CHAPTER 92: A PLACE WHERE I BELONG
MARISSE TRYSTGADE
5 MONTHS AGO
Fighting Serena Maizono alone is impossible. Cheng Du once told me that the wretched bitch has the Dragon Queen's blood running through her veins, and she's a descendant of an extinct race of elves. She also seemed to be related to the royal blood of Alterra or maybe some sub-branch of their family, giving her vast arrays of magic at her disposal. It is only natural that I would lose on her hands even though I have polished and mastered my sword skills.
The victory was on Serena's hand; she was about to bring a giant sword to tear me in half, but something surprising happened. My ex-lover, Xenon Wingate has appeared right in front of my very eyes and blocked his dragonoid's attack with his glorious shield. The echoing noise of the clashing metals reverberated on the sides of the top floor of this castle.
"Serena, stop this." Xenon said.
"Xen! What are you doing!?" Serena outrageously cried.
"You didn't have to do this, Serena. Believe me, you don't want to." Xenon said in a calm tone.
"B-But Xen! She… She killed Mayline! She killed you! Of all the people you take pity on, why her!?" Serena cried out loud. Tears crawled on the side of her eyelids as she felt betrayed by her master.
"Serena, trust in me. You don't need to kill Marisse." Xenon calmly approached Serena and held her wrists.
Fully submitting to him, Serena dematerialized her giant sword and stood in disbelief. She bowed down as she covered her eyes with her gloved hands and continued to holler out loud.
"Paul…" I muttered in disbelief. I couldn't think of a way why Xenon would try to save me. He pledged that he would kill me, so now I'm all confused as to why he appeared all of a sudden to avoid me from peril.
"Risse, are you okay?" Xenon slowly approached me and looked at me in the eye. "Where's Michael?"
"Michael left me." I bowed down as I cried. "He knew that you will be coming here in the castle, so he executed his final plan of world domination. He knows all your moves and way of thinking. He should be seizing the throne of Alterra as we speak."
"So I fell to his plans again." Xenon gritted his teeth. "Why did he leave you here?"
"He left me because he wanted me to become a decoy. He thought that if I get to talk to you, you might as well change your mind and go back to our side." I said as I held my chest.
I looked at my past lover, who seemed to be in deep thought. Xenon is just looking at the windows as if he's enjoying the moment of peace. The white-blue skies gave him peace of mind to think about what his next course of action was. I have known Xenon in my life. I knew that he would not make any stupid mistakes because he's smart.
I looked at Serena, who is still a snotty-crybaby bitch. She looks like a hammered shit when she's soaked with her own tears and not on make-up. Her crimson eyes are glaring at me with intent to kill, but her eyes are almost empty that she's feeling disappointed at his dragon knight. She never expected Xenon to be taking a soft side at this very moment.
"Hey, Paul…" I gently slide my palms on my ex-lover's shoulders. "Mike has abandoned me for the sake of his ambitions. My child was killed by Lothar Pendragon. The Elysian Castle is at the siege. I have nowhere to go to." I unleashed tears as I dipped my face on my man's heart. He didn't seem to resist. Instead, he's letting me hug him tight as if his heart is still open for me.
I had a glimpse of Serena's face, and it's so priceless. Her jaws are hanging and her eyes are opened wide. Her crimson irises are small as a dot, completely enraged and sad on what I am doing with her master. I have long known of Serena's love for Xenon back when we're still in high school. This should thoroughly piss her off.
"Y-You! Get off Xen!" Serena made an outrage.
"Shush, Serena." Xenon gave a cold glare to his dragonoid. Then he started to caress my silky smooth hair as he returned my hug. "Don't worry, Risse. I will give you a place where you belong."
"X-Xen! W-Why! Why are you doing this to me!?" Serena hollered like a kid who just lost a teddy bear. "Why!?"
"Silence, Serena." Xenon said. Then he whispered to me that made my nerve feel at ease. "Follow me, Risse."
"Y-Yes. I will follow you wherever you wanted to go, Paul." I said.
Xenon grabbed my hand and led me to the exit of the room, leaving his precious broken-hearted dragonoid Serena behind. For the last three years, I have never felt Xenon's hand. I can certainly say that the sparkling sensation when we hold hands together reignited my love for him.
No. I'm just kidding. I no longer love him. I am just using him to get me out of here alive. Since my fucking husband abandoned me to die and rot in this castle, I should do what it takes to survive, no matter the cost. I don't mind spreading my legs to my ex again just to escape this situation.
