The bitter cold night was thankfully averted by the abundance of flammable materials in the cave Leona didn't know if she could handle another night without a proper fire. Between the three of them they decided to keep watch in determined intervals whilst keeping the campfire working at all times so they wouldn't freeze to death, since even though it was a cave, the chill air gathered in the lower parts of the spacious room.
Leona was last, so she was afforded at least more sleep throughout the night, not that it was a blessing in a way.
She blinked her eyes a few times and felt the strange sensation of staring into the darkness again, only to be greeted by a flash of light that forced her to shut them close again. For a brief moment the blinding light subsided allowing her to slowly open her eyes.
"Let me welcome again, Leona Crossford." Through her blurred vision, she saw a man of about her height sitting on a throne of swirling miasma. "Though I much prefer when you can't see me clearly, you see, it makes for a more dramatic encounter."
He wore a prestigious military garb that consisted in a dark navy blue overcoat closed with golden buttons, shoulder pads of same color accompanied by pure white cotton gloves, the trousers shared the color of the coat which was broken by the black shin high leather boots. His hair was soot black beneath the military hat that held a pair of goggles around it, his laid back ocean blue eyes stared at his guests standing in front of him.
Leona's expression changed the moment she heard his voice.
"Lastraeous."
"Oh I'm taken aback, at least you remember who I am, even though I no longer wear the miasma." He clapped his hands together once. "You have grown splendidly well. I'd say you are now attuned to the darkness within you."
That sentence sent chills all over her body as if it was something like a terrible memory from the past.
"What do you mean by that?"
She threaded carefully as the words of an all almighty god couldn't be taken lightly.
"Oh dispense your worries for now." He waved his hand back and forth in disdain. "Life isn't meant to be always filled with happiness, that would make you take it for granted."
"Hasn't my life been filled with enough chaos already? While death is inevitable, enough suffering has already been engraved deep in the hearts of my people and mine. From the despair of having a loved one robbed right before our eyes, from a hard toiled dream crumble beneath the weight of hatred."
"Mark my words Leona. To live is to suffer, a myriad of worlds beyond the rift are bound to the same fate of your story as we speak. Pain and dread is an ever present emotion in the hearts of living beings. May they be human or demon." He chuckled to himself. "Well, not that it is the topic of the present conversation I wished to have with you."
He stood up and with a snap of his fingers, his clothing dissipated in miasma only to remold itself into an expensive-looking dark red tuxedo, coupled with tight leather gloves sharing the same color. Dark red formal pants and a shiny well polished leather shoe.
"Honestly you are one of the few mortals that are able to derail the conversation from the original subject." He adjusted the gloves in each hand before sitting down on the throne once again. "Darkness is a sentiment present in every living being. Not many know that is also a source of power, a nigh limitless one at that. However, I must warn you, the power that you possess is but a fraction of your true potential."
"Wait, why are you bothering telling me this then?"
"Because in time, if left unchecked it will consume your very being. In a world filled with pain and despair, it is all too easy to give yourself in and let it control you. While I believe death to be a beautiful thing, it often takes those whose duties are not yet completed. You still have a part to play in this act and it would pain me to see you being taken away by the very power I hold."
"So this does concern my well-being after all." She frowned her brows. "So what happens if this 'darkness' you speak of takes a hold of me?"
"It would be easy if I just showed you."
The moment he snapped his fingers again, her feet felt like it had no purchase with the once solid surface blade of water. At first it was an unpleasantly cold sensation throughout her legs as she tried to grasp whatever she could from the ground before sinking in entirely.
Even though her body felt like it was immersed in liquid, she could still breathe normally, however the light that came from above was quickly dissipating inside the curtain of darkness that she found herself sinking through.
'Dammit, what in the world is going on here?!'
As she moved her body, it felt as if fragments of her soul were starting to scatter throughout the liquid, numbness began to set in before her right arm was violently grasped by something that felt like a cold hand.
"Gah!"
She instinctively tried to pry it open with her left, but that arm was also held by multiple hands along her forearm. In her struggle, she began to hear voices echoing throughout the darkness.
"There is no hope…"
"No tomorrow…"
"Accept your inevitable fate…"
"That is death."
Her body felt like it was breaking apart, the myriad of cold hands pulled her even deeper in the darkness below and whatever faint light left from the surface became just a mere glint in the sea of black. As her consciousness began to fade, a memory of her mother and father flashed in her mind, despair set in as she struggled with all her might.
"I won't die here! I can't!"
As she extended her hand towards the light, many others began to cling to her, dragging her body deeper into the darkness, until she couldn't see anything anymore.
"Do you finally understand?" Lastraeous voice sounded distant, though his tone betrayed any hint of worry. "Humanity's woes are an infinite source of power for those attuned to the darkness within themselves. Continue on your path, but remember, even if you embrace the light, there shall always be a shadow behind your back."
"Ah!"
