Chapter 31 - For Anemus - Dark Night 2/2

Something changed the moment Athena opened her eyes again.

She was trapped in a place without distinction.

It wasn't dark, but it wasn't light either, it had no floor or ceiling, but she could get up and walk, there was no sound at the same time it was noisy and in the middle of that nothingness and everything, a colorless silhouette.

*I didn't use anything to write this.*

The silhouette was going somewhere, coming towards her as Athena chased her in place and then the silhouette disappeared and in its place a door appeared.

The door of iron or wood, perhaps stone, was cold and heavy, light and big or small. Athena went to the door or the door went to Athena and when she opened it...

***

"What do you mean? You mean she's doing this for fun, Den?" Horx asked as he tried to keep up with Athena's figures.

"I think so. Vitia, can you see her?"

"I can!"

"Think you can stop her for a few seconds?"

Vitia clenched her fists around the hilt of her daggers and tried to simulate in her mind what would happen.

"M-maybe for ten…no, five seconds?"

"I'll undo the shield. Don't look her in the eye! Horx, as soon as Vitia stops her, attack with everything you've got!"

"Don't you look her in the eye? Are we fighting a lamia or basilisk?"

"No, it's worse. Those eyes can kill you... Ready?"

Vitia and Horx gritted their teeth, Horx dropped the torch and then the shield was gone.

Just as Athena came towards them, Vitia jumped and they met in midair.

Right there, in the air, Vitia kicked Athena in the abdomen, but Athena defended with her knee and the two landed.

Athena advanced on Vitia, still keeping her smile of pure pleasure, but stopped midway where Horx slashed with his sword.

Horx gave Athena a nervous smile without meeting her eyes. He was sure his attack had hit the woman, but a lock of hair covered in a black aura defended the attack and Horx's sword began to crack.

"What the fuck is this?" Horx said and dodged a sword thrust from Athena that passed in front of her blue eyes.

Den, who was behind Vitia and Horx, finished casting his magic and streams of light wrapped around Athena's legs and arms.

"I seized her!" Den celebrated.

"What now? Do we kill her?" Vitia asked without taking her eyes off Athena.

Den looked at Athena who showed no resistance to the chains. She actually seemed to be quite interested in magic.

"No... She'll calm down now. That way we can talk."

Horx examined his sword, where it had been cracked and there he saw that the blade looked like it was old and worn. However, this sword was new, practically newly forged in Juefu. Horx wondered what would happen if he was the one to be touched by 'that' and a shiver ran down his back.

As the three discussed what to do, they listened to the rattle of Athena's armor, until everything fell into an uncomfortable silence.

They looked at Athena and the woman was just standing there with her head down, her sword in her hand.

"W-what is she doing?" Den asked in a thin voice.

Athena looked like one of those ghosts that appear under trees in horror stories and Den's childish heart wasn't prepared for those things even though he was already used to the killing of a war.

"I don't know and I don't want to go near her to find out." Horx said this and Athena slowly raised her face...

***

'What the hell is this place?' Athena asked.

Passing through the door, Athena saw a place that had form, light, floor, and maybe even a ceiling. She couldn't be sure.

When she looked up, she saw a dark immensity.

'This place is you.' A voice answered.

The voice was young and feminine.

'Is this place me? So what is that place?' Ateba said and pointed to nothing.

The door had disappeared as if it had never been there.

'Fufufufu... That place is me. At the moment I am in you, although I cannot see you and neither can you see me.'

'Who are you?'

'I'm someone you've been ignored...' The voice sounded resentful. 'You even tried to throw my gift away.'

'Your gift?'

'Are you going to play dumb now? I gave you the Reaper class and you tried to change classes... Didn't you get an education in the other world?'

'Do you know I came from another world? Not! Wait, that's not important right now! If you gave me this class and the other, does that mean you are Death?' Athena squealed in irritation.

'Ding, ding, ding! Correct!' Death responded excitedly.

'If this place I am and you are in me, it means that you are controlling my body. Give me back my body and give me back my spells!'

