Ria
" I've always been able to see them" My teeth felt as if they were going to crack as I told him the truth.
Arsheus didn't look convinced as he looked at me, anger in his eyes.
What did he want me to tell him?
I had told the truth.
Rin's sword came closer to my neck at Arsheus's hand motion.
Fuck!
I tried not to move or even to breathe hard, but I still could feel it as the sword penetrated a little deeper into my flesh.
Red blood started dripping down my neck as Rin pressed and real fear held onto me.
My eyes darted to the spirits in the corner and then to Arsheus. Neither seemed like a good choice. Both of them were dooming me, but at least Arsheus wasn't a blood thirsty spirit that would kill me for no reason, or so I hoped.
" Now" Arsheus's eyebrows were furrowed in anger as he looked down at me, disdain and hatred written all over his face. " You'll tell me the truth or else"
He didn't need to finish his threat. I knew what he meant. It was quite obvious.
What truth?
I swallowed shallowly and held my breath as I spoke, afraid of the sword's sharp edge pressed against my neck.
" I've always had this ability. I can't turn it off" I would pay thousands to be able to get rid of this gift " And about how I got them to obey me... They don't"
Arsheus looked at me suspiciously, but some of the hatred and disdain in his eyes was gone.
I watched in silence as him and Rin exchanged some kind of silent code.
" You.... Don't control it?"
I shook my head. I thought that much would be obvious since he had saved me from the spirits in the first place.
Arsheus's eyes darkened a little more with each passing second as he stared at me, urging me to tell the truth.
" I don't" My answer was definite because it was the truth. I had no control over the spirits. At most I could make them raise back, but they didn't need to obey me.
The hatred in Arsheus's eyes changed into another emotion for a second, but before I could read it it changed back into hatred.
" Now tell me, little girl" His voice was dripping with sarcasm and hatred as he spoke to me. As he reached for my hair I wanted nothing more than to pull away and tell him not to touch me, but the sword behind me stopped me. Arsheus grabbed a strand of my hair and begun twirling it in between his fingers. In the past I would have thought it was sweet and loved it, but now? Now all I could feel was disdain and hatred as I looked at him. Was I really such a fool? Was I really that unlovable as family and as a friend? Was that why everyone I trusted ended up betraying me? " Who are your parents?"
Arsheus's voice pulled me out of the dark pit where I had been falling. A dark pit without an end.
I had always lived in the light, loved and cared for, even if they weren't my biological family I considered them so. And now? Now I was living in the darkness. Illiana had first pushed me down the edge and now Arsheus had finished me off, pushing me deeper and deeper down into the abyss.
They wanted me to be the villain even though I had done nothing wrong. I gritted my teeth. Sure, I could give them a villain.
" My parents?" I pretended to think. If they wanted to fuck with me two could play that game. I'd make their lifes impossible. " They were just two angels"
I said the lie as matter-of-factly as I could, hoping they wouldn't be able to see through my facade.
I kept my heartbeat as steady as I could while taking deep breaths and not avoiding eye contact.
Arsheus gritted his teeth, clearly unsatisfied with my answer, but he didn't press further or accuse me of lying like before. He just seemed pissed that I hadn't answered what he had wanted to hear.
Good.
I could barely hide the smirk that was flourishing on my face thinking about how I'd tricked the demon into believing an obvious lie. I was static. Lying felt so good.
" What did they do for a living?"
Crap. I hadn't thought that far ahead.
Oh, well. As long as I remembered the lie latter on I should be fine.
" They worked as guards for the glass palace" I spit out the first job that came to mind, more mindful of keeping my breath and heartrate at the same level than fabricating a complex lie.
" Okay"
I almost smiled again.
I had caught up to their weakness. They detected my heartrate and breathing pattern to see if I was lying. That meant that as long as I remained calm I had the upper hand.
Arsheus looked me up and down and gritted his teeth. I could see the cracks forming in his white enamel as he clenched his jaw as hard as he could.
His eyes were penetrating as he looked at me and turned to face the wall, ruffling his hair with a sigh.
" Kill her"
What?
I barely had time to process what Arsheus had said when the sword on my back disappeared.
What?
I only had a second to dodge before the sword striked where I had been standing a second ago.
Fuuuuck!!!!
Fear gripped me as I ran to the other side of the room, knowing full well Arsheus wouldn't hurt me. He didn't want to get his hands stained red. All he was doing was staring at the wall as Rin did his dirty work. Besides a traitor he was a coward. I didn't know how I could've fallen in love with him.
" Come on, don't make it harder for yourself"
I ignored Rin's taunting and kept my eyes where they should be, focused on the spirits. If it hadn't been for their mocking motions when the sword was about to decapitate me I'd be dead.
Fortunately they didn't seem to be trying to tell me anything. They were just amused as they looked at us and smiled.
" I thought we were friends" Looking at Rin I couldn't stop my real thoughts from escaping as well as tears that streamed down my face.
