Shackled Exalted

Aoife

Aoife stepped forth and swung her sword. Mana swelled in response, imbuing her limbs with an unnatural power as she brought down her blade in a wide crescent.

Clank!

The sharp ring of steel sang in her ears. She was sick of it. The screeching noise was a harsh reminder of her lacking skills.

Clank!

Kleine raised his hand in the path of Aoife's blade. Before steel could carve flesh, the air shrieked with dissonance. Aoife felt a repulsive force against her hands. Pain inundated her wrist. Her sword had struck something hard and invisible. It was powerful enough to repel her enhanced strength. Each time she attempted an attack Kleine would meet it with his bare hands. The air before his palms would appear to stir, quivering rapidly before distorting into faint ripples. From what her eyes could perceive, Kleine could transform the space itself into a tangible mass that her sword could not pierce.

She narrowed her eyes. Her vision focused, letting her see the normally imperceivable. Kleine's hands were engulfed by a dense cluster of azure specks. Mana in concentrated form. The man wore an amused smile, unfazed by her relentless violence. He was waiting for her to make the next move.

He's messing with me!

The realization that she was being toyed with drove her insane. She had been tortured. She anguished over her mother's wretched circumstances. She grieved. She bled. And finally, she awakened to become an Exalted, fulfilling her purpose of being born into the royal family.

But even with a Gift, she was still powerless. Nothing had changed. She remained a plaything—something to be used, something to be messed with, something to be discarded once it was worn out.

A pawn in someone else's agenda.

She was sick of it.

"Lisrof hakel!"

Azure flames materialized on the call of the esoteric tongue. The conflagrations surged like the swell of an ocean wave, rushing towards Kleine. The man reached out with his right hand and drew a vague shape in front of him. The flames crashed into the invisible barrier, clinging to the curvature of the distorted space before being sent uselessly overhead.

Aoife rushed in from the side. As if anticipating her move, Kleine had pre-emptively extended his left, ready to deflect any oncoming strike.

She twisted her wrist. At the apex of her swing, she let go of her sword. The blade soared like an arrow. The same discordant resonance shrieked through the air as steel collided against the invisible barrier. With both hands occupied, Kleine was suddenly defenseless.

Aoife swooped in and grabbed Kleine's shoulders. The man's eyes widened briefly, surprised by the unexpected move. Aoife gave him no chance to react.

Her wings flapped with power, propelling her upwards in an instant. She shot up into the ceiling of the catacomb, slamming Kleine's body against the stone walls.

Thud!

They blasted through rooftop of the basement floors, back onto the ground level of the ruins.

"Ha!"

Imbuing her arms with mana, she flung Kleine downwards with all her might.

The man crashed into the ground with explosive thunder. A cloud of dust and sand covered the area.

Did I get him?

Aoife landed, staring at the sandy veil. Her breaths were dry and heavy with anticipation. As the dust began to settle, the faint silhouette of Kleine emerged.

"Not bad."

The man was already on his feet. Blood dripped from the folds of his clothes as he approached her, steady and nonchalant. The edge of his mouth was coated in blood and bile as if he had just thrown up. Despite his ghastly conditions, his expression remained unchanged. He looked amused. He was smiling. There wasn't a hint of anger or distress. Even his hair and skin somehow looked unblemished aside from the occasional stain of red.

…What the hell is with this guy?

Aoife instinctively took a step back. Her eyes trembled with fear, unable to comprehend the chilling indifference staring at her in the face.

"As expected from Layla's daughter. After some diligent practice, you might even exceed the Ice Maiden herself."

"S-Stay back!" Aoife stammered, conjuring another blade in her shaking hands.

All of her fury were vanquished by the incomprehensible monster in front of her.

"But unfortunately, you lack experience. Coming up here was a fatal mistake."

As if on command, Aoife suddenly found her sword disintegrate. The armor on her body began to flake off. Her wings vanished. The strength inundated in her body faded. Along with it came all of the pain and agony that had been held back by mana.

