My vision soon faded back to black, and the warm embrace of Seraphina overcame my mind, returning me to a calm stillness. Within the arms of Seraphina, I felt perfect tranquility as if I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
The familiar sight of the gate soon returned. I was in my body, but it wasn't under my control. Artoria's armour twinkled in the sunlight as she walked away from my supposed corpse, leaving Lilia intact, not even acknowledging her presence as she walked away. My body stood up on its own, immediately gathering the eye of Artoria, swiftly turning around, and drawing her sword.
It was as if I were watching my own body in the third person. I wasn't in control of anything. Every movement I tried didn't reach my brain. Seraphina was in complete control of everything in my body. I couldn't even speak; no command worked anymore.
While my body wasn't under my control, I could feel anything around me, the hard gravel on my bare feet and the soft wind blowing in between the two of us. The air filled with tension as Artoria stared at me, my fatal injury completely healed, standing in defiance of her verdict.
A warm, powerful feeling began to flood my veins, and my mind overcame me with a sense of euphoria. Seraphina's mastery over her own power was blatant as she easily willed the divinity slumbering within me to awake.
"How are you still alive? No angel should be able to survive that blow."
"I'm no angel."
Seraphina's words were harsh, laced with poison at being compared to an angel. Her voice was different from mine when using my body; a harsh tone riddled with aversion came out of my mouth. Her tone was a direct contradiction to her words of remorse and sorrow earlier, confusing me more about her true feelings towards Artoria, whether she truly felt bad or was just putting on a sympathetic act. I truly couldn't make up my mind on which was the correct answer.
"Are you truly the same Evernight from before or something else?" asked Artoria, readying herself for anything to come, surveying Seraphina's every move, awaiting some sort of opening, but nothing came. Seraphina wouldn't let any more harm come to me. That's something I knew for sure: my belief in Seraphina's love for me wouldn't break.
"I am Evernight. I won't state my name again."
"You are not, but it matters not what exactly you are. You are a direct threat to the continued safety of Grandheart, so I don't think I will slay you again."
"Silence, pawn. Someone who has lost the will to fight back against a mere child doesn't have the right to talk down to me, Dominion of Conquest, or should I say former?"
This wasn't right, but I couldn't stop Seraphina's harsh words. Nothing I tried would halt her verbal assault on Artoria; I didn't wish to degrade her. But to save her from Ickni, Seraphina was directly going against my wishes, and I couldn't do a thing to stop her. Why?
"You! How dare you speak to me in such a way. How do you even know about my past? Not a soul is left that knows I was once the Dominion of this land. Who are you!"
"Pathetic. You are like some wounded puppy barking for its newfound master's attention. No, nevermind, you are lower than a dog, nothing but a spineless coward. If you cannot oppose Ickni, then you aren't worthy of ruling this land. Angels these days are a disgrace."
"I won't let you survive after speaking such poison, no matter how true those words are! I know I'm nothing but a vermin. I don't need someone else telling me. I don't want to hear it from the mouth of another!"
"Then I'll kill you here and rid you of your misery. Fall, Helios."
A sudden surge of power coursed throughout my body; it was intoxicating. I had never felt such superiority. A mass of light collected in front of my body. Seraphina grasped hold of the top of the beam of light, slashing downwards, revealing an intricate white and crimson scythe, a cloud of light surrounding its blade, masking its true size.
Artoria went pale at the scythe, not expecting such power to emanate from my form. The scythe twirled within my hands. Seraphina most likely hadn't fought in centuries, so she was getting used to the weight of her weapon again.
"I've made a grave mistake not finishing you off. But it matters not, you will still fall here today. I won't tolerate your continued existence."
"I won't allow you to harm him ever again, Dominion of Conquest."
Artoria's face twisted with confusion picking up on Seraphina's words but her expression was swiftly replaced with hatred. Steading herself for battle against a formidable opponent despite her resolute actions, hesitation was still hiding within her eyes, switching her gaze from Grandheart to me multiple times.
"Can we take this somewhere else? I'd like to avoid casualties."
"No."