Cruxia pulled the arrow out of her shoulder, ignoring the pain she felt and the little amount of blood that came out of the fresh wound. The adrenaline rushing through her body drowned out the pain and provided her with the energy to keep fighting even though the battle had been going on for days already. She was not tired.
But she was angry instead.
Angry for a reason she could not explain to herself. She couldn't explain why she wanted to hurt these creatures. She just knew she wanted it. Her people had been at war with the Tenarians for thousands of years. The last time the Tenarians invaded their lands, they killed the royal family and caused the downfall of the glorious Kingdom of Dragdom.
The Yxals were divided again into the ancient clans that existed for thousands of years. They had fought one another for decades until they were united again by one man. Sonder the Sunderer united them to fight against their oldest enemy. The Tenarians wanted to take their lands with its resources. They want to enslave the Yxal race and force them to work for them. They want to use them to quarry Alirium in the darkest depths of this world. The Yxals will never be enslaved.
Sonder had promised them that and much more as long as they followed him. He promised them revenge for their shattered kingdom and the annihilation of the royal family. They had every reason to fight, but Cruxia still couldn't explain why she felt so furious. She had never felt so angry before until she met Sonder. She was not only angry at the Tenarians. She was just angry in general, and she had no idea why.
Her gaze fell on their leader, who was not far from her. Sonder the Sunderer had a tall, shadowed body with dark, obsidian-like skin fractured by glowing red fissures. His build was muscular and imposing, with large, jagged limbs and sharp, angular joints, creating a powerful, segmented silhouette. His haunting face held two glowing eyes filled with anger, framed by a cracked, wide, sharp-toothed grin. Crystal-like spikes emerged unevenly from his skull. Fragments of spiked armour loosely covered his form, and his large, clawed hands radiated strength.
The moment she looked at him, Sonder cut a Keristian soldier in halves with his gigantic double-bladed axe. It was so huge and seemed so heavy that even creatures with very pronounced muscles would have to use both hands to carry and swing it. But Sonder was built differently. He was the strongest Yxal Cruxia had ever met in her twenty-three years.
The Sunderer's axe went through another soldier like a hot knife through butter. Sonder was good at killing, and his haunted features displayed pleasure when he was killing anyone and anger when he was not.
Her focus was drawn back to her imminent surroundings as two Tenarian soldiers approached her. They had no wings coming from their backs, so she assumed they were Keristians, not Anxoyals. That made it easier for her to fight them, not that it was easy in the first place. Fighting them would not be easy, but at least not as impossible as taking down an Anxoyal who could attack her from above and fly away to dodge her mace swings.
The two soldiers were coming at her from two sides, flanking her. They wore heavy armour, making them slower than Cruxia, who was not the fastest among the Yxal but not the slowest. She was tall and muscular; her armour only covered her torso, and her legs were covered by thick leather. She was more agile than them. The Tenarians she had fought and slain were proof enough.
Nevertheless, she had not managed to avoid getting injured. An allied blood magus had treated the deep cut in her left upper thigh, and the cut on her left cheek was barely visible. The blood magus had promised her no scar would remain. Her armour was damaged, a deep and long slit exposed pink skin that had remained uninjured so far.
She was prepared to handle the enemy soldiers simultaneously, but it didn't come to that. A dagger hit the left one through the slit of his helmet right in the left eye, causing him to stop walking and cry out in pain. The other soldier didn't let himself get irritated and kept approaching Cruxia, who carried her mace in both hands, ready to use it to bash the soldier's head in.
The soldier swung his sword, which was too short to be a two-hander, but Cruxia was quick enough to avoid it and executed a forceful swing right after. The soldier was too slow to prevent it; he staggered back as the heavy mace head hit him in the chest. The material of his armour didn't shatter or crack, but the hit still impacted him. The soldier must be distracted by the pain he felt; Cruxia assumed that by the look in his eyes. The Yxal took advantage of the moment of distraction and executed another swing; a loud cry escaped the soldier's lips as her mace shattered his left kneecap. The armour there was much thinner than the armour that covered his torso.
