III

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Arc III Chapter 14

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Minutes passed and Aurora indulged in playing with her mighty pebble, throwing and catching it at her own leisure. Her tender hand caught the falling pebble in the air. Clenching her fists, her eyes narrowed at the arrogant demon, as her voice hardened. Gone was her childish façade, gone was her mask, as her true self resurfaced from the depths of her heart.

Nelaeryn stared at her figure, staggered, shocked, stunned. His lungs were coughing blood, yet he mustered his last strength. “... Khuff ... Khoff ... Khuff ... What are ... khoff ... you doing, girl? Have you gone insane? Did madness take you, or what? Run! Run!!! RUN!!! He will ... khuff ... kill you, foolish human! Save your life and run ...”

“Nelaeryn, my friend, ... save your breath. You clearly need it more than me.” Her bored glare silenced the babbling elf, for good. His rambling grew increasingly tiresome. “I don't need you to die from exhaustion. That would be rather inconvenient. Troublesome, to say the least, considering to what lengths I went to protect your lives, even to the point of compromising my identity. I didn't raise my hand to have any of you die on my watch because you can't shut your mouth. So better save your breath, Nelaeryn.”

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“... ... ...” Nelaeryn fell speechless, his eyes blinking in total disbelief, unable to believe his ears.“...” Was he ... dreaming? What was ... happening? Was this already ... the afterlife? Were these the Elysian fields? The girl was determined to fight the demon without fear, without hesitation, without the slightest hint of doubt. The girl should be scared, shivering and cowering in fear, struck by terror and unable to move. Yet the girl stood her ground and challenged a demon, a mere girl at the tender age of barely a decade.

Aurora turned her attention to the enemy. The demon studied her, his gaze scrutinising her from tip to toe. “Listen, my friend, I was very considerate of your demonic nature and the impetuous blood of your kin, but I must say that your manners are sadly lacking. Nobody here is going to get eaten as long as I am still drawing breath. Don't you dare to even lay as much as a finger on my companions, or you will get to know me. So crawl back where you came from, demon, if you know what is better for you. Because my patience is limited, and I won't tolerate any further intrusion.”

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Kakos snarled. Livid, the ancient demon made his displeasure known. Boiling steam escaped his nostrils, rising skywards. “Grmrmrmrmmrmrhrmr, you are brave for a child of man. Who do you think you are you to give me, Kakos, an arch demon no less, orders!?”

Aurora giggled in amusement, her undiluted disdain apparent. “Brave? Hardly so. Not to mention, as if you are the one to talk, my friend. You are blathering an awful lot for a lesser demon, for a mere imposter.”

Kakos bared his fangs, his anger rising. “Careful, child of man, you better mind your tongue!!!”

“Or what?” Aurora smirked. Once again, the knowledge of her precursor proved useful. Memories of the past flooded her mind to unearth what had been buried. “Your words do not scare me, demon. After all, why should I fear empty threats? We both know you are bluffing, aren't we? I know your kin, demon. You aspire to be what you are not, to be what you cannot be. You deny your origins. You are a daemon, you are nothing but a pale imitation, a mere weapon our ancestors created and filled with purpose. You are an artificial spirit born from our arcane arts in our quest for power, born from human blood and souls. We created you soulless abominations to serve our will, yet you now look down on your creators, when it was we who created your cursed kin. It was we who have granted your kin the gift of life, yet you repaid our favour with treachery and betrayal. You turned against your creators and rightful masters ...”

“Shut up!” Kakos roared. “Shut up!!! SHUT UP!!!”

A smirk crossed Aurora's lips. An ominous giggle accompanied her words. “Why? Because I am speaking the truth, a truth you cannot deny. My teachers were right when they called you and your kin defective products. You are defective products, failures of a bygone era, driven solely by your urges, your instincts, your animalistic nature. Such a pity that failures such as you are still allowed to exist.”

Aurora opened her arms, openly deriding her enemy. “Unlike your brethren, your kind cannot even sustain yourself. Your insatiable hunger makes you crave for human souls to survive. You are beings never meant to be, never wanted. No wonder that you despise us humans so much. Your hatred must truly consume you.”

“Grgrgrrmrrgrmrmr!!! Grgrgrrm!!!” An earth shattering roar raced through the crumbling halls. Overcome by thirsting hatred and unparalleled frenzy, Kakos charged at the girl. His claws only knew a single goal, shredding her mutilated corpses to pieces. Never before, never since his creation, never since the mages of antiquity created his kin from the blood and souls of the innocent to serve in the wars of man, had he felt such devouring hatred. He would make the girl suffer beyond human comprehension. He would make her experience the true meaning of despair and pain. His entire being craved for her death, yearning for her tormented soul to suffer for all eternity.

“Zrtrtz ... ztrztghtt ... zrghrgrtz ... zrgrhthrz ...” His sharp claws struck a shield, producing a shower of gleaming sparks. A barrier of purple mana, layered in depth, absorbed his attack, stopping him dead in his tracks.

Nelaeryn could scantily believe his eyes. Her mana ... Her speed ... Her magic was nearly instantaneous. There was barely any time passing between invocation and manifestation. No chant ... No incantation ... No circles ... No ritual ... Nothing. She didn't even need a catalyst. No staff. No cane. No tome. No sword ... The girl was a catalyst on her own, able to conjure high magic out of thin air. Her sheer will directed her arts in a display of innate talent that defied common sense. Her existence wasn't human, nor elven.

Kakos smashed his claws again and against her protective shield, yet her armour didn't budge, unwilling to concede any ground. “WHY? WHY? WHY won't you die!!!”

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