(Heyo, once again please excuse the shit tier writing and be sure to praise Ren for his god tier writing. Yes I suck his dick too much.)
(Forgot to mention this is part two of the long ass overdue arc my bad.)
The trip was not nearly as long or painful as expected from a journey on foot through hell.
The Blazing Cliffs, the realm of the 28th King, was pretty much exactly as advertised, however.
The cliffs in question were made from what looked like rusting iron, the occasional tuft of flame spurting out from a fracture in the face. The grass, if it could even be called that, was merely a sheet of scarlet stretching on into infinity.
And yet, despite the cliffs there, there was not a drop of water in sight. No, instead there was a drop akin to a canyon, the bottom lined with magma.
And atop the peaks of the cliff was a palace, built from bronze, much larger and taller than the 72nd. At a glance, it looked to be the size of a village all by itself, and the walls were easily some fifty feet tall.
"Ahhhh, just as I remember it." Yui looked somewhat happy to see his home once again. "Could be just in case the magma decides to spit up or something else. Hell if I know."
"If that's the case, caution is probably advised," Hestre pointed out. "You do have access to the palace after all these years, my lord?"
"Uhhhhhhhh I should. C'mon." Yui picked Dia up and hoisted her onto his shoulder, carefully walking up towards the palace.
Dia squirmed a little bit, but eventually seemed to calm down just as they reached eyeshot of the guards.
"Y-Yui? This is weird," she said, sounding a little desperate. "They think I'm a kid, don't they? Don't they?"
The trio reached the pair of gate guards, who inspected them mercilessly.
"72nd, your majesty," one of them observed.
"I'm… ex-72nd now, actually," Dia admitted sheepishly. "He's 72nd."
The guard turned his head to Yui, expectant.
"Uhhh, I beat her for the role. Now let me in please I gotta talk to daddio Raizel." Yui set Dia down and gently pat her head.
"Lord Raizel? You would be his son?" the guard asked. "I do see a resemblance, but I'll need to ask for your family seal, just for safety's sake."
"I uh, don't have the seal on me. Just restrain me and take me to him. Please?"
"You seem rather confiden--" the guard began, but the second stopped him.
"He's not strong enough to smash his way out of a cell if Lord Raizel doesn't recognise him. We might as well."
The first guard looked a little skeptical, but…
"Alright," he sighed. "This way, you three."
He'd nod, following the guard. "Stay close to me you two."
They were up in the throne room in minutes, a figure very familiar to Yui sat on that throne.
"Hello father, how's the castle been since I left?"
Faluzure Hadras Raizel leaned back in his throne, an amused grin passing over his face.
"Well, it hasn't moved," he said. "Welcome home, Yui. To what do I owe an unexpected visit?"
"Well first off I'm engaged. Secondly, I'm the 72nd now. And maybe a few family techniques or whatever." Yui groaned, rubbing his shoulder. He was a little tired after their hike.
Faluzure didn't need to hear anymore.
He snapped his fingers. "Leave us."
The command echoed around the room, with every single guard standing up simultaneously and leaving the room in an organised, uniform fashion. The military discipline of his elite guard was astounding to say the very least.
Leaning forward, Faluzure pulled himself to his feet. The walls of the palace had seemed much smaller to Yui, but his father's imposing figure was no less formidable than he remembered.
"I was wondering what she was doing here. Two birds with one stone, hm?" he chuckled. "How does it feel to be blown out of the water by a Raizel, ex-72nd?"
Dia said nothing, simply shooting a moderately intimidated glare for a brief instant.
Yui snapped in. "Listen, I care not if you are my father. However, you will respect her as if she was a god to you am I clear father?"
Roaring laughter shook the very earth. "You know, you haven't changed a bit. Alright, just this once, because you asked. Now, what's this about family techniques, hm?"
"Seeing as I have grown stronger in a considerable amount of time I think it's best if we started teaching me. I am the 72nd now am I not? And besides, what would happen if I were to be assassinated because I didn't have the proper skills to defend myself hm?"
Faluzure folded his arms. "Law of the jungle, my boy," he grinned. "It's been that way since before my great-grandfather was born, let alone you or me. But I see no reason to not give you a bit of an edge."
He began walking down the steps to his throne, one by one, before he stood on the same ground as Yui, Dia, and Hestre.
"But a serious question," he said. "72nd King of the Black Realms, ruler of the Steel Palace… Is that really the best you've got? I don't think it is, and I doubt you think so either. Am I wrong?"
He'd have a begrudging look on his face as he looked at his father. "Yes, you are wrong. But at the same time I suppose you're not. But what a shame it would be if you let your own son die because you refused to teach him. Just imagine a whole family line perishing because of your silly little act. Anyways let's begin. I'd like it if they were both taught to their full potential as well."
Faluzure let out a faint but clear sound, something that could only be described as a satisfied growl.
"Alright, let's see what we can do," he agreed. "But first and foremost, I'd be a miserable king if I were to just go around teaching the royal techniques to people who couldn't make use of their full potential with a little creativity, wouldn't I?"
His aura, his presence, filled the entire throne room in an instant. A pressure like a second gravity felt as if it were pushing down on everything without exception.
This was no magic nor technique.
Faluzure's pure power was radiating forth.
"So here's the deal. If you can break even one of my bones while I stand here, then I'll teach you. I won't do anything. It's all down to you," he challenged. "Show me how you've grown, Yui Cadis Raizel!"
He'd sigh. "Typical masochist." Yui activated Crimson Break.
Faluzure's expression shifted to a wide grin. "So even your wrath has become stronger? I'd be impressed, but I suppose it's to be expected of my own son."
Yui was silent and his expression was blank. You could tell he was focusing hard on this. He needed to succeed in this 'test'. He launched his fist at his father's stomach with full force, extending the bones in his knuckles about eight inches as he did.
Yui felt something budge, just slightly, for an instant.
An instant that seemed to last for eternity.
Even Faluzure seemed to watch in anticipation as the rib cracked, just slightly, and then…
Shrrrrk.
The sound of fractures rehealing instantly.
The blow hadn't left any lasting damage. No, it hadn't left any damage.
That damage that it had caused was instantly reversed.
"Hm," his father frowned. "That wasn't everything, was it?"
"Just wait. By bones are still stuck in your body ya know." He'd extend the bones, wrapping them around a rib and yanking out as hard as he could.
Snap.
It didn't come free. Not yet.
All of Yui's remaining power, focused into a single movement, was still not enough to pull it out completely.
But.
Neither was it so little that it healed.
The crack that he had made in it remained.
"Excellent," Faluzure nodded. "I'm satisfied. I'm not convinced you'd win if we fought, but that's why you need these techniques. You've convinced me you're ready."
