Chapter 733: 732. Dance Of Fire And Shadows (4)
The moment Alys removed the earring, the illusion shattered.
The transformation was immediate.
Brown hair faded like mist beneath sunlight, revealing strands of brilliant gold that cascaded down her back. The color of her eyes deepened into a vivid scarlet that seemed to glow beneath the evening light.
The arena had been filled with screams, orders and the distant shrieks of the Chimera only moments ago, yet an uneasy stillness spread through the colosseum as people stared up at the beautiful face that was now displayed all over the Aether Screens as the Viewing Orbs hovered around Alys.
The nearest spectators were the first to react.
Confusion appeared on their faces before disbelief quickly followed. Conversations faltered midway through sentences. Several nobles found themselves staring openly toward the arena floor while others instinctively rose from their seats as though standing might somehow help them make sense of what they were seeing.
Even the Chimera had stopped moving.
The creature remained crouched amongst the rubble, its glowing eyes fixed upon Alys as though sensing that something fundamental had changed.
The nobles were close to fainting as they watched the First Princess of the kingdom whom they all had assumed had died years ago.
"How is this possible?!"
"Is that really..."
Celestia was puzzled as she couldn’t understand the sudden transformation of Alys and the shock of the people.
"Grandfather." She spoke stepping close to Marquis Fairisles.
"What just happened?" She asked.
Marquis Fairisles who watched Alys now tying her long hair back up in a ponytail then glanced at Roger.
"She’s the First Princess of this kingdom." Marquis simply said and Celestia’s eyes widened.
"The First Princess? But didn’t she die years ago along with former Crown Prince?"
Marquis Fairisles shook his head, "She survived."
Celestia stared at Alys who stood confidently while the whispers and murmurs ran across the whole colosseum.
"Then, was she living with you and Archmage all along?" Celestia asked.
"No," Marquis said, "Ocean found her a couple years back and brought her in to keep her safe."
Celestia’s jaw dropped at that, it was only recently that she had found out about Ocean’s reality and now she was struck by another shocking revelation.
"Your family is full of groundbreaking secrets." She couldn’t help but scoff and Marquis didn’t respond to that.
Roger closed his eyes briefly feeling the relief wash over him. He had wanted to bring Alys before the world the moment he had found out that she was alive, he wanted to show the world that at least one person from his family was still alive. But the fear of her death wouldn’t leave him so, he had to leave her in Ocean’s care until this moment.
But the secret was finally gone and with it, the lie that Princess Alys Scarlet Ferin Marismus had died all those years ago.
Farther back amongst the spectators, Colette felt her fingernails digging painfully into her palms. Her plan had been going smoothly, she would have had the King killed and put the blame on her mother for delving into black magic and even gotten her brother executed.
Yet, one obstacle after another had already appeared throughout the day and now this another impossible problem had risen from the grave itself. Didn’t her mother claim that she had removed Crown Prince Soros and his successor? Was there any plan of her mother that had succeeded?
She couldn’t even bring herself to believe that the little girl whose portraits she had seen and believed to be have died years ago was now standing before her.
No matter how many times Colette blinked, the figure below remained unchanged. A cold knot formed in Colette’s stomach. For the briefest instant, her carefully maintained composure nearly cracked.
The shock twisted her expression before she forced it back under control and lowered her gaze.
No one around her seemed to notice.
No one paid attention to the woman standing amongst the frightened spectators.
Colette slowly unclenched her hands and spoke beneath her breath.
"Velk."
Her voice was barely audible.
"Kill her."
Down in the arena, Alys remained completely unaware of the murderous order that had just been given.
The whispers spreading through the colosseum, the shocked faces staring down at her and the growing disbelief amongst the crowd no longer mattered.
Her attention remained fixed upon the creature before her.
Across the shattered battlefield, the Chimera stared back.
Its crimson eyes had not left her since the illusion disappeared. Black saliva dripped steadily from between rows of jagged teeth while the creature’s chest rose and fell in slow, uneven breaths.
The flames gathering around Alys had changed.
The fire that previously flickered around her hands now roared through the arena like a living storm. Heat distorted the air around her while the shattered stone beneath her feet slowly blackened from the temperature.
