Kayla had fear written all over her face, "What...the...fuck."
Seraphina raised her right hand and prepared herself to unleash the attack with a single wave,
"Look, you're sensitive about your mom, I get it. But I wasn't mocking you—I was asking sincerely. You got your revenge immediately and then some. Actually, probably alot more. Your mother didn't raise you to become this."
"I'm sorry for what happened to her. Truly I am but you need to hear this. You've gone beyond revenge. Revenge is a spark that burns out once justice is served."
"What you've done isn't justice anymore; it's cruelty. Hatred feeding hatred. Pain breeding pain. Your mother wouldn't be proud of this version of you."
"No…" he said while shaking his head, "No, you're wrong! She'd understand! She'd want me to make them pay—to make everyone who hurt us suffer!"
Seraphina sighed, "And maybe she would have at first. Grief can twist even the purest hearts. But think about it, Kylien. You live what? Years? Centuries? That's centuries worth of revenge. That's not love. That's obsession."
"If she were here right now, do you really believe she'd approve of how far you've gone? Of how many innocent people have suffered because of you?"
Kylien may have been a demon and perhaps demons are inherently bad but Kylien's greatest weakness wasn't his demonic nature.
No, it was his humanity. The smallest part of him that still clung to the memory of his mother, the love she had given him and the pain of losing her. It was that fragile part of him that drove him to madness.
Seraphina didn't know it but her desire to understand Kylien was what ultimately won the battle.
"So what? You're telling me I did all this for nothing? That once I got my revenge, it was supposed to just end there? That after being treated like a fucking monster since I was a kid, I was supposed to be okay with it?"
"After my mom died, things weren't even fucking better."
He pointed an accusing finger at her, "I was belittled, pushed around by YOUR kind! I tried so hard to see the good in your fucking people but when everyone is racist towards me, what's the point?!"
"So I got power and I used it to make sure I wasn't disrespected anymore. Pain controls people and I was respected. That suffering made them think twice before crossing me...Well, except you and your fucking husband."
Seraphina stood her ground, "You're right. Humans can be cruel. Selfish. Blind to anything outside their own fears and prejudices. And maybe there will always be those who hate you simply because of what you are."
"But using that as an excuse to become the embodiment of their worst nightmares… that's exactly what they expect from someone like you. It's what they feared all along. What about the innocent people caught in the crossfire?"
"The families starving because you drained Ashwick dry? The children growing up without parents because of the chaos you unleashed? Are they responsible for what happened to you? Did they deserve to suffer too?"
There was a silence between everyone. Kylien didn't know how to respond and just stood there holding his 100 metre great sword.
Seraphina waited long and said, "I'm sorry but I can't let you keep hurting people. Too many lives have already been destroyed by your pain. If your mother were here, she'd tell you the same thing."
"I'll kill you Kylien."
Kayla who was just there started to panic, "Hey...what are you doing? Kylien?"
Kayla then screamed at Kylien,"HEY! FIGHT BACK, DAMN IT! SHE'S OPEN RIGHT NOW!"
But Kylien didn't respond. He just stood there like he was processing everything.
I...was coping...? But she....but my mom...what would...
Am...I...wrong? No...humans are bad. They hated me. I just needed to—
Seraphina's word echoed in his head, If your mother were here, she'd tell you the same thing.
My...mom...
Desperate, Kayla unleashed everything in her arsenal at Seraphina but her Cocoon of Darkness absorbed it all without a scratch.
Seraphina put her hand down and commanded all the swords,
"I'm sorry."
All 1,000 swords came crashing down on the Box.
BOOM! BOOM! CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!
When Kylien's box broke, Kayla tried to protect them both with her own Box but hers was far weaker due to her significantly lower mana reserves.
When the Box eventually fell, Kayla was exposed to the sure hit effects where she screamed in agony as her mind is filled with horrors beyond her comprehension.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Seraphina released everyone from her barrier. Despite casting Box, overriding Kylien's barrier, fought non-stop from the barrage of the attacks and summoning 1000 swords all with their own enhancement and pure mana, she barely broke a sweat.
Seraphina looked at Kayla who was screaming in agony but there was no sword in her. Actually, the 1000 swords that Seraphina threw at them didn't hit Kayla once.
Instead, Kylien bore the attack. His entire body was pierced everywhere with the sword that decayed his body rapidly and took away his life force.
What the...why? Seraphina thought to herself in confusion, Why would he do this? Surely he knew the girl would still be hit by my barrier no?
Seraphina knelt beside him, "You know, John went crazy under my barrier. Do you think it would've been different for her?"
Kylien coughed weakly, "It's...Kayla."
Seraphina raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? You're telling me her name? Why did you protect her? You could've just summoned the Box again. Fought harder you know?"
Kylien let out a faint, humourless laugh, "In my 200 years of living...not one person...spoke to me like you did...besides my mom. Do you think she'd...forgive me when I die?"
"I...don't know. But I think she'd want you to find peace, wherever you end up."
Kylien closed his eyes as tears slipped down,
"Peace... after everything I've done? That sounds impossible."
"Maybe." Seraphina said bluntly, "But...maybe not. Your mother loved you enough to give her life for you. Maybe that love can still guide you."
"I...miss...her..."
With one final exhale, Kylien's body dissolved completely into ash and his ashes was carried away by the wind. Seraphina just stood up and stared at the empty space where he had just been.
I wonder if Lysandra would let him see his mom. Maybe he deserves it...or maybe not. But his last act was to protect this Kayla against my Swords of Darkness...so much for hating humanity huh?
Why didn't he fight harder? He probably could've made me sweat.
She facepalmed herself, Hah...whatever.
You're too soft, Seraphina. You actually sat there and talked to your enemy when you should've killed him outright.
I really need to stop playing around.
Seraphina now turned and walked over to Kayla who was still screaming.
"AGHHHHHHHH AGHHHHHHH MAKE IT STOP PLEASE! STOP! NO!!! GET AWAY FROM ME! AGHHH"
Seraphina knelt beside her, Why would he save Kayla? Surely the both of them did enough sins that would warrant them to be selfish about their own lives...
But clearly that is not the case.
Even when Kylien spaced out, she still tried to protect them both with her Box.But evidently, her control and mana reserves weren't on par with either of us.
So what does that mean? That Kylien thinks Kayla is worth saving? A demon sacrificing himself for a human from being killed by a human...
Huh. How poetic.
Seraphina placed two fingers on Kayla's forehead and chanted under her breath.
Well, I guess I'll try that spell from Master Alea… Said to erase memories of the caster's choosing.
How old is this Kayla... like 30, maybe? She looks young though. Hahhhhh...definitely younger than me, at least.
How much should I erase? From what I understand, she's hot-tempered, doesn't like to lose and is somewhat protective...But her name never came up in any of the documents we found about Ashwick's downfall.
Just Leone, Sebastian and Kylien...So the question is, when did she join SABRES? Surely not long enough to be one of the best given her strength but also not short enough for Kylien to not give a shit...
I should just erase like 10 years...just to be safe. Yeah, 10 years.
A light enveloped Kayla's body as the spell, Mindolëa took effect. It was an ancient technique passed down from the elves. While elves and humans had a good relationship, their magical techniques were never shared with outsiders.
Well... except for Seraphina.
She was the exception.
When the light faded, Kayla was no longer screaming but asleep.
"That should do it." she said as she stood up and brushed off her hands.
"Now... what should I do about you Kayla? Also, where even am I?"
She glanced around and was relieved that she was still near the town hall or what remained of it after the explosion. She scanned the area looking for Aric but couldn't spot him anywhere.
"How long was I fighting?"