Freia. A name, Keyaruga didn`t even bother with. A moniker for his first bounty. A label for Flare Arlgrande Jioral, who the Hero of Healing took from the burning royal chambers.
“Freia?..”
The girl in question stood at the window. Her sapphire eyes shifted between the central square, full of armored men, and the window she looked through. The glass, aside from its remarkable transparency, was anything but special. Still, there was more than meets the eye. Specifically, how that entire place simultaneously existed in two, full-fledged, endless worlds. Their twinned room was the work of magical art, a godlike masterpiece, deserving years of studying by the brightest minds of the sorcery society, because this is how long it would take to unravel its secrets. The hero of magic, though, solved them in a matter of minutes. She could tap into that interdimensional matter even. Just like how the magician sealed the torn head of her father`s copy beyond a portal.
“Hey, Freia?”
But the most interesting question was in the reasons for such speculation. The magician did so not by the power of curiosity, not by a whim of learning. No, this was the only way of averting her thoughts from the fear…
“Freia?! Look!..”
“QUIET!!!”
…which didn`t go well. The princess turned around and yelled at Eve, who just succeeded in conjuring a healing sphere. The pink-haired girl almost hit her with a staff, she maintained an iron grip on. To the point where her own fingers and nails felt like bleeding. So was it any surprising to see that wave of bewilderment crush in the closest person there was nearby?
“Ah… I… I`m sorry, Evy, it`s just…” A moment passed, and Freia`s face morphed into a mask of sorrow and perplexity. “I just don`t know, what to do…”
“It`s about him, right? Keyaruga? The thing you yelled sorry for?” Fortunately, the black-winged maiden turned out understanding enough to feel the predicament that weighed on the princess` soul. “Look, I know you said you don`t want to tell me, but it`s just painful to see you like that. What`s happening?” The queen-to-be politely inquired, sitting near the trembling sorceress.
“Forgive me, Evy, but I… I can`t tell you…” And still, she struggled, holding onto the feathered staff, a weapon and a gift from her man.
“He abused you!” But Eve would not budge. Despite everything, she did not trust her savior yet. Not fully.
“N-no! He…”
“Ghh, I knew it! I knew there`s something off about him! Karu gantharma (this monster)!” It didn`t look well for Eve`s relationships with Keyaruga. The first didn`t know the truth, and yet she was ultimately right. What`s worse, Freia`s unconscious reaction confirmed all that worries. But what could she do? Admit everything? Say how much she maimed the boy before he did the same to the arrogant sadistic princess?
“Evy, listen to me… Keyaruga… He went for my sister!” And that`s why the girl had to get a grip, clench her teeth and stand tall. “She… is in charge of that column, and she came here to see us dead. Because… Because I let her down! All of this is my fault! My sin! Norn, Keyaruga, they`re the only family I have left! I…” The princess stumbled. Her worries were still there, but there was something else. A glimpse of hope, a passing thought. “I… still might fix it. I`m the Hero of Magic, I`m not defenseless. I can…”
“Stay here.” But alas, Setsuna, who silently guarded the door all that time, was not quite eager to let the princess go. “Master said to keep Eve safe.”
“No, Setty! He told us to get her to safety!” Freia corrected her friend, as her trembling legs drove her closer to the huntress. “I beg you…”
“No.” And yet, the ice warrior remained true to her cold nature. She felt a threat, not to herself, but to the very man who saved her from slavery. “Master Keyaruga is better on his own now. Setsuna will defend Eve. And Freia too.” The gray-haired girl said, crossing he arms on the chest.
“Please, I must do it, Setty…” The sorceress lamented, facing the she-wolf.
“Hey, can`t we just go all together?” Eve said. She was driven by an impulse to make something for the two, but…
“NO!!!” …it only united them against inexperienced maiden. Albeit for but an instant.
“Evy, Setty, this is my challenge, my penance for what I did.” The heroine said, lunching her staff in the ceiling. The rod of bloodied tree just vanished in the thin air. “If something still can be done, I`ll do it. Even… Even if I have to get by you, Setty.” The princess stated, as her sloppy posture turned into a full-fledged battle stance. No magic, no knife from behind her back, no dirty tricks. Freia radiated the pure determination.
“Hey, hey! Aren`t you just…” Eve rushed to the two girls, eager to extinguish the conflict. But barely did she approached them, Freia pointed two fingers right next to the kokuyoku scion`s forehead. Her nails were infused with swift lightning sparks.
“Be a good girl and get to your room, Evy. Now.” The caster demanded, without even facing the winged young lady. Just like a mother when she had to reveal her stern sight.
“…Pff, kanti sahi (do what you want)!” The response wasn`t one of the kindest, but at least Eve did as she was told. Along with slamming the door behind her.
Only two remained. Freia, the child of misery and luxury, a king and a whore, a princess, a hero, and now nobody, following her very kidnapper. She stood there to prove her worth to Setsuna, the proud warrior of ice wolves` tribe. The most loyal companion among Keyaruga`s, for the lack of better terms, followers. They stood motionlessly, waiting for each other to make the first step. The initial move that would determine the outcome of the entire brawl.
Freia denied herself using any of her spells. She didn`t want to harm her friend, especially after she got back with bloody stains on her. As a lone drip of sweat treacherously ran by her forehead, the princess focused entirely on her confrontation with Setsuna. A confrontation, which would only end…
“Go.” …with the she-wolf stepping out of the way. A shocking turn of events? Certainly. But even that didn`t cause the sorceress to drop her guard. She cautiously approached Setsuna, expecting some sort of ambush. There was no. Just a cautious stare of that bottomless aquamarine eyes. So…
Freia went ahead, but when she was just a step away from the threshold, the princess rapidly turned around and awkwardly dashed to Setsuna, to trap her in a… hug? Now that was a surprise. So much so that the ice warrior wouldn`t know, how to respond, aside from pushing the heroine away. That didn`t happen, though…
“Thanks, Setty.” Freia said prior to shifting to the whispering. “I do not deserve Keyaruga`s love. Never have, never will. He never had to bring me with him. But he did. And I`ll be loyal to him.”
Even if he kills me. Keyaru, you can torture me however you like, as long as you spare my Norn.
…
The sorceress, although completely unintentionally, mimicked Keyaruga in one simple thing. Freia avoided crowded streets, preferring the claustrophobic comfort of narrow alleyways. Somewhere from afar she heard yells of outrage, violence, plunder.
