Ruin Maketh Me

88 - The Return

     Leonard's ferocious red hair whips in the wind, it's undeniable, they're both here in front of me.
     "I thought you..." His eyes whip between Eirwen, Asier and me, and a frown licks the corner of his lips with a bitter note, "I suppose my business has been completely destroyed."
     Eirwen's thumb circles strokes my hand, and he shifts forward, shielding me partly from Leonard's sharp eyes, "You're a rather audacious thing, thinking that you could sell my lover back to me after stealing him away."
     Leonard's gaze narrows, and Asier steps in front of me, arms tensing.
     But Leonard only shakes his head, canines glinting in the air as a laugh pokes from his mouth, "I suppose I have to be grateful to you for being merciful and sparing my life, Salaben."
     "You should be thankful to Cynder." Eirwen says without pause.
     Leonard and Hoplin's gaze swims back to me with a hidden irony, "Of course, princess."
     Rather than discomfort, an almost wistful joy wells up inside my chest, and ignoring the coldness sparking from Eirwen's body, I make my way forwards towards them. Although Leonard still wears the same haughty expression, both him and Hoplin are dotted with blood, and loops of red-stained bandages coat their foreheads.
     "You two aren't too hurt, I hope."
     Hoplin shakes their head, eyes strangely unfocused and almost uncertain, "Have you seen Delia?"
     A shard of coldness lodges into the warmth of my heart, and I glance at Eirwen, "No."
     "I don't sense anyone apart from you all." Eirwen reassures.
     "Hah." Leonard sighs, tugging his claws through his knotted hair, "She's strong enough to cope by herself."
     Unanswered questions tumble through my head. What happened? How did I end up here? How did you survive? But before I ask these two ragged people anything, Eirwen points to a smudge of colour shivering in and out of sight behind them.
     "Care to introduce the others?"
     Hoplin's brows crease, and they step away numbly. Behind them is a familiar little girl in a pastel blue dress. Her lilac eyes widen at the sight of us, and she grips the chiffon of her dress tightly with both hands.
     "Fallen Luchus!"
     My mouth dries, and a buzz fills my ears, "How the hell did you get here?"
     "That's what we want to know as well." Leonard snaps, turning to Lily like a hungry piranha, "Come on, tell us, were you following us all this way?"
     "N-no, I told you already, I was in the academy with the Inquisitors, but I just appeared here suddenly." She lifts her rounded eye, "Believe me."
     Leonard scratches his head violently and steps ferociously towards the girl, forcing her back into the statue, "As if I'd believe all that nonsense. Even if your the demon lord's bastard, you don't have enough magic to portal all the way here."
     "No, Lily's telling the truth!" She cries, delicate fingers splayed across her chest.
     The chill suffusing from Eirwen's body whirls into a blinding storm of cold. Letting go of my hand gently, he stretches out his palms, iridescent magic flowing into the air in thick tendrils. Leonard's hand flashes to the black case beside him, but all Eirwen's magic does is roam the air like it's sensing for something invisible, lingering around us.
      "This is troublesome." Eirwen says, hands dropping to his sides.
     All eyes snap towards him in unison.
     "There seems to be a magic warp in the Academy.
     A stone crashes back onto my chest, and everyone stares at Eirwen disbelievingly except for Lilith.
     She nods, braids jumping up and down in the air, "There was a large commotion last night, and there was this big," she pulls apart her hands as wide as her arms would let her, "column of light shooting towards the sky. They cancelled all the classes, and the air tasted funny."
     "A magic warp there can only mean one thing..." Hoplin mutters, eyes wild.
     "Yes," Eirwen's hand wraps around my waist, "An Otherworlder has awakened there, at the Academy."
     Thump. My breath stills. Someone, like me, has come to this world and so close too. Hope, excitement, fear? I don't know, something of them all collides through my mind like a raging bull. If I could ever meet them, should I help them? Teach them? Be with them through their despair like Sol stood with me through mine.
     "The extent of this magic warp isn't as serious as the one here, but there's no denying it." Eirwen continues, "It seems that the warp has made a connection with the remnants of this one, you were pulled through a tear in space, am I correct?"
     Lily nods her head slowly, "I think so, there was a big pull."