Yui would retract his bones and let his arm fall to his side. "When are we starting then?"
"When are you set?"
"Let me think for a second. I might need a bit of rest first. I did use up the rest of my power to break your damned rib ya know."
The 28th nodded firmly. "That sounds acceptable. I don't suppose either your fiance nor your maid are capable of manipulating their bones?"
"Not that I know of no." Yui'd look back at the two.
Dia shook her head, Hestre said nothing.
"Didn't think so," he shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You're the one I care about here. Get yourself some rest, and come to me when you're ready to begin."
"Yes father." Yui beckoned Dia to follow him. "Hestre just find a room and lay in it."
It was an hour or two before Yui's energy fully recovered. Once it had, Dia was already asleep, and Hestre hadn't been heard from since they parted ways.
Yui sat up and yawned, looking next to him. "Hey Dia. Wake up." He gently shook her before getting out of bed.
"Hmmmm…?" she mumbled, slowly opening her eyes.
"We gotta go.Trainin' time." He got dressed. Of course, it being Yui was dressed in nothing more than a t-shirt and sweatpants. Making his way to the main hall he started thinking about something. It wasn't too big. Just a thought in the back of his head, however, something wasn't right.
The door to the throne room was closed, but once Yui opened it, it was apparent why.
Faluzure seemed to be plotting out a map with a man besides him, the latter seeming to be doing most of the work and explanation. Said man turned around on hearing the door.
"Ah, my liege, your son," he observed.
Faluzure turned his head. "Ready, Yui?"
"Give Dia a bit to wake up. Speaking of which, have you seen Hestre at all? Ya know. The maid that was with me. I've got a bad feeling father."
He shook his head. "I haven't. She went to her room on your orders and hasn't come out yet. You can check on her if you want."
"I want a guard with me at least. For safety that is," Yui jokingly said "you never know if she could've been murdered in her sleep."
"Of course. Here, take Kurax."
The man turned his head. "My liege, I'm in the middle of something…"
"It won't take a moment. Accompany Yui."
Kurax sighed. "Of course, sire. You're right, safety is paramount here if there could be a traitor in our walls, but I'm not sure that any mole could stay in our ranks for any period of time…"
Yui quickly made it down the hall, shoving Hestre's door open.
Hestre, laying on her bed, quickly sat up. "My lord? And the 28th's chief advisor…?" she observed. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes. Get up. Now." Yui nearly sounded angry. His face had a stone cold expression as he stared at the woman.
She leapt to her feet instantly. "Is Lady Dia safe?" she asked.
"Yes. She's perfectly fine. Now c'mon." Yui'd pivot on his heel, walking down the hall to the throne room.
Hestre and Kurax followed in tow.
"Might I ask what's going on?" the maid pressed.
"No." Yui stared at his father before walking up and whispering to him. "I'm getting bad feelings from her. I've been a little on edge since we've gotten here, father."
"You suspect her? Of what? Has something happened?"
"She's barely said a word to be or Dia the whole time we've been here. If at all. It's rare I feel this way, father. She leaves a very bad taste in my mouth." He'd walk back and sit on the ground cross-legged. "Ahhhhhh I'm hungry. We should eat."
"Eat…?" Hestre echoed. "I thought there was something wrong."
"We can discuss it while we eat."
She looked a little questioning, but sat. "If you insist. Will Lady Dia be with us?"
"Are you going to eat in here?" Kurax asked dryly.
Yui glared at Kurax. "Are you retarded? Of course not."
He sighed. "I'll get a meal made for you three downstairs."
"Four." Yui corrected. "I'll go get Dia." He'd walk down to his quarters only to be carrying out the small girl.
The trio, along with Faluzure, made their way down to the dining hall. The table itself seemed to be made of marble, and had to have been around fifty or sixty feet long.
Faluzure, of course, sat at the head of the table, and after a few minutes, food began to be served out.
"This seems pretty grandiose," Dia observed. "A perfect fit for me."
"Ex-72nd," coughed Faluzure, but said nothing else.
Yui fake coughed. "So, father, do you know what we're even gonna be eating?"
"I often just trust Kurax to surprise me. He's been here since just before you were born, actually, although he only became my chief advisor a week after you left," he explained. "I can generally rely on him for something entertaining."
Lids were removed from trays, revealing all manner of exotic dishes that Yui hadn't seen in a long while.
"Ohhh boy. Hey Dia you might like this stuff. I don't exactly remember how it tasted but it's great! Besides that, Hestre, you've been off a little bit since we got here. Care to explain?"
"Off, my lord?" she echoed. "In what sense?"
"You haven't said a word since we got here. Not to mention you haven't even bothered to even ask a few questions. I'd assume you of all people would be skeptical of a few things, would you not?"
"I don't believe it's my place to speak," she reasoned. "I am a maid, after all. I'm here simply to serve you and Lady Dia."
"Damn right. You're allowed to speak. You haven't even cared to check up on us since we left too. Now that's odd even for a maid."
"I attempted to," she pointed out. "Leave a sock on the door handle next time."
Yui's face when completely red. "You damn bitch. I should beat you black and blue for that. But it doesn't matter. I want honest answers. I still think something is seriously wrong with you."
"Feel free to ask anything you'd like," she said. "There are certain questions I reserve the right to avoid. Apart from that, anything is acceptable."
"Why haven't you checked up on us? Even before..you know what you saw."
"In what sense?" she asked. "Before then, I have been accompanying you, have I not?"
"Accompanying is different from actually making sure someone is okay. And how do you know everyone here exactly? Don't get me wrong I know you were with Dia but how?"
"We have known one another from childhood. I was the next in line to become the 72nd King, but Dia convinced me to step down."
"Father, how long have you known this woman?"
Faluzure looked her over. "I don't believe we've met before today, as a matter of fact."
"And you, Kurax?" Yui had almost forgotten to eat least try to eat his breakfast. "If you know her at all that is."
Kurax, who had been standing near the back of the room, looked her over. "Her name does sound vaguely familiar, though I'm not sure where from. Either way, I haven't met her personally."
"Hmm. When you say familiar, do you have an idea of where? I'd go as far as to say you have resentment towards me because I stole your spot on the hierarchy. It's a bit jumpy for me to say but people have been killed because they stole the spot of someone next in line."
"Forgive me for saying this, my lord," Hestre said carefully, "but if I wanted you dead, then at least one of us would be bleeding out already."
Yui got up and calmly walked over to Hestre, placing a hand around her neck. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't snap your damn neck right now. How do I know you haven't poisoned me in my sleep? Or something worse. I have every reason to be even more suspicious of you right now."