Besides, I just confirmed one thing: Xenon still loves me. He let me hug him in front of his dragonoid. He allowed his own dragonoid to be heartbroken despite knowing fully well that Serena loves him so much. Man, this guy is easy to control. I don't even need to have the Eye of Deus to spin Xenon's head. I knew that he's still head-over-heels for me.
We're slowly reaching to the topmost floor. I just heard an airship hovering on top of the castle, so I know that Xenon has reserved an airship for my escape. My airship was destroyed by that bitch Serena earlier, but I'm glad that I will still have the means to run away with my ex.
On our way to the castle rooftops, a familiar person welcomed us. It is a tall black-skinned woman with a voluptuous body wearing an Alterran Knight's uniform. If I'm not mistaken, she is Danielle Keine, one of Alterra's glorious dragon knights. Correction: she's no longer a dragon knight as I received the news that her dragonoid exchanged life with her. Now she's nothing but a mere duchess with no power and honor.
"Senor Wingate, what's the status?" Danielle asked. Then her eyes gazed at me without any expression whatsoever. She should have just remembered that I was there when I watched her die on the thick snowy mountains a few months ago.
"Our hunch is right. Eldritch is also doing his own blitzkrieg on the Guadian's Haven. We might be too late."
"That explains why our communications were off. Alterra might have fallen to the hands of Eldritch. We must hurry and return back at once!"
"Yeah, but before that…" Xenon muttered as he looked at me with his passionate green eyes. "...I will show this woman first where she belongs."
"P-Paul!?"
Suddenly, Xenon threw me towards space beside the stairs. I landed painfully on my butt and I was furious on what Xenon just had done to me. I was about to scream and cry and ask him what's going on until someone unexpected appeared right beside Xenon. It was Serena, who just teleported to this place with her Blink magic!
"Forge!" Serena pointed her palms at me, and a glass cube on the size of a compact car materialized and encased me inside. The smell of sulfur and alcohol immediately filled the insides of the glass cube, which made me coughing non-stop.
"P-Paul! What's the meaning of this!?" I cried. Then I coughed several times, stressing my lungs out.
Xenon did not answer my question. Instead, he turned to the side, drew out a single stick of cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth. He then lights it up with a lighter and blew smoke above.
I looked at Serena Maizono who's responsible for trapping me in this self-made glass cube. Her eyes are still full of rage as ever as if she's mincing me inside his imagination. I looked at Danielle Keine, who is staring at me with disgust. A few seconds later, she made a slight smile and uttered a lady-like chuckle. What are they planning to do with me?
"Release me at once! Hey! Hey! I'm not your enemy! Eldritch has abandoned me!" I cried out loud as I smash the glass cube with my hand. The glass cube won't crack or dent. I won't be escaping this cage without their help. "Paul! Tell them! Help me, please! I love you, so help me, please!"
"I'm sorry, Risse." Xenon said as he blew out smoke again. "I never told you that I smoke."
I wanted to laugh for such a trivial matter he just said, but that is not the time for that. I need to escape from this glass cage, or else I'll die of suffocation!
"T-That's okay, Paul! That's completely fine by me!" I cried. "Please release me at once! I'll do whatever you say! You promised me that you will give me a place where I belong, remember!?"
"Yes, I will give you a place where you truly belong."
Suddenly, Serena magically created a small hole in the glass cage. Xenon immediately threw his lit cigarette inside the cage, and it immediately combusted all the gas inside. My royal dress and my beautiful flawless skin caught flames before I knew it. The hole on the glass cage immediately closed the moment flames ignited, locking up all the fire in my very location.
"...You belong in hell." Xenon muttered.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!! No! No! I'm burning!" I cried out loud. I screamed. I begged. But the three people in front of me does not care. Xenon watched me with an empty expression. Serena watched me with slightly guilty eyes. Danielle watched me with delight on her face. "Fuck you, Xenon Paul Animusphere Wingate!!! Fuck you, Serena Azregon Maizono!!! Fuck you, Danielle Harrison Keine!!!" I shouted their whole names aloud as I cursed.
It hurts. It burns. It's hot. The excruciating pain of having my skin, flesh, and bone all the way to my marrow is too much for my brain to handle. It is certainly a hell inside the world of the living. My silky hair combusted. My eyes evaporated. My limbs converted to charred ashes. I could not do anything but to face this inhumane punishment that has been inflicted upon me.
I do not deserve this! All I wanted is to fulfill my destiny as Elysia's Oracle! Why did it have to be this way! My son, my husband, and my ex-lover all betrayed me. It does not have to be something like this!
Suddenly, Danielle Keine muttered, perfectly describing what person I have truly become.
"You burn too well for a wet cold bitch, mademoiselle. Au revoir."
[MARISSE TRYSTGADE - K.I.A.]