Three Spheres

Chapter 123 - Amadeo

Penan's death coincides with Daemon Cordis's line:

_ Enough! This fight should be over by now! You are my machine of destruction, but you cannot kill the abomination that contaminated you with this grotesque pity!

Amadeo is kept in a pupa of darkness created by the Cat. The Witch wnats to to put an end to the abomination's. She removes her robe, revealing an armor made of flesh and bones with a life of its own. Her irritation is immeasurable. She doesn't want to see Johan suffer; only his death will quench her thirst for revenge.

She jumps off the throne, nearly hitting the boy as she lands. He tries to attack, but... Daemon holds the axe handle. The darkness that surrounds it is drained away in an instant. The weapon, naked, is broken in half with a gentle flick of her wrist. Taking the blade for herself, the Witch cuts off the boy's black hand. Johan didn't even see her attack. She should have been weaker since Dijana has closed her rift... He learns the hard way not to underestimate a Witch's wrath.

All Johan can do is press the wound against his abdomen, while erecting a barrier. Both attitudes are ineffective. Daemon Cordis levitates and lifts him by the neck. The bones of her clothing turn into thorns that pierce the boy at specific points.

_ A few hundred years ago, during the Great Hunt, a human invented a spell capable of killing Witches. Its preparation is difficult and four people are needed to do it... _ She rips off the rest of the charcoal arm and turns it into a red torch; Johan screams _ They called it the "Witch's Pyre". It uses arcane fire and other sacred objects that weaken "evil" beings. Are you, son of the "Evil Spirit", also weak against the Pyre?

Daemon Cordis lowers her eyes and starts a murmur composed of high-pitched, cacophonous voices. Rubble, flesh and darkness converge behind the boy, creating a terrifying circle. She brings the torch close to his chest and the entire structure blazes up. The bones create a demonic star.

Johan is absolutely sure he will die.

"...Let me teach you one last thing...

The Witch will use the Pyre to kill the abomination. This will be the time when her energy will be diverted from your "bloody bond". When that happens, rip out your heart; it is that that keeps you connected to her. The Demon Heart...

May this be marked in your memory, as a trigger for your triumph.... "

Amadeo remembers Eloah's last words.

If this is Pyre, then this is the time. Slowly, he brings his hands to his chest. The beats he feels are not his own. His fingers penetrate the skin, then the flesh and bones. There is no blood. He holds his heart with both hands. It's not his. It has never been. It's hers. With all his strength, he rips off the pulsating organ. For an instant he sees blood spurting and his ribs exposed, but there's no real lesion... His heart melts into a shimmering, damp mist. His chest feels lighter.

When she feels something on her shoulder, Daemon Cordis turns back.

For the first time in hundreds of years, she feels fear: Fear of the energy overflowing white eyes that stare deeply at her. In an instant the Pyre is completely destroyed. Johan falls to the ground, still conscious, and sees cannons of golden light streaking across the sky.

With his eyes brimming with tears of terror and wonder, Fumio watches the same beacons from nearby...