Celeste stared down at Zenyph with a fierce look in her eyes, her fists clenched at her sides. She glared at him like she could kill him with her stare alone, her eyes glowing with rage.
"Why did you kill Alice and Audrey?" she snarled, her voice trembling with frustration.
Before Zenyph could answer, Celeste raised her fist and slammed it down, knocking the breath out of him.
As Celeste raised her fist again, Zenyph reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her down onto the floor with him. As they both landed, he scrambled to his feet, grabbing a nearby book. He quickly launched it at Celeste's head, but she ducked, sending it sailing harmlessly over her shoulder.
Seeing an opportunity, Celeste charged at Zenyph, throwing a punch that nearly took his head off. But as she swung, Zenyph shifted his stance and sidestepped her attack.
They continued to exchange blows, each of them using a mix of martial arts and spells. Eventually, Celeste managed to catch Zenyph by surprise, punching him square in the jaw. As he staggered backward, she swept her leg and knocked him to the ground, landing a final kick to his chest.
The sight of her beating him to a pulp was something that Zenyph never wanted to experience. But at the same time, it was clear that Celeste was a skilled fighter, and he had no chance of winning without exposing his true self. He decided to let her beat him up, knowing that this wouldn't change anything.
Zenyph had expected Celeste to stop once she realized that she'd beaten him up enough. Instead, she kept on hitting him with increasing strength and ferocity. Every blow was intended to inflict the most damage possible. He tried to dodge her attacks, but Celeste was relentless. She didn't seem to care that her blows were tearing skin and drawing blood. She was lost in a world of rage and hatred.
Eventually, Celeste collapsed on top of Zenyph's beaten body, sobbing uncontrollably. She seemed to have run out of steam and was just sitting there, letting her emotions flow freely.
Zenyph groaned in pain, trying to ignore the throbbing agony coursing through his body. He was about to pass out when suddenly a gentle hand rested on his forehead.
"Calm down, it's all in your head." said Celeste as she waved her hand, a soft green light emanating from it. Suddenly Zenyph's wounds disappeared and his bruises healed.
Zenyph stared at her, stunned. He had expected her to keep kicking him until he was a bloody pulp. She had seemed so angry before, but now she was simply staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Why did you stop?" asked Zenyph, still dazed from the healing.
Celeste smiled, a sad smile. "I don't know. I felt your emotions, and I guess I pitied you."
"What do you mean?"
"It's hard to explain, but I could feel your pain and frustration, your sorrow, and even your guilt. You feel guilty for their deaths even if it's just a little bit, and that makes me question everything that I've believed in. I can't kill someone who feels remorse, can I?"
"I don't understand, why do you care what I feel?"
"Because you're a person, and killing is not something that I want to be involved in, no matter who or what you are," answered Celeste softly, a hint of sadness in her voice.
Zenyph sat there in silence, taking in her words. She sounded sincere, but it was hard to tell. After all, she had tried to kill him before.
"I do feel a little guilty," said Zenyph as he looked to the ground, not wanting to meet her gaze.
"Good. Feeling guilty shows that you have a conscience. It's good to know you're not a complete monster," replied Celeste as she sat beside him.
"Believe it or not that was the first time I ever killed a person, I think I might even throw up. It was disgusting."
Celeste gave Zenyph a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. She didn't say anything else, but it was clear that she understood what he was going through. They remained seated for several minutes in comfortable silence, neither one saying a word.
Finally, Celeste spoke, breaking the silence. "The first time is always the hardest, trust me. But the more you kill, the easier it gets, and that scares me. Because who are we becoming if we can kill with no remorse?"
Zenyph mulled over her statement, unable to respond. He had never thought about it like that, but she was right. Killing Alice and Audrey had taken a toll on him, and he hadn't realized it until Celeste had pointed it out.
"Did you kill someone?" asked Zenyph curiously.
"Yes," admitted Celeste, her eyes full of sorrow.
"Do you regret it?"
"Every single day."
"Did they deserve it?" asked Zenyph, curious to hear the circumstances.
"Maybe, maybe not. I don't think anyone deserves death, not even monsters."
"Why did you do it?"
Celeste hesitated, as if unsure how to answer. Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "My mother doesn't like me."
Zenyph froze, not expecting such an honest and vulnerable response. "Why not?"
Celeste chuckled humorlessly. "She's never liked me, not even when I was born. I was a mistake, an accident, and she made it known."
"I'm sorry," consoled Zenyph, not knowing what else to say.
"She made me kill a person, a dear friend," revealed Celeste, her voice thick with emotion.
Zenyph didn't know what to say, so he opted to stay silent. They remained seated next to each other for several more minutes, both lost in their thoughts.
"That was the first and only person I'll ever kill," promised Celeste, her eyes shining with determination.
Zenyph respected her decision, but part of him couldn't help but pity her. Killing is inevitable, and sooner or later Celeste will have to take a life again, whether she likes it or not. But Zenyph decided not to press her on the subject.
"That's very kind of you, Celeste."
Celeste smiled, a genuine smile this time. "You know, I can feel your emotions. You're not a monster, Zenyph."
"Is that a fact, or a hope?"
"Neither, it's an observation." said Celeste as her blue eyes stared at Zenyph's azure ones, searching for something, anything.
"Careful, or I might fall in love," flirted Zenyph, trying to lighten the mood.
"You're not a monster but you're going to become one aren't you? Your emotions betray your words, Zenyph." accused Celeste, her gaze never leaving his.
"Why?" asked Celeste, genuinely curious.
"I was kind once and got stabbed in the back, literally and figuratively. So, no I won't be selfless. " replied Zenyph, remembering his fate back on Earth.
"Selflessness leads to suffering, so don't preach Celeste, and don't pity me."
Celeste sighed, realizing she couldn't convince Zenyph otherwise. She stood up, preparing to leave, but not before giving him a warning. "Just remember, power and strength are fleeting. There is always someone stronger and smarter."
"I'll keep that in mind," replied Zenyph, not showing any concern.
Celeste gave him one last lingering glance before exiting the Royal area, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
For the first time, Zenyph felt conflicted. On the one hand, Celeste was a good person, and killing was not something she took lightly. However, he had no intention of following her path, no matter how appealing it might seem. Zenyph was a realist, and he knew better than to follow a noble's creed.
As he watched Celeste's silhouette fade away, Zenyph couldn't help but smile to himself. Celeste was an interesting person, and he couldn't wait to learn more about her and the secrets she was hiding. Celeste used the same mana as Serene did when she was reading his mind. A kind person choosing to specialize in mind magic? That's a rare breed for sure.
As he pondered the mystery, his thoughts turned to Alaric. He couldn't believe that Alaric was a daemon, but it certainly explained his behavior. Alaric had a natural charisma, and Zenyph knew he was going to be trouble. He just didn't know how much.
As Zenyph sat there, contemplating his options, something occurred to him. He had forgotten to check the tablet. He glanced at the tablet, still lying on the table. He picked it up and examined it, he was dead tired from all of this fighting, but he had to see what was written on it. He couldn't risk losing this opportunity. As he stared at the tablet, something dawned on him. He couldn't read it. He tried using mana, but it was useless. It was in a language he had never seen. As he stared at the tablet in disbelief, he realized that he was going to have a lot more work cut out for him. He was going to need to learn that language, or find someone that could translate it for him.
As he stared at the tablet, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He had been so focused on trying to read that language that he forgot he had chaos magic. Why couldn't he just use it on that tablet? It was a stupid oversight, and Zenyph couldn't believe that he had overlooked something so obvious. He concentrated and used his chaos magic to decode the tablet. Only for the tablet to turn into water.
"Fuck."