"I understand that perfectly," she said calmly. "In essence, it is impossible to prove to you anything from where I stand. Even if I were to confirm your clear suspicions that I am a traitor of some sort, I would have no evidence to present to you a convincing argument."
"In that case, father, get the guards in here now. For my safety and the safety of everyone else she needs to be locked up. I am now treating her as a threat to this palace." Yui let go of her throat and sat back down, sighing. "I really don't like you Hestre."
"I didn't ask you to like me," Hestre said, standing up and allowing a pair of guards to restrain her.
Kurax glanced to Yui. "How much security do you want on her?"
"As much as we can get while making sure this damned place is okay from the outside. If need be I'd say starve her so she has little strength."
"Understood."
"For good measure, put the Ankhoran Guard on her cell too," Faluzure ordered.
"My lord, the Ankhora--"
"It won't be a problem," he said firmly.
"...As you wish."
Dia watched as Hestre was marched out of the room, an expression of anxiety and fear etched onto her face.
"Father, I want Dia protected heavily as well."
"Of course. Kurax?"
"I'll assign her a third of your elite guard," Kurax nodded. "Do you expect you'll need protection yourself, young master Raizel?"
"A little. I want most of my elite guard on her. I can handle myself. Father, we need to get started on teaching immediately."
"I agree. No point wasting any more time. Do your job, Kurax. I'll be taking Yui to the training grounds."
The training grounds themselves were an impressive sight.
They were around a mile long, lined with all manner of training dummies as if simulating a battle against an army.
Yui was astounded. "This is honestly amazing. Is this where you prepare them for war? Assuming they aren't talented enough already."
"Ah, actually, that's the twist," he grinned. "These mannequins are my frontline soldiers. On a command, I can animate them into powerful golems that can destroy towns in minutes, sometimes by themselves. They can regenerate, so there's no need to hold back."
"Great." Yui'd start to stretch. "Father, how is it that you heal so fast?"
"Good question," he noted. "You should know that bones are filled with marrow, right? But do you know what marrow is for?"
"Not exactly no."
Faluzure folded his arms. "It creates blood. And blood is full of microscopic 'flakes' called platelets that heal wounds. In other words, by controlling the marrow in your bones, not just the shell on the outside, you can heal much faster than any mere peasant."
"I have a question about our abilities. Can they be passed down to someone who doesn't have them? Or at least teach them how to do so?"
He nodded slightly. "In theory, so long as they have a natural affinity for bone-type magic or abilities, anybody should be able to use these powers. If not, they might be able to adapt, so long as they have some kind of elemental martial arts to compensate. The principles are more or less the same."
"So that means I can teach it to Dia?" He'd sound excited. "Besides that, let's start learning."
"Indeed. Try focusing your energy not into the shell, but the marrow. It's easier when your breathing is steady." [spoili]This may or may not be a reference to Hamon from JoJo`s Bizarre Adventure[/spoili]
"Right!" Yui would calm his breathing, attempting to focus all his energy into the marrow of his left index finger.
It felt as if clean, cool water was flowing through the bones. A refreshing sensation, like he had just wiped dirt from a window and could clearly see now.
"I think it worked. Hopefully it did anyway."
"Go ahead and do it for all of them," his father advised. "If you get your entire skeleton going, your core should adapt to it and grant you much more energy to accommodate for it. You should be able to make this permanently active."
He concentrated hard, focusing all of his energy into every single bone in his body.
It felt like he was flushing every speck, every trace of impurities from his entire body. It was as if he was always meant to be able to do this. Perhaps he was.
"Hey hey hey, I feel a little light. Is this normal?"
"It is. That's the feeling of your regeneration working its magic. If it goes away, that's how you know something is cutting it off, so be careful."
"So it's easy to tell, correct?"
"That's right. You'll know instantly. Once the block is cleared though, it'll turn back on all by itself, so there's no need to worry."
"Right, what's next? I got that down pat."
"You have indeed. Let me see… The next thing ought to be your finger bullets. You've probably got a little practice in already, am I wrong?"
"No, I've used them a few times already."
Faluzure nodded. "That makes this easier. I'll tell you a secret to mastering them: you'll want to go for around half, maybe 60% of the force. That way, you'll be perfectly balanced between power and accuracy."
"Okay, so shoot?"
"Give it a try."
Yui'd raise his hand, aim at a random dummy and once again, concentrate. Soon after he'd fire off a single nail.
It hit, dead on the mark, leaving a clear scratch across the dummy's head.
Faluzure nodded firmly. "Good job. You should be able to easily grow your nails back now, and if you keep at maintaining that balance, you should be able to make this three or four times stronger than any bow."
Yui nod in excitement. "So what are we going to learn after this now?"
"There's probably one last thing I can hope to teach you right off the bat," his father mused. "That is, reflexes. Specifically, with enough training, you should be able to instinctively create spikes from your bones wherever you get hit, so they you can hurt them back when they attack you."
"Father, I had that sort of interaction when I met Dia. Her guards attempted to attack me and I didn't even know what happen they just sort of popped out and stopped them for me."
"That's an excellent start, but that's instinct," Faluzure noted. "You need to be able to do that on command, even for attacks where you'll never see it coming."
"Ohhh alright, I really understand it all now."
He nodded. "Well, let's test that. I'm going to hit you lightly, but just enough to hurt, so let's see if we can't drill a counterattack into you. Ready?"
"Of course." Yui nod his head in agreement.
"Alright. Here we go," Faluzure said, taking a half-hearted battle stance, if it could even be called that. "The moment you feel it, send out a spike."
With that, he launched a light punch at Yui's arm.
It's almost like his body over-reacted, a single spike shooting out and breaking off into multiple points.
Faluzure had already retracted his hand, although he seemed to be a little surprised at the size of the spike.
"You've gotten yourself some excellent reflexes while you've been away," he observed.
"I guess, nothing too surprising to me honestly. So is that it?"
"I expected you'd need more training, but that's more than fast enough. If I didn't know that was coming, I'd probably have lost a finger or two," he speculated. "It's almost as i--"
Boom.
The sound was loud and deep enough to shake the earth below their feet.
Faluzure's head snapped around to just above the wall.
"Damn it all…!"
"Eh? What's going on exactly? Is it war?"
The man's brow furrowed into a scowl. "Worse," he muttered.
A trio of knights rushed out of the castle onto the training grounds.
"Sire!" one yelled. "The Guard is reassigned! We're defenseless!"
Faluzure shook his head. "Are you new here, boy?"
"Y-yes sire, but I don't--!"
"Then you'd know that as long as I, Faluzure Hadras Raizel, walk on these grounds, we are not defenseless."
