"Umm...sister? No. This is my apprentice. I found her in a lab-"
"YOU UNDEAD BASTARD!!! YOU TURNED HER INTO A CHILD!!! YOU MONSTER!!!" Akari screamed.
Before any of us could speak up, Nasuria narrowed her eyes at Akari and stepped forward.
"Stop your yelling! You're giving me a headache, Akari! And how dare you insult my caretaker!" She hissed.
"Hold on... Nasuria! My big sister! What has he done to you!? Is this some kind of evil charm magic!?" Akari said.
"No, you idiot! I was experimented on and had my entire being implanted into a child weapon! This man saved me from a fate worse than death! I will not stand for you insulting him!" Nasuria said.
"Wh-what!? This filthy undead saved you...? And why are you being so cruel, sister? Don't you love me?" Akari said.
Nasuria sighed heavily and turned to Aldaril.
She bowed her head deeply.
"I apologize for her insolence. My little sister has always been a problem for me. Please bear with it for a moment, Master Aldaril," she said.
"Yeah...sure. It's not a big deal."
"I'm not a problem! I looked everywhere for you and this is how you treat me!?" Akari said angrily.
"YOU ARE THE REASON I WAS CAPTURED IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU TWIT!!!" Nasuria yelled.
Akari stopped and looked at her, wide-eyed.
"That's...that's not possible..." She said.
"It is. Your actions and your flaunting of our existence caused their curiosity to turn towards me. I was caught while sleeping. They preformed horrifying experiments on me while I begged them to stop, but they wouldn't listen. They fused my mind, body, and soul with this child who didn't even know her own name! I despise you, Akari. Even before I was captured, I hated you. You are an annoyance. A liar. A greedy little self-centered fox who doesn't think about the consequences of her actions. Do me a favor and die. Mizik, if you could eliminate her, I would be most grateful to you. I'm sure she has already caused you quite a bit of trouble..." Nasuria said.
"Wow. Even your own sister hates you, Akari," I said in disbelief.
"Damn...you... DAMN YOU ALL FOR POISONING MY SISTER'S MIND!!! I'LL KILL YOU, MIZIK!!! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!" Akari screamed.
"HOW THE HELL IS IT MY FAULT!?" I yelled back.
"Mizik darling...can I ask you a favor?" Cassandra said.
"Sure, but make it quick!"
Akari's power was rising.
"May I settle our score? I have quite the grudge against Akari... She insulted my darling Mizik. She tried to hurt you. I must deal with her, personally..." Cassandra said.
"Go ahead. If you kill her, I'll be really happy with you, Cassandra.'
"Ahh...yes... Mizik will be so...happy...ehehehehehehe..." Cassandra laughed as she stepped forward.
Immediately Akari's eyes locked onto Cassandra.
I could see her fangs and claws growing more.
She looked much more feral at the moment.
"Ehehe...I'm going to make you suffer! I'll put you down like the rabid animal you are, Akari!" Cassandra said.
Deception appeared in her hand.
A wide smile crossed her lips as the pressure around her rose greatly.
Despite the Heart of the Sky being mainly given to increase Isabella's power...it was still Isabella's body.
Cassandra had full access to every last ounce of strength that she did.
Akari ducked down low and suddenly a shadowy dagger flew across her arm. It left a small cut and Cassandra smiled.
"Oh! I got the first hit! Does that mean I win?" She said.
"Going to sick your rabid dog on me!? FINE!!! GET READY TO WATCH HER DIE!!!" Akari shouted.
Akari disappeared and Cassandra turned around to block an instant claw attack with her dagger.
The following flurry of attacks from Akari were deflected with ease. Sparks flew with each clash and I found myself feeling quite proud of her.
"Good work, Cassandra. I'm proud of your fighting ability, but I really want to see more. It would make me really happy," I said.
Cassandra's smile went even wider.
"For my darling Mizik...I CAN SHOW YOU EVERYTHING!"
Cassandra continued deflecting the attacks and started speeding up rapidly. More daggers appeared in mid-air as Cassandra mouthed silent words. Soon, Cassandra's clones appeared and Akari had to jump away because she received numerous deep wounds all over her body in an instant.
"Somehow...you're just as annoying as before, but-"
Cassandra let loose with a pulse of her power and interrupted Akari.
A haze fell over the area and Akari covered her nose and mouth.
