Ghosts of the Past - Part 4

     Was a monster like her even capable of rebuilding her life?

     At her sides, Sylvana felt a pinch in her palms as she clenched her fists, feeling her nails dig into her skin. She could feel the uneasiness well in her chest until it threatened to eat her alive. The two choices presented before her both had their consequences. If she went with Gunnar, Iago, and Torvald, she could repair what she had broken long ago.

     But slowly, images of that battle and Kass flashed in her mind, and Sylvana was reminded of why she left the Citadel in the first place. Perhaps it was her own weakness that refused to let her return, the trauma that she associated with it, or a mix of both.

     “...No.” Sylvana found herself repeating.

     Gunnar flinched upon hearing the Kyrii’s answer. “What?”

     “I said it before, Gunnar,” Sylvana answered. “I’m never going back to that wasteland ever again.” The sternness in her voice indicated her finality with her choice.

     Before Gunnar could react further, an infuriated yell split the air in two. Instantly, the smaller box Torvald was sitting upon fell backwards as he lunged forward, blade drawn.

     “TRAITOR!!”

     Before Torvald’s blade could slash her neck, Sylvana leapt to the side, the sword embedding itself into the box she was sitting on. When she glanced up, Torvald had already removed his blade from the box, his intact eye burning with uncontrollable hatred.

     “Torvald!!” Gunnar’s shocked yell was lost to the Nimmo. Torvald only had eyes towards the Kyrii, who, in his eyes, was nothing but a selfish, irredeemable backstabber. He was able to restrain his anger, but now, he couldn’t, not any longer.

     “I should have known it would come to this! Everything out of your mouth is nothing but lies! You never cared about any of us!!”

     When Torvald charged again, Sylvana eyed his blade. From its angle, it was aiming right at her head. Acting on her previous battle reflexes, she leapt backwards, extending her wings at the same time. With several flaps, Sylvana landed on the upper shelf of the barn, high above the Darigan trio below.

     “Don’t try to escape!” Torvald yelled as he extended his own wings. “Get down here and fight me, you coward!”

     As Sylvana crouched atop the shelf, her hand traced through the hay below her until they touched something cold and metal.

     “Fine, then! If you’re not coming down, I’ll drag you down!” Crouching down for a moment, Torvald leapt up in a blink of an eye, sword drawn once again.

     But before his sword could hit the Kyrii, Sylvana swung something back at him, something quite heavy, and something that made Gunnar and Iago's eyes widen - the cursed axe from those years ago. Though the once magnificent blade was now quite jagged from heavy damage, it still retained its purple runes and the winged crest of Kass at the top. But without a doubt, it was the axe that exploded during the war, the cause of all of the Darigans’ scars, both physical and mental.

     The sheer power of the blow was enough to knock Torvald far out of the barn, skidding through the mud. By now, the clouds had grown to a murky grey, with the sky growing darker by the minute. Before long, a drop fell unto the earth, and then another. By the time Torvald managed to lift himself up, he could see a shadowed figure fly out of the barn and land before him amidst the sudden downpour.

     “Torvald!” Gunnar sprinted outside of the barn, Iago beside him, whose face carried a look of complete shock.

     "Don't you remember your orders, soldier?! We're to bring her back alive!" Gunnar's voice was now with unrestrained anger towards the Nimmo. But Torvald only growled upon seeing them.

     “Shut up! If she's not going to come peacefully, then forget letting her live!" Torvald panted as he stood up shakily, fangs clenched as he readied himself back into his fighting stance.

     “Besides...this is personal. She needs to know how it felt, to be abandoned.” Torvald shot a glare back at his comrades.

     “This is between me and her. Stay out of this, you two!”

     Just looking at Torvald made Sylvana clench her fangs, all while she clutched her axe. Though she would never learn if Gunnar was telling the truth about the Citadel and being pardoned, that didn’t matter anymore. What did matter was the angry Darigan Nimmo before her who was bent on taking her life, no matter what it took.

     When she looked into Torvald’s one eye, she was taken back to the trial four years ago, back when Gremas was bent on killing her for the death of Sir Aldrid. It was that instance all over again.

     “You know very well the Darigan Citadel is blunt on the subject of traitors,” Torvald growled. “If you won’t face the Citadel’s justice, I’ll do it for you!”

