Standing outside the palace I had once sworn to protect, I was here, fighting the king of my kingdom. The sword my father left for me was now against the neck of the king. However, I didn't push it any further than that.
"General Adam." King Elicus kicked me away strongly. "You should never hesitate...in a fight!!"
His sword was fast approaching my chest. He was going make a direct hit to my heart. There would be no way to stop it, but I still raised my hands with gritted teeth, unrelenting.
A single thought that caused me to freeze, clenching my hands tightly in disappointment. Elodie. How could I leave her behind like this?
There was a gust of heat that radiated all around us, and then a white light that shined, momentarily blinding the king.
My exact opportunity to change my fate.
So I kicked the king as hard as I could, grabbing tight hold of my sword. I flipped it around in my hand, lamming the blunt end into the back of his head.
His body tensed and then relaxed into the cobblestone floors of the palace entrance. The space around me finally silenced, and I took a step away from him. After I caught my breath, I looked around for the source of the light that saved me.
"What, where did that light come from?" I panted, looking up at the castle. The windows shone the same light, causing my heartbeat to speed up. Elodie... could she have teleported into there? "Barrett!"
"Sir," he glanced around just after he grabbed a sword off an unconscious soldier. "I will stay here with Sir Daniel! Go find her!"
I didn't even bother responding. I wasted no time running into the castle. My heart was filled with unease, anticipating what I might discover upon finding her. "Elodie, wait for me."
๏๏๏ꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉꪉ๏๏๏
When I opened my eyes, Isabella was lying on the ground, unmoving.
"What-" I started to say, realizing I could also see my own body lying still, like I was dead or something.
"Be calm, Emerald Witch," said the voice. the voice I'd been hearing all this time.
I turned around, shocked. It was then that the entire room became white. I was no longer standing in the ballroom. Perhaps I wasn't even in the solaria kingdom anymore. I was in another dimension entirely.
There was a tall, slender lady staring back at me. She was white, from her hair to her skin to her eyes and her dress. I almost thought I was staring at a ghost.
I quickly lowered my head after processing who she was. There was an intense amount of magical energy emitting off of her. "Forgive me, crystal shard. I- I had no idea that you were-"
"-Alive?" She finished my sentence with a humorous tone. "You must be shocked."
I glanced back at Isabella, hesitant to ask. "Is she... am I?"
"You aren't dead." She answered and then walked closer to me. Well, my consciousness was floating in the middle of the ballroom. She passed my body and reached Isabella. "She is not dead, either, but the Queen of Destruction is."
I squinted. "She became the Queen by taking your powers; was it you inside of her?"
The crystal shard only turned to look at me. I cleared my throat and looked away, slightly disturbed. Her eyes were completely white.
"Why did you hesitate to stop her?" The woman asked me. "To kill her, I should say."
I lowered my head, pursing my lips. "I... lost my focus."
"Why?"
"Well, she was-"
"Why did you hesitate?" The crystal shard asked once more.
"She was misguided." I finally spoke. "She had no one to turn to."
"You feel guilty."
I tensed. "She was my friend. At one point."
"She used her powers for evil. She abused my own."
I ducked my head. "I'm, sorry."
"Emerald Witch." The Crystal shards voice was soft. "Though, I find it hard to reason that this friendship has held such weight in your heart all this while...You have more reason than any other to want to kill her. Why didn't you?"
"I...I couldn't."
"But why?"
"I-I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't do it."
"Your powers were more than hers and mine combined. Why didn't you kill her?"
"I told you, I wasn't strong enough!" My hands were shaking. Why did I need to be interrogated like this?
"There was a time before; you almost killed her then." She suddenly said. "Multiple opportunities to stop her family, but the same end result. Why?"
"I-"
"Do you wish to watch this kingdom fall to the ground?" Her voice of warmth sounded serious. It scared me, if that was even possible.
"No!"
"Then why?"
"I just can't!" I looked up at the white eyes of the crystal shard. Such a unique entity like itself couldn't possibly understand what I've gone through. "You think... I'm strong enough to take a life?"
As the words left my lips, I cringed, quickly looking away from her. I was already prepared to apologize and quickly sat on my knees. Where did I get off disrespecting the ultimate power source of all witches and magic users? Was I courting death for a second time?
"Why?" was all she asked me instead of punishing my insolence. "Why is that?"
Silence replaced any words. But not for long. I didn't have enough guts to evade the question of the crystal shard.
I saw it now, and back in Adam's manor the day the assassins came. His body. still, his eyes, grey and light, empty. Closing my eyes had allowed the memory made my hands go numb, so I opened them and accepted the cards the waking world dealt me instead.
"He still might not remember it. But I do. That memory... it replays every time day I'm alive. I feel it in every step that I take."
