Chapter 44 - Strike Back

In the Blood Forest, Kita was trying to pick out every possible landmark she could use to navigate. There was no set path, even after the wages of the season cleared out the intense greenery that once obscured the ground.

Eventually, she could hear the currents of the Blood Stream, but she avoided getting any closer. It was a good landmark, but she feared some of the demons would overreact if she got too close. She hadn't seen even a trace of them since she left the portal, making it all the more nerve-wracking. Clearly, they knew their territory well, including all its vantage points.

After a while, Kita paused and leaned against one of the trees, taking a few deep breaths. A calming breeze, the gentle buzz of forest creatures, the aroma of autumn leaves, and the distant ripple of the water. She was finally able to appreciate this place's nature, instead of fearing it.

'Crack, crack, crack!'

Kita flinched, gasping. She looked around and realized that a patch of bramble was quivering. She knew it couldn't be a demon; they weren't foolish enough to be caught up by a basic obstacle, and whatever this was, it had to be small.

Kita moved closer, carefully dodging the thorns as she pulled the tangled, dry limbs apart. Thankfully, she didn't have to dig deep.

To her shock, a familiar white creature was pouting helplessly, ensnared in the bramble.

Kita gasped, but quickly bit her tongue.

Stud, however, perked up and wagged his tail. "Kita! You're okay-"

Kita quickly reached in and held his snout closed, even though the thorns scraped her.

"Hush!" She whispered. "Some of the demons are watching me, and they're probably going to be mad at you. Stay very quiet, and hide here."

"I don't have a choice," Stud whimpered. "I got stuck in here ever since yesterday. I'm hungry, thirsty, tired, and sore..."

Kita sighed, "It sounds like we both got our just desserts. Okay, hold on..."

Meanwhile, from deeper in the woods behind Kita, Thundur seemed unamused. The tree she was behind was good enough cover so that even if Kita turned around, she wouldn't be seen. Likewise, obscured by the web of branches above the spirit-walker, Timbur couldn't help growling with anger. His small size and element -which even impacted his claws to make them stronger and more curved- made him frighteningly adept at climbing and maneuvering in trees.

"Just great," he grumbled. "That stupid rat is back."

"I already addressed it," Thundur said carelessly. "If she can't keep it contained, it'll be thrown back here or euthanized, period."

"Kita?"

At the sound of that voice, both of them refocused on Kita.

The worst possible scenario for the lone sylph had manifested. There was a group of about seven sylphs in silver armor, but the person leading them was no mere commander, or any rank close to that.

It was Shira Akane herself, in the iconic violet armor.

Timbur and Thundur were stunned, while Zin emerged from behind a further tree with an equally shocked expression.

"It's a lieutenant?" Timbur hissed, his voice low.

"Wow," Zin murmured. "That'll kill her for sure."

Timbur's ear twitched. "Let me guess, we have to help her now?"

Timbur braced to hop down, and Zin reached for his blade. However, Thundur raised one hand as a signal for them to stop.

"Hold on, boys..." Thundur's amber eye fixed onto the sylph. "Let's see how she handles this."

Timbur and Zin both looked confused, but didn't argue.

Meanwhile, Kita didn't know what to do. A knot formed in her throat, and her heart plummeted. Shira was not only someone who had treated her well, but someone much more powerful than she was.

Expectedly, Shira didn't sound hostile. "Wow, it's really you! This is great; we've been looking for days!"

Now that she was hearing this cheerful voice with her own ears, a sharp, irksome thought pierced Kita's mind. Just like Corelia, this could've been a facade.

Shira reached out as if to usher her toward the group, but Kita immediately stepped away. That turned Shira's welcoming smile into a frown. Kita couldn't tell if the glint in her blue eyes was concern or irritation.

Either way, Shira sighed, "Listen. I know a lot has happened, and a lot of it paints us in a bad light. But like everything you have witnessed thus far, there are layers. There are reasons we had to hurt the captives -and yes, I know I told you that we wouldn't, but you know how it is."

The mask was convincing, but the words failed to sink in.

Kita's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Whatdo you mean, 'I know how it is'?"

Searching for the right words, Shira eventually just groaned, "We wanted you to feel comfortable so you could finally start healing, even though it might've meant..."

"Lying to me?" Kita spat. "Tricking me into thinking that Corelia would actually listen to what I said, instead of at least being honest?"