The guards glanced at one another. "My lord, can even you take this on?"
Faluzure let out a bellowing laugh. "You fools! How do you think it even got here in the first place?"
"Father, what is going on?"
"That thing has woken up. The monster of the cliffs," he said. "The Ankhora hasn't stirred in a century. It was bound to happen eventually."
Yui groaned. "What is this Ankle thingy anyway?"
"The Beast of Wrath," explained Faluzure. "Do you know where the seven deadly sins came from? There are more sins than just seven, but what makes those ones deadly is that they are the ones that are linked to the Cardinal Beasts. The Ankhora is the fourth Beast, and it's the reason that Wrath demons like us thrive in this land. They slumber for thousands of years, or hundreds, or occasionally dozens. It doesn't matter. You can never tell when one is about to awaken, but when it does, it wreaks havoc on everything in its path. I dragged the Ankhora here in my prime and used it to build this kingdom when I defeated it. I didn't expect it to wake up this soon, but I suppose I'll have to go and take up the sword I used back then again."
He frowned.
"But if the Ankhoran Guard, the elites that are supposed to keep it at bay until we can strike it down again, are reassigned to that Hestre girl's cell… there's no telling how much damage it'll do."
"Pffffffffft, how bad could it possibly be? I doubt it's something me and my father couldn't handle."
Faluzure's eyes were not what they were a moment ago. "No. You are nowhere near strong enough to defeat it. I wonder if even I can, especially if it has just awoken a few minutes ago…"
"It'll be fiiiiiiiiine, are you saying you don't trust in my ability to put a damn thing to bed?"
"The damn thing eats continents for breakfast."
"And I eat things that eat continents for breakfast."
"Don't get cocky here, Yui. Just stay put. I'll get my sword."
Faluzure marched towards the throne room, and with a snap of his fingers, the guards followed in tow.
"No, I'm gonna fight it and you're not gonna tell me no." Yui followed, for some damn reason.
"The Ankhora is immortal," Faluzure informed him, not even looking away from the path ahead of him. "The Beasts were created by the Silver King himself to prevent the Under Kings from attempting to rebel. In my prime, all I could do was put it down for about a hundred years. It was not a one-sided battle by any stretch of the imagination."
"Anything can be killed if you try hard enough."
"Everyone has limits. Even you and I," he said, beginning to ascend the stairs to the throne room.
Yui ran past him, skipping a few steps and almost tripping on the way. "I'm going to get that sword first."
The throne room doors were already wide open, with Kurax gazing out the window at something… enormous.
"Oh. It's you," he muttered.
"What's this sword that my father speaks of? Can I see it?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid not. Actually, I intended to be the one to take it."
"Why's that Kurax? To take it to him?"
"That strongly depends on who you mean," Kurax glared, turning to face him. "One way or another, I doubt neither him, you, nor I could wield its true potential in the first place. That blade has stayed unused and stagnant long enough."
"Can I at least see it?"
"You're getting on my nerves, boy," snapped the man, walking calmly to the throne and holding out his hand.
He began to recite something.
"I give to you blood. I give bone, darkness, a soul. Alight the crimson flames of wrath. The gate opens seven times, and closes three. Awaken once again, look up and behold. I call up Cadis, the Furious Steel!"
The throne shimmered red, seeming to crack down the middle.
It split into seven parts, revealing a sword within, blade glowing with blinding scarlet light. Its very existence was one that blazed with anger, one that seemed to gaze around the room to survey how much there was to destroy.
"Kurax!" yelled a voice.
The man glared over his shoulder. "Oh, it's Faluzure. I was wondering when you'd show up."
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm really impressed that you're dense enough that you still have to ask that now."
"Reseal the sword, Kurax," warned Faluzure.
"Why? So you can lock me up?"
"You can't handle its power! You couldn't in a million years!"
Kurax chuckled snidely. "Of course I can't. I'm not an idiot. But I know someone who can, and that's all that matters."
"If you take that, this entire kingdom will be devoured in a matter of hours! We need that to defeat the Ankhora!"
"Do you really think I care about something as petty as your little kingdom? You're so narrow-sighted, Faluzure. You can't even see the grand designs unfolding beneath your nose, can you?"
"That's enough! Stop this insanity!"
"Come make me."
Yui stormed over to Kurax and slammed his fist into his face. "Shut up. How dare someone like you speak to him like that. You are in no place to defy my father so I suggest you reseal it like he says, or hand it over to me so I can hack your disgusting head off. At first I honestly thought you wouldn't be that bad but now. Ohoho now you've made me upset."
Kurax's head had not moved an inch when Yui struck him. Even now, his facial expression hadn't changed in the least from his demeaning, condescending, pitying gaze.
He was silent for a second, as if evaluating him.
And then he let out a long, resigned sigh.
"Damn kids."
He barely drew his sword.
It was not enough to pull it out of its scabbard. It was not enough to cut anyone. It was barely enough to see his blade.
But the moment the sabre's edge became visible, a violent flash of light exploded forth, a lightning bolt blasting Yui across the throne room and into the wall with a crash.
"Yui!" cried his father.
A decent amount of blood left his mouth as he fell down onto his side. "Well that fucking hurt like a bitch." Wiping his mouth he stood. "Now why did you have to go and do that?"
"That didn't even qualify as a warning shot," Kurax sighed, his blade sheathed. "If you can't even withstand the impact of me drawing my sword, I suggest you step aside."
"I was just surprised." Yui coughed.
"Make sure you don't have a heart attack," sneered the man.
"Son of a bitch…!" growled Faluzure. He was clearly weighing up if he would win in a straight fight, let alone without damaging the sword or destroying the throne room, and his former advisor gave a wry smirk.
"I'd suggest you make your decision quickly, oh Lord 28th," he said, the ground beginning to rumble. "Wouldn't want your pet dragon to break the weapon by accident, would we? Or for that matter, this entire palace."
Faluzure clenched his fist. "Don't test me!"
Kurax seemed to find this reaction immensely entertaining. "Oh, but I should thank your son while I'm here! Good work on that hunch. I didn't expect anyone to figure out there was a traitor in the midst, and you scared me just a little. Good thing you were mistaken after all. For a maid, no less… I'm just impressed enough, and just relieved enough, to not be insulted."
"You're the typical bastard, you know that? It's disgusting how you get one small bit of power and you think you're some sort of god. Filthy animal."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I admit I might be a little haughty, but I'm not delusional. It's difficult to mistake oneself for a god, labouring in service to one," he said. "Not that self-indulgent demon kings like yourselves would understand, I suppose."
"Ugh, you're so boring too. Can't even try to strike one of us right now."
