Chapter 276: Water and Fate
Together? With an inquisitor? I shrunk back, a violent shudder passing through my body. The pain of a thousand phantom wounds stabbed across my flesh, the mere thought inciting the burning heat of the slave crest.
Aqua frowned, her eyes filled with sorrow, as a single tear trickled down my cheek. "Just what did they do to you?" She whispered, voice shivering with anger.
Her white cloak snapped in the breeze, a symbol of every deep-rooted fear in my heart. Righteousness and purity–words used to justify the darkest atrocities. They had tried to kill me upon coming to this world, and when that failed, left me bound in chains. It was an inquisitor’s tongue that ensnared me in the Soul Crest, its wielder who took joy in torturing my body and soul. They allied with the Circle of Chains, supporting the ones who had raped and murdered Aurle, and now taken Sari.
A wave of nausea rolled through me. How could I ever trust an Inquisitor? The demon’s shriek tore at my ears, yet all I could hear was the echo of my heartbeat. An Inquisitor...but not. Aqua had caught me in a perfect trap, a watery prism. It was only through the eyes of Fate and my unique skill with Dispel Magic I managed to escape. Furthermore, she’d tracked me down, yet never sought to harm me, instead leading her allies into a fight against Fable knowing they couldn’t have won. Had she been playing with me all along?
I pressed a trembling hand to my head, fingers grazing the base of my horn. A pained groan escaped my lips. The world seemed to sway, and through the haze of fear, Aqua’s face swam into view. Not the face of an Inquisitor, hidden beneath the white mantle but worried, green eyes and a brow creased with concern. A stray sense of familiarity pricked at my conscience, but I recoiled from it, instinctively rejecting the notion. She was an inquisitor. An inquisitor!
"Xiviyah, are you–"
"I’m fine," I cried, tearing my gaze away, my tail lashing. "Just...just focus on the demon," then added in a small, whimper, "Please."
She looked at me, seeming about to cry herself, but before she could respond, the demon was upon us. Gritting her teeth, Aqua dove between two slashing blades, landing a swift jab on the cage of swords surrounding the silver core. Fable, fully recovered, lunged into the fray, nimbly dodging a flurry of blows as well, circling around the demon’s back.
The Blade Demon’s floating swords blurred into motion, flinging themselves at Fable with reckless abandon. He leaped backward and several swords plunged into the earth where he’d been standing. Before he launched an attack on the grounded weapons, the rest came spinning toward him, closing up the opening. They fought in tandem, as cooperative as any well-trained company, save they had no weak flesh or mortal vulnerabilities.