Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 184 - Faceless

That night, something had awakened within her.

She knew not what it was, but it filled her with boundless energy and strength. She ran, her legs moving so quickly that she could barely comprehend what was happening to her. All she wanted to do was find her mother that she missed so much. To cast away the gnawing feeling of worry that filled her heart.

She could always sense her mother's presence from afar, but this was the first time she was driven to follow it. Like a hunting hound who sought the scent of prey, it was a sixth sense that allowed her to find those she loved. She would not have known it, but all Paladins possessed such a power, for they were guardians. Not warriors.

That was why the sickening sight before Medrauta had left her unable to comprehend reality any longer. The only thing her mind could do was help her escape the unjust world of reality even as the warmth of her mother's embrace slowly faded against her skin and the crimson of her mother's blood stained her pure white shirt.

But there was no escape.

Not while her mother knelt before her, a glowing crimson lance piercing straight through the center of her chest. Medrauta's eyes were wide and blank as she stared ahead, failing to process anything that had happened after Morgana had thrown herself before Morgause's attack all for the sake of defending her daughter.

"Aha... Ahahahahaha!" Morgause's twisted laughter resounded throughout the chamber, her vile voice bouncing off the walls and becoming an infinite cacophony of torturous cackling that assailed Medrauta's ears.

One of her limbs had been utterly shredded by Morgana's fierce attacks, Merlynne's enchantments on the Paladin's blade completely stopping the witch's regenerative abilities. Copious amounts of black blood dripped from a wide gash in her side, her other wounds adding to the pool of liquid around her feet.

It was clear that she would soon succumb to her wounds. Mere moments ago, she had been ready to surrender herself to the inevitability of death, but her eyes were now filled with life once more as she watched her old nemesis's blood mix with hers on the floor.

"I was worried for a moment..." Morgause said as her laughter faded at last. "But it seems even you cannot overcome fate, Morgana. The prophecy will be fulfilled, whether you wish for it or not."

"But you will not be there to see it." Merlynne spat. Among the three who had engaged in combat, she was the only one still unscathed.

"No, I will not." Morgause smiled, her voice filled with the slightest trace of regret. "But I have seen enough. The look of despair in Soleil's face... The look on yours when you became human. It was glorious."

"So... leil...?" Medrauta managed to say, the name dragging her back to the reality she was unwilling to face.

"Oh, my! Did you not tell her, Morgana? How cruel." Morgause smirked. "Hear me, child. Your mother is none other than the traitor who abandoned Soleil in her most vulnerable moment. In fact, I doubt I would even be standing here if not for her."

"...Silence." Morgana coughed, blood dripping from her lips. She wanted to devote her last moments to her daughter, but it seemed that the heavens had not forgiven her enough to grant that final wish. "Do not sully my daughter's thoughts with your poison."

"Poison? But everything I say is true, isn't it? You are the one who forsook Soleil. You are the one who pushed her away when all she wanted was your love. To think that love had burned so brightly she would be able to obtain the legendary Caliburn... Even Her Majesty could not predict that. Isn't that right, 'Merlynne'? Or should I say—"

"ENOUGH!" Morgana roared. "That... That was a mistake. I did not know. I could not have known."

"You had so many chances to find out." Morgause said, walking toward Morgana as her voice crept insidiously into the Paladin's ears. "So many chances you squandered. How different the world would be now if you had only accepted her feelings so her heart was not stolen by Her Majesty."