Chapter 308 Acceptance and a hard decision?
Isadora Interlude Arc
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(POV: Akashic Records)
It'd been almost a month since Isadora had received the shocking news of her potential sacrifice. Seated within the courtyard of Vyndariel's newly-built castle in the Abyssal Heights, Isadora gazed out at the ominous landscape. Her heart weighed heavy with the burden of the truth, a truth she was about considering sharing with Lirien, her sister born of the same soul.
Lirien stood before her, her sword held out with practiced precision.
Isadora picked up a small rock and tossed it up into the air.
"Alley oop!"
With a flash of movement, Lirien appeared right next to the stone, her sword slicing it in half. Impressed, Isadora threw three more stones, and with a single step, Lirien gracefully moved, expertly cleaving the stones into multiple pieces with a speed too fast for the eye to follow.
As she landed on her feet, Isadora couldn't help but applaud and exclaim, "Alright! Even I have to admit that was kinda awesome!"
While Isadora outwardly praised Lirien's skills, inside, she wrestled with the sad turnout for her future.
Tonight, she would attempt to escape the clutches of Vyndariel and his dark ambitions.
But how could she tell Lirien about the danger that awaited her?
She decided to follow her heart, waiting for the right moment to reveal the truth.
Isadora smiled warmly at Lirien, telling her, "That was an incredible technique. I almost missed it!"
Lirien, with her usual dulled demeanor and half-closed red eyes, replied, "I doubt you could have."
Isadora chuckled and rubbed the back of her head, playfully admitting,
"You got me there. Guess you really are just that good with a sword."
Lirien, uninterested in her own prowess, responded, "You're much better with magic..."
Isadora relaxed against the courtyard wall, her eyes fixed on the distant horizon. She decided to voice her feelings, saying, "We may be different in many ways, but deep down, we are still sisters, Lirien."
Gently, Lirien nodded, her pointy ears twitching. "...Yes..."
Lirien gracefully tucked her sheathed black blade into place at her waist and then began rummaging through her pouch, searching for something. Curiosity getting the best of her, Isadora leaned in.
"What's that thing you're doing? Is anything wrong?" Isadora asked her.
Lirien's red eyes met Isadora's gaze as she slowly nodded, and with a hint of hesitancy, began to speak.
"I...I made something for," Lirien began, there was nothing but uncertainty in her voice. But then, she paused, and completely gave in to her indecision. "Nevermind," she muttered, shaking her head. "It's not important."
She wasn't bold enough to tell her what it was.
A good number of times, Lirien could be blunt or straightforward. Seeing as she barely had any emotions, she didn't have much to spare when it came to people's feelings either. But when she was dealing with Isadora it was entirely different. She did her best to choose her words carefully so she wouldn't up hurting her feelings or making her abandon her. To her, Isadora was her, so she'd never want to hurt herself.
Isadora's eyebrow arched in surprise, and she couldn't help but press further. "Are you sure?" she asked, completely concerned with this hesitant side of Lirien.
Lirien nodded once more, her pointy ears twitching slightly. "Yes," she replied, her voice betraying a hint of ambiguity. "It's nothing worth mentioning..."
Her grip on the item in her pouch loosened.
Soon after, she removed her hand from the pouch.
Accepting Lirien's response, Isadora sighed softly and flashed a warm smile. "Alright, if you say so," she said. "You always were one for keeping secrets."
"...Am I...?"
"Of course you are, you rarely tell me important things..."
"...You don't ask me..."
"Well, I guess that's fair," Isadora giggled a bit.
Intrigued, Isadora decided to shift the conversation to a safer topic.
"So, Lirien..."
"..."
In "Lirien speak" that was her own manner of responding. There were few people who would think she was ignoring them, but people who actually knew her well would understand it was just how she acted.
"What do you think of Lord Vyndariel?"
Before now, Isadora thought Vyndariel was everything to her. Her savior, father and creator. And while most of these were true, she had a small insight into whom he truly was. But now thaut her eyes were opened, she wanted to know what other people thought about him.
And why not start with the bluntest of them all; Lirien.
Lirien paused, her eyes narrowing in thought. "I don't know enough about him to form a solid opinion," she replied, her dull words coming out with utmost honesty. "But, if I were to speculate, he gives off the aura of a Demon King."
"Eh... Well, of course he gives out that aura, he's a Demon King..."
"...Yes..."
"..."
Isadora didn't respond, she knew Lirien still had more to say. But she always ended sentences in a manner that you'd think she had nothing more to say.
