The Reaper's Wicked Obsession
Chapter 85: It Would Be A Waste

Chapter 85: It Would Be A Waste

Isadora gave him a look that meant she knew nothing. The poor girl was about to go into the challenge blindly, a disadvantage the other warriors didn’t have.

He cleared his throat and sat on the bed, grinning ear to ear as his fingers pressed together.

Isadora couldn’t help but think that he looked like a child ready to reveal something fun. It was not exactly how she pictured him.

"There is an order of things in this Realm," he began. "The gods blessed us with tamed beasts millennia ago. To train us in the weaving ways that got passed from generation to generation... until weavers were born naturally," he explained. "Each of these beasts represents the elements of every weaver."

"But the untamed beasts..." he drew sharply on his breath, almost dramatic for what he was about to say next. "They are savage creatures, even a Fae cannot survive a battle with them."

"Are you saying the last challenge involves fighting such beasts?"

He laughed. "Smart girl!" He leaned closer, prompting Isadora to lean backward. "My advice is yield while you still can. I don’t like you and I wish you dead but..." He paused. "I think you might have potential."

"The last time I listened to you... I ended up half naked." She reminded.

"Fair enough." He rose to his feet. "Your death is certain when the laws know you’re a skin weaver... Oh did I not mention?" he said, feigning a regretful expression. "I already did!"

Isadora scoffed. "You’re as unhinged as Kraven, and that is not a compliment."

"Is that so?" His eyes lit up as if he had some kind of recognition. "Tell me..." he posed with his fingers on his chin. "Is it the looks? But I’m smarter though."

"Keep dreaming!"

"Oh, you admit Kraven is more handsome than me then."

Isadora froze and quickly spoke. "B-Both of you look like shit!"

He lifted his head back and burst into laughter, so loud that the other skin weavers tending to patients shushed him.

Logi simply waved them off as a mere nuisance and faced Isadora. "You’re cute when you lie," he said, turning his back to leave but then paused, his smile fading slowly.

"Just the inner thoughts..." He threw a look over his shoulder. "Don’t yield until the end."

Isadora narrowed her eyes at his words, they sounded sincere. "I thought that was what you wanted."

"It’s not fun if you give up so easily... after everything you’ve faced to get to this point, it’ll be a waste," he said, before walking away.

Isadora gulped, taking in his words and how true they were. Would it really be meaningless if she stopped now?

Her fist tightened against the sheets. Her mind reeling about everything he had said. She knew that... but she was afraid. What she experienced during the other challenges still felt like a fresh nightmare.

A snap of a finger snapped out of her thoughts, and she turned her head to Vanya.

"H-How long have you been awake?"

Vanya shrugged before signing. "Enough to know you’re friendly with the commanders"

Isadora shifted uncomfortably. "I-It’s not what you think."

Vanya rolled her eyes and signed. "The warriors to be, are not given the knowledge of which beast they’ll face."

"So we are left to wonder? What about information that can help, it’s unthinkable to go in blindly."

"They don’t give us the knowledge. But what we do know is the non-weavers fight the Faceless. I’d take the beasts anytime than fight that demon."

"Then how am I supposed to know which Sigil beast represents the skin weavers?"

And thanks to Logi, Isadora didn’t have the chance to play safe if it turned out worse.

"Same way I don’t know mine, it’s meant to be some big reveal. The beasts are ancient so only a handful know about them, they use that to their advantage."

’Sounds like a plan crafted by Logi,’ she thought, sighing, suddenly wishing she did not heal his hand, and allowed him to suffer the fate of a handicap.

"Don’t worry, we’ll be ready," Vanya signed, but paused, her hand shaking briefly. "If you don’t want to drop out..."

Isadora’s heart raced, she heard that too? She faced ahead, her eyes leveled on her hand as her anxiety broke through her, her nails biting each other.

"I don’t think I should." She lifted her gaze and a smile found her lips. "It’d be a waste after coming so far."

~♧~

After a few more days of rest—Isadora finally recovered.

Yet there was no time to waste. The last challenge was in a week and Vanya still needed to teach Isadora more.

They headed to the training grounds, the thousand steps of endurance, suddenly a breeze and regular exercise.

"Okay." Isadora inhaled, holding onto her wooden sword.

Vanya had a smug smile on her lips. In a heartbeat, she lunged at Isadora, but she quickly shifted to the other side—only to misstep and tumble to the ground.

Vanya laughed inaudibly.

"It’s hard!" Isadora said, rubbing her hurting butt from the fall.

It was difficult to maintain balance when she tried to reduce the flow of her aura, it was like focusing on two things at once.

Pulling some strand of her sleek black hair behind her ear, Vanya stretched her hand out for Isadora, she took it and yanked her up.

"You think about things too much," Vanya signed.

Isadora shrugged. Her life had been from one bottom to another. How can she not? It was difficult not to overthink everything.

Especially when a particular silver-eyed devil had plagued her mind for days.

She had scolded herself not to multiple times, but it was hard. Why was she thinking about him? It was frustrating!

Vanya snapped her fingers to catch her attention. "There it is again."

"What?"

Vanya sighed, knowing Isadora hadn’t completely grasped her signs. She widened her eyes, pointing to her head, and made circles while sticking out a tongue.

Isadora snorted a laugh. "If you’re trying to be funny then it’s working." She bit her lip, unable to contain it any longer.

She burst into laughter, and let out a loud snort, disrupting the others’ training as they shot her strange looks.

"Sorry!" she chirped, quickly covering her mouth.

Vanya’s shoulders shook as the amusement racked through her body, while Isadora struggled to hold hers back, and not embarrass herself again.