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Darkness loomed across the night sky, with the full moon blanketed behind the dusk clouds barely lighting the county under it. Though the night tended to be calmer than the day, the eerie silence blanketing the desolate town provided none of the liveliness that it once offered. The dilapidated houses throughout the streets stood quietly without a hint of warmth, and the bar that would usually be filled with drunkards was closed without a single whiff of alcohol around it.
Among the empty streets of the county, a single set of footsteps rang across it. A red-haired girl calmly walked past the empty town square with a greatsword stowed on her back. Her frigid expression contrasted with the pale blue flame on her chest, steadily flickering through the thin fog covering the streets.
The footsteps paused as Elizabeth stopped in front of the count’s mansion. Her brows furrowed while she gazed at the traces of destruction strewn around the mansion grounds. The gates and giant doors of the mansion had been twisted and destroyed without regard. Two knights lay dead next to the mansion’s entrance, dried blood pooling from their necks. Their eyes were barely visible from their helmet’s visor, unaware of their deaths. She knew this was merely the beginning of the calamity that struck this county. With a heavy heart, Elizabeth pushed on and walked into the mansion.
A scene from hell unraveled before her with every step she took. The gaudy decorations covering the mansion had been torn apart and rendered worthless. Dried blood haphazardly painted the halls, with the knight corpses scattered as the brush. Every corpse that she looked at had the same wound—a torn, crushed throat—something that she had gotten used to seeing from chasing down the perpetrator.
As Elizabeth walked deeper into the mansion, the silence that had remained throughout the city was slowly replaced by something else. Murmurs and whispers entered her ears, their voices ringing without any consistent source or direction. The contents of their whispers would twist around themselves, from pleas for help or mercy, hateful curses, to simple, guttural death throes.
The voices of those who couldn’t find peace were the reason she entered the mansion by herself. Among her subordinates and her friends, only her mind could endure the vengeful curses of the dead. Brushing aside their intensifying grudges, Elizabeth calmly proceeded to the source of this incident—a door that led to the reception hall.
Before she could open it, the door swung inward by itself. With it, the voices that rang noisily inside her head disappeared, as if they were hushed into silence out of fear. She didn’t find it too surprising. After all, the person responsible for their grudges was sitting at the end of the reception hall before her. The stained glass behind that person allowed the pale moonlight to shine upon the reception hall, revealing her figure to Elizabeth.
Her long, black straight hair flowed down her head with its blue inner side displayed against Elizabeth. The two-pronged staff in her hand was held upright, moonlight reflected from its tip. A pair of horns adorned her head, one much shorter than the other. Elizabeth’s gaze lingered on the horns for a moment before landing upon the light purple eyes staring right at her. After seeing Elizabeth refusing to back down under her glare, the pair of eyes glinted as her lips curled into a smile.
“Fancy seeing you here, Liz.” Nerissa greeted endearingly.
Elizabeth’s heart stirred for a moment. From her voice, her face, to her smile, every single part of her was the same girl that she had gotten used to seeing. One that she dearly missed yet wished to not meet at this moment.
"...I'm afraid I can't say the same." Elizabeth replied with a hint of exasperation in her voice.
“That’s not good, isn’t it? Come a little closer and I’ll lend you an ear. Let me listen to your troubles, won’t you?” Nerissa called out sweetly.
“You know very well what’s troubling me, Nerissa.” Elizabeth answered coldly. Her feet carried her forward before stopping in the middle of the reception hall while she continued to stare against Nerissa. “I’m bringing you back with me.”
“Still playing warden? That’s cute,” Nerissa let out a small chuckle before her eyes let out a mysterious glint. “But I’m pretty sure the order they gave you was a bit different from that.”
A chill went down Elizabeth’s spine from Nerissa’s offhanded remark. She almost asked how Nerissa caught wind of it before discarding that thought. Considering her powers, something like eavesdropping must be trivial to her.
Doing her best to collect herself, Elizabeth replied truthfully, “I simply refuse to follow their order.”
“Really? Has our Elizabeth gone into her rebellion phase just for me? You’re being so cute right now, you know that?” Nerissa commented lovingly. “I won’t hate you if you decide to follow their order and try to kill me, though.”
Elizabeth’s forehead creased. “And I told you I refused to follow that order. I’m the only one that can pursue you, and I’m doing it my way whether you like it or not.”
Nerissa shrugged her shoulders. “Suit yourself. After all, those old coots already made a mistake with me a thousand years ago. Who knows if they’d made another mistake?”
Knowing exactly what Nerissa was talking about, Elizabeth clicked her tongue. “They shouldn't have broken that horn.”
Nerissa’s eyebrow raised from interest. “How much have you heard about it?”
