Who The Fire Favours (ONC2023) gxg

Chapter 22: Ixis

Ixis stared back at her younger self.

Sprawled out on a bed that was more reminiscent of a straight jacket, Ixis barely recognised the sickly girl unconscious in front of her. But there was no mistaking the other two. Rider's innocent naivety was a stark contrast to the person Ixis knew, clearly at the peak of her Regency despite being the youngest in her field.

But Aria had not changed one bit.

She stared calmly at her Regent like dissecting a difficult problem rather than being overjoyed that her girlfriend surprised her on their anniversary. Her long, blonde white hair was far shorter than the sweeping braid she was used to, Rider's own long hair tucked away behind her treasured hat. It was awkward to see her as an Excelliar but even more so with those two together as a relationship.

"Aria?"

Ixis flinched, covering her face to try and hide her presence but Rider looked right through her. She was a ghost. Staring down at her body, Ixis recoiled at the faint hue of amber dusting her eerily translucent body. She was a ghost. The memory of the last few moments flooded through her mind, the collapsing of Axis filling with light made her head hurt.

"What are you doing with my grimoire?"

Ixis' eyes snapped towards the conversation, her breaths expelling slowly despite the panic filling her brain. She could breathe. She rested her head against the wall behind her, sitting stretched out on the floor in the same position she had been when Axis had crumbled around her.

She breathed slowly, searching for a familiar tether that had been there ever since her grimoire manifested. Hydra wasn't there. Her anxiety spiked, half tempted to make a mad dash for her grimoire sitting clasped in her pseudo doppelganger's hands.

"I'm just putting Ixis at ease with some memories, that's all. Your Agar said it would be alright."

The lie came quick and easy.

The stabbing pain in Ixis' head travelled down her body, the lightning shock of Aria's blatant lie reminded her of her dragons truth detecting powers but on crack. It was like getting a direct hit by Skyla's Lightning Trait.

Ixis' name felt wrong coming from Aria's mouth.

The seething ache in her limbs remembered the sensation of Light Traited, her out of body experience apparently including pain threshold. The sight of Aria abandoning her to die burned in her mind and shattered any rose tinted glasses she had left for her. Rider's anger was incredibly justified now.

"Why didn't you ask me? I could've..."

Rider's sincerity broke Ixis' heart.

"No! No, dearest. We're in this together, remember? What good is a relationship if we can't borrow each other's grimoire once in a while."

Ixis could hear the desperation in Aria's voice, her eyes darting towards the bed rather than Rider, holding her hand to distract her rather than any form of affection. She wanted to stop this. She wanted to comfort the young couple to just be honest with each other but the lump in her throat wouldn't go away. Something was wrong. Ixis knew this had already happened. This was the answer Rider had been looking for and she hated it.

"You could've told me. I wasn't going to be very long. Ixis is only an apprentice, her Trait will grow on its own without you helping her. Besides, I got breakfast."

Rider held up the half crooked box of redderbie buns oozing with cream and sour jam, the happy grin on her face was tinged with the cursed knowledge Ixis had. She'd never seen her smile like that. Her heart swelled at such a sweet gesture, the pang of regret following suit that Rider wouldn't smile like that ever again. Aria had broken her heart and Ixis dreaded to know the reason why.

"That's really sweet, Rider. I almost forgot our anniversary with everything that's happened today. Besides I'm sure you're in less pain than before and I just wanted a moment alone to help her. That's all."

The Throneholder leaned into Rider's touch, her stray hand brushing the back of her neck. The private moment made Ixis blush, her chest aching with jealousy at how sweet they were together. Ixis couldn't help but long for that closeness, the giddiness that made her feel like a lovestruck teenager again. She wanted that desperately. From her Rider. Not the girl in a memory.

"Ixis is alright, isn't she?"

"Of course, she's just tired. My grimoire helps people forget, remember? It's easier to let her sleep but I was worried it might be...too much without you."

Aria hugged her Regent with everything she had, her face pinched in frustration with every second that ticked by. Rider sighed softly, Ixis' tears welling up at how content she was despite the bad feeling brewing in her chest. The only thing she saw in Rider's expression was love. Aria's expression was far from it. Her Light Trait wound its way around Rider's ear, Ixis eyes wide to the familiar feeling of having her memories taken away.

Bolted to the ground, Ixis desperately tried to stop it with her Trait but no fire would emerge. All she could do was sit and watch. She despised Aria's deception, recognising the same tone Aria would use to praise her but there was no mistaking her lies, her support twisting into scorn. Whatever Aria wanted from Rider it wasn't good.

"Alright. Just this once. I don't want you overexerting yourself like last time."

Aria smiled the same way she always did. Her eyes were hard and determined. Rider didn't see it. All she saw was the girl she loved asking for a favour. Ixis had seen the same eyes before but without this memory she would've stayed at her side and continued to ignore it. Despite being locked in Rider's memory Ixis was strangely calm before the inevitable.

Ixis forced herself to watch.

The kiss they shared was soft but sweet. The paralytic that followed was not.

"Ari..."

Rider couldn't speak. Neither could Ixis.

Rider's weight slumped against the edge of the bed, Ixis resisting the urge to crawl towards her even while the Shadow Traited stubbornly tried to stay awake. She didn't notice the tears falling down her face, the strange form she was inhabiting making them dissipate. Despite lacking her ability to function, Rider wheezed in a breath, desperate to fight her inhibitions but Ixis couldn't touch her to check her pulse. She was still alive.

"Told you it would be easy. She's smitten with you. Kinda sad, really."

All of the stories Ixis had been told over the years become lies the moment the dreaded dragon made himself known. She half expected the familiar scales of a black dragon, the stereotypical villain of the story, to make an entrance and solidify why he had been locked up for so long. The white dragon of the Throneholder stared at Rider like she was the dirt beneath his claws.

Ixis wanted to scream, curse, cry at them all but the numbness of betrayal wasn't done with her yet. Seeing Skyla threaten Aria barely mattered now. The sight of Aria's light only clicked into gear the moment Rider's grimoire defended her from the blast. Aria's Light Trait had forced her to forget.

Ethros had betrayed Rider.

He was supposed to be her Oathed.