Chapter 195: Chapter 195

The smooth bearings of the carriage glided like a soft stone thrown across ice. The ‘suspension,’ as Tilde had called it, was second to none, so even if the road was filled with holes, it’d feel like anything but. How could it not be this comfortable? Especially when Mila had made it with magic. The world’s strongest lion pulled it without issue as he shone brighter than ever. Those flames were like beacons in the darkness, attracting slack-jawed stares from every pair of eyes.

I was in the back with Primrose, looking at the onlookers through tinted windows. The aftertaste of dinner lingered on my lips, although I couldn’t focus on its flavor. Tonight’s meal hadn’t done anything. I wasn’t hungry, but Mila made me eat something because she didn’t want me to have an empty stomach.

Nor did she want me to not have the energy to…do what I was about to do.

This carriage had one destination in mind. The patriarch of the Mesalitos Family knew what to expect—if not Mila, then me. Tris had kept a [Skyview] window fixated on the estate with ‘subroutines,’ whatever that meant, to follow the household. Even now, one of those windows was open. It hovered like a ghastly spectrum that kept parallel with the carriage, except it was only observable to those inside the carriage—Primrose and me. These abilities weren’t made from mana, so I still didn’t know how I perceived them.

Unless they were mana?

That only made sense, right? My [Mana Perception] enabled me to see mana since I was blind. So, glimpsing something meant the mana reflected into something observable. Therefore, this window peering into the estate’s dining hall must’ve been made from mana.

Or else I wouldn’t see it.

Yet I could see a Status Menu even without this perception skill.

So, that begged the question. Were the two related?

The ramifications of that went over my head. I wasn’t smart enough to think through that line of thinking, so it was best left to Tris. She probably already had an answer—some angle I didn’t consider.

The [Skyview] displayed a family dinner. Earlier, Thaddeus had called for his family with the message: ‘We don’t spend enough time together.’

What a load of bullshit.

Credit was given when it was due—Thaddeus didn’t run—but he was clearly hiding behind his family.

Not that it would stop my revenge…

Primrose quietly whimpered as she grasped my mythril arm. “Are you nervous?” she asked, her voice meeker than a mouse.

“I don’t know.” My answer surprised me. “I feel numb. Empty, I guess. I’ve thought a lot about what I want to happen. I…know what I want. But planning is different. You can plot for a thousand scenarios and decide to go with something else at the last minute. So… What I have in mind might not come to fruition when it’s time. I might choose…something else.”

I can’t be sure I’ll go with the original plan… If… If I lose myself in anger…will Mila be mad?

“Please understand that this isn’t required of you, my summoner. We can leave,” Primrose said, gesturing to the carriage’s door. “It isn’t too late to turn around.”

Just how weak was my voice?

“Thaddeus has to pay. Even if I can forgive him-- I won’t. I’ll never absolve him for what he did. What about the spirits that died upon his order? Thaddeus’s guards readily sent them to their deaths after receiving his command. It happened more than once. He slaughtered them without care because, to him, they meant nothing-- like how I meant nothing to him. Thaddeus didn’t see me as a person. I…was a tool to be used.”

Somewhere, I found strength in determination. Reminiscing about a period I wanted to forget inflamed my soul, burning away any hesitation like charred timber tossed into a hungry fire.

Primrose, probably unintentionally, almost extinguished the growing fuel when she hugged me. “No matter what happens tonight, my summoner. I love you. And I shall always love you. Please, remember that.” Except her words weren’t vocalized to admonish me.

They were supportive in all the right ways because Prim knew my horrors. I’d told her about my experiences. We had cried together as part of the healing process.

Aetos also knew about my past. Mila, ironically, probably knew the least, although she had Tris to fill in the gaps. Once she obtained that list from Gloria, it wouldn’t be hard to put it all together to summarize what I endured after meeting the Water Lord.

Primrose’s soft touch… She was always there for me. She always would be, too. A close friend…

She’d be something even closer.

“I love you too,” I whispered, gripping her slender body an ounce tighter.

The air behind Primrose flashed as prismatic lights formed words only we could read.

You’re set to arrive in five minutes.

“Are you and Mila watching?” Prim turned around to look at the waypoints.

We are. Sekh and Tilde are observing as well. Does that discomfort you? This is a private matter, so merely speak it, and we shall let it remain as such for your eyes and ears only.

“No.” I shook my head. “That’s okay. You don’t have to do that for me.”

The carriage subtly shifted when Surtr eased a left turn. This cul-de-sac branched from the main road. It was littered with expensive houses, grand fences, extravagant driveways…

The wealthiest of the wealthiest lived here. The elite of the elite.