“Not much. All I know is that your horn wasn't the source of your power…” Elizabeth paused for a moment before continuing, “It was a restraint, made to keep your power under control.”
Nerissa’s smile curved deeper after hearing Elizabeth’s answer. “You’re correct. Your group wasn't the first one with the idea to keep me under control. A long time ago, before I roamed this land, the Primordial Demons took notice of my potential. Just like your people, they feared what I could do.”
Her eyes lazily looked into the distance as Nerissa recalled her past, “They carved a seal upon my horns, locking away my ability along with my memories of it. After leaving me with but a smidge of my powers, they cast me away. Pretty irresponsible, don’t you think?”
A pang of guilt went off inside Elizabeth’s heart. Does that mean the girl in front of her had her freedom robbed twice? Doing her best to collect herself, she asked, “Are you planning to get revenge on them?”
“Not really.”
Surprisingly, Nerissa shook her head. Her eyes remained calm, undisturbed by her own past. “To be honest, I don’t mind that kind of life. Living as a simpleton that only wanted to sing wasn’t so bad. If I hadn’t known better, I might just make it to the big stage.”
A faint smile adorned Nerissa’s expression while she imagined what could’ve been her future. With the power to capture others’ hearts with her voice, she had no doubt that her voice could resonate with any audience that came for her. It would be a much more peaceful life than her current one, at the very least.
However, her gaze turned frigid as Nerissa reached a certain point in her memory, “That is until the group behind you took notice of me. Detecting that bit of power I had left, they figured that breaking off my horn would stop me from using my powers.”
A laugh filled with ridicule escaped Nerissa’s mouth as she continued, “Isn’t it funny how wrong they were? Once that horn was broken off, the seal slowly broke loose. The thousand years I spent in The Cell was all it took for that seal to finally unravel and return my memories and the full extent of my ability from my subconsciousness.”
“...”
Elizabeth found herself unable to respond. Even if she wasn’t responsible for Nerissa’s imprisonment, she couldn’t deny that she still stuck with the organization responsible for it. Every time the topic was brought up, her forehead would crease while she remained mute uncomfortably.
Knowing well what Elizabeth was thinking, Nerissa brushed off her concerns, “I told you before that you didn’t need to feel guilty about it, didn’t I?”
“...I know.” Elizabeth answered along with a heavy sigh. They had gotten close enough to speak about that sensitive topic with each other in the past. With prison bars between each other, Nerissa had confirmed that she never blamed Elizabeth for what she endured. That memory cemented itself as the second happiest moment she had with the girl in front of her.
“If you really think about it, not only did I get to meet you after getting imprisoned, I also got to release the seal on my ability. I couldn’t really complain, could I?” Nerissa began thinking out loud with a finger on her chin. “Of course, that place was too dreary for my taste, so I decided to escape once I finally regained everything.”
Elizabeth’s expression hardened once Nerissa brought that topic up. “I understand if you decide to escape. But why commit all this rampage? Why did you steal the voices of the prisoners and people in this county?”
Her memory traced back to the day Nerissa made her escape. With her full strength unleashed, nobody could resist her voice. The wardens approached her with hazy eyes, thoroughly enthralled by her voice, before their throats were ripped out ruthlessly. On the other hand, the prisoners that she found would lose their consciousness. When the surviving personnel in The Cell found them, they found the prisoners’ voices had disappeared with the exception of four prisoners.
That pattern remained unchanged after Nerissa escaped. A team that they sent out found traces of Nerissa’s rampage in a county closest to The Cell. Knights and criminals were killed in the same manner, while the townspeople were found mute upon regaining their consciousness. The pattern that neared obsession turned into a question that Elizabeth could finally ask.
“Stolen? You couldn’t be more wrong.” Nerissa answered languidly. “They offered their voice to me.”
Without giving Elizabeth a chance to reply, Nerissa continued, ”Do you know what it feels like to truly reach the bottom? To be lost, alone, at the end of your wits? When someone truly lost everything, they would lash out, plan their revenge, or even take their own life. But those were simply the solutions they took to resolve the one burning desire that they have.”
“To let their voice be heard by someone.”
Elizabeth could feel the air around her turning heavier after hearing Nerissa’s explanation. The whispers from before had returned once more. The seemingly chaotic murmurs became more vivid, driven by a desperate need to have their voices recognized. From a rough outrage, a feeble complaint, to a young, immature cry, none of them were willing to let up against each other. The constant noise grated against Elizabeth’s mind as she endured their cries.
Bang!
With a tap of Nerissa’s staff on the ground, the whispers were quelled once more. The silence allowed Elizabeth to finally release the breath that she’d been holding on to. She wiped away the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead as she looked at Nerissa, whose gaze carried a sense of pity for the voices around them.