"We do what we have to do, we say what we have to say. In the end, it's for our own good. Our only interest was to protect you."

Kita snapped, "Bullshit! How was hurting them supposed to help me?! Your only interest was hurting the demons and getting ahead in this stupid war!"

"We were trying to find answers for you-"

"You knew they didn't have any! I told you that we hadn't found the answer yet!"

Losing her patience, Shira shot back, "And what proof did you have? You may disagree with the method, but you saw how far we were willing to go with your own eyes. Meanwhile, what did they give you? What proves their honesty or willingness to help?"

Kita felt her veins heating up. She felt the same burning rage that led her to lash out while confronting Corelia, but recognizing that, she clenched her fists to keep herself grounded. Turning randomly violent would only result in her getting caught again, possibly injured and dragged back to Sybilius.

Even so, her fury was strong in her words.

"I don't have proof, but I do have their word. And it hasn't failed me yet. Every trial I've faced, even when I first entered the Blood Forest and begged to be helped, Leiytning has kept his word. Seyber gave me their story, and it turned out to be much closer to the only blatant evidence I saw. Thundur was willing to tell me how the world out here works and even went as far as to risk injury for me. Even Timbur; he may be downright horrible, but you know what? I would much prefer an honest rival to a fake friend. Or a fake queen."

Behind her, in the shadows of the forest, Zin snickered as he reached up and poked Timbur.

"Hah hah, the sylph still likes you," he teased.

Timbur kicked Zin in the shoulder, growling, "Shut it, you moron..." He grumbled, "Although that's the first time I've agreed with the mortal -which is a tragic twist of fate."

Meanwhile, Kita took a deep breath, but it did nothing to repress the animosity pouring out of her. She finally had her chance to say exactly what these rotten soldiers needed to hear, while making it clear that she wouldn't be tricked again. She refused to let it go to waste.

"Everything Corelia has told me wound up twisted, contorted beyond recognition, even nonexistent in some cases. And if you're just going to try justifying why, I don't want to listen."

Shira sighed, "Things may not be exactly what you thought they were, but it's not like you're seeing a whole different world. Like..." She gained an earnest tone. "Your friends. They're still waiting for you."

That, finally, made Kita slow down and feel an ache in her chest.

"See?" Shira insisted. "The reasons you loved Sybilius are still there. And you may have seen past the surface layers, but Corelia is still the queen you know."

Kita was feeling blissfully nostalgic, but that last line left a terribly sour taste in her mouth. Her lip unintentionally curled.

Then it got worse.

Shira managed a faint smirk. "You know, I've picked up some things from the discussions with Corelia. About your family. You may not like this idea, but someone who may actually hold the answers you're after is..."

The heat in her veins turned into flames, as Kita felt her teeth grinding.

"Your father."

Kita refused to respond, her jaw locked as her whole body tensed up.

"See?" Shira remarked. "There's a place carved out just for you, here in Sybilius, and we have our own solutions. The demons are only deceiving you."

Kita felt like she wanted to vomit, scream, lash out, and disappear all at once. The clash of emotions was powerful enough to make her tear up. Her chest felt like it was forcefully ripped open, and Shira had her heart in her grip. Her existence and all its reasons, in the hands of a merciless puppeteer.

"'Don't feel that I don't understand. Someone has hurt you far beyond words alone.'"

Hearing those words echo back to her, Kita finally felt the rage recede just a bit, like a bit of ice to soothe a deep burn.

"'My guess is that you push away opportunity out of fear that it may hurt, even when you're already hurting. Well, if you're so desperate for things to get better, maybe it's about time you changed that.'"

Kita bit her lip with anxiety as her thoughts raced.

I think that lesson would push me in the direction of taking her offer. I may very well find the answer if I went back, however painful it may be. Maybe there are some ways the sylphs could help me. But...

Kita clenched her fists. She sucked in a deep breath of air, and her voice came with a hiss.

"No. If your methods of finding a solution are torture and working with true evil, I don't want any part of it. Even if it means I learn everything right here and now; every last detail about every problem I've faced, and every hidden truth about this conflict between the Aubades and Zyreans, I would still be standing here. Not with you, but with them. I'll be a teammate, or even a servant before I become another rat for you to blind, cage, and push around like vermin. Nor will I risk going back to that beast."

Kita met Shira's bitter gaze without fear.

"And if I'm going to be dragged into a war, it's going to be on my terms, and I'm not going to fight for a liar."

