Caera Denoir POV
"You," I said defensively, taking my ruby sword out of my dimensional ring.
I took a few steps back until I hit the wall behind me. I narrowed my gaze, igniting my sword in soul fire and taking a defensive stance. Their eyes flicked to my sword, then back to me. They kept an emotionless expression and stood in front of me nonchalantly.
"Somebody is a little defensive," They said.
I gripped my blade tightly, "Well, I can't say it's good to see you, seeing that we're enemies now."
I quickly looked around with my eyes, trying to see if there was a way to escape. I could see pillars surrounding me, and the individual in front of me was blocking my one route of escape. If I were going to get out of here, I would need to fight my way out. I gritted my teeth at this predicament.
'If only Arthur were here.'
"Enemies, are we?" They asked, keeping their nonchalant face while they clasped their wrists behind their back. "Are you so sure?"
"What do you mean by that? What are you doing here, Cylrit?" I asked defensively.
Cylrit broke his emotionless demeanor as a small smile graced his face, "Well, first off, it's good to see you too, Caera. You're looking as beautiful as ever. Scythe Seris was very glad to learn you survived the Xyrus attack. Imagine our surprise when we learned you were now fighting for Dicathen."
I just stared at him, not breaking my defensive stance. "You didn't answer my question. Why are you here? How did you slip past our defenses?" I asked murderously.
Cylrit gave off a low chuckle. "I see you are not in the mood for pleasantries. You can relax, Caera; I'm not here to harm you. I'm here under orders," Cylrit said as he walked up to a pillar and leaned his right shoulder against it. "As for how I slipped past your defenses, I didn't. You're the one who foolishly walked out of your camp alone."
I gritted my teeth as I knew he was right. I put myself in this predicament. I wandered outside the safety of the encampment by myself because I wasn't thinking clearly. What a stupid mistake I made. Scythe Seris taught me clarity of thought before rashness of action, and I failed to do just that.
"Perhaps I did. It was a dumb mistake," I said, scolding myself mentally.
"Yes, it was. Scythe Seris would be disappointed in you," Cylrit said with a shrug. His eyes then fell back to my blade, and he rolled his eyes. "I already told you I'm not going to attack you. Can you please put the damn sword away?"
"Nope," I snapped as I pointed the sword at him. "You also said you were here under orders. Whose orders exactly?"
"Who do you think?" Cylrit asked as if the answer was obvious.
I stared at him for a second, thinking. "Scythe Seris," I said, gaining a nod from him. "For what purpose?" I asked immediately after.
"For you," Cylrit said, gesturing to me.
"Me? If you think I'm going back just to be used again, you're wrong. I will fight you till the death, Cylrit. I don't care if it is a losing fight; I won't go down without taking at least a limb from you," I growled, trying to hide my nervousness.
"Easy there, little kitten. No need to bare your fangs. I'm not here to take you back," Cylrit said as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"Then why?" I asked defensively, not breaking my stance.
"Xyrus Academy. While you were acting as a spy there, Alacrya received your reports. Scythe Seris found one of your reports intriguing," Cylrit responded.
I raised a brow as curiosity started getting the best of me. "Which report? I sent many while I was playing 'marionette'," I said as I spat out the last word.
"Arthur Leywin," Cylrit said matter of factly.
I felt my eyes go wide as my body tensed. I had nearly forgotten all the information I had told Alacrya about Arthur. A storm of emotions ran through me as I felt like I had failed him all over again. They knew of his abilities, of his dragon body. They knew he could wield aeth-.
'Wait, they don't know that. Cause I didn't know at the time of the academy. We still have an advantage.'
"If you even think about going near him," I said threateningly.
Cylrit raised his brows as a small smile formed on his face. "Someone is a little protective. Found a friend have you?" He chuckled, "I assure you have nothing to worry about. I mean him no harm."
"What do you want with Arthur then?" I asked defensively.
"Scythe Seris wishes to speak with him. Will you help me pass him a message?" Cylrit asked.
I scoffed, "First off, why the fuck would I do that? Secondly, why does she want to speak with Arthur?"
Cylrit stood up from the pillar and shrugged, "We were hoping to elicit his aid."
"What? Why would he help you?" I asked, confused.
Cylrit looked at me seriously, "I would hope he would like to help us end this war as soon as possible and stop the High Sovereign."