The eyeholes, the kneecaps and the armpits were the only weak points of the Tenarian armour. And Cruxia knew how to take advantage of them. A shattered kneecap was not enough to defeat her opponent, so another quickly followed. The soldier collapsed; even if the immense amount of pain he felt didn't stun him, he would be unable to get up and stand at all.
Cruxia didn't hesitate to release him from his suffering. Not because she didn't want to see him suffer any longer but because she wanted to prevent him from harming any of her brethren. But also because she wanted to kill him for everything that his people had done to hers. He may not have been responsible for the downfall of Dragdom, but she didn't care. She couldn't exclude that he had not played a part in it. Tens of thousands of soldiers had invaded Dragdom seventy-one years ago. There was a chance he was among them, which was reason enough for her to hate him.
She needed three forceful swings to crack the soldier's helmet and one more to crush his skull, spilling his brains all over the ground that was already stained blood and gore. She turned her head to look at the other soldier, spotting her sister fighting him. Knives stuck in the backs of the soldier's knees; four more in the shield he carried in his right hand. The soldier wouldn't be able to move much; Cruxia expected Karilla to finish him off eventually, so she turned away and sprinted towards the nearest enemies. Together with two of her brethren, she was able to kill three Tenarian soldiers within a minute.
She turned to them, wanting to tell them to follow her, as an Anxoyal appeared out of nowhere and picked up one of the soldiers, a male, lifting him into the air. There was nothing Cruxia could do to save the soldier once he was high above her. She couldn't prevent the Anxoyal from dropping the soldier.
Within seconds, the soldier crashed onto the ground too far away for her to reach him in time. There were dozens of Tenarian soldiers between her and the spot where the soldier had just landed. The chances were slim that he had survived the fall from such a high distance. If he did, she had no doubt nearby Yxals would take care of him if they got the chance.
For now, Cruxia had no choice but to fight her way through the mass of approaching soldiers. Fortunately, she was not alone. Ahead of her was still Sonder the Sunderer, who cleaved his way through the enemy lines. There didn't seem to be any Tenarian who could match him. Although the Anxoyals had the advantage of the higher ground, it hadn't ended well for the two who had decided to attack him on their own. Their bodies were scattered in pieces all over the battlefield. Sonder didn't treat them lightly.
Cruxia was about to catch up to her leader when a figure in the sky crashed onto the battlefield; the shockwave unleashed by the heavy impact knocked Tenarian and Yxal soldiers away. The radiant light radiated by his golden armour made it hard for her to look at the bulky Anxoyal. Her eyes started to hurt if she looked at him for too long. She was not that close to him yet; there were dozens of Tenarians she had to overcome first before she could approach the man, she believed was leading the Tenarian army in this battle.
The Anxoyal raised his spear, and the tip began to glow suddenly. The brightness of the light became exorbitantly stronger within mere seconds, blinding Cruxia, who had been looking in the Anxoyal's direction at the exact moment. She could no longer see what was happening around her.
---
Cruxia opened her eyes once she realized she was awake; the throbbing of her head was disturbing her. She had no idea where she was since it was very dark. Her eyes needed a few moments longer than usual to adjust to her surroundings; it was not unlikely the pain in her head was responsible. She spotted Celeste sitting not far from her with her wrists and ankles bound together by chains. Cruxia looked down at herself, noticing she was tied up as well.
"Are you awake?" she asked quietly, moving her head to see if she could spot anyone nearby. She didn't spot anyone outside the bars that defined the prison cell they were in.
"I am. How are you feeling?" Celeste asked.
Cruxia was surprised that Celeste asked about her well-being. She was wondering if she really meant it or was just being polite. "My head hurts...What happened?"
"One of the guards hit you in the head pretty hard. Do you remember what happened before?"
"I do."
"Would you tell me what you were talking about with the warlords? I know the conversation didn't go as you hoped, but as you know, I don't understand your language. I would appreciate it if you could tell me."
Cruxia regarded the Anxoyal, wondering what she should tell her. She was at least sure that telling Celeste that she was trying to use her as a bargaining tool wasn't a good idea. "We were discussing my permission to stay in Jeekalan. But they didn't listen to the things I had to say. They imprisoned me because the eastern Clans believe that my father's errors were not settled with the near eradication of my clan."
