Chalice was all too glad to have left the Wind Valley. She couldn't take their worshipping faces anymore. It was merely a coincidence that she has tamed Onyx. It didn't matter what type of beast he was, whether royal or not, she still would have taken him in. Besides, how was she to know that the horse she picked is the only black stallion in this world. The Earth has plenty of them, alright?
She did not dwell on that fact anymore. It wasn't something that she could have changed even if she wanted to. Instead Chalice focused her attention to what had Luke said that night.
"My lady, it is fortuitous for you to contract two royal beasts. However, you are aware of the repercussions, I hope? The world is not lacking of greed."
Chalice was aware. She knew very much that too much was never going to bring any good. She knew the evils of the world. She had seen it with her own eyes, heard it with her own ears, and suffered from it half her life. This sudden predicament has made her sullen.
Immersed in her thoughts, Chalice was suddenly roused into reality with Rye's sudden shout.
"Bandits! We're being attacked."
She stiffened. Luke who was beside her became vigilant and stood up to protect her. Levi slammed the carriage door open and dashed outside to help the other two who were in the front.
Chalice saw from the open door that the fighting has broken out. Rye and Ward were holding of the enemies one after the other. Levi's assistance were a negligible help and soon enough even he was fending off tens of bandits at once. Her heart dropped.
A whole gang of armed bandits has intercepted them. And as she sees it, even if her companions were skilled and powerful knights the only option for them now is to flee.
Unless, she makes a move. Her modern combat skills and assasination abilities could deal with them, albeit a bit more difficult without modern weapons. It was still not on the level of the previous missions she has dealt with on Earth.
She breathed in deeply. Might as well risk it. It wasn't that she didn't trust the capabilities of Levi and the others. It's only that she didn't want them to get hurt or worse die because of her. She didn't need protecting. She wasn't a delicate flower from a greenhouse.
"Luke, I'm so sorry for this."
Chalice tapped Luke's acupoints which rendered him unable to move. She took the dagger which she knew he was hiding in the side of his belt. After which she ran off to where the battle was at it's height, secretly thanking her foresight to wear trousers this time. At least she spared herself from the comical view of her stumbling with the ruffles of her skirt while trying to be a badass hero.
She has always had this habit of trying to be funny during inappropriate times. Call it a way of her keeping her wits about. Nonetheless, all of the humor bubbling in her mind vanished when she saw the state of her midget knight and her two trusted aides.
The situation was a lot more dire than she thought it would be. There were too much of the enemies and too little of them. Her lot cut a sorry figure. Especially Levi. In a corner of her heart, she was glad she Luke stayed back to protect her instead of putting himself in the frontlines. But that thankful thought was merely a fleeting one. Because Chalice right now has long seen red. That was her people. No one was allowed to mess with them.
It was her fault. All of it was her fault. If she didn't insist on this inspection, they wouldn't have to suffer like this. If she just stayed put in the fief, they wouldn't meet these bandits. They wouldn't need to protect her to this point. Rye and Ward wouldn't have to face the brunt of the attack. Levi wouldn't have been so bloodied that he lost his usual effeminate and narcissistic self. She wouldn't need to paralyze Luke. She should have just been like how she was in the past. She should have been contented with doing nothing.
The myriad emotions of self-blame, guilt, rage and pity triggered something in her. A familiar tantalizing thought hovered ceaselessly in her head. Whisphering. Coaxing her softly like an irresistable temptation.
'Kill them... Kill all of them.'
'You know you want to'
'Paint them in that beautiful vermillion.'
'Paint them in your favorite color.'
Chalice succumbed to it completely. All she knew was whatever it was saying gave comfort to her heart. It soothed the dark feelings surrounding her and suffocating her. She was put in bliss and she wanted to stay there. She let herself go.
When she came to Chalice saw the dagger glistening, reflecting her current state: a demon. An iron stench covered her from head to toe. Blood dripped from her sticky hands. It colored her white shirt like painted poppies in full bloom. Her face was tinted by rivulets casting an eerie glow on her beautiful countenance. Her eyes glinted with remnants of her bloodbath. Corpses were littered around her. The three men stood far away from her in shock and disbelief.
This was the truth that she has long forgotten. The reason why she really quit the organization that time and pursued other professions. Professions which she deemed as safe. Jobs that were meant to contribute to the welfare of people and uphold order and justice. Roles that only made her emptier.
This was the memory she had buried along with her will to live. The memory of a night of carnage and wanton slaughter. A little boy's lifeless eyes. The eyes of an innocent soul she took away from the world with her own hands in a bout of bloodlust. It was the memory of a mission where she was supposed to be the savior but ended up with her as the murderer.
This was her sin.
Chalice stared at the fair hands of the body she has taken over. Her eyes blank. This body was innocent. But now it has been tainted by her. Even with this new life, it seems she can never escape the darkness. One which she had fought for years but ended up swallowing her, casting her in its detestable color. It was the abyss she stared into, and that which had stared back.
She had hope that in this world she'll finally have her redemption.
She wanted redemption.
But that darkness consumed her again. She still gave in. Though Chalice did not hurt her companions this time, but until when? This world required her to kill. This world was even crueler than the previous one. She has proven that on Janus street. So until when can she ensure that wouldn't succumb again to the temptation? Their lives will only be at risk with her around. She was a sinner. A killer. A murderer. She was beyond saving. She was not meant to be here.
'Leave!'
'Leave! Only when you're gone could they be safe from your hands.'
Chalice heeded the whispers of her conscience. The emotions were eating her from the inside and she couldn't take it any longer. She needed to get away.
"Onyx!"
She called on to the black stallion. The horse galloped to her side as if feeling the turmoil she was in.
Chalice leaped onto his back and commanded him to move.
She left without looking back.