When the sounds of battle outside made their way to the Masked One's ears, he immediately felt his frustration boil to its maximum limit. He crushed one of the gigantic skulls in the Great Hall, reducing it to dust in synchrony with his hand.
They're here. I must summon the others, he thought.
He used one of the crystals he kept on him to transmit his commands to all affected creatures. "Return," he commanded, his voice echoing in their minds. Irun, who encountered Garett and his group just outside the palace walls, heard the command in his head when one of the mounted Synners came for him with sword in hand.
Damn it, I can't even tell who it is. They must be using their hoods to avoid being singled out, he thought as he prepared for the strike.
As they rode by, the rider swung down with a grunt of exertion, aiming the blow at his neck. He redirected the blow away from him and got out of the way of the horse at the same time, forcing him into a roll. He quickly rose to his feet and began sprinting toward the palace, constantly glancing over his shoulder to ensure his attacker had stopped their pursuit.
He looked back at the hooded rider and felt his stomach drop when he realized who it was.
Isla? No. Please, it can't be her, he thought through clenched teeth.
He moved much more quickly since his enhancement from the Masked One, but he had only gone a few meters before he heard the hooves approaching him again. He turned to face her, but it was almost too late to do anything about the sword aimed at his head. He rolled out of the way just in time and was quickly back on his feet.
"Fight me, you coward!" she shouted. "You will die if I do," he countered. "Isn't that a risk anyone takes when they pick a fight?" she scoffed at his words as she dismounted. She drew the black-hilted sword at her left side and dashed toward him. Irun swept his sword back, in line with his hind leg, waiting for the right time to counter her first blow.
Please, stop! I don't want to do this, he thought, knowing she wouldn't give him much of a choice.
She charged at him with her sword trailing behind her, turning on the ball of her right foot and leaping into the air, sending her into a spinning motion. Her sword struck down at Irun, who quickly raised his sword to glance it off his blade, but she wasn't one to be caught off guard.
She recovered from the parry and swung her sword at Irun's side. He parried and countered with an overhead blow, prompting her to slide beneath the overhand strike off to her left and strike Irun's helmet with the pommel of her sword, removing it. He staggered backward, putting a hand to his face as he recovered.
"Show your face, or are you too much of a coward to do even that?" she asked through clenched teeth, readying her sword for another strike. "I can't," he shook his head, turning his back to her to grab his helmet. "You dare show your back to me?" she seethed, rushing in for an attack to knock the helmet out of his hands.
The upward cut landed squarely on the helmet, sending it soaring into the air, revealing the look of surprise written on his face. Her eyes widened, forcing herself to take a few steps back as she tried to understand what she was looking at. "I-Irun? What are you doing here? Why are you helping the enemy?" she stammered as tears began to fill her eyes.
"W-We were never meant to meet like this, Isla. I'm only here to do what needs to be done," he sighed, feeling the guilt sink like a stone in his gut. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Irun?" she blinked a few times, wiping away a stray tear from her grimy cheek.
"I-I can't say everything right now. Just know that I never wanted you to see me like… well, this," he gestured with his free hand to his entire body, causing her to shake her head. "Then why are you here? Please, help me understand. M-Maybe I can help you," she pleaded, taking a half-step forward.
"What the hell am I supposed to say? That the Master has been holding us all back? That he's not sharing the truth with the rest of us?" he spread his arms as the stone in his gut sank even deeper than before.
Will she know I lied? Irun thought as he swallowed dryly.
She furrowed her brow, though he couldn't tell if it was out of disappointment or anger that caused it. "You really think he's keeping things from us? Irun, please, you're not even a senior yet. Of course, there will be a limit on what he can tell you right now. You don't have to do this. You can still walk away," she shook her head in disbelief.
Please. Please, back away now. Please just walk away so I'm not forced to kill you. Please, he thought, hoping those thoughts would be shown through the look he gave her.
The two stared at each other silently as the battle raged around them. Isla darted her eyes between his as if looking for an answer, but found none. For a heartbeat, she closed her eyes and accepted his silence as his answer.
