An Ardous Situation

Xander leaped off the ground as he barely dodged an attack. He rolled on the ground with a couple turns as he slowly got up on one knee and winced from the throbbing in his shoulder.

"Kekekeke... Tired so soon? We were just getting started!" the duo cackled, their eyes glowed menacingly red as they both held onto the gnarly scepter.

Xander was a tad too slow as he leapt to the side, resulting in a direct blow from the duo magic casted by the village head and his daughter.

He grimaced as he felt his chest scorching yet his body feeling as if it were rapidly being cooled. Xander's face paled as he forced himself up, readying his sword once again.

"Xander! Are you alright?! You don't need to fight them! Just flee! I'll be fine!"

Xander glanced at Mikhail and pulled a grin, putting on a tough front despite his entire body feeling as if he had been thrown into a pit of flames and then immediately thrown into the cold mountains of the Snow Lucradis.

Despite my bleariness... I should be able to strike them in a fluid motion. They probably think they've weakened me to the point where I can't get up... But... I won't give in! Not like I did back in the flames! 

Xander let out a deafening scream as he lunged towards the duo. He swung his sword against them from their side, expecting them to be caught unaware.

His attacks were parried off easily, almost like they had anticipated his movements and were trained as soldiers as they blocked his attacks. They then launched another duo skill, planning to finish him off but failed as he managed to dodge in the nick of time.

Damn! Its almost as if they knew where I was going to strike! Even being able to block off my attacks with that stick! Wait... am I seeing this right? The stick is glowing... and it seems quite bashed up. Maybe...

Xander inhaled a sharp breath as he steadied himself. He calmed himself and readied a fearsome stance. The duo grinned maliciously yet had an inviting atmosphere about them, almost as if they were taunting him with their euphoric expression.

Xander knitted his brows, ignoring the sweat that trickled down his forehead and paced himself to close the distance between them before lunging at their scepter. The duo were caught off guard and fell to the ground as their eyes dimmed tremendously from the bloody red glow it originally had.

"Ah?!" the raven haired girl cried out as she rolled backwards. Blood dripped down the corner of her lips as she glared at Xander.

She then got up to ready a large fireball and aimed it towards Xander, hoping to obliterate him once and for all. The village head however, ran to her side to stop her.

"Susie! No! You don't have enough... ma...na... Eh...?" Though the village head was a mage, he failed to predict how erratic her powers were at that moment as a stray spark of ember struck him directly in the chest causing him to spurt out blood as he gasped from the shock.

Susie glanced towards him with blurry eyes before gasping. The fire ball dissipated like a cloud of smoke as she ran to the side of her father. "Fa-father!"

Xander sighed in relief as he stumbled in his step. He felt light headed and chilly yet felt the scorching heat in his chest burn him from within. He tried to concentrate but couldn't as his vision grew threateningly darker.

Mikhail tugged at his wrist trying to free himself but failed. He was growing more anxious as he saw Xander fainting. He cursed beneath his breath and recited some words, holding onto a sliver of hope that what he imagined would be possible. A glowing white light emitted from the hand stuck in the watery confinement as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Mikhail knitted his brows as he tried concentrating on the burning sensation on his palm. He then squeezed his fist tightly as he tugged on his wrist with his free hand. He stumbled behind and gasped, prying open his eyes to find himself free from the confines of the watery bubble.

"Wha... I did it..."

Mikhail shook his head and immediately ran towards Xander as he tried to wake him. He then panickly pulled Xander away from the scene hoping to avert Susie's unwanted attention. Susie noticed this and glared at Mikhail.

"You... this was all your fault!"

Mikhail flinched as he caught her eyes. They weren't the usual amber coloured eyes that resembled honey but instead was a murky blood red that glowed dangerously. 

"I will never forgive you! Eat this! You can join that rotten King in the pits of hell!"

King...?

Mikhail's eyes widened at her words but instinctively shielded Xander with his body. He felt indebted to this man who had saved him countless times. Even if Susie blamed him, there was definitely an explanation!

Susie's usual smiling face was now one twisted with rage as her eyebrows knitted tightly together, almost interwoven like a unibrow. Her teeth gnashed against each other as she pulled her lips into a snarl. Her eyes narrowed in disdain as her eyes bulged, tears of blood streaming down her cheeks.

She knew using the spell was going to wreck herself, yet decided to go along with it. There was no way she would let go of this opportunity to kill the King and the young man that constantly plagued her mind.

"Even if I have to tear myself from the inside... I'll get rid of you to clear my mind of your face... Concentrating throughout this whole battle had been difficult... why couldn't you just stay in the water prison so I didn't need to worr... ... Tsk! Say your prayers!"

Mikhail glanced at Susie with a confused expression as he immediately stood up, staring at her straight on. He gulped down his fears and blurted out something unexpected with a straight face.

"Isn't that because you like me?"

Susie flinched as her cheeks turned a bright red. She was caught off guard and her hands which controlled the fireball faltered. "Wha... Cra... ..."

Even though she wanted to deny it, she was at a loss of words and could only take occasional glances at Mikhail's face.

That's impossible! A guy like him?? He's... 

Susie was about to lower her hand but stopped when she remembered her father's sacrifice. She shook her head and glared past Mikhail at Xander who had fainted and was grimacing in the background. It was a little difficult seeing past Mikhail, since he was the only thing she could focus on at the moment.

"Susie... you don't have to do this... vengeance never resolves anything. It only causes more conflict. Whatever you're going through... We can get through it together."

"... together..." Susie mouthed as her face took on a shade of bright red. Her eyes flickered from their murky red to her usual amber eyes as she then lowered her hand.

The fireball dissipated as she walked closer to Mikhail. Mikhail gulped and held onto the sliver of hope he had that Susie wasn't going to kill him.

