Chapter 65

[CW: Blood, Violence]

Silas fell backward, stumbling to the ground as the wave of mana exploded out from my body. His sword flew off to the side as it slipped from his grasp and tumbled onto the dirt a few feet away. Neither of those things held my focus, however, as a tide of pain continued to crash throughout my body. My scream still rang in my ears as I sucked in a heavy breath. The mana from my core seared into my flesh and bone, as though trying to consume me whole.

What is happening? Am I dying?

I could feel the core there inside me, much smaller now but clearer to my senses than ever before—a condensed sphere of mana that seemed both present and not. As my body began to shift, the magic flowed in my body like a thick soup, pulling and shaping me. Somehow, the pain began to fade, though I still found it impossible to move or shout. A heavy paralysis gripped me, to the point that it was difficult to even breathe.

I could hear Silas’s groan several feet away just as feeling began to return to my toes and feet. As the numbness faded, I pushed my body upward with great effort, leaning back on one arm. Loose dark brown hair fell down into my lap, creating an overwhelming moment of panic. The idea of dying bald seemed somehow that much more terrifying than the alternative.

Then I leaned forward, and long white hair with streaks of auburn swayed across my face.

My hair hadn’t fallen out, it had been replaced.

I gulped, knowing that wouldn’t be all the changes to have occurred. At least the mana seemed to have settled enough to no longer be altering me.

“W-what. By the gods, how did—you, you freak!” Silas said, stumbling over his words. My eyes met his own, and he took a step back. “You’re one of them. The sorcerers.”

I could see the light shake in his hands as he bent down and picked up the sword at his feet—the one that I’d dropped. Silas pointed it toward me, and his eyes narrowed as his lips pressed together in a thin line.

Staring at him and the trees to his back, I realized that the world looked different. Sharper somehow? I felt as though I could see everything so much clearer than I ever could before.

Silas dove toward me, and I realized this was a poor time to be reflecting on my vision. I rolled to my left, surprised at how light I felt given everything that had just occurred. In fact, I felt nimbler than ever.

The sword clashed against the ground beside me, and I realized just how close he’d been to stabbing me for the second time. Once more, I rolled, hoping to get out of his range enough to stand up and run—or at least to pick up a weapon. The other sword couldn’t be too far.

A foot stomped down to my left, and I crashed into it, nearly causing the boy to topple over.

I looked up and my breath hissed as I saw the sword swinging down towards my head. Following the strange instinct that grabbed me, I pulled my foot up and then kicked him in the gut. It happened far faster than I thought possible. My eyes widened as, rather than striking me, Silas sailed backward. For a moment, his feet left the ground, and then his back and shoulder smacked into a tree. The boy fell forward, collapsing into the dirt with a groan.

I stared at my foot, as though expecting it to not be my own. I could feel the strange energy still rolling through my body, and slowly fading. Camilla would probably claim this to be some sort of wasted opportunity to cultivate energy into my core, or something like that.

At the thought of her, my mind once more focused. This wasn’t the time to ruminate or sit around in wonder.

I hopped up to my feet, in a rather more literal sense than anticipated. As my feet touched the ground, I wobbled, doing all I could to keep my balance.

My eyes glanced over at Silas, and seeing his arm shift to get back up, I smacked my boot into his face. The boy rolled as his head jerked back. A trail of blood began to pour from his nose and lip. I winced, worried that maybe I’d hit him too hard, despite holding back.

Then my head shook. He’d been just trying to kill me. Why should I care if he was alright or not? Besides, there was no time to waste. I reached down for one of the weapons and not caring which it was. Then my eyes scanned the surrounding forest, cursing the fact that I had no clue where to go.

Our fight felt strangely anticlimactic. Somehow, I’d expected it to all go… differently. Like an extended duel of some kind, perhaps. Instead, each time we clashed, the result was much more immediate. Perhaps that was for the best, though.

