Dedicated to Shadowes for the cute comment in Chapter Twelve. :)
~*~*~*~*
Chapter Thirteen - Madness
My eyes were still fixed on Remekiah when Elfreda grabbed my arm and yanked me up on my feet. A string of curse words escaped her mouth as we walked up the room, but they landed on deaf ears. She was dragging me up the stairs. My feet were probably terribly bruised as she was dragging me like I was just a sack of potatoes, because I couldn't keep up with her. I still couldn't move my feet, let alone keep up with her fast movement.
Light started to seep out of his body. I squinted my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Light continued to radiate out of him. Then I felt Elfreda stop walking and turn her head to look at the light coming out of him. So it was real.
"No!" she screamed. "He wasn't...He wasn't supposed to die!"
He wasn't supposed to die? What was she saying? It was because of her that Remekiah was now gone. It was her fault, hers alone. If she didn't want him to die, she shouldn't have threw those fireballs at him.
Then the image of Remekiah suffering because of me appeared in my mind again, and I felt my hands tremble.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
He wasn't supposed to die.
If I had been more cautious, if I had been stronger, this wouldn't have happened. Remekiah would still be wriggling inside my dress if I had been strong enough to protect him. But no, I was weak, too weak. I was too busy trying to solve my problems alone that I didn't have time to understand my friend.
A painful sound rang in my ears as Elfreda's hand collided with my cheek. I was on my knees before I realized what she did to me. I cupped my swollen cheek with my right hand. Why did she slap me?
"Argh! This is your fault!" she yelled, glaring at me.
I glared back. "My fault?" I shouted. "How did this become my fault?"
She then pointed her finger at me. "It had always been your fault, you cursed brat! This is all because of you, because of all of you!" She squinted her eyes and shook her head violently. "No," she said. "I'm not letting you destroy Aethelgard. I won't let you destroy what my grandfather treasured so much."
"What makes you so sure that I'm going to try to destroy Aethelgard?" She was already accusing me of trying when I hadn't even made a move to destroy the castle. It didn't make any sense. How did she know I was about to attack Aethelgard?
She grabbed my hand again and yanked me up on my feet. She just dragged me up the stairs and only stopped dragging when we needed to stop for her to unlock the door. Muttering the words curse and prophecy, she stuck her free hand in the pocket of her dress and used a key to open the door.
She was about to grab my arm again after opening the door, but we were both awestruck as the hallways came into view. Flames covered most of the walls, and ashes covered the rest of them. I had to cover my mouth with my hand to hold my breath so I wouldn't inhale the smoke. What happened? The castle was ruined, but I... I hadn't done anything yet. Were they telling the truth? That no matter what I do, it would still happen if fate wanted it to? The destruction of Aethelgard, why did this need to happen?
"Can't you do something about it?" I asked. She was a fire elemental. Couldn't she do anything against fire?
She shook her head, sighing in exasperation. I wasn't sure if that was an answer to my question or just a reaction to the terrible thing that we were both seeing. I kept my mouth shut and didn't utter a single word as Elfreda dragged me up the remnants of the stairs, jumping on some of the spots where a large part of the staircase was no longer there. Where was she taking me?
I didn't know where she was taking me, but I had a feeling that I didn't have any choice but to let her lead the way. I couldn't escape these flames if I managed to separate myself from her. Besides, she knew the way; I didn't. I could still hear her muttering something under her breath, but I was too focused on avoiding the flames and jumping over holes and flames to listen carefully and find out what she was muttering.
Finally, the magisters' room came to view. A small smile crept up to my face, not big enough to reach my eyes. At least we were in a place I knew.
She pushed both of the doors open, and all the magisters stared at the opened doors, at us. Mitena was holding an opened book, sitting perfectly still on a chair as she stared at us with emotionless eyes. Radella was pacing the floor, shaking her head a few times. She probably hadn't heard the loud thud the door made because she was too focused on what she was thinking of.
Xamira, on the other hand, was already walking towards us with a smile on her face. She opened her arms and welcomed me with a warm hug, saying how glad she was that we were safe. It wasn't long before Elfreda pulled me away from Xamira and walked towards the bookshelf, her hand holding mine. She reached over the taper holder on the wall beside the bookshelf and snapped her fingers near the candle, lighting up the candle.