It took the magician a great bit of mental strain to hold her temper and proceed. She could just run onto the roofs, but that was too much of a risk, with all the shooting over superiority between local guardsmen and Jioral`s archers happening over there. The girl ran, sprinted as fast as she could. As the walls passed her blurry eyesight, Freia could only pray she wasn`t too late. Even if nobody listened.
But Freia proceeded, unhinged, relentless. Her thighs started to ache, the breath grew short, and yet the magician continued. Numerous roads and lanes she passed, and the city hall was closer and closer. The heroine was almost there, almost at the heart of the ruinous army of Jioral. Only one crossroad to pass…
“Hey-hey-hey! You, yeah, you, faggot, come here!”
It took only a single brash phrase to stop the princess. It wasn`t even addressed to Freia, but the voice… Oh, it was familiar to her, painfully so.
“N-no… Not her…” The girl grunted, taking a swift decision to hide behind the nearest corner.
“The hell`s your problem?” A man said. There wasn`t any special about the human, nor did he made any attempt to provoke the blonde warrior. But that didn`t detour Blade from pushing him in the shoulder.
“He-he-heh! You thought I would forget you?” The Hero of Sword asked wryly.
“I don`t even know you. Get off.” He coldly replied, turning his back to the offender. A big, humongous mistake.
“He-heh!” The crossdressing woman loudly cracked her neck, and the next moment she unsheathed the blade from her back. “FUCK YO-O-O-OU, MAN-SHIT!!!” And then, she pierced him right through the bowels, pushed the victim to the wall and nailed the body with Ragnarok sword effortlessly breaching the bricks.
“UGH!.. O-oh…” The man was yet to realize what had transpired, and he already coughed a chunk of blood, facing his ultimate dead end, both literally and figuratively. Unfortunately, only one being in Buranikka could save him now, and Keyaruga wasn`t there. Fortunately…
“A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!!!” …Blade viciously yelled, turning his head with a simple move. The pain lasted a brief second, as the spine ripped in two. But the cruelty only began. “SEE?! SEE, FUCKER?! I`M STRONG NOW!!!” Blade screamed, slamming the head with bare knuckles. Again and again, again and again the viscous blood drenched her clothes, her skin, her grandeur blue mark on the right hand. Blade went berserk, she punched the corpse with all of her deprived passion, with all the pumped up rage. The Hero of Sword smiled, while her tongue stuck from beyond the mouth. “DI-I-I-I-E-E-E-E!!!”
Second after second, minute after minute, the blonde woman never slowed down, as her fists stripped away the very flesh from the poor man`s skull. She stuck her fingers and pulled away the eyeball, just to munch on it in a violent episode of overwhelming madness. She even went so far as to take the energy from the divine armament to enforce her muscles. The holy aura of golden light… was used as a mean to crush some passerby`s head, until nothing but chunks of bone and brain remained of it. A horrifying view, sure. A tribute to sheer human brutality. And another memento of Flare`s sins.
All that time Freia couldn`t help but watch. She knew the man did nothing wrong. He was simply too similar to Josephine`s uncle. A cruel drunk, guilty of all sorts of violence toward the young orphan, the very reason the girl turned out the way she was at the moment. And Flare? Flare got her out of a jail, took her in, manipulated her, encouraged her man-hating behavior to the very limit. And now, the Hero of Magic couldn`t avert her sapphire eyes from the scene of carnage. Up until Blade finally stopped disgracing the corpse. Did it somehow ease the princess?
“He-e-e-ey there, kitty!”
Certainly not, for the maniac now turned her attention to her.
“Are you looking for a mate? You look so gorgeous, so… magnificent! I want you, cutie! Come to me, we`ll have such a good time together!” Blade, despite being covered in crimson viscera, despite her sloppy steps and revolting grin, resorted to banal flirting.
“Ugh…” For Freia, though, every word of her mouth sounded like some ugly gargling. Her heart was beating like crazy, she couldn`t breathe, even standing at the feet felt challenging enough.
“Calm down, cupcake! Come here, I`ll make you my princess.” The swordswoman chanted. The distance between the two shrank, and the magician was left with a simple choice: flee or fight.
“Haa… Haa… Fu-u-uh…” Ultimately, Freia managed to regain some control over her lungs. That helped little, as she was to face not some thug, but a full-fledged hero, a battle unit only Flare knew how to control. “But Flare… Flare is dead…”
“Did you say something, my precious? Hey, have I complimented your hair? Its so royal, so…” Barely did she finished…
“STAY AWAY, FREAK!!!” the princess sent an arc of bluish lightning. The spell sent Blade flying, but with that… “A-A-A-A-A-A!!!” …Freia got caught in a cage of convulsions. Something was very, very wrong. The sorceress` head was bursting from the inside, her entire body twitched in excruciating spasms.
It was a trap, obviously. No way Norn wouldn`t bring a potent magic disruptor with her. Unfortunately for the younger princess, though, Freia got a little bit used to the pain. Her training with Setsuna wasn`t for nothing.
“Princess Flare! Your Highness! It`s you! YO-O-O-O-U-U-U!!! YOU`RE ALIVE!!!” Just as the sorceress broke out of the tendrils of pain, Blade crawled back, using her bronze-colored sword as a crutch. The golden aura not only healed the wounds the impact left, it also cleansed the gore. But alas, no amount of magic tricks could… “Ever since I heard from Ranalitta, from the colosseum, I… Erm… Where`re you going?! Flare! PRINCESS FLARE!!!” …stop the first princess from fleeing.
Yes, Freia ran away. Burdened by the shame and disgrace, she once again resorted to sprinting. This time, though, there was no direction, no goal, nothing. Away! She just wanted to leave that place, escape her failures, both from the past and the future. The girl had no plan, only the feeble guarantee that she could brute-force her way with overwhelming magic potential.
The sorceress was wrong. Irrational panic overtook her will, and now the princess could do nothing but sob. She lost the battle of wills, and with nobody to stand between Keyaruga and Norn the fate of her sister seemed sealed. The girl finally understood the Hero of Healing, his desire for, and the necessity of the ultimate pain threshold. Something she despised so much, just for seeing the lad casually maiming himself, turned into the most desirable thing ever.