Alys exhaled slowly.
For years, she had lived with one instinct above all else. Survive.
When the world believed she was dead, survival had been enough. She had hidden her name, hidden her face and buried every part of herself that could draw unwanted attention. Every day had been spent looking over her shoulder, wondering whether the next shadow concealed another threat or another enemy sent to finish what had begun all those years ago.
Back then, she had been alone.
There had been no kingdom waiting for her return. No family standing behind her. No home to return to. No future worth fighting for.
But things were different now.
As she stood amidst the ruined arena, Alys could hear the frightened voices of the civilians behind the barriers. She could sense Roger’s presence above her who had rejoiced at her return.
Her eyes drifted over to Silas, who stood across from her at some distance with his gaze on her, then on Marquis Fairisles who had treated her like a daughter stood at his balcony. The rest of her new family was out there fighting for everyone’s lives.
A faint smile touched her lips despite the chaos surrounding her, she couldn’t help but recall the one person who had given her a hand and brought her back into the light, who herself was now fighting a bigger battle.
Ocean had once told her that running wasn’t always cowardice. Sometimes it was simply what people did when they had something worth protecting.
Perhaps he had been right, she had run because she wanted to live, but now she wanted something more.
Her scarlet eyes lifted toward the Chimera.
The fear of death that had haunted her for years was still there, buried deep within her heart where it had always been. The difference was that it no longer outweighed everything else.
There were people waiting for her, people she loved, people who relied on her and for their sake, she could no longer afford to keep retreating.
The Chimera’s screech tore through the colosseum with enough force to make several spectators flinch. The creature launched itself forward almost immediately afterward, its distorted body becoming little more than a black blur crossing the shattered arena.
The stone exploded beneath its feet as it met Alys head-on.
Wind mana erupted from the Chimera while flames burst from Alys’s body in response, the opposing forces crashing together violently enough to send debris scattering in every direction. Nearby pillars cracked beneath the pressure and fragments of stone rained across the arena floor.
The Chimera’s claws shot toward her throat.
Alys twisted her body just enough for the attack to miss and caught the creature’s wrist before it could recover. The impact alone forced her boots several inches into the stone beneath her feet, yet she refused to yield ground.
For the briefest moment, both remained locked together.
Then Alys drove one of the black spheres directly into the creature’s chest.
The Chimera’s eyes widened while Alys shoved it away putting some distance between them as the sphere detonated making the creature screech.
Fire swallowed the Chimera before erupting outward in a roaring pillar that illuminated the entire arena. The blast wave flattened dozens of the smaller creatures rushing toward her and sent shattered stone tumbling from the upper sections of the colosseum.
The Chimera was hurled away like a ragdoll.
Its body smashed through one pillar, then a second and a third before finally crashing into the arena wall hard enough to leave a crater across the stone.
A cheer almost escaped the audience, thinking that finally the creature was down but the creature moved again.
Its black flesh twisted and its broken bone shifted as the Chimera dragged itself from the rubble amidst a shower of falling debris and lifted its head toward Alys.
The regeneration was slower now.
Alys noticed it immediately.
The explosion had done more than damage its body. Large portions of corrupted flesh had been burned away completely, leaving wounds that struggled to close.
The Chimera noticed it too and the realization only made it more vicious.
A roar erupted from its throat as compressed blades of wind suddenly filled the arena.
The attacks tore through pillars and shattered walls alike.
Alys moved through them.
Fire surged around her feet every time she stepped, propelling her forward while explosions erupted behind her. One blade narrowly missed her shoulder. Another carved through her sleeve. A third passed so close to her face that she felt the pressure scrape against her skin.
Yet she continued advancing.
The Chimera expected retreat, instead, Alys forced her way through the storm.
By the time the creature realized its mistake, she was already in front of it and a concentrated blast of fire struck its abdomen.
The impact doubled the creature over as the second explosion followed immediately afterward, then the third and fourth.
The arena shook continuously beneath the barrage.
The Chimera attempted to retaliate several times but every attack was interrupted before it could properly form. Whenever it gathered wind mana, another explosion disrupted its concentration. Whenever it attempted to close the distance, flames forced it backward.
