Chapter 376: Skyclad Observer, Part
I saw it all, I heard it all.
Every word devious and insidious from out my kindly mother’s smiling lips.
Ria listened to her plea just as attentively, and though her flames had dwindled and her arms were no longer raised in arms, never once did she drop her guard for even a second.
It seemed that the Demon Goddess had stumbled onto a conundrum that at the moment was beyond her capabilities. The Kingdom of Astra had brokered a deal with the Seven Churches, and through their combined efforts a great barrier spanning the entire width of the nation had been erected.
“It’s thanks to their diligence and foresight that I am now unable to take even a single step into the Kingdom,” Mom said, speaking of this act of defiance from Astra with a tone of great admiration and respect. “The barrier’s magic also extends to my followers and those that aligned themselves with me, and shall they attempt to force it, they’ll find themselves dissolving into crumbling pillars of salt. Ahh, the Divines’ magic is such a pain indeed.”
Once Terestra had done speaking her side, she bowed cordially and withdrew a step back, awaiting the Phonixes’ reply. Ria promptly spoke what was on both our minds.
“Where do I come in?”
.....
The courteous demon smiled, I think she might have been waiting to be asked that question. “You are a Phoenix. A true Phoenix, not like those pale imitations that came after you. The one and only ever made and will ever be. A being that exists outside the cycle of life and death, a being beyond the reach of the Divines themselves. As such even if you are to align yourself with me, the barrier will not affect you, you’ll be free to enter Astra, and once within, you’ll be free to do whatever it is that you desire.”
“Or do whatever it is that YOU desire, you mean,” Ria said.
“I suppose there is that too,” Terestra replied, smiling approvingly at Ria’s astuteness. “If you’d be so kind to.”
“You’re a very cunning demon bitch lady, aren’t you?”
“To my very core,” Terestra replied nonchalantly.
“Can you just get to your point, so I can get to my point where I tell you to fuck off my forest and never come back?”
Mom complied with Ria’s request wholeheartedly. “Shatter that troublesome barrier from within. I have located seven burial sites where they’ve burrowed their catalysts for this barrier. I would like you to burn these sites to cinders and leave nothing but scorched earth in your wake... and then I shall finally be able to continue doing my work in peace.”
Ria blinked hard, spewing straying embers from her eyelids. “Destroying Kronocia.”
“Now, now, let us not misconstrue one another, shall we? We both know this realm’s already lost long before I’ve ever laid my hands upon it. You know what goes on in this realm, you know what they’ve done to themselves, and to you especially. Tell those Great Divines above to simply do a better job next time.”
Silence fell upon them both, and that’s when Terestra slowly extended a hand forward.
“So what do you say, Ria?” She asked her. “Would you aid this helpless demon purge this world that has brought you nothing but pain and suffering?”
It didn’t take a minute, it didn’t even take a second. Ria whipped her hair around – wisps of fire detaching – walking away, turning her back to the demon with nothing but a fleeting glare on her face, as she spoke, “Fuck off my forest and never come back.”
At once, the world began to crumble, the colors began to blur, the memory began to fade – the last to go being the gentle smile on my dear mother’s face.
Enveloped in blackness once more, I thought that might have been the end of the encounter, and indeed what a bothersome encounter it was. If I could feel, if I could express, I think I’d be very disconcerted by what I’ve just seen.
My loving, doting mother in the process of scheming an entire nation’s demise. The same person whose abilities I’ve inherited... perhaps Sammy’s worries aren’t at all as unfounded as I thought they first seemed.
As I was thinking this, the dark world was shifting again, unveiling another scene for me to consume and unravel – I thought to myself to shelf the prior memory of my mom to better focus on the coming one instead. But as it turns out, it wasn’t necessary for me to do so one bit.
A week later, Terestra returned to the forest again.
Another rumbling stampede from below, another flurry of feathers from above – and Ria plummeted downwards to the ground in an explosion of fire, marching forward towards the dark figure in black resting atop the withered stump, her every thunderous step scorching the earth beneath her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing here again?!” Ria demanded, forming tendrils of blazing fire around the demon, encasing her within bright pillars of light. “They call you vile, they call you cruel, they never mention you were also damn stubborn. I said to get lost, didn’t I?”
Once more, Terestra smiled unperturbed. “Actually, the exact term was to ‘fuck off your forest’, to which I did... and now I’ve returned.”
“And I also said never to come back, didn’t I?” Ria said, her smoldering tendrils sprouting smaller branches, slowly wrapping and wringing itself around Terestra, the shrilling sizzle of burning flesh resounding in the air. “Selective hearing, I presume?”
