Between The Realms

Twenty

Atticus

Healing Touch

I headed towards the bathhouse to clean the battle off of me. Dried demon blood and caked-on dirt did not sit well with me. As I cleaned myself, thoughts from the battle raced through my head. The sudden appearance of the golden dragon, the cruel voice of the Demon General, and most of all the pure pleasure I felt when I sank my blade through his heart. It disgusted me the way I felt when I killed him.

I mean he was a demon, and I was doing what I could to protect not only Sera but the entire kingdom. So why did It feel good to end another living being's life demon or not? Am I going crazy? After I had finished cleaning myself I headed to the training grounds underneath the dungeons where I could clear my head and practice my new swordsmanship without any unwanted attention.

'To enter your assimilation form flawlessly you'll need to do three things. One: Clear your mind of negative thoughts as it will corrupt you and begin your transformation into a demon. Two: Strengthen your prana so that you will not run low amid battle. Lastly: Assimilation requires your soul to be pure and untouched by chaos and corruption. To do so you must meditate in a place of great sentiment. Once you've mastered these steps you can Assimilate at will without the need for a cooldown.'

Argentum said, her ethereal voice resonating in my head. I nodded and focused on my prana, feeling the energy flow through me and into my sword. There was a brilliant flash of silver and black light that enveloped me as I assimilated.

Now that I wasn't in the heat of battle it came a lot easier and somewhat quicker than before. The black and blue armor glinted in the fae lights that adorned the hall. I didn't have enough time to get a closer look at my assimilation from the chaos of battle, but I looked badass as hell.

I disasimmilated and sheathed Argentum, her blade sliding seamlessly into her sheath. I couldn't get the battle out of my head even after the training I just did. The clash of my blade against Malakk's rang through my ears, and my palms slick with sweat felt like the thick black sludge that is demon blood.

Flashes of Malakk's cruel smile flicked through my mind every time I closed my eyes or blinked. A drop of cold sweat dripped from my brow. I didn't know I was heading to Sera's room until I hit her door with my boot. She must've heard it as her door opened instantly, her face a picture of confusion but changed into worry when she saw my sweat-slicked and pale face.

She didn't say anything as she grabbed my hand gently pulled me into her room and closed the door behind her. Only then did she speak, her voice calm and soft as a saytrs lute "It's alright Atty." She assured me, the nickname my mom gave me with the same kind of warmth. We sat on her bed our hands still together, either of us not momentarily forgetting how close we were.

"Talk to me when you feel ready, then let's just sit here and enjoy each other's company." She said, as one downy soft wing slowly encompassed my leathery one. I nodded, still looking at the floor as tears I didn't know I was holding back fell on the floor. "I killed someone Sera, a demon yes but a life nonetheless. But that's not what scares me the most, it's the fact that I e-enjoyed it." I said, my voice shaking. "Am I a monster? How could I enjoy taking a life?"

At this point, both of Sera's arms and wings were around me as I gave into the tears that racked my body like a relentless storm. "I understand how you feel and the fact that you're crying is proof that you're not a monster, here let me show you something I recently learned about my powers." She said as a brilliant warm sensation enclosed us.

I opened my eyes and from the crook of Sera's neck, I noticed her silver hair and cloud-gray eyes were glowing. "Tristitia evanescet!" She said in ancient Latin the language of the Lightbearers. As a bright light touched my face my sadness, fatigue, and terror melted away into joy and happiness. My eyes started to feel extremely heavy even though my fatigue had disappeared.

Through my eyelids, I noticed that Sera had laid me down next to her the glowing light slowly dissipating and the last thing I saw before my eyes closed was the most beautiful person in the entire world smiling down at me.