Chapter 252 - Out of Sight

The stasis effect only kept the robed Exalted man frozen for a second before it shattered. The mystical rune glowed brightly as Cecil’s fingers traced the last parts of the death spell.

The chain thrown by Kai toward Firuzeh broke apart as over a dozen broken chain links tinkled to the ground. However the Cheater pathway’s ‘Break Rules’ ability failed to disrupt the main portion of the spell. Only a few of the chains had done their part, the majority fizzled uselessly as the churning death cloud remained whole above Firuzeh. A shockwave of spiritual energy burst out from the center of the cloud as the sound of a gong rang out in Firuzeh’s ears.

So strong! Kai trembled as he felt the immense power behind the spell overwhelm his own. I can’t save Firuzeh!

Across the plateau, Firuzeh’s eyes snapped out of her trance. The rigidity in her body loosened as she wrenched her eyes away from the cloud above her and thrust her hands out toward Cecil in a last ditch ‘Misfortune’.

Bad luck struck Cecil as he made a mistake on the final gesture of his meticulously traced rune. The energy of the rune suddenly surged as he also heard a gong echo in his ears and the aura of death descended around him.

In that instant he realized that the mistake meant that the link to his spell hadn’t been severed completely.

He knew the effects of the spell— all those who heard the toll of Death’s Bell were doomed! He acted quickly as a feeling of doom gripped his heart, channeling his spiritual energy into his hand to slice through the rune.

A grim reaper descended from the clouds swinging a spectral scythe through Cecil and Firuzeh’s hearts. Firuzeh rose into the air briefly with a gasp, then collapsed on the ground. Cecil, too, felt his soul get sliced through. His physical body did not feel pain, but a coldness flooded through his body and for a moment he collapsed to one knee. His eyes glazed over as he blanked out.

Kai and Corbin rushed across the plaza, launching an attack against the kneeling Exalted, but their weapons reflected off an invisible sphere around him, the same one that had launched Firuzeh away from him moments before.

This Order domain spell, ‘Reflection Sphere’, enacted a simple command - Reject any object inside the sphere except the owner.

Corbin’s arm ached with pain as he gripped onto his cane, feeling like he had smashed his weapon with full force against rock. He glanced at Kai, who was grimacing as well as he held onto a quivering curved saber..

They didn’t have time to come up with a second plan of attack when they heard a chuckle from within the sphere.

“How… exciting!” Cecil’s teeth flashed as he stood up, his body trembling with adrenaline. The last ditch motion to disrupt the rune had halved its effectiveness, saving Cecil from death, though it still caused severe damage to his planar bodies. He grit his teeth even as he stood up. A marble ring on Cecil’s pinky suddenly pulsed with spiritual energy.

“Watch ou-ugh!” Corbin’s spiritual intuition flared, but before he could react he was hit by a ball of force and was sent flying through the air.

Kai was faster, rolling out of the way of a similar strike. He recovered on his knees, stretching a chain out between his hands and channeling energy into the links, targeting the protective sphere. His eyes lit up in panic as the links exploded violently without any effect.

“Too weak.” Cecil said, looking down his nose at Kai, “You missed your chance.”

A light bloomed around Cecil as his hands once again traced out a spell.

Even without knowing what his enemy was casting, Kai knew that it was over. His abilities had been countered by pure brute force. Though they had three Apprentices on their side, the raw power available to Cecil put him in a class above them.

Kai saw his life flash before his eyes as Cecil’s hands lit up with a deadly spell, when a voice rang out in the night.

“Get away from my friends!”

Char Char rushed past Kai, unsheathing the sword at her waist. She met Cecil’s eyes as she approached the barrier, catching a smirk on his lips as he expected her to bounce off just like the others had.

A shining white light reflected in his eyes as Char Char channeled her spirituality into Hakuya’s blade.

Dodge!

Char Char’s blade effortlessly sliced through the barrier, forcing Cecil to cancel his spell and twist to the side. He took several quick steps back, evading each of Char Char’s consecutive swings by a hair. 

“That sword—“ He muttered, his eyes narrowing in recognition.

Against his nimble, effortless movements, Char Char’s sword techniques looked awkward and unrefined. She grunted in frustration, confused why he hadn’t countered with an attack until she realized he was toying with her.

She stopped swinging, brandishing the glowing blade in front of her.

His half cloak fluttered around him as he took a few graceful steps back, raising his hand to stroke his chin, “Is that really the cleric’s sword?”