Terestra’s very skin was scorching, the smell of her burnt flesh permeating into the air, and from the crackle of fire something seemed to be screaming, agonizing, the fabric of her gown seemed to be squirming... and yet, the pain did not show on her face.
“Ria, can I ask why you refuse?” Mom tilted her head. “I’ve thought about it for so long, but I just can’t seem to come up with a good reason why you’d refuse.”
“Really now?” Ria scoffed. “Too bad, then. Guess you’ll just have to keep thinking your evil little head for all time.”
“This realm has provided you nothing. Throughout your whole existence, it’s only offered you its deepest loathing and contempt. Why would you want to save it? That fool Silas... and even your own creator, Torem – ”
“Do not invoke those names,” Ria muttered in a dangerous, terrifying whisper.
Terestra inclined her head forward. “My apologies.”
“You wasted your time coming here. Say what you want, kill me if you must – not as if you’ll succeed anyway. I’m still not helping you.”
“That is truly a shame to hear,” Terestra said, for the first time in a frown. “And here I thought you’ll be sympathetic with my ambitions, what a shame to know that you’d be vehemently against it all this time.”
“That’s your fault, you idiot. Why would you assume I’m just like you?”
“Because of what you’ve accomplished and done thus far, if the stories and legends hold true,” Then like brittle twigs, She broke her body free from the tendrils of fire effortlessly, rising to her feet, and turning herself towards Ria. “You remember Prestes, don’t you?”
When Ria didn’t respond, Terestra continued on seemingly reinvigorated by her sudden silence.
“Yes, that scorched landmass that to this day is still burning in flames to the far east. I remembered when it was still a prosperous kingdom once before – the advent, the pioneers that laid the foundations for all other kingdoms after, and overnight, within mere minutes, reduced to nothing but cinders. So many lives in so little time... I can’t say I’ve ever achieved such an incredible feat myself. Your flames are such a scary thing to behold, aren’t they?”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Oh?” Mom shot her a quizzical look. “Then how about a feat more recent, then? In Molothir, the homeland of all Elves no longer, because of your doing. Now they’re forced scattered across the lands, making do by burrowing holes into the earth for shelter – doing all in vain to hide themselves from those silly looking red-hooded sorcerers.”
“Yes, and?” Ria asked flatly, unimpressed. “They’re just Elves. Who really gives a fuck what happens to them?”
“True, and yet,” Terestra began to pace in a ring around her. “You can’t deny that through the many, many years of your existence, you’ve taken as many lives as I have, perhaps even more as well. So can you really blame me for thinking the way I do? That I thought you’d see things the way I do?”
Once again, silence began to permeate from their gazes to one another. But this time, It was Ria that broke that quiet moment after.
“Have you ever loved in your life?” Ria asked seemingly at random, momentarily earning a confused look from the demon. “Have you ever had a family before, Terestra?”
Terestra stayed quiet for a little bit longer. I watched her black eyes peer at Ria with mild interest, before her lips formed another smile again, “Yes, I’ve given birth to many, many children... some you might actually know the names of. They were quite notorious individuals in the period they were – ”
Ria interrupted her with a loud shameless scoff. “Okay, if that’s the tone you use talking about your own children, then I suppose the real answer is a resounding ‘No’.”
Mom’s patient smile briefly flickered. “How do you mean, Ria?”
“Those children you mention aren’t sons to you, they aren’t your daughters, they’re just as you’ve described them – only children. There’s no love in your voice, every time I hear you speak you have nothing to say, there’s no emotion to anything.”
“I’m... forgive me, what exactly are you implying?”
“Maybe you should settle down for a time, Terestra,” Ria said, shaking her head at her. “Maybe if you’ve actually loved something for once in your life, you’d finally understand why I don’t see things the way you do.”
“A family,” Mom sniggered. “You want me to form a family? You want me to learn how to love?”
“I did,” Ria told her. “Eventually, in time, I did.”
“What a waste of your immortal time, then.”
“Give it a try sometime,” Ria spun away again, striding away from the cold, heartless demon in black. “Who knows, you might actually come to like it.”
At once, once again, the world began to fracture, filtering in rays of dark black, consuming everything within the scenery. Everything promptly began to fade, and the last to dissipate was Terestra again, slowly being swallowed whole by the inky blackness, her lips shaping then sounding its final words, resounding loudly in the vast empty quiet.
“Perhaps so.”
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