The only fear in Naya's mind was that the spell would activate immediately upon Verala's death. Though she didn't know Rozen's population, it was a massive city filled with more than humans. It was a bone-chilling thought. Even if everyone was as weak as Verala's, an undead army of that size would be catastrophic.
She reached the altar's steps quickly.
"Are you alright?" Sophia asked, with the same odd amount of concern shown to her even when she and Naya had just met.
Rula was similarly looking at her with concern.
Naya nodded as she continued up the altar.
Sophia and Rula moved along with her; they had to know there was no more time to dally.
Whether Verala was lying isn't something Naya knew, and it was a shame she wouldn't get information from Verala before she died.
She climbed up the last step, and Verala rested against the chair in the middle of the altar. Her hand clutched the bleeding wound through her torso, and she had swear on her face. Despite that, she still looked at peace.
It was as if a guilty man regretted his actions and was only glad to finally face proper justice.
"You're way too powerful, you know?" Verala said weakly, ending with a short cough.
"You won't speak?" Naya asked and pulled on her last remaining Arcana.
For a moment, Verala simply stared at Naya with a small smile.
Naya stayed on guard.
[She will die either way, but...]
--She has information more valuable than a damn Kingdom.--
[There's nothing I can do; I will not beg.]
Lia sighed. --I'm not asking you to, but we're talking about a Dragon child's corpse AND an Elf! Not to mention the Witch organization and faster Devil abilities!--
[We will duly interrogate another Witch.]
Even Naya didn't believe what she told Lia.
--Verala is an exceptional case; Witches don't act like that... Actually, maybe she will at least tell you how she got betrayed.--
"Who betrayed you?" Naya asked.
Verala's small smile twitched slightly, and she nodded slowly. "Right..." She scoffed but coughed immediately after. "The Coven got Carla killed, and now they got me killed."
--Good. There's no way multiple Devils could stomach working together. Still, whatever their common goal is... --Lia left the last bit unsaid, but Naya could pick up the trepidation in her tone.
"What is the Coven?" Sophia asked.
"Can't a lady die in peace?" Verala moved. She used her chair as assistance to stand and wobbled into it. She leaned back with her hand clutched to her torso. "The Coven is just what they called it, but it's quite literally exactly what it sounds like. A group of Witches."
"And why did they betray you?" Sophia moved forward and stood directly beside Naya.
"Because I got my hands on a Dragon and Elf corpse..." Verala shrugged, then coughed again. "...probably."
"You don't really know," Naya said.
"Correct. It might also be because I am a little uncooperative to the Devil."
"Yet you have no problems doing its heinous activities." Sophia scoffed.
"Your castle is made of glass, Paragon." Verala looked with no small amount of vitriol toward Naya and Sophia. "You both were born into power."
"That doesn't matter!" Rula hopped off Morp's shoulder, and it silently dissipated into a white mist. She ran beside Naya. "You wanted to kill an entire city!"
"I don't need to hear this." Naya shook her head, and her hand was covered in a purple film. "Will you tell me how you got those corpses?"
"An Elf gave them to me."
Naya's ears launched upward, and she glared. "Do NOT lie to me, human!"
"I like watching your ears." Verala chuckled, "But alas, I tell no lies. Her name was Riletoya, quite an old-looking Elf."
Naya's ears twitched, her eyes opened wide, and her mouth went agape. The purple film on her hand shattered like glass.
--Riletoya... The Elder who handed you your sentence... --
Sophia put her hand on Naya's shoulder.
"It seems you..." Verala coughed. "I guess this is it for me..."
"How?" Naya resisted the urge to lash out.
Verala shrugged. "All she said was to use them how I please."
--To know her as Riletoya means she is not lying.--
[I know!]
Naya didn't want to believe it. One of the sacred Elders, one of those only a step behind the Tribunal themselves, aiding a Witch. Witches were detested by Elves. To aid one...
[The ultimate betrayal... could it be?]
--You think she did it to get you killed.--
"When?" Naya asked.
"Couple years ago."
So it couldn't have been to target her, but that only made the situation more mysterious.
[I don't understand...]
She couldn't perceive any possible benefit to helping a Witch, especially someone in as high a station as Riletoya.
More than confusion, Naya felt rage.