“What of it?” Char Char snapped in response, flustered, “You’re scared now aren’t you?!”

“Does this mean you also have…?” He paused as a curious grin twisted up his lips, “I see, perhaps I was mistaken after all.”

Char Char gripped her sword tightly, letting out a yell as she dashed toward Cecil. The tall, beautiful man didn’t run this time, but instead bowed elegantly toward her. The fingers on his left hand glowed as he deftly traced a rune into the air. Saturated reds and blues washed over his body as he disappeared just as her blade slashed through him.

“See you soon, blessed of the White Maiden.”

‘G…Get back here!” Char Char yelled, trembling as she couldn’t tell whether the Cecil had truly left or was moving in for another attack. Panic rose in her as she swung at the air around her as if attacking an invisible enemy.

“He’s gone.” Kai’s voice said calmly from behind her.

“How do you know?” Char Char continued to glance around even as she stopped swinging. The white light dulled as the blade returned to an inert state.

“No reason to stick around.” Kai replied simply. He looked her up and down, especially eyeing where her left sleeve had been sliced off.  “You’re okay? No injuries?”

“No, I’m fine.“ Char Char said, her eyes drawn his left hand which was cradling his right elbow.

Her eyes flickered toward some movement next to her as she saw Corbin limping toward her, leaning heavily on his cane. His left hand adjusted his top hat on his head.

“You’re safe?” He asked, eyes piercing into hers. Blood was running down the side of his face.

“Yes—“ Char Char said, a pang of guilt rising within her. Her eyes lit up as she realized that there was one other person missing. She looked around frantically, “What about Firuzeh?”

She caught sight of Firuzeh’s moonlit silhouette across the plaza. She was alive, recovering in a sitting position with her head bowed. Her long hair was disheveled around her slumped shoulders. Seeing Firuzeh in such a defeated state struck a chord deep within Char Char.

“Don’t worry about her.” Kai’s tone was pure business as he shared a brief glance with Corbin. He stepped forward and grabbed Char Char by the arm, “We need to get out of here.”

“We-?”

“Police are going to come. We need to get you out of sight.” Kai said.

“I’ll take care of Firuzeh. We’ll come up with an explanation.” Corbin nodded, “Get out of here.”

“Put away your sword, Sophia— Char Char!” Kai hissed, jerking Char Char’s arm which snapped her eyes away from Firuzeh, “Put away your sword and let’s go!” 

“Right-“ Char Char complied, swallowing hard.

In the next breath they were already dashing across the street. A chain link tinkled to the ground from Kai’s belt as the lanterns around the plaza went out. Darkness concealed their escape into the night.

~

Char Char’s thoughts were a jumbled blur as she meekly followed Kai through the streets. They stuck to the alleys and quiet streets.

At some point they climbed over a wall. They snuck around some hedges, then Kai was deftly opening a window and then they were inside a dark room.

Kai shut the window, grabbing Char Char’s hand as he led them through the pitch black darkness. Their footsteps were light as they went through a doorway, and then another, and then Kai shut the door behind them.

The hiss of a candle lit up the silence as Kai met Char Char’s eyes.

“Stay quiet for a bit longer.” He said, gesturing for her to sit. 

They were in what looked like a small, windowless storage room. It wasn’t particularly full, making it just a spare room with a few random crates shoved against the walls. 

Char Char sat down obediently.

Kai removed a small glittering stone dish from his pocket and placed the candle in the center of it. He then withdrew a piece of black chalk and walked over to a wall.

The candle flickered softly as he drew an unbroken line around the room, muttering softly under his breath. When he reached the door he drew the line over the door frame, keeping it unbroken.

“Don’t leave this room.” Kai said.

Char Char nodded.

“I mean it. Do. Not. Leave.” Kai replied with a grim emphasis. His usual light hearted, easy going nature was completely gone from his eyes. “This ritual will keep you concealed from people outside of the circle and hide you from divination, but only if you stay inside. Don’t touch the chalk either.”

“I won’t.” Char Char replied quietly.

“I scoped this place out earlier, just in case.” Kai said, scanning the room once, “It’s a boarded up shop. Looks like the owners are out of town. No one should bother you here.”

He finally rested his eyes on Char Char, “I’ll be back. Remember—”

“Don’t leave.” Char Char repeated as solemnly as she could, “I won’t. I promise.”

Then Char Char was alone.