Music is Alien Manifestation from the NieR: Automata OST, composed by Keiichi Okabe. Play it!
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"There's no need for that. I'm already here."
That voice. Deep, resounding, malicious. I know it all too well. It sends a shiver down my spine.
Shadows peel away from a man's body like a jester's trick show, finally revealing himself. A sliver of light is allowed into the bubble of darkness, illuminating everything around us.
The men have their blades drawn and ready to strike. Kendra has her hands raised in a spellcasting gesture, whereas Luise has unstrapped the shield and spear from her back, wielding it in either hand.
I belatedly draw my own sword, although it strains me to keep it level.
The handsome young man before us merely smiles. "Come now, that's no way to treat a fellow countryman," he says, silver hair obscuring his eyes.
"You ceased to become a Perinian once you committed treason, Diomedes," says Percival. A strange glow is alit in his stormy eyes.
It looks familiar. I wonder where I've seen that before.
"What? Diomedes?" The necromancer throws his head back in laughter. "I see that my new name is quite popular now."
"Your old one has already been wiped out from the Domesday book. The you from before never existed," Kendrick growls. Percival steps forward, before his apprentice, a silent command to not let the young knight's temper get the best of him.
"Pity. I suppose that you intend to erase your crimes from your history too?"
"We didn't do anything. The Guard conducted a full investigation of your case," Eldric interjects. "There was nothing to be found."
"Really? How do you explain the deaths of an entire guild of sorcerers?" Diomedes's smile widens, only making him seem more unhinged. "And just when anti-magic sentiments were beginning to rise too."
"We don't know how, but it definitely wasn't the act of any human," Eldric replies, expression stoic. The face of the perfect Captain of the Guard. "There were traces of necromancy. Us non-magical beings can't track down magic, but when we asked for your help—"
"You really want me to believe that? A fellow sorcerer would kill one of his or her kind?" Diomedes laughs again. "We are already a dying breed. What could we possibly stand to gain by murdering not just one, but an entire group of our fellow comrades?"
"If only you would assist us. You were the one who discovered the scene. You have magic. Surely you would have felt something—"
"Silence!" Diomedes roars. "You have no idea! I tire of this. Don't worry, it'll end quickly."
Tendrils start to form, spearing towards Eldric.
No. Not another person. I see the scene unravel slowly: a blank, surprised look on Eldric's face, and the shadows that are inching closer towards him—towards his heart.
I automatically slip into the Champion's State.
My mind becomes clear, my wound nothing more than a minor hindrance in combat.
I dive towards Eldric, knocking the shadows away with my sword.
"Hubert!" Eldric cries. "You know this will only drain you—"
"Shut up and don't let your guard down next time!" I yell back. I flex my shoulders, gradually adjusting to the abrupt transition into the State.
"Now!" someone's command pierces the air. Kendra.
YOU ARE READING
Legacy (Daughter of War #2)
خيال (فانتازيا)**ON HOLD INDEFINITELY** It's been two years since the great battle in the shrine. However, as Perinus strives to recover from its losses, shadows continue to grow throughout the land... A dangerous sickness is spreading throughout the country--one...
