Under the Oak Tree - Time After You

03 - Hell

A surreal shade of light surrounded her vision as Maximillian woke up from her daze. Unlike the usual golden rays of Anatol she was familiar with, the evening sky appeared to be dyed in an eerie purple hue. It was as if a million blooms of wisteria had weaved themselves into the clouds to form the array of lilac, violet and magenta.

"Lady Calypse..."

Maximillian shifted her head languidly in the direction of the voice calling after her. Her eyelids were still heavy and she could barely open them fully to acknowledge the man speaking to her. However from the gentle tone, she instinctively knew that it was Elliot Charon.

"Let me help you up, my lady."

Without fully comprehending what the knight was saying, Maximillian nodded her head and accepted his support. She heard some sound of metal chopping through wood and soon found her wrists to be no longer in pain.

"Th-thank you, Sir Charon. Rif-Riftan..."

Maximillian muttered feebly as she sat up. Her back felt prickly and she figured that Eliot was resting her against a tree. Running a hand through her matted hair, Maximillian tried to gather her strength back. A sickening scent immediately hit her nose, and Maximillian snapped into reality to realise that she was covered in dirt, blood and vomit. Looking about in horror, she was desperately tried to make sense of the commotion as fragments of memories began to drift back.

It felt like just a few hours ago before she was rescued from Breston and the dark wizard. A white light had hit her, and the horrified face of her husband surrounded in a halo aura suddenly manifested in her mind. She also recalled being constrained. Her body was in intense pain and her pleas for help were heartlessly ignored by Ruth.

"Riftan?!"

Maximillian called out desperately this time, her voice strained. She tried to stand up but her knees buckled under the pressure.

"My lady, you're still weak. Please do not move about!"

"W-where is Riftan?"

Looking up at Elliot, she pleaded at him for an explanation but the knight only avoided her gaze. Maximillian felt her blood running cold. Petrified, she followed the direction Elliot's face was turned away from and saw a group of knights huddling some distance away from her.

Narrowing her eyes, she could make them out to be the faithful followers of her husband — Hebaron Nirta, Uslin Rikaido and Ruth Serbel. Ruth... that idiot. Maximillian felt her heart beating faster. Recalling his passive attitude earlier, she yelled out his name furiously.

"Ruth?! You better e-explain what is g-going on..."

The silvery-haired man immediately turned in response to her voice. His usually pale face appeared to be even more drained from blood. Maximillian felt her blood pressure rising when the wizard regarded her with a panicked expression and hurriedly instructed the knights.

"Do not let the lady see this, hurry!"

Maximillian felt her blood boiling. She was exhausted of being treated like a porcelain doll locked in a glass cabinet.

"What d-do you mean? W-where is Riftan?"

With all the strength that she could gather, Maximillian clawed at Elliot who was trying to block her view from the rest. The struggle was a pathetic attempt. There was no way she could get past a Remdragon knight, especially not when she was in this wretched state.

It was at this moment of pitiable tussle when Maximillian finally caught a glimpse of what the knights had been trying to protect her from. Her heart sank instantly, like a merchant's ship brought mercilessly down by a kraken.