'Auh! I don't want to leave now... You're the one who called me. And I'm not returning those dirty things to you. It was corrupting your soul, you would end up in the demon world if you continued like that and I hate demons because their souls don't come to me!'

Athena calmed down upon hearing the explanation and without thinking too much, she sat down and a chair formed under her.

'What kind of god has that much free time? And why would it matter if I became a demon?'

'Fufufu... Gods always have too much time. Even I'm the busiest, I have plenty of time to do nothing.'

'That doesn't answer my other question...'

'Ah! I want to meet you...'

'Nice to meet you, Death, my name is Athena. I was forced to be a death knight and now I am your captive.' Athena said, full of cynicism and with a forced smile. 'Now can you return my body?'

'...'

'Hey!'

'Ah! I'm leaving, your mana is running out... Using the body of others is very inconvenient if the person is weak. Wait a little longer.'

'Huh? Hey! Wait!'

***

Death looked at the three people and smiled.

"I don't have a lot of time. So I'll seal this first since she doesn't want me to take her body again and then put this here and also this..."

The three people looking at Athena were beginning to doubt her mental health.

Den took a step in front of Horx and Vitia. He was still scared of Athena, but the moment she started to speak, he figured she'd come to her sense, but...

This happened when Den tried to say something.

"[Erase]" Death said and the chains holding her disappeared as if they were a lie and she advanced on Den with a smile of pure ecstasy.

Vitia and Horx saw Athena's long sword come towards Den's neck and as fast as they could, protected him.

Vitia prepared to stop the sword with her daggers, but Horx got between Den and Athena.

"Horx!" Den screamed as he saw Athena's sword cut through the man's armor and into his flesh.

Horx spat blood but held the blade in both hands.

"Prince, we cannot recruit this. She is too dangerous! Blasts us with your strongest magic!"

"No! Horx, I can heal you!"

"Prince!" Horx screamed and Den's eyes filled with tears.

"Okay, I..."

"That...Thank you, my prince." Horx smiled.

Den began to cast a spell and Horx felt the sword being pulled, gripped it tighter and then laughed happily when he saw a purple light cover Athena and him.

When the light faded, Horx was still standing and feeling the sword in his body. He opened his eyes and saw the angry faces of Den and Vitia.

"Huh? I..." Horx looked around and the forest was untouched. "I don't... You don't... Huh?"

"I trapped her in stronger restraining magic." Den explained.

Athena was trapped in a dark purple dome in the same position as she was trying to pull Horx's sword. One foot on the man's back and the whole body thrown back as if she was trying too hard to pull her weapon.

"Stay still, I'll heal little by little while we take the sword out of you." Den said.

Inside the dome, Death began to move again and Vitia, who was watching over her, urged Deb and Horx on.

Den healed and Horx backed away from the blade in accordance with the healing and when it was nearly complete, they heard Athena's voice filled with power.

"[Eradication]"

Vitia's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at what she saw.

An Slayer has two properties, the most important of which is survival. During training he learns to survive by instinct and if it were possible, the second priority should be followed, that. it was to keep his master's safety.

Underneath Athena's feet the ground began to die and turn to sand, the magic and mana around her also began to dissipate as if they never existed.

Vitia ran to Den without explaining anything. She felt she had to run away and couldn't run or carry Horx who was twice her size.

She grabbed Den, passed him out in an instant.

"Run Horx! I forgot everything and run as far as you can!"

"Huh?!"

"Run!!!!!" Vitia screamed without looking back as she dodged a tree here and there.

By the time Horx started running, it was too late.

As if that place were never part of a wood, everything within twenty meters around Athena turned to sand as if it were the most common thing to happen.

Vitia fell to the ground next to Den. She cried aloud and Athena fainted on that sandbar.

***

Far away, in the midst of a mana storm in the tallest tower of Gion's castle, Anemus was in critical condition.

Gion was doing his best to keep the nymph alive while praying that Athena would return quickly.