind.

"You take down the bridge—I'll take down her life," she said, swiping her katana through the air. A bolt of lightning struck as she stepped forward into the pit.

Ethan spoke as his ability ignited, glowing faintly around him.

"Alright! Reapers and Ashens, we have double duty now!

Kade, Kitt—handle the royal guards.

Clementine—send your gryphon to intercept the arriving accomplices from Ivor. We need to prevent war

Lee—you'll cross the bridge into Ivor's territory. Distract the incoming gryphons that plan to rip it apart. Nik will cover you with her illusions—bending barriers from behind."

Everyone was already on their toes, ready to sprint to their positions.

"But... can Lee do that?"

"I know she can,"Ethan said, turning toward her. "You already proved you could surpass your fear back in the cavern."

She hesitated—then took a deep breath and nodded with determination.

Damn... she's—

"I promise on my life,"Ethan vowed, placing a fist on his chest, "that I'll save you from the fall—along with Zawi. Again."

Lightning cracked overhead as thunder began to rumble. Drops of rain started to fall, lightly tapping against my skin.

Maple spoke, her voice firm.

"At my voice—sprint toward the exit. I'm about to unleash a maelstrom!"

I gave Kade the cue—ready alongside me to break some bones if necessary.