Point-of-View: Bell Fairbairn

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  "My lord, I implore you to reconsider!" Suddenly spoke up Bell, a nervous look of on her face.

  "Wh-what? You dare question Lord Laus's commands!?" Exclaimed Evie in horror.

  "I must request the same, my lord……I am not saying that we should not attack Abyss, only that we wait until we are ready to do so," Chimed in Vokkeg, in agreement with Bell.

  Huh, I'd planned on biting my tongue, but if these two are gonna protest, then I don't see why I shouldn't join in……

  "I think we should delay the attack too, my lord," I remarked, Sant looking taken aback by all three of us speaking out against him.

  "Th-three Elemental Sages going against Lord Laus!? Have you all lost your minds!?" Snapped Evie in disbelief.

  "Indeed, at the very least, I am relieved that one of you is still able to see reason," Responded Sant with a frown.

  This isn't working at all, he just looks a whole lot angrier.

  "My lord, if we attack Abyss recklessly, many of us will die unnecessarily! Of course, it is impossible to sustain zero casualties, but if we make proper preparations and strategies before launching the attack, we can minimize those casualties! Think about it, the Rustlands is way weaker than Abyss and we still suffered over a million casualties, we can't afford to lose such massive numbers like that again," I pointed out, trying to get him to see reason, as I continued, "And the scout party you sent to Abyss got massacred, do you think they wanted to die? All they wanted was to please you, that's why they didn't complain even though they knew it was a suicide mission! How many more of us will you unnecessarily send to our graves-?"

  "Ah, now I see……," He interrupted me icily, "It was you, was it not?"

  "Huh, what are you talking about? What was me?" I responded in confusion.

  "The one that has been sowing unease and dissent amongst everyone in the Laus Domain, attempting to turn them all against me. Am I wrong?" He accused me coldly.

  Wait, what? The hell is he talking about?

  "You are mistaken, my lord, I have done no such thing!" I protested honestly.

  Right then in that moment, I'm not sure how or why, but I felt it……I felt that my life was in danger. The look in Sant's eyes was a murderous one, and that look was directed at me. And before I even knew what I was doing, I subtly opened my palm, drawing my spear towards my location, from far inside the Elf forest.

  "My lord, there must be some mistake, Sylvar would never-!" Bell began to come to my defense.

  "Oh, but he would. You see, he is not like the rest of you," Replied Sant, giving me a vicious, spiteful glare.

  Is he going to……? Oh, no……surely he wouldn't……

  "What do you mean by that, my lord?" Responded Vokkeg with a frown.

  This……this can't be happening. Is he……is he really about to……?

  "I cannot reveal any of the specific details, since that would break a taboo of this world, but to put it simply, unlike the rest of you, Sylvar……is human on the inside. The way he sometimes speaks is proof enough."

  No……

  He……he really did it, what the hell!?

  "I……I do not understand, my lord, how can that……?" Bell began to inquire incredulously, before trailing off as she turned to me and, before I could stop myself, I averted my gaze.

  "It is simple, he is an aberration, one that should not have been allowed to exist. Taking mercy on him was a grave mistake, his existence within the Laus Domain is like that of a virus. He infects others with his cowardly thoughts, causing discord and unease amongst our population. Indeed……it is time we eliminate him. I believe Esta Grefiel will make for a fine replacement Wind Sage," He stated coldly.

  "Y-you're……you're wrong, the unease amongst everyone didn't start till YOU changed, blaming me isn't going to-!" I began to defend myself.

  "Silence, traitor……I showed you mercy and allowed you to live, keeping your secret and even going as far as to make you the Wind Sage, and this is how you repay me? I imagine you are so afraid of dying that you chose to turn everyone against me to prevent us from carrying out our task. In the end, you are, after all, a human," He cut me off, before digging me into an even deeper hole.

  He couldn't understand why everyone's been so uneasy, he must have been overthinking it until his paranoia led him to the conclusion that I was to blame……

  "That's not true-!" I tried to protest.

  "Enough……we must begin the ritual for the next Wind Sage immediately, it would seem that we will have to delay the attack, after all. Bell, kill him now, I command you!" Ordered Sant coldly.

  "But, my lord-!" Bell began with a conflicted look on her face.

  "Do not be fooled! He was simply manipulating us, he is our enemy……he is a human. Kill him, now. Or are you a traitor as well?" He inquired with narrowed eyes.

  He's……gone completely paranoid. About ten seconds before my spear gets here, I'll have to use it to create an opening and then run for all I'm worth.

  Aero, I need your power.

  "I refuse. Lord Laus has spoken, I am no longer your ally," Replied the Wind Spirit.

  I see……guess I should have seen that coming.

  "I am losing my patience, Bell! Kill him, now!" Snapped Sant angrily.

  She was silent, a conflicted look on her face, before……

  "I understand……I shall kill him immediately," She replied in a whisper, before a flash of lightning burst out from her, as she entered Lightning Sage Mode, a single tear running down her face as she met my gaze, "Goodbye……Syvlar."

  Right as she spoke, my spear arrived, bursting through the gates and hitting my hand, as I grabbed it half-heartedly. A look of caution appeared in Bell's eyes, as she drew out a hidden dagger……but she's worrying over nothing.

  I……I can't fight her, I just can't……so I let go of the spear as I collapsed onto my knees, dropping the spear onto my lap, losing my will to fight.

  I then looked up and met Bell's gaze with a sad smile, causing her to flinch, a pained expression on her face.

