Chapter 19: Barriers

The Beast Tamer flicked his fingers and a warm and blinding light had erupted and swallowed Aries. It lasted for a second and when it vanished, Aries found himself back in his chamber. Pieffer, Sunrei, and Leon were all sitting on the couch, still sleeping.

He quietly took Pieffer in his arms but before he could carry the princess to the bed, her eyes had opened.

"Aries…"

He gently returned Pieffer on the couch and said in a defensive tone, "I only want to tuck you in bed so you can sleep well."

The princess glanced around and asked, "How did we get here?" she gazed anxiously at Aries from head to foot, as if checking him up. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"

"I am."

"What did Master Kiel tell you?" Pieffer asked, apparently anxious.

"He told me everything I need to know," Aries took the empty space next to Pieffer.

"The redemption thing… is a lie. I'm sorry," Pieffer guiltily confessed.

"I understand," Aries leaned his head on the backrest and stared at the ceiling. "You need to save your brother."

"I don't know what you've been through. But it must be painful. I know you are still in pain… but I will still ask you…"

"I will help," Aries straightened his back and seriously gazed at Pieffer. "Let's save Serestral."

"Thank you," the princess cried with gratitude.

"It's too early for that," Aries raised his hand to wipe the tears from the eyes of the princess, but he pulled it away when he remembered all the Pieffer that he had killed in his memories. If that were truly his memories, it will be better to distance himself from her. "I still need to know a lot of things about this world, but I can learn along the way. For now, let's reinstate the barrier at the house of Leon."

"We can start as soon as dawn breaks. You and Leon need a lot of rest."

"You sleep on the bed. I will sleep here," Aries offered.

"Thank you," Pieffer got up on his feet and lay down on the bed.

^###############^

As Pieffer had said, as soon as the sun had risen, they returned to the House of Lion, at the southern part of its border.

There was a lion statue in the middle of what seemed like an abandoned park. The ground was covered with knee-length grasses that nearly concealed all the wooden benches around that place. Trees and bushes lined at the perimeter of that area. There were houses nearby but Aries could not see a single person outside. All the houses had their doors and windows closed.

Leon sat on the lion statue and told them, "Let's start."

Pieffer only nodded.

Leon put his palm on the mane of the lion and closed his eyes. His mouth opened and he was chanting words that Aries could hardly hear. As soon as his lips stopped moving, his hands blazed with crimson flame and the statue glowed orange. The light intensified and transformed into fire.

Leon and the statue were in flames, but they were not burning. Even the grass was not catching fire.

"It will take hours," Pieffer told Aries.

"The corrupted souls will come once they notice Leon reinstating the barrier," Sunrei warned. "We have to be ready."

A few minutes after Sunrei had said those words, the corrupted souls came. Some of them obtained a vessel while others were gliding shapelessly towards Leon.

Pieffer took a stand in front of the statue and covered it with a huge shield. Aries and Sunrei rushed to her side and protected her from the corrupted souls that changed course to attack her.

"No one can touch Leon and the lion statue," Pieffer said. "We have to make the corrupted souls retreat."

"We cannot make them leave," Aries tirelessly slashed his dual blades at the corrupted souls. "We have to endure until this is over."

Or I can eat them up…

In the memories he had seen, he could easily absorb corrupted souls just by slashing them with his blade. But at that moment, after slicing the souls swarming at them, all he could do was incapacitate them for a few minutes. He even tried stabbing the shoulders of the possessed people with the hope that his blades could liberate them from the corrupted souls that infiltrated their bodies. But nothing was happening.

He had no better choice but to kill the possessed people.

Why show me those memories if I cannot do it to these corrupted souls?!

Aries tried to recall all the memories Kiel had made him see. He was trying to find where he was lacking. He had to absorb all those souls. If he can do that, then the rest of the possessed people had a chance to survive, and the corrupted souls will finally stop using people as their weapons.

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He cannot repeat what he did with the corrupted soul that possessed Miko. He could not trick all the dark essences swarming at them.

