The witch flew to Saiya and aimed her hand covered in purple mana towards her neck. My body jumped in and the witch's mana stabbed my arm.
Iren ran up to back me up. The witch was laughing and crying uncontrollably as Iren struggled to defend against her swift attacks.
"Khan! Evacuate the others and bring in assistance from the barrier. Tell them we're leaving RIGHT NOW!"
Purple flamed beasts were gradually growing in number and now we had another beast to worry about.
A giant bearlike beast butted into Iren's battle and attacked him with many more skeletal beasts.
The witch was free from Iren and continued towards Saiya.
And I felt it.
The danger...
The excitement running through my blood.
In my body, my heart, my soul...
I could feel an unknown warmth welling up inside me, pulling me towards her like a magnet. Something urged me to run, to protect her with all my life. An odd nostalgia flooded my eyesight with feelings I never knew existed.
Why.
Why do you make me feel this way?
My actions played before me like an unreal dream, watching my body move before I can think. My sword appeared into my hands and the pink glow burning into the flesh of not one, but both of my wrists, had awoken another beast inside of me. I could feel my instincts and emotions overwhelmingly sharpen my senses.
And as I heard thoughts flow into my head...
"If I don't do it now, there WON'T be a 'NEXT TIME'!"
...I realized the voice of the thoughts were of my own.
"She'll die again!" I heard myself in my mind say.
She?
When did I ever cared about that woman? We had only met a few thousand years ago since our promise and only a few weeks have passed after meeting up with her. Why. I shouldn't even care if this witch dies. And yet, even though I fancy Tera, the one who makes my heart race isn't him, but Saiya.
How could this be?
Is it my curse or is it really this 'other contract'.
Though it wasn't my life flashing before my eyes, I rewatched a short memory of the witch spouting nonsense to me.
"Have you ever heard of the tale of 'The Lady Noble's well?" she asked me.
"Hah? Why are you asking me that?" I grunted.
She smirked at me and began to say, "The-"
"I KNOW!" I blurted before she could say another word," What do you want witch lizard? Just say it!" For some reason, I felt as though I knew how the conversation would have ended if I continued to listen to the witch.
"Well, do you believe in myths like those? I heard that when you cut off the head of a witch, they can still move. So if you ever encounter one, you should try it. Knowing you, you're the bloodthirtsy type," she giggled.
"Hah? That's disgusting! Why would I do that?!" I yelled out.
"You would if 'life' depended on it," she said smiling as she watched Saiya laughing with Lex.
I headed out of the room when icy cold water splashed on me from above.
"Wow, you fell for that?" the witch giggled at me.
Her giggles... I had heard them before...
The thousand voices whispered and giggled from her breath," MUTT! Remember the 'Head'!"
"IS THIS WHAT YOU MEANT ALL THIS TIME?!" I shouted," WITCH?! TERA?!"
My head was filled with feelings I had hardly ever visited. But the one thing that felt familiar to me, was the sensation of my blade permeating into fresh blood as the witch's head fell and rolled onto the ground.
As soon as I heard Saiya cry out for her mother, I had snapped from my instinctual trance.
My head panged with guilt, confusion, and shock...
..but most of all, I was smiling as my blade tasted blood and the feelings of extreme relief numbed my body ticklish. My heart raced from the exhilarating blood shed, but my mind pierced with anger.
Why did this happen?
Why does life always... have to end?
Especially by my hands.
I looked at the witch's face as her laughter slowing died away and demanded her for an answer,
"Why?! Did you know this would happen? Was this what you calculated? How, Witch? How?!"
"No! Mom!" Saiya screamed holding tightly to her lover's body. She was frightened from watching the scene and seeing her mother's head on the ground as the result of the battle.
"Are you perhaps, a dream seer, Esther?" Shia asked.
"I am," she replied as tears fell from her eyes.
"So you knew of this outcome and made the spellbound contract on Kyuro. A love spellbound contract. You knew Kyuro was one of the strongest warriors of Amaya and because he has a strong influence on the Amayan army, you wanted to use him to ensure the safety of your daughter," Shia speculated.
"Hahaha. Perhaps it was partially that... But truly.. I hated the fact that I had to give her up.. not being able to hold her anymore, not being able to see her smile.. I had to give up those things in order for her to live," she said.
