Chapter 6 The Last Thing I'd Do

I thought maybe it was the water-that was the common thing between the travels after all. The first time I arrived at Amperes it was through water. This too seemed the same. It made me think I could have portaled to the Aultik, that was the most logical way to explain how this guy could see me.

But the logic shattered when Terin looked in my direction. Her eyes searched around before she turned away.

The Terin I knew would have smirked and approached me if she saw me. But maybe she just didn't see me.

What the heck was going on? How could it be that only the guy could see me and why was he staring me dead in the eyes like that?

I've never gaped at someone until now. And the guy in question seemed relaxed as he sat there with his elbows resting on his thick, pants-clad thighs. The sleeves of his black denim shirt were rolled up to reveal his veiny hands, with muscled arms threatening to rip the material.

Terin held his chin softly and tried to pull his face toward her. When the guy didn't give in, she turned to my direction again.

She was staring at me this time, but her face had changed. What had become of her mouth was tentacles that stuck out like disturbed vines towards me.

I screamed as I forced myself to reverse, backside slamming against the glass barricade before the tentacles shattered the glass and instantly crawled around my body.

I felt myself back in the water, lying on something solid. Unable to breathe, my hands and legs thrashed as I choked on water.

The water was hot; not too hot to burn but enough to feel it on my skin.

My heartbeat accelerated to a point where I thought it'd cease as something slick, long, and stinging crawled around my body, slowly stopping the movement of my hands and legs when it held them in place.

The slick thing claimed my neck, and I felt its weight. I struggled to move to no avail. I heard my continuous wails even though all that came out of my mouth were muffled nonsense and bubbles.

I saw something strike the pool from above. It looked like lightning. And as the slick thing began to slither away, hands roughly pulled me out.

I stooped with my hands on my knees, gasping for breath and coughing. Touching my neck, I could feel thin lines of swollen flesh and they hurt badly. I figured that if I didn't have thick sleeves and a pair of pants on, my limbs would have suffered the same fate.

"What the hell was that?" I asked while catching my breath.

"And why are you here?" The Weimao lady asked before I looked past her to find that Keel's twin was gone.

"Uh... I g-got lost," I stuttered. Then I remembered all that the latter had said. "But you knew that thing was dangerous and saw me come here," I argued while looking at two other Firnes behind Weimao lady because they were definitely among the group that visited the pool.

The Weimao covered my view of them as she gritted out, "On the outside world, people like you yap about how they can take care of themselves and demand independence. I think you should do that more. No one here is built as a babysitter."

She grabbed my wrist and suddenly we were at the library. The musicians from earlier were gone and from the view outside the window, I saw that night had covered. As usual, candles were the source of lighting.

I could hear faint chanting and merriment but I couldn't tell its direction, as it sounded like it came from all corners.

Keel stood by a table, resting her hands on it as she slowly flipped the pages of a large, hardcover book.

The Weimao lady was whispering something to her before she replied. "When they keep their part of the deal and allow us access to the Aultik, make it look like Fandhalla is a Firne trying to hide from us. Have it look believable, even if you must hurt her."

"But she's already hurt," the lady's voice sounded faint.

But Keel snapped, "She's a Firne. She'll survive."

I didn't quite understand what they talked about or why they mentioned the Aultik. But it wasn't uncommon to hear it here because it was a household name.

Keel looked at me and motioned me with her fingers to come forward. I obeyed.

"Have you heard of The Book Of Times?" she asked while patting on a page. I carefully shook my head. "I figured. Here, we refer to it as Allegra's diary. She used to see so many things and, may the spirits bless her soul, she put them down."

Keel stood before me after placing an object on the page and shutting the book. "Gods! What happened to your neck?" She exclaimed; her eyes filled with worry.

I was going to reply but didn't know how to explain what happened. Then Keel craned her neck in the Weimao lady's direction. "Fiona?" Oh, was that her name? I figured it fit her attitude after all.

"It wasn't me," the lady cooed, one of her hands swiping the air for God knows what. "The Mephistophelian got to her."

Wait, the what??

"Oh, my dear! Were you hurt?" Keel cried out as she turned to me, letting her fingers slide across my neck. I nearly blurt out 'Like you don't see the goddamn bruises, madam!' but I sucked my lips together to keep them shut. Keel sighed. "I'm sorry, I can't heal this."

