Chapter 51: Ardele

                                    

                                          
I am in the throne room when Eaverslaina slaughters her troops, drinking in their life forces. Blood of all colors, and bodies of all shapes and sizes litter the lavish room. Her flowing dark hair and red lips are like a beacon in the room, demanding attention. She senses my presence; her gaze immediately narrows on me, and a light smile catches her lips. 
                          
"Ardele. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."
                          
I completely pause for a second at her use of my name, but I instantly recompose myself. My group dispersed, and I only have three warriors behind me. I cannot let them fall into her hands.
                          
My mouth thins, anger flaring up deep in my bones. "Let's make this clean and swift. Shall we?"
                          
She smirks. "We shall."
                          
The heads of my allies explode beside me, and they fall to the ground. A helpless cry gets caught in my throat, and I raise my eyes to hers in turmoil. She simply fiddles with her fingers, ignoring my fiery gaze. 
                          
They did not deserve to die like that. No one in Arcana deserved to die like that. Even the many others that she used and discarded did not deserve to die like that. Dying in an unjust way with no peace is a tragedy. Nora especially did not deserve that. She had a peaceful life planned ahead for herself. To get ripped away of that chance... I cannot even process the thought. It hurts that many lost the opportunity to live just so that one could. How selfish could one be to do such a thing?
                          
"I see that you have been tinkering around with mana resistance bands, hm? Effort is there but sadly missing one thing."
                          
I can only watch in turmoil as her smile gets bigger. 
                          
"Ancient blood. You forgot the age I come from, Ardele. Pure blood will not suffice."
                          
Ancient blood is very rare to come across. Only found in ancient creatures such as the oldest living vampires, shifters, witches, and such. Very few remain. I grit my teeth in frustration when the thought finally processes. It was a losing battle before it even started.
                          
She giggles in delight. "I see that you have caught up, my dear."
                          
"Why are you here? How did you come back?" I ask, my voice flat.
                          
I pray that someone will see that something is off. I pray that Fallon will notice my absence. Someone please take notice of something. 
                          
Eaverslaina taps her finger to her chin. "To make lovely offspring like you."
                          
I cringe at the statement, and she knowingly smiles before continuing.
                          
"I am here to rule the world as I have been called to."
                          
Summoning my sword, I growl, "Who gave you the right? Why attack kingdoms that do not pertain to you?"
                          
"Oh, but they will soon enough. Might as well destroy them now, before they turn into a larger nuisance later. It was not hard, you see. Many people here are blind to devious motives it seems. Friendly letters laced with Loeniklien is just the norm." 
                          
"Why did you attack Arcana first?"
                          
The curve of her mouth widens. "Oh you foolish child. I have been infiltrating many empires over the last decade. Brainwashing the people who held power over the lands was not that hard, honey. Illea was only my latest one. Arcana was next."
                          
She plays around with a blade in her hand. "Taking out older creatures was the best decision. The older creatures have the knowledge to overtake ancient ones if needed. Knowledge is power. Power equates to leadership. I am destined to rule as I hold most of the knowledge of this world. The creatures from my time have been separated from the beginning. Light vs. Dark. I was only doing them a favor. Their time is over. My time has yet to come."
                          
My hands start to shake in rage, and she smiles as she continues.
                          
"You were still working under Maximus when I came to be, Ardele. Such a young girl in a frightening world. Such a shame he let you off so quick, hm? You were going to be a huge aspect of my plan. But Maximus despises witches as none can compare to I. Light witches are such a nuisance these days. It seems as though you have it all figured out, though. Why bother with the questions?"
                          
I dash towards her, and my sword meets her blue protection barrier. I crash into the wall from the force, and I fall to the ground. The iron armor keep my skin from being impaled by shards of marble. Barely able to get my feet from the weight of the armor and the pain, I level a cool glare at her before whispering a spell.
                          
Her eyes widen before filling with excitement. My blade burns a hot jade green, and I attack the barrier once again. The barrier shatters, the sword breaking through, absorbing all the energy being released. 
                          
"A soul eating spell. What a delight," she tuts.
                          
Bringing my sword up, I attack her, but she blocks them with a pink shield that she summoned. It is a back and forth movement; she is all defense, and I all offense. I can feel her magic trying to sweep into my veins, but I mentally put a barrier up. She has the ability to control me if I let her. It is just as much of an external fight as an internal fight. If I lose one way, I will lose both.
                          
"Where are your comrades?" she questions, and I bring my sword down on her harder. The shield rattles from the force, but still stays intact. 
                          
Spinning around my heel, I mutter another spell, and three swords mirror my own. She changes her tactic, summoning a long spear. Narrowly dodging all the swift cuts of the blades, she places a spell beneath me, that attempts to drain my mana. 
                          
Jumping on different surfaces, I evade them as best as possible. However, her magic wielding experience clearly shines through. My mana is slowly depleting as I have to step on some spell bound surfaces. 
                          
Breathing hard, I stand on top of an unaffected broken pillar. I have not been able to touch her at all. The sound of loud shouts echo into the throne room, and Fallon and his group appears at the doorway. Fallon and I make eye contact, and his mouth pulls into a frown.
                          
"You broke your promise."
                          
I smile despite my disheveled state. "Not intentionally."