It was odd just how much power and speed both of those kicks possessed. Was my body that much stronger? It had to be one of the magical breakthroughs I’d learned about. Had it been the fight that caused it, or was it something to do with my thoughts there at the end?

I bit my lip, realizing that I was getting far too easily distracted. Then I eyed what seemed to be a small footpath, and prayed to any god that would listen for it to be the right way.

My feet shot forward, and I held back a scream as I rather literally flew through two bushes and nearly smacked face-first into a tree. Twisting to my side, one leg slid against the ground as I came to a stop, somehow keeping both my balance and sword in hand.

What. The. Fuck?

Was I really that powerful?

My focus turned inward. As the energy inside me continued to fade, I feared that this strange power was temporary. That didn’t stop me from turning toward the tree and giving it a solid kick with my boot. I could feel the heavy thump vibrate through my body. The tree gave out a loud crack from within as something inside it split. I stared at it, amazed. Clearly I wasn’t so strong as to split a tree in half, but that still felt impressive.

Then I looked at my hands, wondering if they were the same. As I balled it into a fist, I realized that once more I’d become completely distracted again. Though at least this had been useful. If I was going to find a way to save Camilla and the others, I’d need every advantage I could get.

I took a hesitant step forward, followed by another, until I managed to shift into a more normal run, only to almost immediately stop as I picked up voices off to my right. It seemed I’d been going the wrong way after all, but at least not the total opposite direction. I let out a sigh of relief as my ears twisted forward and—

Wait.

My empty hand moved to the top of my head, immediately bumping into the two large ears that had perked upward. Somewhat to my annoyance, I couldn’t help but notice that they did seem about the right shape for rabbit ears.

I huffed and began moving forward once more, approaching slowly in the hopes of sneaking closer without being seen. As the booming laugh of the Praevus caught my ear, I at least knew I was headed for the right group.

It didn’t take long for me to begin to make out words.

“…have plenty of time to tell me all that I need to know later, I assure you,” the Praevus said.

The only response I heard was the faint sound of wheezing.

After giving two intelligible orders to two sentinels, I heard another man say “…seem…escaped, Praevus.”

Escaped? Had someone escaped?

“They won’t get far,” I heard Emver say.

Finally, I reached a point close enough to see the clearing through the trees ahead. I couldn’t get too close, or they’d see me. Yet I had to try and sneak close enough to at least see if Camilla, Lena, and Rosetta were all still there.

Carefully, I angled my steps to try and be as quiet as possible. Yet each one seemed to crunch loudly in my ears against the forest floor. My stealth could use some work. I just hoped it was more the result of excellent hearing rather than an indication of how loud I was truly being. As I made my way behind a fallen tree that had been caught in the branches of another, I paused, and peeked around it.

Ahead with his side facing me was the Praevus, speaking in a low voice to an armored man to his right. In front of him was one of the captive smugglers, held up by two sentinels. Leaning to the side, I managed to get a look at his face, and recognized one of the town’s miners—a man whose name I was fairly sure was Leon. He’d visited the library a number of times, especially when I was younger. I’d never thought much of it, however.

I spotted Lena and Rosetta off to the left, both already atop a horse. I couldn’t really make out their faces, through the bushes ahead, but their clothes were plenty recognizable despite the distance.

Easing further to the left, I peered around upturned roots in an attempt to see the rest of the clearing. It took only a few more steps before I finally spotted Camilla. To my surprise, she was both alive and awake, crouched down on her knees in the dirt.

None of them had escaped, then. Though obviously the sentinel had been talking about someone when he’d mentioned an escape. Could it have been smugglers, or perhaps others in the town? A pit of worry momentarily consumed me as I thought of my father. I desperately hoped that he was okay.

When my gaze shifted back over to Camilla, her red eyes met my own. I stepped back in surprise, nearly crunching down on another group of leaves. She gave what I assumed to be a pleading look, as though begging me to run off and leave her. In response, I shake my head. I was determined to do something. Perhaps it was naive of me, but I was the one to get her into this mess. I couldn’t leave her.