"Well, what was that thing?" I asked instead, but no one responded.

I caught Fiona rolling her eyes from where she sat on one of the musicians' stools as Keel traced a line of my shaggy weaves down to my nape.

The latter whispered, "Thillaendur."

"Huh?" I queried, utterly confused. Then Keel smiled and tilted her head to the side. I panicked, recalling what her twin told me about freezing the brain. "No no no! You can't do this! Fuck! Please, stop!"

I started to lose control of my body. And at a point, I couldn't fucking feel it. My sight blurred just as clangor forced its way to my ears. "N-no... pleas.." my voice trailed off with a slur as I saw the view in front of me turning.

It seemed like someone carried me because instead of Keel with her table and the musicians' stools, I saw some blurry unending top of the hall and the towering shelves of books.

Keel's distorted face came into sight, her muffled voice echoing despite the ringing. "Now, let's see how much of your memories you forgot." No! I started to choke up. Why were they fucking doing this to me? "Who attacked you at the Aultik?" Keel asked, and I didn't want to answer.

But my mouth just moved without my control. "Terin attacked me. Mae too."

"How did Mae attack you?"

I tried to nip my lower lip if that'd stop me from talking. It didn't work. "I-I was locked in," I responded. "She came to see me. But she suddenly changed. I couldn't fight her off because she was strangely stronger than me."

"Let's check how much of that is true." Keel's face disappeared but when it came back, a pain struck me in my bones and maybe my veins too.

It was as if jolts of electricity traveled through them, with the feeling that they were being rolled on and crushed. I didn't understand how I couldn't feel my body but could still sense the pain. Or was it all just in my head? Gods! Keel's twin was right, these people are heartless!

"Her memories were replaced. Not forgotten," Keel's voice echoed amidst the clangor. She sounded worried. Thousand fucks to her!

"Buh they weren't supposed to be," Fiona's too.

"Yes." Keel sighed. "Something replaced them."

"D'you think it's the bond?"

The bond?? What did that bastard do to me?

The pain came again and, worse, I couldn't even shout.

This time, I heard Keel grunting. "I can't go deeper," she said while gasping for breath. "They're there... but I can't... I can't touch them," I heard her talk quickly between pauses. The pain stopped just as her face disappeared from my sight. "Her mate is channeling powers to her."

For the first time, Fiona's voice was soft. "But no ordinary Firne can surpass a Kyriar's powers. That's not possible unless they're... Oh no... You think your suspicion might be true?"

Somehow, I could sense the tension in the air, but I was still by myself, battling with the feeling of bondage. My state was frustrating. The fact that I couldn't move, feel, hear well, or see clearly drove me insane.

Someone must have moved me again because I couldn't see the continuous top of the hall anymore. I was now looking at Keel as she drifted toward the table.

She blurred the more, to the point where all I could take note of was light glistening on the spiral rings clutching her arms and legs.

I didn't know for how long I'd been in this state. But I started to feel sore cracks on my lips. The ringing was replaced with migraine, my body aching and trembling.

When the blur cleared, I saw Keel bending over the table while seriously peering at the pages of the book she referred to as 'The Book Of Times'.

"What did you do to me?" I said weakly as I stood to my feet, ignoring that my body was nearing its limits. Keel didn't even turn to me, so I yelled. "You should at least tell me what's going on here other than forcing your way into my head without permission!"

Fiona suddenly zoomed in front of me out of nowhere. I moved back with fear, causing me to lose my balance and fall on my butt.

Another kind of pain hit me when she grabbed my wrist "Who says you get to ask questions?" She spoke through clenched teeth. "And what did I tell ya abou' that tone o' yours, hm?"

I shrieked as it felt like my gut was warping together with my spine.

"Fiona, enough," I heard Keel say but Fiona didn't stop until she repeated it as an order.

When the lady let go of me, I sat there, supporting my body with my hands on the floor.

I tried to absorb what just happened as my eyes watered.

And as much as I wanted to say more, I knew that opening my mouth meant bursting into tears. And crying in front of these people was the last thing I'd do.