My eyes went wide, and for a second, my defenses dropped. Cylrit saw this and shook his head, "You shouldn't leave yourself open like that, Caera."
I quickly realized my defenses were lowered, got back into a defensive stance, and Cylrit let off a low chuckle.
"You could've taken advantage and disarmed me," I said matter-of-factly.
"Indeed. But like I said, I'm not here to hurt you. Scythe Seris would see this war ended, and I would imagine this Arthur Leywin wishes the same." Cylrit said as he took a small object out of his dimensional ring.
I narrowed my eyes at the object as confusion washed over me. I noticed it was a medallion with a crest on it.
"Why do you have a medallion?" I asked, confused.
"It's for you," Cylrit said simply as he tossed me the medallion.
I took my left hand off my sword as I caught the medallion in the air. I looked at the medallion, confused, wondering why he had given it to me.
"Will mana into it," Cylrit said.
I gave him a suspicious glance before I did just that. I grew wide-eyed as I felt Cylrit's presence and location in my head. I looked at him, surprised, as a small smile formed on his face.
"What is this?" I asked.
Cylrit gestured to my left hand, "It's a tracking medallion. With it, you'll be able to pinpoint my location. When you see Arthur again, tell him about this meeting. Use the medallion to find my location, as Scythe Seris would like to speak with him."
"And how do I know this isn't a trap?" I asked with a raised brow.
Cylrit nodded, "A valid question, but I guess you won't know until you arrive."
I just narrowed my eyes at him. "Arthur is busy nowadays. What makes you think I'll be able to find him?"
"Easy. He's currently in the camp." Cylrit said with a smile, and I gritted my teeth, biting back a curse. "Don't be so surprised. I've been following you for a while, Caera. I was just waiting for the right opportunity to approach you. Now, we will be waiting for you." Cylrit said as he turned around.
"You act like Arthur is going to say yes to this meeting," I scoffed.
Cylrit looked back at me over his shoulder. A small smile formed on his face as he shrugged. "I would assume he wouldn't miss the chance at the opportunity to end the war. That is if he is as smart as your reports said he is." Cylrit said as he looked back forward.
I continued to watch him walk away until he quickly flew off, flying out of sight. I stood there for a few seconds, thinking about what just happened. I looked down at the medallion in the palm of my left hand before I clenched my hand around it.
I knew this opportunity was too good to waste. However, there were too many unknown variables. There was a time I would've followed Scythe Seris' orders no matter what. But now... too much time has passed. We are on different sides now, and she is my enemy. Who knows what she has planned. She could be planning an ambush for all I know, and if we meet her on her terms, we would undoubtedly lose. She may not be as powerful as the High Sovereign, but her intelligence makes her a dangerous adversary. I knew she was brilliant and cunning, and she would always think two steps ahead. Hell, I'm sure she could even defeat an Asura if she planned it out.
"So what are you going to do?"
"Ah!" I screamed as I quickly turned around toward the voice.
My eyes fell on Regis, who was standing there, as he looked in the direction Cylrit was last seen heading. He slowly looked at me as he held a curious expression.
I looked at him, confused, wondering when he arrived, "Regis? How? When?"
I dispelled the soul fire on my sword and stored it in my dimensional ring. Regis just sat down as he continued to look at me.
"As for how I was in your shadow as you left camp. Arthur could tell you were distraught, so he told me to keep an eye on you. I guess that answers when as well," Regis replied.
I nodded, "You heard everything then?"
"I did—every last word. I was ready to jump in and fight alongside you at a moment's notice. Even call Arthur if necessary," Regis said.
"I didn't plan to meet him here, Regis, I swear," I sighed.
"I just said I was here the whole time. You don't need to convince me, Caera. I know you didn't betray us," Regis said matter of factly. "But I will ask you again. What are you planning to do now?"
I sighed as I looked back at the medallion in my hand. I shook my head as thoughts raced through my mind.
"I don't know Regis. Part of me wants to go alone and meet with her myself. Another part wants to tell Arthur, but I'm afraid of how he would react. Another part says not to say anything out of fear. Fear that this is a trap made for Arthur. Draneeve wanted to capture Arthur alive. I'm not sure if the High Sovereign has the same idea." I said as I looked back to Regis.
