Ch. 2.18 | Least Expected Wounds
PoV: Sanya
“Wait. If Sanya becomes strong enough to rival the eldritch themselves, why can't she just live and then beat up the eldritch?” Mai asked.
“Time. It will take time for Sanya to become strong enough. We would need that power soon,” the librarian explained.
“Can you, like, look into the future and give her all the spell forms?” Zahira asked.
The librarian stopped and looked at Zahira, then broke out into laughter. “If only! That would make this so much easier. No.”
“I am not letting Sanya die!” Mai exclaimed.
“I'm okay with Sanya and Esmat dying if it saves us all,” Zahira muttered.
Ouch. Everyone turned to her, staring.
“Uhhh, that was a joke.”
Esmat disappeared into a cloak of shadow. They emerged behind Zahira and shoved her forward. Esmat, of course, did not enjoy that line.
Zahira yelped, stumbling. She got a hold of herself before she could fall. “Esmat!”
“Zahira!” Esmat all but growled back. “I am struggling to figure out where the humor was in that ‘joke.’ That should not be something played up for laughs, especially not with your partner.”
Sanya almost forgot that Esmat could speak. Well, okay, she didn't—it was just a surprise to hear them speak, because they were an individual of few words.
“Okay! I get it. I'm sorry,” Zahira tried.
“So,” Mai perked up, continuing the conversation about the whole Oracle thing. “Those outcomes were the most common, but do you see some at all where Sanya lives and we beat the death noodles?”
The librarian sighed. “They are currently so astronomically low chances that they're non-choices. There's no easy way to push fate in that direction. Sanya's parasite is somehow stronger than the rest.”
“Speaking of the rest, where are they? If Esmat and Sanya have to die, then the others will have to, yeah? Unless it's because Sanya's so strong that she carries more weight?”
“Ah,” the librarian swallowed. “The rest are dead. I've been spending the past months tracking them down and killing them off.”
“You what?” Zahira cried.
“I'm doing what I must to save the people once beneath the tempest. This is the most sure path.”
Ah, okay. So the librarian just admitted to murdering a bunch of people. How many of those were kids? How many people even had innate Spatial magic with a parasite? Nur had grabbed ten innate users into the academy, two of which had the parasites. He must have grabbed individuals from Glorestra only, which had a population of about fifty thousand. Okay . . . then maybe it was one or two people in the rest of the cities. Still . . . for the librarian to just go ahead and kill them, even for “the greater good” or whatever . . . eugh.
“Why can't we keep closing the portals to withhold the eldritch?” Mai asked.
“Sanya's parasite is becoming stronger at an alarming rate. With Esmat also being potent, soon portals will be opening too quickly. It's a race against time, and we're losing.”
Something the librarian had requested earlier did not sit right with Sanya at all.
“Why did you want to talk to us, alone?” Sanya raised an eyebrow.
The librarian sighed again, shaking her head. “Because fighting two people who don't want to fight is easier than them being defended.”
“What?” Mai asked.
Oh. The librarian had wanted to isolate Sanya and Esmat from the group so she could kill the two of them in peace. She knew that Sanya would not fight back. It seemed the same way true for Esmat. Sanya was surprised that the librarian chose such an honest answer. Perhaps after admitting to murdering the others, her goal here could be understood.
So, this would be a fight between the librarian and the others in their midst—Mai, Lania, Nadiyya, Calinichia, and Zahira.
Would Zahira fight though, how true was her joke? Calinichia looked tired and drained. Lania was in the same position as Calinichia—it was day, so she would not have her vampire boost. Mai was not a fighter—Spatial and Fleshweaving magic had very few offensive options. She could, like, teleport the librarian around or drop something on top of her, maybe.
Nadiyya had both Temporal and Fauna magic—time bubbles paired well with a strong physique, and talons. Nadiyya had sharp talons. Maybe her Fauna magic could command some animals to attack the librarian?
“[Torrential Downpour],” the librarian pointed and cast.
The blue sky and yellow suns became shrouded by dark clouds, conveniently above the group. They opened up and began raining. The wind howled.
“[Tailwind],” the librarian cast, looking bored.
That was an Aeolian-attuned Elemental spell. Of course the librarian would have dipped into the other elements.
Sanya and the others quickly became soaked in rain. The wind tore at her clothes and threatened to push her away from the librarian. Her hair tossed in her face, and she had to hold it back.
Something about the rain made Sanya's thoughts light and sluggish. She did not feel like moving much, not like she had before, though. She just accepted the rain and the misery it brought, drenching her. She gave into the inevitability of—
Where were these thoughts coming from?
“What are you doing?” Mai asked.
“What does it look like I'm doing, dear?” the librarian frowned. “[Aquatic Ultimatum].”
