Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: I see you now

Chapter 40 – I see you now

”The ring, sister-in-law. Hand it over.”

Cassius’s tone was sharp with mockery, his grinning face so insufferable that if not for the shock clouding her mind, Anesthesia would have wiped it off his face already.

But the Chosen Heiress was too stunned to say anything, her eyes wide as she looked at him. Then slowly, as if still refusing to believe it, she peeled her gaze away and swept it toward Emrys.

There he was, on the ground with a dagger close to his neck. His face pale and ghastly, telling her everything about what was burning inside him right now.

’Em... my Em lost?’

It seemed inconceivable to her. Emrys never lost. Not against anyone of his generation. Not even against her. Yet what was in front of her was no illusion.

”Hey, hey, hey.” Cassius spoke again, pulling her eyes back. ”It’s hard to keep your arm outstretched this long. The ring, sister-in-law. My wife has won.”

His words made her recall in an instant exactly what had happened...and why Emrys had actually lost.

Her face went vivid, nostrils flaring as she took one menacing step forward, a strange power shimmering around her. ”You did it on purpose!” She hissed. ”You cheated!”

”Did I?” Cassius retorted lazily, tilting his head. ”I don’t remember. The only thing I recall is trying to tell you something.”

He smiled innocently, his face so disarmingly handsome that anyone could have fallen for it.

Not Anesthesia.

Her Resonance Aspect churned, and her First Skill — Self-Enhancement — activated, every part of her reaching a high degree of perfection at once. Beauty, strength, essence manipulation...all of it sharpening.

Cassius’s smile almost wavered as he felt the direct hit of her presence against his mind. His Snake hissed.

”I will—!”

”Enough, Thesia.”

Emrys’s voice cut through everything. Anesthesia snapped her head toward him instantly.

He was already up, dusting off his clothes with eerie calm using his left hand, his right still on his sword. Isolde stood beside him, not even looking at him, her mind seemingly elsewhere, as if she couldn’t fully process what had just happened.

”But Em! He cheated!” Anesthesia’s composure was slipping. The very idea of losing to her sister twisted something sharp inside her.

”Stop slandering me.” Cassius said, feeling Isolde approaching behind him. ”And even if I did, so what? The point is my wife has won. And don’t tell me you expect enemies or monsters in the real world to fight fair?”

He narrowed his eyes, sneering at both of them. ”Don’t be fools.”

”I dare you to call—!”

”There is neither glory nor honour in winning through cheating.” Emrys cut in, his sizzling blue eyes settling on Cassius. ”But I will admit one point, Desdemona. The fault for losing to such methods lies with us. We left the opening.”

He paused, the hand on his sword briefly trembling before tightening. ”We will give you the ring.”

”I will not!” Anesthesia shook her head, essence flaring again. ”I wager everything on my inheritance right now. Let’s fight, Cassius. Let’s—!”

”Anesthesia.”

She froze, her heart skipped. Emrys had used her full name. He never did that except when...

’...he is truly angry.’

She turned and looked into his eyes, realizing she was right. The blue of his eyes had gone deep, so deep it was almost black, like the lightless depth of the sea.

Anesthesia pressed her lips together and pulled her essence back, her power finally settled.

Cassius and Isolde watched in silence, each caught in their own thoughts. Isolde in particular looked like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Yet she had no choice but to accept it as Anesthesia pulled her space ring from her finger with seething fury and held it toward Cassius.

”Take it.” Anesthesia grated, eyes so cold the air temperature dropped. ”Take it and know we will have it back. No matter what. And we won’t settle for just the ring on that day.”

Cassius smiled, knowing full well she wasn’t joking. One look at Emrys’s face confirmed it.

’Oh, furious, isn’t he? Both of them are. Let me add just one more oil to the fire.’ He thought with quiet deviousness, taking his Quest seriously.

He stepped back smoothly, putting Isolde in front of him.