“They were persecuted and discriminated against without being able to let their voice be heard. I simply gave them a way to set their voices free, and they handed it on their own accord.” Nerissa finished her explanation.
“...What a load of nonsense.” Elizabeth spat out.
“Then tell me, did any of them show a hint of complaint for me? Even if they lacked the voice to utter it, did you not see the bliss in their eyes?” Nerissa asked.
Elizabeth couldn't refute her words. The victims that they recovered were not injured in the slightest, apart from their missing voices. But the part that unnerved everyone the most was the same content look that they had in their eyes, one that held no confusion nor anger at their predicament. Even when given the tools to write their thoughts, they all refused, seemingly at peace with their current state.
“Do you not see this lavish mansion? The count in this place had ignored his own people to fatten up his pocket. All I’ve done was fulfill the desires contained within the townspeople’s voices,” Nerissa pointed out.
The slaughter she’s caused in this mansion… Were they the desires that the townspeople wished for? Elizabeth attempted her best to reason with Nerissa, “There should be a better way than all this-”
Nerissa cut off Elizabeth’s reply, “And mine was the one that brought results. The world has ignored them for far too long, Elizabeth. Their voiceless voice continued to ring out without anyone to listen, whether it be in The Cell or the outside world.”
The meaning behind Nerissa’s words wasn’t left unnoticed by Elizabeth. “You don’t mean…”
Nerissa confirmed Elizabeth’s suspicion, “This place is merely the start. My voice will reach out in place of those whose voices could not be heard. When I’m done, no one will have to endure this unjust world.”
A soft smile spread across Nerissa’s face as she continued, “After all, that’s what you wanted, isn’t it? To uphold justice for those who couldn’t.”
Tremors shook Elizabeth’s hands as they curled up into fists. Had those words that she spoke carelessly in the past turned Nerissa the way she currently is? Elizabeth shook off the thought as best as she could. She still wanted to believe in the Nerissa that she spent her time with. But to do so, there was one burning question that she needed to ask.
“...Was that promise you gave me back then not your own? Was it just one of your plots to escape?”
A crack flashed within Nerissa's visage, akin to a ripple on still water. Her eyes widened momentarily before returning to normal, and Elizabeth didn’t miss that detail. However, she didn’t point it out and waited for Nerissa to give her answer.
After a brief pause, Nerissa answered quietly, “...No. It was indeed my own. And I still intend to keep it.”
Nerissa raised her hand toward Elizabeth as she recited her promise, "Out of all the voices I've heard, yours is the one I loved the most. Sharp as a blade, warm as flame, and captivating as a rose. Let’s spend the rest of our time together, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth scoffed at Nerissa’s recreation, "What will you do if I refuse? Will you kill me? Or will you take my voice?"
"Nothing of the sort," Nerissa shook her head. "I'll return you to an empty room in this mansion for you to recover so that you can face me once again. I'll repeat that cycle until you accept me. For that is the extent of my love for you."
"...I see."
Elizabeth’s heart continued to stir with each word. The unusually forward Nerissa felt different from her usual self, but she was still the same Nerissa who would constantly express her feelings.
‘You still wore your heart on her sleeve even now, it seems.’
Hearing that Nerissa still intended to keep her promise removed any doubts in her heart. She would do whatever it took to protect the happiest memory she had with the girl in front of her.
"Then I'll bring you back to your senses, no matter how many times it takes."
For that is the extent of my love for you.
Elizabeth kept the second half of her words to herself and readied her sword. Her right hand firmly gripped the sword as she swung it, clearing away the tables and chairs that filled the reception hall in one swing.
Laughter echoed across the reception hall as Nerissa finally stood from her chair with a pleased smile. "How romantic. We really are made for each other, don't you think?"
"Can't disagree with that," Elizabeth replied lightly.
The air around them trembled as Nerissa readied herself. Vicious energy crackled from Nerissa’s staff while she spoke carefreely, "I’ve heard that couples would sometimes fight with each other. Then they would make up and have their bond grow stronger. Since we’ll be fighting each other a lot, don’t you think our bond will be the strongest in the world once we make up?"
“I’m quite curious myself,” Elizabeth wondered out loud as she placed her left hand over her sword’s edge.
Her hand traced over her sword slowly as a pale blue flame flared along its path. The fire soon burned across her sword, stickily dripping onto the floor like blood. To its wielder, the flame protected her warmly. To its enemies, the flame will cling and burn persistently as long as her heart still beats. The intense glow of the blue flame surrounded Elizabeth, contrasting with her scarlet hair.