Camilla let out a visible sigh before glancing back down to the ground. Then her gaze leveled on the Praevus.

“All of this—was it truly over something as simple as stolen rock?” she growled.

Emver turned toward her. “A rock? My dear Camilla, surely you of all people can plainly see that this is no simple rock.”

He lifted up a gloved hand, and I squinted at the object pinched between his fingers. The strange ‘rock’ was black, but not in a normal sense. Instead, it seemed to almost glow with a complete absence of color, as though the object was sucking in all light around it, making it impossible to truly see. Even the Praevus’s own fingers were partially obscured.

It reminded me of the liquid lezun within the vial I’d seen so briefly two weeks before. Could it be a similar substance?

The Praevus was right in saying it wasn’t normal, though. Even beyond the strangeness of how it devoured the light around it, I could feel a sense of power within and couldn’t help but wonder if that feeling would become stronger the closer I got.

“Perhaps,” Camilla answered him noncommittally.

I wasn’t sure if she was simply trying to buy me time or if the information on the rock itself might be important, given its obvious power. Could I make use of it somehow?

Luckily, Emver seemed to have no issue in talking further, despite how obvious Camilla’s goading was.

He gave a dramatic gasp, pressing a hand over his lips. “You surely jest, my dear. Though I suppose it matters not if I tell you. If things go well for you, I do believe you’ll be becoming infinitely familiar with its nature in the upcoming months.” He held it up higher, just above his face as though observing it in the light.

The Praevus seemed ever-confident in his success, and even I couldn’t help but notice his tendency to boast. I just hoped I could make use of all this somehow. I needed a plan of some kind—or even the faintest idea of something that might work.

Emver continued, “This little crystal represents the future of the Empire. A prototype, of sorts, and one of a small few of its kind. It is the first step to harnessing the power of mana without the need of sorcerers or their cursed madness.” He eyed her before glancing over to the captive in front of him. “Though there are always those who seek the Empire’s downfall—who would use such power for their own nefarious purposes.”

From his other hand, he lifted a sword and dug it into Leon’s stomach. He gave it a twist, causing the prisoner to cry out in a hoarse voice. Blood poured from the wound as Emver removed the blade and from the way Leon sagged, it was obvious that he only stood on his feet in the vaguest sense of the term. The sentinels held him upright with a firm grip on his arms and shoulders. The captive continued to wheeze, and the Praevus turned away from him.

Then Emver let out a jovial laugh. “To think I nearly thought that I came all this way for nothing.” He shook his head. “I should have expected the fool of a man to just carry the thing on his person. Rebels were never known for their intelligence.”

So then this was really what the Praevus was here for? It made an odd sort of sense, given the strange objects apparent power. Why else would a Praevus—one of the most important men in all of the Empire—come to a nowhere town like this unless for something that could be truly Empire-changing? We’d had suspicions of it being something important. The smugglers clearly possessed something valuable, and perhaps Camilla’s loss of the vial had played a part as well. None of us thought there would be something potentially even more powerful than the vials of lezun being smuggled.

Lost in thought, I didn’t hear the crunch of leaves to my right until a man covered in dark armor moved into view barely two feet away. I turned just as he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me from the bush I’d been crouched in. Both of our eyes widened, me staring at his face and him starting at my… very visible ears.

I barely shifted out of the way, mostly by pure accident, as his sword swung for my head. If my ears hadn’t been pressed back, I was certain he’d have cut them clean off.

“S-sorcer—” he began just as my foot connected with the joint of his foot.

The crack of bone was drowned out by the man’s heavy scream.

I stumbled back, regaining my balance. Even now the newfound power caught me off-guard. Then my head turned toward the clearing—one which I was now in open sight of.

A dozen or more sentinels had their weapons pointed my way, most of them either crossbows or spitfires. I gulped as my eyes met the Emver’s. The man smiled.

“And here I hoped that Silas would take care of you,” he said.