But even with all of that, the Hero of Magic found a new guideline. It was a stench of magic, the same that the horn Keyaruga brought reeked of. Now she felt the source of it. And it smelled just like the abomination her father turned Buck into.
…
…
…
“What have you done to the owners of this place?” The red-haired lad spoke with a smirked, overflowing with pure smug. A depressed sorceress on the verge of break, awkwardly holding her staff, looked like a complete opposite of the confident man.
“I… I used money… Your money, Keyaruga… I told them to run away…” The girl answered apologetically. She knew the married couple had a great chance of dying in a crossfire. The very people who let her regain some semblance of self-control. “They didn`t want to leave, so I… I scared them off…” Freia explained, pointing at a burn mark beyond the counter.
“A commendable deed, but why here? Have you been spying on me?”
“What`s with my sister?” The girl dodged the question, asking one of her own. Her voice trembled, brittle stance conveyed suffering, but her spirit was in the right place.
“Heh, are you asking me if I killed your sister? Wasn`t it me who told you she`d be just fine?”
“K… Keyaruga…” Freia replied pleadingly. She put her staff on the empty counter and sat right next to the man. She had to. Otherwise the caster would just collapse.
“Careful there.” Freia almost did, but the hero helped her out a little bit. “You look rough. What happened to you?” He wondered, examining his companion. The sorceress was hurt.
“I… No, it`s not about me now.” Freia persevered. Her left eye was filled with blood, and she was constantly touching her temples, but… “Please, Keyaruga! Tell me, what have you done? I want to know! I need to know!” The heroine pleaded, vainly trying to hide her inner hemorrhage.
“Calm down, alright? Let me heal you first.” The red-haired man gallantly offered Freia his help, but the magician just swept his arm away.
“No! It would hurt you. It hurt you when you… brought Kureha`s arm back.” The heroine admitted, taking a small potion of Keyaruga`s doing from the pocket on her corset. The princess struggled, her hands were shaking, but she wouldn`t let her man trivialize that mundane act of struggle. Freia succeeded. “I… (gulp) remember, Keyaru. (gulp) I… Haa… I remember everything.” Finally, after the last drop of the bitter medicine entered her intestines, the sorceress felt relieved. She had hoped to spare the remedy for later, that her body would prove more resilient, she was wrong. “Not that it`s some secret for you, though. You`ve been watching me, as I discovered the truth… It was painful, you know. Realizing how atrocious I was to you… Why? You could`ve erased my memories all over again!”
“I could, but it`s not my style.” The lad squinted, recalling the lessons of Bullet. Teachings of pain and subjugation. “I`m perfectly able to erase your personality, to make you a silent obedient doll. You made us drop our masks, Freia, so let me tell you one thing. First, I wanted to sell you. As a whore. Heh, you would be great in that role, considering your… heritage.” Keyaruga said with a nasty smug. A grin… that quickly turned into a face of sorrow.
“You didn`t though.” The pink-haired girl couldn`t help but notice. He knew everything about her, including her mother`s roots. It didn`t feel like an insult. Not after Flare had done to him.
“I didn`t. Turned out, I`m quite a possessive guy.” The lad shrugged his shoulders, as Freia gripped the tip of her wooden staff. “That`s why Norn is coming with us, whether she likes it or not. Some of the locals, by the way, tried to assassinate her, so I went ahead and butchered them all. Not like Organ`s men couldn`t handle it, but I won`t take any chances this time.” He deadpanned, glancing around the broken café and beyond. Just to make sure nobody listened.
“This time? He-heh, this time… You really did come from the future… Ha-ha-ha-a… That`s why I had no chance? That`s why you…” Freia helplessly facepalmed. The tale of dreamers from the merchant only fortified her hypothesis. But even so, to have it confirmed so casually?
“Oh, my lovely Freia, you`re so much smarter, so perceptive, so brilliant… when you`re not that fucked up, arrogant bitch. I guess, we just couldn`t carry those masks forever, could we? Pretending to be a happy couple.” Keyaruga waved his head, astonished by the absurd of this situation. If somebody told him about this before the restart, he would have laughed, and then killed the moron with utmost cruelty. Now, though…
“It… It just didn`t make sense otherwise. All your power, your skills. How else would you handle Kureha? How else… would you care so much for Eve, even though you`ve known her for just two days? And… is that why you let me live?” The girl asked with a glimmer of hope. A hope that it wasn`t always that perverted. That somehow, they could be close without all the pain, blood and charred flesh between them.
“You`re asking too many questions, my dear. First off, let`s make one thing clear. I love Norn. She… was the mother of my child. Or… she would be, but she died. Killed, blown to pieces right on my eyes, just after admitting she was pregnant.” The healer revealed the painful truth. His lips got pursed, an unconscious action, which Keyaruga had no desire to hide.
“Oh… Oh my gods…” Freia lamented, covering her mouth with both hands. The enchanted medicine healed her capillary vessels, but that truth made her squirm even worse than before.
“No, Freia. There were no gods. Only me, my power, and my rage. You know, what`s the funniest part? I met her, the woman who killed my Norn. Right here. I captured her, and then I raped her. Just because I could! She was my prey, she had to suffer, even if it was a mere fraction of what Norn felt when ripped apart by… He-he-heh! By the blue flame.” The man continued, and the more he talked, the more Freia wanted to puke right there. She slapped her palms, she whispered the words, and the pale green light imbued her entire body.
“Haa… Haa… You said… You met a goddess… Is this what you referred to?”
“Yes. Kali came right when I was done fucking that murderer. Told me her true name, tried making me side with her. She didn`t give a damn about me ruining her follower. When you have power, you can literally do whatever you want, and nobody will stop you. Not even gods, who gave us that might…” The man admonished, looking at Freia, with the mix of sympathy and guilt on her beautiful face. “We`ve been together for four years. If you want to imagine it, think of that month of drugged imprisonment, and add two more psychos to the pot as well. In all honesty, you deserved what happened to you.”
“No… No, I deserved much, much…”
“What? Worse? Listen here, Freia!” The lad snarled, abruptly jumping from the chair. “I told you everything because trust is a luxury, and truth is priceless. Not out of self-pity. You understand? Good to know that you feel guilt for what you did, but I`m tired of seeing you drowning in it!” Keyaruga exclaimed, holding the princess` shoulders. He watched, as her cute, sweet, yet sad face rapidly crumbled.