" Friends don't betray each other" Rin was gritting his teeth as he spoke, his sword raised to strike again. The first time had been pure luck, but I doubted I could avoid another strike if he gave it his all to kill me. I needed another way out besides a fight I was sure I would lose. I could use the spirits, but that was a last minute resort.
I stared at Rin, dumbfounded. Well, at least he got something right. Friends didn't betray each other.
" I want to know why. Can't I know why you're betraying me?"
Rin scoffed and walked closer, his sword aiming for my heart.
" You betrayed us first"
Wait, what?
Those few seconds of confusion where I stared at Rin in disbelief costed me dearly.
As fast as the wind Rin run up to me and thrusted his sword, aiming for my heart.
For a second the whole world stopped and I watched as Rin tried to move slowly, his sword moving a few inches per second.
What the fuck?
I didn't have time to stare and figure out what was going on. I had to run.
I moved away from the sword's trajectory and time resumed again.
Rin stared at me and at the empty spot where my heart should've been.
His whole body shook with anger as he walked closer to me.
" Traitor!!!"
With another swing of his powerful arms the sword came closer to me. I waited for that moment of ingravity where time stopped, but this time nothing happened.
In the last minute I managed to dodge and avoid the fatal blow, but the sword embedded itself deep into my shoulder.
Fuuuuck!
I screamed, pain erupting all over my arm.
From his position facing the wall I saw Arsheus flinching and then turning to face us.
" I told you to make it quick" He sounded annoyed as he glared at Rin, displeased with the way this was all playing out.
Now there were two of us. I also didn't like having a sword through my arm.
I flinched and backed away screaming in pain when Rin tried to take back his sword. I ran away with all my might, knowing that if he caught me I was truly done for.
I had no power and no way to protect myself, unless...
I looked at the approaching Rin and then at the sharp sword embedded into my arm.
It was going to hurt like a bitch but it was worth a try.
I gritted my teeth and held the hilt of the sword, pulling with all my strength.
Rin approached me, running and ready to kill me.
I tried to avoid his fists, but he was too fast.
I didn't twist my head in time and his fist hit me in the face, breaking my nose and sending me flying to the other side of the room, where I fell to the ground and the sword went deeper into my flesh.
" Ahhhh!"
I screamed. Everything hurt now. My nose was on fire and my shoulder felt as if it was going to come off at any second.
I had to do something. Not for the first time my eyes wandered over to where the spirits were smirking, clapping and hoping for blood.
It was too risky. I could get them to attack, but then I couldn't be able to control them. That was a last resort.
I pulled with all my strength on the sword, happy for those few seconds Rin's punch had given me.
I pulled with all my strength, ignoring the pain and the blood and finally managed to pull the sword out.
My shoulder hurt more than ever and now I was bleeding profusely, the thing that had been stopping the blow flow gone, but I didn't care. I had a weapon.
I used my healthy arm to raise the sword up to my chest.
I kept my face blank, trying to intimidate Rin, but I could barely even move the weapon. It was too heavy for me and too difficult to move.
I doubted I could've even hit Rin if he had been still, much less while he was moving. Rin and Arsheus had both made it seem so easy, but it wasn't. It was hard as fuck.
" Go away" I used my best commanding voice as I pointed at Rin.
His face twisted with rage as he lowered his bloody hands.
I had done it.
The smirk on my face didn't last long as I watched Rin's hands brimming with power.
That wasn't fair.
I could only watch in horror as the attack flied my way.
I dropped the heavy sword and ran just in time. The area where I had been a second ago was no longer. It was all gone. Rin had evaporated everything, including the metal sword.
Fuck!
I could feel the heat reaching me from a few feet away as Rin smiled and prepared to attack again.
I had to do something. I looked at the spirits. Other than that.
" I can still be useful" Instead of trying to reason with Rin I turned to look at Arsheus. He had yet to get into the fight, which meant he probably still wanted me for something. I hoped. " I'll raise back your army. Don't you want your soldiers to live again?" I used my best weapon. His regreat. I knew he hated leaving his men behind and used it against him.
I saw him clenching his fists.
" Stop" Rin's power dissipated with Arsheus's words.
He walked over to me, angry.
" You better not lie to me" He frowned, as if he was rethinking all his life decisions and turned to face Rin. " Take her to the dungeon"
I was alive. I had done it.
I couldn't contain my relief as I almost fell down to the floor. Now that the adrenaline was running out I felt exhausted and hurt. I hated my life.
With those last words Rin grabbed me and dragged me outside.
While he pulled me away I noticed Arsheus walking closer to the spirits and not even noticing them. So he couldn't see them. Then how had he killed them before?
That question didn't leave my mind even as Rin threw me into a cell and closed the thick metal door behind him.
Just great. I was trapped. Well, at least Arsheus had healed my wounds so they didn't hurt anymore, but I still felt like shit.
Noticing there was no bed in the cell I sighed and laid down on the moss. I wanted to sleep some more.
Only good thing was that the ground was covered in moss, so that was a win.