I took a step back, my eyes briefly meeting Camilla’s in the hope that she might give me some clue on what to do.

Emver continued, “Though I shouldn’t have expected much from a commoner.” He took a step forward, blade at the ready. Somehow, he appeared completely unsurprised by my new appearance.

“You—you gave your word,” Camilla said, her shadows rolling off her in angry waves. “You said you’d let her live.”

“I gave my word to not harm your maid. Though I said nothing about a monster wearing her skin.”

I wanted to run, to turn and race away, never looking back. Instead, I braced myself, preparing to jump once more. One hand gripped tightly around the hilt of the sword as I braced myself. I could only hope that I’d be fast enough to catch them by surprise. My eyes hovered on the strange crystal, the object nearly impossible to see. Hopefully, somehow, I’d be able to do something with it. Assuming I reached it.

The Praevus turned, handing the crystal to the man at his side, and I saw my chance. The sentinel hesitated before gently grabbing it and placing it in what looked almost like a small jewelry box. “It seems we have a rabbit to hunt. It seems—”

Just as he’d begun to speak, I sprung the energy-filled muscles in my legs and hopped.

My feet vaulted me forward and I soared as the loud blasts of gunpowder deafened the air. A sharp pain dug into my leg, but I ignored it as the Praevus flew closer—or rather I flew toward him. His eyes widened as they met my own. With both hands, I swung the short sword with everything I had. His own blade swooped up to meet it.

With a simple tilt of his arm, he parried the blow. My eyes widened as I twisted around only to slam into the sentinel back to his right. The man stumbled to the ground as I fell. I heard the sound of the box tumble shortly after. My eyes searched for it just as a rough hand grabbed me around the throat. Emver met my eyes, his grip tightening as he lifted me into the air. My fingers clawed at his gloved hand.

I can’t breathe!

With surprising ease, the Praevus brought me up above his head and my feet left the ground. I struggled against him, doing anything I could to get a breath in. In the background, I could hear Camilla’s enraged scream ring out across the glade. One of my boots smashed into his chest, yet somehow, despite my new strength, the man didn’t even wince. I hadn’t the capacity to ponder why.

I beat at his arms, clawing and hitting him any way I could. Yet his grip never faltered. If only I had the sword, or anything to stab him with—anything to make him release me…

“You truly are a pest, aren’t you? I should have killed you days ago when I first realized what you were.” My eyes were beginning to water, only to widen as I remembered the weight pressing against my thigh. Emver gave me a confident grin. “Ah, well. We all make mistakes don’t we?”

He swung his sword just as my dagger stabbed up into his arm, piercing the man’s leather armor. Camilla was right, I had forgotten about feeling of the blade. And somehow, Emver and his sentinels had never checked me for weapons.

The Praevus cried out, his grip loosening. I fell from his grasp, but the sword in his hand continued its swing. As my feet touched the ground, the blade sliced into my shoulder.

Then something slammed into his back—a dark swirling mass of shadow.

Falling to my knees, I held back a scream and gripped the throbbing wound on my upper arm. The subtle taste of blood entered my mouth as I bit painfully into my tongue. When I glanced up, it was to see Camilla parrying a slash from the Praevus. She held in her hands the sword I’d taken from Silas.

I stared in amazement as my mistress fought like a goddess of death. In a blink of the eye, she disappeared from view, appearing a few feet away in a burst of shadowy darkness and nearly cutting two approaching sentinels in half as more converged on her.

With a clumsy step, I got back to my feet. Then from the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the dropped crystal a foot away, having fallen out of its box.

The Praevus glared. “It’s time I put an end to this,” he said.

I lifted my foot as sentinels converged around us from all sides. From the corner of my eye, I watched as Camilla charged toward him. But as a man threw himself in front of her, I knew she was going to be too late. With all the strength I had left, I stomped my boot down and pushed forward just as the Praevus’s blade swung for my neck.

The rock-like crystal shattered like glass.

And darkness consumed me.