Onofre tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly as her gaze finally locked onto Phronta. "And who's this? You picked up a stray, boyo?" Her voice carried a bemusement edged with the slightest curiosity.
Phronta quivered under the scrutiny, the silence thudding in her ears like a heartbeat. She stepped closer to Zabulus, but he felt no tension in this movement of hers; it was more as if she was resigned to this already.
"I'm..." she began, her voice faltering before finding its footing again. "I'm Phronta."
Onofre raised an eyebrow, an amused smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Well, aren't you just soft-spoken! I hope you're not here to put me to sleep." She chuckled, tilting her head back with a confidence that bordered on arrogance.
Zabulus scratched his head awkwardly with one of his four hands, trying to read some sort of expression from Phronta. Her face, usually so timid and hidden, seemed to carry a certain fear now.
"We're staying for a while," he said, glancing between the two women, gauging the distance between them in ways both metric and emotional. "I know it's sudden, but there's been... things going on recently."
Onofre waved a dismissive hand, her laughter now a little more wary. "You're always in some mess or another. Must be your natural state of being." Her gaze flicked back to Phronta, searching this time with a sharper edge. "And you've got yourself tangled up in it too, hmm?"
"Y-yes," Phronta answered softly, her eyes meeting Onofre's with a defiance that surprised even herself. "T-though it seems I've been tangled up m-more than I intended..." The words tasted bitter on her tongue, the memory of Onofre's little prophecy continuing to linger on her mind.
She continued to hope that no matter what, Onofre will not realize who she is, but she knew little of what the White Queen was capable of... Though, all seemed fine for now.
"Well, you're here now," Onofre said with a shrug, her interest already starting to wane. "Guess I'll have to get used to your quiet face around the place."
Phronta nodded, the gesture small like a flinch. There was no joy in it, only the tremor of acceptance.
Zabulus took a breath like he had just remembered how, relief washing over his posture. "See? No problem at all," he said, though his words seemed more like wishful thinking than certainty.
The guards shifted around them, their presence a constant reminder of where they stood and how far from sanctuary Phronta felt. The city loomed behind her, alive with murmurs she couldn't unhear.
"Show her the ropes while you're here, will you?" Onofre's voice broke through her thoughts. She stretched lazily, then grinned at Zabulus. "And don't you dare leave without telling me again or I'll wring your neck, really!"
"What do you mean show her the ropes!? I know as little as a child about this damned place! You'd be better off doing it yourself!" Zabulus's protest was met with a playful swat from Onofre, her laughter ringing out like a bell.
"Ah, you're hopeless! Maybe you'll learn something while you pretend to be useful, boyo." She winked, then turned and sauntered back into the tower, her presence as overwhelming as her exit was abrupt.
Left standing in the open, Phronta and Zabulus exchanged a glance. The guards stared with sullen eyes that betrayed nothing of their thoughts, forming a wall of suspicion between them and the city beyond.
"She's not that bad," Zabulus said, his voice low so only Phronta could hear. "And she didn't see through you either. You'll be fine."
Phronta nodded again, though this time her fingers clutched at the fabric of her robe. "Safe," she echoed, the word barely more than an exhalation.
"What are you two doing? Come follow!" She hurriedly tried to lead them into the all-white spire, her voice echoing down a long hall.
Zabulus shrugged, the gesture a peculiar blend of lightheartedness and unease. "Stay with me."
They followed, Phronta holding tight to Zabulus as they crossed the threshold of the gate, leaving the city behind for the stale silence of the interior. The walls soared above them like alabaster cliffs, cold and impersonal.
Phronta shivered. There was a chill here that had nothing to do with temperature. A feeling of isolation draped over her like a thick cloak, heavy... terrible...
She felt her knees nearly give in due to the sheer amount of fear and uncertainty in her heart.
Zabulus caught her before she fell, steadying her against the trembling. He said nothing, but his presence was solid for her, anchoring her back to being able to properly walk.