Mai stomped a foot against the wet ground in frustration towards the librarian. Sanya did not blame her.
The sky rumbled. The wind picked up.
“You can't make me die any quicker?” Sanya taunted. If the librarian was going to be this slow about it, maybe Sanya would fight back . . . eh, maybe not.
Despite the three spells cast, nobody made a move against the librarian. She was not evil nor was she their enemy. Although, these spells were certainly pointed at Sanya and her group.
Would anyone want to act against the librarian? Who up until this divided path was an enigmatic but useful and nice individual. It would be a shame to turn one's magic against her. Yet, if she threatened violence, maybe violence should be returned.
Not that Sanya would, if this would save the world, then she'd sit here and die.
The librarian shrugged. “I just want to make sure I succeed. I don't want anyone poking me and messing this up.”
“Why? . . .” Mai glanced between the librarian and Sanya. “I don't even know why I had to stop and think about this. I'm sorry. I hope you forgive me.” Mai pointed her staff towards the librarian. “[Organic Displacement].”
Mai teleported over to the librarian. In one swift movement, she swung her staff. It seemed she was fully on board with the “let Sanya and Esmat survive and focus on the slim chance that they can beat the eldritch.” Or rather, it wasn't that defeating them was slim, but that Sanya would turn into a villain? How? Why?
“[Water Snare],” the librarian cast. A swirl of thick water wrapped around Mai’s leg. “[Repulsion].”
The librarian’s spell shoved Mai away, but the Snare yanked on Mai and held her back from flying. The result was she tripped backwards and fell against the muddy ground, letting out a squeak.
“Let me go!” Mai struggled to escape.
“I understand that's your wife,” the librarian told Mai. “But for the fate of the world, we have to put her to rest.”
“W-wife?” Mai flushed. “And I'd rather take that astronomically small chance.”
If their roles were reversed, Sanya would not want to watch her girlfriend die—especially not by the hands of some strange acquaintance. Even the thought of living without Mai seemed . . . depressing and empty. Sanya understood where Mai was coming from.
The librarian also thought she was doing the right thing, however difficult of a decision it was. By slaying Sanya and Esmat, she could stop the portal nonsense leading to the weakening of the spatial barriers or whatever, keeping the eldritch entities from piercing through the realms. The other outcomes had slimmer chances or appeared bad. Sanya wanted to give this to the librarian.
Yet, think about how Mai was doing in all of this . . . If Sanya died, Mai would be upset and lost and who knew when she would recover from that? If Sanya lived, at least they could be together to the end.
Lighting landed down from the clouds and struck near the group, letting out a deafening crack and a bright flash. Sanya exhaled, couldn't that strike have hit her instead?
Nadiyya appeared behind the librarian, taloned hand swinging in a blur.
The attack connected, but phased through the librarian with some resistance. Her form rippled and splashed as if made from water. It must have been some kind of defense spell—protecting her from physical attacks?
The librarian chuckled. “You're fast. [Water Sn—]”
Lightning struck again, its noise snuffed out the librarian's cast, as well as any screams upon watching Sanya immolate. This time, it struck her. Yay!
It merely shattered her [Primordial Crust]. Ah well, that would free her up for the next strike.
“Are you not going to fight for me?” Esmat asked Zahira through a clenched jaw.
“Do you want me to? It doesn't look like you want to fight,” she responded.
“No, but it'd be romantic if you fought for me, like Mai to Sanya.”
Zahira rolled her eyes. “Sure, it's not like we stand a chance. [Pocket Repository].” Zahira retrieved her staff. “Hmmmm. [Material Displacement].”
A tree off to the side disappeared, roots and all. The dirt and grass slid down into the newly formed depression. Meanwhile, the tree reappeared a handful of meters above the librarian.
She noticed the new shadow right away, and looked up. “Ah. Lovely. [Zephyr Press].”
The tree found a new direction, becoming a horizontal projectile thrown off to the wayside. It crashed into the dirt away from the group.
“This will be a fun spar,” Zahira smirked.
“This isn't a spar. Our lives are on the line.”
“Oh shush you. Just yours and Sanya's, and you're both gonna let her have this. [Material Displacement].”
Another tree vanished.
Maybe they should have attacked at the same time? . . . Lining up like this was giving the librarian a bit more wiggle room.
Mai and Nadiyya were both immobile due to the [Water Snares] trapping them. The librarian did not want to kill them, just get them out of the way while—
Another lightning struck Sanya. It rattled her bones as searing pain laced through her. Her eldritch stowaway screeched through her mouth.
Sanya found herself on the ground, mixing with the rain, grass, and mud.
Dang, she was still alive.
She found herself slightly twitching to fight back. There was one detail in the librarian's words that kept Sanya back, though.
“What? . . .” Sanya croaked. “What would make me a villain?”
