Upon hearing the dragoness's cold, murderous voice, all the youths present felt their muscles go rigid, leaving them like statues. Instinct told them the same thing: they were facing a being of a higher order, and their minds and bodies wanted to submit to her at once. It was as if that were the natural outcome—when the dragoness spoke, they could only obey, without debate, without question, blind obedience to something beyond their understanding.
But Tomás wasn't willing to accept that. He was born free thanks to his father—a freedom won with blood and tears—so nothing and no one could enslave him. The only way to take an Arismendi's freedom was to kill him. They, a clan of just two, would fight to their last breath for their freedom, utterly convinced it was better to die on their feet than live on their knees.
Clenching his teeth, Tomás used every last drop of willpower to grip the hilt of his sword and rouse his mana. Even if he knew he was going to die, at least he'd go out in style, landing a good slash on that arrogant "higher being." That dragoness would have to understand that even insects defend themselves when provoked.
"Ebonique."
At that moment, Erik's hoarse voice rang out, blowing away the heaviness and fear running through the youths, who all turned to look at him. Erik—veins bulging, hair duller than ever, traces of blood at his lips—stood up and looked at the dragoness, his green eyes shining dangerously, and continued speaking.
"I don't know who you are, Ebonique, but I am a humble human, and we deal with one another through mutual respect and cooperation. I don't kill unless someone threatens my life or my family's, and that will never change, no matter what."
Erik declared this in a voice on the verge of fading, yet so steady that Ebonique could only stare at him in silence for a few seconds. But that lack of response seemed enough for Erik, because without another word, Ebonique saw him tighten his grip on his machetes and turn to face forward—at the same time she felt her contract with him begin to "tremble."
He was trying to force her back to the spirit world by breaking the contract—something that would leave him gravely incapacitated by the "backlash," which would strike even harder given his current weakened state. In a serious voice, Ebonique looked at Erik's back while she studied the strength of a group of hunters in the distance—hunters Erik had sensed as well and was preparing to confront.
"The world is much crueler than you think, Erik. Not every place is like this remote region where slavery is taboo for fear of a certain individual. The strong take everything, Erik. In this world, where millions of the weak together can't harm a single hair of the strong, the mutual respect you speak of is only possible between beings of similar power. For the weak, servitude to the strong is a blessing and their only means of survival."
"Then allow me to resign from serving you, Ebonique. Thank you for everything, and I wish you the best in your future. It truly was special having you as my contracted spirit all these years, but I—even if pathetically weak in your eyes—am a free man, and I will die as a free man, not a servant."
To the disbelief of everyone present, Erik answered in a ragged voice that sounded incredibly calm. In that instant, his hair rose again, and the stars and galaxies within it began to swirl and layer upon themselves, while the pores of his skin began to release blood instead of sweat.
"Don't break the contract! You are not my servant, Erik! You are my equal—my contractor! My first and only contractor!"
Though Ebonique wanted to correct Erik's naive, childish thinking, when she saw the state of her beloved contractor and felt he truly was about to break the contract, she panicked and cried out. Emotions long forgotten—only now returning thanks to how special Erik was—betrayed her. The dragoness didn't really know how to handle them.
"There's a group of six hunters a hundred meters past the bend up ahead. They're fleeing at least a dozen golems. It's best to hide and avoid the fight, but we need to be ready." Erik announced in a voice so hoarse it was hard to understand, then wiped away the blood that had escaped his mouth.
Feeling a strange mix of emotions, the group quickly tightened their grip on their weapons and prepared for battle in complete silence. Meanwhile, Ethan conjured a multitude of runes that released great amounts of illusory fog, shrouding them completely.
[Erik, I just don't want you to die! I don't want to lose you, and having these kids with you is only complicating your life! They're a burden! Alone, you could run from all this without too much trouble, and you know it! Playing the hero is killing you, Erik! Please, snap out of it! I beg you!]
Ebonique, feeling the contract on the verge of breaking, sent a message in a panic. Erik, silently thanking his masters for strengthening his mana circulatory system—the only reason it hadn't torn apart completely—replied in an even tone.
[There's so much I want to say, so much I want to question, Ebonique, but now is neither the time nor the place. This might be the last day of my life, and as such, I want to live it to the fullest. So I'm going to live as I have every day of my life—doing what I think is best—so I can go without regrets. But I understand you don't agree, and a being of your level doesn't have to follow me in my foolishness.]
[So you're going to kill yourself for strangers?! You'd even cast me off so you can throw your life away without worries?!! Is that what I mean to you, Erik?! An obstacle to get rid of?!!!] Ebonique shot back in equal parts rage, indignation, and pain. Erik watched calmly as the group of hunters below fought and fled from the golems, then replied in a composed tone.
[I'm a rare and delicious snack to you, Ebonique—one you don't want to share and for which you'd do anything to keep hidden. It doesn't take a genius to know that Seraphina, Sigrún, and Eleonora—important witnesses who've known me all my life—are a major obstacle to you.
