'Something smells nice.' Oriane flutter opened her eyes. Her face was pressed into dark hair. Right below her vision the ground was moving in rapid speed. '...The ground…why is it moving?' "Hmh…"
"Ah I think she's up," a young woman's voice said. "Put her down."
She felt the sensation of being pulled down from someone's back and on to a makeshift pillow. Three faces came in and out before another joined in. Rough hands rubbed her arm and pinching the skin.
"She regained her senses." This time it was a deep voice of a man speaking
A cheery voice questioned, "Then why isn't she up yet? Ana?"
"How can I say that? I am a Saint, not a doctor."
"Same thing~"
"Ugh. It's not. And I didn't study herbology at the temple."
"Sylvester pick her up again," Shulia's voice returned. "We need to pick up the pace of we want to escape by today."
"But Li-li we don't know if it's today or tomorrow here in the Void Maze. Forget hours, heck we don't even know how many days it has been!"
"Don't be so dramatic! We are going to escape come rain or shine."
She felt herself being lifted up. Once again she found Sylvester's hair tickling her face. Closing her eyes she immersed in her dreams.
"Oh my! She's asleep again." Sullivan melted into a taller height and teased her nose with his cold slime-like hand. Immediately Oriane wrinkled her face. "Aha ha~ So funny~"
Shulia swatted his hand. "Stop that." A secretion of his Sludge pup came up to her wrist. "Ugh! Gross!"
"You're no fun~" He looked back. "Do you think this is the right decision to leave her behind? Ana?"
Anatole didn't say anything.
Sullivan tilted what seemed to be his head. " No comment huh? You have been quite whenever Miss Fairy's name comes up. Are you regretting it~"
"Don't worry. At least Baron's with her," Sylvester said adjusting his grip on Oriane. "And if anything happens to her, just know Anatole's blood will be on my hands."
He glared at Anatole. 'I swear if there's a single scratch on her nothing in this world will stop me from making disappear from this world.'
'...is what he's probably thinking.' Anatole quietly signed.
"Uwah. Scary~ Does that mean I can kill someone too?!"
Shulia turned irritated. "Guys nobody's killin' nothin'. Till Claudina gets back we gotta find the exit of this place."
"Sourpuss."
She threw a dirty look and went on ahead of them.
"DUchEss HoW shOuld wE kIlL hEr? rOasTeD? ToaSted? Or WilL sHe bE mAde iNto a loAf oF breAd?" Baron was laying on his back with some of the red butterflies resting on his belly. They seemed to getting along well compared to their initial meeting.
Claudina didn't look up from the purple Forbidden Grimoire. The smallest butterfly was gently snoozing off to dreamland on her shoulder.
"Hmm? Are you still hungry? I thought you ate humans on the way."
"I thOughT i Did tOo." He flicked his forked tongue. "tHe tAste WaS SubpAr. naSty eVen."
"Fool!" Rosalinda screamed.
'Ah. Her gag came off again…'
"Isn't it obvious that was an illusion? The Inquisitor must have done it so to thaw you!"
"Then why hasn't he come to save you yet? Oh right. I forgot he's dead."
She clicked her tongue. Suddenly an idea came into her head. She slowly started, "You know there are people trapped in this tower…"
Claudian didn't answer.
"iLlUsiOnS?" Baron asked sitting up.
"No real people. People the Inquisitor captured from the island and brought them here. I could tell you where they are if 'You' would let me go." The 'you' was directed at Baron who fidgeted in place. The thought of eating humans again made him salivate. However, before he could answer something or rather someone knocked him out.
"Oh, my days. A human tempting a demon in this age and era? What has the world come to." Though it was said in a cheerful tone the menacing threat behind it was clear to Rosalinda.
"Heaven forbid young lady there are people locked in the basement!"
She raised her eyes. "A trap is it?"
"No! Just…Hah…there's no point in fighting with you all right?!"
"Your thick skull finally got it? What a dream come true~"
"You took the first of the Forbidden Grimoires, the greatest weapon of the Progenitor from me, and now found the secret Grimoire that they hid… something we the Heiva race have never been able to find."
'Who the hell is the Progenitor? Some new enemy?'
Rosalinda signed again. "You have proven you are superior. I concede."
Claudina tilted her head. "Ok…" was all she said and returned to the Grimoire.
Stupefied she gazed at her. "I told you I am admitting defeat."
"So you did."
She gaped in confusion. "Shouldn't you go save those people then? They might be in danger."
"Is that so? Frankly, I don't give a damn about other people."
Rosalinda looked at her sideways completely baffled. "Aren't you a saintess?"
She turned a page. "So? I only save others that I am ordered to save. As for the rest, they are nothing but meat shields."
"You will burn in hell."
"We are already in it, darling. And as you can see I am not burning. Also," Her gaze turned sharp as she glanced behind. A thin line of smoke tried to blur her vision but she shot beams of water stopping the attack from even being started. "I can finally see through your tricks. So shut your mouth."
