OathBlade (Wattys2015)

77. Facing The Flame pt. 2*

The light faded to darkness, which in turn lightened to reveal the broken horn sitting in front of Elery's face once more. How much time has passed? It felt like an age, yet all looked as it had before she'd lost consciousness.

Elery!

Misani's voice brought her fully back to reality and she pushed herself onto her hands and knees.

"It's too late to let Misani out," Celestine said. "You must understand that. If you allow her to manifest your life is forfeit."

"So be it," Elery breathed as she put a hand to her chest.

"No!"

Celestine's fervent protest stilled Elery's hand and she looked up into her eyes.

It was not the phoenix she saw within, but Cylphi.

"So then she still exists..." Elery murmured. She pushed herself to her feet and grabbed her sword. "To be honest, I wondered...Your aura is so overwhelming I felt as though I would be lost within it. But Cylphi...I knew I felt her aura and now I am certain of it." She shook her head. "You cannot erase her."

"We are now one and the same—"

Elery stumbled and tightened her grasp on the hilt of her blade. "No, you are not. I've all the proof I need from Cylphi's lips." She stepped back and searched the room for anything of use. "You would do anything to stop me from harming myself. After all, your desire is to have my body for your own." She let her gaze rest again on Celestine. "But you could never show such love and pain as she just did."

Celestine shook her head and stepped forward. "You had your moment to kill me yet here I stand. You've proven you cannot slay this body." She smiled in a way which turned Elery's stomach sour. It was not a malicious smile but a gentle one, much like the smiles Cylphi would offer to calm whatever fears Elery might have. "This girl needn't be hurt—you know this. I want only one thing. If you should give it to me I would let her go. You could be together forever."

Elery drew on Misani's aura and ignited Celestine's armor again. The intense flames, burning as brightly as the phoenix fire itself, heated the metal quickly before Celestine snuffed it.

"Foolish girl." Celestine swept her hand up and a wave of stone rose. "How many times must you prove to yourself that your aura is useless against me?"

Elery spun aside and dodged the stone as she drew as much moisture from the air as she was able. She cooled it before she doused Celestine's chest plate.

A burst of steam clouded Celestine's face and blinded her to Elery's next attack. She ran in and struck the armor with all her strength before Celestine was able to push her away with a stiff gale.

The wind tore at Elery's hair and stung the raw flesh exposed under the broken horn. Though she planted her feet and struggled against it, her boot treads stuttered as they rubbed against the uneven stone floor. She leaned forward and covered her face in an effort to breathe. The strength of the cast demanded all she had to resist, and even that was not enough. Elery's feet swept from under her. She fell and rolled back toward the far wall.

Once again with distance put between them the tainted phoenix swept her aura through the floor. She lifted stone benches and hurled them toward Elery with reckless abandon.

Elery wove Misani's aura through the floor and drew stone walls around herself to absorb the strikes. Each bench broke against the wall and chipped a section from her protection. When the last bench hit she rose and again set Celestine's chest armor alight.

This time the plate glowed hotter, hot enough to cause Celestine to shriek in pain. She doused the flames a heartbeat before Elery once again struck it with another collection freezing water.