Cloudjumper let go of my horn—forcefully, and it almost looked like Vaniti was ready to pounce on her first. But now, she slowly walked, and Cloudjumper rotated back to Sultan and Koga. She stood in front of me, her head slowly turned towards me.
"V-Vaniti…" I wanted to explain myself, really did. But I couldn't. I know why…because I would just end up lying to her, and Vaniti herself would know. Her Spirit Eye sees all.
It doesn't just stop at mana signatures, and detecting mana, no. She can see mana outlines, and even the emotional resonance within somebody. Mana and emotions often go hand-in-hand.
Spirit Elves take Spirit Magic to an entirely new level, and because of that, most of Spirit Magic is rooted in emotion, intention, and presence. When I first told her to feel for Spirit Magic the first time, a hum or a pulse, almost like a sound, that was the presence part.
The emotion comes from what she sees within others with her Spirit Eye, almost like a separate aura. The intention?
That comes all from her.
If her Spirit Magic guided her to pick up an S-tier artifact, then I have no doubt it helped her get stronger over time. Remember, it's all about how attuned you are with the magic itself. As of now, I have no doubt Vaniti has lept over several levels than the last time I seen her.
Her expression doesn't become calm, no, it returns to it's natural neutral uncanny state. Not a smile, nor a frown. She turns back, and looks at the three.
Sultan slowly claps, laughing. "Ah, how better can this night be? I guess Ryuuzen wasn't lying after all."
Vaniti doesn't say anything, not at all. She's not moved. And she hasn't made a move yet. I can't tell if she's preparing a spell steathily already, she hasn't done anything. But her demanor, her pure mana just slightly radiating off of her.
It feels threatening enough, and that's coming from someone who is on her side.
"Didn't know he was friends with an elf, and this might be surprising to see already. If you didn't know already, I'm Chancellor Sultan," He introduces himself.
Vaniti stares blankly at him.
In a rare moment, Sultan's composure broke off, just for a little. He coughed afterwards to hide it. Even he too, is a victim of Vaniti's blank stare. It just comes off as intimidating no matter what.
"Your friend here, Ryuuzen, has done us a great favor. We were just in the middle of some talks, and appears things escalated, you see? That's all." Sultan lies, but Vaniti slowly shakes her head.
"Liar."
It takes everyone aback, Cloudjumper grits her teeth as Koga puts a hand on his blade.
"Your pride is masking your fear. You've been relentlessly torturing the Sovereign, have you?" She adds on. As if that wasn't noticeable anymore. However, what catches anyone's attention really, was the title she called me.
"Sovereign…?" If I had said it, I would've been smacked again by Cloudjumper, but because Vaniti is so deathly intimidating right now, even Cloudjumper holds herself back.
Sultan held tightly on his golden staff. Koga stepped forward, undrawing his blade and pointing it towards Vaniti. She didn't flinch, no, wasn't moved by that act either. The long blade was the first I've seen of it. Silver, light shining off of it.
"I don't know who you are, really, and could not care. You are trespassing on private property and grounds. I suggest you leave," He warned her.
But I should've known.
Vaniti was not one to take warnings.
Or take them lightly at all.
She stared back blanky, even underneath her blindfold. Koga tightened his grip on his blade. There was silence, and that silence was deafening. You could've heard a pin drop if you wanted to.
Then, a collection of footsteps came about. Guards rallied behind Koga. All with their weapons and shields. Koga took one deep breath in, and spoke.
"Don't want to answer? Fine. I could kill you with a single spell. With a single slash, I could take down this entire estate. Are you sure you want to play this dangerous game?" He asked further.
That might've been the thing that got Vaniti going, because her fingers stretched out first before coming to a soft clench. She stared ahead, but maybe perhaps her eyes were tracking each individual person here.
Then, she spoke.
"I could kill you for less."
It came off chilling, threatening, and dark. It didn't sound like a bluff, either, because her left hand slowly arose. She outstretched it towards Koga, and he himself didn't understand what was going on.
But slowly, her hand became clawed, as if…she was trying to grab something. Something out of mid-air, really. Nobody understood it, neither did I. It seemed like nothing was going on. Cloudjumper looked around not obliviously, but just as confused as everyone else.
She snickered, "This was the person that was going to wreck such a havoc like he mentioned?"
I didn't feel embarrassed, not for Vaniti, because her mind was still made up. She was still trying to grab onto something that wasn't there. Everyone stood in silence, Koga parted his lips to say one more thing.
But what came out was a sharp gasp.
Koga looked, everyone did, and multiple items were dropped. It came from the guards, dropping their spears, swords, and shields. Each and every single one of them clawing at their neck.
The Admiral of Sultan could only watch, and I watched too—everyone did, before we all came to the realization.
This was Vaniti's doing.
Some of the guards dropped at their knees, struggling to breathe even though Vaniti was in place and had not moved. Her grip tightened, and Koga yelled out.
"Stop! Stop this right now!"
Vaniti didn't even muster a smile, or any other expression. What Koga got in back was a blank stare.
And several sounds of bones being crushed.
All of the guards bodies went limp. Cloudjumper stood in place, shocked. Sultan was amazed, all for the wrong reasons, and Koga put a hand at his throat, regulating his own breathing.
I just kneeled here, and watched Vaniti.
Watch as she took the life of multiple guards with one simple notion.
She choked the guards to death.
Nobody wanted to say it, but we all knew it.
Their windpipes crushed, some of them even had a worse fate and was resigned to a broken neck.
That was the most lethal way to get your point across, and Vaniti did it while they all doubted her.
Yet again, I'm forced in this position to wonder about Vaniti's true power.
Is this something I can even control anymore?