Shira sighed, shaking her head. "You chose the wrong words, Kita."

With a snap of her fingers, the seven soldiers took on defensive stances. Kita flinched and stepped back, realizing her precarious position.

"Look, I tried to be nice and do this willingly, but whether you like it or not, you have to come back. And this time, you won't be returning to these woods."

Kita stepped back again, but four of the guards almost completely surrounded her.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way."

One of the guards unsheathed his sword as he got closer to Kita, grabbing one of her wrists and yanking her back.

"WHAT THE-?!"

Suddenly, the same guard cried out in horror and released her.

A whip coiled around his throat, the spines tearing through his flesh as it slid across his skin like a serpent. Fresh blood spewed out of his exposed throat as he collapsed.

Thundur yanked her whip back and sighed, "Timbur, Zin, give me a hand here. Mortal..."

As Kita looked at her with wary eyes, she casually braced her weapon.

"You may want to stand back."

"That damn spirit-walker," Shira muttered. "Get Kita! I'll deal with her."

Before anyone could move, Ktia was horrified to see something drop from the trees to her right. Timbur landed on one of the guards, tearing its throat open with his claws before kicking it into another guard as he jumped off. While the guard was pinned by his dying teammate, Timbur ran his machete through both of them, flooding the earth around them with crimson.

At the same time, to Kita's left, Zin launched a blast of dark, churning water that stunned one of the guards. He caught up and ran his sword into the open space between the guard's chest and stomach plates. As the guard staggered back and collapsed, and another tried to charge at Zin, dark blue mist gathered around his feet.

'WOOSH!'

A torrent shot Zin into the air. Once the second guard swung at nothing, he landed behind them and hacked through their neck with one foul swing.

"Heads up!" Zin taunted, kicking the decapitated head at Shira.

Unfazed by the violence, Timbur chuckled at that. Shira visibly gagged though, flinching as she was hit by an armored head.

Kita felt uneasy being surrounded by five fresh corpses, and what had to be gallons of their leaking blood. However, as she reminded herself of the situation and her position, she slowly found the will to move.

But again, she was too late. Shira grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back, restraining her in a headlock with one arm while her other brandished a shimmering longsword. The remaining two guards flanked her, blades up and ready to strike.

"Stay back!" Shira snapped. "This sylph belongs in Sybilius!"

Timbur sneered, "Agreed."

Thundur sighed, "But we have to keep her for now. Shira, make this easy."

"Don't test me..."

Intentional or not, Shira's fists clenched with anger, and her arm started constricting tighter around Kita's neck.

"Last time we met, I was the one who walked away victorious."

"Oh?" Thundur taunted with a chuckle, "Convenient how you'll claim a victory before my dear brother showed up. Don't get cocky, Akane, and let's not forget that you're in ourterritory this time."

Shira's eyes narrowed. Kita started to feel scared and pulled at the arm restraining her, but Shira was stronger. Soon, her grip became tight enough to completely cut off Kita's airways, and she descended into a panic.

Before any of the demons could get close, Kita whipped her dagger out from her boot leg and lashed it behind her with all her strength.

Shira immediately let her go, and Kita stepped away, gasping for air.

To her confusion, Zin was shocked, his ears perked and eyes wide. Even Thundur and Timbur seemed surprised.

Zin arched one brow. "Did the mortaljust kill a lieutenant?"

Kita froze in place. "What?"

Thundur pointed behind her, making Kita turn around.

Sure enough, Shira had staggered away from them. Kita's dagger was stuck in the side of her neck, blood pouring out from around the stuck blade. The crimson oil was staining her armor, her undersuit, her silvery hair, and her skin.

Shira stumbled back, still in shock, as the remaining guards scrambled to help. She tried to speak, but her voice came out strained and raspy.

"H-How could you..." She choked out, "B-Betray your whole life?"

Through the shock, Kita barely managed to answer, "I had no life. I lost it, and what remains..." She looked down. "Will understand, I hope, and be just fine without me."

Still fumbling for the dagger, Shira finally collapsed. Kita snapped from the trance and gasped in shock. The horrid sounds, the reek of the blood, and the single tear that escaped Shira's lifeless blue eyes made her go pale and breathless.

One of the guards shouted with shock, "Madame Akane! Stay with us!"

Quickly realizing that wouldn't happen, they looked back to Kita. The same one who shouted whipped out his sword, ready to fight.

