Chapter 6: Chapter-5: The Ichor’s Sanctuary

 “‘Banal’, do not use those words so casually, do you know how horrifying history it holds? I left everything and came to this place, THIS forgotten place, just to stay away from all of the blood fallacies. And now you come here to remind me of  what I am, on my last day"  

Celine grabbed Alenor by her shoulder and shook her violently as she spoke. Her voice betrayed her usual calmness. Alenor raised her head. Tears falling down her abysmal eyes. Celine saw nothing in them, hollow, tears filled, and utterly terrifying. It shook her out of her outburst. They reflected what her kind had done to her. Celine regained herself, anger faded as deep sadness took its place. Those words of the past, and the way she acted told Celine enough story for her to feel nauseous. She let go of her.

“ I apologize, I lost myself– I should not have acted in such a way.” Celine took a step back, giving Alenor space to calm down. Those words always made her lose herself. Yet it did not justify her actions. 

“I’m sorry, Alenor. Please calm down.” Alenor wiped her tears with those blood-stained sleeves. 

“ I’m sorry for causing you such inconvenience, It is my fault for hurting you, miss Celine. I will leave if you please tell me the way”

Alenor spoke very carefully. Celine watched as she wiped her tears, She was not a mercenary. Mercenaries were supposed to battle hungry maniacs and drunkards, not her. Someone so fragile. She cannot send someone like her to a certain death, why she was here she did not know, she may never know but she would not send her.

“No, you may not leave. You were ordered to cast the spell, were you not? Then you should fulfill your charge.” Celine spoke calmly, she understood if she directly told her to stay it would be an uncomfortable back and forth and she did not wish to exchange more words than necessary. She was standing on thin ice, without knowing if her next word would make her snap again.

“ Miss... just needs to drop a blood and say ‘ut'thiyati’. Spell would be cast. As.. you have said I cannot leave if the sanctuary is cast so I should go.”

Celine sighed, She had to speak more.

“ Then don’t leave, just stay here inside this sanctuary. You know as much as I do everyone is already dead or will die before you reach there. Why throw away your life like it? And if your leader has told you to cast the spell, that means he wants you to survive over his own life. You should respect a dead man’s last wish”

“No, he is not that type of guy, I saw him, and I know. He sent me away, which means he had a way to survive and wanted me out of the picture. And my duty binds me to the First Gate until the Warlord arrives, I must stay there”

“What he did does not matter. First Gate is already taken over, you will walk to an army to die, nothing more. And your duty binds you to protect me, not some forgotten piece of wood. So you will stay here, and if the Warlord does not arrive in time, you will stand on that walkway and stop them till she arrives. Now cast the spell.” Celine pointed out of the window towards a bridge over the chasm. Last bridge.

“But—" "Are you arguing with me?”

Celine raised her tone slightly; she did not wish to, but it was faster than useless words. 

“No, ma’am”

‘I was supposed to finally rest’ Celine heard Alenor say under her breath. She handed the locket. Alenor inspected the silver white frame of the locket. And found an edge on the side of the locket, she slid her thumb over it. It was sharp enough to cut through her skin. Blood trickled down her thumb. She dropped blood on the Red Cryl and spoke the entreaty. It hummed and the air buzzed. A Shrill howl rang through the room. Celine felt her skin crawl, Alenor on the other hand was looking at it like an Owl, for the first time she had an expression, how insignificant it may be, which was not saddening. An expression that made her look more like her age. 

Mana gathered around the Locket. Red specks circling around it. Locket melted, except the Red Cryl which gathered melted material around it, forming a semi liquid circle. Swirling white silver. Mana flowed into the Cryl. it got denser and denser, to the point it was physically touchable. Celine was sure if she passed her hand into it, it would be like water. A pillar of red light shot into the ceiling, no, it passed through it and shot into the sky. Red enveloped everything. A dome-like shape appeared around her residence, and then everything was back to normal. Now, Only a few red specks of mana were flying around indicating that spell was a success. Red cryl was still in the same place but covered in crystalized mana, smooth surface, shining. Its silver was used as a material to form a staff like platform for it to stay as. Once the mana fades, Sanctuary would fall apart.
Alenor shook head, this was beyond anything she had ever witnessed. She looked at Celine. She was looking out of the window, and Alenor followed her eyes and saw the First gate. Celine could make out that the gates were still closed meaning they had not broken through. 