"I'm not going to waste this power on feeble weaklings," he said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking this…"
"[glow=#ff0000]Kurax![/glow]" roared Faluzure.
The room shook.
Yui's father's wrath was burning. A flash of red filled the room, and Crimson Break spilled forth.
Power radiated from every fibre of his being, drowning out everything else in the room.
Kurax only smiled.
"And there it is," he muttered, clenching his fist.
A glint of light danced from a silver ring on his hand, and in an instant, that crimson was turned inside out; a crushing pressure on Faluzure that caused blood to burst from his skin.
The king glared up at him, fury in his eyes. "Bastard…! What did you…?!"
"I was wondering how long it'd take for you to get mad," Kurax said. "Your Crimson Break has been changed from an ability to a curse. It's surprising how many of these cursed rings are around, you know. I hear there's a whole cult that uses them."
"I'll kill you!"
"Not at half your power, you won't, old man. My sword would finish you in seconds. If only you had controlled your anger. What a shame."
He reached forward to the blazing red sword, but stopped just short.
"I trust there's no objections?" he sneered to the room.
Yui would sigh. "My word such a surprise. You can't even take my old man in hand to hand. Please just stand down that way I don't have to put effort into actually killing you myself."
"Please," scoffed the man. "I've been working behind his back for years to get this sword. I'm really not that concerned about an honourable duel for it."
"Drop it. Now. Damn it all if you make me break your arm I'm going to break your skull open after."
"You really are a cocky brat, aren't you," Kurax muttered, getting a little irritated. "Can you even survive another hit?"
"Hey Kurax, I have a question. How many times have you gotten into a fight in your youth?"
"I'm 512. I lose count."
"Then you sure as hell have no right to ask if I can beat you. Old man, you're getting way too old for fighting anyway. Just drop the damn sword."
Kurax took a deep breath. "You know what? I don't even want to pick that thing up until I'm done with you. If you really think I'm too old to be fighting, then come on over and we'll see how a toddler swings a sword."
"This is such a drag." Yui calmly walked forward, analyzing Kurax with each step he took. "Going to use a weapon against me?"
"I wonder. I might just break your neck to prove a point," he said. Despite Yui's best efforts, there was little to nothing that he could pick out from his stance beyond that he was at least trained in hand-to-hand combat.
He'd scoff. "Let's go then." Yui'd duck down, throwing a gut punch.
Kurax easily stepped aside, avoiding it completely.
It was a feint. Yui swept his leg in an attempt to trip him up, but the man stepped over it like a crack in a pavement.
"Is that it?" he asked dryly.
"You'll see." His shin bone shot up directly at his thigh.
Once again, it was child's play for Kurax to avoid. "You seem to be trying very hard. Well done."
"You really think I am trying?" His bone retracted, pushing himself up into the air my extending his wrist bone and summoning Okin.
"A Bloodbound weapon? Interesting," Kurax observed. "But something that paltry won't be able to do anything." Yui landed, wrapping the chain around his hand. "So fucking sick of this bullshit." Yui lept forward, performing a roundhouse kick.
In a move, his target was behind him, just far enough that the kick came a fraction of an inch from connecting.
Yui expanded every bone from his leg all the way up to his shoulder out behind him.
Kurax managed to evade one after another after another, and then finally stepped back.
But, in the midst of the hail of bone, it appeared that there were two distinct wounds on his body.
Yui contracted all his bones and landed, spinning around as he did.
Kurax brushed the red on his hand, as if ensuring it was blood.
"It's barely a paper cut," he muttered. "But I have to commend you nonetheless. You did actually manage to hit me, not once, but twice. Perhaps I ought to be fighting back now?"
"I honestly don't care."
"Suit yourself. Well, in that case," he said, reaching for his blade.
He never quite got the chance.
The walls and floor seemed to fall away, crashing down with a thunderous roar from outside.
"What the…?!" Kurax spluttered, seeming to catch himself on a platform of water as a colossal, monstrous, black-red shape seemed to shatter the very earth, tearing through the ground and sky alike.
There was no mistaking it, even as Yui fell.
Of all things, the Ankhora had saved him with pure timing.
"Just my damn luck." Yui swung Okin out, attempting to latch on the one wall still magically standing.
It was an easy enough feat for him to manage at this point. No matter what had happened up there, his skill with Okin was nothing to scoff at.
He could hear a familiar voice from below.
"Y-Yui…?! Yui!"
"Eh?" He'd look down.
Sure enough, there was Dia, covered in soot and dust from the rubble. "Are you okay?" she called. "What's happening?!"
He'd sigh, desummoning Okin and sliding down the wall. "Yeah yeah I'm fine. Just some really old beast thing waking up. We'll be a-okay."
A figure crawled from some rubble beside them, startling Dia.
"Hold on. It's me," Faluzure groaned. "Son of a bitch… Did he wake up the Ankhora? Does he have any idea what he's done?!"
Dia seemed frantic, but she collected herself just enough to voice a coherent thought.
"H-Hestre. We need to find Hestre. Hestre can help."
"I'm not sure a maid's gonna save you now, little girl," Faluzure grumbled, shoving a slab of metal off his leg. "That's gonna bruise bad..."
He'd sigh once more. "And you're both okay I take it?"
Dia nodded, and Faluzure sighed.
"Sure, I'll be fine eventually," he muttered. "I'm more surprised Dia's unhurt from all this. Even I've got a scratch or two… Damn curse is already getting on my nerves."
"Alright alright calm down. What's with this thing anyway?"
"The curse?" he asked. "Not sure, but it looks like it's turned Crimson Break inside out. Instead of doubling my power when I get angry, it halves it even if I'm not. Watch yourself around him. I don't know what that ring can do, but I doubt you'll get out much better than I did."
"Whatever, so, what is the Ahnko-whatever thing?"
"The Ankhora's an immortal dragon that embodies wrath itself," Faluzure explained. "It's not that inaccurate to call it a god of wrath, now I think about it. You can't kill it, because it revives itself after some arbitrary period of time depending on how badly you wounded it."
"So there's nothing we can do?" Dia asked.
"Well, you can't match it physically, that's for sure. That's why the Silver King created the sword to go with it. Cadis, the Furious Steel. That's where your middle name comes from, Yui. We can't kill it just by swinging the sword at it, but it has a hidden power that can kill it for a while if you activate it. Anyone can do it. Well, any archdemon of wrath. I don't know what the hell Kurax wants with it, but I sure as hell know it's not to kill the Ankhora."
"Why can't we just tame it?"
"The Ankhora's very soul is wrath itself. There's no way it's listening to us," Faluzure shook his head.