However, Thundur stepped up beside her.

"That's enough for one day. You two..."

Kita felt a powerful pulse of energy, sending waves of chills and goosebumps throughout her body. The two guards froze in place. As the spirit-walker spoke, her voice seemed ten times stronger than usual, and it made Kita afraid.

"Flee."

The guards moved slowly and rigidly at first, as if struggling against invisible restraints, but soon sheathed their blades and ran back toward the stream.

The sensation faded, and Kita reluctantly faced Thundur again. She had a confident smirk as she grazed the leather of her eye-patch.

Thundur broke the silence. "Impressive. Even I didn't see that surprise attack coming. I didn't think you would have it in you. But of course, it wasn't just you. Shira really deteriorated since her temporary leave, a few moons ago."

Kita failed to respond. She didn't even know how to feel, but it was far from happy.

Thundur crossed her arms. "I'll admit it. I hate losing, but I'm a little glad that you won. Killing a lieutenant is always good, and this does make us feel better about keeping you."

"Barely," Timbur muttered, roughly nudging her as he walked past her and stood behind Thundur.

Kita nodded. "R-Right, thanks. Honestly, it wasn't entirely intentional. I meant to hurt her, but I didn't know it would be a fatal shot."

On the other side of this conversation, Thundur could easily see through it. She was never one who showed emotion, but deep inside, there was something she never expected to feel toward Kita.

Sympathy.

After a long moment, arguing with herself over what to do or say, Thundur begrudgingly sighed and softened her tone.

"You should find a way to control the guilt while it's still manageable."

Kita glanced at her, but then immediately looked down and shifted anxiously. "Th-This probably isn't helping me. I know that I shouldn't care, but gods, I honestly didn't mean to kill anyone! I'm sorry that disappoints you, but I just..."

"Stiffen your lip and stand straight," Thundur said sternly.

Likely out of fright, Kita did just that.

"Don't show pity now. Shira is no innocent visitor, nor the kind friend you think she was. Just like any sylph, she wears a mask until it's time to act, then she's as ruthless as the queen you fled. Worse, considering how much she restrained herself on your behalf. We have to put an end to it, regardless of the gap between our morals. Just like the orcs, remember?"

Kita looked down again, mumbling, "Aubades are nothing like orcs, but I understand what you're saying. I think..."

Thundur continued, "You have a sense of vigilantism; that's why you so easily broke Corelia's laws, and why you felt the impulse to stand up for Zin and Seyber when realizing your mistake. Use it, then. Never forget that they are the enemy, and even if they haven't hurt you yet, they have hurt your team. The minute they put on that armor, they are subscribing to that belief, and they are bound to do it sooner or later. Every day could be the day they take one of us again, and they'll do much worse without you snooping around. Will you let that happen, or stand up for what you believe in?"

Kita remained silent for a long moment, then sighed, "I guess that answer's obvious."

"Exactly. Don't let anyone bait you into feeling guilty. When you're in a fight, you should only have confidence. If you can't put confidence in yourself at that moment, then put confidence in your purpose, allies, and leaders. Doubt creates hesitation, hesitation creates vulnerability, and vulnerabilities lead to death."

"I did trust my leader though," Kita murmured. "It had horrible results."

"As if there's any comparison between Leiytning and Corelia!" Timbur snapped.

In Kita's mind, the memories of a bloodbath taunted her, but she refused to let them surface. Instead, she focused on the gentle nature she had caught glimpses of, from her current leader, and what she just heard. The words that guided her out of a pit of her own long-standing misery and put her back on course. Something even Corelia failed to do.

Kita nodded. "Okay. I get it."

"Finally," Thundur muttered. "Now let's get back to the beach. And yes, you may take the dog-creature, but remember our rules."

Once Timbur and Zin were ahead of them, Kita quickly called out, "Thundur?"

The spirit-walker stopped, shooting her a questioning look.

"Thank you for saying all of that, and for the backup."

"Hm..." Thundur reached behind her back. "Just another mission."

She tossed something to Kita, like a gleam of silver in the faint light. The rattled sylph narrowly caught it.

To her surprise, it was her own pocket watch. The same one she slipped to Thundur during their first 'game,' as a promise that she would return. Kita feared she had told a lie after the chaos that ensued, but was happy to be reminded that she was able to keep it.

And at least on an unspoken level, she believed the testy spirit-walker was too.