[She dared accuse me of betraying my race...]
Her fists clenched so tight her fingernails threatened to pierce her skin. If she could, she would go back to Aleria immediately.
--We don't know how deep this goes, Naya.--
[What are you implying?]
--Nothing about Nayarali, don't worry. But I highly doubt this is the machinations of a single Elf.--
Sophia clasped Naya's clenched hand. "Calm down. You're going to hurt yourself."
Verala, while not dead, had her eyes gently closed. "The Devil said it remembers you, Paragon."
Sophia froze, and her face fell into an angered frown. "Good."
"It's saying a lot of uncouth words, ones I don't feel like repeating."
"I can guess."
There was total silence in the room after that.
Verala had her eyes closed, awaiting her death peacefully.
Naya only watched, a whirlwind of thoughts occupying her mind while she awaited the Devil's appearance. Sophia was the same, gravely watching the life slip away from Verala.
Rula had her sketchbook open and was drawing something Naya couldn't see from her angle.
Which filled the area with only the noises of Rula's gentle strokes against her paper.
Time passed slowly as everyone awaited Verala's death.
Naya broke from her own thoughts shortly later and moved a little closer to Verala.
--It's... a bit sad.--
[I feel no sympathy for a Witch.]
--You will eventually.--
Naya didn't want to give that the pleasure of a response.
Rula sniffled behind her.
Sophia moved to comfort her with a hand on Rula's head.
--There's a difference between watching someone die peacefully and killing in the heat of battle... Deja vu...--
[I know.]
Naya listened intently to the fading breaths; she had to be ready to snap her hand out instantly.
The longer it took, the more solemn the atmosphere became.
Eventually, it finally happened.
Silently, without fanfare, Verala's hand dropped into her lap, and her silent, shakey breaths ceased.
There was no time to react differently, as what appeared to be black tendrils suddenly sprouted from Verala's chest.
The spell did not activate.
However, Naya stepped back and allowed the tendrils to expand.
Rula and Sophia moved back as well.
"We're actually going to speak with it..." Sophia did not sound happy at all.
"Do you want me to..."
"No, this is necessary, but thank you, Naya."
Naya wouldn't have any problems instantly killing it; she doubted it would give any information. But it was also powerless with only a manifestation.
--It might be able to somehow activate the spell.--
[Sophia will see any signs, and I will immediately kill it.]
--Oh, right.--
The tendrils touched the ground, and moments later, what appeared to be a blackened pool of water formed.
It expanded upward in ripples, taking the shape of a humanoid body.
The shape was human, with no features other than rippling black waves sometimes going from random parts of its body.
Soon, a fake face formed, but only the shapes of human features.
"This was supposed to be the one... If only it weren't so... uncooperative."
Its tone wasn't too outlandish and merely sounded like the voice of an old warrior man. Deep and scratchy.
It turned its fake eyes toward Sophia.
"Human, this is the second time you interfered with my plans."
"And it will be the last," Sophia smirked, looking at it arrogantly.
"I will get another form, and the cycle will continue." It brought its hand to stroke its chin. "But human lifespan is severely limited. Eventually, you will cease, and I will still be here."
Sophia looked like she wanted to say more but bit her tongue. If she alerted the Devil in any way, it could use the power above it.
Though Naya doubted it could.
It turned its head toward Naya. "It's a shame not all Elves agree with our plans."
"What plans?" Naya knew it wouldn't speak, but it didn't hurt to ask
"Let's just say our plans extend beyond this feeble world."
"It's too bad you won't be around, then," Sophia said and nodded toward Naya.
Naya snapped her hand forward instantly.
The purple vortex returned with ferocity, spiraling in her hand as if desperate for a meal.
Black tendrils snapped from the Devil's body as if being pulled outward and went toward the vortex.
"What sort of power!?" The Devil's voice raised.
However, though tendrils were now going into the vortex like flowing water, the Devil didn't appear to be going with them.
The Devil reached its hand up, and Naya panicked.
She didn't expect the Devil to be able to resist her absorption, and since it wasn't a power she could control, she was helpless.
Finally, the arm not pointing toward the gathering of Arcana started going into the vortex, and the Devil snapped its head upward.