"Tame it anyway. Use wrath against wrath."
"That's how wars start, right?" Dia mumbled.
"This thing was made by the Silver King himself to keep us demons in check," Faluzure pointed out. "I doubt it's even possible to tame it, and even if it were, I doubt the Second Under King would let it slide."
"Under King under shming. Doesn't matter."
"Give it a try if you want, but I've fought this thing. I'm pretty sure it's suicide to even try."
"Later. Dia needs to get cleaned first."
The sound of explosions rang out in the distance.
"Is that really that important right now?!" she spluttered.
"Yes, cleanliness is key. Even in the heat of battle. But I mean if you really want we can fight it now."
"I don't really want to fight it at all…!"
Faluzure stood up, shaking his head. "This thing is ripping my kingdom to pieces as we speak. I'm not waiting around. I'm going after Kurax. He almost definitely has Cadis now."
"Then go ahead. Nothing's stopping you, but it is suicide since he has that curse."
"Curse or no curse," he grinned, "I wouldn't be much of a king if I didn't go after the man who did this to my realm."
"Alright. As for you young lady, you aren't hurt at all? I mean no broken bones or anything else?"
"Not a scratch," she confirmed. "I'm surprised myself."
"Then you can help me dig through rubble. I still need to find my bag. I had my clothes in there."
"I grabbed it when I felt the ground start shaking," she said. "It's just over there."
"Oh how very sweet of you. Thanks Dia." He gently kissed the top of her head. "And on top of that I need to find other things."
She blushed, but looked pretty proud of herself. "What are we looking for?" she asked. "Just leave it to me. I'll find it right away."
"People." Yui scanned the rubble.
There were indeed bodies amongst the debris, but most of them were in pieces. In particular, there was a large group of mangled corpses next to a familiar face behind bars. Hestre hadn't noticed them, it seemed.
Besides that, there were a handful of guards who seemed to have survived the collapse, along with one or two servants.
"Is that Hestre over there?" Yui wandered to who he believed was Hestre.
"Good afternoon, Lord Raizel. Is Lady Dia unharmed?" she asked. The faintest hint of desperation slipped into her voice.
"She's alright. Sorry for uh, wrongly accusing you of being a traitor." He'd scratch the back of his head being only the slightest bit nervous.
She shook her head. "I've already forgotten about that. I don't care at all. I'm only glad that you two are safe. If I may, might I aid you here?"
"Of course, we'll need it against that bastard Kurax anyway."
"Very well," she nodded. "In that case, I strongly recommend you step back a little bit."
"Alright alright." Yui, grabbing Dia's hand took a few steps back.
Dia looked a little anxious as Hestre extended her arms.
The maid crossed them over, forming three arrows of light between her fingers on her right hand, and three arrows of darkness in her left.
Extending them once again, she threw the bolts of black and white, shattering the bars holding her in with with next to no effort at all.
Walking out of the remains of the cell calmly, she looked around. "Where to, my lord?"
"I have no clue honestly."
"Is there anything in particular we could track the enemy with?"
"He has Cadis. Big flashy silver sword. He couldn't have gotten far from here though. Especially with that thing still raging about."
Hestre scanned the rubble as if looking for something.
"Cadis? That glowing red blade, you mean?" she asked.
"Uhhhh yeah." Yui shook his head. "Sworn it looked silver. Just a little hint."
She pointed into the wreckage a little way away. "I doubt I can pick it up, so you might need to retrieve it."
"I can try. I hope.."
"Well, it's just over there," she said. "You'll need it if we want to win against the Ankhora."
Sure enough, a crimson glow spilled out of the rubble where she was pointing. Kurax hadn't made off with it after all, it seemed, although he'd doubtlessly be back soon enough.
"Are you two sure about this…?" Dia asked anxiously.
"When have we ever not been sure Dia? We'll be fine, I guess."
She looked between Hestre and him, and finally sighed. "Alright. Good luck."
Yui carefully walked through the rubble, minding his step very carefully as he did do. "I found it." He'd shout out, picking it up. Yui groaned as he did, the sword itself was heavy. However it wasn't heavy enough to tear his arms off but it was still pretty damn heavy. "So what do we do now exactly?"
Hestre stepped forward, apparently with an answer.
It was just as she began to speak that the sword reacted.
A white flash, ringing in Yui's ears as if an explosion had gone off next to him. He couldn't see Cadis, but he couldn't ignore its weight. It was invisible, but definitely there.
What wasn't there was everything else.
He was stood in the center of a white void, with up, down, left and right completely indistinguishable from one another.
A few feet away stood the only thing that seemed to exist in this impossible place.
A young woman, clad in a trenchcoat, facing away from him, silvery hair tumbling down her back as if it were a waterfall of mercury.
"So, how the fuck did I get here?"
As if in shock, the young woman spun around, wide-eyed and confused.
She looked him up and down, her eyes settling on the invisible blade.
"That sword…" she muttered. "Who are you?"
"I'm Yui. And where are we exactly?" He had an extremely puzzled look on his face.
She frowned like she didn't quite understand the question. "That's… difficult to say…"
It was at that moment that the air around him began to prickle at his skin, weight increasing massively second by second, like an elastic band being drawn back.
Yui, in pain, managed to speak a sentence. "So why is this happening exactly? Did I not answer the million dollar question right?"
"I'm not completely sure myse--"
The girl did not reach the end of her sentence.
"Yui? Yui?"
Dia's voice was what finally dragged him back to where he had been standing just a moment before.
"Are you okay? You just froze for a second there."
"Do you think I'm okay? I'm being crushed by weight and something is prickling at my skin. I don't think I'm fucking okay!"
It was just as he said that that the sensations rapidly began to fade like water down a drain. That feeling of being ripped out of the world had already subsided.
"Crushed? Prickling?" Hestre echoed. "Could you have… Did you see anything odd?"
"I saw a white flash and there was ringing in my ears. That's about it."
"Was there anyone at the other end? Did you see a person?" she pressed.
"Yeah I saw a person. They weren't that interesting though."
Hestre clenched her fists. "I see."
"Is something wrong, Hestre?" Dia asked.
"...Nothing important for now. Let us focus on the task at hand," she suggested. "That blade seems to have taken a liking to you, milord."
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what do you mean?" He'd be oblivious to everything going on currently, not sure of what to do even.
Dia jumped in to cover for her. "While you were… uh, elsewhere, it looked like the sword fed some of its light to you," she explained. "I'm not sure what happened, exactly, but it looks like you can use at least a part of its true power already."
"So that means we're all good right?"
She nodded. "Right. You think you can figure out how to put down that dragon thing?"
