8: A Choice Without Will.

" Your hon, I think maybe it would be best that you abstain from visiting this is tavern for a while." Fred suggested, following behind his lord.

" There's no need for you to worry about the gossip of people my good man." Leo said, walking forward with his usual slight chuckle, "Why don't you help me see to how those two are doing?"

Fred stopped and stared at the ground for a while as he mumbled, "No response from either of them, what could have happened?"

He looked up to see that Leo had already left and with his mind still bent on the fact that no one had responded to his call, he opened a gate and quickly ran through it to arrive at the scene where Ciara was lying on the ground.

He could hear the footsteps of guards running towards the scene and quickly grabbed a hold of the young woman before moving through another gate.

The next time he arrived at the scene it had already been circulated by soldiers and alchemists who were inspecting what happened and taking samples as well.

" What happened here?" He asked, walking towards one of the soldiers.

" Sir Fred." The soldier said in surprise, quickly bowing his head, " It appears that a battle had occurred here, the two alchemists with us say they discovered the presence of two foreign Manas, one of which is most likely that of an elf."

Fred stood there in shock after hearing that. The main city in the human was a minimum of half a year's worth of a journey from the closest realm to that of humans. No being should have been able to cross to that point without being seen and reported.

******

He slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly into space as everything seemed blurry. His hands felt numb and his throat was aching. He blinked a few times trying to rejuvenate his sight.

" Where am I?" He finally managed to mumble.

" The pathway to your hell." He heard a deep resounding voice come from the side and his chin was forcefully grabbed right after that.

His vision slowly began to clear and the blue raven mask began to come into view. The dark grin and sinister laughter that had become his worst nightmare was standing right before him once again.

He tried to push the man's hand away but the only thing he heard was the rattling of chains. His hands had been bound and he was rendered completely helpless.

" Now then, where shall we begin?" The masked man asked, staring intently into his eyes with his usual chuckle once again, " I stood here a long time waiting for you to wake up you know."

" Where's Ciara, you bastard? If you dared laid your filthy hands on them I swear I'll kill you, in the worst way possible." He threatened, slightly panting.

He was completely devoid of energy and was still very tired. The only thing he needed at that moment was a good rest but of course, he wasn't going to get it.

A slap went straight across his face and his insides began to burn with intense heat that he began to scream in pain, it stopped a few seconds later, leaving him in great pain and agony.

" There's the problem with everyone in this accursed world. You made the choice to save all so-called other-worlders but always lacked the will to do so. What idiot in their right mind would think that I would actually leave those two fortunes worth after risking my life for them." He said, raising his hand to reveal a hole that had been pierced in it, " I gave her what you took and so what right exactly do have to speak when you couldn't even protect her!"

He stood there silently as the man's words stung him each after the other. Nothing he said was a lie, he never had the will to risk his life for anyone, not until he met her.

" No, you're wrong." He said, his voice shaking" I know... I know I didn't try hard enough for the rest but I took a different path, starting with her! So stop talking like you understand! I gave myself for her..., my sacrifice is worth nothing if I'm to let her life go to waste."

" And how you stop talking like you haven't already wasted it." He said, slowly walking around him, "You drew appropriately eighteen percent of her blood and left the wound open because your mind was completely engrossed with defeating me rather than saving the both of them the entire time. You can use long-ranged attacks within a hundred-meter radius, manipulating me with your clones while you take them away should have been fairly easy and yet you choose not to."

" Now your carelessness has left her barely clinging onto life, the same condition you left her in and yet, you stand here to say that you sacrificed yourself for her." He said, stopping behind him, " Who told you that your pathetic life could ever be worth up to hers?"

He didn't respond to anything he heard and simply kept his head bent and his gaze on the floor. His entire body was trembling and all the anger he had built in him for the man had suddenly turned into fear, the fear of failure.

******

As soon as Fred was done hearing what the witnesses had to say, he opened another gate and arrived in the room where Ciara was laid.

" Hey Leo sir, I would like for you to come over to the castle immediately." He spoke into a mini golden ball floating by the side of his face with his gaze fixed on the unconscious young woman.

He slowly walked towards her and that was when he caught sight of the bite mark which was on her arm. He slowly reached out his hand towards it and suddenly, her entire body turned into blue flames and vanished.