The one whose mouth Celine had pierced with her dagger earlier jerked violently, the pain was unregistered as he removed the dagger from his mouth. His tongue was cut, his blood flowing down his chin as he spit it on the ground.
He made a special move with his sword, one that allowed him to extend his astral energy through his blade to cut her from afar. He must have learned it recently.
It was a rare sword technique, one that only few people were able to master. It involved releasing a concentrated stream of your astral energy from your body, and controlling its gravity and direction around the blade to increase the reach of the weapon.
The energy extended for a few meters, and the sword appeared to be much longer than it actually was.
Celine's eyes scanned his movements, and with a swift pull on the reins, she made her horse jump to the side, avoiding the slash.
She jumped on the horse's back and used it as a stepping stone to leap towards the attacker. Her boots landed on his shoulders as she pushed herself off it, using it as a springboard to gain momentum.
Her leg extended to kick him in the side of his head. The kick was so powerful that it snapped his neck, making his head twist unnaturally.
The glow from the blue of her eyes repelled his shackled powers, preventing him from activating them in her presence. A trait that has gone almost extinct in this world. The Rocheforts were the last ones to possess it.
His body fell to the ground, and Celine rolled on the ground to avoid the others' attacks.
The four remaining ones circled her, their swords pointing at her. She sheathed her dagger, and pulled her rapier from its scabbard.
The first one to reach her, she stabbed his eye, and twisted her body to avoid the second sword.
She moved in a flash, her sword stabbing through the throat of one of them. The stab was so precise that it severed his vocal cords, preventing him from making a sound.
She jumped back as the other two swung at her, their swords whistling through the air. Slashing in unison, they tried to corner her.
She parried one, redirecting the blade, and then sidestepped the other. Her strength and speed couldn't match theirs, but her blessed weapon was unmatched.
The thin hilt's sharp edges chipped away their swords, breaking the astral energy's flow, and dulling their blades.
They leaped back to gain distance.
"You are being unreasonable, My Lady!" one of them shouted, "Please, we beg you─" he choked on his words as her rapier pierced his chest, going through his armor like butter. He coughed blood, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Celine looked at him coldly, twisting the blade inside him, making him fall to his knees.
The last standing man hesitated, looking between her and his fallen comrades. He saw the way the light faded from their eyes and the life leaving their bodies. "My Lady..."
She watched him, her expression unchanging. The rapier in her hand dripped with blood, the droplets staining the ground, "Bury them."
"..."
"If you don't want to end up like them, do as I say," she used the blood as ink to write a message on the ground, "And deliver this to the one who sent you."
His hands trembled as he lowered his sword, not stupid enough to fight a losing battle. He looked at his fallen brothers, his eyes watering, "Why?" he whispered, as if not understanding why they had to die, "What did we do wrong, My Lady? We just wanted to protect you. We swore to protect you."
Celine walked to her horse, taking her time to check the steed for any injuries. "You served me well," she said, as she mounted it again.
She ignored his questioning gaze while passing him, her horse's hooves hitting the ground rhythmically. But the man was not ready to give up, and called out to her again, "Are you even still you, My Lady?"
Celine stopped, her head tilting slightly. She turned her head, looking at him over her shoulder, her blue eyes gleaming with a dangerous light.
"You have changed, My Lady. You are more cruel and heartless than before," he stated, clenching his jaw as he tried to control his emotions, "Your eyes look so empty, as if you have lost your humanity." He paused, gathering courage, before asking what he had been afraid to ask, "Did the devil really take over your soul, My Lady?"
Celine's gaze dropped to the bodies on the ground. Her brother's underlings, her loyal soldiers, now lifeless, "You think too little of me, if you believe I need a devil to do what needs to be done."
She faced forward again and kicked the horse's sides, making it gallop down the road. The speechless ferals followed her without a word, making no sound but the thudding of their hooves.
Ferals couldn't stay near a woman for long without getting affected by her scent. Thus they continued to travel with half a mile of distance between them.
She gave them a weird look when they began to match her pace, avoiding looking at her in the eyes.
"Are you...afraid of me?" she asked.
The ferals ignored her stare, continuing to stare straight ahead, "Master ordered us not to look at you too much...and not to talk to you too much..."
Before Celine's lips curled into an adoring smile, they added, "...for our own safety. He said you are a...scary woman."
Celine's smile died as quickly as it had appeared, "Any news from him?"
"Nothing," the feral's voice faded as they galloped to another road. They came to inform her about taking a restroom break, leaving her alone.
Lucian could order his ferals to use their pillows or hands to deal with their heat, but he actually got them toys. They were shaped like a pink flower with petals as the entrance to hideousness. The way the petals were sticking together in the middle of the toy, made it look like it was in a blooming stage.
Lucian liked toys. No question about it. His bedroom was stuffed with toys for their son, and something told her he was using their child as an excuse to play with them too.
And if he was getting toys for his ferals, it wouldn't be a surprise if he got some for her as well. She just didn't get the chance to search his room for them yet.
The thought of never meeting him again was making her go crazy. Not even the numbness of her heart was able to stop the creeping fear of losing him. It settled on her bones like frost, making her whole body shake.
They said when you are about to die, you see your life flash before your eyes. She wasn't dying, yet her memories were rushing through her mind in a blur, with Lucian being at the center of it.
'He is gone, and I'm still fine,' her consciousness told her, trying to force her to accept reality. 'I have survived losses before, this is nothing new. No more worries, no more waiting, I'm free. I should rejoice.'
No matter how numb she felt, she couldn't stop her legs from pushing her horse to go faster. She still had to see him, no matter what state he was in.