As Noeth dragged him by the arm, Corwin tripped over a tree root and fell hard to the ground. “Come on, Cor!” his brother urged. “We need to get as far away from them as we can!”
He nodded as he stood up and wiped the dirt off his pants. “Is it really okay to leave like that?” he asked, glancing back. The sounds of explosions still filled the air albeit a bit muffled due to the trees.
“Why not?” his brother snorted. “They want to kill you. Why should we stand there and wait for them to do that?”
“But what’s about Priya?”
“To hell with her!” Noeth spat. Corwin noticed that he didn’t even bother to look back as he kept moving forward. “She lied to us, Cor. She pretended to care about us just to stab us in the back. I don’t care if we ever see her again! Why do you ask anyway?”
“Nothing,” he lied. Noeth stared at him for a moment before he looked away and continued to fume. Corwin watched in silence as he followed his brother. To be honest, he didn’t know what exactly he feels. He felt… Sad, he guessed. Yes, he was hurt that Priya wasn't forthcoming with them and that she tried to kill him. On the other hand, he saw how guilt-stricken she was afterward, and she did defend him from the God of Storms. He wanted to tell him that, but knowing Noeth, it would fall on deaf ears.
Besides, there was something else that was bothering him. “Hey, Noeth, am I really a cursed child?”
His older brother halted and finally turned around to stared at him. Finally, he answered, “No, Cor, you’re not a cursed child. I don’t care or believe what those two said about you. You’re not a monster – you’re my baby brother, and that’s all that matters.”
Corwin’s eyes began to water so he quickly wiped them away. He didn’t want Noeth to see him crying right now. “Where are we going to go anyway?”
“I’m not sure, but definitely someplace far away from here. We’ll think about that later. Right now, we need to focus on getting out of here so let get going before-”
Crash! Corwin yelped as three Dalenthi suddenly appeared in front of them. “Going somewhere, Lashival?” one of them sneered, brandishing his mace. The others snickered as they too drew out their weapons.
“Cor, stay behind me!” Noeth ordered, placing himself in front of him. Corwin clutched the back of his brother’s shirt as he wondered how his brother was going to protect him without any weapon. The Dalenthi didn’t seem bothered by his brother’s action because they advanced toward them, forcing them back.
Just as Corwin was about to lose hope, a light array appeared below the Dalenthi before it exploded, decimating them into smithereens. A familiar voice called out, “Are you all right?”
Looking up, Corwin found Priya flying above them as she slowly landed right in front of them. Her armor returned back inside her body as she looked worriedly at them. Boy, was he glad to see her! “Yeah, thanks to you!” he exclaimed, beaming. She looked taken aback by his reaction, but she returned his smile.
His brother, on the other hand, seemed displeased by her appearance. “Why are you here?” he demanded. “Have you caused enough trouble for us already?”
Her smile faltered. “Noeth, I didn’t mean to hurt you and your brother,” she began.
“But you lied to us!”
“I didn’t lie to you,” she replied briskly. “I just withheld some information.”
“And when were you going to tell us that my brother is a threat to the world?” he countered.
Priya hesitated. “I wasn’t going to tell you because I wasn’t sure how you would react,” she finally admitted. “Believe me, I do care about the both of you. I would never hurt Corwin unless I have no choice.”
“No choice!? Don’t give me that bull crap!” Noeth bellowed. “I had a hunch that I shouldn’t trust you, and I should have listened to it! Because of you, Cor and I are now homeless! We’re far away from our home and in some foreign country! Now we have to deal with your kind plus those Dalenthi!”
“Noeth…” she started to say, but he cut her off.
“Don’t talk to me! In fact, just go away! I don’t want to ever see you again!” he screamed.
At first, Priya looked as if she was about to leave when she suddenly changed her mind. “I’m not leaving, Noeth Rasson,” she told him. “Yes, I messed up. Yes, I didn’t tell you the whole truth for staying with you, but I’m not going to let you leave here. I’m staying with you whether you like it or not!”
“You’re such a stubborn little prick, you know that,” Noeth growled.
“Oh, the same goes to you too!” she retorted. “You refuse to listen to reasons and always jump to conclusions. Not to mention, ungrateful!”
“Really now? At least, I didn’t try to murder someone just because I was afraid of what may happen.”
Corwin could only look at the two of them helplessly. Why must they be fighting again? “Guys…”
However, no one paid attention to him. “Like I said earlier, I had no choice. Your brother was losing control so it’s either killing him or letting the whole world die!” the goddess shouted.
“Maybe it’s your fault that he lost control. You know, I just realized that he didn’t have that problem until after you butt into our lives,” his brother said.
“And what are you implying?”
“You guys…” Corwin repeated, but they continued to ignore him much to his annoyance. It was like the time they were lost in that snowstorm in Fravashi; the two argued while pretending that he wasn’t there. Just seeing them argue caused his head to throb once again.
