The servant led them down those long and luxurious corridors, passing them through a massive set of double iron doors, and brought them to the very heart of the mansion, into a giant open courtyard. The moment they stepped into the courtyard, Aelrindel and Lavinia were involuntarily forced to tilt their heads upward. The sight they beheld was both eerie and breathtaking; an invisible, massive magic dome covered the courtyard, keeping the crushing pressure of the ocean away from the mansion. Above lay the pitch-black depths of the sea, but the faint, phosphorescent blue and green lights emitted by deep-sea creatures, strange plants, and drifting jellyfish added a dim, enchanting glow to the surroundings. Occasionally, the shadow of a massive, serpentine sea monster would slowly glide right over the dome, casting a temporary darkness over the courtyard. But what was more staggering than this mesmerizing view above was the storm breaking out right in front of them, on the marble floor of the courtyard. Earth-shattering thuds, sparks flying as steel scraped against steel, and shockwaves tearing through the air echoed throughout the courtyard. Right in the middle of the courtyard stood a man with his black hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, his ocean-blue eyes gleaming like a predator: Eldrian. Across from him were exactly five of those deadly assassins who had escorted them in the forest just earlier. Calling this a "training session" was literally an insult; the assassins were attacking the man with dual daggers, chain blades, and short swords with the literal intent to kill.
Five shadows moved simultaneously; one of the assassins leapt into the air and swung his poisoned daggers at Eldrian's neck with lightning speed. Without even moving from his spot, Eldrian merely tilted his head sideways by a millimetric angle. As the cold wind of the daggers grazed his cheek, in the exact same second, he pivoted perfectly on his right foot. With a heavy sweeping kick, he struck the airborne assassin in the chest, hurling him against the stone pillar at the far end of the courtyard; boom, pieces of stone crumbled from the pillar upon impact! The other four did not let this opening slide, and two from the right and two from the left lunged at him. Eldrian's movements were fluid, savage, but equally graceful, even though his special power was sealed. He could no longer freeze time or bend those seconds, but that centuries-old battle experience and mind-boggling physical strength that came from being an "Elder" still flowed through his veins. While one assassin launched a scythe-like kick at his legs from below, another behind him hurled a chained sword at his neck. Eldrian leaped into the air, dodging the kick, and while airborne, he caught the chain about to wrap around his neck with his bare hand and yanked it violently toward himself. As the assassin at the end of the chain lost his balance and flew toward him like a bullet, Eldrian thrust his knee forward, delivering a merciless blow to the man's ribcage.
The sound of cracking bones echoed in the courtyard; the moment he landed, he began parrying the relentless sword strikes of the last three assassins surrounding him, using only the metal armor pieces on his wrists and his bare hands. Their collision speeds were so high that only blurry afterimages and bursting sparks could be seen in the air. With every parry, the shockwaves born from the clash of swords and fists cracked the black marble on the floor like a spiderweb. Lavinia and Aelrindel watched this breathtaking speed and savagery from the entrance of the courtyard in astonishment.
"They call... this training?" Lavinia gulped, her ocean-blue eyes wide open. "The men are attacking to genuinely butcher him; they aren't letting him breathe for a single second!"
Aelrindel, tapping his staff on the marble floor, looked at this scene he was mesmerized by, and whispered in awe, "This is an Elder..." "Even if his special power is sealed because of the Ket Curse, he is a one-man army solely with his raw physical capacity and experience; he doesn't need to freeze time, because his opponents already can't match his speed."
Yuria, however, stood silently a step ahead of them, hands clasped inside a robe. The face behind the black-green eye patch was expressionless, but at the corner of the lips rested a very slight, faint smile brought by seeing an old friend in their own element, on the battlefield, after centuries.
Eldrian seemed bored of remaining on the defensive now; his ocean-blue eyes suddenly flashed, and he instantly doubled his speed. With an explosion untraceable by the eye, he slid under the lunge of the assassin swinging his sword and appeared behind him. He dropped him to the ground with a single, flawless strike to the back of the neck, and as the remaining two assassins tried to jump back in panic, Eldrian violently slammed his right palm onto the ground, onto the shattered marbles. He sent the massive chunks of stone erupting from the floor flying like bullets toward the assassins with cyclone kicks as he spun around. The assassins, whose chests were struck by the stones, were hurled into the air and crashed to the ground flat on their backs, as the courtyard suddenly fell into a deep, heavy silence.
