Chapter 267: Crimson Dawn (6)

Pain took over my entire existence as my body returned to normal. The weaves of magic that empowered me broke, and I rolled down the stairs leading to the Divine Pillar.

A golden light with a hint of cyan descended from the sky. The bright light then dimmed, revealing the Divine Matriarch.

"Kai!" Mona's scream was just short by the Divine's words. 

"Kai Friseal – I had thought you dead." Her gaze turned to Fetheion. "And I would say the same about you, Fallen One. I had never in my wildest dreams expected you to return to our glorious city." Her lips curled downwards. "Much less with such foul purpose."

"Your purpose is the foul one, Matriarch Aelith," Fetheion's power engulfed me – I could feel the wound on my side slowly heal. "I have come here to right your wrongs."

Aelith chuckled. As my wound finally finished healing, I pushed myself off the ground and stood up. She was as stunningly beautiful as always. Her near angelic voice didn't bother my ears at all. I could feel the defences of my mind crumbling. 

"So, you take the side of the demons? Creatures of pleasure and darkness they are, nothing more." She raised her chin slightly and look up at the sky. "They would kill you in a heartbeat if they found no use for you anymore."

Fetheion clenched his fists. He couldn't rebuke her words because they weren't entirely wrong. 

"That doesn't give you the right to drive them from their homes." The Exiled Divine finally spoke. "Nor the right to kill their young." He furrowed his brows as he glanced at me. "Nothing can give you the right to kill a being as old as time itself."

For the first time, Aelith seemed lost for words. She lowered her sight. Hey eyebrows fluttered as she blinked a couple of times. 

"Speak, Matriarch. You will not trick any of us!" Fetheion's raised voice startled me. Had I just gotten lost in the Divine Matriarch's beauty? I dug my nails into the skin of my palm to stay alert. The pain would keep my mind strong.

"I did not kill the Keeper, my friend." She finally spoke. Her voice had no hint of grief or pain, but I could see that she was serious. Her previous smile was gone, and her posture had changed. "I wished to make a deal with him – one hundred years of this world's time in exchange of us, leaving in peace." 

Fetheion flinched. "How had I never heard of this?" He shouted. 

"I kept it secret – the others wished to drain this world, not understanding the dangers of messing with such a being. I feared their interference, so the offer was delivered in secret, and so was the answer."

My eyes wide, I listened. She wasn't lying, I could tell. Old memories that didn't belong to me threatened to resurface. I felt Dorith's approval – he knew of such talks then.

"Yet, before the deal was finalised, the Keeper passed. Killed by someone, for he was one who could not die." Aelith's expression darkened. "I thought of your sister first, but she was long gone, out of my reach, out of the reach of all." 

Fetheion nodded. "She is no longer relevant." He stroked his long, crimson braid. "It was not her."

"Indeed." Aelith's gaze focused on Uriithe, who had pulled herself together. Her hair was no longer a mess and she had drawn enough power from the Pillar to be almost at full strength once again. "I couldn't find the culprit," Aelith continued. "The Keeper's passing change things in our favour. We now had plenty of time before it was time to leave."

Fetheion gritted his teeth. "You never bothered to find out who killed him." The Exiled Divine hissed.

Aelith chuckled. "Why would I? The only danger we now face is the Demon Lord. His power is vast, but we will win, eventually." She smiled as she continued. "Even now, we have pushed their assault back – now what will you do Fetheion?" 

I could feel her power slowly behind to gather around us. I could still remember how powerless and helpless I was when I first met her – she had toyed with me without even breaking a sweat. While I was much stronger now than I was back then, I still felt equally weak when I stood against her.

"Uriithe," I said suddenly as a thought flashed across my mind. The Crimson Witch glanced at me with a smug expression. Her composure had completely changed the moment Aelith arrived. "Would you care to share how the Keeper passed?" I knew I was taking a gamble, yet what other choice did I have?

Aelith glanced at the Crimson Divine. Her expression twisted into one of wrath the moment their eyes met. "I see." She said as Uriithe took a few steps back.

"Aelith, I-"

"Or would you care to share how I passed?" I butted in. Chaos – that was what I needed.

"What are you doing?" Asher hissed. I hadn't noticed him approach me at all. A quick glance behind me showed that with the exception of Erik and Mona, the others stood right behind us as well. 

"No idea." I replied with a grin. "Let's see how this goes."

Asher's eyes widened as I heard the low chuckle of Fetheion. I glanced at the Divine, who nodded in approval.

"What did you say?" Aelith's gaze snapped back at me a moment later.

I shrugged. "I died, you all know that." I pointed at Uriithe. "Guess who has a track record of killing the Keepers?"

I could see all blood being drawn from Uriithe's face. "Lies!" She shouted as she created a spear of light.

"Are they?" Aelith's voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Is this actually working?" Lucius whispered. I shrugged, then stoked up the fires some more. 

"And did you know that my predecessor's soul seems to be missing?" 

"Silence, filthy demon!" Uriithe hurled her spear at me. Fetheion was quick to shield us from harm.

"Why such aggression, Uriithe?" He asked with a faint smile on his lips. "You look rather worked up if you ask me." He grinned. "Is there perhaps something you'd like to keep hidden?"

"Silence!" The Crimson Witch shouted once more, the earth rumbled, and all hell broke loose as crimson tendrils burst out of the ground.