Regis looked down deep in thought as if he was contemplating what I had just said. "I see," Regis said as he nodded before looking back at me. "Well, let's look at it this way. Arthur trusts you. He truly does. If you're afraid his trust will break once you tell him about this meeting, you're wrong. Plus, I will vouch for you. As for meeting her by yourself, I say that's a bad idea. Let's say it is a trap. You have a better chance of escaping with Arthur there. As for if it's a trap, you've seen what the princess can do. He can handle himself. Plus, he has the greatest weapon."
I looked at him with a raised brow, "His greatest weapon? Something we haven't seen before?"
Regis shook his head before looking up proudly, "Nope. I'm talking about me, of course."
I just looked at him deadpanned until a small smile formed on my face, and I shook my head as he laughed a little. Regis slowly stopped laughing and looked at me seriously again.
"You know what I think?" Regis said.
"What?" I asked curiously.
"I say you tell him. Tell Arthur about this meeting. Let him decide on what to do." Regis advised.
I looked at him for a second, processing his words. I sighed and nodded, knowing he was right. This needs to be Arthur's decision. I looked back at Regis and smiled.
"You know, you're a good advice giver when you need to be," I said teasingly.
Regis just laughed, "What can I say? I'm a wolf of multiple personalities. Probably why Arthur hates having me in his head sometimes."
"Wait a minute," I said, processing what he had just said. "If you're in his head, wouldn't he already know about this?"
"No. I didn't broadcast this to him." Regis said matter of factly.
"Why not?" I asked curiously.
"Because this is better coming from you," Regis replied. "As I said, he trusts you and will listen. Trust me."
I nodded as I looked back down at the medallion in my hand. I knew what I was going to do and stored the medallion in my dimensional ring.
I looked at Regis with a determined look, "Where's Arthur now?"
"He's still in Helen's command tent with Jasmine. They're giving a briefing and advised Commander Virion about...." Regis cut himself off as he looked down.
"About Lilia," I finished for him, feeling a sorrowful wave wash over me. Regis nodded. I took a breath, steeling myself, as I looked at Regis. I knew I had to focus, as I now had a mission and needed to see it through. "Ok, Regis, let's go," I said as I turned and started to walk back to camp.
Regis didn't hesitate to follow me. I returned to camp, where a couple of guards greeted me on my way in. I walked through the camp, ignoring all the sympathetic stares people were still giving me. I saw as the command tent came into view and stopped a few feet from the entrance. I continued to stand there with Regis, waiting for Arthur to come out.
"Their meeting is over. Arthur should be coming out any second now," Regis said.
I nodded as I continued to look at the tent. I watched as the tent flap opened, and Arthur walked out. He was looking down at the ground as he held a solemn expression. I choked up a little, feeling horrible seeing him like this, but I knew I needed to tell him about the meeting as soon as possible.
"Arthur," I called out, getting his attention.
Arthur looked up, and his gaze fell on me. He gave me a small smile as he walked up to me, "Hey, Caera. Need something?"
I nodded in response before I looked around. I noticed no one was listening and looked back to Arthur. Arthur raised a brow, seeing me being careful. Suddenly Arthur waved his hand and created a wind barrier around us, blocking out the sound.
"Thank you," I said with a small smile.
"No worries. I could tell you don't want others to hear what you have to tell me." Arthur said before his gaze fell on Regis.
"Regis already knows. It's ok. Where's Sylvie, by the way?" I asked, noticing she wasn't with Arthur.
Arthur sighed and looked down, "She's with Tess keeping her company. Lilia's death hit us hard."
I felt a dagger in my heart at the mention of Lilia. "Arthur, I'm sorry about Lilia, I really am. I should've spoken with her or something," I said, looking down with clenched fists.
I felt my arms begin to shake, and my eyes grew warm as tears formed. I suddenly felt Arthur place his hands on my shoulders reassuringly.
"It wasn't your fault Caera. Don't blame yourself. I don't." Arthur reassured.
I looked back at him and genuinely smiled, "Thank you, Arthur."
Arthur nodded and smiled back, "Of course." His smile faded, and he looked at me curiously. "What is it you needed to speak to me about?"
I steeled myself, not knowing how he would react, and looked at him seriously.
"About us meeting with a Scythe."