“I’m saying that you’re the one who causing all the trouble,” Noeth implied. “And the sooner you leave, the better off we are.”
Priya rolled her eyes. “Oh, really? And what would have happened right now if I didn’t stop those Dalenthi from capturing you?”
Corwin had enough. Before Noeth could reply, he screamed, “Stop fighting!”
As soon as he said that, something pellicular happened. He felt something inside him consumed him as if it was taking away his sense of being. It was a strange sensation; it was electrifying and intoxicating, but at the same time, petrifying and debilitating. His soul felt it was on fire, and his head felt like it was going to explode. The strange thing was that he wasn’t in pain at all. Instead, he felt… Nothing. He didn’t know what happened when he suddenly heard Noeth shouted, “Watch out!”
Opening his eyes, he could only watch in horror as a ball of multicolored lights struck Noeth, who was shielding a startled Priya, from the attack. As soon as that blast hit him, his brother collapsed on top of the goddess. “Noeth? Noeth!” she screamed as she pushed him off of her, rolled him onto his back, and shook his shoulders to try to wake him up. However, his brother remained unconscious.
Corwin felt a lump in his throat while Priya continued to shout out his brother’s name and shake his shoulders to no avail. Did he accidentally kill his brother? Was he truly cursed to cause pain and suffering to his loved ones? As he was thinking that, his brother began to stir. Upon seeing that he was alive, a relieved Corwin rushed over to him. Thanks the gods, he’s alive! “Noeth, are you all right?” he asked.
Groaning, Noeth gingerly sat up as he rubbed his head. “I think so,” he mumbled, “although my head feels like someone pounded a sledgehammer on it.”
“You should rest for a bit,” Priya suggested. “You did bear the brunt of the attack after all.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Maybe I should…” Noeth abruptly stopped as he stared at her funny as if this was the first time he saw her.
She looked at him, confused. “Noeth, what is it?”
He didn’t answer at first as he squinted his eyes. “Ressi? Is that you?” he finally asked.
Ressi? Now it was Corwin’s turn to be baffled. Who’s Ressi? Was that one of Priya’s previous disguises? On the other hand, the Aerian looked stunned. “That name… H-how do you know that name? No one else but my colleagues knows about it,” she stammered, taking a step back.
However, his brother continued to be persistent. “Don’t you remember me? You promised to meet me at our secret hiding place so I can introduce you to your people.”
“Secret hiding place? Meeting my people?” Priya’s eyes widened with aghast realization. “Don’t tell me… Dalin!?”
He nodded as he stood up and wiped the dirt off his pants. “Is it really okay to leave like that?” he asked, glancing back. The sounds of explosions still filled the air albeit a bit muffled due to the trees.
“Why not?” his brother snorted. “They want to kill you. Why should we stand there and wait for them to do that?”
“But what’s about Priya?”
“To hell with her!” Noeth spat. Corwin noticed that he didn’t even bother to look back as he kept moving forward. “She lied to us, Cor. She pretended to care about us just to stab us in the back. I don’t care if we ever see her again! Why do you ask anyway?”
“Nothing,” he lied. Noeth stared at him for a moment before he looked away and continued to fume. Corwin watched in silence as he followed his brother. To be honest, he didn’t know what exactly he feels. He felt… Sad, he guessed. Yes, he was hurt that Priya wasn't forthcoming with them and that she tried to kill him. On the other hand, he saw how guilt-stricken she was afterward, and she did defend him from the God of Storms. He wanted to tell him that, but knowing Noeth, it would fall on deaf ears.
Besides, there was something else that was bothering him. “Hey, Noeth, am I really a cursed child?”
His older brother halted and finally turned around to stared at him. Finally, he answered, “No, Cor, you’re not a cursed child. I don’t care or believe what those two said about you. You’re not a monster – you’re my baby brother, and that’s all that matters.”
Corwin’s eyes began to water so he quickly wiped them away. He didn’t want Noeth to see him crying right now. “Where are we going to go anyway?”
“I’m not sure, but definitely someplace far away from here. We’ll think about that later. Right now, we need to focus on getting out of here so let get going before-”
Crash! Corwin yelped as three Dalenthi suddenly appeared in front of them. “Going somewhere, Lashival?” one of them sneered, brandishing his mace. The others snickered as they too drew out their weapons.
“Cor, stay behind me!” Noeth ordered, placing himself in front of him. Corwin clutched the back of his brother’s shirt as he wondered how his brother was going to protect him without any weapon. The Dalenthi didn’t seem bothered by his brother’s action because they advanced toward them, forcing them back.
Just as Corwin was about to lose hope, a light array appeared below the Dalenthi before it exploded, decimating them into smithereens. A familiar voice called out, “Are you all right?”
