Chapter 13: Chapter-12: Nityh

Lanthrols howled, pouncing through the Way towards Alenor. Their hubbub grazed her essence. Alenor watched them, she did not flinch from their charge. Her hammer glowed, she watched with eerie confidence. Celine's gaze never left Alenor; eighty-third stepped on the bridge; and the monsters came to a halt as if they were walking into a wall. Monsters in front of her lunged at her. Howling, claws raised, and slobbering. 

Alenor raised her hammer, blue mana trying to burst out of it. And swung it on the perfect circle of  crack. The hammer smashed into it with a thunderous chime.  Cracks appeared as if a hammer smashed into a solid block of ice. 

Afflict

Crack, dark blue, spread through the air unhindered by the monster in its wake, passing through them as if an illusion, and reached the end of the bridge. The monster on the other side scrambled back. As the crack spread through the bridge, monsters fell, blood sprayed, their arms, legs, and heads cleaved, and they fell lifelessly on the ground. Bridge bathed in blood for the first time in millennia. Old gray, now red. Their armors still intact. As if it were not affected by the Afflict. All monsters that stepped on the bridge were now dead. Commander watched in horror. See through chains shackled Alenor’s abdomen, their end not visible to Celine, fading into the unknown. This was far more terrifying than what she had anticipated. Commander bellowed, commanding the next waves of monsters to step up.

"She should not. No one but me. Nothing should be able to hear those cries. How can you hear it?" Celine asked, tone slightly higher than normal, a slight waver in her voice. 

"We do not, but this place does. There is no such thing as an absolute condition, as you believe. It is, but a whisper in the dark. Nothing more. She does or does not, is something beyond our knowledge. But in this place, mana in the air speaks of that cry; anything with a fragile mind would immediately experience it. Consciously or even unconsciously."

"Then there’s no point in this discussion."

"So you may think."

Celine did not like this bird; it was aggravating. Why would it make such a baseless guess? No one heard her voice. Especially Alenor. If she did, Celine would have immediately noticed. It was just trying to make her snap. Not a spirit, but a demon. 

"How did you enter my territory, Rin?"

"Your  territory? No, Celine. It is Anthera’s territory; you’re a passerby, nothing but a caretaker. We have lived here since his time. Strayer’s guide is our blessing. We granted it to him for a favor. But now this place meets its end, so we have decided to sit here and watch it with our own eyes. A few millennia, it has been, for that time we have been sleeping  here."

Anthera was one of the founding sages. Celine’s ancestor probably, she was not sure. Her house has long since washed its hands of such a name. He created this place to stand tall in the unkind waves that rose to sweep away everything, to inspire humanity to not give up. For there was a place to rest when they were exhausted, beaten, or broken. A place for their children to grow up without fear of the enemy.

 ‘And today, his descendant stands here, watching as this place is violated, on its last legs, without a shred of guilt.’ Celine channeled her mana, calming her nerves. 

"I am sorry, Rinn."

"Rest easy; this place has done its duty. When he built this place, he wished for an era to come where it would be forgotten by the common people. As this was a symbol of their despair. Of the time where they were just an animal. Has it been forgotten, Celine?"

"Yes, most mercenaries that came here thought it was just an old fort. Their knowledge is an accumulation of myths and dictums. If they don't know, ordinary people have forgotten."

 

 "So its duty is over. Now, it too deserves to rest."

"Yes,..."

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"You do know Anthera’s promise when he imprisoned Nityh here."

"Yes…"

"Then speak the words and grant it rest, Celine. By your own hand."

"I cannot.."

"A last bit of respect it deserves. To crumble and be released by the last caretaker, as Anthera promised, and not to be razed to the ground and witness its last caretaker being violated in its own chamber. It has done its duty; your failure is not for it to bear. Speak the command." Mana in the air flared as Rinn spoke last word. Celine clenched her teeth, air around her felt ten times heavier. 

"I can not. If this place crumbles, that bridge will too. Alenor’s suffering would be in vain. Until she falls, I will not. This chamber must exist for them not to swarm us. "

"Speak the words, Celine levis. This place will not crumble until you leave. This chamber and Your territorial authority will remain, shall you not rent it. Only The entity that was imprisoned here will cease to be. The entity that formed when this land was ordained and greater rituals bound it here. It has served and been forgotten, as was promised. Now, Celine Levis, as the last caretaker, grant it. You must grant it, it is its Earned Rest."

Celine huffed, She did not know how much of her words were true. If She lost authority, Alenor’s suffering would be in vain. Yet she could not delay it. Once the enemy entered this ground, this place would already be disgraced. Celine knew this place had consciousness; anyone living here would know. It was shy; it never tried to show its presence, yet it was here. watching over her. Even Alenor’s weapon was its giving. Celine knew there was no usable weapon. She had double-checked it a few days before.She purposely sent Alenor there to discourage her. Yet she found a weapon. A weapon she needed. She needed to, at least, give a proper farewell.

"I shall."

"By the blessing of Elder, the first Sage, and Anthera, our founding father, I, Celine Levis, by title, The Last Caretaker, felicitate you, Nityah. Your duty is over now. So are your bindings; now you can break out of the shackles that bound you here for an unforgivable time. I, the last of the Levis, sincerely apologize for the suffering you may have felt. and forever grateful for your service. Your name has been forgotten by the common people, as my ancestor desired. Now the promised time has come."

Wind blew, leaves scattered. Celine watched as leaves landed in front of her feet. She stepped back, leaves formed words. It asked, "Will you truly grant us rest?" Celine choked, Was it really that tired. Of the things it could have asked. Could have said. This. to her reading it felt like a plea, a distrust, a disbelief. As if a child promised their most desired toy after being denied a thousand times.   

"Yes, you have earned it. Now, as promised, I unbridled you of all the binding forced upon by greater rituals. Rest. For an eternity. My friend."

She wanted to ask if it hated her too, if it truly was shy or just disgusted by her existence. If it considered her a friend too. She did not, it did not need to be burdened by her guilt.

Celine unhooked her white locket, blue and gold intricate design on it, and raised it toward the sky, and crushed it. Blue aura engulfed it, she let it go, it flew away. To the centre of the ground. The whole place hummed as the ground glowed. A torrent of mana rose from the ground, forming golden chains as they attached to the locket. All of it gathered around the broken locket. Smaller chains combined, forming bigger chains. It got denser and denser, until there were only Four golden chains shackling the locket then they fell apart breaking into an uncountable piece. A whirl of mana rose to the sky and broke apart. Nityh, it was no more. And thus, one of the myths was no more. Mansion still stood here, her authority remained. Once Celine left her chamber, everything would crumble.

Celine refocused her attention on Alenor. She did not know how many waves of monsters she killed. The whole bridge was covered in blood. And mushed bodies. Alenor heaved and used the war hammer as a balance to stand as Harrock riders stepped on the bridge for the next charge.

"She exhausted very quickly. Mana seems to hate her, perhaps a side effect of Spirit’s blood. There is no one previous to know, to base our assumption for how much time she has…"

 

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