"I'm Yui, violence is my best line of work Dia." He gently pat her head. "I'll be a-okay so don't worry."
She gave a small nod. "Can I back you up? Just to be safe."
He gave a warm smile to her. "I can't stop you if you tried dear."
She cleared her throat, her expression turning serious. "Very well. Then I, Dia Irius, shall lead the way."
Her body flashed with golden light, her already-familiar ability drawing itself from her depths.
In an instant, she seemed to vanish into a gust of wind, and an earth-splitting crash resounded in the distance behind him.
He sighed shaking his head. "Some damn ability."
Behind him, the small girl was floating in the air, the colossal beast at rest below her.
No, that wasn't quite right.
It seemed impossible, but…
Yes, it must have happened.
She had knocked that monster out of the sky with a single blow.
The Ankhora raised its head up at her, howling with fury great enough to drown the very sun.
A declaration of war.
"There!" Hestre yelled, pointing.
On the beast's back, at the top of its neck just below its head, there was a gap. No, a slit?
A crimson light, much like that of Cadis, faintly spilled from it, as if calling the sword.
"That's how to stop it," she observed. "The problem will only be reaching it."
Yui's back burst open, blood spraying everywhere. From his back were skeletal claw like protrusions. Almost as if they were wings. Between each radius of the wing tough cartilage began forming.
"That will certainly help," the maidservant observed.
"It also hurts like a bitch." Yui tried moving them around just to get used to them.
At first, they tore at his skin just moving, but his regeneration was more than enough to deal with that. In a matter of mere seconds, they controlled as smoothly as his arms and legs.
"Now, how does one do a fly?" He'd attempt to flap the wings, trying to at least get some lift off of the ground.
At first, nothing happened, but it seemed that the mere formation of the wings caused Exin in his body to flow in such a way as to lift him a few feet into the air with a single flap.
He'd keep flapping them. He wanted to get used to them before he even tried flying.
It took a few moments to really get a sense of balance in the air, but it was easy enough once he got around to it. Tip to one side, extend that wing. It was a simple enough method of keeping upright.
"Now, to even try flying towards it." Yui pushed his wings back, causing them to push him forwards.
He rocketed forwards at a pace much faster than even he was expecting towards the Ankhora, ripping through the air like a missile.
"Oh shit oh shit oh shit." He'd yelp as he attempted slowing himself.
The air in front of him seemed to flare up, grinding him to a much slower speed very quickly. Acceleration seemed to be a point to work on.
He'd sigh seeing as he'd have to chose one or the other. He, of course, chose fast. Extending his wings backwards once more to send himself flying towards the Ankhora.
It was that decision that saved his life.
The Ankhora had apparently noticed him coming, swinging its massive tail to knock him out of the sky.
It missed by mere centimetres. Glaring at both him and Dia, the beast snarled in anger.
It had acknowledged them both as its opponents.
"Welp no turning back now. Are you ready Dia?"
"As I'll ever be!"
The Ankhora let out an earth-splitting screech, a crimson light visible from the bottom of its throat as it aimed its mouth directly at Yui.
"Uh fuck Dia what do I do? Please inform me on what to do right this very instant before I die please kay thanks."
"Uh, um! I don't know?! Dodge? Block? That sword can block, right?!"
"HOW THE FUCK DO I BLOCK A GIANT ASS BEAM OF DEATH?!"
The giant ass beam of death erupted from the depths of the creature's lungs, tearing the distance to shreds as it burned through the air towards Yui.
Yui just..stuck his hand out like an idiot. His mind was blurred as of that instant and everything was getting hazy. He officially blacked out.
It was a well-known fact that a single spark, under the right circumstances, could start a forest fire.
Yui had unknowingly held out Cadis.
It was impossible for him to have known the sword's purpose.
No, its purpose was clear. What was hidden was its function.
As such, there was no way that what he had done was deliberate.
It was sheer luck that the blast was entirely and instantly absorbed by Cadis, flooding through the Raizel heir's body.
A Wrath demon's Crimson Break was the epitome of their abilities, but few questioned where the energy that they used for it actually came from. Or rather, since it was their own Exin that fueled it, what the template was that caused rage to become power.
In truth, that had been the purpose of the Ankhora: a factory of unlimited power and infinite fury.
As such, it was only natural that the purpose of the blade Cadis was to absorb that power and disperse it.
It was not designed for a wielder, but a demon was the only being that could wield its true power.
Crimson Break… What had been broken?
Whatever it was, it had been broken because there was not enough power to repair it. A half-tied knot unravelled.
In other words, thanks to the beast and the blade, Yui Cadis Raizel's Crimson was instantly Reforged.
A world of red.
That woman again.
A faint, familiar voice was calling his name in the distance.
"It sounds like someone needs you," the silver-haired girl observed.
"Ehh? Oh it's you again. Wait..why am I even here? What's going on? And who are you anyways?"
"I have… a few names. Call me whatever you like. Some people have called me the Swan, some people have called me the Star of Rebellion. I don't really care," she said. "The reason you're here is that sword. It's linked to me, apparently. What a drag."
"So does that mean you're like, the physical body of Cadis in my head or some shit?"
"Not exactly. I'm more like a blacksmith." she sighed. "More importantly, don't you have something better to do?"
A storm, a wind, a lightning bolt? Some enormous force tore him from the the void.
Before him was the beast once more. But this time was different.
This time, Yui was filled with Crimson.
He snapped back into consciousness, breathing somewhat heavily. "Well, guess I have a job to do then." Yui adjusted his wings as he prepared to fly directly at the Akhora's neck, his wings slamming backwards. The result of this, of course, was him rocketing at the beast.
No, rocketing was too small a word.
It was more akin to teleporting with sheer speed.
In one moment, he was there. There was no time in which he could have "travelled".
So this was the power of a true demon, then… It felt good.
Just then Yui had rammed the sword into the back of it's neck.
It fit like a key in a lock. No, a thermometer in a pot?
It was difficult to tell what it did originally, but now Yui knew what Cadis was, he instantly understood what was happening. The light spilled from the crack in its neck, filling the sword in seconds, growing dimmer and dimmer.
So that was it.
Cadis was not a sword strong enough to kill an immortal god to begin with.
It was a battery to drain the powers of the Ankhora.
"So it's done then right? Did I do it? Is it going to sleep now?" He was exhausted, albeit it barely did anything it was still exhausting.
The Ankhora's blood-coloured body began to rapidly drain to grey, slowing down, a grinding noise escaping its throat as it scraped at the last of its energy before finally stopping.
A statue.
Yui ripped the sword out. "So what do we do now Dia? I assume we help my father with Kurax right?" It was hard for him to stand, his eyelids grew heavy and his body felt as if someone had placed an immense amount of weight on him.