     Letting out another roar, the Nimmo charged, swinging his sword once, then twice, both of which were blocked by the axe. Torvald, seeing how Sylvana was going on the defensive, let out a snarl.

     “Well?! Are you going to hit me again or not?! You didn’t hesitate when you hit me back the first time!”

     When Torvald lifted his sword to swing down, Sylvana saw her opportunity. Acting fast, she raised one arm in a punch to the nose, and jumped up and delivered a swift kick to the Nimmo’s neck. Though it sent him stumbling backwards, he quickly regained his offensive stance.

     “You’re pathetic, Sylvana,” Torvald spat. “You can’t even use that axe properly anymore. You’re just as broken as it is!”

     Sylvana clenched her fangs tensely. “Don’t make me do this, Torvald. I know you don’t want to die.”

     In response, Torvald let out a scoff. “I could say the same to you too, Captain.” The disdain in his voice was clear. “But your fate was sealed the second you ran away.”

     In between Torvald’s bitter rant, out of the corner of her eye, Sylvana could see another figure sprint into view, a figure she hoped would never see what was happening.

     “Sylvana? What is going on?!”

     As much as she wanted to turn to look at Elijah, she couldn’t - the second she did, Torvald would put an end to her without hesitation. She had to focus on the fight. When Torvald sprinted at her again, this time, she raised her axe to strike. This time, he managed to block it, until he swung back, but Sylvana countered it with a well-placed hit.

     To the side, Gunnar and Iago studied the two Darigans as they clashed. What they noticed the most was Sylvana’s shift from defence to offence. When Torvald struck at her, she struck back more forcefully than before. Even more telling, what was once hesitation in her eyes was now replaced with a new emotion - rage.

     Watching her, they remembered why she was named captain of that squadron during the Meridell-Darigan War all those years ago.

     The sound of rain filled the otherwise tense air, as Sylvana, Torvald, and the three spectators were growing more soaked by the minute. The Kyrii and Nimmo now stood a good distance from one another, as Sylvana let out a pant as she felt her body grow strained, both from blocking Torvald’s strikes and landing blows back at him.

     All she could do in the deadlock now was study him. His movements, the way he held his longsword, they were all indicators of what he was going to do next. But without warning, Torvald’s eye went to the right, past Sylvana. What was he-?

     When she saw the Nimmo charge at Elijah, she felt her heart skip a beat.

     “NO!!” She flapped her wings out and glided towards the pair, as fast as she could, until…

     [i]*clang!*[/i]

     Metal hit metal as Sylvana stood in between Torvald’s blade and Elijah’s form. Torvald clenched his teeth, frustrated at having missed his chance.

     [i]Thank Fyora,[/i] Sylvana thought. She had barely managed to block Torvald’s strike once again. But how [i]dare[/i] Torvald threaten the life of one of the few pets that mattered most to her. She would never forgive him for that. She would never...

     What started as a growl in her throat quickly escalated into a scream as Sylvana kicked the Nimmo back, sending him stumbling backwards. When he managed to regain his stance, Sylvana was already charging him.

     She swung at him with her axe, which he managed to block, but barely. When she swung again, it was even harder to block. When the third strike landed, Torvald’s longsword was knocked out of his hands by the sheer force of the blow. When he looked at Sylvana head-on, what greeted him was a roar of uncontrollable rage and hate as she charged him, with the runes on her axe glowing a faint purple.

     She swung at him viciously, again and again, and all Torvald could do was stumble back, slash wounds opening with each swing. Finally, with both hands on the handle, she swung her axe sideways across his chest, sending Torvald back a good distance as he tumbled through the mud.

     When Sylvana walked up to the fallen Nimmo, dark red had already stained his ruined armour, along with the surrounding mud. Though he couldn't stand up again, he barely managed to lift his head to look at her.

     “I warned you, Torvald,” the Kyrii practically snarled. “I didn’t want to do this to you, but you forced my hand.”

     Despite his injuries, Torvald scoffed as crimson trickled down his mouth.

     “Don’t delude yourself, Sylvana. This is nothing to you. After all, you’ve already left so many other Darigan soldiers to die in the past. You truly are just as broken as that axe of yours.”