The bookshelf then moved by itself. Thud! A new set of stairs came to view. They were a little dusty, probably because they rarely used it, or perhaps it was because of these flames, too? What caused the flames anyway?
She dragged me up the stairs. I didn't want to go with her. I had a bad feeling about this. "Move your legs, Safia!" she spat as I stopped moving my feet.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, still not moving my legs.
She pulled my hand and forced me up the stairs, not answering my question.
I tried pulling my hand out of her tight grip, but it wouldn't budge. Argh! Why was this old woman so strong?
When we reached the top of the stairs, we stopped for a while. There was a square block of stone blocking the way. Elfreda still didn't let go of my hand when she placed her hand on the block of stone and pushed it upward with an amount of force I couldn't exert, which made my eyes go wide. After Elfreda lifted the block of stone and pushed it out of the way, she continued dragging me up the stairs.
"Dream," I heard a woman whisper.
The cold wind embraced my small body as I arrived at the rooftop. I wrapped my free arm around me, but it wasn't enough. My wavy hair was already dancing in the air, as well as the sleeves of my dress. Surprisingly, I managed to yank my arm out of the old magister's grip. I then covered myself with both arms, my teeth still chattering.
When I looked around, the only thing I could see was the dark sky. It was already nighttime. Plus we were at the top of a very tall castle. No wonder the wind was so cold. But what troubled me and almost creeped me out was the fact that Elfreda was nowhere to be seen. I turned to look at the set of stairs we used to go here. It was already covered with the block of stone already.
I was alone, all alone.
The wind blew harder, and I trembled with fear. What was I going to do now? How would I know that one of the magisters would come back for me? Would Xamira come to save me? Many questions rang in my mind as I tried to think of a way to save myself. I wanted to comfort myself and tell myself that there was nothing to worry about, but I knew better. I knew I was in a bad situation. I could die in the cold. I could suffocate in the cold air.
I began to find it harder to breathe. My hands flew to my chest, and I tried to ease my breathing. The sound of shallow breaths echoed in my ears as I tried to breathe properly. No. No, I couldn't die yet. I musn't. I still had a lot of things to do. No, I was too young to die.
"Destroy Aethelgard," I heard from somewhere in my head.
What was I hearing? I covered my ears. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to lose control. I felt something cold wrap around my ankles, keeping me from moving freely. What was this feeling? This was my life. This was my body. Why could it control me? No. No! No, I didn't want to destroy Aethelgard when I didn't have enough reason to.
"No!" I screamed, my voice echoing in the air. I tried to stand still, but my legs were moving on their own. I leaned down to hold my legs and stop them from moving, but before my hands could touch my legs, my legs gave out. I fell down on the ground. My whole body hurt as it slammed on the floor. The cold wind took this chance to embrace me even tighter. I couldn't breathe anymore. It was wrapping itself around my neck, around my body, and squeezing tightly. No. No, I couldn't die. I mustn't.
I had probably lost consciousness earlier because I woke up in a very bright place. Where was I?
Standing up, I turned my head and examined the place. It was so....blank. Was I dead? Was this the place where dead people go? A pang of pain hit my chest. No, I couldn't be dead. I could still feel pain, and I still had things to do. Didn't they say that what fate wanted to happen would happen no matter what?
But what if fate got rid of me because I wasn't letting it control me? What if I became a nuisance and needed to be taken out of the picture?
"Safia..." someone called.
I looked around me and saw Carina. "Where am I?" I asked her.
She smiled at me, like I said something only an innocent child would say. I watched her take my hand as she told me to come with her. The place then darkened, and we were back inside a castle.
The place was well-lighted, unlike Aethelgard, but it was almost the same. The place had more windows, which made the place look brighter. Bookshelves were standing beside the walls. Was this the library?
"Please! I'll try again," a lady cried from behind us. "I can do it next time."
I looked over my shoulder and saw an old man slowly shake his head. "No, I realized how young and innocent you still are." His voice was shaking. He sounded so weak, but he spoke with power. "You're still too young for this responsibility, Elfreda, and so is your sister."
Elfreda? Th-That lady was Elfreda?
I leaned in and asked Carina where we were.
"You know where we are," she replied.
Then it hit me. We were in the past, in the time where Elfreda was still a young lady, only a few years older than me. But why were we here?
The old man was about to leave the room when she pleaded once more, "Please, father! Besides, who will take charge?"