“Hah, you`re right.” In that insignificant moment Freia felt like as if an entire mountain fell off her shoulders. “Thank you, Keyaruga.” Finally, she blessed the healer with a smile… “I`ll follow you. To the very end…” Although, now it barely differed from the worst masks the red-eyed lad wore on him. “With only two conditions.”
“My, daring today, are we?” The man smirked giving a brief glance to Freia`s staff. It now levitated above the table. “Go ahead, then.”
“First, you will be nice to Norn.” The sorceress demanded, catching the reddish channeling tool from the air.
“It was always a part of a plan.” Keyaruga shrugged dismissively, getting ready for the possible confrontation.
“No, Keyaruga. No beating, no broken fingers, no excessive humiliation, and definitely, no fire rods in her vagina.” The girl spoke with ultimate boldness. “For that you have me!” She added playfully. The sorceress` lips were shaking, her sapphire eyes radiated slight insanity. She broke. Fell. Reached inner peace at last.
“Presuming I`ve agreed, what else would you wish of me?” The healer wondered. He couldn`t help but marvel at what his pet magician was steadily morphing into.
“Second. I don`t want you to rape anyone else. Not even that murderous freak Blade!” Freia said, touching the man`s cheek with her cold palm.
“And what if it`s inevitable?” Keyaruga asked, covering the caster`s icy hand with his own.
“Then…” Right in that moment, the sorceress` face conveyed such a bright palette of emotions, from mortal depression to exalted joy, from utmost bewilderment to immovable stillness, one could think the princess had finally lost it. “I`d rather you let me join.”
Would that presumption be baseless, though?
“Woman, you`ve gone seriously insane right now!” Keyaruga just blatantly stated. He felt no fear, no hate, only pure affection in the most perverted form. Fortunately…
“Shut the fuck up!” …the heroine shared that lust. Her fingers pulled the man`s head right next to hers, and the two shared a brutal, savage kiss. Their tongues collided, sharing saliva and air. It wasn`t long, as the man tossed the girl on the nearest table and started taking off her clothes. Keyaruga tossed Freia`s bolero and corset away, and with that his lips latched onto her nipple.
“Haa!..” The sorceress moaned, forcefully hugging the lad`s head with her left arm. Her right hand was gripping his hardening penis, caressing his glands and balls. The girl held onto the hero, as his own hand slipped under her white panties.
“Ah!..” Just when the hero started moving in her, Freia bit her lower lip. Although awkwardly, and not with the first attempt, but she managed to unfasten the man`s belt, releasing his manhood from the prison of cloth. The healer didn`t bother with a slow start. His two fingers aimed upwards, rubbing and stirring right under the magician`s clitoris.
“A-Ah!..” Even with Freia`s moans getting louder and louder, she wasn`t any less fierce in her onslaught. Not only was the girl`s stroking of Keyaruga`s rod was swift and precise, she also didn`t miss a chance to blow some air into his defenseless ears.
“Uh…” He grunted, and even shuddered a bit, yet the retaliation was fast.
“U-ugh!..” The lad bit the princess` nipple, making her wriggle. Freia`s vagina clamped the lad`s fingers with twofold of former strength. It was a silent competition, a test of patience and resilience. Keyaruga and Freia, Keyaru and Flare. Two heroes cast their masks away. One was determined and stern in his actions, even if also so short-sighted as to let his enslaved tormentor regain her past. Another was broken and in doubt, she had to live in obscurity, trying to tackle with her perplexed emotions, a mix of pure love, fear, and hate.
At least, this is how it was up until now. The Hero of Healing accepted her, which finally gave her that desired feeling of liberation. Was it the result of her being there, when he couldn`t sleep without screaming in a cold sweat? Or merely a test before another redo?
Whatever the case…
“A-A-A-AH!!!” …the sorceress had lost. Not only did she lose control over her limbs, her defeat was reinforced by the powerful stream of white liquid, coming right from her twitching urethra.
“Heh, ha-hah.” The man chucked, wiping his mouth. He stood victorious. He… finally felt at ease. He had completely broken Flare, and then let the princess re-forge herself into the woman of his dreams. What laid beneath him, trying to catch her breath, was anything but that chunk of cruel arrogance. What was a wretch became a toy. A toy, in turn, became his full-fledged follower.
“From the first princess, to a vigilante. From a slaver, to a liberator. We`ve come a long way, don`t you agree, my dear?” Keyaruga sneered, picking up the heroine with one arm.
“Haa… Haa… Keyaruga… You`re… after Blade, aren`t you?” She asked with a satisfied smile. The healer, on the other hand…
“Shh, Freia, shh.” He responded leniently. Not only did the lad creaked his teeth being simply reminded of that monster, walls had some ears as well. But barely did the man raise his free left arm to dispatch the spy…
“Apparere!” The Hero of Magic screamed. Her staff flew right to Freia`s hand, and the spell resonated with her flaming sign. And damn anyone who said it wasn’t outstanding.
A spy, dressed as a typical pauper, got crushed by a lump of rotting flesh, coming out of a black hole in reality itself. A second later, and the undead golem appeared fully to toss the corpse into the void of cosmos. Everything transpired beyond the wall, yet both heroes had their ways of seeing beyond such feeble obstacles.
“Nice trick. Though I wonder, when did you learn necromancy?” The lad pondered, watching the bull he encountered the previous day deteriorating in a matter of seconds.
“Nowhere… I just knew what to do…” The girl replied, sending her staff into the same dimension the dead husk came from. “Understanding all magic was creepy at first… you remember our talk about the elements, right?”
“Maybe. That Marduk loves you?”
“Well, it seems I can use it all… This is what a hero is, right? A vessel of power, a human playing a god.” The girl said sophisticatedly, touching the man`s cheek. “Let`s go somewhere inside. This hole in the wall makes me nervous.”
“Well, I like being watched when I show my greatness.” The lad replied, giving a memento from the encounter with Kailia a brief glance. Some people just couldn`t help but peek through the breach.
“I`ll be enough of a witness. So be a good boy and carry me to safety, my prince.” The girl spoke with undisguised excitement.
“Hm, you`re a killjoy.” The healer responded with a grin. Not only had the gore outside proved incapable of killing their passion, it only made their mutual lust stronger. “Prepare your hole for the… unforeseen consequences.” Keyaruga sneered, entering the kitchen he was about to wreck.
For Flare and Keyaru the evening had only barely started.