"Arghhhh!"

She screamed, dropping onto her knees. Every inch of her body was wailing. Her nerves burned. Flesh tore. Blood seeped from unsealed wounds. Suddenly robbed of her Gift, all of the ramifications of her violence came roaring in.

What's happening?!

She could barely hear Kleine. Her body felt like it was being ripped apart.

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"Did you forget? An Exalted's Gift is powered by mana. And yet, you don't possess an Azurite fragment. The only reason you were able to use your Gift earlier was because the basement floor of the catacomb was rich in ambient mana. Those same conditions don't apply up here."

Aoife rolled onto the ground. Heaving. Gasping for air. Her head blanked. The agony would not stop.

"It's a shame, isn't it? The pain of ignorance. The agony of inexperience. The bitterness of being powerless."

The condescending voice blared in her head.

She bit on her lips, trying to hold onto her sanity. She stared at her adversity, cursing his existence, refusing to drown in misery. Even if she falls here, she would not give this wretched man the pleasure of her despair.

The ground beneath her body suddenly stirred. Aoife felt herself being carried by wave-like movements of the earth.

What's going on?

She glanced at Kleine. The man's expression changed for the first time. A hint of anger.

Stone suddenly whizzed above her head. Kleine jumped back and snapped his fingers. The space in front of him distorted with shrill patters as the stone collided against the invisible barrier.

"Aoife!"

A masked man stood in front of her. She vaguely recognized the voice and figure. But as far as she knew, there was only one person who she requested to be addressed so familiarly.

Emil?!

She didn't dare utter his name. He was cladded in full black, obviously with the intent to conceal his appearance.

What is he doing here?!

Innumerable questions spiraled in her mind, but she quickly discarded them all. She didn't care. He was here. Someone came to rescue her. Someone didn't forget her.

For now, that's all that mattered.

Emil

Emil took a quick scan of Aoife's condition. The princess looked tortured and badly injured. Her body had been mauled. Blood leaked from the open wounds, drenching her clothes in dark scarlet.

Aoife, what the hell did they do to you?

He glared at the tall, white-haired man towering before him. With a pallid visage and bloodstained pupils, the man looked closer to a devil than a human. For a moment, Emil wondered if his appearance was the result of another shapeshifting Gift.

No. This is his natural appearance.

The characteristics of a shapeshifter's mana was unique. It was typically in the form of a thin shroud that permeated the entirety of the Exalted's body. For this man, however, mana was clustered in dense concentrations around his hands.

I don't recognize him.

The intel on Vigil didn't mention a man with long white hair. With an appearance as distinct as his, there was no way that he could have been missed.

Was he not involved in the raiding the Academy?

The lack of information was troubling. Emil tried to discern the nature of the Gift that stopped his attacks earlier. But in the midst of his frantic rush, he missed most of the details when their phenomena clashed.

I don't think I can fight him.

Warnings were blaring in his head. The air was heavy with bloodlust. Goosebumps rose along his arms. His fingers quivered incessantly in the man's presence. Their eyes met. Emil nearly flinched. It took a conscious effort to stop himself from backpedalling. The madness in those bloodstained pupils was difficult to watch.

I just need to grab Aoife and retreat.

But his body refused to move. Instincts compelled him to stay still and focus on the imminent danger looming before him. The man watched like a snake. His stance was casual. Relaxed. Aside from the mana gathered in his hands, he didn't seem to have any inclination to move. But Emil instinctively knew. If he dared to make a careless step, his life was instantly forfeit.

Aoife whimpered beside him. Her blood was starting to pool on the floor. The clash of steel and shadows echoed in the distance. Time was not on their side. There was still Melody and the Gharian who can control rats lurking somewhere in the area.

God dammit.

Emil stomped the ground. Blaze activated, igniting his body in brilliant flames. At the same time, an array of stone protrusions shot up, aimed at the white-haired man's head.

