(emerion's pov)
pristilia lifted her fan with the same elegance a queen might hold her crown, and for a moment the morning wind dared not move.
"now watch this magnificent view," she whispered, voice dripping with aristocratic pride.
the fan sliced downward
silence cracked.
a razor-thin arc of shimmering force split the air, warping the light around it like reality itself was bending out of fear. i felt the pressure before the wind even touched my skin.
move, damn it!
my legs responded out of pure instinct. i lunged toward the old man's body
pain snapped across my neck.
a sharp metallic ping echoed.
the collar.
a hairline fracture split across it, then the whole thing shattered. silver fragments scattered like broken starlight.
pristilia's eyes widened, stunned for a heartbeat.
then she giggled.
that soft, childish, terrifying laugh.
"you… you… oh this is delightful."
her lips curled into a wicked smile.
"fortune truly spoils you, pretty boy."
heat rushed through my body as mana flooded my limbs for the first time in what felt like ages.
warmth. power. freedom.
her smile twisted.
"but destiny," she said, tilting her chin up ever so slightly,
"favors me."
her voice alone dropped the temperature of the morning.
"nebelschlag."
dark grey smoke burst from my feet, rolling out like living mist. the world blurred into shadows. the smell of damp earth and mana drifted through the air.
perfect.
i grabbed the old man's body, dragging it into the house. my lungs burned. my heartbeat thrashed.
i can't beat her head on. not yet. but i won't let her hurt anyone else.
the smoke began to thin
and then vanished entirely, as if stolen from the world.
pristilia stood there, tapping her fan against her palm with a bored expression.
"do you seriously think that would trick me?" she asked, amused. "that spell works on beasts with half a brain, not on me, pretty boy."
she took a step closer, eyes locked onto mine.
"i don't know what your obsession with me is," i forced out, "but don't take another step. you've done enough already."
her eyebrow lifted.
"obsession? with you?"
she laughed again, soft and elegant.
"i admire power. and you… are simply one of the keys to it."
my fist clenched.
"you call yourself a noble, yet you behave like this?"
she tilted her head, feigning innocence.
"oh? would you prefer i act like the nobles in your bedtime stories?"
i snapped.
i lunged forward, swinging my fist.
she blocked with the slightest twist of her wrist. one fan snapped toward my hand
i felt the slice before i saw it.
a line of hot pain tore across my knuckles.
another movement so fast my eyes barely tracked it
her second fan sank deep into the muscle of my hand.
i gasped, my fingers spasmed uncontrollably.
she leaned in close, breath brushing my skin.
"killing the old man?" she whispered, smiling. "that was mercy. you should be thanking me."
my blood boiled.
i swung with my other hand and punched her across the face.
her head snapped sideways
but the pain in my arm exploded instantly.
something slid into my near-elbow.
her other fan.
she'd buried it during the punch.
a sharp cry ripped from my throat.
she leaned her forehead against mine, eyes wild.
"maybe i am crazy," she whispered, "but to get what you desire, you must be willing to break something. or someone."
her lips curled.
"let me reward your bravery… i'll make your death quicker."
then she yanked.
both fans.
straight out of my arms.
a scream tore out of me before i could choke it back.
instinct took over.
mana burst from me in a raw shockwave
no spell, just survival.
the blast caught pristilia square in the chest, sending her flying across the ground. she hit hard, dirt scattering around her.
both fans ripped free from my arms
blood streamed down, dripping into the soil.
my hands shook violently, every muscle in my arms vibrating.
pristilia coughed, spat blood, then slowly stood. she wiped her cheek and smirked, though her fingers trembled.
"you actually hit me..."
her voice was almost admiring.
"i'll admit it. you're entertaining. be proud, pretty boy."
she flicked her hair back, regaining her poise.
"but you'll still lose," she said sharply. "without a staff, your magic scatters."
she dashed forward.
her figure blurred fast, far too fast.
her fan sliced toward my head.
i dodged by a margin so thin wind cut across my ear.
slash after slash came in rapid succession.
i blocked one fan with my palm
it cut straight through my skin.
the second fan rammed into my stomach.
i choked, blood filling my mouth.
"the game is over, pretty boy," she murmured.
i coughed.
"not… yet…"
i forced everything mana, willpower, desperation into one final spell.
"zaltreign!"
a brilliant blue beam erupted, pure force compacted into a spear of light.
at this distance, she couldn't dodge.
the beam struck her neck.
a violent crack echoed.
she flew backward, slamming into the ground, rolling until she hit a tree.
her fans landed beside her with a metallic clatter.
i staggered on my feet, legs trembling.
it's done…
i turned
"alec…?"
the spot under the tree was empty.
my heartbeat dropped into my stomach.
"alec?" i called again, weaker.
before i could understand
"you thought you defeated me?"
i froze.
pristilia stood again.
barely.
her neck was stained red, her breathing ragged, but her eyes her eyes still burned with violence.
"this is far from being over, pretty boy."
"how… are you standing…?" i asked, coughing more blood.
"that attack of yours… zaltreign?"
she smiled weakly.
"if you had a staff, it would have impaled me. but since you don't… it scattered. i pushed all my mana into a last second barrier."
she took one shaky step. then another.
"but look at you. you're done. i can barely walk… but you can barely live."
she lifted her fan.
then
a cold, sharp sting pierced through my torso.
i gasped
blood dropped to the ground.
pristilia's eyes widened, coughing blood herself.
"so this is how noble blood looks."
alec's voice.
i turned. slowly. horrified.
he had stabbed through me
and through pristilia
with one thrust.
"...alec…" my voice cracked. "why…?"
he laughed.
a broken, hollow sound.
his hands bled from biting them earlier.
"why?" he repeated, smile twisting.
"because nobles are all the same. sinful. arrogant. pretending to be righteous."
"alec!" i reached out, but my hand barely moved. "I am not your enemy",
"not my enemy?" he asked.
"you nobles are all my enemies."
he ripped the sword out.
i collapsed.
pristilia fell to her knees, gasping.
"you peasant…" she hissed weakly. "always biting the hand that rules you…"
"of course we bite back," alec whispered, grin wide.
"we are the ones who always pay for your sins."
he raised his sword again
for me.
the blade gleamed.
my vision dimmed.
"that's enough."
a voice echoed.
sharp. cold. commanding.
or maybe i imagined it.
my consciousness slipped.
if only the writer of my story had given me a better fate…
darkness swallowed everything.