Freia. A name, Keyaruga didn`t even bother with. A moniker for his first bounty. A label for Flare Arlgrande Jioral, who the Hero of Healing took from the burning royal chambers.
“Freia?..”
The girl in question stood at the window. Her sapphire eyes shifted between the central square, full of armored men, and the window she looked through. The glass, aside from its remarkable transparency, was anything but special. Still, there was more than meets the eye. Specifically, how that entire place simultaneously existed in two, full-fledged, endless worlds. Their twinned room was the work of magical art, a godlike masterpiece, deserving years of studying by the brightest minds of the sorcery society, because this is how long it would take to unravel its secrets. The hero of magic, though, solved them in a matter of minutes. She could tap into that interdimensional matter even. Just like how the magician sealed the torn head of her father`s copy beyond a portal.
“Hey, Freia?”
But the most interesting question was in the reasons for such speculation. The magician did so not by the power of curiosity, not by a whim of learning. No, this was the only way of averting her thoughts from the fear…
“Freia?! Look!..”
“QUIET!!!”
…which didn`t go well. The princess turned around and yelled at Eve, who just succeeded in conjuring a healing sphere. The pink-haired girl almost hit her with a staff, she maintained an iron grip on. To the point where her own fingers and nails felt like bleeding. So was it any surprising to see that wave of bewilderment crush in the closest person there was nearby?
“Ah… I… I`m sorry, Evy, it`s just…” A moment passed, and Freia`s face morphed into a mask of sorrow and perplexity. “I just don`t know, what to do…”
“It`s about him, right? Keyaruga? The thing you yelled sorry for?” Fortunately, the black-winged maiden turned out understanding enough to feel the predicament that weighed on the princess` soul. “Look, I know you said you don`t want to tell me, but it`s just painful to see you like that. What`s happening?” The queen-to-be politely inquired, sitting near the trembling sorceress.
“Forgive me, Evy, but I… I can`t tell you…” And still, she struggled, holding onto the feathered staff, a weapon and a gift from her man.
“He abused you!” But Eve would not budge. Despite everything, she did not trust her savior yet. Not fully.
“N-no! He…”
“Ghh, I knew it! I knew there`s something off about him! Karu gantharma (this monster)!” It didn`t look well for Eve`s relationships with Keyaruga. The first didn`t know the truth, and yet she was ultimately right. What`s worse, Freia`s unconscious reaction confirmed all that worries. But what could she do? Admit everything? Say how much she maimed the boy before he did the same to the arrogant sadistic princess?
“Evy, listen to me… Keyaruga… He went for my sister!” And that`s why the girl had to get a grip, clench her teeth and stand tall. “She… is in charge of that column, and she came here to see us dead. Because… Because I let her down! All of this is my fault! My sin! Norn, Keyaruga, they`re the only family I have left! I…” The princess stumbled. Her worries were still there, but there was something else. A glimpse of hope, a passing thought. “I… still might fix it. I`m the Hero of Magic, I`m not defenseless. I can…”
“Stay here.” But alas, Setsuna, who silently guarded the door all that time, was not quite eager to let the princess go. “Master said to keep Eve safe.”
“No, Setty! He told us to get her to safety!” Freia corrected her friend, as her trembling legs drove her closer to the huntress. “I beg you…”
“No.” And yet, the ice warrior remained true to her cold nature. She felt a threat, not to herself, but to the very man who saved her from slavery. “Master Keyaruga is better on his own now. Setsuna will defend Eve. And Freia too.” The gray-haired girl said, crossing he arms on the chest.
“Please, I must do it, Setty…” The sorceress lamented, facing the she-wolf.
“Hey, can`t we just go all together?” Eve said. She was driven by an impulse to make something for the two, but…
“NO!!!” …it only united them against inexperienced maiden. Albeit for but an instant.
“Evy, Setty, this is my challenge, my penance for what I did.” The heroine said, lunching her staff in the ceiling. The rod of bloodied tree just vanished in the thin air. “If something still can be done, I`ll do it. Even… Even if I have to get by you, Setty.” The princess stated, as her sloppy posture turned into a full-fledged battle stance. No magic, no knife from behind her back, no dirty tricks. Freia radiated the pure determination.
“Hey, hey! Aren`t you just…” Eve rushed to the two girls, eager to extinguish the conflict. But barely did she approached them, Freia pointed two fingers right next to the kokuyoku scion`s forehead. Her nails were infused with swift lightning sparks.
“Be a good girl and get to your room, Evy. Now.” The caster demanded, without even facing the winged young lady. Just like a mother when she had to reveal her stern sight.
“…Pff, kanti sahi (do what you want)!” The response wasn`t one of the kindest, but at least Eve did as she was told. Along with slamming the door behind her.
Only two remained. Freia, the child of misery and luxury, a king and a whore, a princess, a hero, and now nobody, following her very kidnapper. She stood there to prove her worth to Setsuna, the proud warrior of ice wolves` tribe. The most loyal companion among Keyaruga`s, for the lack of better terms, followers. They stood motionlessly, waiting for each other to make the first step. The initial move that would determine the outcome of the entire brawl.
Freia denied herself using any of her spells. She didn`t want to harm her friend, especially after she got back with bloody stains on her. As a lone drip of sweat treacherously ran by her forehead, the princess focused entirely on her confrontation with Setsuna. A confrontation, which would only end…
“Go.” …with the she-wolf stepping out of the way. A shocking turn of events? Certainly. But even that didn`t cause the sorceress to drop her guard. She cautiously approached Setsuna, expecting some sort of ambush. There was no. Just a cautious stare of that bottomless aquamarine eyes. So…
Freia went ahead, but when she was just a step away from the threshold, the princess rapidly turned around and awkwardly dashed to Setsuna, to trap her in a… hug? Now that was a surprise. So much so that the ice warrior wouldn`t know, how to respond, aside from pushing the heroine away. That didn`t happen, though…
“Thanks, Setty.” Freia said prior to shifting to the whispering. “I do not deserve Keyaruga`s love. Never have, never will. He never had to bring me with him. But he did. And I`ll be loyal to him.”
Even if he kills me. Keyaru, you can torture me however you like, as long as you spare my Norn.
…
The sorceress, although completely unintentionally, mimicked Keyaruga in one simple thing. Freia avoided crowded streets, preferring the claustrophobic comfort of narrow alleyways. Somewhere from afar she heard yells of outrage, violence, plunder.