Leona shot up awake, she was drenched in cold sweat as she looked at both of her arms but there was no sign of marks from the hands that were dragging her down the abyss. She couldn't tell how every time she was brought to the void she could feel the sensations in her body so clearly yet there didn't seem to be any signs of what transpired in her physical form.
"Are you alright?"
A female voice came from her right. Athena's eyes were wide open from surprise staring at Leona, she held a broken piece of wooden table in her right hand while the left rested on the lever action rifle on the ground near her.
"It was just a nightmare, that's all."
She reached for her face, rubbing both eyes as her sight adjusted to the light of the campfire. The cold breeze made her have goosebumps while her whole body shook up along the chill from the base of her back towards the very tip of her head. She blinked a few more times and once she raised her head, she noticed Athena holding a fur coat from its collar.
"Here, take it. I was wondering why the elf left it with me before she went outside. Guess it was meant for you."
Leona slowly nodded a few times as she grabbed the coat and put it over her back. The piece of clothing was somewhat big for her, covering most of her upper body plus part of her thighs.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing." She tossed the piece of broken table in the fire before laying with her back against a pile of gold. "Listen Leona, I huh… I'm sorry ok? I didn't know about what you went through and went ahead and said something I shouldn't have."
The tactician had a weak smile on her face.
"It's not your fault, anyone would assume what you did. After all, many nobles don't deserve the position of nobility."
"Still, I think your tale is something straight out of a fairy tale, if not for your elf companion I wouldn't have believed you."
"How do you even know about Phoebe? I thought she was a bodyguard until just now."
"'Where an elf shrouded in darkness walks, death is surely to follow.' Or that is how the people of Akrapocalis say. She is quite infamous for killing corrupt nobles, much like the King Slayers. Though not quite as brutal as them."
"I see… I wasn't aware that she was such an accomplished fighter."
Athena tilted her head slightly.
"I wouldn't say fighter." She picked an arrow she had lying on the ground near her and showed to Leona, the tip was still coated with a murky dark green liquid, presumably a poison of some kind. "The moment she shot these coated arrows, most of the bandits here were already convulsing on the ground whilst foaming from their mouths. My point is, she probably knows exactly what to do to bring a man down as fast as one possibly can. It's a frightening thought."
"Yes I know exactly where to aim if that's your concern."
Phoebe's voice came from somewhere behind them.
"AH!"
Athena instinctively threw the arrow away but thankfully the high elf managed to catch it through the shaft.
"Careful with these, it can kill a person within a few seconds." She tossed it in the fire. "Even the slightest nick in the skin can get it inside your system and bam, you're dead."
The inventor brushed dust off her coat as she moved to the right to give Phoebe enough space to sit between her and Leona.
"Welcome back Phoebe."
"Thank you Princess."
As soon as she sat down, Athena tried to keep the casual conversation going to try and hide her nervousness from being near a well renowned assassin.
"I can't imagine how you can make poison like this, don't you fear you end up poisoning yourself?"
"Hah, I am still afraid of messing up while making them, but with enough time comes experience and with it, comes a certain trust in your own abilities. I am no legendary assassin, I'm just a person that has become a little capable at something others can't do." She leaned back and turned on her side to sleep. "Either way, I'll rest for now. Keep an eye out on the entrance, I made multiple rounds to see if there was any other way in but there were none so as long as you keep your attention there, nothing should take us off guard."
Leona nodded firmly and noticed Phoebe crossing her arms while holding both daggers in each hand to sleep. An unusual sight, but not enough to warrant a question from the tactician. A few minutes of quiet went by with only the sound of the crackling campfire to damp the sound of emptiness from the cave.
Athena threw another piece of broken chair into the fire while occasionally glancing towards the sleeping high elf.
"Well she is certainly a pro in my book." The inventor let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Phoebe still sleeping soundly after she spoke. "I never met anyone in that field of work before."
"Phoebe is very reliable. It was because of her that me and Krieg were able to flee from the capital." Leona said without taking her eyes off the swaying fire, she reminded herself of her fears but within there was a glimpse of hope like the embers that fuel said fire. "Me on the other hand… I've let my fears consume me for long enough."
"You had your reasons. I'm sure it was the first time for you, killing a person I mean."
Leona couldn't help but look directly into the inventor's eyes.
"Have you ever taken the life of another?"
"Twice. I still can remember the feeling of pulling the trigger." She seemed bothered by reliving the memory deep in her mind. "It was when I first knew about my brother's condition, my mother's retainers were ordered to take him away for 'cleansing' which was basically a death sentence for him."
Shock could be seen on the tactician's face, for her own parents to wish death upon one of her own blood it seemed inconceivable.
"You own mother?! But then the 'family' you spoke of before-"
"It is just me and him left. My first kill was my mother's most trusted retainer while the second…" She swallowed dry before turning to look Leona in the eyes. "...was my own mother."