Rynth: Four Beats

| 6th of Teryusin — Year 362 of the Cycle of Synthesis, Grand Cycle ??? |

Avil returned right to signing the components for his spell. To buy him some more time, Raoul continued his relentless assault along with Idri and Cali. The lack of external pressure directed at the backline gave him enough time in between each cast to breathe in the Jati in the air to restore what he had expended; such was why Merlin’s clone could not afford to slack on the attention she split between the Batan.

Focusing too much on Idri would allow Calliope to seize the lapse in her focus and deliver life-threatening blows from behind. Focusing too much on Calliope would only spell even more danger from Idri. The only reason she wasn’t being completely blown away was due to her seemingly infinite casts of Shield that shrugged off one blow each time it was pulled up. One arm was all she needed for Idri. Still, the gap in skill was glaring. Numbers advantage or not, Merlin would almost always find a way to topple Idri and Cali’s combined assault. Their only saving grace was Raoul, who would, without fail, always spot the moment the balance was shifted and instantly fire off a Jati Missile or Ice Knife to force Merlin to defend and give the two girls a chance to pick themselves back up.

Generals were often taught or learned through struggle that grand strategies often never succeeded without a hitch. It was expected almost, in a sense. To tempt Teslapius was a foolhardy endeavor, and to believe she would stop flipping her Jafornati Coin for a mortal was even more foolish.

Merlin was fate. Like a cunning trickster, she had seen through their strategy and was already aiming for the one opportunity Teslapius—or rather, Avil, would provide her.

“Arislaapi magai-padi batur!”

Raoul was poised to absorb another spell of hers with his prosthetic. She didn’t bother stopping Avil in his tracks this time around, and merely locked eyes with him the moment the spell went off. She smiled a devilish half-smile.

Donk! Time ceased once more. He shuddered at the staredown, but shook himself to stay focused and charged ahead. Pushing past Idri, he wrenched Kranstor from her grip and sent it in a two-handed thrust, intent on piercing her heart in the exact same spot. Again, the ward from inside her robes glowed a distinct emerald green, and the broken blade collided with the transparent barrier. For a moment, the interference caused it to lose momentum, but the sword stayed on its course and tore through.

He noticed it just before the blade connected. Behind the ward, another near-transparent barrier stood in its way, stopping Kranstor clean in its tracks thanks to the loss of momentum from the first.

Wha…! She’s got another active?!

Avil’s surprise rendered him unmoving, and the strain of the extended Time Stop was starting to force about heartburn. He pressed a palm to his chest and cursed silently, allowing time to flow. Once it did, he felt a powerful tug on the blade of Kranstor. Attempting to fight it off, he pulled back, but Merlin sent him flying with another wave from Telekinesis and pulled it free.

He flew for a single second before crashing into a tough metal bar. “Guhh…! Ow…”

“Avil!” Raoul called out. His face darkened once he noticed who was currently holding Kranstor. “W-wait, mother! Drop that sword!”

Instead of letting go, she only tightened her left hand around its handle. With her right, she flourished Fensi’s Blade and sent Cali flying back into the rear wall of the train. “I’ve had my eye on this sword since I first saw it. The Jati flowing off it is simply extraordinary. Tell me, girl. Where did you find such an artifact?”

Idri fell back. Her reply fell on deaf ears, even as she frantically waved at her to release the blade.

Merlin’s vision of the world dimmed half in those moments. She jerked backward, losing concentration in her Jati flow and forcing Fensi’s Blade to dismiss. Kranstor didn’t fall. It clung to her hand, forcing her to maintain contact with its body for longer than she opted for.

He was there, standing behind Raoul. He was still much taller. Much more muscular. The simple coat and tunic he preferred to don on most casual occasions clung tightly to his skin, real as real could be. His stubbled beard and parted locks framed his chiseled face like a marble bust carved by a patient sculptor. The half-star around his left eye, and that smile that never went away. All Ali trademarks.

Merlin brought an arm out, reaching over in his direction.

“...Ali? Is that you, dear?”

She’s seeing it. Avil didn’t because of how fast his wielding of it was. But this… Kranstor’s forcing itself to stick to her. I need to stop her before the vision inevitably turns to father’s death. Raoul asserted, kicking himself upward. “Idri, get Kranstor away from her!”

“I… I can’t!” She shouted back. “It’s not returning to me even if I tell it to! It’s refusing me so strongly…!”

Sentient weapons came with their own problems distinct from ordinary, inanimate ones. A will that wasn’t subservient was one of them.

Clone it may be, it still has the personality of my mother, even if a bit altered. There’s no telling what’ll happen if she sees him die.

The figure turned to face her, and it raised a hand in response, both waving in greeting and a gesture for her to come closer. And Merlin did. Like a sleepwalker, she limped over to the opposite end of the train and attempted to touch him.

“Merly! What are you doing here, hm? Looking for me, like alway—”

Whoosh. A hand manifested itself into existence, grasping in its thin, lithe fingers a pointed scalpel, sharpened to the teeth. Memories of his death returned to her head. How he died. How they had killed him. How they had taken him from her.

The hand brought the scalpel to his neck, end a mere inch from touching skin. The illusion of Ali did not react—accurate, given how quick the actual passing was. Slash! It carved along his throat, up and down, deep but not too deep. All to ensure it was not a quick kill. Finally, the blade caught onto a thick artery, stopping. It slid back, drawing energy before cleanly severing the vein. A shower of thick red shot out from the area, completely spraying the area around him in a disgusting overlay of iron-crimson. It didn’t stop there. The scalpel continued on, digging deeper and severing much more of his neck. By the end, any scream he tried to stifle was drowned behind the onset of blood flowing out. Ali fell forward, tightly holding himself with both hands. Of course, there was no saving grace nor silver lining.

His body continued to struggle, spasming and convulsing in a grim sight. Finally, after a few moments, everything stopped. The hand, still carrying the scalpel, finished the handiwork by driving the weapon right into his back. Finally, it flew to his legs, folding them inward to mimic a fetal position.

Just as quick as it had appeared, the hand was gone. Ali’s lifeless body remained on the floor, still half-twitching in its death. A perfect recreation of the scenario that had played out in his assassination.

Merlin had lost all the fight in her eyes before her then-husband fell to the floor. The conclusion of the vision only further launched her into the deep, dark clutches of despair. And this time, it wasn’t letting go.

She gripped the cold, unwelcoming handle of Kranstor and craned her head down to fully view it. “So… this is what you do?”

Raoul was already there.

Before anyone could react, she hurled the sword out of her grip. In that same motion, she ignited another Fireball. Instead of throwing it, she directed her gaze to the floor the entire time.

“You will PAY for this!”

“Mother, wait…!”

Boom! A blast louder than a stick of dynamite coursed through the entire cabin, culminating in a rage-filled explosion that utterly consumed everything within range in a blaze of flame and Jati.