Only the faint hum of the water above and the sounds of breathing could be heard; even though the five assassins lying on the ground were groaning in pain, they wasted no time struggling to gather themselves and dropping to one knee to pay their respects to their master. Eldrian took a deep breath, and while wiping the accumulated sweat on his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt, he combed his black hair back with his hand. His ocean-blue, sharp eyes slowly slid toward the entrance of the courtyard and found the trio standing there, mostly that familiar, blindfolded figure standing at the very front.
When Eldrian saw that familiar, blindfolded figure standing at the entrance of the courtyard, his panting chest slowly steadied. A cocky, mocking smile slowly appeared on his lips as that predatory and savage warrior aura around him dissipated in seconds. After signaling his assassins, who were kneeling on one knee on the ground, to withdraw with his hand, he began walking toward them with slow, relaxed steps.
"Well, well, well..." Eldrian said, his voice echoing in the wide courtyard, and he spread his arms wide, looking at Yuria with that roguish and amused expression on his face. "Our dear commander, our supreme general Yuria! How many centuries has it been? To be honest, ever since I received your letter, I didn't really believe you would come; what is it, or did you finally realize what a pathetic state you are in and came to my door to beg for help?"
As Lavinia frowned at this audacious cockiness and was just about to open her mouth, Aelrindel stopped the girl by touching her arm with his staff. The old elf and Lavinia were surprised; because in response to these words, Yuria should have frozen the mana around them and turned the place ice cold... yet on their lips and face rested a smile as sincere and peaceful as they rarely saw.
"You haven't changed at all, Eldrian," said Yuria, that usual cold and distant wall in their voice crumbling for a moment, adding, "You're still talking nonsense."
Eldrian chuckled softly in response to this answer; as he wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead with one hand, that cheerful, mocking expression on his face scattered like a cloud. The ocean blue in his eyes gave way to a deep, dark storm, and the venom he had accumulated inside for centuries was slowly surfacing. He quickened his steps and got a little closer to Yuria; when there was only a few steps of distance left between them, he stopped, his shoulders dropping slightly.
"Are you wondering why we are in this situation?" asked Eldrian. His voice was completely purged of its recent cheer, taking on a heavy, tired, and defeated tone, while Yuria gently wiped the smile off their face. The head behind the eye patch was upright and unshakable as always; "I know," Yuria said with a single word.
Eldrian shook his head from side to side, his eyes sliding to that dark ocean ceiling above the courtyard, to the massive drifting shadows. Two old friends, two ancient beings who had shouldered the weight of the world, were now settling the accounts of centuries in this glittering prison at the bottom of the ocean.
"Remember when we used to move the world..." said Eldrian, the words spilling from his throat like shards of glass. "Everyone loved us, they bowed with gratitude and respect when they heard our names, right? We were the peak of the world, its protectors, and now look at us... Those on the outside who know us view us as monsters worse than the devil, and even our own race, the people we shed our blood for, hate us."
The muscles in Eldrian's arms tensed; he was clenching his fists so tight that his knuckles had turned stark white. In the voice of that legendary man who could freeze time, who ruled over god-like power in the past, there was now only pure despair and anger.
Staring right into Yuria's eyes, into the darkness behind that black-green band, he whispered: "At the bottom of the ocean, deprived of sunlight, we are living by hiding like cowardly dogs, Yuria. Like losers..." and Yuria tilted their head slightly sideways without breaking that unshakable expression on their face. Yuria had silently listened to this venom, this despair that had built up inside Eldrian for centuries.
"So," said Yuria, their voice echoing in this wide and dark courtyard with an ice-cold calmness. "Do you think what happened is my fault?" Yuria asked, and Eldrian's tense, angry features instantly softened as he quickly shook his head from side to side.
