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The Apostle’s, Amelia, knowledge took Erin by surprise but the shock effect on her did not last long. It was barely a few seconds, less than five, or even two. Her face smoothened, tossing her look of surprise out as if it were some uninvited guest in her mind abode.

Although it was only a short few seconds, it was impossible to escape the Apostle’s notice. She tittered like a parent who caught their child committing a mild blunder. “Oh, don’t look so surprised now, my lady. Your association with the True Dragon isn’t as discreet as you might think. Eyes and ears are everywhere. The walls have ears and the winds have eyes.”

“Spare me your condescending speech. What makes you think that I would comply?”

Ruri, the Kirin, hissed in agreement.

The corner of the Apostle’s lips curled, forming a smirk that slowly took over her expression. Her finger pointed at the two, Lyra and Nivia. “Do you not care about what will happen to these two?”

“What will happen to them, pray tell?” Erin challenged.

“Lots of things.”

“Such as?”

Amelia tittered once more and strode towards Erin with steps as gentle as the morning dew dropping from a leaf and onto a still body of water. Each step was light but firm. A frail thing she was to the eyes of many but not even a strong gust would sway her posture by the slightest. “My dear lady. You do not want to know what I’m liable to do. Don’t try my patience. Don’t spar with me. I’m not as meek as you might think.”

“What a coincidence,” Erin snorted. “I was about to say the same thing.”

“Lady Erynthea, you—” Amelia found herself moving to the side, all of a sudden. It was not by her conscious will but her innate instinct of survival, honed by her training. The air split apart in front of her eyes. The cut was invisible but she felt it as one would perceive a spot of black in a field of all white. When she turned back to her captive, Erin was no longer bound by the halt of time flow.

Ruri stood on Erin’s shoulders. A faint glow draped over its body. A simple glance would make one think of a trick of the light but the glow was being emitted from the Kirin’s own body.

“Impossible. Your gift should not be able to outdo mine. You are but an infant in the face of my experience.”

Erin snorted “You, and your kind… you always choose the path of violence and blood, and yet, always the ones who regret it in the end.” Erin ended her speech with a sigh. In her hand was a sword, gleaming with the silver of the spell-forged metal and shimmering with the faint violet glow of her aura.

“This is no blessing of a dragon…” Amelia’s eyes went to Ruri. “No, it is. A blessing of a dragon but not of your paramour but that cat.”

“Where did you even get that idea?”

“You have an interesting pet there, Lady Erynthea. This is… precarious.”

“I concur. The precarious part, that is, and not for me.”

“Your strange pet possesses the blood of dragons. You have its blessings.”

Erin raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ruri. “I don’t know what this dragon’s blessings are but I don’t care. You threatened me and my companions with clear intent of harm. You have sealed your fate.” The moment her last word left her lips, Erin flew at Amelia faster than an arrow that was let loose from a fine bow.

Ruri squealed, probably due to the sudden force from the acceleration that threatened to throw her away.

Sparks flew from Amelia’s palm and these sparks grew into flames in seconds. The flames took on the shapes of spheres before flinging themselves towards Erin.

Another squeal punctured Erin’s ears. “I know, damn it!” Erin shouted. “Stop squealing into my air.”

“Kyu!” Ruri baulked as if to admonish Erin for dismissing her concern.

Silver and violet flashed across the air. The balls of flame crumbled apart like solid objects and faded into nothing when the flashes were all but over. At the end of the brief dashing performance, the tip of the blade was at the throat of the Apostle. A mild noxious scent trailed after the sudden development.

“You’re absurd,” Amelia muttered. Beads of sweat rolled down her temples. The beads were cold to the touch but her concern lay not with her cool sweat but the cool sensation of the metallic tip slowly pressing onto her skin. “I confess. I underestimated you but divine bless me, I am not in over my head.”

The blade stopped short of plunging into the Apostle’s neck, which was not a show of mercy on Erin’s part. She had fully intended for her sword to tear through the Apostle’s throat— but she couldn’t. Something stopped her and she couldn’t figure out the cause.

Ruri snarled at Amelia, uninhibited by the pause of time.

“Most curious,” Amelia mused. “How are you unaffected by my gift?” she observed.

Ruri’s body began to glow again— but a bolt of fire made her hop away from Erin’s shoulder.

“Not this time, you little one.”

Ruri landed on Lyra’s shoulder and she immediately emitted a glow, brighter than the last.

The effect was instant. The unseen bondage came undone. Lyra and Nivia were able to move again. Their eyes landed on Erin the first thing, her blade inches away from the Apostle’s neck.

“What have you done to her?!” Lyra shouted. Her hands moved fast, fuelled by her anger towards Erin being in a delicate situation. The arrow she released shot through the air. It would have pierced into the Apostle’s brain if she hadn’t snatched the projectile out of its flight.

Amelia clicked her tongue.

When the arrow failed, Nivia moved in. She swung her swords, flinging rays of wind that could cut as well, or better, than normal steel blades. Still, the sharpness of the winds meant nothing as the Apostle moved out of the winds’ paths. The winds were not slow but something about the way the Apostle moved suggested the winds were slow enough for her to think thrice and more before she decided on a move.