"Xarthan," he answered, then he left the room, leaving Elfreda stunned.
Xarthan? Who was Xarthan?
I was about to ask Carina who Xarthan was when Elfreda stood up and walked towards the window. She sat on a chair near it and looked through the window.
"Go," Carina told me. "She can't see you."
Curious, I looked at the direction she was looking at. Standing at the top of the castle was a man several years older than we were. His hair was cut just above his shoulders, a little shorter than Dante's hair. His arms were crossed as he talked to Elfreda's father. He must be Xarthan.
"Master Xarthan would take charge?" she mumbled. I looked at her through the corner of my eye. She smiled, then, for some reason, she blushed severely.
I turned to look at Carina and asked her, "Why was Elfreda blushing?" I asked Carina.
"Observe how she looks at him," she replied.
I looked at Elfreda, gazing at the man on the other side of the window. I noticed how her eyes sparkled as she looked at Xarthan, and how her face gleamed with joy. Then I began to understand what she was feeling, and I started to feel what she was feeling, as well. But the beautiful feeling disappeared when I felt something hit my chest. I missed him so much again. I missed Dante. I missed his touch. I missed his smell. I missed his voice. I missed everything about him.
My hand flew to my chest. I was finding it hard to breathe again. It wasn't long before Carina approached me and told me that I had seen enough. She held my hand and smiled at me. Then the room was quickly wiped out and replaced by a slightly different one.
"Radella!" I heard someone shout. "Radella, where is he?"
"I don't know," Radella replied.
I turned my head to look at the two women. The woman talking to Radella was presumably Elfreda, because this woman talked to Radella just the way Elfreda always did.
Elfreda was about to walk up the stairs when Radella caught her hand. She looked over her shoulder and tried to tug her hand of her grip, but her hand won't budge.
"We need to get to safety, Elfreda. Master Xarthan can take care of himself. Right now, we need to--"
"--That evil dragon is going to destroy this castle if we don't help him. He needs us, Radella. He needs me." She shook her head. "No, I need him."
"He's our mentor, Elfreda!" she yelled, tears threatening to pour down her face as she struggled to convince her sister. "He told us to get everyone--including ourselves--to safety, and we're supposed to obey--"
"--Don't tell me what to do, Radella." She then tugged her hand off her grip and ran up the stairs.
Boom! The castle shook, and almost everyone screamed. I looked around and saw many people running down the stairs, shaking in fear. Then I heard a loud roar.
A roar?
"Follow her," Carina told me, looking at Elfreda.
I did what I was told. I followed Elfreda until she reached the top of the castle. The wind blew hard again, but the flames shielded me from the cold wind. Smoke was everywhere. I saw Elfreda running to a man in a long robe, his hands stretched out in the same way Sumner did when he controlled fireballs. The dragon was spitting balls of fire at Xarthan, but Xarthan was deflecting those fireballs with a firewall in the air.
"She's not here, dragon!" I heard him yell. "Even if you burn the castle down to ashes, you won't find her here!"
"Master!" she shouted. "Please--"
He looked over his shoulder while holding the fireballs off. His eyes bulged. "--what are you doing here, Elfreda?"
"I'm here to help--"
"--No!" he yelled. "You shouldn't be here, Elfreda. Your father entrusted all of your lives to me, and I will do everything to protect you, all of you." The dragon nudged the castle, making us lose our balances. Xarthan managed to stand firm after a few seconds, but the rest of us fell down on the ground.
"But I want to help!" she yelled while she was lying on the ground.
"No," he replied. "Get out of here!" he yelled at the dragon. He threw giant fireballs at it, but it was too fast for the fireballs, easily avoiding each of them.
The dragon spat fireballs at us. He slashed the air and chopped the fireballs in half. He covered them with bigger layers of fire and threw them back at the dragon. But only one fireball hit the dragon, and it only hit a small part of his tail. Xarthan then looked over his shoulder again and yelled, "Get inside!"
"No!" She shook her head. "I want to--!" She tried to crawl towards him, her hair flying in the wind.
"--Elfreda," he yelled. "I am your mentor, your master. And I am telling you to--"
"--No!" I yelled, but, of course, they couldn't hear me. My warning was useless.
A fireball reached the castle, burning half of its rooftop. Slowly, the castle was crumbling. I knew that the dragon wouldn't succeed in destroying Aethelgard, because Aethelgard still existed in our time.
