Chapter 12: Chapter-11: Countdown

Celine watched in horror as Alenor screamed on the ground and coughed out blood. She stood on the balcony. There was no point in going down there. She blamed herself. Her screams rang in her ears, screams that even the most vile torturer could not produce. And it died down, as her throat lost its capacity. She now only writhes on the ground. Her mouth opened yet no sound came out. Celine could not even begin to fathom the kind of pain and agony she was going through. Even the monster on the other side backed away from the sanctuary. Clearly horrified. From his vantage point, their commander observed. Clad in Armour, there was no visible sign of what he felt seeing this. 

After a few minutes of writhing, Alenor stopped moving. As if magic were cut off from a puppet. Celine wanted to go down and check if she was dead. Celine wished Alenor died; it would be a relief for her, and if those monsters captured her, death would be a blessing.

Linthrol, as the monsters were called. Three meters tall. Long claws, black and dull as if made of rusted metal. Grey fur, hunched back, walked on two legs. Human like faces made them unnecessarily disturbing. They lived their whole lives in heat and mated with anything alive. Their lack of sanity made it easier to control them. Yet their carnal desire made them uncontrollable after a period, so most prisoners of war were given to them.

Alenor’s body was cracking, white glowing lines travelled across her body, glowing through her clothes. She was there lifelessly. Yet her mana had not yet vanished. Celine did not leave; if Alenor somehow lived, then her suffering would be in vain. 

Monster got closer to the sanctuary as her body remained lifeless, howling, clawing, but the sanctuary did not budge. A few minutes remained, after which it would fade away.

 Six minutes.  

 Celine remained calm. Her death was part of sacrifice. Even three hours of borrowed time were extra. She wondered if she would be killed or given to these monsters. Regardless of whether her killer hated her or not, they should have ordered a quick death. She imagined her killer was not foolish enough to delay a task that was already impossible if she herself did not allow it. Whether this army of degenerates would follow it or not was another question.

Five minutes.

Alenor’s cracking body stopped. Radiation vanished. Influx of mana and spirit, died. Celine’s blue bird cried. It had attached itself on Alenor’s shoulder all through her writhing. BIrd’s body grew, and wings stretched. Feathers shimmering in blue, indistinguishable from a real bird. Its crown sprouted, as if flames, white, smoldering. Then it blinked, ‘so this is the price, hope you make it worthwhile," even though the beaks did not move. Bird turned toward her and flapped its wings. In a blink, it was beside her, on the parapet, clutched in its claw.

Four minutes.

Alenor raised her hand toward the sky. Celine watched the miracle as it happened. First in recorder history to not die. Was the Bird doing it? 

"In a sense, yes. It is our doing."

Celine looked at it, startled. Can it read her thoughts? 

" No, we did not read your thoughts, nothing can. Your face speaks your mind."

"Oh," Celine whispered, perplexed at the situation. "I am Celine, Celine Levis. How may I address you? Mystical one."

" Call us Rinn. We too will watch the spectacle as it happens."

"Spectacle? Did she conquer the Spirit’s blood? There is nothing known about it in known history." Celine felt light, as if a weight had been lifted from her heart.

Alenor stood up, her movement speaking with a great deal of hindrance. She wiped the blood from her mouth. She looked around, searching for her hammer. It was in the dead grass, she spotted it. Picking it up, the hammer glowed blue this time. The amount of mana she channelled tingled from this afar. Then she looked at Celine, raised her hand, and waved. Indicating she was okay and raised her hammer and swung, creating a circular crack. Her movements, still mechanical. She walked onto the edge of bridge. 

Three minutes. 

"Alenor, three minutes, and sanctuary will fade. May the elders bless you." 

"Alenor, when the ticking stops, you will relive hell again. Beg us, and we will grant you rest." Rinn’s voice echoed through the chasms, as if someone spoke from afar.  

Alenor waved her hammer, facing the monsters. She swung her hammer, creating craters one by one. Celine looked at Rinn. relive? Something was amiss. 

" Relive? Did she not pass the test?"

"There is no test, Celine. Torment is a punishment; for breaking the natural order, death is payment. She made a contract with us. For a borrowed time, she will relive her hell. How long? That is not known to us. If she asks us for death, it will be a swift one."