[You're thinking of getting rid of the people I love to keep me hidden, aren't you, Ebonique? That's why you're using your mana and not mine; you no longer care if you're discovered because you're going to erase every trace of my existence.]
[!!!] Ebonique's eyes widened in disbelief at Erik's words. He sent another message as he gripped his machetes, his instincts warning him things were about to get ugly.
[It's possible your plan goes even further than that. I'm not stupid, Ebonique. We've been together for years—I know you—and thanks to these ruins, I've confirmed and discovered new parts of you. You're someone at the top, used to giving orders, and you see us—the weak—as less than insects. Our lives or deaths don't matter to you; only your goals do. And while I was willing to play dumb about that, the situation has changed.
[Now that I, your rare and delicious snack, am about to die, you've gotten nervous, and you're thinking of acting to save my life at the cost of who knows how much death and destruction. Even at the cost of my masters' and my maid's lives—the people I love most. So let me tell you this, Ebonique: to lay a hand on my family, you'll have to go over my dead body. Once you're back in the spirit world, don't bother returning—you'll find only a corpse with no ability to produce mana.]
[Wait! You're wrong!! I don't care about your mana anymore, and I wasn't going to kill your masters or your maid! I swear it!!] Ebonique replied in a panic, just as the golems raised their fists to target him, detecting them even through the illusion. Erik smiled calmly and sent a message in a soft voice.
[You already lied to me once, Ebonique, and I owe Sigrún, Eleonora, and Seraphina my life and the happiness I can enjoy, so I won't take the risk. If I get out of this alive and well, maybe we can talk again and come to an understanding.
[But for now, this is goodbye. It was a genuine pleasure to know you; along with my masters and Seraphina, you're what I've loved most in this world. Regardless of everything, you've been very good to me, and I truly carry you in my heart. Thank you for everything, Ebonique—you're super cool and powerful!]
[Don't do it, Erik!!! I swear it! I never meant to kill them!!! I never even thought it!!! Erik!!!! Please!! I care about you, not your mana!! Erik!!!!!!!!]
Ebonique cried out in despair as she lunged toward Erik, who was conjuring magic circles at the cost of his mana circulatory system to create barriers. But no matter how much she screamed, Ebonique turned into tiny wisps of light and vanished into nothing just before touching him.
...…
"AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
In the middle of a colossal, oriental-style palace, a breathtaking woman with black hair, seated in the lotus position upon an elegant, comfortable purple cushion, suddenly opened her eyes and let out a heartrending scream that made space itself tremble. The quake caused spatial rifts hundreds of kilometers long to open everywhere, making it seem as if the world itself was about to collapse under her colossal power.
"What happened to Erik?!"
At that moment, a woman of no less stunning beauty, with blue eyes and blue hair, seated in the lotus position not far away, opened her eyes and asked, visible panic in her expression. The black-haired woman didn't answer; she only looked at the blue-haired woman with her shining purple eyes as tears began to stream down her cheeks, her hair lifted against gravity, black scales began to cover her body, and horns sprouted from her head.
"I never should have followed you in that lie…"
Soon, black scales covered the woman completely, and she spoke in a voice full of pain. In the next instant, she transformed into a dark electric bolt that shot toward the sky, where it took the form of a colossal black eastern dragon that bore the beauty and dignity of a goddess.
"What happened?! How is Erik?!" The blue-haired woman became a blue blaze that flashed to the dragon's side and asked, transforming into a phoenix of blue fire no less huge and impressive than the dragon.
"Seraphius Archivum! How dare you steal from me! If I don't tear you to pieces, I am not Ebonique Nox!!!"
Instead of answering, the dragon let out a roar that spread through space, fracturing it further and virtually destroying the dimension, then turned into a dark bolt and vanished. Stunned, the blue phoenix froze for a few moments, but soon her blue eyes shone with realization and coldness, and she loosed a phoenix cry no less powerful than the dragon's roar.
"Seraphius Archivum!!! How dare you trespass on my territory!!"
In that instant, the colossal phoenix turned into a blaze of blue fire and disappeared just like the dragon, leaving behind a mansion that still barely stood—thanks only to the incredibly rare and exotic materials it was made of—while all the surrounding land was shattered beyond recognition.
Curiously, in the mansion's main guest hall—totally upended and half-destroyed—there was a sort of transparent crystal box that seemed immovable, unaffected in the slightest by the dragon and phoenix's rampage. Stranger than the box, however, was what it contained: a simple, plain black leather bag. The bag was made from the hide of a magical creature so weak it wouldn't even qualify as an insect to the mansion's owner.
And yet the bag occupied a central place—one normally reserved only for the most valuable treasures of which the host is proud. Which could only mean that, to the owner, that bag was so immensely precious that it needed to be placed in the most special spot while being protected by something capable of concealing anything that might make it special. It was almost as if the owner wanted the world to know she kept something very special just for herself—something only she could truly appreciate.
***
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