"You saw that you would have ended her life, because you became one of the 'infected'," Shia said.
"And the only one who could stop me, was the mutt," she said.
"So you would END your life simply from that?! What if we would could have saved you from this 'infection'?!" I yelled at her.
"You can't... It's not merely an infection. It's a spell. An ancient curse upon sinners and I have sinned," she said.
"How?!" Dr. Varen exclaimed," How do you know of this?!"
"Pft.. I'm a dream seer, a seeker of the future. I envy you doctor. You'll end up continuing walking on that pitiful road of yours, but you'll get to watch many more lives survive, a future I will never see with my own eyes," she said.
"Wait, just how much have you seen?!" I asked her.
"Enough to know, I should have let Saiya meet you much earlier..but I didn't. I really hated the Solsarians and Amayans. This war only fuels my anger. It's a pointless argument of whose right and wrong, but... if I were to choose which side that would win to help Saiya live, it would have to be by you. That's the only way she could have survived. Well, survive long enough to do what you so long wish for," she said, staring at me with her dead eyes.
"I know that with every breath, your life is fading, so please before you die, I ask of you to undo the spell you casted on Kyuro. It's a soul confined contract, isn't it?" Shia asked.
"Wow, amazing, such a studious one as ever, as expected of you, blue bean brat. That's right," she said.
"Then undo it. The way you manipulated Kyuro into this contract is beyond stupidity. You could have lived longer," Shia said.
"That's right dummy, you should have let me help protect you," Tera said as his voice wavered.
Her head slightly tilted to face Tera as she said,"It's not possible nor would it have been. My life had been cursed from before I was born into this world. I used to believe my life was worthless and miserable until I had met you, Tera. Also, bean brat, my spell didn't work."
"Then what are the spell marks that appeared on Kyuro's wrists?" Shia asked.
"Ah, those. They're one of the spells abided to the Laws of Fate, just like my curse, his curse is bounded to Fate, to Saiya. I didn't want her life to be in your hands, Mutt, but the only one I can count on is you," she said as her body began to float and glow again, piecing her body back together.
"Hah?! Then what are these feelings that burn inside me?! If they're not your spell, then what is this curse you're talking about? What is it?!" I panicked as my hand firmly gripped my sword for the second slice.
"I realize now, that I've taken long enough to trust you, Amayans. Kyuro, I have seen the future with many eyes and I almost killed you with my spell, but please, you may not trust me for that, but trust me for my actions are for my daughter. Kill that man in Saiya's arms. His death is not the only one you must take, but it is one that will make a huge difference in the war," she said.
"No! No! Mom! Why Lex?! He hasn't done anything wrong!" Saiya cries out.
"You just never saw it, Saiya. But before that, kill me first, Kyuro. My body is no longer mine, it has been collected as collateral in turn for Saiya to survive until the next battle. You see, Saiya is fated to die, all because of you. Which was why I hated it."
No, no, no, NO!
"AGH! LISTEN TO ME!! LISTEN TO ME, BODY, NOT TO THAT DAMN CURSE!!!" I yelled as my arm swung.
I bit my lip and halted my body from taking another step, but the mana flowing within me disregarded my demands.
"Kyuro, Saiya is your Regia," Esther said before her body was impailed by light and shadow.
Smoke rose up with the fog and had lit the valley in gold. My body walked to the next enemy glowing in purple, feeling determined to eradicate all threats that laid infront of me and beyond the mountains surrounding us in green. I was angry, but my soul felt the opposite. It was calm. Is it even possible to feel this many emotions at once?
"Lieutenant Iren! The enemy is located right outside the barrier! They're heading this way!" a soldier said
"What?! How could this be? How did they find us?!" Iren yelled out as he fought.
"Miss, we have to go now!" Varen yelled out as an assistant help her up.
"No! He's gonna kill Lex!" Saiya screamed.
"He's gone!" the little boy from before yelled out," Now you have to go! And survive! Live lives for the people lost!"
That was unexpected.
Why did the boy come here?
Why was he here...
Never mind that...
What did Esther mean?
Saiya, a Regia?
My Regia?
Then that must mean I still have it.
"We have to go, Miss!" the little boy ran up and dragged her with the assistant and Varen.
"I never once liked you, Kyuro," Lex stood up and said. His body wasn't burning, but his eyes glowed purple with a tinge of blue.