  "Go ahead, do it……I won't fight back, not against you. Just……do it without making me feel too much pain, please?" I requested with a weak smile, before adding, "Oh, and……thanks for everything. You were a pain at times, but you're also the person I cherish the most in this world, as much as I hate to admit it. All things considered, I suppose there's worse ways to die than by your hand."

  "Lord Laus, perhaps you are being hasty-!" Vokkeg began to protest.

  "Silence! Bell, kill him now, or you will be considered a traitor as well!" Yelled Sant, slamming his fist down.

  "I……I……I am sorry, Sylvar……forgive me," She whispered, before driving her dagger towards my chest.

  As I closed my eyes and prepared myself, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder and the next thing I knew, the ground beneath me felt different.

  Huh? What just happened? I opened my eyes slowly and looked around. A lot of greenery, I think I'm on a mountain. Woah, holy……Wyverns and Lesser Dragons were swarming the sky above. But……they were ignoring me.

  I then glanced behind me, to see who's hand was on my shoulder, my eyes widening in surprise and disbelief as I saw his face……

  "What……why did you save me……Kuro Black?" I inquired in shock.

  "Just Kuro is fine. And……be right back, sit tight, 'kay?" He replied, before vanishing suddenly……

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  Point-of-View: Bell Fairbairn

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  Where did he go? And the instant he disappeared, why did I feel so relieved?

  "Tch, that coward! I do not know how, but he has run away, we must-!" Began Lord Laus.

  "Wrong, actually. He didn't run away, I just intervened," Came a familiar voice, my body stiffening instinctively.

  "Y-you……!" Exclaimed Lord Laus, his rage causing him to stutter, "H-how are you-!?"

  "Oh, I'm great, how are you?" He responded tauntingly, as he interrupted Lord Laus with a smirk.

  "K-kill him……all of you, kill him right now!" Yelled Lord Laus furiously, his eyes bulging and his body trembling in rage.

  Evie responded immediately, firing a powerful wave of flames towards him, which he blocked by encasing himself in a dome-shaped red barrier.

  "Don't bother, I'm just a clone, and besides, it's not like you can break through this barrier anyway……by the way, thanks, this Clone Magic is really useful! Seriously though, why the hell have you barely ever used it, it's so effective," He remarked with a scoff, before his expression turned serious and he added in a cold, disgusted voice, "Also, I have to say, you're real scum, you know that?"

  "Wh-what did you say to me!?" Snapped Lord Laus angrily.

  "You heard me. Sure, Belia's pretty awful, but at least she's true to herself, she certainly wouldn't do what you just did. You, on the other hand, truly disgust me, Sant."

  "You dare address Lord Laus so condescendingly, you damned, lowly human!?" Yelled Evie furiously.

  "I suppose I should clarify what exactly about you disgusts me……it's simple, really. The way you treat those under your rule, as if they're disposable pawns, really, really disgusts me. Man, even Valaque wasn't this bad, and that's REALLY saying something," He scoffed in response.

  "Do not ignore me, you fiend!" Snapped Evie, but Kuro paid her no attention, his gaze of repulsion fixed on Lord Laus.

  "I won't deny that humans are extremely flawed and can be truly awful, but you're no better than us, Sant. Using others for your own benefit, sacrificing their lives without remorse, well……that all sounds very human to me. You're scum on par with the worst kinds of human," Stated Kuro bluntly.

  "I have heard enough from you-!" Lord Laus exclaimed.

  "And why should I listen to you? Unlike you, I value those under my rule. Leading people is no trivial task, and I acknowledge the responsibility that entails……the responsibility to make sure they live prosperous and long lives. Unlike you, I would never send those that look up to me to die meaningless deaths……and that's why you truly disgust me," Stated Kuro coldly, before adding, "The only reason why I saved Sylvar is because I felt genuinely bad for him, for having such a horrible leader, it's as simple as that. Oh, and also to deprive you of your Wind Sage, I highly doubt he'll come back here after what you just tried to pull."

  "Insolence-!"

  "I'll warn you once, and only once, Sant A.C. Laus……," He trailed off, before adding in a terrifyingly cold, yet frightening tone, the dark look in his eyes paralyzing us with fear, "Come anywhere near my people and my nation, and I'll crush you mercilessly, do you understand? It'll make what I did to you last time seem tame in comparison……by the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging me to kill you, but until I put you through the worst agony you've ever felt, I'll keep you alive. So, by all means……attack us if you dare, I'll be waiting……"

  With that, he disappeared, leaving us stunned. Even more than when I fought him, just now, I was seized with an unimaginable terror, my blood running cold. A-all he did was speak, but a simple shift in tone was all it took to silence all of us……I cannot speak for the others, but I am fairly certain that they felt it too, a fear like no other……

  "Th-that human must pay, Lord Laus!" Exclaimed Evie, breaking the silence, as a bead of sweat ran down the side of her face.

  "Y-yes, of course he must, that was always my intention!" Responded Lord Laus, after looking a bit stunned and fearful.

  What is this feeling……the words Kuro spoke, they should have infuriated me, he insulted Lord Laus so blatantly, and yet……I could not help but find myself agreeing with much of what he said. I would even go so far as to say that……that his words struck a chord with me, almost inspiring me.

  And more than anything……I felt gratitude towards him, for saving Sylvar. But there was also guilt on the other side of that coin……for he would not have needed to save Sylvar if I had not been about to kill him……

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