For a second, Red could feel her focus wane and break down like an unfinished building. She held on however, and kept the incantation going.
'I've gotten this far, I'm not gonna back down now.'
The lady continued:
"A fake?"
She was in an outrage. She regarded herself. For some reason, her presence did not leak out any malignant intent whatsoever.
"You call me a fake? How dare you?! I have worked harder than any other, sacrificed my wisdom in a completely unfair contract with an evil being; just for myself to become trapped, imprisoned in a cocoon of all encompassing darkness as I absorbed all the knowledge THAT thing contained." she pointed at the hollow shell she bad emerged from.
It was battered and rapidly decomposing, already well-beyond recovery. Not even a Cleric can save the poor creature.
She continued, her face still impassive:
"I absorbed all of that into myself, becoming more than just the Witch of Envy, grafting it all onto my soul, or whatever remained of it, I figure. Even with all that, I still couldn't break out. Until SHE takes enough damage, at least," she looked aside, forgetting about her former residence like a dream and focusing on the now.
Her magnanimous gaze stopped on a single lean man, with burning runes on his left wrist and the other completely cut off, up to the elbow.
There was a strange longing in her eyes, as if some primal lust was born anew inside of her. She nevertheless returned her gaze back to Red, and she could feel her judging stare start to materialize as a crushing pressure that weighed down on her both physically and psychologically.
"For that, I am beyond grateful."
Her simple smile was like radiant beam of pure light entering Red's retinas. If you disregard her sharp words and poison-laced tongue, hating her became such an arduous task.
If course, Red reminded herself every second of the way of the being in front of hers deadly nature. There was a cold acceptance in her heart as her mind continually ate itself to finish her spell.
She smiled grimly and said in a sarcastic tone:
"Oh, really? That's reassuring. Would you mind letting me go then? If you really are so grateful, that is."
She grit her teeth as her incantation ate away ay her soul, continually gnawing her mind and sanity.
'Just a little bit more. I just have to endure for a little bit longer,' she thought with her grim smile. If it wasn't for the boy at her feet giving her courage, she would have already died from the unbearable pain her self-sacrificial spell bestowed upon her constantly.
The woman looked down at the shadowed ground, into Red's shadow, and closed her eyes.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that."
Red gritted her teeth so much that she could feel her jaw and upper teeth straining against each other.
She already knew this would happen, and yet the crushing reality that no escape could be given to her still felt like a mountain had been put on her back and told to carry over to the other side of the world.
She strained herself so she would not shed any tears in front of this monster. That thing didn't deserve to watch her cry.
Red's voice was close to a whisper at this point:
"…Then," she muttered lowly. Her eyes were trained at the unconscious boy. "Would you let him live, at least? He has nothing to do with this."
The woman tilted her head, seemingly confused.
"Nothing, you say?," again, her voice held great ambivalence to it.
No matter what her thoughts might be, her body seemed to shed away any and all manner of dirty words or offensive intonations to further accentuate her continuously evolving physical form.
"Very well. I at least owe you that much.," she leaned her head back, putting her hand up to her chest in a pose reminiscent of a praying soldier. Her other hand was raised at the side.
"By the name bestowed upon me by the gods above: I, Baba Yaga, promise not to cause bodily harm, to—" she looked at Red intentionally.
"Lieren, no last name," Red responded.
"—Lieren, for as long as I—," she suddenly stopped, her eyes widening greatly.
Red was the same, taking brief steps away from the unconscious boy.
A royal aura, comparable only to the great Vritra themselves, was emanating from the prone boy's unconscious body like the furious gush of a raging waterfall, rushing forth endlessly, with no intent of ever stopping.
And yet, it did, only to be replaced by something much greater than the two of them.
The king was about to wake up.
◇◆◇◆◇
"Just this one time, okay? Just once," Lieren was apprehensive, greatly disturbed, and totally confused.
King nodded, setting his book down on the table beside his gilded seat. He wasn't sitting on his throne anymore, but a table close to it. Lieren sat at the opposite side.
His purple eyes seemingly held the very fabric of reality within them, containing more than the boy could ever fathom.
"You can't kill anyone, you can't hurt anyone, and must make sure that that… thing goes down for good. Got it?"
Again, King nodded, flipping through his book. Lieren's desperate throes seemed to be nothing more than the buzzing of little bee, only responded with the barest of affirmations.
"..."
Then, King looked up, his aetheric eyes shining brightly amidst the darkness, even deeper than the shadow that swallowed the enchanted forest of Karan. His gaze was simply too much for Lieren to handle with his current condition.
With an unchanging expression, King put his hand out with a calculated set of movements, as if any unnecessary movements would cause his body to collapse on the spot.
There was a long pause before Lieren took that hand.
"…I understand."
Begrudgingly, he took it, swearing on his soul.
Finally, King spoke, his voice filled with the might of a monarch unlike any other:
"The Pact has been set."
◇◆◇◆◇
Red held her breath, watching in surprise as the unconscious boy floated inorganically as if strings were attached to his body. A furious golden light was emanating from him.
"Ah~ To see the world again. It truly is a wonder unlike any other."
The boy, or rather the being within the boy, spoke, his voice authoritative and absolute, as if no interruption or any kind of disobedience was permitted in his presence:
"It annoys me that I would have to follow that boy's promise, albeit crudely, but I have no choice."
He passed an impatient gaze at Baba Yaga, as if annoyed.
"You," he pointed casually at the woman, his gaze elsewhere. "Come here and die, I don't have much time to spare."
The woman tilted her head innocently.
"…Why?"
The being, a royal presence, gazed at Baba Yaga. Irritation was evident in the boy's face, a reflection of the being possessing the boy's body.
Red felt an unknown emotion bubbling up inside of her.
"Because I said so."
The being's voice seemingly echoed from the deep recesses of the world's core, as if it was the only thing holding everything together.
"…?!"
Red's eyes widened as she watched Baba Yaga unleash her power finally.
"No way…."
"..."
Countless silver sparks, significantly larger and much purer than the Witch of Envy's, manifested midair—a true mark of her unfolding nature and jaundiced character. Her gentle eyes sharpened into a steel-like gaze that seemingly cut apart the atmosphere itself.
"The deal is off, little girl."
Red's mood sunk. She was so close. If she'd just gotten a second more, then the deal would have been set, and the boy's safety would have been guaranteed.
…If only she knew what lay ahead of this moment.
The lady glared at the being in front of her like a primal creature, guided solely by her instincts and ego.
"Time to die, King."