"Cayn! Speak sense unto her!" this was the first time Ariel said Cayn's name, who was standing still in his place, staring with cold eyes.
Silence englobed the hall, or what was left of the palace.
"Are you still not willing to show your true self?" Asked Amina.
The gods watched in confusion.
Diana herself, who was waiting, trying to judge a bit of Raist's ability, was also confused as she stared at her mother.
But suddenly her eyes widened as she looked over at Iris on the ground. The black knife in her body shook slightly.
She only noticed it now. It was screaming silently that if it wasn't for the quietness now she would still have not noticed.
Yet Amina noticed with hers...
Looking at Iris not showing any signs of moving, Amina clenched her teeth and slashed her psyche in a flash.
SWOOSH!
Iris appeared a few meters away from where she was.
Ariel didn't know what was going on anymore, nobody knew until they heard laughter coming from Iris' side.
Laughing hysterically like a maniac.
"HAHAHAHA! DAMN! If it weren't for that psyche everything would have gone easily. But I guess you never want the easy way. HAHAHAHA! That is why it's always fun to torture you!"
Ariel's mind froze in place.
"LORD! LORD! LORD!" He screamed, not calling for the Iris in front of him, but the real one, but it was to no veil.
"Yeah yeah," the Iris in front of him had her pinky in the ear annoyed by Ariel's voice, "She not gonna answer.
Ariel's eyes widened. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN! WHERE IS SHE? WHAT DID YOU DO!" HE screamed as loud as he could with everything he got.
The Iris in front of them sighed heavily, her shape suddenly started changing, and in a matter of seconds, it became Ariel, a healthy one with majestic wings. "What do you think?" He asked. "She was looking forward to looking beautiful at this party, too bad..." he smirked satisfied.
"No... She is not so easy to fool..." murmured the real Ariel.
"Normally yeah, but that's another case when she got her guards lowered with you, isn't that right, Ariel?" The fake one smiled wickedly.
"No no no..." he kept murmuring as his eyes slowly started losing all sanity.
The fake Ariel changed back to Iris and gently walked to him, but Amina had already stood between them.
The fake Iris smirked and spoke in a gentle voice, "Ariel, dear, I am here, everything will be okay, I just lost a bit of myself with the injuries. I am still me..."
Ariel's body shook at that voice, his eyes teared up.
"Look at me Ariel, look at me my love, everything will be okay, I will protect all of us..."
"Honey?... Is that really you?..." His eyes couldn't focus properly on how watery they were, and how everything so far was too much of a shock to him.
He slowly raised his head with a smile while his eyes were still crying rivers. "Is that you?" He looked at her hoping.
But he was met with a gruesome scene, Iris' cheeks slowly tearing up, opening a huge demon mouth with millions of teeth, "It's me, baby, come to me..."
"My love..."
To the surprise of everyone, he stood up not caring about his injuries, and walked past Amina, bewitched not able to see the sight in front of him.
"My love..." he muttered again making his way to her.
Thud.
He was met with Amina's psyche to his chest.
He raised his hands in Iris' direction, as if he was trying to catch her. "I am coming, I am coming to you..."
Iris, with the face of a demon, opened her arms inviting him.
He smiled happily, but as he noticed he couldn't walk forward anymore he stared at the thing poking his chest.
He turned to Amina slowly, then his expression changed to that of a crazy man, screaming with spit coming out of his mouth. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING! LET ME GO-"
BOOM!
Before he could utter anything more Amina slapped him with the back of the psyche, making him fall to the ground.
His injuries started hurting him again.
"SHH!" He hissed in pain. And slowly his voice turned into cries. 'She's dead.' His hand held his heart tightly, crying out with everything he got.
Diana turned to look over at Cayn.
Their eyes met for a moment, with hers widening.
He didn't say anything...
For the entire time, he must have known... and with that, she is the final frontline...
He must know a lot more than what she understands at this moment, and what she understood already is that the true evil god hasn't shown himself yet.
But Cayn was standing there...
She couldn't see it from his cold eyes. He was not willing to move.
She could feel it as her heart shook at his deep eyes. 'Ask for my help.'
Her expression suddenly darkened.
It was obvious, as her man, and as her mentor, he didn't want to stop her growth by jumping in where she may reach another stage battling to her death, knowing she may never forgive him for acting like that.
But for him to look at her like this, he must know what will happen to her...
She looked at him one more time, with eyes that looked too sad and heartbreaking, speaking to him, 'If I die, so be it. As long as you are here, I will never truly die.'
Cayn's body froze, and his eyes widened, taken aback by the words her eyes uttered to him.
His fingers left the bloody skin it pierced in his hands, and he stood there, lowering his head to look at the ground.
Her eyes went dark and you couldn't see the expression she was making anymore.
She raised her head toward the dark sky. She could find the mana trembling miles from them, slowly making their way here.
Steam appeared from her mouth as she breathed out heavily.
The evil god is already making his way with the entire army.
Even if Amina prepared the army now, they would never be able to win or stop without the protection of the gods. And other than Diana, they will all die in the hands of Raist alone.
The strength of this fake Iris was unmeasurable to her. Two individuals whom she already can't fathom the strength of, and yet their strongest was still on his way.
It was obvious now why she noticed the worries in Cayn's eyes behind his cold demeanor.
If she asked his help, they would disappear.
But is that what she wanted? To depend on him whenever things don't go according to her plan?
But does that also mean she had to die trying and sacrifice everyone here because of her pride?
She can ask him to protect the others while she stands in the frontline, but, does she have to torture him like this and make him watch her fight to the death? Knowing full well she will not survive?
Then, will she put her pride down and ask for help?