     At Torvald's mention of the past soldiers, Sylvana let out a shaky sigh, eyes closing. It was as if the sheer mention brought back painful memories. When she opened her eyes, they appeared clouded and heavy, as if the pain threatened to bury her alive.

     “Forgive me.”

     Torvald stared up at her, with what strength he had left, uttered a single, bitter word before his head fell back into the dirt, lifeless.

     [i]“Never.”[/i]

     Behind Sylvana, a bolt of lightning struck the earth, and what Iago and Gunnar saw was a demon. Crimson that stained her axe’s blade was dripping down from the rain, as was the crimson that plastered across Sylvana’s face and hands.

     But despite the horrendous crime she just committed, she appeared hollow as she turned to the pair.

     “Listen to me, both of you.” Her voice was deathly low. “Take him and leave now. If you even [i]think[/i] of touching him or this farmhouse again, you won’t live to regret it.”

     Gunnar and Iago said nothing, realising how dead serious Sylvana was. Though her axe’s blade was down at her feet, it wouldn’t take much for her to raise it and attack them if they did anything suspicious. Clenching their teeth, the pair nodded and headed for their Unis, with Gunnar grabbing Torvald's body in the process. But when Iago had already taken off, Gunnar spared the Kyrii one last look.

     “What you’ve done here is unforgivable, Sylvana. The next time we see you again, we shall have your head.”

     Sylvana simply scoffed as she turned away. That alone was an answer enough for Gunnar, as his Uni took off down the path, Torvald’s body in tow.

     “Sylvana…” Elijah’s voice was nearly lost to Sylvana as the Ogrin approached the hunched Kyrii.

     “...I have to go."

     “W-What?”

     Sylvana turned to face the Ogrin. “I cannot stay here any longer. My threat will mean nothing to Lord Darigan. He’ll continue to send soldiers to bring me to justice. Not just for desertion anymore, but for what I did to Torvald.”

     “Sylvana, no…” Elijah’s voice started to quiver.

     “Forgive me, Father,” Sylvana answered, her own voice starting to carry sadness. “But I won’t endanger my loved ones any longer. I am responsible for my actions, both past and present.” She inhaled and gave Elijah a firm glance, trying to stay strong.

     “This is my choice to make.”

     Elijah’s mouth opened as if to say something, but it closed as he lowered his head. When he lifted it up, Sylvana could tell he was holding back tears despite his strong eyes. He was trying to stay strong for her, too.

     “If your heart feels it is right, I will not stop you. But never forget - no matter where you go or what do you, you will always be my daughter, and I will never stop loving you. Nothing will ever change that, my child.”

     Sylvana embraced the old Ogrin in a tight hug, her wings once again extending to hug him. Elijah buried his head in her chest, sobbing as he realised he would likely never see his only daughter again. Sylvana’s heart wanted to cry as well, but she had to stay strong, for his sake.

     When the two pulled apart, Sylvana gave him a small, yet firm nod. Despite the tears in his eyes, Elijah gave her a nod back of understanding. With that, Sylvana turned and walked a few steps away, axe in hand as she extended her wings out. For a moment, Elijah was taken back to the day he first met her - it was stormy, just like now. He met her on a stormy morning, and he would see her leave on a stormy day.

     When Sylvana flapped her wings, her darkened figure took off in the stormy sky, leaving Elijah alone in the rain. But despite his soaked fur, the Ogrin continued to watch her form grow farther and farther away until it vanished completely within the grey clouds.

     In the sky, Sylvana watched as Elijah’s form grew farther and farther away, and the tears she had been holding back now fell freely alongside the raindrops. Where she was heading now, she had no idea. What would happen to her from here on out, she also had no idea.

     But no matter where she would go, one thing Sylvana knew for certain: she brought harm to those she grew close to. She thought about what Torvald had told her: she was broken, just like her axe. That part was true. The ghosts of that battle would forever haunt her, and now Torvald's death would haunt her as well. It was another mental scar to her already fragile psyche, not to mention that Lord Darigan would likely send more soldiers to punish her for her crimes.

     It felt as if the entire world wanted her dead.

     But it was another burden her heart had to carry, for as long as she flew through the stormy skies.

      The End.