It took the magician a great bit of mental strain to hold her temper and proceed. She could just run onto the roofs, but that was too much of a risk, with all the shooting over superiority between local guardsmen and Jioral`s archers happening over there. The girl ran, sprinted as fast as she could. As the walls passed her blurry eyesight, Freia could only pray she wasn`t too late. Even if nobody listened.
But Freia proceeded, unhinged, relentless. Her thighs started to ache, the breath grew short, and yet the magician continued. Numerous roads and lanes she passed, and the city hall was closer and closer. The heroine was almost there, almost at the heart of the ruinous army of Jioral. Only one crossroad to pass…
“Hey-hey-hey! You, yeah, you, faggot, come here!”
It took only a single brash phrase to stop the princess. It wasn`t even addressed to Freia, but the voice… Oh, it was familiar to her, painfully so.
“N-no… Not her…” The girl grunted, taking a swift decision to hide behind the nearest corner.
“The hell`s your problem?” A man said. There wasn`t any special about the human, nor did he made any attempt to provoke the blonde warrior. But that didn`t detour Blade from pushing him in the shoulder.
“He-he-heh! You thought I would forget you?” The Hero of Sword asked wryly.
“I don`t even know you. Get off.” He coldly replied, turning his back to the offender. A big, humongous mistake.
“He-heh!” The crossdressing woman loudly cracked her neck, and the next moment she unsheathed the blade from her back. “FUCK YO-O-O-OU, MAN-SHIT!!!” And then, she pierced him right through the bowels, pushed the victim to the wall and nailed the body with Ragnarok sword effortlessly breaching the bricks.
“UGH!.. O-oh…” The man was yet to realize what had transpired, and he already coughed a chunk of blood, facing his ultimate dead end, both literally and figuratively. Unfortunately, only one being in Buranikka could save him now, and Keyaruga wasn`t there. Fortunately…
“A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!!!” …Blade viciously yelled, turning his head with a simple move. The pain lasted a brief second, as the spine ripped in two. But the cruelty only began. “SEE?! SEE, FUCKER?! I`M STRONG NOW!!!” Blade screamed, slamming the head with bare knuckles. Again and again, again and again the viscous blood drenched her clothes, her skin, her grandeur blue mark on the right hand. Blade went berserk, she punched the corpse with all of her deprived passion, with all the pumped up rage. The Hero of Sword smiled, while her tongue stuck from beyond the mouth. “DI-I-I-I-E-E-E-E!!!”
Second after second, minute after minute, the blonde woman never slowed down, as her fists stripped away the very flesh from the poor man`s skull. She stuck her fingers and pulled away the eyeball, just to munch on it in a violent episode of overwhelming madness. She even went so far as to take the energy from the divine armament to enforce her muscles. The holy aura of golden light… was used as a mean to crush some passerby`s head, until nothing but chunks of bone and brain remained of it. A horrifying view, sure. A tribute to sheer human brutality. And another memento of Flare`s sins.
All that time Freia couldn`t help but watch. She knew the man did nothing wrong. He was simply too similar to Josephine`s uncle. A cruel drunk, guilty of all sorts of violence toward the young orphan, the very reason the girl turned out the way she was at the moment. And Flare? Flare got her out of a jail, took her in, manipulated her, encouraged her man-hating behavior to the very limit. And now, the Hero of Magic couldn`t avert her sapphire eyes from the scene of carnage. Up until Blade finally stopped disgracing the corpse. Did it somehow ease the princess?
“He-e-e-ey there, kitty!”
Certainly not, for the maniac now turned her attention to her.
“Are you looking for a mate? You look so gorgeous, so… magnificent! I want you, cutie! Come to me, we`ll have such a good time together!” Blade, despite being covered in crimson viscera, despite her sloppy steps and revolting grin, resorted to banal flirting.
“Ugh…” For Freia, though, every word of her mouth sounded like some ugly gargling. Her heart was beating like crazy, she couldn`t breathe, even standing at the feet felt challenging enough.
“Calm down, cupcake! Come here, I`ll make you my princess.” The swordswoman chanted. The distance between the two shrank, and the magician was left with a simple choice: flee or fight.
“Haa… Haa… Fu-u-uh…” Ultimately, Freia managed to regain some control over her lungs. That helped little, as she was to face not some thug, but a full-fledged hero, a battle unit only Flare knew how to control. “But Flare… Flare is dead…”
“Did you say something, my precious? Hey, have I complimented your hair? Its so royal, so…” Barely did she finished…
“STAY AWAY, FREAK!!!” the princess sent an arc of bluish lightning. The spell sent Blade flying, but with that… “A-A-A-A-A-A!!!” …Freia got caught in a cage of convulsions. Something was very, very wrong. The sorceress` head was bursting from the inside, her entire body twitched in excruciating spasms.
It was a trap, obviously. No way Norn wouldn`t bring a potent magic disruptor with her. Unfortunately for the younger princess, though, Freia got a little bit used to the pain. Her training with Setsuna wasn`t for nothing.
“Princess Flare! Your Highness! It`s you! YO-O-O-O-U-U-U!!! YOU`RE ALIVE!!!” Just as the sorceress broke out of the tendrils of pain, Blade crawled back, using her bronze-colored sword as a crutch. The golden aura not only healed the wounds the impact left, it also cleansed the gore. But alas, no amount of magic tricks could… “Ever since I heard from Ranalitta, from the colosseum, I… Erm… Where`re you going?! Flare! PRINCESS FLARE!!!” …stop the first princess from fleeing.
Yes, Freia ran away. Burdened by the shame and disgrace, she once again resorted to sprinting. This time, though, there was no direction, no goal, nothing. Away! She just wanted to leave that place, escape her failures, both from the past and the future. The girl had no plan, only the feeble guarantee that she could brute-force her way with overwhelming magic potential.
The sorceress was wrong. Irrational panic overtook her will, and now the princess could do nothing but sob. She lost the battle of wills, and with nobody to stand between Keyaruga and Norn the fate of her sister seemed sealed. The girl finally understood the Hero of Healing, his desire for, and the necessity of the ultimate pain threshold. Something she despised so much, just for seeing the lad casually maiming himself, turned into the most desirable thing ever.
