The Burning Flowers

Chapter XVII

“No!” Abi shrieked, her heart practically rising into her throat in that brief second where she thought Mallicent had actually killed Laura. The words the boy had spoken before making his attack repeated in her head, and her healer’s brain soon recognized that the bolt had struck the girl in a spot where she wouldn’t die instantly, having avoided her vitals. If Abi got to her within the next minute or so, she could use magic to heal Laura and save her life, but…

“Now give me the dagger!” Mallicent snarled venomously, jutting his hand out as the other two bolts floated threateningly around Laura, who was gazing down at the hole in her chest with what might have been a cross between disbelief and stunned shock at the realization that she had been stabbed. “Hand it over or I’ll end her damn life for real! I can see it in your eyes, Abigail! You know you can save her if you just do as I say! You only have so much time!”

Her gaze flickering between Laura, Mallicent, and Scott, Abi’s mind raced with a million different thoughts. Everything felt like it had simply stopped. Time seemed to flow so slowly in that moment, and she knew that if she didn’t make her choice right then and there, she would regret it forever. What snapped her out of that haze was the sight of Laura finally losing her strength as she tilted forward and collapsed to the ground, though due to the bolts being made of fire magic, her wound was probably cauterized so there wasn’t much blood leaking from her body. Unfortunately, there had been nothing they could do, so their only option was to do exactly as they had decided upon when opting to meet with Mallicent.

“Give it to him, Scott,” Abi whispered meekly, her shoulders slumping with defeat.

The boy’s jaw was clenched so tightly she imagined it must have been starting to hurt, but without speaking a single word, his eyes alone communicating his utter loathing for Mallicent Malloway, Scott did as requested, stepped forward, and tossed the realm dagger across the room. Catching it with ease, Mallicent’s expression filled with relief before a smug and victorious smile replaced it.

“Thank you very much, Reiner.”

Then, taking them by surprise once again, Mallicent flicked his wrists, and while one of the bolts spun away from Laura and directed itself at the wall to the boy’s right, the second and final one instead twisted in midair to face where Abigail was standing. A soft exhale of fear escaped her lips, and though her instincts brought mana to her hands, it occurred to her a second too late that they were on the third floor, far above her range to reach into the ground and summon her nature attacks. Cursing her idiocy, she realized then that the reason he chose to have this transfer on the top floor was not just because they would have privacy, but because he could leave her defenseless. Since she didn’t know any other affinities, there was nothing she could do to stop the red bolt that shot directly for her chest, this one most likely aiming to kill.

Her only option was to dodge, but before she could make her own move, Scott acted instead. Even though Laura was about to die and Mallicent was making his escape, Scott Reiner refused to let any harm come to Abi as he body slammed her to the left, knocking her out of the way and to the ground just as the bolt ripped straight through him, striking him just above his stomach with far more force than the one that hit Laura. He lurched backwards, slamming into the wall as the bolt emerged from his back, fire erupting behind him and engulfing him for a split second before he collapsed to the floor in a heap, embers scattering towards the desks. At the exact same time, an explosion sounded out from the spot where the other bolt hit the wall, and when Abi turned to take in what happened, she saw a chunk of the classroom blasting outwards, creating a hole that Mallicent didn’t hesitate to jump through, disappearing into a curtain of flames as a loud ear-splitting alarm screeched throughout the room.

Abi didn’t have the time to even wonder what was making that sound as she pushed herself to her feet and grabbed the collar of Scott’s shirt, frantically pulling him away from the fires and in the direction of where Laura was laying. She couldn't heal somebody unless she was touching their skin, so she needed to get both Laura and Scott within arm’s reach. Desperate to save them both, knowing that was the priority over anything else, she dragged the groaning Scott past the rows of desks, tapping into every ounce of physical strength she had in her body. To her relief, somewhere along the way, Scott must have realized what she was up to, for he weakly began to push himself along with her, grunting with what must have been severe pain as they crawled away from the fires before finally reaching Laura.

Without hesitation, Abi quickly pressed her fingers against Laura’s neck and let out a sigh of relief when she felt her pulse. Nodding to herself, she used her right hand to grasp Scott’s arm while leaving her left hand touching Laura. Ideally when healing somebody, it was better to place one’s hands on the wound itself, for it would make the process much easier. However, that didn’t mean it was a requirement, for at the end of the day, healing magic could be simplified to tapping into the body’s already existing recovery systems, so as long as she could send nature mana into them at all, the healing would take place, albeit slower.