"Devour!"

The crackling flames stormed at their new prey. Emil was about to reach for Aoife when a flash of azure caught his attention.

He spun to the side. The space around his left hand suddenly began to distort and twist. A shrill, dissonant ring screeched in his ears. The phenomenon was incomprehensible, but Emil sensed danger. He immediately pulled his arms back just the distortion of space completed.

Squelch!

"Ngh!"

Pain exploded. Blood sprayed. Emil gasped for air. He clenched his jaws, holding onto a vestige of sanity as he stared at the aftermath of the attack. His ring and pinky finger had been caught up by the distortion. The two digits were now useless, mangled and bent beyond recognition.

Thud!

His stone projections and flames arrived at his foe. The attacks, however, failed to reach. Both phenomena pattered off, seemingly deflected by an invisible barrier.

I expected this!

Emil snapped with his right.

The stone projections instantly crumbled, exploding into tiny fragments to create a veil of sand. For a moment, his line of sight with the white-haired man was severed. Emil stopped Blaze and grabbed Aoife. Holding the incapacitated princess in his arms, he ran for the entrance of the ruins.

He needed Van to cast Umbra again. Something to buy time to halt their pursuers. His senior, however, was still locked in combat against the eastern swordsman.

Mana suddenly hissed at his flanks. Emil skidded to a stop as the mass of mana dissipated to reveal two grotesque creatures. Monstrous rats. The same rodents that they had encountered in the woods. They were products of the Gharian's Gift.

With a bloodthirsty squeal, the monsters stomped before the entrance of the ruins, sealing off Emil's escape.

Shit!

He couldn't use Blaze. Not when Aoife was in his arms. Nor was Bulwark strong enough to deter these monstrosities alone. He knew that from experience. These hideous beasts were absurdly tough.

Emil glanced back. Sand from his Gift was already fading. Beneath the dim moonlight, he could make out the silhouette of the white-haired man.

I have to break through.

He gathered mana in his legs and encased his vitals in stone armor. The princess stirred in his arms, visibly tormented by her injuries. He gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve. He refused to fail her again. Even if he had to lose a limb in the process, he had to make sure Aoife was safe.

The space behind the rats suddenly shone with blue light. A mana circle materialized on the floor. A second later, a cadre of monsters emerged from the circle. In an instant, the area was bathed in blood. Emil winced at the gore. The grotesque tear of flesh being ripped apart echoed in his ears. In the blink of an eye, the rats blocking his way were rendered in a mangled mess.

Stunned, Emil turned to the entrance of the ruins. A familiar face stood at the doorway, gazing down at him with his usual scowl.

Damn you, Rohan. Took you long enough.

Before Emil could rejoice, a chilling laughter resounded behind him. Bloodlust suffused the vicinity, enough to make his skin crawl as he froze with fear. Compelled by his instincts, Emil reluctantly turned around to confront the source.

The white-haired man stepped out of the fading sand. His bloodstained eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight as he stared madly at the newcomer.

"Rohan von Lionheart! The Monster Tamer! One who rules at the apex of the Exalted world." His eyes suddenly fell on Aoife. "Your Highness, do you now see the power that resides in your hands? Just how many Exalted died tonight just to see you safe? And who else can compel the strongest man in this kingdom to rush to your side?"

Emil felt Aoife trembled in his arms.

"Powerless? No connections? Nonsense! You're just running away! Tell me princess—how easy is it to stand on the sidelines and lament your weakness? How convenient is it to declare yourself helpless and be absolved of all responsibility? How simple is it to just be a wallflower and let things happen to you without a fight? How wretched and spoiled you must be to live with a guilty conscious!"

The white-haired man cackled with glee. Mana surged in his palms as he beckoned at Rohan.

"I greet the esteemed leader of the Lionhearts! My name is Kleine! I'm the leader of Vigil! And tonight, I'll be the man who will take your head!"