Pointing her sword against Nerissa, she asked, “Why don’t we find out for ourselves?”
“Haha! As expected, you really understand me, Liz!”
Nerissa laughed excitedly as she swung her staff. A shrill shriek rang around her as black and blue energy unfurled on her back, chaotically surging into multiple pairs of wings. Sparks erupted sporadically from the wings, fluttering like feathers. The strength contained behind each spark caused Elizabeth’s skin to tingle, but she stood her ground and refused to cower before the girl she wanted to save the most.
“But do you have what it takes to back up your words? You don’t mind if I test you a bit, do you?”
Nerissa’s eyes contained a glimpse of mischief as the air around them let out a low howl. A gust of wind blew toward Nerissa while her wings continued to crackle ominously. Elizabeth couldn’t tell what was about to happen, but her senses told her to prepare herself. The blue flames flickered around her protectively, bracing for what’s about to come.
The noises around them ceased for a moment before countless mouths with irregular, sharp teeth tore open from Nerissa’s wings. From it, a cacophony of howls and cries rang out and shook the entire hall.
The impact blew through the flames around Elizabeth as she nearly buckled to her knees from shock. Her hands wished to cover her ears, but her discipline tightened the grip on her sword instead. The twisted cries continued to blow against Elizabeth, prompting her to stab her sword into the floor to keep herself upright. Their voices continued to ring inside her, unwilling to let themselves remain unknown to the world.
Her eyes squinted against the bellowing roar, meeting Nerissa’s own. The gaze Elizabeth was met with contained a mixture of emotions—the burden Nerissa decided to uphold, an unquenchable longing, and an unwavering trust. One that believed the red-haired girl in front of her would not be stopped by this.
‘What an annoyingly high standard.’ A smile escaped Elizabeth’s lips as she thought to herself. She found herself delighted by the unreasonable expectation Nerissa held for her.
‘Then it’s only right for me to repay her expectation.’
Her smile widened as she tightened her grip further, akin to giving a prayer. Blood began dripping from her hands, slowly trickling down the sword handle until it fell onto the fire blanketing her sword. In an instant, the flames erupted around her, flickering along with her heartbeat. Elizabeth took a deep breath as her heart fervently beat, carrying her will.
To burn down everything that stood between them.
The flames roared, following her command. It consumed everything in the hall vicariously, intent on not leaving anything behind. For a moment, a great blue flash filled the hall before dissipating. When the flames finally receded, everything around them had been burned into ash, from the tables, chairs, carpet, to the air around them. In that instant, the world around them was rendered mute.
A look of shock spread onto Nerissa’s expression when she noticed what had happened. The mouths on her wings shook silently, unable to conjure their voices. Intent on not wasting this opportunity, Elizabeth pulled out her sword from the ground and swung it toward Nerissa. A darkbright barrier conjured itself in front of Nerissa as the sword landed with a muted impact.
Unable to handle the impact between them, the stained glass and door to the reception hall finally blew open into pieces. A rush of air replaced the vacuum inside the hall as glass fragments reflected the light from the blue flame and crackling energy around them. The noise of splintering wood and cracking glass made their way into their ears, and the world slowly regained its voice. The mouths on Nerissa’s wings cried out in pain before Nerissa soothed them, settling their complaints.
Amidst the kaleidoscope of light raining upon them, a deep smile grew onto Nerissa’s lips. Her eyes locked against Elizabeth’s, clearly pleased with her resolve. Even after struggling through that crisis, the light in Elizabeth’s eyes continued to burn brightly. Both of them remained firm, unwilling to yield against each other.
“Ahaha, I thought I was crazy, but you’re even crazier than me. You don’t disappoint at all, Liz!” Nerissa gave a deep praise.
“I have to go that far if I’m up against you,” Elizabeth replied with her sword pointed forward. Her stance solidified once more, ready for anything.
“Yes, that’s how it should be!” With her staff pointed toward Elizabeth, Nerissa exclaimed excitedly, “Now come on, let’s continue our first lover’s quarrel!”
“A chatterbox as always.”
‘But that’s just part of her charm.’
A wry smile escaped Elizabeth’s expression for a moment. Although others had been charmed by the voice of the demon in front of her, she found herself charmed by much more than that. The flame around her burned brighter as she held those precious memories closer to her heart. If Nerissa decided to fulfill the desire of those who couldn’t do so, then she would stay true to where her desire led her to.
“Here I come, Nerissa.”
To be right next to the girl she fell for.
Her declaration lit up the tension inside the reception hall. Vicious blasts of energy erupted with a ghastly wail around them, while the flames burned away the blasts that threatened to strike its wielder down. The pale moonlight shone brighter through the stained glass as the only witness to the start of this neverending battle.