The creature was swift at adapting, but Alys was no longer giving it the time required to do so.
For the first time since the battle began, the Chimera was being dragged into a pace it could not control.
The spectators gradually noticed the change, earlier, every exchange had felt uncertain, every attack had carried the possibility of disaster but now the creature was the one being forced backward.
The monstrous confidence it had displayed moments ago was gone.
Its movements had become increasingly desperate, even the shrill sounds escaping its throat no longer resembled triumph. They sounded angry, frustrated, afraid.
Alys launched another explosive sphere.
The resulting detonation consumed the creature entirely and sent it skidding across the arena floor once more.
When the smoke finally cleared, the Chimera remained crouched amongst the rubble, its body was covered in burns, one arm hung unnaturally at its side, black blood dripped steadily from dozens of wounds and most importantly, it was no longer advancing.
The creature stared at Alys from across the battlefield and for the first time since entering the arena, it hesitated.
The realisation spread through the audience almost immediately and one by one they started cheering for Alys.
"Princess!"
"Hail our Princess!"
"Take it down!"
"Kill that thing!"
The frightened silence that had dominated the colosseum for so long finally broke apart as hope surged through the crowd.
The voices grew louder with every passing second.
The people of Sestia had spent the entire battle watching in terror but now they were watching someone push the nightmare back.
Alys ignored the cheering, her scarlet eyes never leaving the Chimera.
Across the ruined arena, the creature remained frozen amidst the rubble, its crimson gaze fixed upon her.
The creature’s instincts screamed of the danger as it was continuously pushed into the corner and it would lose its life.
The life that it had barely gotten, its name was already in the hands of its master and it could not disobey for it would die. So the creature jumped far away from Alys, being enclosed in the barrier it couldn’t escape but it could still use a puppet.
In the balcony where the Mages were, Keira lay on the sofa, her abdomen wrapped in bandages.
"What should we do? We should take her to Oasis Hospital. Her bleeding won’t stop!" One of the Mages cried.
"But we can’t teleport, the barriers have restricted the use of magic that would allow anyone to enter or leave the colosseum." Another added as they dabbed the damp cloth over Keira’s burning forehead.
"We’d have to hope that she holds on until Scholar Alys takes care of that monster."
Just as they were nursing the young woman, the loud screech made them clamp their ears.
A violent shudder ran through her body without warning. The sofa creaked beneath her as her back arched sharply and a ragged wheeze escaped her throat. The nearest Mage immediately stepped forward, believing she had finally regained consciousness, but the hopeful thought vanished the moment Keira’s eyes snapped open.
Her eyes were wide enough to show the whites all around her irises, and tears immediately gathered in their corners as though she understood something dreadful was happening to her. And it wasn’t pain or relief that stared back at them, it was terror.
Her fingers dug desperately into the cushions beneath her and her lips trembled, struggling to form words that never came. The sight rooted several people to the spot because there was a horrible awareness in her expression. She did not look unconscious or delirious. She looked trapped.
A strangled sound escaped her throat as her body lurched upright. The movement lacked every trace of natural motion. Instead of someone forcing themselves to sit despite an injury, it looked as though invisible strings had suddenly yanked her upward. Her shoulders jerked. Her head twisted unnaturally. Every motion arrived a fraction too sharply, a fraction too abruptly, turning her into something that resembled a puppet more than a person.
The Mages finally reacted.
Several rushed toward her at once, intending to restrain her before she could tear open her wound, but the moment their hands reached her, Keira shoved them away with surprising force. One stumbled backward into a table while another nearly lost his footing altogether.
Panic spread through the room as Keira staggered to her feet. Tears were streaming openly down her face now, yet the horror twisting her expression only grew stronger. She looked directly at them for a brief second and the silent plea in her eyes chilled everyone present.
Help me.
Then her body turned and ran.
The realization struck the Mages all at once. Whatever was controlling her had no intention of remaining hidden.
Shouts erupted behind her as people lunged forward, but Keira was already moving. She crossed the balcony in moments, reached the stone railing and vaulted over it before anyone could close the distance. The last thing the Mages saw was her disappearing beyond the edge while horrified screams echoed through the chamber behind her.
