Sentinel

Chapter 20 - Understanding

Dedicated to Axeman. Thank you so much for the little comments you always leave, they never fail to make me smile. <3

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Chapter 20 - Understanding

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“What?”

Kiarae’s words hung heavy in the air. Skye felt herself pulled towards the ground as she struggled to stop her arms from collapsing beneath her. It wasn’t possible. She refused to accept it. There was no way that monster was related to the woman before her now.

Skye dragged her gaze to the silver-haired figure before her. Kiarae knelt, fingers wrapped tightly around her staff. She stared at the floor with a blank face, as if barely comprehending her surroundings. Reaching for her shoulder, Skye shivered as her fingers ran over the deformed skin. The person who’d given it to her was of the same flesh and blood as her teacher. Her mentor. Her protector.

How was that possible?

“Your... brother is the Master? The shadow Sentinel that holds you prisoner? The one that... that marked me,” Skye said, barely suppressing the bile rising in her throat. She swore she could feel the corruption running through her body, poisoning her thoughts. She knew it was there, but how bad was it? Was her resistance enough to overcome it? What if she couldn’t-

Catching herself mid thought, she forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. Kiarae would help her. The celestial had no reason to lie. The more she thought about it, the more control she gained over her thoughts. She had to make sure. For all she knew, Kiarae was talking about a different person. That would be a logical explanation. She dug her fingers into the carpet, waiting for a response.

The celestial stared into a distant corner of the room. A long moment passed. Eventually, Kiarae inclined her head slowly. “He is my brother. My twin, to be precise, whom I still care for,” she said quietly.

 Skye slammed her fists into the ground. “How? He’s evil! He’s completely and utterly--“

“No!” Kiarae’s head whipped around and she glared at Skye with an unrecognisable anger. She gripped Skye’s shoulders with her hands roughly, causing her to wince. “No. He is not evil. He is infected. There is a difference.”

Not understanding, Skye searched her teacher’s face for answers. “Kia, you’ve seen what he does. He murders innocents, he turns them into demons! He hurts you, how can you...” She trailed off, feeling betrayed. Did Kiarae’s loyalties truly lie with the monster she called her brother?

Kiarae took her hands off, placing them on her knees.

“He... he has never done the worst he could. To me, at least,” she said. “As for his crimes... that is not him. The corruption has a hold on him, Skye. It is no ordinary magic. It is alive in a way ether is not. It has the power to infect a soul, to bend and shape their personality, to shatter it completely. Once the corruption has taken hold, you will not recognise someone as the person you once knew.” She drew in a shaky breath. “There are times... times when he is lucid. Free of its hold. But they never last long... it always returns, and stronger than before.”

“It’s building strength?”

“It appears so. Its hold on this land is stronger than it has ever been.”

“How do I stand a chance of beating him... it then?”

Skye attempted to cover her mistake, hoping her teacher would ignore it. It was hard, watching Kiarae’s face line with sadness, but she needed to know. She needed to understand how she fit into this game of good and evil. Ignorance would only get her killed.