"But what does that have to do with the Deathchanter Clan?" The natural black-haired woman asked irritated, ignoring that Cruxia had mentioned her permission to stay instead of theirs. "You told me the eastern clans are in no position to pose a serious threat to the Deathchanter Clan."
"I told you the truth. The eastern clans are not the ones that worry the warlords," the Yxal replied, checking her head for signs of fresh or dried blood. She was relieved to find out there weren't any.
"Who do they worry about then if not the eastern clans?" Celeste asked; a mix of irritation and curiosity was visible on her face.
Cruxia leaned back, resting her head against the cold iron bars. "Your people," she replied shortly.
"Care to elaborate?"
"Our people have never seen eye to eye with one another in the past centuries. Heck, even since the beginning of time, our people have always been in conflict. No one remembers who or what started the conflict. All I know is that our people have despised each other for thousands of years. Aside from smaller skirmishes, there might have been peace in the last four decades, but we have never stopped mistrusting one another. Now that your people invaded our lands again and even got inside my settlement, murdered some of my brethren and stole a significant artefact, the warlords fear an invasion might happen again."
Cruxia had no idea why she was telling Celeste that. It was best for all Yxals that Tenaria didn't know the clans were trying to join forces, set aside their differences and work together against their common enemy. Perhaps because she didn't expect either of them to survive this. Especially not Celeste. There was no way the clans would allow her to return to Tenaria and tell her people everything she found out.
If she had to be honest with herself, she had never expected Celeste to ever return to Tenaria in the first place. She didn't want the woman's demise, but she would have kept her with her forever. She would have never allowed her to go home, but at least she would have tried to keep her alive. Perhaps Celeste could have made up for what she and her group had done in one way or another. But now Cruxia assumed Celeste's chances of survival to be pretty low, just like her own.
"I assume you want to imply the clans want to unite. I just don't understand what your extradition to the eastern clans has to do with it." Celeste was confused. She wanted answers and hoped she would get them this time. She hated being left in the dark most of the time.
She was glad Cruxia had been providing her with information since she took her with her. The Yxal didn't have to do that, but she had done it nevertheless. Celeste had to give Cruxia credit for that. She couldn't hold against her that she was not treating her well. The Yxal was treating her much better than she had expected. Nevertheless, she wouldn't forget the pain the Yxal had caused her so easily.
"You could say that they want to unite the clans again. I wish I could tell you why they want me, but I can't. It makes no sense to me."
"They want to set a clear example with you. They want to show that no crime goes unpunished and no treason goes unanswered," Celeste assumed.
Cruxia couldn't help but let uneasy laughter escape her lips. "It's not that they didn't already set an example by killing everyone in my clan except for me and that bitch."
"The only one who should have been punished was your father. I assume your brethren only followed their orders. According to what you told me about your clan," Celeste replied.
"I think that is the very first thing we can agree on. My father was not a good person. To me, to my siblings and to anyone else. He was a tyrant, and he dug his own grave. I just wish he didn't drag everyone else with him."
"You seem like a decent person," Celeste said after thinking long and hard about what to say to the other woman. "You are not as bad as the other members of your clan."
Cruxia chuckled. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Maybe," Celeste replied, looking at her left thumb, which was slowly improving. Her regenerative powers were not setting in since she still had to wear the magic-suppressing bracelet. Even if it healed crooked, she could still break it again and let it heal straight. If she would ever get rid of the bracelet, at least. "There is nothing we can do in our current situation, right?" Worry could be clearly seen on her face and heard in her voice.
Cruxia's expression turned serious. "I want to be honest with you. The odds are not in our favour. There is a possibility I might get a chance to survive this madness, but I'm uncertain if that small chance includes your survival as well."
"And what exactly does this chance look like?"
"The Kingdom of Dragdom may no longer exist, the royal bloodline has been extinguished, but many people still believe in its laws and traditions. Unless one's guilt is indisputably proven, my people can prove their innocence otherwise. A fight for life and death. If you survive, it means that Verrakhaal believes you are innocent. If you don't survive... Well, he will torment your soul for eternity."
