chsdbacks Chapter 658: The Pit
Chapter 658: The Pit
Chapter 658: The Pit
“Our souls are connected to Mortem...?” Lysaila asked. The lamia’s and Rhian’s expressions had grown darker with every word Stryg had spoken to them. He really didn’t want to say anything more, but he owed it to them.
“Technically, you don’t have a soul.” Stryg winced. “Only the World Soul is capable of creating souls. What my father and sister accomplished was to create an organic shell. Then my father used his own connection with the World Soul to impart a sliver of his power into the beastkins, thereby imitating a soul. It’s also that sliver of power that gives him control over all of you.”
“And because you inherited that power, you can also exert control over the beastkin,” Lysaila surmised.
“Whoa, is that what you did the other day?” Rhian asked.
“No. No, I’d never try to control you, Rhian, or any beastkin. I simply reached through our connection and spoke to you. It’s different,” Stryg said.
“Not really,” Lysaila muttered. “At the end of the day, we are bound to you, whether we want to or not. It’s the same reason I can’t hurt you even if I tried.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Rhian asked. “I’d never try to hurt Stryg. I like being connected to him, we watch each other’s backs.”
“It’s not just Stryg, Rhiannon!” Lysaila hissed. “Every single son and daughter of Mortem can command us at will and we can do nothing to stop it, nothing! What do you think will happen when Mortem’s scions, the ones who used us as pawns in their wars, find us? Do you think they will be your friend like Stryg? Huh!?
“I... I didn’t think about that,” Rhian mumbled.
“Of course, you didn’t! Because you’re a brainless idiot who only cares about being a hero like those stupid children stories Karen tells to the orphans! We’ll guess what, Rhiannon? We’re tools! That’s all we are! Tools for the cruel gods that made us. ”
“Lysaila, that’s enough,” Stryg said.
But the lamia pushed on. “When a Mortem scion appears at your doorstep, you won’t be able to stop them from sending you off to fight for their wars until you’re dead. Which turns out, will be the actual end for us. We don’t get reincarnated like everyone else, because it turns out we’re not even really alive!”
Rhian’s cheeks had grown red and she bit her trembling lip as she struggled not to cry. Lysaila stopped at the sight, her shoulders heaving from her anger and lack of breath.
“I’m sorry,” Stryg said. “I understand why you’re angry, but it’s not Rhian’s fault. Don’t take it out on her.”
“You don’t understand...” Lysaila turned her back on them. “What this really means for us. For all of us. My family,” her voice cracked, “They’re all dead... and they’re not coming back. They’re gone, forever.”
“I...” Stryg’s words failed him. What could he say? How could he respond to such a tragedy?
“How do we stop it?” Lysaila asked quietly.
“Stop it?” Stryg asked.
“How do we break this hold Mortem has on us? Remove his power from our bloodlines?”
Stryg cleared his throat. “You can’t. My father’s power is what gives you a connection to the World Soul. Without it, you’ll all die.”
Lysaila stiffened. “What did you say?”
“Without my father’s power, all the beastkin will die,” Stryg replied reluctantly.
“Does Holo know?” Lysaila whispered.
“I’m not sure, but my father said she did.”
“I need to go.” Lysaila slithered out of the room without another word.
“...I think I’m alive,” Rhian mumbled.
Stryg broke into a smile and hugged her, his arms barely reaching up around her waist. “You are alive.”o find it. “What were you trying to hide?” she muttered.
“You,” came a voice from above.
Holo glanced upwards and saw the two guards from earlier standing by the edge of the pit. Before she could react, the sigils flared to life, and a deafening shriek assaulted her sensitive hearing. Holo grimaced and held her ears, and reflexively Flickered away. Her orange mana surged throughout her body, but when the sparks faded, she found herself in the same spot.
Blue flames wrapped around her arms and she threw her hands outwards. The flames crashed into the walls and surged up the pit. A magical barrier manifested over the hole and blocked the flames from escaping. As the smoke cleared, the walls appeared unscathed. And still, the screeching shriek remained, disorientating her.
“Heed my call, Lyrae!”
The once strong connection Holo felt with her orichalcum spear was nowhere to be found. She reached out to the weapon bound to her soul but there was no answer. Holo fell to her knees, head in her hands, and cried out in pain.
“Inform them the first phase is complete,” said one of the false guards.
The other nodded and left.