Her elation came crashing down. How foolish of her to think anything good could happen to her. "How can a spirit be so cruel? Are spirits not benevolent? Why something like this?" Her words wavered, voice cracked ever so slightly. She inhaled a long breath to calm her mind. 

"You are free to hold your beliefs. We are not benevolent. Neither are we cruel. She fascinated us, and we offered her a last wish. She knows what awaits her. She made a choice. You should respect her. How lucky you are to have such a loyal dog in your hands. Now do you hope to survive?"

"Paradise will resuscitate, that is where fate gathers, as does every demigod's wish. For it to succeed, the caretaker, Celine Levis, must die. I palisade this land to a status Quo and for it to change my death in imperative. The world itself wishes for the removal of this place, Nityh. Regardless of my hopes and wishes…"

"You care too much about what the world wishes or the thread of fate gathers. Why for once not watch the paradise burn, say the fate in its face not today and why not give the girl, who suffered more than anyone, a moment of respite. Is it that hard to not bow to the fate that is undesired?"

Two minutes.

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"The river of time flows, not awaiting anyone; threads of fate gather in it. To shape the future. Every resistance creates a new wave. At this point, I am the most pivotal figure; any resistance I offer will send ripples far beyond any individual.That girl will suffer; that is her fate, even if it is unwanted. Your question is wrong, Miss Spirit, Question is not why I will bow, but how much death and chaos my stand will bring. I wish for it to be limited to the adventurers I called. Every resistance would result in more death and destruction."

"Yet, You call a Demigod herself to protect you. Is that what fate, or the world, desires?"

"Warlord will never get here in time; I want her here for something which is unrelated to my protection."

"So the girl will fail, even after everything she has suffered and will suffer?"

Celine did not say anything, She had tried enough to make Alenor leave. If she did not listen. Celine did not know why this girl was so obsessed with protecting her. Yet, every second that her control slipped, she should have been impassive about her death. Yet, every second thought of her death made her heart clench in pain. It was her fate, yet, those cries faded as she looked at Alenor, how much she had suffered just to protect her, someone so vile. She would try one more time, at least. She will beg her to quit. There was no need for her to suffer again.

One minute.

"Alenor," Celine called out. "Listen to me, just this once."

Alenor's swing did not come to a halt; one after the other, the bridge's exit appeared cracked, as if a mirror stood there. Celine's eyes did not leave Alenor. If only she could do anything. She felt lightheaded. She was going to vomit. She fell on her knees. Why was this happening? Was this the price of her atrocity? No. She was not the one being punished. 

"Alenor, Ask for death, you do not have to do this. I planned everything. I’m not as kind as you think. I knew everyone was going to die beforehand. IT WAS ALL TO SUMMON THE WARLORD HERE FOR MY GAIN. THAT’S WHY I CALLED SO FEW PEOPLE. THEIR DEATH WOULD FORCE GUILD TO TAKE ACTION. PLEASE ALENOR, YOU DO NOT NEED TO SUFFER FOR THIS. FOR ME, I’M NO BETTER THAN ANY NOBLE. PLEASE ALENOR. JUST STOP. JUST QUIT. WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS SUFFERING."

Celine coughed, she was not suited to shout for any amount of time. and fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her face. Alenor stopped swinging her hammer, but only for a moment. She started hammering again, now with more force. Celine could not think of anything. How will she stop her? She looked at Rinn, it was watching Alenor. 

"What should I do?"

" Just let her do what she longs for. She was disgusted by you before even knowing this, you’re the one assuming she swings her hammer because of your kindness."

" Then why?" She stood up, wiped her tears.

"That we do not know, we are hesitant to say she herself knows."

Five seconds.  

"Perhaps, you’re not the one she sees, but someone dear to her, —

Four seconds.

– Perhaps, those unheard cries she heard reminds her of her past, clawing at an – 

Three seconds.

–.impregnable wall, to get out, to reach out.  She does not know herself what she is supposed to do–

Two seconds.

– so she claws her way too, until she dies, to do something, yet there is the only thing she can do."

One second.

"That is, to protect you."

Sanctuary faded.

 Red Cryl in her chamber broke into pieces. It would take years for it to reform.

 

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