They moved deeper into the tower, Onofre always just ahead, her form a flash of white and light-blue in the overwhelming pallor. She led them through corridors that twisted like thoughts half-formed, each turn more disorienting than the last.
'This place wasn't... so directionally challenged before, was it? I could be misremembering.' Zabulus thought to himself. 'And where could she be leading us? Not back to that war-room, I hope...' Conditions met without even a sigh of relief, that place never really left him feeling too comfortable, even if he was there for less than ten minutes.
She led them into a chamber larger than seemed possible, the ceiling lost in clouds. The walls were lined with shelves, each one crammed full of maps and parchments. A table dominated the center, heaped with scrolls like the aftermath of some scholarly storm.
"This is where you'll be staying, boyo and woman!" Onofre announced, gesturing around as if presenting a grand palace.
Zabulus stared at the piles with what could only be described as horror. "Here? This doesn't even look like a proper-" Room. He meant to say, but he never truly stayed in a proper room throughout his life. Hazy memories of a reflective-glass house and a murmur that never left in his mind.
"Don't complain, okay boyo? This is the best I have right now, I mean... hell, If you saw my room your mind would be in shambles! Really!" She proudly said with confidence, as if having a stuffy or uncomfortable room was something to brag about...
Phronta looked around, the room's silence feeling comforting after the humiliation she felt outside. Stepping away from Zabulus's side for the first time in this place, she moved hesitantly toward a shelf to look at a book that caught her eye.
'Enker's Malice', it read on the spine.
"E-excuse me... Are we allowed t-to read these...?" She questioned in a low tone, so low that you could mistake it for the wind. So low... She could even be the wind!
"Yes! Tinker with whatever you like until you find a bed under all that mess!" Onofre waved a hand as if telling her to touch the book. "And don't touch anything I wouldn't! Not that there is anything I wouldn't touch... ha!" Her voice trailed off as she disappeared into the hallway, leaving them surrounded by the quiet of the room, with no proper guidance as to what to do here.
Just... Lead and dropped in a room, nothing else said, nothing else known.
"I know, you're tired and confused right now. Probably, but it wasn't that bad, was it? After all, she's a good person. She even gave a stranger a place to stay in... Though it is weird that she never considered that you might have your own place. I think." He said as he sank to the floor with an exaggerated sigh, pushing aside books and scrolls to make space for his knees.
His speech was met with only a faint, lingering whisper, "Okay... okay... okay..." that seemed more of a desperate prayer than a reply. "I... Think I shouldn't be here... This might sound obsessive of me but... Am I an issue right now? To you, to the potential outcome... or just me?" Her face was cast to the side, she had a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes as she cast her mind off the questions that swirled in her head.
Zabulus noticed her face. "Don't you ruin that smile, my little willow tree!" His random burst of positivity seemed to somewhat sway her smile, but it did not reach her eyes yet.
"Geez, do you really have to put it that way? Aren't you an adult in terms of age?" She said as the corners of her mouth reluctantly formed the same shape as it did before. "You never did answer my question though."
"Are you an issue? Why would you be an issue? I've chosen to help you on my own accord, okay? No strings attached!" Zabulus stated before letting a laugh escape, causing her to relax a little, or a lot.
'Is my own perspective ever real in these situations? Damn me... I shouldn't ruin such a moment.' She said to herself in her head.
But the moments kept coming, and so did Phronta's stubbornness to have more talks.
She turned around as the conversation ended and picked up that book once again, 'Enker's Malice', and took it towards a spot where less books lay and sat down in a cross-legged way. She opened up the book, with a picture of a red child's face on the right with black tears, his hair a gradient of white-black at the tips. She traced a hand along the child's figure, her pale finger barely touching its shape. 'Seems you're a depressive fellow,' she said to herself before flipping through pages that were colored to be the color of blood, but the shapes are incomprehensible to her.
And when the pages turned further, the book got darker, literally. Soon enough, the pages turned almost completely pitch-black, she slammed the book shut instantly, her body beginning to quiver from some sort of adrenaline. She then got up and placed it back where she found it. "Guess I didn't want to read that anymore, eh?" She joked to herself, nobody hearing her little jab at herself.