Looking up, Corwin found Priya flying above them as she slowly landed right in front of them. Her armor returned back inside her body as she looked worriedly at them. Boy, was he glad to see her! “Yeah, thanks to you!” he exclaimed, beaming. She looked taken aback by his reaction, but she returned his smile.
His brother, on the other hand, seemed displeased by her appearance. “Why are you here?” he demanded. “Have you caused enough trouble for us already?”
Her smile faltered. “Noeth, I didn’t mean to hurt you and your brother,” she began.
“But you lied to us!”
“I didn’t lie to you,” she replied briskly. “I just withheld some information.”
“And when were you going to tell us that my brother is a threat to the world?” he countered.
Priya hesitated. “I wasn’t going to tell you because I wasn’t sure how you would react,” she finally admitted. “Believe me, I do care about the both of you. I would never hurt Corwin unless I have no choice.”
“No choice!? Don’t give me that bull crap!” Noeth bellowed. “I had a hunch that I shouldn’t trust you, and I should have listened to it! Because of you, Cor and I are now homeless! We’re far away from our home and in some foreign country! Now we have to deal with your kind plus those Dalenthi!”
“Noeth…” she started to say, but he cut her off.
“Don’t talk to me! In fact, just go away! I don’t want to ever see you again!” he screamed.
At first, Priya looked as if she was about to leave when she suddenly changed her mind. “I’m not leaving, Noeth Rasson,” she told him. “Yes, I messed up. Yes, I didn’t tell you the whole truth for staying with you, but I’m not going to let you leave here. I’m staying with you whether you like it or not!”
“You’re such a stubborn little prick, you know that,” Noeth growled.
“Oh, the same goes to you too!” she retorted. “You refuse to listen to reasons and always jump to conclusions. Not to mention, ungrateful!”
“Really now? At least, I didn’t try to murder someone just because I was afraid of what may happen.”
Corwin could only look at the two of them helplessly. Why must they be fighting again? “Guys…”
However, no one paid attention to him. “Like I said earlier, I had no choice. Your brother was losing control so it’s either killing him or letting the whole world die!” the goddess shouted.
“Maybe it’s your fault that he lost control. You know, I just realized that he didn’t have that problem until after you butt into our lives,” his brother said.
“And what are you implying?”
“You guys…” Corwin repeated, but they continued to ignore him much to his annoyance. It was like the time they were lost in that snowstorm in Fravashi; the two argued while pretending that he wasn’t there. Just seeing them argue caused his head to throb once again.
“I’m saying that you’re the one who causing all the trouble,” Noeth implied. “And the sooner you leave, the better off we are.”
Priya rolled her eyes. “Oh, really? And what would have happened right now if I didn’t stop those Dalenthi from capturing you?”
Corwin had enough. Before Noeth could reply, he screamed, “Stop fighting!”
As soon as he said that, something pellicular happened. He felt something inside him consumed him as if it was taking away his sense of being. It was a strange sensation; it was electrifying and intoxicating, but at the same time, petrifying and debilitating. His soul felt it was on fire, and his head felt like it was going to explode. The strange thing was that he wasn’t in pain at all. Instead, he felt… Nothing. He didn’t know what happened when he suddenly heard Noeth shouted, “Watch out!”
Opening his eyes, he could only watch in horror as a ball of multicolored lights struck Noeth, who was shielding a startled Priya, from the attack. As soon as that blast hit him, his brother collapsed on top of the goddess. “Noeth? Noeth!” she screamed as she pushed him off of her, rolled him onto his back, and shook his shoulders to try to wake him up. However, his brother remained unconscious.
Corwin felt a lump in his throat while Priya continued to shout out his brother’s name and shake his shoulders to no avail. Did he accidentally kill his brother? Was he truly cursed to cause pain and suffering to his loved ones? As he was thinking that, his brother began to stir. Upon seeing that he was alive, a relieved Corwin rushed over to him. Thanks the gods, he’s alive! “Noeth, are you all right?” he asked.
Groaning, Noeth gingerly sat up as he rubbed his head. “I think so,” he mumbled, “although my head feels like someone pounded a sledgehammer on it.”
“You should rest for a bit,” Priya suggested. “You did bear the brunt of the attack after all.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Maybe I should…” Noeth abruptly stopped as he stared at her funny as if this was the first time he saw her.
She looked at him, confused. “Noeth, what is it?”
He didn’t answer at first as he squinted his eyes. “Ressi? Is that you?” he finally asked.
Ressi? Now it was Corwin’s turn to be baffled. Who’s Ressi? Was that one of Priya’s previous disguises? On the other hand, the Aerian looked stunned. “That name… H-how do you know that name? No one else but my colleagues knows about it,” she stammered, taking a step back.
However, his brother continued to be persistent. “Don’t you remember me? You promised to meet me at our secret hiding place so I can introduce you to your people.”
“Secret hiding place? Meeting my people?” Priya’s eyes widened with aghast realization. “Don’t tell me… Dalin!?”