“Benedio,” she chanted softly, fighting back the tears forming in her eyes that she silently convinced herself was due to the smoke from the spreading fire and not her own desperate panic. “Benedio. Benedio.”

With each speaking of the incantation, her mana flowed into Scott and Laura, and though the blonde girl didn’t move and had almost certainly passed out from shock, Scott’s grunts of pain began to dissipate as his eyes weakly flickered open to gaze at her.

“Is Laura…okay?” he rasped, to which she nodded reassuringly.

“Yes, she’s going to live.” Abi then fixed him with a glare that was mostly out of frustration and concern than actual anger. “But what the hell were you thinking? I could have avoided that! You’re lucky to be alive, you idiot! If you had died…” She took a deep breath to steady herself and huffed. “Well, I never would have forgiven myself.”

As if not taking that fact seriously, Scott chuckled and winced in pain because of it. “I’m just glad you’re safe. As it so happens, Abi, I feel the same way. If you had died then I wouldn’t have forgiven myself either. Maybe you would have dodged, maybe not. Either way, I don’t care. I’d do it again if it meant saving you… I owe you so much, after all…”

“You…” Feeling her cheeks turning red, she once again told herself it was from the intensity of the situation and not embarrassment as she glanced away from Scott to check on Laura again. “You’re a suicidal moron…. But thank you anyway.”

“Heh. Don’t mention it…”

Nobody had ever done anything like trying to sacrifice themselves for her, and in that moment, she could hardly process what that meant to her. A life without friends and family was a life without anybody who would miss her when she was gone, so of course nobody had ever done something like that for her.

But Scott barely knows me… He has so much life left ahead of him, so I just don’t understand…

“Just the simple fact that I’ve only met you a week ago and I already know I’m going to miss you when you go home says that you’re someone special. Most people don’t leave that strong of an impact that quickly, you know?”

Scott was grinning up at her, as if knowing exactly what was going through her mind, and not wanting to get distracted from the task at hand, Abi shoved all of her complex emotions back inside of her. She needed to finish healing them and then try to get out of that room before anybody showed up and witnessed them. The last thing she needed was for Scott and Laura to get blamed for the fires or the explosions.

Then, increasing her motivation, off in the direction that she could sense Mallicent’s weak signature and the dagger, she felt a third signature suddenly grow stronger, and a slight smile appeared on her lips as she recognized exactly who it was that had made his own move.

***

Taking out the wall to use as an escape route, Mallicent Malloway sent fire magic into his foot, using a mini explosion to increase his jump as he leapt through the newly created hole and blasted up into the air, getting more than enough power to soar directly over the perimeter fence down below before manipulating the air just enough to land on the neighborhood road beyond it. He didn’t spare even a glance behind him, knowing that although he failed to immobilize Abi, she would never abandon both Laura and Scott, and even if she did, her nature magic would be pathetic when paired with his fire. The sun had set over an hour ago, so the roads were dark and deserted, the only illumination coming from the pale streetlights, the porchlights, the few glowing Halloween decorations, and the explosions beneath his feet that sent him dashing down the road at an inhuman speed.

That could have gone better, but at least I have the realm dagger! Now I just need to get as far away as I can and eject all of my mana so they can’t ever track me! I’ll abandon the apartment and perhaps even Wilham entirely! I just need to hide for long enough to charge this dagger and rejoin Captain Vesh!

He didn’t have much mana to begin with due to his concealment trick from before, so he would already be hard to track after setting off those bolts, as well as with Ilirianna still at the school. So long as Abi was distracted, she wouldn’t have been able to see where he was going, and that meant victory was assured. Yet, despite his confidence, when he briefly double-checked the mana signatures at West Wilham High, he couldn’t help but frown at an odd discrepancy, though he couldn’t identify it immediately.

I sense the princess clear as day. Then there’s Abigail, the mana residue from my bolts, and… Shit!

He realized just in time that, sometime during the conversation, Ryokumo Caeli’s signature had disappeared from the school. During his time laying in wait, he had noticed that Ryokumo cast a few spells and he couldn’t figure out why, but because of this, the wind mage’s signature was weaker than other two, making him slightly harder to locate in the more mana dense environment that West Wilham High had become, just like with himself. That was why his signature’s complete disappearance hadn’t been picked up until that moment, and in a split second, he realized that Ryokumo’s weakened signature was ahead of him rather than behind.

He used distortion!