She let out a breath, and gazed off to where Zabulus sat. He had his hands full with scrolls, his 'head' focused on something within one's range of vision and his mouth babbling. With an image of that in mind, a smile crawled across her face, reaching her eyes and allowing her to see her surroundings with clarity and delight.
In a moment of thought, she realized she shouldn't feel this way within such a situation she and Zabulus have entered. Especially for his safety, her entire existence here was a ticking time bomb that was begging to be set off. And just remembering this fact... gave her an even deeper sense of fear in this already overwhelming situation. A moment of happiness overturned into a pit of anxiety...
"Phronta?" A familiar voice sounded out, a face looking down at her, his expression showing worry. "Are you okay?"
"H-huah?!" Caught by surprise, she glanced around, her own breathing sounding more rapid in the silent air of the room, she gazed back, his 'eyes' making contact with hers as she said, "Oh... Oh, yeah... Y-yeah... I'm just... Scared..." She breathed, "Very... very scared..."
"But... how can I complain? Haha... Look, I'm more afraid about the outcome of your life if the White Queen finds out, Zabulus, more t-than my own. That's how scared I am!" She exclaimed before pausing for a few seconds, then finishing it by saying, "B-but I also feel hopeful, really... Like you're here to save me." The words that come out her mouth do not reach her feelings, but her thoughts cannot describe the feeling, there aren't enough words that could describe it.
"I can only do this because of what I have done, if I'm not the result of it all, then it would never happen." He spoke, his hands expressing a tone of sincerity.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, the entrance to the room was now wide open. A guard entered the room and looked around at the sheer mess in the room, her mouth moving without noise. Then... an inhale, and air getting stuck, for she saw the both of them. The Azkite that stole her light, and a wall-dweller in the tower.
One of the two, she aimed for.
A blade drawn and blood beginning to form and siphon around it, she took a deep and tense breath as it walked closer to him.
No words were said by Ixothrozophella, who went straight for Zabulus.
The aim of her blade was a major target on his body, as it was meant to pierce his stomach. But as her foot left the ground for the stabbing motion, it all happened in slow motion, at least for her.
Zabulus assessed her trajectory, dodging the blade just as he moved to the left and asking, "Woah! W-what's this about?!"
"Failure is imminent, is it not? You weren't too sharp back then, nor are you sharp now." Ixothrophella's words sounded more aggressive than they should be... More... Determined? It's as if, after seeing her failure in a near miss, that she would go farther than anyone has, with one exception: Make sure that the wall dweller lives to see this, live to see her growth and power! To be admired by someone else for destroying and killing evil, to be finally accepted by the one she looked up to her entire life. To be respected, and not thrown away to be treated like she was less than she should be! To feel the ecstasy of success first hand!
The gaze of the two met, her eyes staring into his void of a vision, and her hands began to flow with crimson... An overwhelming red that splashed and stained the color white, even to her hands, even to the white tower.
Phronta shook in her spot, covering her eyes and hoping none of this would end badly, she hid in a corner with plenty of books hiding her away, like a scared kid in a locker, a small noise being able to be heard if one was right behind the locker and listened.
With the action at a sudden stop, Zabulus reacted to the atmosphere with his body rather than his words. He didn't want to hurt the person who was attacking him. Even though, as far as he can tell, she was attacking with murderous intent. The way she looked into him was terrifying to Phronta. But Zabulus... He didn't see it. And neither could he, as Ixothrozophella stepped alone in a way he hadn't seen before, an aggressiveness of such, that it looked as if she would pounce any second... Any second, she moved, a huge distance between her and Zabulus.
"Do you remember me... Azkite? Or has the sunlight given you some sort of mind disorder?! Too much stress?" She took another step to the side as she spoke and continued to close the distance between them, "Not so much of a monster anymore, huh? Do you perhaps wanna run from a battle you could not win!? Not very monster-like if you ask me... You pile of shit!" She lunged forward, not in a stabbing fashion, but a ducking down type of attack.