It was two against one, though Amelia displayed no hint of the odds being against her favour. Fire burst forth from the air around her. They danced to her hands that were waving about like a prayer for a ritual. The flames began to change shape but arrows and winds intruded upon the process. The flames lashed out like raging ropes with minds of their own, defending the Apostle from any harm.

“Irritating,” Nivia muttered and sheathed her swords before raising a finger at the Apostle, pointing. A faint glow brimmed at the tip of her finger. In seconds, the small glow grew into a radiance, a straight beam of light that streaked towards the Apostle.

The dancing flames converged onto the beam of light but dispersed into the air upon contact. Amelia moved, or at least she tried to. The light grazed the side of her neck. Blood sputtered with a fleshy noise that made Lyra wince even though she wasn’t the victim.

The flames recouped their loss and charged at Nivia.

“Spirits be damned,” Nivia uttered. Light Magic took a lot out of her. A momentary weakness struck her and her limbs turned heavy for a brief but critical moment. The flames would swallow her but she was in no state of moving even a single step.

Lyra broke into a sprint and tackled the Elf. Together, they both tumbled into the dirt, rolling across the mud. The flames crashed harmlessly into an empty space and exploded into a blaze that made the bushes and trees their collateral.

“My thanks…” Nivia said, as low as she could.

Lyra grinned. “What was that? I can’t quite hear—”

“Shush,” Nivia scoffed and together, they scrambled to their feet, preparing for the next assault from the emissary of a divine.

“That hurts,” said Amelia, clutching at her neck. The amount of blood on her hand and neck was not small but her face had not the slightest hint of urgency. When she removed her hand, there was no wound to be found.

“You were hurt,” Nivia muttered, incredulously.

“I was,” Amelia responded. “But time was on my side and at my command.”

“Fucking hell…” Lyra gasped. “She controls time.”

“This explains how she immobilised Erin.”

“What if she does the same thing to us?”

“She most likely already had but… seeing as how Erin is trapped but we are not, I can only assume that there’s a limit to her power.”

“Good to know,” Lyra said and nocked an arrow to her bow.

“Ladies, please. Can’t we just have a civilised discussion?”

“Release Erin, then we can have the civilised discussion you wanted.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“She’ll have my head the moment I let her free of the bondage.”

“Hmm, I wonder why.”

“That’s because we have a misunderstanding.”

“Is that so?” Lyra narrowed her gaze. “Can she hear us?” she asked, nodding at Erin.

“Normally, one will be unaware of them being trapped in time, such as you two. However, I doubt she falls into the normal category.”

“Release her and we will stay our hands,” said Nivia. “I trust Erin will do the same. She’s quick to grasp her surroundings.”

“If I had been a second slower, I would have had my throat torn apart by Lady Erynthea.”

“You know her.”

“Aye, and so do a lot of other people. She is making waves, strong ones. Strong enough to be felt by the lands across the seas.”

“Still doesn’t explain the supposed misunderstanding that led to this clash.”

“Although she struck first, I will confess that I made the first move. And I also made a threat or two which led to this… clash. Your companion is most protective of her friends.”

“We’re all one and the same,” said Lyra. “And that means if you don’t let her go, this could get bloodier than it already is. Last chance, let her go.”

Amelia sighed. “Fine,” she said, giving Erin a meaningful glance. “Please understand that I never meant any actual harm to any of you but I was desperate.”

“Desperate?” Erin shot Amelia a look. She was able to move again, unperturbed by the momentary paralysis. She cracked her neck and twirled her arms. True to everyone’s expectations, she remained aware throughout her bondage.

“It is of utmost importance that I speak to the True Dragon. I’m well aware his identity is to remain a secret. I’m also well aware that my meeting with him would compromise his facade. With all things considered and said, I must insist on this meeting.”

Erin tilted her head. Her response came belated. Her hand gripped her spell-moulded sword as tightly as ever. “You can have this meeting but it will not be immediate.”

“Time may be on my side but it waits for no one, not even the Divines.”

“This is the best offer you will get. You will take this offer or risk a clash once more in which you will not come out the victor, I can assure you that.”

“These are dire times for me. The longest I can wait is until tomorrow. Or I will resort to a clash if need be.”

“Tomorrow dawn.”

“So it shall be,” the Apostle said and made her leave through the trees. But before she completely left their sight, she turned around and waved her hand. The remaining blaze that consumed the forest was doused with that single gesture. She smiled and disappeared down a gentle slope of a small clearing ahead.

“No rest for the wicked, as they say. I used to think the saying denotes the eternal damnation sinners will face. But now, I think it simply denotes the persistence of sinners in pursuing their wicked goals.”

“No quarter for the wicked, they also say,” Nivia added.

“No rest for the wicked, no rest for the good either,” Erin said. “So much for a respite.”

“Kyu,” Ruri chirped as if to remind them that she was here.

“And of course, we have this little one to thank for.”

Only now did Lyra become aware of the Kirin on her shoulder. Her sudden jump of fright earned the Kirin’s ire as she was flung off. Thankfully, Erin’s quick reflexes caught her before any real harm came about.