The gag magically tightened around Rosalinda's mouth. "Mmph! Mmph!"
Horus had gone by.
So far Rosalinda had made various aborted means of escape all of which were foiled by Claudina.
Rosalinda spat out the gag again. "Hey~"
Claudina glanced but didn't say anything.
"Did you seduce Lucas because you loved him too?"
"Are we close enough to share love stories?"
"Well I am bored and there's no one around."
"..."
"So anyways, Lady Merle was completely baffled when her senile aunt actually bought a blue dyed goose at the county to show that it really could tap dance."
"...Please don't mistake my silence to continue ahead with your stories. Usually my silence means 'why are you still talking?'."
"And wouldn't you believe it? The blasted bird really did tap dance! Top hat and cane included! Do you know what happened next?"
"It tap danced inside the kitchen where the chef caught it and turned in it into the count's next meal..."
Rosalinda nodded vehemently. "Yes! That's exactly what happened!"
'Now I am wishing I could also see that goose dancing...'
The next page depicted a drawing of a person hanging from a chain above a dark hole. Looking closely the chain had a serpent's head that was holding a chunk of flesh in it's maw. The drawing was so detailed that Claudina felt a little sick.
Beside the drawing on the white sheet written in intense copper ink were the following words: 'Οι χαтерян ερέςnen glücвые дθρού μα eατιμασμs Feinиуши нtzten Aktώτης αρсть пепihre Seeυς καιел первоνα γεννηwärzen und neбновленu Anfanψυχέ legΜε αυeb ückшего враελευ ταöge душράξη чалаηθεί очеschwä.'
The translation of the text was: 'The lost fortunate souls of our enemy are finally disgraced. With this last act may the ash of first beginning blacken their souls and be born renewed.'
"Hmm? Born renew? Reincarnation, not resurrection?"
"Hey what are you talking about? You aren't listening. You see the other day I-"
"Got it!"
Rosalinda raised her eyes. "Got what?"
Claudina smirked. She will kill this nuisance once and for all. Glancing down at the floor she found a resounding crack. Grinning she closed her eyes and stomped on them, releasing magic through her foot.
Rosalinda's yelping was enough for her to realize it worked. The floorboards were weak enough for them to break. All the butterflies awoke from stupor and flew up to the rafters.
With the book under her arm, she strutted over the brand-new hole in the boards. Claudina gazed down into the dark abyss. Hanging from a broken splinter was Rosalinda.
She sneered. "How the mighty have fallen~"
"I had already fallen. Fallen when your first captured me."
"No, you weren't. You were still planning on attacking me." She cocked her head in amusement.
Rosalinda silently glowered. "You think you have won?" Gone was the will of fight but her sharp eyes didn't falter at the face of death.
"Oh, no. I don't think I won," Claudina said chuckling behind her hand before smiling with all her teeth. "I know I have won."
"Relish in your victory as much as you want but know this…love will always prevail."
She scoffed. "Of course, it will. Look where it has led you to."
Shaking her head, Rosalinda continued to stare at her.
Scowling Claudina hissed, "This is what your so-called love amounts to! This is what everything you did for Lucas May has amounted to! Your revenge was futile!"
"You who have never been in love will never understand. Love…makes you do things you would never even think of doing yet you do all just to see them smile."
"Yet I am at the top looking down on all. I would say never falling in love is a good thing."
Rosalinda shook her head. "And? What do you want to do to me?"
"Nothing much." She raised her arm and grasped the air. With a sharp yank, she pulled out a metal chain seemingly out of nowhere. At one end there was a serpents head that hissed. Looking down with its hallow eye sockets it moved with a will of it's own. This chain then twisted and coiled down form Claudina and to Rosalinda where it bound and lifted her up with ease.
Claudina threw the other end-this one shaped like a tail-at the rafters. It tightly wrapped the sturdy beam and from there Rosalinda hanged. The snake head that was around Rosalinda would hiss and bite her painfully.
"The 'silver snake' will drain your vitality and continue to tear away your flesh until you repent. Then it will drop you in the abyss so you maybe reincarnated as someone else in your life."
"This will be your eternal suffering," Claudina said. She looked downcast. "...And also my last respects."
Rosalinda was shell-shocked before smiling in defeat. 'Truly she has defeated me…I am not even feel angry that she killed Lucas anymore…' "...Thank you for your mercy. Those Grimoires…are yours to keep."
She only nodded not looking her in the eye.
"If…if I do I get reincarnated I hope to be your friend. A close friend whom I can exchange love stories with."
Finally she looked up and smiled as sincerely as possible. "...As do I."
With her eyes closed and a smile of her cold dying face Rosalinda looked the picture of serenity.
"....Farewell Rosalinda Carlos. May we meet again."