'What the hell is this tactic?! How does she think she's gonna-'
He had no time to finish his sentence in his head, as he was shoved onto the ground with Ixothrozophella as she gripped the sides of his chest and, 'She must have no intent in killing me? Right?'
As the last letter of the thought in his head escaped, she slammed him on the ground in a fashion that stunned him, "What now, huh?! Still want to make me lose my light?! Still want to steal all my pride!? Not even one word from you? What the fuck is wrong with you? Now look at me, the better one. Not an inferior fool in this room who wishes for others to look at her, at someone like a tool and only a tool. Someone who has their own light and knows exactly where to use it, not a girl who doesn't know what their own light even is!" Her tantrum reached a peak point and turned around, giving Phronta the time to intervene and latch her arms onto her from behind.
"P-please stop! W-we don't know what's going on a-and-" Before she could continue to plead her case, Ixothrozophella threw Phronta off with only a push back knocking her over, standing over Zabulus with an expression on her face. An expression... manic and disgusted, twitching from her rage. The grin across her face said it all, She'd kill him.
But Zabulus had plans to live, knocking her off her feet by thrusting his leg upwards, with a kick that caused a sound louder than a whisper to ring. Ixothrozophella went flying backwards a small amount before landing and sliding forward on her own. She had a laugh escaping her lungs as her crazed look stayed the same and her breathing slowed down.
"Do you know what it took me to get here? To lie to my own progenitor and save the light for someone who's inferior?" The words cut through the air as she rushed towards Zabulus who was now standing; his center of mass being brought backwards as a way to balance. A sword swung horizontally, attempting to bisect his chest as it swung, her expression being filled with an emotion, a rush of pride, or that was the mask to cover the despair of her action's failure. As the swing whiffed his upper torso, leaving a gap enough for him to easily walk in and... punch. He landed a gut punch. That hit hurt his fist as much as it hurt her torso. And as the world kept spinning, so did she... She landed against the white wall with her own blood splattered all around. A stuttering laugh coming from her lungs. She had only a second to stare at Zabulus before she kicked herself off the wall to begin another round of combat.
"P-please! Can we h-have a civilized discussion!" Phronta begged Ixothrozophella from the sideline as books and scrolls started raining from the shelves above, Zabulus stood there with a bloodied fist as the rain of paper would create a higher ground for his position.
But even the sounds of books dropping were muffled, a ringing was forming in his ears... A voice, a familiar voice.
'....'s...'s...! Geez man, are you just a puppet without strings, huh!? Are you going to listen to me at any point?! Oh, I'm through!' Vetro's voice echoed through his soul in an echo of his old voice before Zabulus responded.
'Now's not the time! Not a puppet, not a toy, I have not a speck of those things left in me. But more importantly, I have to fight! I have to protect Phronta otherwise, otherwise...' And suddenly the floor felt sticky, more than anything before. Phronta stared as Ixothrozophella grinned once again and prepared to swing as she was thrusting through the air once again.
'Listen to me, boy. Your posture. Fix that!'
'Oh fuck off, now's seriously not the time to joke! Just show up and give some kind of fighting assistance! And just how can I fix this?' Zabulus cried out.
'It's so simple, move to your right a few paces, get low, and let her fall and move forward. To kill, boy. That's what you do!'
Moving in sync with his words, he managed to fix his posture slightly, and positioned his legs in a manner that allowed him to quickly move to the right just as he was about to be hit, her weapon slashed into the air and...
Another whiff.
'Guess I do know more about how to defeat someone than you.' Vetro said.
"Lady, I don't even know what you're doing and why you're doing it! Couldn't we talk this out?!"
She face-planted on the ground as she failed to land her attacks on his body.
"No... I won't let you... live to take the light of another!" She sprung up like an animal from the bushes, swinging her blade in a sideways motion in order to meet his arm's surface, the very tip of her weapon cutting his elbow open with a trail of crimson dripping.
