Part VIII

(Shuute)

As my slumber covers me in an uneasy peace, a gnat in the back of my head keeps pestering me about Solias, but I know she's fine-I know she is. That’s what my mind tells me, but not my soul. Something is wrong. My eyes involuntarily open to the darkness of the temple. My strength is still small, but better than it was earlier. I search the shadows for Lord Thir, peering with some aid from Arius. I decide that some exploring around the temple would do me some good and so I begin to venture.

One of the guards sprints to the front entrance of the shrine in a panic. “Shuute!”

I rush over to him. “Yes?”

Once I approach him, he takes a hold of my shoulders with a firm grip and wide eyes. “Shuute, you must come with us now!”

“Why?”

“They have Solias!”

The dread of her being in danger devours my body. I push the man out of the way and head towards the village gates made of solid ice.

“Shuute!” The man calls back to me and causes me to stop and look back to him. “Don’t go alone!”

I make sure to give him a serious glare. “Then don’t slow me down.” My speed goes back towards the opening. The soldiers wait for my presence there, but I do not stop for a debriefing. I dash past them and hope that they will follow suit. Using my spirit form is the most efficient way in detecting her soul and so I transform whenever I can, but I still have to switch back into my physical one for the soldiers to keep up with me. I don’t care what I have to do, I will protect Solias. I will not let her die!

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Solias

I can’t believe I let that scum Uriu capture me! Shuute will most likely come to my rescue as per usual, but I can’t always rely on him. I struggle with the shackles on my wrists and ankles as they mock me with their rattling and keeping me chained to the stone table. The platform is perfectly made for torture and sacrificing. I hear a heavy door open to the room where I remain confined.

“Be patient, cretin, your lover shall attend soon.”

My face contorts in anger from his words. “What do you plan to do with us, Shuute and I?”

He calmly sits at the table’s side as if it were a bed. Uriu’s vile fingers brush the skin of my exposed belly. His long nails scrape my hide. “Tell me, little Solai, what did they teach you about the Fuune? What are they to you?”

“Repulsive soldiers of the traitor, Kranos,” I reply to him spitefully. My body involuntarily twitches to his cold touch. I can see the lust in his thin yellow eyes as his messy black hair covers them from various angles. His bull horns remind me of what he is and who he used to serve.

“And how would you describe a Yugri?”

I make sure to look him in the eye and convict him of his treachery. “They’re supposed to be Solai-sent protectors for the villagers.”

A small grin twitches on his lips. “What other lies has your father taught you?”

“Do not dare speak of my father! Not after what you did to him!”

Unmoving from his spot close to me, Uriu’s hand glides up to my scalp and begins to pet my blue hair. His words come out with such bitterness and malice, “You know-so little-you stupid little girl.” He then positions himself ontop of me with his hands above my shoulders and knees capturing my hips.

In an attempt to defend myself, I spit directly in his face.

Unfazed, he leans in closer and presses his lips on one of my ears. Uriu whispers a few words to me in a sensual manner, “Shuute-is not a yugri.” His upper half lifts up slightly to look me in the eyes. I can feel his long, sharp nails find their way to my collar bone. The pressure on my chest depends into my skin until I can feel a burning sting. I scream to the top of my lungs as the pain travels down my chest.

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Shuute

Dread envelopes my core as I approach closer to the cave where the entity of Solias lies. She has been hurt, I can feel it in my despair, and I was not there to protect her. Uriu must be the afflicter, and he will surely suffer for this! With the others behind me, I dash into the cavern that will lead me to her. The men behind me shout for my return, but I neglect them in pursuit of Solias. She will not perish, not like Noegi… The moment finally comes when I reach a close proximity of her location. Great Solai, I can hear her screams! Her wailing echoes across the tunnels and disorients me slightly. I have to find her before he does something worse to her! My bare feet batter against the ground in search of Solias’s exact location. All of the hallways and rooms that I check are exposed as empty and only devour my time to save her. Negative emotions of fear and misery overwhelm me as I run around aimlessly in my spirit form. Her screams of pain start to become louder as I approach a certain direction. Her endurance must be failing. I bolt in the proper direction and finally meet the two in a torturing chamber. The body of Solias lies on a table made of rock and blood dripping from it.

Uriu is over her with a smirk on his face as he looks back at me with a sadistic aura. “You’ve finally come. I was beginning to think you thought less of your lover.”

I snarl at his insensitive words. “You will pay for everything that you’ve done wrong!” I pounce on him and send the two of us off and away from Solias. His back slides across the harsh floor with me ontop of him.

He grunts from the impact of his body hitting the floor and opens his eyes from wincing. “Now calm down just a little there, we still need to wait for the grand finale.”

I raise my fist to strike a punch downward directly onto his face, but he turns into his ghost form quickly. The energy that I focused into my knuckles cracks a small crater into the stone floor at the size of my fist.

His grin mocks me as my hand is fazed through his head. He floats gracefully away from me on his feet and goes back to his physical form. “I see that the two of us are excited for the climax.”

I charge at him and become a spirit just before tackling him. Anticipating his dodge correctly, I sink my claws into him without thinking of a specific area to grasp.

Still surprised that I caught on to his cowardly technique, Uriu tries to hold in his shout through bared teeth.

I take this opportunity to bite down on one of his trapeziuses.

He hollers in pain and manages to kick me off before I could go far enough into his translucent skin. Uriu bends over to look at me while one of his hands guards the wounded area of his neck. It trickles of the red liquid that I wish to see more on him. His body becomes physical once again to hide the scar since this one isn’t injured yet, but still, he must stay out of his ghostly form now as to not let his injury slow him down.

Now I can have an advantage.

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Solias

My vision is dark and I can hear some noise in the background. I must’ve passed out from Uriu’s torment. I force my heavy eyes to open and see the cavern ceiling above me. My head rolls over to the sound of people struggling against each other and see Shuute with Uriu in a brawl. The works faintly pass my lips in a weak voice, “Shuute.”

His immediate reaction is to look at me in response to my call. What a mistake I’ve made!

My distraction gives Uriu an opening for an attack. He seizes the opportunity and thrusts his lance into Shuute’s side.

A canine-like yelp explodes from Shuute. Red oozes out from where the weapon pierces his pale skin. It stains his white kimono shirt without any regrets.

Uriu pulls it out and causes more harm to my friend. He then walks over to me and touches one of my shackles. The binding is undone once all four of them crash to the floor. “We must prepare for the main event now.” He snatches me by my hair and drags me off of the table.

If I wasn’t so weak from his sick pleasure of others being in pain, I would have the strength to at least walk right now. My feet scrape against the harsh floor as he drags me away.

Shuute tries to get up and come after us, but the discomfort in his side hinders his movements.

Uriu pauses for a moment to look back at him with a smirk. “You must hurry, Shuute, you don’t want to be late for the festival.” He then continues with walking out of the room and leaving my friend on the ground in a bloody mess.

I watch Shuute struggle to his feet before we leave the room and head off into the tunnels. My vision blanks out again from the loss of blood myself.