Never Change

Book II: Chapter 44

Book II: The King's Dilemma

"And how would that make me stronger?" Raven shot back. Although she might have appeared aggressive on the outside, she was... curious, on the inside. It was a short, burning hope that Raven tried to squash out, but found she couldn't.

She had spent decades building up her strength, only to realize that it was no use. No matter if she was a maiden, if she was the most powerful huntress on the planet...

There was just no way she could beat that woman... Salem... She knew she had always been doomed to fail. As if reading her thoughts, Lilith smiled pitifully, patronizingly, like a woman smiling at a pitiful child. Her eyes flickered with a dangerous, fluorescent purple.

"Why don't I show you?"

Purple and black sashes exploded from the small of her back, darting towards Raven at a blinding past. Instinctively, Raven launched herself to the side, and just in time. A sash slammed into the trunk of the tree beside her, carving the tree in half like a hot knife slicing through butter. Splinters flew off of the wood, and she ducked away to avoid them.

What was that?

A bead of sweat appeared on Raven's forehead. She didn't often like to admit it, but taking that strike would have knocked her out, aura or not. What was this power?

"This is the true power of our Goddess Salem." The cold voice interrupted her thoughts, forcing her attention back to the monstrosity that stood in front of her.

"What are you!?" Raven backed away. Every fiber in her being was telling her to run, but at the same time, if she ran, she would die. There was no way out.

"A hybrid."

Was Cinder a hybrid then, too? Did she have the same sashes and tentacles that Lilith had?

"And Cinder?" she asked, part of her curious, but the other part of her wanting—no, needing to stall for time. Lilith was a superior opponent, and Raven Branwen only willingly engaged in battle if she was assured of her victory. But this time, Raven wasn't so sure if she could win, let alone put up a long enough fight to stall for help.

"Soon to be. She doesn't know it yet. Funny, isn't it? She suffered humiliation after losing her arm, and slowly, more and more of her flesh is being consumed by the Goddess. Her Grimm arm started off at her elbow, and now, it's almost up to her shoulder. A tragedy, isn't it?"

She was being tamed into a Grimm? Like a disease? Did that mean Salem controlled her? Raven widened her eyes, attempting to process the information. Before she could though, Lilith seemed to have grown weary with the talk.

Sashes blitzed through the space like bullets, weaving together like tendril whips. Raven leaped off to the side, but she was grazed by one of them.

The strength was overwhelming.

Instead of letting the sash drain her aura by shielding the area, she opted to take the attack with the minimal aura she had. It slammed into her abdomen with an unexpected, incredible amount of force, and Raven's back slammed against the trunk of a tree.

She grunted. That hurt like a bitch. Her abdomen and lower back had taken most of the damage, and her aura ensured that she could still keep fighting. It didn't mean it didn't hurt, though.

"Do you see now, Branwen?"

"Don't call me that."

"I don't think you have any room for negotiation, Branwen." Lilith's glaive spun in her hand, gleaming with an almost bloodthirsty, malevolent aura.