Canceling his next spell, Mallicent tried to stop his momentum and instead pressed backwards just as a blade of wind soared towards his neck. Barely able to bend his back enough for the blade to pass harmlessly over him, Mallicent cursed his mistakes, stumbling to a stop and taking in the sight of Ryokumo Caeli standing just up ahead, only his left side being lit up by the streetlamp. Unlike Abi and Ilirianna, Ryokumo had gone to the festival in costume, but where Mallicent had internally mocked how ridiculous he looked before, at that moment, the sight of the man standing in the darkness in a full robe and the brim of his large hat casting shadows over his expression was terrifying. For just a second, Mallicent could only gape at his opponent, but true to Ryokumo’s talkative nature, it was him that happily broke their silence.

“As I’m sure you’re well aware, a magical confrontation in Omaruo is a last resort,” he called out mockingly. “So perhaps you should take the wise decision and stand down! This has gone on long enough so let’s make this easy, shall we?”

Gritting his teeth with more frustration than he had felt in a long time, Mallicent narrowed his eyes with disgust. Why is it always him?! This fucking bastard has been getting in our way from the very moment he stepped foot in Aquesen, and even now, he’s the one between me and my freedom! I refuse to lose this cocky punk!

At the moment, Ilirianna hadn’t moved, but there was no way a mage as powerful as the princess wouldn’t have sensed Ryokumo’s sudden attack within a mile of the school. If she decided to, she could reach them in a minute, and should Ilirianna decide to confront him, he wouldn’t have a shot of surviving. Everything he did that night would have been for nothing, and regardless of whether they killed him or captured him, he wouldn’t be able to return to the Kosah-Rei.

But so long as she stays put, it won’t yet be over. Caeli used the same trick as I did, so he can’t have that much mana left himself. An elongated battle isn’t going to happen. Hell, this is going to be over the very second one of us runs out of power, but even with all of Captain Vesh’s training, I’m clearly at a disadvantage. This is a man who was talented enough to get accepted into the Academy of Erika, as well as to be chosen for the royal team itself! Who am I when compared to that? I cannot win this, so escape is my only option. Yes, I must do what I did before. Eject my mana, take him by surprise, and blend into the magicless. If he can’t track me, he won’t be able to kill me.

However, the one thing that could disrupt that plan was the presence of the realm dagger clutched in his left hand. It had recovered enough power to be sensed at this distance, so there was no guarantee that Ryokumo wouldn’t be able to use its signature in order to track him down again.

But if I abandon it, then I’ll be screwed anyway! In order to win, I need to get away from Caeli without sacrificing the dagger!

“Whatever it is you’re pondering, do not try it!” Ryokumo warned coldly. “I assure you, it will not go the way you think it will. I’m done messing around! For you to drag even more innocent Omaruans into our Ijirian conflicts is unforgivable! Laura Harrison did nothing to you, yet you would use her life like some sort of piece in your sadistic game?!” The wind mage raised his head and gazed at him with pure malice. “It’s painfully clear that letting you go will put more people at risk, so even in this populated neighborhood, I am willing to strike you down to save the many you may harm in the future! So I repeat: Surrender!”

Once again checking Ilirianna’s location, Mallicent confirmed she hadn’t moved and shouted with anger, “And then what?! What the hell happens to me when I do as you say?! You tie me up and drag me back to Erika so I can rot in the dungeons?! Like hell, Caeli! I refuse to throw my life away! If that’s the fate that awaits me by surrendering, then I’d rather die and meet the Goddess early instead!”

“Well, you should have considered all of that before you chose to become a traitor,” Ryokumo sneered. “Are you trying to seek pity from me? Are you trying to tug on my heartstrings and convince me to let you go, because I can promise that there isn’t a thing you could say to sway my conviction.”

“I do not need the pity of a man like you!” he spat venomously. “You seek to brand me a traitor, but in my eyes, it’s you and Abigail that turned your backs on Ijiria! This country is founded on its people, and the two of you know better than most what it’s like to live as a commoner in our Empire—what it’s like to be spat upon and insulted by those above you! You know it far better than I, so why am I the one sacrificing everything for their betterment instead of you?! Why do the two of you judge me for seeking a happier future?! Why do you scorn me and ridicule me?! I’m just trying to make the world a better place—to create a paradise for everyone!”