“Sorry, dear? Can you speak louder, I couldn't hear that?”
Sanya pushed her shaking, aching body off the gross ground, her staff still in hand. “What . . . What would tip me over into villainy?” She repeated, glaring at the librarian in the eyes.
Out of the corner of Sanya's vision, she noticed a hurt, panting Zahira, kneeling on the floor. Had she been hit by something?
“Ah . . . Someone dies,” the librarian said, vaguely.
“Someone?” Sanya swallowed. “Mai?”
The librarian nodded.
“Then we can avoid that! With your Oracle-ness.”
She shook her head. “Just like if I could just teach you the spells, it's not that simple.”
“Of course not! That would be too convenient!” Sanya snapped. “So, either I die and Mai is alone but the world is saved, or I live, become a villain, in a world without Mai?”
“Surprisingly, Mai would take your death much better than you to hers.”
“It's not a binary! There's other outcomes!” Mai cried.
“Yes, but they're uncertain and difficult.”
“We can do it!”
“I won't take that chance. So, Sanya, and everyone else, be good girls and let's get this over with, shall we?”
“Why are you so cold?” Mai asked.
“It hurts me, but it is our best chance. End them to save millions—the planet.”
Sanya sighed. “Hurry up, then.”
“What about me? . . .” Mai was crying now, years and raindrops both running down her face.
“You will handle it,” the librarian shrugged.
“I hate you.”
“I know.”
Calinichia laughed. “The both of you sound like me with Lania. Children these days, hating their . . . parental figures.”
“Shut up,” Mai pouted.
Calinichia frowned.
“The librarian would be a terrible parental figure. She appears less often than a cheating father,” Zahira croaked, voice laced with pain and exhaustion.
“At least I show up. Better than dead,” she shot back.
“Ouch,” Calinichia said. “There's, like, five orphans here.”
“I'd take the librarian over my sad excuse for ‘parents,’” Sanya let out a morbid laugh. She still liked Aisha and Fazl more—as parental figures. If anyone could have that title for Sanya, it would be those two. She could probably speak this same for Mai too, but she did not want to confirm it without asking her.
“Oh, I'm honored.”
“It's a very low bar.”
The librarian nodded, she knew this.
“Please fight for your future, Sanya,” Mai pleaded. “For me.”
“Ugh, this all goes to ruin and back if you jump in, don't,” the librarian argued.
“I don't want to live in a future without you,” Sanya told Mai.
“And me with you,” Mai said. “We can get through this, together, to a good ending.”
“Or we doom the world,” Sanya sighed.
“Sanya is right. Good luck finding that ‘good ending.’ This is it, that path starts by killing her,” the librarian tried.
Every single part of Sanya's brain told her to yield—to let the librarian kill her. Since Sanya promised not to do it herself—and she would keep that promise. Though, like, the librarian could do it faster. This would be the good ending, or so the librarian stated. Sanya could probably trust her.
Her body protested, so did the eldritch passenger. Mai pleaded with Sanya to continue through this, to not let it end. Sanya would have been ready to face the sweet oblivion of death just months ago. She had hated herself. She had been tired of living. She had been tired of the same monotonous misery.
Now, though, she had her doubts. She had friends, kind-of. She had a lot of acquaintances at least. Mai was mostly fun and awesome and cute. Sanya was doing decently, and with a promise of a better future (until this whole eldritch thing, at least).
But . . . dying would be for the good of humanity.
But there was a chance they could defeat both death and the eldritch.
It was slim . . . and there was a chance Sanya would lose Mai along the way. Yet, this was the path Mai wanted to take.
Argh! Why did this have to be so hard?
. . . Sanya was going to die most ways it seemed. Maybe she would risk that villain route to dodge oblivion, in hopes to continue on with Mai at her side.
That was it, then. Sanya would not drop without a fight.
Sanya pointed her staff just in front of the librarian. “[Organic Displacement].
Another lighting bolt struck down where she had been standing moments before. Now, she stood in front of the librarian.
The librarian groaned. “Ah . . . this was like a forty percent chance.”
Sanya, frowning, pointed at her. With Nadiyya and Mai so close, she couldn't unleash any of her stronger spells. “[Organic Displacement].” She teleported the librarian off into the distance, out of the three miserable spells she had cast. Sanya then cast it again on herself, bringing her over to the librarian and sharing the sunshine.
“[Nebula Cleansing].”
The librarian's expression dropped. “You're an idiot.”
While the spell began to take shape and do its thing, Sanya fell to her knees, hands pressing against the dry grass beneath her. Her torso and legs ached, becoming numb. The rest of her body throbbed, and an icy pain shot through her head with the faint impression of an eldritch screeching.
Right, Mai had restricted Sanya from using teleportation spells . . .