"Sounds delightful," Celeste replied sarcastically.
"Who is Verrakhaal? Is he your god?"
"He is one of many gods my people worship. Most of us do not worship all the gods. It changes from clan to clan and from person to person which god they worship. Verrakhaal is the god of justice and is worshipped by everyone who believes in the god's existence. There is no reason not to believe in justice."
"Do you believe in the gods? Do you worship Verrakhaal?" Celeste asked curiously.
Cruxia turned her head to make sure no one had entered the room in the meantime. She leaned forward; her voice was but a whisper. "Honestly, no. But the only one who knows I do not worship any god is my sister. I just hope she won't tell the warlords I do not believe in their gods."
Celeste cleared her throat, and a serious look appeared on her face. "Do you think they will allow you to prove your innocence through combat?"
Cruxia shrugged. "If I can make the warlords listen... I do not know them, and I can only hope they still stick with the old ways."
A quiet, almost forced chuckle escaped Celeste's lips. "I know too many people who still live in the past. But in your case, it might be to your advantage."
Cruxia sighed. "Maybe. But even if they agree, I still have to fight to the death. It's either live or die. And who knows who they will select as their champion to fight me. I hope they chose Karilla, so I can kill this whore."
"Since you defeated your sister the last time you met, I doubt they will pick her."
"I should have killed her when I had the chance, but I didn't. She deserved death for her betrayal, but I couldn't do it. Her life was in my hands, but I chose mercy. I listened to my guts. I hope I won't regret that. Hopefully, I will never have to meet her again."
"I wish you good luck in any case," Celeste said sincerely, taking the taller woman by surprise. Cruxia was speechless, not knowing how to respond to that. She eventually managed to gather her thoughts and find a way to respond to the Tenarian, but she was not allowed to say what she had come up with.
"Look who we have here," a voice said.
It was a familiar one.
---
Silence. There was silence. Uncomfortable silence. But it was a short-lasting one. Mocking laughter filled the room but lasted even shorter than the preceding silence. His sister bit her bottom lip hard as pain crossed her facial features.
Nevi almost felt sorry for her; if only she hadn't attempted to mock him again. Valkoraya's wound had prevented her from continuing to make fun of him. If he felt any malicious joy at that moment, he didn't show it.
"Fuck this wound. Fuck Sonder. Fuck those fiendish bastards...," his sister hissed through gritted teeth.
Nevi held back a comment, knowing that upsetting his sister wouldn't do him any good. It wouldn't help him in the slightest.
It took some time, but his sister eventually regained her composure. Her blazing eyes found him again. "What were you saying again?"
He knew she wanted to brush the topic aside, but he wouldn't allow that. "I was speaking of the Return of the Sinister Sins," even before he had finished his sentence, Valkoraya had already rolled her eyes, clearly showing her annoyance once again.
"Do you ever stop talking about the Sinister Sins?" she asked with a raised voice.
"The Sinister Sins...," he began, but she interrupted him before he could finish the sentence.
"ARE DEAD!" Valkoraya shouted angrily, immediately wincing in pain as the wound betrayed her once again. Her anger didn't fade. "If it weren't for the Sinister Sins, I wouldn't have this wound in the first place."
"The Sinister Sins are immortal evil entities. They cannot die," he corrected.
Her eyes narrowed. "Smart arse."
"I'm only speaking the truth, which you rarely want to hear. But you cannot deny that I'm right, as I usually am."
"We will see about that. They may not be dead, but they didn't show their presence for decades. Not even when Dour the Insatiable begged his former master to save him. His pitiful pleas were unanswered, and he died. Betrayed and killed by his subjects."
"I have reason to believe they are planning their return," Nevi responded confidently.
His sister tilted her head, raising an eyebrow as she studied him. "Do you?"
"From what I have heard and seen; I have a bad premonition that we must deal with them again sooner rather than later."
Valkoraya's other brow was raised as well. "And what exactly have you heard and seen?" she asked slowly. "And why do you come to me with this in the middle of the night?"