”Huh?” Isolde exclaimed, looking around, caught completely off guard.

Anesthesia and Emrys were caught off guard too. Cassius didn’t give them time to recover.

”My wife is the one who won.” He said, hands resting on Isolde’s shoulders from behind, smiling. ”So give the ring to her, won’t you?”

If a look could kill, Cassius would have been dead a million times over.

Anesthesia was clearly ready to fight now, with no care whatsoever for Emrys’s opinion on it. But before she could act, golden lightning cracked between them, blinding both sides for a brief moment.

When it cleared, Emrys was standing there, the ring taken from Anesthesia’s hand, extending it toward Isolde’s wide eyes.

”Here.” He said simply, not addressing the lightning. ”You won.”

Isolde instinctively reached out and took the ring, her movements mechanical.

Emrys then took Anesthesia’s hand who was sparing him a hard glare, looked at Cassius one last time.

”You got me today.” He said, smiling without humour. ”And I am glad you did, actually. I would have prepared for everyone at the Academy except you. Now I see you, Desdemona.”

”Is that supposed to be an honour?” Cassius retorted.

”Oh, yes. Of course.” Emrys nodded. ”Not everyone deserves my attention. Now you have to be worthy of it, don’t you think?”

Cassius’s smile went cold. ”Let’s see who should be worthy of whom, Stormblessed.”

He turned toward Anesthesia. ”And hopefully next time you won’t be such sore losers.”

The Chosen Heiress had calmed with Emrys’s hand steadying her. She tightened her jaw and fixed her eyes on the ring now sitting on her own sister’s finger.

”The next time will be at the Royal Palace, before the Academy Entrance Test.” She grated. ”Don’t be a coward and bring my ring back. I already told you, we will take it back.”

Cassius knew exactly what she meant. The Second Event of the game. The one at the Royal Palace where all noble heirs would be gathered, a month before the Academy began.

The original Cassius hadn’t participated, he’d been dead long before it. But now he would be there and took the first step in that dangerous event where he must again act to prevent his family from the wrath of their relatives — the Hood Royal Family.

And at that thought, Cassius understood plainly that he had crossed a point of no return.

He was deep inside the world of Sunu Gaal now. Things from here would not be as clean or straightforward.

His eyes deepened, the red in them glowing like open flame.

”So let’s meet there.” Anesthesia said at last, before turning and leading Emrys out of the garden herself.

”Not so fast.” Cassius called out, and both of them stopped and looked back over their shoulders, irritation plain on their faces.

”Don’t walk out of here like that.” He said. ”You still need to congratulate my wife for winning.”

He gave Isolde a gentle tap on the back, pulling her out of her daze. He leaned close and whispered.

”Look ahead, darling. You won against them, you know? Show them your victorious face.”

Isolde instinctively obeyed, lifting her eyes toward her sister and Emrys, who stared back with hardened expressions.

The two lovers wanted nothing more than to be out of that garden. So just to be done with it, and with the innate fairness that was simply part of who he was despite being cheated against...

”Congratulations.” Emrys said, giving a single nod toward Isolde.

He knew his girlfriend wouldn’t. So he took her hand, and the two of them disappeared in a burst of golden lightning.

Silence swallowed the garden accompanied by the rustling wind and chirping of crows overhead.

Isolde’s eyes stayed fixed on the spot where they had been standing for a long moment. Then she turned and looked directly at Cassius.

Her lips were trembling softly.

”Now,” Cassius broke the silence, knowing she wouldn’t in her current state, ”I’ll take a kiss as a thank you.”

He leaned his face toward her and offered his cheek.

What he got instead was Isolde’s face twisting into deep fury the moment she remembered his face against Anesthesia’s ear, far too close, far too easy about it.

Her right hand rose and a resounding slap cracked across the garden.

”GODDAMNIT ISOLDE!”

”Shut up! You were too close!”

DING!

[You have completed your Quest.]

—End of Chapter 40—