     Leonard's mouth falls slightly open, "What the hell."
     The grip around my waist tightens, and Eirwen guides me slightly away, "Don't go back."
     I arch my brow, "Why?"
     "It's not hard to figure out that an Otherworlder has awakened there especially with all the commotion. The Voight family will go to solve the warp, and the Order will most certainly hire Liliths to monitor the Academy. You wouldn't be able to hide from both of them." His hand cups the side of my face, "It'd be too dangerous for you."
     "Yeah!" Hoplin pipes up out of nowhere, "You know Tessia, the violet head woman at the Inquisition, she's the Order's main patroness and a professor at the Academy."
     The image of the woman sends a shrieking screech of fire and repulsion through my fists.
      "Fuck," I spit out, digging my foot into the hard ground, "But Ralphus and Sol...They're stuck there."
     "They'll be absolutely fine." Eirwen presses, "There are other ways of contacting them."
      "Ah." Lily interrupts, skipping over, "I think the commotion yesterday came from where you used to live, fallen Luchus!"
      A swirling headache pounds against my head, and I support the side of my head with my hand, "Are you sure? Absolutely?"
      "Yes!"
     My throat constricts, and a thousand ants crawl through my gut, gnawing at my bloody flesh as they go. If I go, I'll surely die, there's no confidence. But if I don't... What if it was Ralphus?
     "Don't you think there'll be the freedom you seek in death? Everything's already laid out in front of you."
     Is this what Uhyls meant by 'laid out in front of me'? I have two choices and neither of them should be correct!
      "Cynder—
     A howling roars through the air, and before the statue, a dark slit cuts through the air. Iridescent light wraps around my wrist and pulls me into Eirwen along with Asier. But the ground shudders, cracks into a million halves, and an undeniable pull drags us towards the darkness step by reluctant step.
      Eirwen's arms wrap around us like an iron bar, light bursting from his body all around us in a bubble, "I'm here,", and we're sucked through. Light, lightlessness, weight, weightlessness, we spin and tumble through an oblivion colder, crueler and more alone than any portal I've been through.
      There's no sensation kissing my face, my body, my arms, and I cannot see, the only thing I can hear, still, in my ears is the breathless "I'm here", I'm here, I'm here again, again.
     Even though I can't feel him, he must still be here, yes?
     Thump.
     Blinding light flashes around us, and fresh air courses back into me. Eirwen's arm moulds into my chest, we crash into something hard, and when we finally come to a rolling stop, red light burns above us like that of a dying sun.
     I gasp, crawling upwards in Eirwen's tight embrace, "Asier, Eirwen, you alright?"
     A faint groan trembles from my left, and a dishevelled Asier with blood dripping down his cheek squirms to my side, chest heaving up and down.
      "Damn," My fingers tremble over the cuts marring his pearly skin, "Eirwen, Eirwen?"
     I struggle in his vice-like grip, and finally, a low groan sounds from beneath me, "I'm fine, don't worry." His voice is scratchy and hoarse but as calm as ever.
     A glow of iridescence covers both Asier and him, and within mere seconds, the deep scratches cutting across Asier's face closes perfectly as if they had never been there.
     Taking a deep breath, I give Asier a pat on the back and struggle to my feet, "Leonard, Hoplin, Lily?"
     My eyes adjust to the red radiance, casting everything in a bloody shine. In front of us, is the grand statue of the same winged man we saw in the square. Plain land spreads around us and rolling below us are the landmark stone buildings of the Academy shrouded in red.
     Eirwen's fingers wrap around my left hand and nudges my clenched fingers open.
     "What is it?" I say, eyes failing to leave the grotesque crimson scene.
     A strong grip pulls my head away, and silver eyes darkened with worry blooms into sight.
     "You're hurting yourself."
     I stare down at my hand, and the sharp sting of pain pierces through my palm. The silver bell Eirwen gave me lies snugly in my hand, but coating the delicate carvings at the rim are smears of blood. I must've been clenching on it all this time, so hard that the edges cut through my skin.
     "Ah," I run my fingers through my hair, face burning, "I didn't notice. I'm fine."
     Eirwen prises the bell from my hand and caresses my head gently, "You don't need it anymore, we're here with you."