"...Not every Demon King is wicked, but his aura can feel very poisonous and uncomfortable to be around sometimes. That's it..."
Just then, Isadora noticed how Lirien?s fists tightened, out of years of suppressed anger, complete hatred for Vyndariel and all that he represented as a Demon King.
"( Oh, that's right... Sometimes I forget Vyndariel rejected Lirien as nothing more than a waste product. How did I forget that...? Oh, I guess I just wanted to, so I wouldn't have any reason to hate him... But in all honesty, Vyndariel is the absolute worst and the fact that I made myself ignorant to that fact simply because I wanted to please him, makes me the biggest idiot there is... I've been living a lie... )"
"...Isa...Are you okay...?" Lirien asked.
Having noticed she spaced out, Isadora shot up a bit and scrambled to regain her focus.
"Uh yeah, I'm... I'm fine, hehe."
"...You don't look fine..."
Trying to change the subject, she forced a chuckle.
"I was just thinking about what you said about him... You never cease to amaze me with your bluntness," she confessed. "I love that about you."
Her red eyes meeting Isadora's, Lirien calmly retorted, "You're just as straightforward, Isa."
"No," Isadora gently shook her head as her forced smile dissipated to nothing but sadness. "I'm an absolute idiot."
"...Why...?"
Isadora was silent, her mind racing as she contemplated whether or not to confide in her sister. This was the perfect opportunity to share her troubles, but the fear of judgment kept her lips sealed. She glanced at Lirien, sad and uncertain. In that moment, Isadora summoned all her strength and forced a sorrowful smile.
"Don't worry," she said regretfully. "It's something that happened a while ago, and now I just feel foolish about it."
"...What happened...?" Lirien asked gently.
Isadora's gaze averted as she struggled to find the right words.
She couldn't bear to look her sister in the eyes and keep up the charade.
With a heavy sigh, Isadora stood up from her seat and gestured towards the door.
"It's getting late," she said. "Maybe it's time we head back."
Lirien nodded. "Alright," she replied.
...
Later that night, Vyndariel paced the halls of his castle, only Isadora was on his mind. She didn't visit him in his room, so he decided to check on her before retiring for the night. Approaching her door, Vyndariel was about to open it.
"Hmm..."
He hesitated, realizing that Isadora was a lady and it'd be more appropriate to knock.
With a small smile, he raised his hand and gently rapped on the door.
But there was no response.
He knocked again, hoping to hear Isadora's voice on the other side, but silence greeted him instead.
Frowning, Vyndariel concluded, "She must've already fallen asleep."
However, as he turned to leave, a sudden surge of unease coursed through him, making him pause.
Without a second thought, Vyndariel rushed back to Isadora's door.
With a powerful kick, the door flew off its hinges and he sprinted towards the bed where Isadora should've been sleeping, only to find it empty.
Panic laced his voice as he shouted into the empty room.
"What sort of joke is this?"
In panic, Vyndariel rushed out to the hallway.
Sweat dripped down his forehead as he used his [Telepathic Communication] skill, desperately reaching out to every demon in the Abyssal Heights.
His voice echoed in their minds, urgent and commanding.
"Attention! Isadora is missing! I want each and every one of you to sweep every nook and cranny of this realm. Lock down all portals and leave no stone unturned. Find her!"
Sure, there was no way to sweep an entire "infinite" realm, but he didn't care.
The demons scattered, their footsteps echoing through the dark lands as they embarked on the search for Isadora.
Vyndariel's eyes darted around, his heart pounding in his chest.
His ticket to more power was missing.
Soon, he came across Lirien, her usual dull face contrasting with the pouch clutched tightly in her hands.
His anger flared, and he shouted, "What are you doing here? Can't you see that something terrible has happened?"
Lirien's gently shook her head. "...I came to see Isa," she replied softly.
Vyndariel's frustration grew as he shouted at her, "Isadora?s vanished! She's run away!"
He couldn't be sure yet, but his conscience told him that.
Without waiting for Lirien's response, Vyndariel stormed past her.
Every step he took thudded with purpose.
Meanwhile, Lirien stood there in silence, shock overtaking her features.
"I... Isa..."
"Isa... Isa is... Gone..."
"Isa left... Me..."
"She told me that... Isa told me... She wouldn't..."
The pouch slipped from her hands and hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud, releasing two bead necklaces that rolled out. Lirien's eyes widened, she collapsed on the floor as well.
"...She... Didn't take me with... Her..."
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