"Hey!"
Anatole looked over the horizon and saw Claudina on top of Baron charging at full speed.
"Anatole! Sullivan!"
Nor he or Sullivan showed any sign of welcoming gesture.
Grinning widely she clambered down the demon, put him back inside the Ancient Power and ran up to meet them.
Though when she reached them she sensed a somber atmosphere. Sullivan who already looked young for his age suddenly appeared as if he aged twenty years his original age. Anatole bitterly ground his heel into the sand.
After a pause, she asked, "Why the long faces?" Then she looked around. "Where are the others?"
"...She's dead."
Startled, she looked behind.
Ashen-faced Shulia had tears streaming down her cheeks. Sylvester was clutching onto her like a child. The rims of his eyes were red from trying to stop himself from crying.
Claudina could guess what had happened.
"She died with that damn Inquisitor!"
"...Did you try t-"
"Nothing could stop that power of hers once it started.." There was a certain edge to Sylvester's words as he spoke. "It was futile."
"Why?…" Shulia griped. "...just why did she sacrifice herself like that?"
Claudina resisted the urge to say something with annoyance.
'So what if she's dead? We are still trapped in the Void Maze! We are still alive and need to move quickly to get out! And besides good radiance! She was weird, always touching me…grossed me out!'
But she didn't say it.
There was a bitter taste in her mouth. Disappointment, she thinks, disappointment for not being able to kill her first…
Instead, she loudly asked. "...Where's the body?"
"What do you need it for?"
"We'll take it back to Lord Uranus. He might help. Things of the Heavens should be treated by those of Heavens…And if not the least you can do, as her friends, for her to get a proper burial."
Sullivan recovered first. "...She's right. It might not be too late if we go and get the body back."
Anatole appeared to say otherwise but decided to get up as well.
"...Lead the way, Saintess."
Claudina noticed something was off about him but didn't question it.
'...He must be in grief...after all he lost a friend...'
Atlas stepped inside the rubble. "Goodness me! What a mess!"
"So you have arrived, master of mine."
He looked up and grinned with familiarity. Raising his pointer finger he let Calliope perch on it upside down.
"Hello, love."
Calliope hissed. "Late! Late and late!"
He chuckled. "Sorry but I got lost." His face brightened. "Oh but I met the most wonderful girl on the way here! The prettiest green eyes I have ever seen and an equally radiant smile! Oh my you should have seen how her eyes sparked! The nymphs themselves will covet such jewels!"
He remembered the bright glint of determination in her eyes and the confidence she excluded. Truly she was a marvel to see.
"She was kind enough to let me accompany. Thankfully we were going the same way so we chatted a lot. She's quite an amusing girl with some controversial opinions."
"Tsk! Praising a human in front of me!"
"No need to be jealous. You, the animals and the children in the orphanage will always be my first priority."
"Clammy words!"
He tilted his head in mild amusement. "But you know, this wouldn't have happened if you were my guide like you were supposed to be you. If anything, the fault lies on you."
"Bring no shame to my noble name!"
"Sorry, sorry…now," he looked around. "Where is that Inquisitor? He was supposed to receive me. Or maybe I arrived too late. I do hope he's not sulking…Well I bought some licorice, maybe it will be fine."
"Fool of mine, why not use your head so you the next time you can be ahead of time."
"My head? Calliope, did something happen?"
Calliope had a grim expression. She flapped her wings and flew up. "Follow this servant to see the consequences of your tomfoolery."
Atlas paused but followed her regardless. 'Calliope is usually not like this whenever I am late. Just what happened here? And why…' He stopped in his tracks.
"Why does it feel like the Celestial Heavens visited this place?"
For once he looked menacing. "...Unpleasant…"
He continued walking again. Calliope was flying overhead looking down once or twice to see if Atlas was still there.
He was.
She flew even faster till they reached the site where a brutal battle took place. Blood was battered onto the rocks and the top of the cave had fallen in.
Atlas' expression didn't change when he came up to the cold and barely recognizable bodies of Oriane and the Inquisitor.
"..."
Calliope landed on his shoulder. Atlas took out some coins and placed them on their foreheads.
"Pity and coins for the deceased…" he prayed while Calliope lowered her furry head.
Suddenly her ear twitched. She flew up and hissed seeing who the intruders were.
Claudina stopped short. Atlas was standing there in front of what appeared to be the Inquisitor and…
…Oriane's body.
He had a mournful expression.
'...He had been praying,' she thought, noticing the coins. She cleared her throat causing him to jolt. He glanced up and met her eyes with such frankness she faltered.
"...Hello again."
She curtly nodded. Beside her Sylvester took one look at the body and almost rushed towards her but Claudina stopped him.
"Yes, hello. I…uh…" For once she wasn't sure what to say.
Atlas sadly smiled. "...If I recall correctly you said we will cross blades if we ever meet. Though I had intentions of fighting I never imagined it would be this soon and…like this…" He looked away, his glowing eyes filled with remorse.
"..."
"...Saintess?
She looked over her shoulder. The others had questions for her all written over their faces. She averted their gazes and began. "...He, uh…is uh from the Vessels of Ri'sh…"
"...And how exactly do you know him?"
"We traveled together here. It's a long story-"
"You did WHAT?!"
Anger was bubbling inside Anatole. While they fought with their lives on the line here she was getting chummy with the enemy!
Claudina fully turned and glared at him. "Don't shout at me."
"Ohh, I want to do more than shout at you! Because you were with him, Oriane had to lose her life!"
"Is that so?! Then why did none of you ever think of helping me when I was fighting with Rosalinda? You thought Baron wouldn't tell me? Well, you were wrong! He told me everything!"
"Then he must have told you why we didn't come for you! Oriane was injured and-"
"Oh shut up with that! Oriane this, Oriane that! Stop dragging the dead into this! Even if she was injured, any one of you could have come! I almost died there!"
"But you didn't! If only you came earlier we wouldn't be like this! Oriane would have still been alive! We could have already left this accursed place!"
"And what then? Suppose I did come? Would you still put the blame on me because you couldn't save her? Just because you feel guilty for her death doesn't mean you can push the blame on someone else to justify yourself! No one gave you that right."
"I never pushed the blame! All I am saying is-"
"All I can hear is your excuses for being weak."
SLAP!
Claudina's widened eyes slightly watered. Her right cheek was stinging while a small trail of blood left from cut lip.
"Anatole!" Shulia shouted. "What is wrong with you?!"
Sylvester grabbed his collar. "I knew you had some problems in managing your anger but this is too much!"
Anatole didn't say anything, his action finally dawning on him. He gritted his head and turned away.
"You bastard! Are you that daft to let Claudina's words get into your head?! You know how she is!"
"..."
Shulia tried to reach for Claudina but she pushed her away. "....Anatole…Claudina says those things to cause discord among us. You were the one who advised us to not pay her any attention." Though she spoke calmly, Shulia's tone had a lace of anger in it.
"...Both of you, be quiet."
They looked at Sullivan who was eerily calm with what was happening. He glanced at Claudina who was still shocked not from the pain but rather from being slapped. She touched her cheek and the wound healed instantly.
"...We can discuss all this later but first…" he turned to his heels and marched towards Atlas who was distressed over what had happened.
"Atlas Castillo. It's been a while."
Atlas jumped.
He stared at Sullivan for a long time before beaming with familiarity.
"...Good to see you again, old friend."