     "Yes, yes that's right." I say absently, scanning the long grass, "Thank you."
     His jaws tighten, but he doesn't say anything.
     I beckon Asier between us, and make my way forwards on the hill, "Leonard, Hoplin, Lily?"
     Grass, grass, still grass, my eyes flash over the same things, again and again.
     "They're over there!" Asier calls, pointing to a darkened patch.
      Wordlessly, Eirwen casts a sheen of magic over the slumped bodies, and slowly, amidst the bay of the wind, aching groans and gasps of breath can be heard.
      They sit up slowly, eyes widening at the look of this place cast in bright red.
      "The hell is this..." Leonard trails of, ears twitching.
      My shoulders tense, and another onslaught of nauseous uneasiness treads through my stomach, "Hoplin, Liliy, do you know where we are right now?"
     Their eyes travel all around us without any system, as if they're in a daze.
     Liliy trembles to her feet, pointing towards the statue, arms smeared with mud, "That used to be in the Hall of Founders, I'm sure!"
     Hoplin's mouth falls open, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was in the Hall of Founders."
     "But we're outside right now!"
     "The magic warp's distorted this space." Eirwen says, studying the stone buildings beneath, "You want to find your Ralphus and the Beastian?" He turns towards me, voice softening.
     Bitter guilt drifts over the hammering of my heart, "Yes." 
     He nods, "Stay together, don't lose sight of each other. You two lead the way, this magic warp isn't strong enough to twist everything, we shouldn't miss it."
     Hoplin licks their lips and bites the inside of their cheek, "Right sure, you'll keep us safe right?"
     Eirwen makes no answer, only gestures gracefully with a hand towards the path down. Hoplin shudders, yanks Liliy with them to the front and hurries forward, looking back time to time.
      We make it down into the streets where towering Academy buildings line the grey stone pavement. Everything looks half familiar, half deformed, and there's not a single person or even monster roaming the too-wide streets. Asier runs forward after Hoplin, previous anxiety melted all away into a mindless curiosity.
      My fingers clench, and I fire a quick glance at Eirwen. His face is still stony, figure still full of commanding grace, fingers limp by his side, but the coldness surrounding him betrays his anger. Perhaps, I had been a bit too nonchalant about him.
      I grit my teeth and reach out, interlocking my fingers with his. He doesn't look at me, but the coolness alleviates and the temperature rises back to the uncomfortable humid hotness.
     "I've never been in a situation like this before."
     He nods, and his thumb circles the back of my hand, "I know, don't worry, I'll keep you safe."
     A woeful smile spasms across my lips, "I'm not that useless."
     "Yes, you're strong, Cynd—
     "Heyyyyyy!" Hoplin's half-squeak of a shout rings from the front, and the whole party stops with a jolt.
      My heart shoots upwards again, eyes crashing over the front, "What is it?"
      "Is-is this it?" They point forward at an open wrought iron gate.
      A mansion built out of yellowstone looms before us, and yet in the red light, all the warmth seems to leach out of the colour, leaving behind only an alien hauntedness.
      "Yes. This is the house."
      Hoplin's eyes dart between everyone, and with an almost pained nod, he marches forwards bravely, leading us into the ghastly courtyard and before the grand double doors.
     "Well," Leonard gives a cold huff, "Cynder go on."
     Hoplin steps aside, and I take his place, Eirwen pressing against me from behind sturdily.
     Riiiinnng.
     I pull on the bell besides the door. Silence echoes afterwards eerily. No one answers.
     Riiiinnnng.
     My fingers pull harder, cold sweat beading onto my palm. Silence.
     "Maybe we should try somewhere el—
     Whoosh!
     The double doors explode open.
     Ralphus rushes out, beautiful eyes wide open, white hair messy and tousled, proud brows wrinkled, stubble kissing his chin, shirt half tucked, and in a moment, I'm enveloped in his arms, his clean minty scent flowing over me.
      "Cynder," He says hoarsely, pressing me into me so hard, it's like he's trying to mould me into him, "Thank Merlow, thank Uhyls, you're back."

-

AN: Feel like I'm writing an apocalypse story or something (Actually am thinking of writing a apocalypse story tehe, but I got so many ideas, I can't choose).