He stumbled backwards with a grunt, a stinging pain flowing from his left arm down to his leg, causing it to go limp for just a few seconds.
Zabulus then asked, "Am I possibly the wrong person?! Please, I need some answers here! Who exactly do you think I am?!"
"Answers, you want answers! That's really cute but... I'm no longer who I was before! But... if I were to tell you one thing, it'd be that... YOU STOLE MY LIGHT! STOLED MY MERIT, AND FOR WHAT? FOR WHAT REASON MUST ONOFRE SET HER HATRED BELOW AND OFFER SOMEONE LIKE YOU THIS HEAVENLY WHITE TOWER. TELL ME, AZKITE!"
"Hold on... Does Onofre know your doing this? Is she part of this or does she not know?!"
"SHE KNOWS EVERYTHING I DO! SHE DOES!"
'So... I was... Betrayed? Betrayed? Goddamn it, I think she might win in this situation, if Onofre seriously knew about this and sent her here to kill me... Then I stand no chance, as that would also mean she could send some guards to pin me down...' He smiled in defeat. 'All those moments together, all for nothing, huh? I guess not even keeping a friend would change my fate.'
His blank face met hers in a stare as if he wasn't mentally there.
Slowly, he walked towards her and she put her guard up.
Ixothrozophella summoned a great force as if to move the Azkite away, as if to tell him that her power was greater than his.
That she was deserving of Onofre's love.
That she was deserving of seeing that man once again.
That she was deserving of being everyone's friend.
That she was deserving.
"N-No... Zabulus... Get back, s-she'll just k-kill you if you-" Phronta pleaded but her voice drowned under her own anxiety as the room's walls seemed to fold in on themselves.
But he was undeterred. He walked through the wind and force that opposes his very core. Through the violent force of the Library's power, he felt his body be shaken from within, even his bones vibrating and threatening to burst out from the inside of him.
If I were to describe his thoughts then and there, they'd be of 'Determination, Defiance, Distance, and Desperation... '
With that force shaking him and almost stopping his body from going any further, he finally saw himself standing directly in front of the now-fearful girl. And in his mind he pondered why her expression seemed fearful of him, the reason someone would fear another would be if they're dangerous... or about to do something they don't want to, no matter how it would happen. And this feeling caused her to get one foot backwards in pure dread, her entire mind only being able to comprehend his form and see it in a way that terrified her.
Her helmet rolled on the ground.
Revealing a face that wasn't scarred. A face that was only tearful.
Her mouth moved, but it produced no sound.
All her change; it was meant to be in his name, only, only, only, and only for him.
It was only his name she repeated until it turned into a mumble of blabber before her voice failed her, she could hardly speak after the adrenaline rushed past her and the trembling of her nerves refused to ease.
Absolute failure. That was her punishment, a total loss.
To fail against someone who barely even fought back? Just how could she go back to Onofre now? No, how could she even show her face to anyone?
He placed one of his right hands on her face, grasping her left cheek with the cold and firm touch of a metal hand, his other hand grasping the wrist that held her sword. He had her wrist in a steel grip.
Tears, tears, and more tears.
It flowed more than a dam that could not be broken.
Her tear ducts would not stop their operation. Her tears simply flooded over. It was quite easy to see them pooling under her, the droplet's size being small, yet, very many.
For she could not foresee a future where she could ever make herself proud. For she had her pride taken away once again by this rotten creature that stood in front of her.
Her breathing was ragged, and she inhaled loudly, tears clouding her vision and her muscles giving way to the new emotions she was feeling... She fell over.
'Look at her! She's basically begging to be killed!' Vetro said.
But Zabulus heeded him not. His fingertips clasping around her hand, letting the sword clatter down to the floor.
His fingertips clasping her face, flowing in memories of hers.
Their bodies moving closer in an embrace, Zabulus muttering a whisper that escaped his mind.
"Onofre did not betray me... Not completely," and he pulled his head from her shoulder and 'gazed' into her eyes.
"Now... Let me see your mind."