Nevi pulled a small, thin black book out of the pocket on his belt and showed it to her. "I have written everything down here."
His sister hesitated for a moment. "Show me."
"Only if you promise me not to tear it apart. I have a spare copy."
That earned him an eye roll from his sister. "You know me too well..."
A small smile could be seen on his face as he stepped closer to her. She rested her head on her left fist, strands of brunette hair fell in her face. She opened her other hand, holding it out expectantly. Without hesitating, he handed her the book. She opened it and skimmed through the lines and pages, giving him the impression that she was only reading it half-heartedly. Nevi took a deep breath as he looked at her impatiently, and it took a lot of willpower to stifle a biting comment. As he had feared, his sister didn't take him and his concerns seriously.
He waited and waited. Valkoraya skimmed over the same pages over and over again. Either she was testing his patience or making fun of him. He was sure about one thing. She was wasting his time. And his time was precious to him, especially when considering what was at stake. "Are you finally fucking done, or do you want to keep wasting my time?" he asked impatiently, almost sounding angry.
His sister lifted her gaze from the book and looked at him. "You seem to be very proud of the information you collected. All I see are farfetched speculations and misinterpretations of signs you believe to have seen."
Irritation was reflected by his handsome facial features, and a small amount of anger quickly followed. "Are you fucking kidding me? I have explained it pretty clearly. Which part is hard to follow?". He could not believe that his sister was doubting him and his notes.
"Even if your gathered information is right, which it is not, and if the Seven Sinister Sins are indeed about to rise to power again, I don't see any reason why it should bother us."
"Have you forgotten what happened the last time the damned Sinister Sins wreaked havoc in our world? Have you forgotten what a threat they pose together?" he asked angrily with a raised voice.
"Of course, I have not! Or do you think the wound deep in my flesh is not memorable enough? Insufferable pain is difficult to forget when it occurs daily." His sister was as upset as he was.
A questioning look appeared on the auburn-haired man's face. "Then why the heck aren't you listening to me? I'm trying to prevent horrible things from happening. I don't want people to suffer under the destructive rampage of the Sinister Sins, nor do I want you to get hurt."
"It's already too late for that," his sister hissed, pointing at her deep flesh wound.
"It's not too late to save Xevas and all its inhabitants. May it be Tenarian, Yxal or hare, deer or mice. No one deserves to suffer the horrors the Seven Sinister Sins could unleash on this world."
Valkoraya's anger rose. "Then tell me, who made it possible that the Sinister Sins terrorized this world for the third time? Who set them free again? Who supplied them with enough power to escape their prisons?"
Nevi was not surprised she was saying that, but he was still disappointed that she did. He had thought better of her. He had hoped that she had finally come to her senses after all these years. He had hoped for her to realize what was at stake. Sadly, she didn't.
She was as stubborn and blinded by pride as the last time the Seven Sinister Sins drowned the world in terror. She had refused to help the mortals against them, believing that the mortals would have to deal with what they had foolishly unleashed upon themselves on their own. She had already paid the price for her pride and arrogance in the past. He hated to witness the same happening again. He hated to lose the only member that was left of his family.
He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts to formulate a response that would change his sister's mind. At least, he was hoping it would have that effect. "The mortals do not live as long as we do; they do not have the chance to collect as much life experience as we do. They are not as smart as we are, but they are smart nonetheless. They are not as bad as you think they are. I lived among them for a long time and recognized kindness, empathy and generosity, among other positive traits. They are worth saving, and we must work with them to save this world from darkness."
"The description you just gave may fit Tenarian citizens but not those outside Tenaria. Have you ever met anyone in the other four kingdoms with similar traits? You won't find kindness among the Yxals."
"The Yxals are not as bad as you think they are," Nevi tried to argue, but he was immediately interrupted.
"The Yxals have always been bloodthirsty, power-hungry and greedy creatures. They have always been like that, and they will never change! Never!" she replied, almost shouting.