Xarthan was almost hit by the blazing fireball, but he managed to avoid it before it was too late. Still, he fell down on the ground as the fireball shook the castle. Elfreda ran to him and helped him up.
"Get down!" he yelled as a fireball approached them.
But it was already too late for her to avoid it, so he quickly pushed her away from him. And there, in front of her, in front of all of us, the fireball ate up Xarthan's body. The dragon then spat more fireballs at him.
Elfreda was stunned, just as I was, or perhaps even more. She didn't move; neither did she shout. She just stared at the flames eating him up, like she was losing her grip on her life as it flew away with Xarthan's.
Curious of what would happen next, I asked Carina, "Xarthan's dead. What's she going to do now?"
"Watch, Safia," she replied. "Watch closely."
So I waited for something to happen. I watched closely, observing every little movement she could have made. Then a thin layer of some weird, transparent thing covered her whole body. What was it? Why was she covered with that thing?
"Raah!" she screamed.
The thin layer exploded and wiped everything out. If I had been here for real, I would have been blown away by the strong force it exerted on everything in range. Luckily, I wasn't. But now I knew what it was. It wasn't just any weird thing; it was energy. The thin layer of energy thickened and thickened after the explosion. Xarthan's death awakened her power.
She shot a giant fireball bigger than any of the fireballs thrown by Xarthan, at the dragon. The dragon perhaps realized that she was stronger than his previous opponent, so he dodged the fireball and flew away. But she was persistent. She threw more fireballs at it, screaming as she released each ball of fire. It didn't reach the dragon anymore though, because it was fast.
"Wake up, Safia," Carina told me.
"Wait," I told her. I needed to know everything. I couldn't leave this place yet, not when everything was already making sense.
"No!" Elfreda screamed, throwing more fireballs with both of her hands. "Come back, you monster!" She threw them harder. "You'll pay for what you did!"
"Safia, you need to wake up now!" Carina shouted.
Elfreda almost fell down on the ground as she threw another fireball. "I'll kill you!"
And that was the last thing she screamed before her body fell down on the ground. She probably used to much energy already. And as she fell down, everything began to get blurry.
"Come here, you monster!" I heard her yell.
I tried to move my legs, but I couldn't. I dropped my gaze to look at my feet. Metal chains were wrapped around my ankles, holding me down. That was...the reason why I felt something cold wrap around my ankles earlier. My gaze went to my arms. Two longer chains were wrapped around my wrists, keeping me from moving freely. I tried to yank my arm out of the chains' hold. I did it harder and harder, but I only hurt myself.
"Let me go!" I screamed.
Elfreda didn't even bother to look over her shoulder and tell me anything. "Die!" she yelled, as she threw giant fireballs at the dragon, the very dragon that killed Xarthan before.
The dragon growled and blew a curtain of fire; it draped around the old magister, creating a wall of fire between us.
I looked at the dragon. Was it...Was it looking at me? No. No, it was going to sweep me up. But... But I was still in chains, how was he going to do that?
"Oh, no, you don't!" Elfreda yelled. She then created a ring of fire around me.
"You'll kill her!" I heard Xamira shout, which made me turn to look at her. Her arms were held tightly by Mitena, keeping her from stopping Elfreda. And behind them was an unconscious Radella, a large bruise on the right side of her forehead.
"Shut up, Xamira!" Elfreda shouted.
Xamira tried to escape Mitena's grip, but her grip remained firm. "She has nothing to do with this!" she screamed, struggling.
The dragon flew towards me. What was I going to do? Should I let it take me, or stay here to destroy the castle later? As the dragon tried to scoop me up with his head, Elfreda shot a long ray of fire at his back, making it bellow in agony.
"Why are you doing this?" I yelled at Elfreda.
"You don't know what happened before," she said. "This monster killed the man I love!" She then threw three more fireballs at the dragon, but the dragon dodged all three.
"You're in love!" I proclaimed. "How can you do these horrible things?"
"Brat," she spat, a sinister smile on her face. "love can make you do things you never thought was possible."
Love? She was hurting people because of love? How could she say that she was in love? No. This wasn't love; it was madness.
"You call it madness," she said. "but I call it love."
~*~*~*~*
So, what do you think? The chapter's pretty long. Yeah, I noticed, too. But you know? I'm really really really enjoying this story. Too bad, it's already near its end. :'(