But even with all of that, the Hero of Magic found a new guideline. It was a stench of magic, the same that the horn Keyaruga brought reeked of. Now she felt the source of it. And it smelled just like the abomination her father turned Buck into.
…
…
…
“What have you done to the owners of this place?” The red-haired lad spoke with a smirked, overflowing with pure smug. A depressed sorceress on the verge of break, awkwardly holding her staff, looked like a complete opposite of the confident man.
“I… I used money… Your money, Keyaruga… I told them to run away…” The girl answered apologetically. She knew the married couple had a great chance of dying in a crossfire. The very people who let her regain some semblance of self-control. “They didn`t want to leave, so I… I scared them off…” Freia explained, pointing at a burn mark beyond the counter.
“A commendable deed, but why here? Have you been spying on me?”
“What`s with my sister?” The girl dodged the question, asking one of her own. Her voice trembled, brittle stance conveyed suffering, but her spirit was in the right place.
“Heh, are you asking me if I killed your sister? Wasn`t it me who told you she`d be just fine?”
“K… Keyaruga…” Freia replied pleadingly. She put her staff on the empty counter and sat right next to the man. She had to. Otherwise the caster would just collapse.
“Careful there.” Freia almost did, but the hero helped her out a little bit. “You look rough. What happened to you?” He wondered, examining his companion. The sorceress was hurt.
“I… No, it`s not about me now.” Freia persevered. Her left eye was filled with blood, and she was constantly touching her temples, but… “Please, Keyaruga! Tell me, what have you done? I want to know! I need to know!” The heroine pleaded, vainly trying to hide her inner hemorrhage.
“Calm down, alright? Let me heal you first.” The red-haired man gallantly offered Freia his help, but the magician just swept his arm away.
“No! It would hurt you. It hurt you when you… brought Kureha`s arm back.” The heroine admitted, taking a small potion of Keyaruga`s doing from the pocket on her corset. The princess struggled, her hands were shaking, but she wouldn`t let her man trivialize that mundane act of struggle. Freia succeeded. “I… (gulp) remember, Keyaru. (gulp) I… Haa… I remember everything.” Finally, after the last drop of the bitter medicine entered her intestines, the sorceress felt relieved. She had hoped to spare the remedy for later, that her body would prove more resilient, she was wrong. “Not that it`s some secret for you, though. You`ve been watching me, as I discovered the truth… It was painful, you know. Realizing how atrocious I was to you… Why? You could`ve erased my memories all over again!”
“I could, but it`s not my style.” The lad squinted, recalling the lessons of Bullet. Teachings of pain and subjugation. “I`m perfectly able to erase your personality, to make you a silent obedient doll. You made us drop our masks, Freia, so let me tell you one thing. First, I wanted to sell you. As a whore. Heh, you would be great in that role, considering your… heritage.” Keyaruga said with a nasty smug. A grin… that quickly turned into a face of sorrow.
“You didn`t though.” The pink-haired girl couldn`t help but notice. He knew everything about her, including her mother`s roots. It didn`t feel like an insult. Not after Flare had done to him.
“I didn`t. Turned out, I`m quite a possessive guy.” The lad shrugged his shoulders, as Freia gripped the tip of her wooden staff. “That`s why Norn is coming with us, whether she likes it or not. Some of the locals, by the way, tried to assassinate her, so I went ahead and butchered them all. Not like Organ`s men couldn`t handle it, but I won`t take any chances this time.” He deadpanned, glancing around the broken café and beyond. Just to make sure nobody listened.
“This time? He-heh, this time… You really did come from the future… Ha-ha-ha-a… That`s why I had no chance? That`s why you…” Freia helplessly facepalmed. The tale of dreamers from the merchant only fortified her hypothesis. But even so, to have it confirmed so casually?
“Oh, my lovely Freia, you`re so much smarter, so perceptive, so brilliant… when you`re not that fucked up, arrogant bitch. I guess, we just couldn`t carry those masks forever, could we? Pretending to be a happy couple.” Keyaruga waved his head, astonished by the absurd of this situation. If somebody told him about this before the restart, he would have laughed, and then killed the moron with utmost cruelty. Now, though…
“It… It just didn`t make sense otherwise. All your power, your skills. How else would you handle Kureha? How else… would you care so much for Eve, even though you`ve known her for just two days? And… is that why you let me live?” The girl asked with a glimmer of hope. A hope that it wasn`t always that perverted. That somehow, they could be close without all the pain, blood and charred flesh between them.
“You`re asking too many questions, my dear. First off, let`s make one thing clear. I love Norn. She… was the mother of my child. Or… she would be, but she died. Killed, blown to pieces right on my eyes, just after admitting she was pregnant.” The healer revealed the painful truth. His lips got pursed, an unconscious action, which Keyaruga had no desire to hide.
“Oh… Oh my gods…” Freia lamented, covering her mouth with both hands. The enchanted medicine healed her capillary vessels, but that truth made her squirm even worse than before.
“No, Freia. There were no gods. Only me, my power, and my rage. You know, what`s the funniest part? I met her, the woman who killed my Norn. Right here. I captured her, and then I raped her. Just because I could! She was my prey, she had to suffer, even if it was a mere fraction of what Norn felt when ripped apart by… He-he-heh! By the blue flame.” The man continued, and the more he talked, the more Freia wanted to puke right there. She slapped her palms, she whispered the words, and the pale green light imbued her entire body.
“Haa… Haa… You said… You met a goddess… Is this what you referred to?”
“Yes. Kali came right when I was done fucking that murderer. Told me her true name, tried making me side with her. She didn`t give a damn about me ruining her follower. When you have power, you can literally do whatever you want, and nobody will stop you. Not even gods, who gave us that might…” The man admonished, looking at Freia, with the mix of sympathy and guilt on her beautiful face. “We`ve been together for four years. If you want to imagine it, think of that month of drugged imprisonment, and add two more psychos to the pot as well. In all honesty, you deserved what happened to you.”
“No… No, I deserved much, much…”
“What? Worse? Listen here, Freia!” The lad snarled, abruptly jumping from the chair. “I told you everything because trust is a luxury, and truth is priceless. Not out of self-pity. You understand? Good to know that you feel guilt for what you did, but I`m tired of seeing you drowning in it!” Keyaruga exclaimed, holding the princess` shoulders. He watched, as her cute, sweet, yet sad face rapidly crumbled.