Along with it, the environment changed rapidly. A desert, a tundra, and finally a dark forest.
"This is better..." Cassandra said.
"Cassandra, I want to see your amazing abilities. If you show me how strong you are, I might want to have you fight for me more often. I'll give you lots of hugs, too. You're pretty awesome on the field, you know?" I said.
Cassandra fidgeted slightly as she glanced at me shyly.
"Haaah...you're making me blush! I might get the wrong idea, darling!" She said.
I'm trying to encourage you, dammit! Not turn you on!
Akari took her chance to attack Cassandra, but her fireballs went straight through her.
"Oh? Did you think I wasn't paying attention? I love my darling Mizik, but I have to put on a good show for him as well. I can't get sloppy now, can I?" Cassandra said.
Akari smirked and turned her attention towards me.
"Go ahead and try it. I dare you," I said.
I readied Vengeance and glared at her.
Suddenly, she didn't look so interested... I was sure she could feel the Heart of the World beating in my chest.
Before she could move, a barrage of shadowy daggers erupted from the ground. She narrowly avoided being skewered.
"Oh no... That is unacceptable. You may not look at Mizik. He isn't interested in having any more women follow after him! He already has me, after all..." Cassandra said.
I legitimately couldn't tell where Cassandra was at the moment.
She had completely disappeared and the entire area was cloaked in a massive field of magic and illusions. Even the ability to see magic wasn't helping me right now.
Nasuria had also gone back to her childlike state and Aldaril hid her in his shadow.
Soon, Akari became increasingly paranoid. She looked like she wanted to panic as she began to see shadows darting in and around the trees.
Suddenly, Akari rose into the air and let loose with a powerful burst of magic.
It would have hit us, but Aldaril threw out his lantern and it flashed, creating a barrier that shielded everyone.
And then, it happened...
Numerous shadowy daggers rained upon Akari from every angle. She desperately fought to deflect them all, but many of them got through. She was stabbed and cut many times before it finally stopped.
Then Cassandra appeared in front of her.
Akari summoned numerous balls of spirit fire and Cassandra effortlessly dodged them.
Then Cassandra retreated into the trees and Akari followed.
I watched as I saw flashes of spirit fire flaring up all around us through the trees.
There were sparks everywhere from the constant clashes. Even exploding black lightning. Then Akari leaped out of the trees as numerous Cassandra clones darted around her while slashing wildly.
From what I could tell, Akari was defending herself well, but...
Cassandra was clearly toying with her.
At this point, it was obvious that Akari was out of breath and rapidly losing strength.
Cassandra was an assassin. She was better at settling matters instantaneously.
Before I could think any further, Akari grabbed the real Cassandra by the throat and slammed her into the ground.
"GOT YOU!!!" Akari yelled.
"AH! W-WAIT!!" Cassandra shouted.
Akari picked her up and threw her against a tree. Then she slashed Cassandra's throat and her corpse fell to the ground, motionless.
I felt a surge of anxiety in my chest, but almost immediately as she landed, her wound began to glow and rapidly regenerate.
"Hah...hah... I thought you'd be...more of a problem..." Akari said while panting hard and clutching her side. She had turned to look at me without noticing anything.
She was also covered in vicious deep wounds.
Then Cassandra stood back up slowly and smiled as her throat fully reformed.
"Hmm...that wasn't as suspenseful as I thought it would be... I regenerated a lot faster than I expected..." Cassandra said as she seemed somewhat bored now.
"Wh-what...how in the world..." Akari said fearfully as she turned back to Cassandra.
"Cassandra, you should be more careful! I trust the regeneration, but that's still Isabella's body. Don't go pulling stunts like that!" I said with a mildly annoyed tone.
Seriously...you almost gave me a damn heart attack...
"Ehhhh...I got scolded... Everything is ruined now..." Cassandra said.
"What's going on here!? How are you still alive!?" Akari said fearfully.
"Oh? We've become truly immortal thanks to the legendary heart stones. You were dead as soon as you decided to get in our way," Cassandra said.
"You people are monsters! What the hell kind of magic is this!?" Akari said.
I almost smiled.
"You can thank Vakra for that. The Mad Admiral you threatened us with turned out to hate you just as much as we do. He's not easy to get along with, but he's our ally," I said.
Akari glared at me then started looking around desperately.