"No... No, no, no." He took another step, closing that final distance between him and Yuria, and placed his hand on his old friend's shoulder with a friendly, yet gratitude-filled heavy burden. "Never. This wasn't your fault; we were just betrayed by a damn bitch... By that bitch we never expected, who we thought was one of us. Valerith..." he said, poison practically dripping from his mouth as he pronounced this name. Then his voice softened again as he said, "To be honest, Yuria, if it weren't for you that day... maybe I would have died loooong ago, just like the others who were torn to pieces in the mud."
Yuria remained silent against that familiar weight on their shoulder; however, seconds later, that grateful and sorrowful expression on Eldrian's face twisted, giving way to an eerie darkness. His ocean-blue eyes took on a terrifying state, like a sea ready to erupt before a storm. His fingers holding Yuria's shoulder tightened, growing strong enough to practically break bones, and Eldrian whispered, "But...", his voice slowly turning into a hiss. "Afterward, you fell short, Yuria; your sword was not as sharp as it used to be, and you failed the trust of those who believed in you, who placed their lives in your hands... those who trusted you."
Aelrindel and Lavinia, tensing up at this sudden, psychopathic mood swing from Eldrian and those heavy words he uttered, wanted to step forward, but Yuria signaled them to stop with a hand gesture. Yuria didn't move a muscle despite that strong hand squeezing their shoulder like a vice. The face behind the eye patch remained upright, and the voice was as solid as steel with the will of centuries.
"I did not fail anyone's trust, Eldrian," said Yuria with unshakable clarity. "I just kept fighting for my own race until the very last moment, until my last breath; I never gave up."
When Eldrian heard these words, he slowly pulled his hand off Yuria's shoulder, threw his head back, and let out a bitter, mocking, and loud burst of laughter that shattered that silent, crushing atmosphere of the courtyard. His laughter echoed off the walls of this mansion on the ocean floor and faded away; while struggling to suppress his smile, he spread his arms wide and pointed at the massive windows overlooking those pitch-black waters. Mockery and deep disappointment could be read in his eyes as Eldrian said, "Is that so? You fought for your own race until the last moment..." emphasizing every word. "Well, did it work, Yuria? Look at us! Look at our current state! It doesn't look like it worked much!"
Eldrian's echoing, pain-filled laughter slowly died down, his shoulders dropped, and that fierce fire in his eyes gave way to a deep sense of defeat. "We all made mistakes, Yuria," he said with a voice like a whisper, and pointed to the empty space with his hand. "But it's too late now; we are like historical artifacts... If someone touches us right now, we feel like we'll shatter into dust and pieces. Except you, of course."
Eldrian slowly turned around, his steps had grown heavy, and he intended to walk toward the pitch-black shadows of the courtyard. "I really don't know why you came here, why you found me after centuries; but if you're not going to give me an Anima weapon... leave. I don't have any time to lose anymore."
Yuria spoke after the departing old friend without any rush, with that usual unshakable and flat voice: "Devranna has returned."
Eldrian's steps suddenly stopped as if he was nailed to the marble floor, and his body went rigid for seconds. Then, with a sudden and savage movement as if his neck would snap, he turned toward Yuria. A hysterical smile appeared on his face, looking unbelieving and slightly crazed. "How?" he asked, his voice coming out as both a laugh and a trembling growl; "How?!"
Yuria maintained calmness, continuing to keep their hands clasped inside the robe. "Through my power," said Yuria. "I pulled his soul from the brink of death, and he returned to life in another body; but just like you, his powers are still sealed."
Just as Eldrian opened his mouth to say something, Yuria put forward the main offer without letting him speak. "But if you help me find him," said Yuria, making their tone of voice even more serious, "he holds something very big in his hands; maybe... it could be of use to you too."
Eldrian's eyebrows rose in curiosity and greedy suspicion. "What? Did he find an Anima weapon?"
Yuria slightly shook their head from side to side, as the mind behind the eye patch remembered the terrifying aura of the awakening ancient being felt in that bloody forest. "Not an Anima weapon," said Yuria, as the weight of every word grew, crashing against the courtyard's walls. "An army... An army of the undead."