Squeezing his eyes shut as Susie got closer, he prayed she wasn't going to do anything too painful. If she was going to kill him, hopefully it'll be a fast and painless one.

Instead, he felt something soft leaned against him and his waist being wrapped in something warm. Was she going to tie him up again?

Mikhail warily opened his eyes only to find Susie snugly embracing him. She had buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Eh? Er... Um... Susie?"

Susie didn't look up at Mikhail and held more firmly onto him. She mumbled something incomprehensible as she rubbed her face closer against his chest.

Mikhail was now the one at a loss of words. She seemed to have did a full 180° as she was more concerned with him rather than Xan... the King.

Mikhail glanced towards Xander and then grasped Susie's shoulders, pulling her off him as he stared at her face expectantly. Susie's flushed red cheeks seemed to grow a hint redder as she shut her eyes and puckered her lips only for her fantasy to be ruined by the few lines Mikhail said.

"Can you stop the spell on Xan... the King? As well as the water prison? Is it possible....?"

Susie frowned before sparing a lazy glance at Xander and the water prison before nodding solemnly. It was the last memory of her father, she'd rather leave it as it is.

"Would you do this for me?" Mikhail asked with a pleading look on his face and a sparkle in his violet eyes.

Susie blushed and nodded, redirecting her gaze towards Xander as she muttered a few lines that seemed unintelligible to Mikhail's ears. He watched as Xander's face which was grimacing from the pain in his chest now seemed far calmer and his pale outlook now seeming far more normal.

Susie then grabbed Mikhail's hand and walked towards the water prison with him stumbling behind her. She wanted him to be close to her and watch her fulfilling the favour he asked of her.

She placed a hand on the water prison and said a few lines. She could just easily heat up the water prison, but that'd boil the people within alive. Mikhail seems to want them alive. Water magic wasn't her specialty but she could handle this for her darling Mikhail.

 The people within were still alive, even if they had looked dead as the water was more of the outer layer which resembled something like a forcefield. There was air within and enabled the people to breathe.

The spell was tricky for a mage that dribbled more with fire magic though she had an affinity for both. She squeezed Mikhail's hand for reassurance and he did just that, sending a wave of euphoria through her body.

Within minutes, the water prison burst open, spilling out the people on top of one another as Susie quickly got rid of the excess water by turning them to steam.

Mikhail stared in amazement at Susie's mastery over her powers and tugged at her hand for her to look his way. He then complimented her, patting her head as he then let go of her hand and rushed towards Xander.

Susie watched Mikhail's receding features as he rushed towards Xander. She smiled faintly before touching her head where Mikhail had patted her. It still felt warm, just like the hand that had held his.

She grinned to herself before giddily running after Mikhail and hugging him from the back. Mikhail was surprised but said nothing. He knew Susie had always been a touchy type of person. Instead, he asked her to help him lift Xander up and into a shady part of the village entrance. 

Susie frowned but complied. After realising her feelings, it was much easier to bear with the thought of aiding this man. She wasn't exactly close with her father but showed him some ounce of respect for taking care of the village all these years. If anything, she was quite glad he was gone. Now she could focus her everything on Mikhail.

Mikhail shivered as he rubbed his shoulders. It wasn't chilly or anything so he just thought that he was coming down with a cold. He got up to look for his mother to get her aid as Xander's wounds looked severe. As he approached the pile of people, he couldn't find her and was confused.

"Susie...?"

"Yes?♡"

"... ... Er... My mother isn't here..."

"Huh? Oh, we didn't see her. We were actually looking for her when we bumped into you. We scoured the entire village but she wasn't there. I don't know if she was lucky or not... Hmm..."

"S-Susie! Then... doesn't that mean something is wrong?"

"Eh? Perhaps... I did see another mage cloaked in black. But he didn't seem to be doing anything so I didn't bother telling my father."

Mikhail frowned as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His eyebrows were knitted and his throat felt dry. 

Isn't this... A kidnapping? Mother wouldn't leave me alone in the village unless we both agreed on something. Her room wasn't cleared either... This is bad...

***

"My lady... I have something to report. It's regarding that woman, Diane."

"Oh! Is it done? Perfect!"

"That's not all... Your husband..."

"What?"

"He's badly injured."

"WHAT?!"

Lilith widened her eyes as she dropped the golden goblet and grabbed the messenger's shirt. She gritted her teeth menacingly as her face flushed red in anger.

"Why is he injured?! Can't you do anything right?! Leave! I'll deal with this!"

"My apologies, my lady..."

Lilith harrumphed as she exited her royal chambers, walking speedily towards Xander's study as she looked for a head that resembled a seaweed. Noticing the man with the head she thought of, she called him towards her.

"Ye-yes, My Queen? How may I be of service to you?" Louis asked as he genuflected nervously. 

He was unaccustomed to Lilith finding him as she usually handles tasks pertaining to the royal staffs or meetings with advocates from neighbouring countries which she had her own advisor to aid her.

"Mobilise the Blood Knights."

"Eh? Pardon?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. Xander is gravely wounded. ... Or do you doubt my authority?"

"No! No, of course not! Please pardon my impertinence. I will mobilise them immediately. ... To... Tefflander?"

"Yes. Make haste." Lilith said as she left Louis who was still bowing with his head lowered.

Ughhh.... These royals! They're such a pain! One wrong move and my head is off! Why do they keep mobilising all the important battalions? What if something happens here? Even talking with them is a dance with the devil! Louis wailed mentally as he got up and headed towards the barracks only to be stopped by William.

"Hey, I want to ask you..."

Agh! Just kill me now! Another one?! I'll die if they have another child! Louis groaned mentally as he put on his custom service smile.