And Thaddeus…with his multi-story mansion, resided in the grossest house. My remembrance of the last time I was here was hazy at best and obscured at worst. I couldn’t see more than a few feet—if at that—so it was all glazed in faint darkness.

Except the emotions remained.

The despicable scorns…remained… Seeing what was once my temporary, hellish residence surged a dozen feelings to the forefront of my heart.

A [Skyview] window showcased an aerial view of Thaddeus’s estate from different angles. The backyard garden was the perfect spot to hide a corpse or two. At least Thaddeus’s decayed body would’ve offered something worthwhile for the rose garden near the pergola.

Was that hedge maze always there? I don’t remember hearing anything about it... Only Thaddeus and Gloria know how wealthier the bastard had gotten after I left.

Soon, we arrived at the end of the cul-de-sac. Two guards were stationed outside our destination, standing in front of a gate made from magically reinforced mythril.

“The lord of the house is not taking any visitors,” valiantly said the short guard. His voice didn’t crack. “Please, turn away.”

“That will not happen,” replied Surtr. “My passenger has business with the man you serve. He is expecting our arrival.”

“I—” The cowardice began to show in the taller one’s voice. Maybe they didn’t expect anyone to argue back? Thaddeus had the political power to ruin anyone who wasn’t Gloria or her personal guard. I wasn’t even sure if Bart Barclay was immune to his overreach. He looked at the short one, who shook his head. That helped the tall one regain some vigilance. “We haven’t heard anything. The lord of the estate has not—”

“That is not my fault. Move. Stand aside,” Surtr growled, brushing his large, flaming body part the guards. He focused his flames forward, melting the durable metal like a dried leaf, then continued up the driveway as the shocked soldiers forcibly came to terms with this ‘intrusion.’

Surtr never stopped until we arrived at the primary entrance. Two dozen armed warriors, a few mages, and trained archers had their sights on him.

Except that didn’t deter the lion, who transformed into a Lionfolk. His flashy armor radiantly reflected the moon and flames.

Primrose left the carriage first. I followed while holding her staff close to my heart.

“All who are present… Heed my words more carefully than you have honored your parents. Lower your weapons, stay your magic, and sheath your arrows if you want to live. Refusal means fighting me in combat.” Surtr raised his arm. Flames and ice curled around his hand, giving rise to his fearsome iceflame axe that he effortlessly rested on his shoulder.  “Are you ready?” he asked over his shoulder. The lion smiled when I nodded. “Then remain close.”

Surtr took one step…  This text is hosted at noᴠelfire.net

Evidently, it was one more than someone wanted. The attack came suddenly, but it wasn’t without foreshadowing because even I felt the antagonistic gaze the axe-wielding man emitted. The bloodlust wasn’t veiled—so it wasn’t a shock when Surtr snatched the axe’s handle with a fist of flames. He wrestled it free with as much difficulty as picking up a twig and tossed it skyward, where blackened ash rained upon the sniveling man.

He dropped to his shivering knees, aware of what his foolish action had brought him.  He thought he could be a hero—to save his lord from these awful enemies—yet that wasn’t the fate written for his story.

“I did not come here to spill blood so carelessly, but I’ve little patience for those who mistake bravery for foolishness. My next retribution will not carry leniency.”

“Just stay there,” I told everyone. “Don’t do anything, and you won’t die. You’ll survive to return to the ones you love. Thaddeus Mesalitos knows I am visiting. He was made aware of it this morning, although he has remained quiet since my presence is a blemish he cannot hope to remove. It’s no wonder my arrival’s a surprise, but know it was always destined to happen.”

Surtr surged flames through his axe, which got my message across. The gathered soldiers slowly retreated until nothing stood between us and the front door.

No—not ‘nothing.’ Those five waypoints shouldn’t have been there. Yet they were, which meant…

“Your invisibility will not work against me. I can see through your veil. You will die if you continue to approach.”

“Listen to the girl. Remember my previous words. If you think you can challenge my might... Step forward and meet your death.” Flaming fragments were emitted from Surtr’s fiery tail. “I see you clearly. I smell you even more. The scent of fear eclipses everything else. The odorous stench will forever betray your location if you think this childish spell is key to winning against me.”

Nothing. The silence was all I saw until the five rogues appeared. Masked from head to toe in dark cloths, the stealth-oriented warriors sheathed their daggers before parting. Attacking meant certain death—death far quicker than anything they could muster themselves.

Our enemies had the numerical advantage. But ten thousand warriors of this caliber wouldn’t equal Surtr’s strength—everyone here felt that instinctually.

The intricate door vanished when I neared without saying or doing anything. Mila was responsible. She used Tris’s targeting data from [Skyview] with her new warping abilities. This was something Tris had suggested. If not to test her power remotely, then to ‘showcase’ my ‘power’ to prevent anyone from irrationally making a severe consequence they’d regret.