“Hah, you`re right.” In that insignificant moment Freia felt like as if an entire mountain fell off her shoulders. “Thank you, Keyaruga.” Finally, she blessed the healer with a smile… “I`ll follow you. To the very end…” Although, now it barely differed from the worst masks the red-eyed lad wore on him. “With only two conditions.”
“My, daring today, are we?” The man smirked giving a brief glance to Freia`s staff. It now levitated above the table. “Go ahead, then.”
“First, you will be nice to Norn.” The sorceress demanded, catching the reddish channeling tool from the air.
“It was always a part of a plan.” Keyaruga shrugged dismissively, getting ready for the possible confrontation.
“No, Keyaruga. No beating, no broken fingers, no excessive humiliation, and definitely, no fire rods in her vagina.” The girl spoke with ultimate boldness. “For that you have me!” She added playfully. The sorceress` lips were shaking, her sapphire eyes radiated slight insanity. She broke. Fell. Reached inner peace at last.
“Presuming I`ve agreed, what else would you wish of me?” The healer wondered. He couldn`t help but marvel at what his pet magician was steadily morphing into.
“Second. I don`t want you to rape anyone else. Not even that murderous freak Blade!” Freia said, touching the man`s cheek with her cold palm.
“And what if it`s inevitable?” Keyaruga asked, covering the caster`s icy hand with his own.
“Then…” Right in that moment, the sorceress` face conveyed such a bright palette of emotions, from mortal depression to exalted joy, from utmost bewilderment to immovable stillness, one could think the princess had finally lost it. “I`d rather you let me join.”
Would that presumption be baseless, though?
“Woman, you`ve gone seriously insane right now!” Keyaruga just blatantly stated. He felt no fear, no hate, only pure affection in the most perverted form. Fortunately…
“Shut the fuck up!” …the heroine shared that lust. Her fingers pulled the man`s head right next to hers, and the two shared a brutal, savage kiss. Their tongues collided, sharing saliva and air. It wasn`t long, as the man tossed the girl on the nearest table and started taking off her clothes. Keyaruga tossed Freia`s bolero and corset away, and with that his lips latched onto her nipple.
“Haa!..” The sorceress moaned, forcefully hugging the lad`s head with her left arm. Her right hand was gripping his hardening penis, caressing his glands and balls. The girl held onto the hero, as his own hand slipped under her white panties.
“Ah!..” Just when the hero started moving in her, Freia bit her lower lip. Although awkwardly, and not with the first attempt, but she managed to unfasten the man`s belt, releasing his manhood from the prison of cloth. The healer didn`t bother with a slow start. His two fingers aimed upwards, rubbing and stirring right under the magician`s clitoris.
“A-Ah!..” Even with Freia`s moans getting louder and louder, she wasn`t any less fierce in her onslaught. Not only was the girl`s stroking of Keyaruga`s rod was swift and precise, she also didn`t miss a chance to blow some air into his defenseless ears.
“Uh…” He grunted, and even shuddered a bit, yet the retaliation was fast.
“U-ugh!..” The lad bit the princess` nipple, making her wriggle. Freia`s vagina clamped the lad`s fingers with twofold of former strength. It was a silent competition, a test of patience and resilience. Keyaruga and Freia, Keyaru and Flare. Two heroes cast their masks away. One was determined and stern in his actions, even if also so short-sighted as to let his enslaved tormentor regain her past. Another was broken and in doubt, she had to live in obscurity, trying to tackle with her perplexed emotions, a mix of pure love, fear, and hate.
At least, this is how it was up until now. The Hero of Healing accepted her, which finally gave her that desired feeling of liberation. Was it the result of her being there, when he couldn`t sleep without screaming in a cold sweat? Or merely a test before another redo?
Whatever the case…
“A-A-A-AH!!!” …the sorceress had lost. Not only did she lose control over her limbs, her defeat was reinforced by the powerful stream of white liquid, coming right from her twitching urethra.
“Heh, ha-hah.” The man chucked, wiping his mouth. He stood victorious. He… finally felt at ease. He had completely broken Flare, and then let the princess re-forge herself into the woman of his dreams. What laid beneath him, trying to catch her breath, was anything but that chunk of cruel arrogance. What was a wretch became a toy. A toy, in turn, became his full-fledged follower.
“From the first princess, to a vigilante. From a slaver, to a liberator. We`ve come a long way, don`t you agree, my dear?” Keyaruga sneered, picking up the heroine with one arm.
“Haa… Haa… Keyaruga… You`re… after Blade, aren`t you?” She asked with a satisfied smile. The healer, on the other hand…
“Shh, Freia, shh.” He responded leniently. Not only did the lad creaked his teeth being simply reminded of that monster, walls had some ears as well. But barely did the man raise his free left arm to dispatch the spy…
“Apparere!” The Hero of Magic screamed. Her staff flew right to Freia`s hand, and the spell resonated with her flaming sign. And damn anyone who said it wasn’t outstanding.
A spy, dressed as a typical pauper, got crushed by a lump of rotting flesh, coming out of a black hole in reality itself. A second later, and the undead golem appeared fully to toss the corpse into the void of cosmos. Everything transpired beyond the wall, yet both heroes had their ways of seeing beyond such feeble obstacles.
“Nice trick. Though I wonder, when did you learn necromancy?” The lad pondered, watching the bull he encountered the previous day deteriorating in a matter of seconds.
“Nowhere… I just knew what to do…” The girl replied, sending her staff into the same dimension the dead husk came from. “Understanding all magic was creepy at first… you remember our talk about the elements, right?”
“Maybe. That Marduk loves you?”
“Well, it seems I can use it all… This is what a hero is, right? A vessel of power, a human playing a god.” The girl said sophisticatedly, touching the man`s cheek. “Let`s go somewhere inside. This hole in the wall makes me nervous.”
“Well, I like being watched when I show my greatness.” The lad replied, giving a memento from the encounter with Kailia a brief glance. Some people just couldn`t help but peek through the breach.
“I`ll be enough of a witness. So be a good boy and carry me to safety, my prince.” The girl spoke with undisguised excitement.
“Hm, you`re a killjoy.” The healer responded with a grin. Not only had the gore outside proved incapable of killing their passion, it only made their mutual lust stronger. “Prepare your hole for the… unforeseen consequences.” Keyaruga sneered, entering the kitchen he was about to wreck.
For Flare and Keyaru the evening had only barely started.