But despite the desperation in his voice to be understood, Ryokumo didn’t so much as pause, his contempt never fading. “Are you still going on about this? I thought I told you the other night? I may have been distracting you, but my words were true. I’m a selfish, irredeemable man. In that sense, perhaps I do fit in amongst the scum at the top of that great white tower. What I seek is to protect those closest to me, and nothing else. Yes, I would ignore the pains of the faceless people I’ll never meet, for one man like me only has the power to protect those in front of him.” Ryokumo shook his head, fixing Mallicent with another scowl. “So that is what I will do. You pose a threat to my team, my princess, and my newfound Omaruan friends, so I will put you down if it comes to that.”

Mallicent could feel the sudden burst of mana as Ryokumo drew his power, and while he had yet to raise his hands into a threatening position, it was more than enough to convey that he wasn’t going to be convinced to let him pass.

Damn it! What do I do then? Should I take the initiative and attack first, or should I let him make the first move and figure everything out from there? Ideally, I could pull some sort of trick that would take him by surprise, but at this point, I fear I may have nothing effective enough. Fire magic is far from an ideal affinity to deflect wind magic, for anything I throw at him can be manipulated by his power. My affinity alone leaves me at a disadvantage, so even if our skill levels weren’t so different, I’d still be facing an uphill battle!

The boy’s eyes flickered in multiple directions as he attempted to properly take in his surroundings and determine if the environment could possibly be used to his advantage. They were in the middle of a neighborhood road not far from West Wilham High, with suburban houses lining both sides. Unless he tried to go into the air, which would be a death sentence when facing a wind mage, there were no turns to be made, so he could only go straight or back, and on this empty road, there was nothing to use as cover. In addition, turning around was a bad idea, for it would close the distance between him and the princess, making it easier for her to rush to Ryokumo’s aid. The streetlights were their only source of illumination, but with fire magic, he wouldn’t be able to use that darkness since all of his spells would be easily visible to Ryokumo. Even his empty threat of harming the magicless would not help him, for the absence of any Omaruans would mean that the only potential collateral he had were inside of the houses, but he was certain that if he made any sudden moves to try and reach them, Ryokumo would act.

What the hell is this?! I’m cornered at every turn! No matter what I do, Caeli has a move that will counteract me! He doesn’t even need Ilirianna!

It was in that moment that it truly dawned on him how alone he was.

There in Omaruo, there was nobody that would come to his aid. The Kosah-Rei were in a completely separate plane of existence from him, his beloved mother had taken her own life, and his father and brother were executed. Even Ryokumo and Abigail, two people that he had hoped would see his point of view due, had gazed upon him with malice and disgust as they fiercely rejected him.

Nobody was going to come to the aid of Mallicent Malloway.

No… Is this it then? I reclaimed the dagger, I successfully escaped Abigail, but I was sloppy and allowed Caeli to catch me off guard! I allowed him to back me into a corner and there’s no longer an answer left to me! Everything I’ve done will have been for nothing!

“Mal, you’re the only one I cannot guarantee the safety of! Regardless of what happens tonight, the others will not die, but I cannot say the same for you. Now knowing what I do about the princess, I feel it’s important to emphasize that you not do anything rash.”

Ever since he met Tali Firrik, he hadn’t taken her visions seriously. It all seemed like occultist bullshit—like she was pulling things out of her ass to convince the Kosah-Rei that she was a necessary piece to their movement. Vesh believed she was being provided insights by the goddess, Rei, and followed her wisdom without hesitation, but Mallicent had always been skeptical of her. He feared she might have been manipulating them for her own benefit, and since she was posing as his mother, being near her had made him uncomfortable in those months leading up to the reckoning. Yet, in that moment, a feeling of terror entered his body, her words returning to his mind, and for the first time, he wondered if perhaps she was telling the truth.

She said I was the only one she could not confirm would survive the attack on Hiriech. She gave plenty of details regarding the other members, but she was never able to give me anything! Is that because I’m going to die? Do I have no future left for her to see? Am I never going to escape Omaruo? Is Ryokumo Caeli going to kill me?!

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, his palms becoming slick with sweat as his heartbeat became almost painful. Seeming to sense this change in his attitude, Ryokumo let out a laugh.

“Have you realized it yet, Mallicent?” he inquired. “You can’t win. If you attack me, you will die, so hand over the dagger and come with me peacefully. This is my final warning, you hear? Make the right choice! As much as I hate you, I really would like to avoid killing anybody tonight!” Forcefully extending his hand, motioning for him to toss the dagger, Ryokumo’s half-lit features turned briefly reluctant, as if he really was truthful in his desire to avoid death. “You’re a smart boy, so you know I’m not lying!”