Nevi tilted his head and raised his brows, softly biting his bottom lip to keep himself under control. He was slowly losing his patience and could not allow that to happen if he wanted his sister's help. It wouldn't help his cause if he started shouting back at her. He took another deep breath, rubbing the back of his nose with his fingers.
"Have you ever met a Yxal in the past hundred years?"
"What are you trying to achieve with a question like this?" Valkoraya asked him. Unlike him, it was evident that she was losing her patience faster rather than slower.
"I want to know if you actually met a Yxal to know how they behave or if you apply the one negative memory you have of one specific Yxal to all Yxals that live these days. Just because you met one piece of shit among them doesn't mean all of them are like him."
"You seriously believe there are good Yxals?" she asked, speechless and bewildered.
"I must admit that there are clans full of bad people, but there are also clans that do not share the same bloodlust and sadistic desires."
"Aren't the clans always at war with each other? Their numbers have shrunk considerably in recent decades. After the death of the last Yxal king and the destruction of Noxvalen, the once most powerful kingdom of Xevas split into several provinces, later united into four greater territories. The remaining population was divided into the same clans that had been dissolved under the rule of the Grimflare family. Once the Yxal population was no longer united under one leader, they reverted to their old habits. Instead of holding together and rebuilding their fallen kingdom, they fought each other for power, resources and territories. They have already proven that they are incapable of change."
"The death of the last member of the Grimflare bloodline didn't help either. Morvanna Darkblood, the last legitimate heir to the Dark Throne, died so you could have the pathetic satisfaction of vengeance."
"I don't need to justify my actions to the likes of YOU," Valkoraya spat. She was much angrier than before; it surprised him that it was even possible.
"You couldn't hurt Sonder the Sunderer, so you took out your anger on the person closest to him. On someone who had nothing to do with what Sonder did to you."
"IT WAS NOT ONLY ME HE HURT! HE SLAUGHTERED OUR MOTHER AND HALF OF OUR FAMILY!" Valkoraya roared out angrily. She had gotten up from her throne and stepped forward despite the immense pain caused by the sudden movement. Her doctor was anything but happy that she was overexerting herself. He approached her, trying to calm down, but she shoved him away.
In contrast to his sister, Nevi was much more composed. "What he did to our family still didn't give you permission to murder an innocent child."
"You are right, I shouldn't have killed her. I should have killed you instead. You are the one who was foolish enough to trust the Yxals and invited Sonder and his followers to our temple. You led them in and gave them the opportunity to murder us in our sleep."
Nevi shook his head; sadness and grief were reflected on his handsome face as he recalled the fateful day. After more than a hundred years, he still remembered his mother's painful screams as the Sunderer's axe cut through her scaled skin and burrowed deep into her flesh. He couldn't forget the mass of blood that was split when Sonder cut through his younger siblings. He and his followers left nothing but separated body parts and corpses behind. Nevi and his oldest sister barely escaped Sonder's wrath, and only Nevi remained unharmed. Valkoraya had not been so lucky.
"I never stop regretting what I did that day. I have been naive and foolish enough to believe Sonder's lies. I let myself be deceived by him, and I will never forgive myself for that. But I'm not the same foolish man anymore. I know how dangerous the Sinister Sins are. They were the ones who sent Sonder to kill us, and they still want to corrupt every living being and turn them into their obedient slaves. They won't stop until they control all of Xevas and its inhabitants," Nevi said, his voice quieter than before.
He took another deep breath before channelling his thoughts for one last attempt. "Don't you want to stop the Seven Sinister Sins after they took so much from us? They took so many beloved people from us, including our family. Wasn't it the Chosen of Envy that killed your betrothed? Do you want more creatures to suffer under their influence?"
Valkoraya regarded her brother as she thought about everything he had said. It took her several minutes to give him an answer finally. "After everything I have seen in the past hundred years, I don't believe the mortals are worth saving. They haven't changed, and they never will." That was not the answer Nevi had been hoping for.
Disappointment decorated his face as he slowly shook his head. "I was hoping you could understand the seriousness of the situation, but it seems I was wrong about that. I have no choice but to do this on my own." He didn't wait for Valkoraya's reply as he turned around and walked to the room's exit.