Magic Index: Temptation's Risk (Completed)

Chapter 10: Reawakening

After her discussion with Astra, Malanie waited for Tessele. She decided now was the time to have a conversation about the situation at hand. The wait seemed like it would last forever until she looked up and saw both Tessele and Lelli coming toward the room door. Tessele paused, acknowledging her equal.

    "Malanie, it's good to see you. Coming in?" she asked, unlocking her door. Lelli waved as well, which got a small smile to rise out of the high elf.
    "Yes, please. I wanted to talk with you." she stated, following her inside. Malanie generously closed the door behind the both of them, watching as the human archmage took a seat behind her desk. She sighed, leaning back before sitting up with the fairy fluttering down to her desk.
    "So, what is the reason behind this visit?" Tessele asked, lighting a scented candle to set the mood between them.
    "Well, it's about me and my actions as of late. I had a talk with Astra, about my feelings towards Lina and her temptations. I-" She trailed off, feeling her emotions welling up before she took a steady breath. "I want to apologize for how I acted towards your student. I just...I guess I saw too much of myself within her predicament."

As Tessele listened to her lifelong friend spew out her thoughts, all she could see was that troubled little girl whom she helped so many years ago. Malanie and Tessele both entered the Slyborne House around the same time, with Tessele being introduced to Malanie as a future partner. Tessele was thrilled, however, Malanie was indifferent. She was always distant, even when she and Tessele needed to work together to get out of a jam. Their road of trust was a long and arduous one. Several times when Malanie thought she would falter, where she would ultimately forget where she belonged or who she was, Tessele was always there to place her back on the right path. It seemed for Tessele, that time has come yet again.

    "You still haven't given yourself enough time to heal, have you Malanie?" Tessele placed her hands on the desk, scooting closer as if she were dealing with a client. "Your past. It still haunts you."
    "I can't shake it. Every time I use what is natural to me, I see him. I see my people burning, my home razed to the ground. I can hear his laughter, see the evilness in his eyes." Malanie had tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Tessele and Lelli listened intently. "Mother, Father. Whenever I think about them, I feel it taking over. A sensation that rises like the temperature and causes my mind to go blank."
    "Temptation." Tessele spoke, saying the one word that hurt Tessele the most. The high elf nodded before she continued.
    "Yes. And somehow, as a mockery of my pain, it formed into the one element I despise the most." she fell silent, looking down at her hands and closing them softly. She took another breath and closed her eyes. Tessele got up from her desk, walked around to her friend, and sat in the seat next to her. She grabbed both of Malanie's hands, smiling genuinely at her lifelong friend.
    "Remember our first mission together? The time when you decided you would no longer be scared?" Tessele questioned while Malanie tried her best to hold back tears. The high elf nodded soon after as they reminisced together. "At that moment, I knew you would become one of the strongest pillars the mages had ever seen. At that moment, I aspired to be like you. To push past my fears and be the shoulder everyone can lean on."
    "You always know what moments to bring up Tessele." Malanie said, smiling as she sniffled and wiped the tears away. "I do remember that time. I remembered it so vividly."
    "And here you are, continuing to be that beacon of hope for people. For all of Ciandra. Do not punish Lina's choice. Embrace them, show her that she can fight off this curse better than anyone else. Show her your path."

The lightness of Tessele's words gave Malanie a new look at the situation. Her eyes widen at the last part, soon realizing just how much faith Tessele put into her friend. For a brief moment, they shared a hug before Malanie pulled up and walked toward the entrance. She turned around to Tessele with a smile and nodded, giving her thanks for the talk before leaving in search of Lina. Tessele sighed and walked back around her desk, resuming her work.


*****

The sun was beginning to set as Flamberd was making his way over to the entrance manhole covered in the ground. He looked around to make sure no one was seeing him before he waved his hand to undo the seal. He picked it up slowly, setting it to the side before the hot stench of the underground rose up. He covered his nose, thinking he wouldn't ever have to go down there. Just as he was about to take a foot in and descend down the ladder, a familiar voice picked up behind him.

    "It's a shame, really. I almost wished I didn't catch ya there, Flammy." Flamberd froze, turning around to see Xune coming out from the shadows as her purple eyes seemed highly unimpressed by the sight before her. "Going to our leader? You know deception means death, correct?"
    "I'm willing to go through with it. I cannot have this weight bearing down on my conscious every day! Someone like you wouldn't understand." Flamberd rebuttal. Xune blinked once before grabbing him by the scruff of his robes and hoisting him up with no effort from the entrance.
    "Care to repeat that?" her voice grew colder than the night air as Flamberd struggled to get free.
    "You have no sense of regret, shame, or betrayal. All care about is yourself and power. I know your kind." Flamberd stared the drow down with unwavering eyes. Xune saw this and held him over the manhole cover which got a rise out of him.
    "Then you do not know me at all." she released him as his grip slipped on her and fell straight down the hole, his scream grew quieter and quieter before a loud smack was heard at the bottom. Xune sighed before she leaped down herself.

On the floor, Flamberd was writhing in pain as he clutched at his arm, the bone protruding out of his elbow after it smacked into the hard cobblestone ground. Xune landed with a rough grunt before she grabbed Flamberd and dragged him to the main altar where Arthur and Velrissa were once again. She tossed the halfling forward, which caught the attention of both personnel.

    "Xune, what is the meaning of this?" Arthur voiced his disappointment in one of his best. Xune shrugged her shoulders, leaning against the wall with a clear attitude.
    "Ask him." she responded. Arthur then averted his eyes to the writhing halfling who could barely get to his feet.
    "Well, Flamberd. Explain this state you are in." Arthur said as sharp, pained breaths echoed in the undergrounds.
    "I...I want out. I'm not doing your bidding anymore." he said, blood dripping down his arm as he did his best to hold his arm together.
    "A broken arm will be the least of your worries if you do not talk right now. Did you forget why you are with us in the first place?" Velrissa spoke, taking a couple of steps down in anger. "Do you wish to see your wife in another way?"
    "Kill me, if you wish." he barked back, wincing in pain and keeping himself up. "What I've done, is irreversible. I doubt my wife would ever want to see me again after the horrid state I've placed Lina in. So either let me go quietly, or do what you must. I wish to be rid of you, all of you."

Silence fell over everyone. Shortly after, Arthur stood and walked down from his throne, walking over to the frightened halfling. Arthur got down on one knee and grabbed hold of Flamberd's broken arm, to which he cried out in agony.

    "Very well then." Arthur proceeded to twist and reconnect the bones back together. Flamberd let out a shriek of pure pain, one of which he had never felt before. Arthur kept a firm grip on the botched, repaired arm as he kept a stern and cold gaze on Flamberd. "Every moment. Every second, you are to be hunted. Tormented. You will no longer know sleep. You will no longer know happiness."

Arthur then pushed him away. Flamberd fell before scurrying up to his feet and running back to the entrance to get out of the underground. Arthur returned to his throne before he gazed over at Velrissa with an emotionless gaze. He nodded at her, which caused her to perk up and soar out of the underground in pursuit of her target. Xune stayed quiet in the back of the room, enjoying the sight of her leader being ruthless. She knew the time was coming. The time to level the world above.

    "Shall I contact Ereldra?" she said with a smirk.
    "Mistress....Ereldra." he corrected. He knew that if Velrissa heard him say that, they would either separate or fight till the death. "And yes, you may. Go and retrieve Johysis, bring her to the altar, and ready the troops. Our reign begins now."