The flames consumed everyone, but as it was still in their initial stage along with the fact that the true purpose of white flames was resurrection, not incineration, death didn't embrace anyone till now.
Caught again in the tyrannical flames, I took a step forward. The only one to notice me was Ayla, as I could see her eyes widen after noticing my presence.
Her eyes had swollen, turning red; Leo, still safe from those flames, was not affected drastically as much as Ayla and me.
I clenched my burning fist and punched Owen in his face; he was still alive or maybe undergoing a process of this ritual.
Thud—!
I fell down following my initial strike, pushing Owen a little away from his position.
Owen screamed once more in a screeching white noise. Franz followed me from behind, trying to reach the children, but was caught in the white flames after his presence was discovered.
As I felt unimaginable pain pass through my very being, a look of satisfaction still remained on my face after punching Owen.
Owen's body started to change; his face altered, and his height increased as some of the mystic materials broke down into dust and went to cover him.
The woman watched it with a small smile, her lips quivered as she squinted her eyes and muttered in a small voice.
"The lord of Pristel seems to be returning back to life… But fate has yet to proclaim the final push of success."
'Currently I am only feeling pain and despair; in the next few seconds being alive would be out of the question…' I thought and brought my right hand to my chest, continuously healing myself.
I tried to hear everything beside the painful screeches of those still dying here. But it was of no use…
For a moment a painful sensation would destroy me, and then at the next instance I would heal myself. This only prolonged my suffering, as Franz has already turned into ashes.
I bit my lips and crawled toward Ayla and Leo; they watched me with a look of horror on their faces. Seeing this, I soon reached a conclusion and laughed heartily before shouting.
"I won't die!"
Creak—
Creak—
In the next instance, Owen stopped as the flames surrounding him came to a standstill.
His eyes were left empty, the flames surrounding him solidified into a dark crystal-like surface, giving him a beastified look. Seeing that the woman's smile vanished, she gave Owen a displeased look and then shook her head in disappointment.
I stopped not far from this abominable sight; Owen stood there in his new bestial form. Something inside me screamed that he should not exist, that the Owen of right now was an existence beyond a beast in its full glory.
"It failed, huh? He got corrupted… an avenger rank at that." She muttered and raised her hand toward him.
Forgetting the pain for a moment, I focused all my attention on the scene playing in front of me. The ritual that was supposed to resurrect someone had brought corruption of a foreign entity, turning Owen into a creature from beyond and one of high rank, like it was a trivial matter.
Then black darkness surrounded Owen, binding him into inexplicable chains just like the children. After that, the woman took two steps forward amidst the ongoing chaos of blazing white flames.
"I can't let you walk freely, nor can I keep you alive… That would be disrespectful to that great existence." She let out a small sigh of desire and leaned toward the newborn avenger.
"So, be grateful and die. You have been useful in this experiment." She paused and smiled mischievously. "The results are satisfactory!"
Boom—!
Owen's figure started to wither like a dying flower; he went to his knees, the god's corruption, which had condemned his very soul, retaliated against the curse of the enchantress. But the corruption was not linked directly with the outer god; rather, it was a copy from a different world trying to replicate the original effects.
Knowing this fact, the woman strengthened her curse effortlessly and erased Owen's existence, but she didn't erase the flames; instead, she removed the crystalline effect, freeing more of those white flames.
With a sigh, she started to walk toward Ayla and held her by the face.
"It should work now… Think of it as a future investment." Then she left in the blink of any eye, her figure withering away just like Owen.
I watched all of this without making a sound; Ayla was about to die, and I could do nothing. Leo was not caught in flames, but his fate was already set in stone as well.
With a final push of my body, I held Ayla's burning figure. Instead of healing her, I held her strongly with my right hand.
I couldn't see her face amidst the flames, nor could she see mine.
I stopped healing myself and let myself get consumed by those flames in an unimaginable pain.
Ayla couldn't speak, but I could. So in my dying breath and painful screams, I let out an empty promise that may reach her. "Ayla… next time let's all go out."
*****
"Butler!"
I didn't wait and turned to look down; Ayla waited there with a sweet smile on her face. Instead of thinking of the pain or what just happened, I took a deep breath and said loudly for her to hear. "Ayla, let's go get Leo. We are going out!"
"W-what?!" Ayla cried in surprise as I held her hand and started to pull her towards Leo's room.
Instead of thinking about the reasons for her butler to call her by name, Ayla shrank at the thought of going out.
"No, no! We can't go out!" She resisted my pull and stopped me.
I looked at her directly in the eyes and gently leaned forward. "Ayla… when someone talks, look at them in their eyes." I told her gently as she continued to look down.
"Has your father ever listened to yours or Leo's requests?" I questioned without giving her any moment to think of an answer.
Ayla bit her lips at this sudden development and asked back. "Why ask this now?!"
Hearing her words, I looked at the empty corridor, hoping no new monster would come to kill me, and again turned to look at Ayla.
"Because I am here now, so let's do bad things." I said, smiling at her.
"Huh?" Ayla, once again left in confusion, couldn't understand her butler's words. Several thoughts ran through her mind, but no answer or conclusion could be reached by her tired mind. So, she let herself get dragged by him.
"We are having a picnic. I have told the chef to prepare food for us, so let's do it fast." I said without hesitation. It was a lie, but if she believed it, then it would become reality.
