The Wordless Mage
Chapter 32: The Lies We Tell Ourselves

Chapter 32: The Lies We Tell Ourselves

"What was that," Lucien asked, his mouth agape in shock.

"Yeah... that was insane," Kaia added, twisting between the nightcrawler’s mutilated corpse and the blade Corien held in his hand, free of blood or any signs of attack.

The king strutted in front of them to touch his hand to both their shoulders, taking a moment to gather their attention.

"Perhaps I’ve been rather slow in informing you on the hierarchy of this world. There exists a military faction for our kingdom, composed only of the most capable knights in all of Laronia. The man before you is Corien, not only a member of the Vanguard--the five strongest magical knights in the force, but the strongest within them."

The two were taken aback at his words, turning back at Corien who stood unbothered, watching the demon occupying Rowan’s body carefully with his blade extended before him.

"Okay, but what just happened to the nightcrawler? One moment, insane amounts of aether were shooting out from his body, and the next, he got killed by his own arcana."

The one to speak was Elias, looking down at his own grimoire while speaking.

"Ah, you’re referring to my Ryudo. Once you’ve witnessed is but one quality of my ability, Nullpoint."

Corien spoke, still maintaining his gaze on Rowan.

"Nullpoint," asked Kaia.

"It’s a bit of a mouthful, but I’ll explain it to you as best I can," the king said, allowing Corien to pay attention ahead of him, "the same way water yearns for equilibrium, a river’s flow crashing through walls to balance itself, Corien exploits this concept, his Ryudo flipping concepts to reach equilibrium. In the same way the nightcrawler glared at us with ill-intent and attacked us with its full strength, Corien’s Nullpoint allows the nightcrawler to experience the same. He brings all things to Null, reverting it to its most balanced state."

The heroes looked between one another, their gazes questioning and their postures uncertain.

While the group were busy talking, Rowan was still trapped in the void, the burning flame enshrouding it with enough heat to cause sweat to roll down his face.

He felt whatever essence constituting him begin to waver, the hatred consuming him in totality.

"What’s happening," he asked to nobody in particular, looking down at his hands that began to turn into a translucence, "this thing’s hatred."

He could feel knowledge flow into him, except, it was his own this time.

The burning desire to destroy all was swallowing his ego, dismissing his individuality in favor of becoming whatever it was the demon was.

Thoughts of murder and destruction filled his mind, not even his own thoughts being preserved in the very back of his unconscious.

"Let me out!"

Desperate, he screamed for escape, banging against the projection yet again.

"Kuh."

The demon let a small laugh escape its mouth.

"What was that; you can hear me! Let me out!"

Rowan’s limbs filled with indignation, his face reddening from the reality of the situation shifting in a single moment.

He’d thought that the flames separating the two made communication impossible, but that was a false presumption. No, the demon relished in Rowan’s suffering, his irresponsiveness a bold attempt to egg him on.

"Hah, hah, hah," the demon laughed again, raising its arms up high, "Hahhhahhhahahhhah!"

The people above all stepped back from the demon’s theatrics, watching as its laughs grew higher and higher in volume.

"What’s so funny," Liora yelled, stepping forward to almost teeter over the edge separating the top from the large crater that the nightcrawler and Rowan presided in, "I know that’s not you, Rowan. There’s no way! You wouldn’t willingly make a deal with a demon, would you?"

It was the most anger--or any negative emotion--that she’d ever expressed, the sight moving Rowan to turn away from his anger and calm his nerves.

The demon, however, found it even more entertaining.

"Don’t talk down on me, you human cow!"

The demon’s black aether flared past its body to encompass the surrounding air. It was terrifying to all present save for a couple strong enough, and Liora.

She stood, unwavering, pointing her finger down at the demon inhabiting Rowan’s body once more.

"I don’t know who you are or what words you gave Rowan, but you absolutely must return his body to him! I don’t care what reasons you have, but can’t you use somebody else?"

The demon’s smile drooped, the aether falling just as much.

"Somebody else..." it whispered, almost dumbfounded at her words, "SOMEBODY ELSE!"

The aether was almost dense enough to ignite the air, hardening to cause real physical damage in the form of streaks and scratches on surrounding walls and rubble.

A small cut gnawed into Liora’s cheek, a trickle of blood making its way down, but still, she didn’t move.

She remembered his voice. The one who had thanked her. The one who had smiled, even if only once.

"What, is what I said so wrong?"

"Is it wrong, why, no, by all means, I agree! Whisk away others to preserve only those you care about, right? I agree!"

The demon’s words were the first that made her react, her stern face softening in realization.

"No, that’s not--"

"That’s not what you meant, right? No, it may not have been, but it’s what you felt. You humans are all the same, speaking about how humble and selfless you are, but only caring about yourselves! Is your concern for Rowan not just a primal desire to mate ingrained into your mind?"

Liora was disgusted, turning her head away for a moment from sheer disbelief.

"Why, of course not!"

"You may deny it, but that doesn’t make it any less true," the demon laughed, reaching its hands in front of it like claws, "especially with that nice little ’conversation’ you guys had last night."

The heroes, king, and church members all looked to Liora with the same face, her attention shifting from the demon to herself.

"N-no, it’s not what you guys think."

"But isn’t it," the demon continued, talking without enough volume for everybody else to hear as well, "although you two may not have mated, it’s clear that you possess feelings for him. Now, would I be wrong in saying that attachment is the most selfish any single person would do?"

Liora paused, thinking on his words for a moment.

"Even if that were true, love is unconditional, driving people to act for others outside of their own self-interests. To call it selfish is a crude misunderstanding of human emotion."

"Selfish excuses to justify your own appeasement. Think on it for a second--would you feel the same way if your body didn’t urge you to be physically attracted to somebody, or to bear their children? It’s foolish, the way you humans try to justify your selfishness. In truth, you are the most self-centered creatures to roam this planet, not me."

Liora was lost for a refutation, her face turning to the others in search for some aid.

But their eyes had already drifted to something far worse.

The demon’s hands were balling together, aether condensing into one single spot.

The air grew heavier; the ground grew wearier.

Rocks even began to lift, whatever effect the arcana had spreading to its surroundings.

"Get back," Corien said, "or else, we will all die--myself included."