“How many were there at the first gate when you left?”
“Eight in total, but only Gwyene was in any shape to do something. Others were barely alive but beyond saving."
"If there was only one then how did they not break through the gate? If he fought or fled, it should have been broken by now.”

“I do not know”

Celine’s attention refocused on Alenor. She wanted to talk to her, it was the elder's grace that she had a companion in her last moments, yet she dreaded what she would she Find. This moment of uncertainty was unneeded. She just needs to rest and let the girl be at ease. Perhaps, her time had not come. That’s why she is here. 

“Do you need some tea?”
Alenor looked bewildered, Celine could read her thoughts, it was written all over her face. She was bewildered at her nonchalance in this situation. For someone who wanted to walk to her death without so much as a pause, she certainly expected others to behave normally.

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“No…”
“Your face tells all your thoughts, I can read them. So don’t be shy, just ask what you wish too, there’s nothing more dreadful than sitting in silence with questions.”

“Why are you so certain you will die here?”

“There's about three and a half hours till the sun rises even if this Sanctuary will last for three hours, we will die before she arrives. This sanctuary itself is a wildcard, I was prepared to die and had expected I would be before this morning yet your companions' resilience made it till night. A noteworthy achievement but worthless all the same. ”

Celine spoke softly.. There was no rush in her voice. Celine walked back, toward the sofa and gestured to Alenor to do the same. Celine could see her trying to come up with something. She did not get the point of it, they were already at their doom, what good her panic would do.

“ B… but what if she arrived here before time? She is a warlord, they are supposed to be beyond common sense.”

Alenor voiced, tense and hurried. Her gaze trained on the first gate. She had something on her mind, what? Celine would like to know. Why was she so adamant to make her hopeful?  

“I doubt that is the case, Aquilae is from the Krystel Empire, even a wyvern would take at least a day to get here. And she solemnly leaves her territory. So, more than not, She was still in Krestia. Assuming the guild contacted us when she departed, she is already arriving here beyond common sense. If she was not a warlord I would never have trusted Guild’s word. Maybe, she has some kind of magic to get here faster but if she exhausted herself just by arriving, that too is in vain. After all, A Warlord is equal to an army. Even for her this would be a troublesome task.”

"Then what is the point of this sanctuary; you should have planned an escape route; now we will be swarmed when the spell expires." 

“If someone really let out an Army just to kill me. What’s the point of escaping, they would follow me. Leaving death in their path.” Celine sighed. “This place is safest for me, anywhere else and I would be dead by now.” 

 Alenor did not respond, her eyes distant. Lost in their own thoughts. Celine said nothing, this conversation was over. A needless conversation she did not need.

Alenor looked back at her, her eyes were hollow again. What was she thinking? Celine wanted to ask. One moment, she looked so readable and then the other something alien.

“You need not to think too much. I have the duty to protect you and I will make sure you live to see the ‘first ray of sunrise’. That’s when I can rest peacefully, without any guilt. After that I can blame The Warlord for everything.”

She had no duty, she was not a knight. Just a mercenary, they were supposed to leave when a task goes outside their capacity or pay. Celine knew that much. At the very least, Alenor was speaking in a relaxed manner. That much was enough for. 

“Alenor, you have no duty, the request is already several tiers higher than your rank. You need not to fight, need not to feel guilty. This is my fate. You are the last companion before my end, I do not wish for you to meet my fate as you are not bound to it. I have already caused you enough pain.”

“No-”

“I have a secret chamber, you will hide there. For you hold no value in dying, you’re insignificant for their cause, they have no inkling of your presence. Once they end me, they will leave. And when everything ends, you will leave. Live a life, a peaceful one.  ”

“ I will not hide, No, mercenaries do not have duty. But they do, 50 of us came here 48 of them died here for you, I will too, to not betray their deaths. To not spit on their death. I am bound by their fates, so do yours. Regardless of me being a mercenary, I will not be abIe face them even after my death. There would be no peace. I have a duty of my own to make sure you live until my last breath.”

Celine saw something in her eyes other than hollowness. Conviction. She cannot force Alenor to hide, She had to agree. That is the first condition. Or the chamber is just an open door. She doubted she could convince her. But she could give at least one more try.

“I did—” her words cut off as eerie pressure consumed her. Air felt heavy like it was trying to crush them.

 

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