"Picnic?"
"Yes, picnic. You know people go out with friends and family, eat food, and enjoy time together with that kind of thing."
She was left baffled by the absurdity of this talk, and I didn't plan on giving any kind of clarification to her. This haunted mansion was not a low-level case; so many things had happened here that it had reached the level of divine.
'There is no way I can deal with any of that.'
The most important and dangerous being here was undoubtedly that woman. She has performed and done things one could only dream of.
So many new questions and so many new words with no meanings were left with me.
What does corruption even mean? I have heard this word before in the guild of Saffron City, but they only gave a warning to run away if ever met with one.
The next question will come regarding outer gods and how she talked about Celestia. I truly felt enraged for a moment but buried those emotions as soon as they emerged in me.
'Let's deal with all of that later; first of all, I need to free these children and get out of here.'
Click—
I opened the door to Leo's room and shook Leo's body.
"Leo, wake up! We are having a picnic today." I turned to see the beds ending and saw the grey cat sitting there with a dazed look.
"Franz, help Leo get ready."
"Meow, meow" The cat purred in confusion as Ayla walked near me with her mouth hanging open. I ignored her state and then casually said,.
"Yes, you can talk now. Screw the rules!"
"Got it." Franz grinned excitedly as he heard Asher's words; his head turned to look at Leo, who had his eyes wide open.
Leo pointed at the grey cat and then, with a pale face, asked,. "Big sis, Mr.Nits just talked!"
"Yes, I hear that…" Ayla whispered she wanted to help Leo, but this was too much!
"Both of you, questions for later. Mr.Nits is a magical cat, so he can talk. Also, no need to change clothes; just wash your face. We are going out right now." I explained while adding subtle psychological cues in their mind. Leo resisted for a moment, but seeing my stern gaze didn't question any further. He left his bed and came out of the bathroom after getting refreshed in under a minute.
"Okay, let's go."
"Butler, Father will come today; what about greeting him?" Ayla asked, her eyes staring at me with a look of concern.
I sighed, then with a tired gaze smiled at both Ayla and Leo. "Trust me, this once. I will fix everything."
"Really…" Leo asked, standing beside Ayla, like always holding her hand in his small palm.
With a soft smile, I took a step forward and put my hand over his head and shook him.
"Wahh!" He cried at the sudden push and held Ayla tightly to maintain his balance.
"I promise." I said.
Then I started to walk ahead. Leo pouted with teary eyes but didn't complain. Franz followed my steps and leaped onto my shoulders and whispered quietly. "What's the plan?"
"No, plan today… We will just destroy everything." I said and saw the kids following us silently.
Franz's expression froze; he looked at me with a look of contempt and then whispered. "Have you finally lost it?"
"What, no, really, I am completely sane… maybe."
"Why do you sound so unsure...?" He sighed and looked straight ahead, not minding Asher's chaotic nature anymore.
We came down to the entrance of the mansion, and someone was waiting for us. Seeing him, my blood ran cold for a split second, and my breathing quickened.
Taking a deep breath to calm my racing heart, I said nonchalantly. "Hey Chef, did you bring that for our picnic?"
He didn't answer for a moment; his eyes first looked at the children behind me, then again at me. After a second passed, he nodded and passed me a basket.
'Hope he has put everything needed for a picnic, or I will have no idea what is needed.'
Seeing him walk away, I let out a sigh of relief and opened the gates. I had never been to any kind of picnic, so my words must have left children with their own expectations on what is supposed to happen, filling the gaps in my knowledge.
Without wasting a moment, we came out and walked toward the garden. I placed the basket on the ground and took out the blanket and spread it.
I grinned and looked at both Leo and Ayla before saying, "I have never been on a picnic before, so do you plan on letting me do everything or enjoying it as well?"
Leo and Ayla looked at each other before Leo spoke up, "Butler, can we play hide and seek?"
"You can play anything and do anything you want." I answered back.
Leo and Ayla looked at each other again, then back at me with sparkling eyes. They took off running towards the garden, their laughter filling the air like a sweet melody. I watched them, feeling a strange sense of warmth in my heart. But this feeling was only temporary; I steeled my heart for what was to come before saying.
"Franz, let's go play as well... if we are ending this, we might as well enjoy what little time we have."
The cat looked at me with his sharp eyes and nodded. He jumped off my shoulders and started to chase after the kids.
Time slipped through our hands like sand as hours passed. I had been playing with them as much as I could. Sometimes we would play the game of chasing, with me being the chaser; other times the role would go to Leo or Franz.
The only main goal here for us was to enjoy our time, nothing more. Soon we all sat on the ground, tired and out of breath. Ayla held a big smile over her face as if she had never played any game in ages. Leo leaned on her shoulder, falling asleep quietly without a moment's notice.
Franz's paws hit my legs as he tried to get my attention.
"What now?" he asked.
I thought for a moment before looking at Ayla, then with a bit of hesitation I said. "Ayla, do you remember what I told you before dying?"
Ayla's face darkened as she looked at me; her lips quivered before she asked back. "Butler, what do you mean?"
Sigh...
"Ayla, too much time has passed. Let's leave this place."
"B-but Leo is still asleep; Father has yet to come back."
"Do you wish for him to come back?" I asked; my hands moved toward her face, making her look up.
She was crying.