"You weren't killed that day on the battlefield. An emerald witch with such power... I find it hard to believe you could ever die." The crystal shard spoke as she walked away from Isabella's body, towards me. "They locked you away because even after you exhausted your magic, they couldn't kill you. This would mean your seven-year-long state of death... came from something else,"
There was the warmth of magical energy that enveloped me. Off of her presence alone, I was reminded of the warmth I felt when I was resurrected.
"I used my life force to save him." I confessed the secret I'd kept to myself all this time.
The crystal shard moved away from my side, humming lightly, as if she hadn't had known shouldn't she already have been all-knowing and all-powerful? "There are limits to ever power in this universe, Elodie."
I closed my eyes, slightly spooked by her ability to tell what I was thinking. "Which is why I accepted my death, then and now. I complete this mission you gave me—"
"You wouldn't die. Emerald Witch." She suddenly said.
"Well, I did. Until you brought me back to—"
"I did not bring you back to life, Emerald Witch." She cut me off again with more confusing words that made me furrow my brows. "I simply awoke you."
"But, a life for a life. It is the sacred rule of all magic. How did I avoid this payment?"
"Life force is a part of nature, Emerald Witch." The Crystal Shard had a smile in her voice. "Are you not a witch of nature, Emerald Witch?
"I...I don't..." I started to say. I stared right into her white eyes. Despite the translucency of her skin, I could barely make out a visible smile. How the h*ll could she smile right now?
She nodded after a second. "Yes, Emerald Witch. You are an immortal."
I shook my head violently. "That goes against the laws of magic!"
It was like she ignored me. "Your seven-year state of death was because you returned his life force from it's brink. You paid the price with half of your powers. Hence why, upon awaking, you were weak. "
"I-I still don't..."
"Emerald Witch."
I looked down, shaking. "If that is the case, why couldn't I save my parents from? Was I not fast enough? Adam's... Adam's parents, everyone! Why did they have to die?"
"Emerald Witch. You know exactly why they couldn't all be saved." Her voice sounded serious. "Even if you are immortal with great power, there is a limit on magic. All magic has limits."
I shut my eyes tightly. Deep down, didn't I know this? I'd come to terms with this fact: I wouldn't be able to save all of them. But,
"Why..." I questioned, still kneeling on the floor. "If I... If I could,"
"The world must remain in balance, Emerald Witch." The crystal shard cut me off. "You know this."
I was quickly reminded of the greed of the royal family. I relaxed my fists in acceptance. "Yes, I know."
"Good."
I stared up at the woman. "What will happen now? The crystal shard... your physical form, rather. It has been destroyed by Isabella."
The crystal shard extended her translucent hand. In it, a blinding white light bloomed. I winced, looking away. "I shall take care of things. After all, the kingdom of Solaria was created by me."
Looking back, she held a white diamond. Some kind of miniaturized crystal shard. Perhaps a new, crystal shard? The relief from the thought alone allowed my shoulders to fall.
'The creator of Solaria turns out to be a bad*ss!!' I thought to myself, dismissing the thought soon after.
However, the crystal shard smiled, as if I had said something. "Thank you,"
My relief was quickly replaced with dismay. "You can hear my thoughts?"
"How do you think I communicated with you all this time?" The crystal shard laughed. I coughed again.
"A-All this time you could hear my thoughts?"
"I hope my eyes didn't scare you too much. My form is still adjusting to be more human." She said.
Translation: I could hear you all this time!
My face warmed when I remembered my earlier thought upon first seeing her.
"So, you heard that too? What I meant to say was... Ahem. Regardless!" I stood up from the ground, wobbling. The Crystal Shard smile dimmed, for some reason "Crystal Shard. I am happy to see this kingdom turn a new leaf. I should head back now."
"Emerald witch-" She started to say, as if to tell me something. However, a loud, blood-curling voice interrupted her.
"Elodie!!!"
I turned around; my smile widened. Did he truly need to yell so loud? His cries had entered the dimension the crystal shard had brought me into.
My unconscious body must've startled him. I turned to face the silhouette of white in front of me. "Adam is here. Crystal Shard, I hear him. how do I return to my body?"
She was suddenly looking away from me. Her smile was wiped from her face entirely. "I... am so sorry."
I laughed a little. "For reading my mind? Its my fault anyway. You mustn't-"
"I was wondering how I was able to hold contact with you for so long, Emerald Witch." She spoke under her breath, but I heard every word, becoming confused by them.
"Elodie!! No, no..." I could hear Adam. Why was he crying even harder? "Please..."
Hoping to solve my confusion, I glanced at down at my spiritual body, spotting a redness that stained my dress. I furrowed my brows, touching my chest as my gut squirmed with unease.
My hand was stained with blood. My blood. I went still, slowly turning back towards the Crystal Shard.
She didn't say anything. Pity, the emotion I hated the most- was written all over her entire being.
"You're kidding me," I smiled, knowing that if I didn't tears would fall instead. "This is a joke, right?"