Clenching his teeth, feeling suddenly violently sick to his stomach, Mallicent screamed out desperately, “Please, Caeli! Just let me pass! I can’t abandon my allies—my family! I can’t leave them to this fight alone! You have to understand that I only want what’s good for the Empire!”

“And you have to understand that I don’t give a damn what you want!” Ryokumo snarled back. “You can paint your words in gold, but it doesn’t change the fact that underneath, they’re drenched in blood! You’re a murderer, Mallicent! You’re a kin-slayer and a traitor! Bluster all you like about the Ijirian elite, but I will never overlook the fact that you stared Aeyir, your own brother, dead in the eyes, knowing full well that his life was going to be stolen from him!” Raw fury entered Ryokumo’s eyes, his voice practically shaking with his rage. “He was worried about you! He expressed such concern for his little brother, who was becoming bitter and withdrawn! He only wanted what was best for you, and asked me for advice on how to help you! But you killed him!”

“No, I…”

I saved him. I know I did! I spared him the corruption of this vile world and I sent him to live in paradise with Rei! He’s in a better, happier place now! He’s…

Yet, those words he used to cope with the reckoning no longer held the power they used to, and now almost seemed hollow. Lowering his eyes to gaze at the realm dagger, Mallicent let out a weak breath. He had to repeat what he did the first time, just after entering Omaruo. He had to eject his mana, lose his signature, and flee into the shadows.

One massive blast of fire is all it will take. His eyes will be adjusted to the dark, so if I let out as powerful of a blast as I can, it’ll blind him, and I can run. That’s my only hope… There’s nothing left for me to do. It’s either escape, or die…and I refuse to let this all have been for nothing! Captain Vesh, Sartella, Firrik, Tyrus, Kristoff, Doctor Miyon… He slowly raised his eyes back to Ryokumo, a sadness entering his body as he gazed at what could be his final sight. If this doesn't work…

Speed was crucial, so Mallicent was already casting Infernus even as he raised his hands. Sensing the oncoming mana, Ryokumo snarled out his own incantations as one of the most powerful bursts of flame he had ever produced blasted from Mallicent’s hands, engulfing almost everything around him as mana flooded the street.

Please… My friends and allies, don’t forget me.

***

“I’ll do whatever the hell you need me to! I’ll kill whoever you need me to! I don’t give a damn anymore! These fuckers need to be dragged to hell, so tell me what you desire from me, Captain Vesh, and I’ll do it without hesitation!”

Tears streaking his face after the discovery of his mother’s death, Mallicent had never been that desperate to see people killed in his entire life. He had always been a rather happy boy, and though he and his father didn’t often see eye-to-eye, he wouldn’t have claimed to have hated him. Of course, he didn’t love him, or necessarily even like him, but he simply accepted that fact and went about his life. He had his mother and older brother, after all, who he loved more than anything else in the world. They were his true family, so it pained him to see his mom slowly falling further and further into hopelessness and depression. He remembered wishing he could help her somehow, and feeling powerless to do so. The more distant she became, the more he started to resent the people around him, for he blamed the environment of Hiriech and Castle Aquesen for her condition. He remembered considering Vesh’s proposal to try and change the system and being unable to decide whether that was what he wanted or not.

But when Yoral Malloway took her own life, vengeance and hatred consumed him, and he no longer cared about morals and ethics. After all, if the people in power didn’t have any morality, then he was only setting himself up for failure by doing the same.

“To remove a cancer, you must cut out the tumor, yes? You can’t reason with a tumor. You can’t beg it to stop attacking the body. You can’t barter with it, for it is simply doing the only thing it knows to do.”

He spoke those words to Ilirianna Iiji when he confronted her in that clothing store, and he fully adhered to that philosophy. The people in control weren’t going to give up their status and power just because he asked nicely. They weren’t going to trade it for anything, and if anybody tried to rip it away from them, they would use their power to eliminate the threat. The princess, as well as Abigail and Ryokumo, ridiculed his decision to kill, but they didn’t understand the Hiriech elite the way he did. Reasoning with them would never have accomplished anything. Captain Vesh had the right idea, so Mallicent obediently followed him, even when it came to the death of Aeyir.

“You mean, we aren’t going to spare my brother?”

“No, unfortunately not. As you know, I’ve always kept a close eye on Aeyir, and I have realized two things about him. One is that he is already too brainwashed by your father, and so he is blind to the truth of his family and the other lords and barons. The second is that even if he saw the truth and wasn’t so brainwashed, he wouldn’t allow us to kill them. He would stand his ground and become our enemy, going so far as to even turn us all over to Lord Malloway. We can’t have that, so he must be a part of the reckoning. But worry not, Mal, for I am certain the Goddess will welcome him to her paradise in the heavens with warmth. We may be killing Aeyir, but that is not the bad thing you believe it is. We are simply sending him to the next, happier existence.”

