TBATE- A force to be reckoned with

The Sands Of Time

Arthur Leywin POV :

Leaves crunched behind me. Sylvie had come out from the earthen shelter, but one glance was all it took for me to realize that it wasn't my bond, despite her physical form.

"Let's take a walk, shall we?" she said, and her voice was the same, but the cadence and pitch were alien.

Powerless, out of ideas, and at the edge of hope, there was nothing I could do but follow. For five minutes we walked, accompanied only by the snapping of twigs and the crunch of foliage under our feet. The myriad emotions within me congealed into a single black thought: This is the creature responsible for it all—all the misery, all the deaths. I wished then that I could reach out and pull Agrona from Sylvie's small form, wrap my hands around his throat, and squeeze...

"Whew!" Sylvie huffed, taking a seat on a fallen log. "Controlling this body even for simple things like walking is hard work."

"What do you want, Agrona?" I spat out vehemently, negotiating would be fruitless now that we've lost the war.

"A question I have no obligation to answer."

"If that is how it is, then leave. I have nothing to say to you." I wouldn't be able to hold this tough exterior for long.

Sylvies face contorted into one of surprise, an eyebrow raised, "My, you were more hospitable last time. What changed? Was it my decree for your brother to be executed?"

"Leave." I breathed out through gritted teeth, a scowl etched on my face.

"And what if I don't?" He challenged back.

The rage in me compressed into one dangerous point and my face calmed, "Did you know that my branch of aether is Spatium? That means the distance between me and you doesn't matter, I can still harm you."

"Oh? An empty threat, Arthur Leywin. We both know your control over aether is trivial at best."

I ignited realmheart, my runes brighter than ever and placed my palm over Sylvies forehead, "Does this seem trivial to you?"

The motes of Aether answered my call, slowly gravitating to my arm. I could feel the connection between Sylv and Agrona. Ambient aether followed my will and moved to surround this connection. Agrona actually seemed worried now.

"Spacial rend." I muttered, the knowledge of this spell somehow ingraining itself in my long term memory.

Sylvies body slumped down and I couldn't feel their connection any longer.

"A-Arthur?" Sylvie opened her eyes, confused as to why she was standing and why I had my palm over her forehead. "What's going on?"

I dropped realmheart and let the mental barrier, which I had been honing and fortifying specifically to shield Sylvie from the knowledge of Agrona's power over her, fall, allowing my bond to read my thoughts and memories unobstructed.

"Ever since you broke the seal that Sylvia had placed on you, Agrona has been able to take over your consciousness for short periods of time. Today, somehow, I severed that connection."

Sylvie's expression transitioned quickly from confusion, to fear, to disgust. Her mouth opened, as if to ask me a question, then snapped closed when she had found the answer in my mind.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Standing shakily, Sylvie walked slowly over to me. Her thoughts and emotions were hidden from me. Since I was still on my knees, we stood face to face. Her right hand came up and slapped me across the cheek with inhuman force, nearly knocking me backwards. The blow would have broken a normal person's neck.