Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Desperate Struggle

Theodore had been naive. In this city of mages, he had assumed that weapons were pointless. As such, he failed to take proper precautions against Albatross, who had hidden a knife in one of her boots. The knife would have been useless against a mage worth their salt, but never did Theodore consider that Albatross might have carried a knife for herself, not until the last minute.

How did he not see it coming? Of the vast memories of the Demon Lord, why did he not expect this? Was it because the Demon Lord found the threat of a mere knife beneath them? Was it because the Demon Lord underestimated this girl who was but perhaps four or five years older than Theodore?

No, that was not it. This was but the limits of Theodore himself. There was only so much his little mortal mind could hold. Overwhelmed by the decisions he was making, terrified of the risks he was taking, disgusted by the person he was becoming, and panic stricken by that nightmare of ill foreboding, Theodore let perhaps a few things too many slip his mind.

Wallowing in his mistakes and regrets, Theodore faced his reality in the present. Straddled atop of him was Albatross, her left knee atop his chest, pinning him down and making it difficult for him to breathe, while her right knee and left hand were holding down both of Theodore's arms, preventing him from fighting back. In her right hand, she held her small but razor-sharp knife, pressed down against Theodore, kept from plunging into his neck by threads of Aether that emerged from Theodore's body.

The last thing Theodore clearly remembered was a cold glint in Albatross's eyes when he rushed up to her, trying to take her knife. Before he knew it, he felt a chilling sensation in his fingers, and all of the sudden, he was on the ground struggling for his life.

Albatross pulling out a knife and turning it towards herself was a surprise, but to then suddenly swing it at Theodore was yet another twist Theodore could not see coming.

Once the pain began to set in, Theodore realized that three of his fingers had been sliced clean off while one was hanging by a stretch of skin. Once he understood the extent of his injuries, he quickly put a stop to the bleeding. The fingers he'll have to reattach later as the knife held right above his throat was a more immediate concern.

"Worry not, once you're dead, I shouldn't be too far behind," uttered Albatross with a strained voice as she continued to press the knife against Theodore's Aethereal threads.

Before Albatross can take her own life, Theodore's have to come first. Albatross cannot risk the chance that he might be able to prevent or delay her death in some way, especially knowing that an elder skilled in potions and medicines was in the same building. If she somehow survives, the mages will no doubt make sure that she pays for however long they intent to keep her around.

Theodore could see the desperation in her eyes. Though at first glance it seemed like Theodore was the one at a disadvantage against the older girl, so long as he's able to hold out until the Aether within Albatross's body crystallizes, there was no problem. Not only that, if the crystallization did not wind up killing Albatross immediately, Theodore could reveal her secrets to the mages.

For Albatross, having her secrets revealed would be the worst outcome. Surely, the mages won't let her die so easily if they even allow her to die at all. She could still remember it, the collections of pulsating flesh writhing in agony, still alive and disavowed from the release of death. She had seen the worse of what the mages could do, amongst the many other secrets that she could never let loose from her lips, lest the curse they cast on her triggers and turn her to 'stone.' She would be petrified, but still somehow alive, to be retrieved and likely added to the collection of tortured souls.

Theodore was right about one thing. If there was a fate worse than death looming over you, then perhaps death would not be so terrible a choice. Albatross's only hope at this point was to kill Theodore and then finish herself off, or so she believed.

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However, Theodore had other plans, plans that required Albatross's cooperation. He can't die, that much was obvious, but he can't let Albatross die either. For better or worse, he needed her. She was his only connection to the outside, one that was by no means loyal to the Mage Tower and the Circle of Mages. She was his light amidst the darkness and he wasn't about to let her go out in such a miserable way.

"Albatross, listen to me," Theodore called out, forcing his words even while Albatross pressed her weight onto his chest. "I am not letting you die nor will I reveal your secret. I need your help, desperately so."

"Don't give me that bull crap! I won't be tricked a second time! You'll be dying here and so will I!"

While pressing down her knife against Theodore's threads of Aether he was using to defend himself at a moment's notice, Albatross was also pressing her knee harder against Theodore's chest, forcing air out of his lungs and making it harder for him to concentrate and weakening his control over his Aether.

"Hold on... Just let me..."

"Too late to beg now, Theodore."

(Shit! She's right. It *is* too late. I should have just begged in the beginning. Just rub my face into the ground and begged as if my life depended on it. It would have been a more honest way of living. At least I won't be dying as a piece of shit like I am now...)

Deprived of oxygen, Theodore's vision began to darken, his consciousness fading. One by one, his threads of Aether began to snap as his mind became distant.

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End of Chapter 44

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