"You look exhausted," she said. "Are you okay? We need to find somewhere to--"
"No time," Hestre said, stepping forward. "Yui, I understand you're drained, but that energy is going to disperse in a few minutes. We need your power to defeat Kurax."
"I understand, come on then, we have to hurry." His grip on the handle of Cadis grew tighter as he grit his teeth. He despised Kurax. It was simple.
"Come on then," she nodded. "Do you know where he is?"
"I saw him head that way," pointed Dia. "Faluzure was going too quick to follow normally, but…"
Yui grabbed Hestre by the collar. "Dia, I need you to do that thing again, I only have one other free hand." Yui flew up into the air.
"I was taking powers from the Ankhora…" she explained sheepishly. "Let me see if I can use yours."
With a flash of gold, she soared up after him.
"Both of you look closely for that damned weazel." He flew towards the direction Dia had pointed to. So many thoughts ran through his head as he scanned the area for Kurax.
He didn't have to look long.
An explosion, like a shell had broken in the earth.
Faluzure had been thrown almost half a mile into the ground away from a lightning bolt crashing down on the horizon, a spire towering into the sky, as if shattering the clouds.
"Think we found him." Yui sped towards the lighting not wanting to waste any more time then he had already.
He arrived instantly.
A swirl of buzzing air was rushing around the figure that was already the center of such hatred.
Kurax looked up, almost in surprise. "You took care of the dragon, then?" he asked, paying no heed to the spiralling, roaring vortex of heat and light that sparked and hissed.
Yui held his tongue, Kurax was nothing more than trash to him. And talking to trash is like talking to a brick wall. It's pointless. "Are you safe to be dropped from here Hestre?"
"I'll be fine," she confirmed.
"In that case." He dropped her and sped towards Kurax, readying the sword.
"Oh? So that's your play?" Kurax raised his own sword. "Then come. Let's see if you've closed the gap."
Yui shifted his entire weight to the left, and pushing with his wings to the side.
"Then I'll start."
With a slash, a lightning bolt shot forth towards Yui.
He dashed right and lunged forward, sticking the sword out towards his opponent.
The blades struck, a storm of blue and red light.
He'd grunt, leaping backwards.
Kurax grinned. "You're pretty good after all. A big improvement from last time," he nodded. "If it was someone with this much power naturally, I might think twice about fighting you head-on."
Yui wasn't speaking at all, and his expression was cold. Once more he dashed directly at Kurax.
With a flick of his rapier, Kurax closed the gap between them with another lightning bolt.
He'd duck down, extending his arm bone directly for his right leg.
The bolt seemed to expand as he ducked aside. No, it changed direction?!
It shot through his body, throwing him off-course.
Normally, he would die instantly, but now he was strong enough to take that in stride.
"But with you, I think I can afford to stand my ground."
His arm bone would expand into what looked like multiple branches of a tree, five at that. All with fairly sharp points.
They pierced his body in a flash, yanking his feet from the floor and leaving him dangling a foot or so away.
Kurax didn't say anything at first.
He simply stared, wide-eyed, as if what had just happened didn't really connect with him at all.
His eyes slowly moved up to bones impaling him to see Yui.
He opened his mouth to speak, and blood came out, bursting like a water balloon in his throat.
His face with surprised, incredulous even.
Yui had begun to form one inch spikes (two centimeters) from the bones inside Kurax.
Those spikes were enough to tear apart anything he had left in his torso, but the man didn't cry out in pain. The agony was only indicated by gritted teeth.
"Ah. So that's what it was," he whispered.
He wasn't done with him however. "Hey, Kurax. Tell me, does it hurt?" Yui extended the spikes another inch inside of his body, making each and every one serrated.
"Probably," he replied. "I doubt there's any point in feeling it anymore. Or perhaps it's just numb."
He looked at the boy, as if analysing him.
"I see. So you were wrath after all."
Yui had a disgusting grin on his face as if he was enjoying watching the man suffer. Just then he tore the bones out and made them retract back into his arm. It was back to normal now.
Kurax fell flat instantly. Whether he could stand up or he couldn't was irrelevant. A simple glance made it obvious that he simply was not willing to try.
"Raizel," he said, managing to force a surprisingly coherent, audible word from his lungs. "Do you know the difference between revenge and justice?"
"I do not care for it, I wanted to watch you rot as I destroy you and your sad existence. And that's what I got. Now shut up and die already old man." He'd spit on his face, his disgusting grin growing wider than before.
"No. You don't care. But you will," the man promised, his eyes glazing over. "It's pride. That's the only difference."
He let out a long sandpaper sigh.
"Dignity… Yeah, right."
He did not move after that.
"Welp, you're dying a little fast aren't you? I was expecting more from you, even from the attack I gave you. A little disappointed honestly Kurax."
No response. No, there was no way for him to respond.
His body was not cold yet, but his mind was.
All that was left was the flesh to dry and waste.
The difference between Kurax and a skeleton now was only pride.
Pride that would soon become meaningless, in time.
Hestre looked on at the pair. "I expected less from a traitor," she admitted. "He seemed to have conviction to whatever cause he was sworn to, even if it was not your father's."
Dia slowly began to land between them. "You say that, but he never really stood a chance, did he?"
"I don't care, but I'm glad he's dead." He spat on him once more, putting his foot on his face and rubbing it around.
"Is there a point to you doing that?" Hestre questioned.
"Yeah, humiliating his disgusting dead body." Yui raised his foot and stomped down on his head. "You need to understand how much I hate this man Hestre."
"Perhaps it was mutual. But you are not Kurax, Yui," she reminded him, bending down to the body. "Do not become him. Profess more dignity than he could claim, not less."
She passed her hands over the man's face, closing his empty eyes.
"May death grant whatever peace you sought."
She stood up, brushing herself down.
Hestre had become almost someone else too slowly to notice over the course of this affair, so it was a mild shock when she suddenly became a simple maid again. "Will that be all, my lord?"
"I want him burned. In front of my father if you would, should he not be dead that is."
"I will build a pyre right away," she bowed, going to collect firewood.
Dia looked around at the rubble and wreckage, her eyes settling on the palace in the distance. "What even happened here? Why did he do this?" she asked.
"I honestly don't know, but I am glad you're fine. If he even laid a finger on you it would have been a lot more gruesome." He'd gently kiss the top of her head as he pulled her into a warm embrace. "I love you Dia."
She nestled closely to his body, hugging back. "You're not used to being toyed with, are you?" she smiled to herself.
"No, I'm not."
The crimson began to wisp from Yui's body, blowing on the wind to somewhere else.