Vesh’s reasoning had worked its way into his head, and he accepted it. Perhaps if he had thought about it more critically, he might have felt different, but he turned his eyes away, instead allowing himself to be engulfed by Doctor Miyon’s research. It was a comforting and welcome distraction in the weeks before the reckoning, for his love of science drove him to be fascinated by The Angel and the ancient world of Cansi. It was the only piece of evidence in existence that a civilization once thrived in that barren wasteland of a realm, so he joyfully joined the doctor in that quest for understanding.

“You truly are a brilliant boy, Mal,” Uma had said to him one afternoon. “It’s a pity your father was so set in his traditions, for you would make a fine addition to the minds of Stellareid.”

Mallicent smiled cheerfully, having only ever been encouraged like that by his mother, the only person who ever supported his love for science. “You really think so?”

Uma Miyon, the magicless man from Omaruo, had become as much a mentor to him as Captain Vesh, and with the two of them supporting him, he felt that his life may just go the way he wished. Though he and Tali never particularly saw eye to eye, Leiolai Sartella, Barron Kristoff, and Quill Tyrus had become like older siblings to him, and despite their differences, he had grown to care about them, too. The Kosah-Rei was the family he desired, so he embraced their ideals, and excitedly sought the idea of a paradise after death where they could all live happily when their lives came to a close.

“Yes, I have full faith in you, Mal,” Uma stated confidently. “With any luck, when we’ve created our new world, you and I can bring our research out into the open. When the Iijis’ regime falls, may we then spend the rest of our days solving the puzzle of our existence. I would love it if you would join me.”

He feared the reckoning, but he allowed his new family to guide him towards the future he sought. A world free of the traditional oppression, a world where he could live his life as he pleased and watch as true prosperity spread through Ijiria. He was willing to sacrifice whatever he needed to, in the name of his mother, his brother, and the Kosah-Rei.

“Thank you, Doctor Miyon! Yeah, I’d love that too!”

***

Ryokumo Caeli walked silently down the empty street, the dead body of Mallicent Malloway clutched in his arms. The last of his mana was being used to distort his presence as he fled the scene of their short battle, for he was certain that the authorities of Wilham would be there soon. The confrontation had ended far from how he had hoped, but in the end, he was left with no choice. Mallicent refused to surrender, and when that huge casting of Infernus had blasted down the road, he knew his hand had truly been forced.

Using wind magic to control the flames and keep them away from the homes, Ryokumo soared down the street, towards Mallicent, and without having the time to think anything through, he cast three blades of wind in the direction he just barely sensed the dagger. When he launched the flames high into the sky, suppressing them with magic, he frantically turned back towards where the dagger still was, and when his eyes readjusted to the darkness, he found that one of his blades had opened Mallicent’s stomach. The boy was lying on the concrete, just beside the sidewalk, blood gushing from the wound. His eyes had shifted upwards to stare into Ryokumo’s, and in his final moments of life, there was no sign of the fire, desperation, and hatred from before. Instead, all he saw in Mallicent Malloway was a scared young boy on the verge of death.

Ryokumo knew without question that the sight would haunt him forever.

But I made the right choice, he reminded himself. Mallicent was dangerous. He chose to fight, so I eliminated the threat.

Sirens could be heard off in the distance as Ryokumo turned down the dirt pathway between the houses where he had first met Scott Reiner over a week ago, and as he had sensed, Ilirianna was standing silently in the shadows, waiting for him. When the distortion dropped, her eyes shifted towards him, then to the body in the arms, only to quickly fill with regret. Not wanting her to see the pain in his own face, he turned his head downwards so the brim of his hat would conceal it.

“I’ve reclaimed the dagger,” he muttered softly. “And Omaruo is safe. Were there any casualties at the school?”

She slowly shook her head. “No. Abi managed to heal Scott and Laura, then got out of that classroom before anybody reached them. With your success, we can consider this mission a victory. Mallicent’s gone, we have the dagger, and nobody died. Good job, Caeli.”

“Right… Thank you, My Princess.”

Yet, despite how powerfully his hatred for Mallicent burned back during their confrontation, for some reason, he just couldn’t convince himself that it actually was a good job.