No—I didn’t want to think like that. To go down that path—especially at this point—would only corrode my determination. So, I pushed it off until later. Preferably, I’d never think of it again, but life wasn’t that easy.

However, not many were in my position. They couldn’t claim to have my advantages or allies…

No. Stop, Niva. Just stop it. Move your feet.

Surtr escorted me to the foyer. Primrose followed with meticulously quiet steps as Tris remotely returned the door. The mechanics of ‘how’ it connected the nails and hinges eluded me, but I wouldn’t have understood even after a detailed lecture.

A curved staircase met me from the right. A long hallway stretched left, directing a marbled floor further into the depths of this opulent den. Why else would Thaddeus have a collection of ruby and sapphire vases right when you walk in? He’d want to bombard you with proof of his wealth?

No. For someone bastard, he might’ve had no ulterior motive other than a lack of understanding. Then again, that could be giving the bastard too much credit—something I never wanted to do.

Emerald chandeliers reflected flickering candles, which bounced around the room to form specific patterns. Tris’s prior report on his house said these were imitations of famous works of art reduced to a minimalist style.

Again, it was above me. I didn’t really care that much about the arts. Or if I did, it was something I didn’t consciously follow.

It was black and white—literally.

Monochrome, it was called. A world devoid of anything other than the hues resting on a grey scale. The only crimson I saw came from the candles’ flames, which meant they were magically lit. I only knew Thaddeus had jeweled decorations from Tris's report. I wouldn't have known their material if not for that.

I blinked, and the monochrome world partly vanished. Now? I saw the emerald hues, the deep sapphires, and the fiery rubies—only because Tris had overlayed color waypoints mimicking their true color.

They have to emit mana. Or else I wouldn’t see them. There’s no use thinking about it. I need to move.

“Come. The main hall is this way,” said Surtr without looking over his shoulder. I followed him to the corner, where we bumped into a maid pushing a dinner cart.

“Bwha—” she quietly exclaimed, falling to her rear. “Ahh… That’s gonna sting in the morning… Eh, I’m sorry. I…” The young girl finally realized we weren’t who she was expecting. We weren’t servants. Surtr’s axe foreshadowed him as a barbarian. It only made sense, then, that the maid opened her mouth to scream. Yet nothing erupted from her throat. She was so terrified that she couldn’t produce the quietest whimper.

We ignored her because it didn’t matter what she did. Could she run to get help?

Of course, but what would that accomplish? Gloria herself—damn that woman—wouldn’t dare to intervene. Lest she’d feel the wrath of two powerful elves, who had ample reasons to punish her further. So, even if the maid alerted Thaddeus in the dining hall…

“Let me enter first,” said Surtr as the door to our destination vanished. He split his axe into two before charging in, catching two would-be assassins by surprise.

Like the ones outside, they were invisible.

A chorus of screams followed suit, accompanied by chairs hitting the ground amid passionate pleas for help.

“You can scream all you want,” I said, entering the room. Leftover remains of a dinner far more expensive than anything I had enjoyed during my childhood were sprawled on the table. Roasted turkey… Mashed potatoes and gravy... A vegetable medley with a dozen sauces... “No one will come. Not when death is the only certainty they will find.”

It wasn’t just Thaddeus at the table. His wife, Valeria, held an aghast expression as she screamed once more for naught.

The eldest son, Cedric, sat near Lillian, whose face cycled through a dozen emotions. Julian and Mirabelle, the younger son and daughter, weren’t that old—maybe early teens?

However, that coward had surrounded himself with some of his extended family. His brother, Hector, couldn’t contain a scream. His wife, Cassandra, immediately hugged their young children, Tobias and Ariana.

Surtr roared, spreading an aura of paralyzing fear across the room. It shut the screamers up. Ice snakes erupted from his axes’ handles, wrapping around the two enemies. Instantly, a layer of frost revealed their obscured forms.

“Leave,” he warned them, lowering his voice into a sinister growl. “I did not come to slaughter, but you will be my first kills of the night if you do not heed my warning. Nothing you can do will avert tonight’s curtain fall.”

Frozen by indecisiveness, Surtr lifted the two, tossed them from the room, and guarded the door that magically reappeared.

“You just allowed my most loyal to leave! That sealed your doom! They’ll return with help! So tell me! For what reason have you come here?! I demand an explanation before your head is severed—”

“No, Thaddeus. They won’t,” I said, my cold voice silencing him.

The brave act won’t work, you shitty man.

“The ones outside have been warned. Anyone who comes will, ultimately, add to the body count. That’s the difference in determining how many will not survive until morning.”