Lian Yue's POV
"You lie."
The punch to my temporal lobe hurt far more than the surroundings; the storm outside the ruins was a soft whisper compared to the drum in my head. The gentle reminder of his gaze was warmer than the blades I have faced, yet Raihan had still scarred me the worst. The pain etched upon his face, betrayal in its purest form thawed me.
I want to say that the consequences of his betrayal left me static or mobilized, when in reality it feels like I am coming down with a fever. The truth is, I was stagnant after his departure, while the rift wind honed through the broken stone arches felt like a tempest unleashed. The unintentional mask I wore began unshackling, bringing forth agony indeed.
My hands are stained with the blood of the woman, who screamed mercy and cradled a baby monk under her bloodied arms. She had since transformed into a queen rigged by my orders. My brawn may not have executed her, yet viewed as shackles when my orders swung the guillotine doll.
The excuse of orders to follow removes attributing her as a traitor wholly slipped into a primal sun, claiming innocent blood. She boasting a wonderful lightongan parent—
He has every right to not forgive me.
Part of me is shamed, crying from the bottom of my heart begging and choosing to chase.
However, another side of him understood that turning back would mean his circle would end me.
The atmosphere became denser with each breath I took, indeed laced with magic. The ruins began to give hints of something unusual, as if they were sun rays refracting on a surface of water. My instinct told me something was afoot and that warranted me to unsheathe the twin swords nestled on my waist.
"Step forward."
Born from vengeance's grasp, Kaelith emerged from the shimmer as a wraith. The striking silver of his eyes was visible even when he donned a deep crimson mantle. The air dropped in temperature whenever he was close. His very being forced the nearby shadows to shift and bend just like he mastagazed pets.
"He is no longer here," he uttered. "You have shattered his sanity."
"Get to your point."
Kaelith's expressions as always, were twisted, "You've managed to make ruin look almost artistic in a devastating way. But even you can't prevent what's coming, Lian Yue. The Eye is waking up, and with Raihan's fury unleashed, he's going to attract every deity in existence."
"I thin, then you had better start praying you reach him first before they do."
His fingers gripped his hilts which manifested weapons at the ready.
"I'm not here to combat you," he stated. "Not unless absolutely necessary."
"Then why would you come here?"
Kaelith moved in and with him the wards defending the ruin almost collapsed at the knowledge of his essence.
"Because you are the last person that believes that he is more than just a tool."
"That might be the only thing that keeps him from turning into one."
So much frustration settled in my throat, yet nothing breathed life beyond it. Kaelith was right. There was no way Raihan was coming back now. If he did come back, it would be in the worst possible state: a shell of the man I knew torn apart by the turmoil he was put through.
Kaelith stepped forward. "The seal can still be undone. The Eye of Chaos bound to his soul can be severed, but it comes with a price."
"A price that can always be avoided with the right thinking. Whose?"
"I'll see the world without your face once the price is paid."
"I will never you let you pay me like that."
Outside, even the wind stopped blowing and the world became silent, which made me question if this was yet another one of nature's showcases of how I am doomed.
"As appealing as it may sound, this is for his benefit. He needs to exist. I cannot allow him to live as the weapon they forged him to be. If he can let himself die for you, would you let him?"
What hurt the most was that I did get the logic. All those times when Raihan was bursting to find peace hidden within struggles of violence, I had wishes where I could exchange every single one of my bones to help him do so.
The real question to ask is why was it that easy for them? With the Eye cut off, the question remained—what would happen to the barrier of realms?
A shriek reverberated off the walls before words could form in my mind. It was not from a god or human, rather something else entirely.
Kaelith twirled. "They have arrived."
Emerged from the shadowy veil were people clad in pitch black.
Their faces ruthlessly disfigured as their magic ablaze in divine blight.
Harbingers. Celestial Court's executioners.
Escape was not an option.
He ignited as he removed daggers from his waist. Kaelith now glowed in emberlight.
"Buy me some time," he said, taking a step forward. "I will keep the seal."
I was taken aback. "What if you die…"
"I certainly won't die. At least not before searching for him."
We acted like flames spiraling out of control: hand in hand—not really hand in hand, but you get what I mean. The Harbingers were welcomed by a blizzard of blades, one in particular wielded by me; divine magic, courtesy of Kaelith, blasted through their ranks alongside me.
The catch with all of this? There were an overwhelming number of them.
I was struck in my side. My ribs were on fire. Gasping, I dropped on knee.
My entire world shattered in an instant.
A surge of light engulfed the battlefield and I could feel raw unchecked energy disperse the Harbingers like particles.
I wasn't wrong with my earlier assumption.
He had returned.
Torn cloak and burning silver eyes. Raihan stood at the base of the toppled stairs beside me. His skin radiated with the eye of chaos beneath it intricately engraved like tendrils of flame.
And for the love of the gods, I swear: I'm not the only one suffering.
Air was filled with a tempest of fractured realms. Boundaries were collapsing while worlds bled.
"'You should've stayed away,'" he
said, in a tone unfamiliar and robotic in nature.
The Eye had been planted.
And my time was depleted.