"Mortal scum, watch what happens when you attempt to fight forces above your puny comprehension!"
"WATCH OUT!" Sophia screamed, and her hands lashed out to Naya's shoulders and pulled her back
A blast of red, a loud explosion of ethereal Arcana that deafened and blinded Naya. She felt her vortex pull with an astounding increase of force.
--Naya!--
"WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT DID YOU DO MORT-" Then its voice vanished.
She was flung backward with ferocity, only this time with no Arcana to stop her impact.
"AH!" Naya's head felt like someone had stuck a knife into it.
[IT HURTS!]
A second later, she spiraled into a pitch-black expanse with flickering lights in the distance.
But her head hurt too much to comprehend anything.
Her hands clutched her forehead, and she kept screaming soundlessly into the void.
She had never experienced pain like that before.
--NAYA CALM DOWN!--
[IT FUCKING HURTS!]
She felt tears stream down her face.
However, a moment later, it vanished. The pain abruptly stopped like it wasn't even there.
But the aftershock was, and it took a moment to collect herself.
Naya's ears twitched; she immediately wiped her face and calmed her frantic breathing.
[What happened?!]
--I... I don't know... --
Her eyes and ears hurt, and all she could hear was ringing. Worst of all, she was tired. Naya wanted nothing more than to fall asleep as if everything slammed into her at once.
She had stopped spiraling through the void and snapped her head around.
Rula was beside her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
A second later, they were both ejected.
Now standing in front of the door to the chamber, Naya beheld the destruction.
[Did... we fail?]
Her heart sank.
Suddenly, --We got the Devil!--
Naya felt the weight leave her shoulders, and she nearly fell over.
Rula staggered next to her. "Ow... my ears, my eyes, my everything..." She didn't appear visibly injured, and anything else could be healed.
[The spell...]
As much as she pretended to not care if she had actually caused a full city, maybe even hundreds of thousands of people, to be killed...
[Did... did we stop it?]
--I don't know, Naya... --Lia spoke, but hiding her excitement about the Devil being absorbed was clearly too difficult.
A black portal opened before her, and Sophia stepped out. "Naya, is it done?"
"Yes... is the city..."
Sophia suddenly launched into Naya, pulling her into a tight hug. "We did it!"
Naya felt too tired to resist, but her ears did twitch.
Sophia's hug tightened, and her head was on Naya's neck. "Nayalisia, thank you, thank you so much."
Naya opened her mouth but closed it when she felt her neck wet with silent tears. She instead awkwardly placed her hands on Sophia's back. Her face flushed.
They stayed like that for a while, and it felt like at least 5 minutes until Rula loudly cleared her throat.
"Hello, Rula is still here!"
Sophia let go of Naya and stepped backward, and her cheeks were slightly red. "R-right, my bad."
Naya took a deep breath and gazed at the ruined chambers.
The altar was gone, replaced by a massive hole in the ground. Naya also noticed the Dragon bones had disappeared and looked toward Sophia questioningly.
"I put them in the Void for safekeeping." She hastily explained.
Naya nodded. She was just glad they were undamaged.
Those bones could make powerful artifacts, and Naya realized when fighting Verala that she hated spending most fights dodging.
She recalled the Dwarf she met in Rella, who claimed to be the greatest blacksmith there.
The bones would make for a powerful weapon, one fitting for an Elf.
Sophia and Rula had walked toward the hole in the chambers, and Naya moved to join them.
It was a seemingly bottomless hole.
"What happened to the Arcana?" Rula asked.
"I don't know. The city is safe, and the Devil is dead, but..."
"Such a large amount would not just vanish." Naya finished for her.
Sophia nodded. "Right, I fear where it went, but even more so, I fear that we will have to wait until we receive word of it."
It could have easily gone somewhere else since it didn't disperse.
They stared at the hole in silence for a few minutes longer.
Naya touched her forehead. There wasn't a trace of the earlier pain, but she feared what it meant. The only explanation she could think of was the Devil attempting to do something before it died. Which wouldn't bode well for the future.
[What caused me so much pain...]
--Ah, I apologize; that was me. I didn't think it would hurt you so badly, but Elves' mental defense are truly extraordinary.--
Naya's heart sank, and her face fell.
That was not Lia.