Obviously, she wanted to escape.
"Hmm...? You look like you want to run. But that isn't possible for you anymore. Would you like to know how dead you really are, Akari the pig?" Cassandra said.
"You...BITCH!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!" Akari screamed.
She tried to lunge at Cassandra and stopped mid swing. Cassandra didn't move a muscle.
"See...the truth is, I really just wanted to show off to my darling Mizik. This whole fight has been so boring to me, though... Actually, you were dead from the moment I first cut you. All of my attacks are laced with a lethal poison that I can control at will. I can have it paralyze you, for instance..." Cassandra said.
Suddenly, Akari fell to the ground writhing in pain. She could barely move at all, as well.
"Ngh....ah.... It...hu...rts so...much... Nasuria...please he...lp...me..." Akari managed.
"I could make the poison stop your heart instantly if I wanted, but darling scolded me because of you. I think I want you to suffer horribly for what you've done..." Cassandra said in a low tone.
Without a single movement, Akari's quiet grunts of pain turned into loud screaming as the poison turned her veins pitch black.
Then...something I don't think I'll ever forget...
It began corroding her flesh and bones away very slowly.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!! IT BURNS!!! MY BODY!!! MY BEAUTIFUL BODY!!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!" Akari screamed.
"That kind of looks like my Embrace of Thanatos... Not a pretty sight, but I've seen worse," Aldaril simply said.
"She had it coming. I can't even begin to imagine how many people have met with horrible fates Because of her," I said bluntly.
It was a pretty disturbing sight, watching Akari be slowly eaten by corrosive poison from the inside out, but...
I felt nothing. It didn't bother me at all.
Meanwhile, Cassandra merely looked on in disgust.
"Now your appearance matches your personality. You should be grateful, Akari. Actually...what higher honor could you receive than to have your death ordered by Mizik, himself!? SURELY YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL DEATH!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
"I don't know if I would go that far...but if that makes you happy, Cassandra... Sure...why not...?" I said uneasily.
I don't even care anymore. Too much effort...
Eventually, Akari stopped moving altogether.
The only thing left was a mangled corpse of green goo, clothing, hair, and bone.
Then Cassandra dispelled the illusion and approached me.
She dropped to her knees and lowered her head.
"I have committed a grave offense by causing you discomfort, L-lord Master Mizik. Please have mercy on me..." Cassandra said.
"Just don't do it again. And good job killing that despicable fox. Also, just Mizik is fine. I don't need an honorary title..." I said.
Cassandra looked up at me with pure joy in her eyes.
"You're so merciful and caring! Thank you, Mizik!" Cassandra said happily.
She jumped up and hugged me tightly.
You always make it so much weirder than it has to be...
Aldaril's shadow began to move as I heard a voice coming from it.
"Well...I can't be too upset with the method of disposal. Although it's still too good for her. Regardless, I appreciate you for dealing with my abominable little sister," Nasuria said as she emerged from Aldaril's shadow.
"Seems a bit weird that you hate her so much, but I can't fault your reasons. Being experimented on and all," I said.
Nasuria nodded and then her eyes suddenly looked worried.
Aldaril patted her head and she looked up at him.
Just before we could get moving again, I felt a presence of impending doom.
When I looked at Akari's remains...
I saw them sink into the ground in a pool of Corruption.
"Wow! A real divine fox! Never had one of them before! I hope she makes the cut! I really have to thank you for killing her for me. It's so much easier to convert someone right after they die..." Cain's voice said.
"DAMN YOU TO HELL, CAIN!!! LET HER STAY DEAD!!!" I yelled in anger.
"But you hate her, right? She'll suffer under me. And by default...that means you'll suffer once I make use of her. And don't tell me what to do, you little shit. I CAN ACT ON MY OWN!!!"
"Is this guy the Source of the Corruption?" Aldaril asked.
"He's a false Source. A fragment of the original, but still extremely dangerous," I said.
"What did he do with Akari?" Aldaril asked.
"You know, you can just ask me, right? Don't talk about me like I'm not here! I took her body and soul. I'm going to make her one of my soldiers. Hopefully a General! Wouldn't that be great!? I WONDER WHAT I'LL NAME HER! THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!!!"
After that, the feeling of impending doom faded.
The Corruption had taken Akari...and I dreaded the day that I would see her again...
Damn it all...