Chapter 19
…
"Hyuhhh, you almost lost your life there!"
Veyra exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief after witnessing Kyren's head narrowly escape a deadly strike.
She then quickly drew her dagger, readying herself for whatever came next.
The truth was, she felt just as frustrated as Kyren.
She had been trained so hard. So rigorous, especially after learning about her clan's struggles when she was still a child.
She hoped that one day, when she had already grown enough. Strong enough, she could help them in any way she could.
Yet, despite all that, she was now very much a burden.
Previously, her father had refused to let her go with him, but she was the one who kept insisting and throwing a tantrum until he finally relented.
"I can help too. Eh…"
Suddenly, Chriselda grabbed Veyra's hand, dragging her to safety.
"Come here!!? It's dangerous…"
Melyra set Kyren down and instructed him to go after his mother.
Then, she immediately dashed toward the lone archer, who was caught off guard by her speed, enhanced by the painfully expensive Intermediate Agility Potion from Kyren.
As Melyra fought to dispatch the archer quickly, a dagger suddenly flew toward Chriselda, piercing her shoulder and drawing blood.
Whooosshh―
Fortunately, Chriselda's instincts kicked in just in time; she had moved to the side, narrowly avoiding a deadly stab to her neck, which instead, pierced her shoulder.
"Ughhh," Chriselda groaned, clutching her injury.
The wound began to darken, revealing that the dagger had been coated in poison.
"Mother…" Kyren called out in worry.
He quickly exchanged an Antidote Potion and sprinted toward her, desperate to help.
But this time, unlike before when the Deacon had merely talked and wasted time, with the two Acolytes engaged in a fight with Melyra first, the current assailant showed no mercy.
The white-robed man with the poisoned dagger swiftly appeared before the injured Chriselda, his knife glinting ominously as he prepared to stab her in the heart.
Melyra, having just dispatched the archer, noticed the commotion and ran as fast as she could toward them.
"No!!! Miss…"
Veyra's eyes widened, her heart racing seeing that.
"No!!!"
Kyren shouted in anguish, praying to all the gods above who might be watching to save his mother.
'Please, no! I beg you. Please, no!!!'
It felt as if time itself had frozen.
Chriselda turned her face slightly toward Kyren, offering him a faint smile.
She slowly said, "Live, my baby…"
Boom—
An explosion of black light erupted from Chriselda, engulfing her in a dark aura.
The antidote in Kyren's hand flew from his grasp, shattering upon hitting the ground as he and Veyra were knocked back by the force of the blast.
Melyra, holding back tears, pushed herself forward to catch the two children, her feet skidding on the ground as she tried her best to stop their momentum without injuring the two of them.
…
Kyren's face turned pale as he gazed at the black light that engulfed his mother, forming a dark orb devoid of any illumination.
A few seconds later, the light retreated to the center, revealing Chriselda in Kyren's sight, holding the broken neck of the dead assassin in her left hand.
She subsequently released the corpse, letting it fall to the ground.
Currently, Chriselda was floating above the earth, two pairs of enormous black wings jutting out from her back, with the upper pair larger than the lower.
The wings enveloped her body and face, revealing only her left eye, one of her outstretched hands, and her legs, which were now bare, as the shoes had already been obliterated into pieces.
Her exposed eye had a white iris with a blue inner ring, while her sclera was completely black.
Black feathers swirled around her, but these were not the faint black feathers Kyren had seen when his mother used Black Feathers Circulation.
This time, the feathers fully manifested, just like when Melyra fought while using the technique.
Chriselda turned to the side, and three figures emerged from the shadows.
It was the furious Deacon Adhavan and his two Acolytes.
Deacon Adhavan's skin had turned a deep red, and his eyes now bore vertical pupils with red color – a clear sign that he was a demon.
His body remained as large as it had been during his earlier transformation, with an additional pair of horns crowned his head.
On the other hand, Kyren's desperation grew as he realized, through the eyes of the Soul Wraith, that the enemies from Uncle Malrik had suddenly multiplied.
They were surrounded.
Now, his mother was even forced to use some kind of powerful, forbidden art, which, from Melyra's and Chriselda's earlier conversation, Kyren concluded that it could cost her life.
A whisper reached Melyra's ears.
It was Chriselda, pleading with her to take the two children away and leave her to face the enemies alone.
After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Melyra cast one last, regretful look at Chriselda, who slowly unfolded her wings.
Abruptly, Melyra struck the back of Kyren's and Veyra's heads simultaneously, rendering them instantly unconscious.
She quickly hoisted the two children onto her shoulders and ran as if her life depended on it.
"I'm sorry, Kyren, Veyra. We need to leave now…"
She whispered, holding back her tears as she fled deeper into the forest, also distancing herself from the battle raging between Malrik's group and their enemies.
This was all part of Chriselda's instruction.
Even from her position, Chriselda could sense the dire condition of their group.
Even if they managed to reach Malrik's side, it would not guarantee their safety.
Instead, it would likely trap them in an even more precarious situation, surrounded and attacked from all sides.
So, she had urged Melyra to take the children away as far as her legs could carry her.
If possible, she should seek out the ancient being that guarded the Whisper Forest and ask for protection, as a demon this close to her region surely wouldn't be ignored.
"I'm sorry, my son. This… Is the only way… … Forgive me!!!"
Chriselda muttered to herself as she revealed what lay hidden behind her wings.
She wore a form-fitting outfit made of black feathers, and in her left hand, she held a black sword adorned with feather designs, resting horizontally against her face in a knightly stance.
Her right hand was missing, and her right eye mirrored that of Deacon Adhavan's.
Chriselda directed her sword toward Deacon Adhavan, who smiled upon seeing her right eye's appearance.
"What a wondrous creation. I see it now. So…