"You know, I've always cared about you, even if I could never fully admit to it," she said, fighting against the lump in her throat. "Isla," he raised his hand to her, but quickly found she was holding up an open palm to stop him from speaking.
"I've never forgotten the kind words you said after my brother died. You were so loving and tender, and I think that was when I knew you had my heart; I just couldn't bring myself to admit it," she shook her head, disappointed in her own foolishness. "I loved you, Irun. Even if I never dared to show it, I always have. But this… new form of yours, the fact that you're the traitor Edryd told me about, and everything that's happened are things I simply cannot accept," she sighed, feeling the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.
"H-He told you it was me?" he asked shakily. "He came to me, knowing I was probably the only one who could stop you, but I was too late. I can't turn back time to change what you've done, or what I've failed to do, but I can stop you here," she said, gripping her hilt tightly. "Isla, please. I don't want to do this," he finally said aloud. "But you've already made your choice, Irun. You've already accepted the power this dark mage has given you; leaving me with no choice," she gritted her teeth before dashing in to attack him.
No, please! Irun thought, instinctively raising his sword to block her attack.
Their blades locked as they stared into each other's eyes. Her tears never stopped flowing, but she furrowed her brow and pushed him away, attacking him repeatedly, forcing him to take a defensive stance.
She's not going to stop until I'm dead, is she? Irun asked himself, noticing her attacks becoming sloppier as her rage swelled within her.
"You… bastard! You've betrayed us all!" she said, almost as if she were convincing herself of that fact to do what she needed to do. Irun said nothing, silently hoping she would relent and walk away, but when their blades locked again, he could see that she had been successful in convincing herself to kill him.
Suddenly, her eyes opened widely as a pained grunt and a spurt of blood came from her mouth. She looked at him with pure confusion, then down to her abdomen, where she found a dagger buried in her gut. "I-I'm sorry, Isla. I'm…" he couldn't finish his sentence, as she forced his hand to drive the dagger upward, soaking her jerkin in more blood.
"W-Why?" he asked with widened eyes, caressing her head as he gently lowered her to the ground while she gasped for air. "Because I hope you live forever to remember this moment. Welcome to your own, personal hell, my love," she said weakly, as tears and blood began to stream down her face, soaking his forearm.
Irun was too stunned for words, knowing there was nothing he could do to change what had happened as he watched the light from her eyes dim, and heard the final burst of air leave her lungs. He gently lowered her head to the ground as he pulled the dagger out of her. Tears welled in his eyes as he gritted his teeth, letting out a roar that caused more than a few glicks to come his way.
Seeing the lifeless corpse before him, they tried their best to get close to eat it, but he severed the heads of each one that came close, glaring angrily at the others as he withdrew the crystal from a pouch on his waist. "Take another step and you'll die like the others," he snarled, causing them to wither away in fear.
He knelt beside her body and brought his lips to her forehead, pushing a few strands of bloodstained hair away from her face before shutting her eyes. He sheathed his dagger and drew an intense amount of mana, casting a Pyrus spell around her to prevent any other creatures from trying to consume her.
As he watched the last of her remains float into the air, he heard a unified roar from the creatures on the far side of the castle, letting him know that their defenses had been breached.
I have to get back to the Palace, he thought, shaking away any potential consequences of his failure.
He saw a small group of people off in the distance, also making their way to the palace. He recognized the giant with them and turned away to go down one of the palace's service entrances.
Irun ran into the main hall, where his master awaited his return. "There you are," the Masked One said. "Forgive me, master. I ran into some trouble along the way," Irun said, breathing heavily as he wiped away some of the blood still on his hands.
I'm sorry, Isla, he thought.
"You're not dead yet, which means we still have work to do. You have failed to find where they would come from the tunnels, and as a result, we might have lost the progress we made," the mage continued. "Five hundred synners are hardly a swarm against ten thousand, master," Irun spread his arms widely.
"But one Synner does what ten normal soldiers would do in half the time, or have you already brain-dumped the training you've had all your life?" the Masked One asked angrily, causing Irun to lower his head and sigh.