Cutting himself open and pushing them inside his wound would not work either. He would bleed to death before he could absorb all the corrupted souls and he could not help the possessed people.

How can I absorb the corrupted souls using my blades?

"Aries!"

He felt a tap on his shoulder and Sunrei slashed five corrupted souls and kicked two possessed people away from them.

"Think about the other things after we are done here. You need to focus."

Aries tightened the grip in his dual blades and cut the corrupted souls in half then he apologized to the possessed people before slitting their throat.

Bodies dropped dead one after the other. Aries noticed that Sunrei was trying his best not to land a fatal blow on the possessed people but it was not helping them at all. The corrupted souls can still manipulate the body even if they were gravely wounded.

For Aries, it would be better for the possessed people to die an instant death than prolong their agony. He was killing everyone that would attack him.

The possessed people were decreasing but the corrupted souls were not diminishing.

They were defending that place for hours, but Aries could see no sign that Leon would soon be done with reinstating the barrier on that area. And they had to repeat that process three more times.

Pieffer was starting to weaken and so was her barrier. Sunrei was slowing down. Aries could also sense his stamina depleting, but he had to endure and protect his comrades.

He had to endure even if it lasts for a day or more. He would keep on slashing his blades until he could learn how to absorb souls using his weapon.

Aries heard Pieffer cough and when he glanced in her direction, she was on her knees and there was blood oozing from her mouth. Despite her pain, her barrier remained around Leon and the lion statue.

"The barrier… will not… last long…" Pieffer coughed out more blood and cracks had formed at the shield she had created. "I'm… sorry…"

The shield had finally shattered, and the corrupted souls wasted no time in attacking Leon. Pieffer fainted. Aries and Sunrei had no time to check on her. They had to stop the corrupted souls from touching Leon and the lion statue. But the corrupted souls were floating high in the sky and their blades cannot reach them. They also had to stop the remaining possessed people from advancing.

Aries gazed at his dual blades and remembered that it was once a heavy sword that was a bit difficult to wield. He transformed it into a weapon that was easier to handle. If he had done it once, he could do it again.

Aries crossed his dual blades like he was pulling an arrow from a bow. He aimed it at the corrupted soul and closed his eyes.

Become a bow and an arrow.

He repeatedly chanted those words until he sensed that the shape of his dual blades was changing. When he opened his eyes, a smile curved on his lips as his weapon became a bow and an arrow.

He shot at the corrupted souls, but his arrows were not enough to stop them from advancing towards Leon.

Is this the end? After all those hours… is this how it will end?

'You are their leader. You are their strength. For as long as you remain strong, there will always be hope…'

Aries gathered courage as he remembered those words. If he wanted to win, he could not give up that easily.

He fired another arrow to the corrupted soul that was closest to Leon. The moment his arrow had hit the dark essence, Aries felt his body devouring it. He had done it.

He kept on firing arrows while Sunrei was occupied in defending against the possessed people.

As it was in his memories, absorbing a soul gave him a disgusting feeling. Memories were once again flooding in his mind. But he had to keep his focus. He had to keep firing at the corrupted souls. But no matter how fast he was at shooting, his arrows were not enough to stop all the corrupted souls from closing in on Leon.

"No…" Aries gathered all his remaining strength at the arrow he was about to shoot. He had to eliminate the corrupted souls that were only a few inches away from Leon.

But before he could fire that arrow, Leon had opened his eyes and the flames covering the lion statue blazed stronger before it exploded.

Everyone had been hit. The corrupted souls became wisps of smoke before completely vanishing. The possessed people had been liberated and the same thing happened to the corrupted souls that entered their bodies. Aries felt the warmth of the flame helping him deal with the memories flashing in his mind. The flame gave him a relaxing sensation.

"We've succeeded…" Leon smiled then closed his eyes and slid from the back of the lion statue.

Aries caught him before he hit the ground.

This is only the first out of the four borders, Aries slumped, and he put Leon gently on the ground, beside Pieffer.

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