Illya was silent for some time, trying to find the right words, trying to find the right way to convey her thoughts to Sana, who with each passing moment, was slipping further and further into his selfish desires.
"Destiny simply runs its course, so it makes sense that someone out there writes the script. That I will give you."
Sana watched her intently, unsure if she was finally beginning to see things his way or simply trying to trick him.
"In the beginning, Aruma An's God was the one who held the reins, but then my father snatched away those reins and let them go—"
She was cut off but Sana and was startled by his sudden burst of emotion.
"EXACTLY! King Salem was irresponsible! Just look at the state the world is in! No one has a hold on those reins and our world is in tatters because of the never ending cycle of war and hatred! A single ruler is necessary. King Salem abandoned his responsibilities, BUT I WILL NOT!"
Illya was silenced yet again. His sudden rage did little to intimidate her and more shocked her in seeing how far gone he was. When they first met, she could tell that he had great ambitions that were set with a honest heart, despite her wariness of him, that much she was certain of. She didn't know why he had become so skewed over the years. It was unlikely that it was because of the strain of ruling such a massive empire, Sana of all people was more than capable of handling that. Whatever the case, the look in his eyes told her that there was still a sliver of himself remaining. So she sought to pull him out.
"How are you so sure you're right? Haven't bad things happened to you as well?"
"They have." He spoke calmly, but his determination never wavered. "I was enslaved as a child, my poor country was destroyed and my people were killed. But all of that was necessary in order for me to create the peaceful world my people have today!"
"You're wrong."
"Why?"
"Those misfortunes were the result of your failures. There were times that even you were wrong. BUT THAT'S OKAY! That's called HUMANITY Sana! You can't shoulder all your burdens alone. Making mistakes, suffering, connecting with others who share your struggle, that's what makes people grow and improve! They've forward with together! You can't take that away from people because you want to let your greed consume you! There are other ways of creating peace! You've seen it in your country and you've seen me do it in mine. Please Listen to me Sana!"
Sana clenched his fist. He looked perturbed and it was clear that her words had gotten to him. Despite that however, Illya's pleas were still falling on deaf ears.
"I don't think so." He spoke through gritted teeth.
She looked away, gripping her spear, knowing that she had failed to dissuade him."Then I will not lend you my strength."
A silky laugh drifted across the air, capturing Illya's attention. Illya was struck with surprise as black Shi fluttered from behind Sana and multiplied until a figure formed.
"It's a pity. Illya, like her father is a fool who likes to run from her responsibilities."
Illya scowled. "Li! So the rumors were true. You are working with that witch!" She spat in anger.
Sana glanced at Li and then back at Illya with indifference.
"I know she killed your mother but holding grudges isn't healthy. At least she's come to her senses and chosen to see things from my perspective."
"SHE DIDN'T JUST KILL MY MOTHER SANA! She's responsible for the fall of an entire world! She killed Aruma An!"
Sana ignored her. "Illya, your power is necessary. So I wanted to wait until you changed your mind, but it seems as though I'll have to beat some sense into you instead. You always did respond better to action."
Illya pulled her spear from the ground and prepared to defend herself. Within seconds, Li had sent a blast of black shi, barreling towards Illya. Illya managed to create a barrier around herself but the sheer force of Li's power was more than she expected and her barrier was rendered useless as it shattered before her. The left side of her body was besieged by the black shi. It felt as though her body was being torn to pieces.
Li's lips curled into a horrific grin. Her black shi was meant to embed itself in Illya and corrupt her so that Li could control her. Themis sprung from hiding within the water and immediately rushed to Illya. He had gotten to her before the shi had any time to embed itself in her and he used his power to destroy the corrupted shi. Illya did sustain damage though. Her entire left arm and part of her left leg had turned black and hug from her body as if all the bones in it were shattered.
Li readied another attack when Araht leapt from the ocean as well, directing her spear towards the older woman. The tip of her spear began to glow and it produced several orbs of an eerie glow behind Li and Sana. Arms of vengeful spirits shot out from the orbs. The arms grabbed onto Li and Sana, restraining their movements and allowing Takeru to emerge from the water as well.
"You...I knew you were a traitor!" Spat Sana.
Takeru gave Sana a sarcastic salute and smiled. "Don't blame me. It's only common sense to jump a burning ship."
Takeru stood behind Illya and summoned a wave that loomed behind them. Themis and Araht carried Illya through it and Takeru followed suit. The wave collapsed with a splash as soon as they walked through it. The arms had vanished through the orbs as well.
Li cursed. "We could have obtained her power right then and there if that stupid Kin King didn't interrupt."
Sana remained calm. "The King of Kin can only help her so much. We need not worry they have nowhere to flee. Tell the army to advance in Solaria."
Li huffed in anger. "Alright."
And so the battle began.
****Author's Note****
Hey Hey! Muse here. So clearly Illya and Sana have very strong opinions. Who do you agree with more? Please let me know by leaving a comment and if you enjoyed this chapter please leave a vote! If you have a question that you would like answered by any of the characters, be sure to head on to Agu-Teasers where you can leave a comment with your question for it to be answered by them! Thanks for reading!