Capítulo 33: 33: Catharsis
Ilioch and Elodia faced off against each other. The father sneered at his daughter and the daughter stared unblinkingly back at him. Neither of them moved. The tension in the air between them was thick enough to cut.
A familial bond had been broken. Years of resentment boiled beneath the surface but Elodia's expression remained placid. Years of apathy and disappointment showed clearly on Ilioch's face, visible even to their non-Aeldari audience.
In his mind, this was the ultimate betrayal. His own daughter was standing against him, blocking what he saw as his destiny. He was so close! So close to glory and legend! So close to purging the Mon-keigh filth as a protector of his people! And this… this child stood in his way?! Not once did he think this could be his fault…
In a way, this was a betrayal. Just one done by Ilioch instead of to him. To Elodia, her father had betrayed everything in his pursuit of tradition, isolation, and hate. And in that pursuit, he threw away the very stability he sought to protect.
The image she once held of her father had steadily evaporated with age. This was just the final straw for their relationship, accelerating its decline until Elodia could no longer delude herself. The father she knew as a child, the idol she once looked up to, had shown his true face. Ilioch was a mere beast of hatred and arrogance wearing Aeldari skin, even crueler than the Mon-keigh he wished to purge.
Ilioch was willing to defy any sense of reason for that hatred and arrogance. He would not heed the advice of his father's father. He would not heed the begs and pleas of his own daughter. Even the deaths of his clan mates had not changed his mind. He was driven by a deluded sense of justice and self-importance and his mind was set.
There was only one thing for Elodia to do. The task fell upon her shoulders alone and she steadied herself with a long breath. Her spear of pearlescent Wraithbone glimmered with psychic potential and the low light of the ruins. Spiffy tensed beneath her, ever loyal and willing to stand by his master's side no matter what.
This moment would be looked back on with pain and catharsis. It was the beginning of her journey, the moment Elodia sacrificed everything for her dreams of the future and her clan. It was the moment when Elodia earned the first of many titles that would follow her for a lifetime: Elodia, the Kinslayer…
In a cruel twist of events, Ilioch was the one to make the first move. He saw that his daughter would not back down. She would only stand in his way. The traitorous taint that had crept into his mind spread even further, corrupting his memories and thoughts until his own daughter was nothing but another enemy that must be slain to protect his paradise, his home world.
The fingers holding the bowstring taut loosened as Ilioch sent carefully crafted Wraithbone flying at his own flesh and blood. Spiffy was already moving. His quick reaction was the only reason that Elodia was not pierced through the heart.
There was a moment of stillness as both father and daughter realized what just happened. Ilioch's expression shifted into shock for a brief moment as if he couldn't believe his own actions before it settled on steely determination. His Path was set.
Elodia's heart broke all over again. But in that heartbreak, she found strength. She saw the ugly reality of the hateful beast her father had become, the tainted claws that had sunk deep into his soul. She could not hesitate to do what must be done any longer…
Her spear twirled, slicing through the humid air with the barest hint of a whistle. Her father's Dragon stepped forward to defend him, still devoted to its bond despite what Ilioch had become. Elodia simply stood atop Spiffy's back and leaped over the misguided Dragon.
When it moved to follow her, it was intercepted by Spiffy. Claws flew, teeth sunk into scales and flesh, and two powerful creatures clashed like the world was ending. Elodia soared over the Dragons, coming down on her father with a strong overhead strike.
Ilioch caught the blow upon his bow but the handwoven string was cut in the process. He winced at the strength of Elodia's strike but still snarled up at her. His leg swiped at hers. Elodia disengaged, preparing to dance to death with the beast that used to be her father.
Two curved Wraithbone knives were drawn and brandished as kin faced off against kin. Ilioch's expression was more fit for an animal than a noble Aeldari but his mind was too far gone to notice. The tainted claws twisted his psyche, invoking something darker than black and tinted Red with a Bloodlust that cared nothing for simple things such as familial bonds.
Elodia looked at Ilioch and she couldn't even see her father anymore. His entire aura was tinted with Hate and Bloodshed. She said a silent prayer to the World Spirit but she already knew where he would go when she cut him down…
She caught his first slash on the haft of her spear. His next on the Wraithbone armor that covered her arm. But Ilioch was relentless. Gone was the cool, collected calm of an Aeldari. In its place was an almost mindless berserker.
Elodia weathered strike after strike, barely holding her ground at points but never losing her calm. She would not allow her base emotions to control her. Ilioch's movements became faster and more frantic. Elodia followed, matching the beast that used to be her father without giving in to the overwhelming pull of Chaos.
There was a triumphant roar as Spiffy finally forced the other Dragon to submit. Ilioch's snarl grew deeper, more bestial, and almost desperate as he broke himself upon the wall of Elodia's Aeldari control. It was almost sad at this point.
Ilioch was driven to pointlessness by Hatred, his carefully constructed life of control thrown away by a single moment of violence. His aura, his very soul was so tainted that he couldn't even make use of his natural psychic gifts anymore. Where a proud, Dragon Knight once stood, now there was only a mindless wretch of deluded Hatred and corrupted Spite.
'And it was all for nothing,' the tattered remains of Ilioch's mind realized. Not only was he bashing himself against a wall by fighting Elodia, but his true goal was going unattended to. The Mon-keigh still lived, watching as the pair of Aeldari engaged in deadly combat. They still tainted his paradise. All Ilioch had done was distract himself…
The last of Ilioch's willpower was spent disengaging from Elodia and turning his Rage upon the vile Mon-keigh. With that done, the Aeldari formerly known as Ilioch ceased to be. All that was left was a beast of Rage and Hatred, corrupted to Bloodshed by the Blood God.
The beast moved to leap at Octus, focusing its Rage on the first Mon-keigh it saw. But instead of jumping, it stumbled. Two spurts of blood shot out of the back of its knees and a figure shimmered into existence behind it. Sona stood, twirling a knife around her fingers with a manic grin on her face.
The beast snarled and struggled but it could not move. Its tendons had been cut. Even the Aeldari needed to obey the mechanisms of biological movement. Perhaps if Ilioch had not fallen into the clawed grip of the Blood God, that might have been different. But then, this entire sequence of events might never have happened.
Elodia walked over to the beast, staring into its eyes and seeing no trace of her father. She sighed and with a flick of her wrist, impaled the corrupted Aeldari creature through the neck. It gurgled, choking on its own blood as it tried to continue snarling and growling. But eventually, its struggles weakened and the possessed body died, banishing the malicious Warp Spirit back to the Sea of Souls with the soul claimed by Khorne.
A part of Elodia held out hope that she would see some semblance of Ilioch as the body died. That hope went unanswered. Her father was gone, dead before she finally killed him.
As the tension and taint left the air, Elodia collapsed. Not like a puppet with its strings cut but like a structure crumbles in on itself. She allowed herself to grieve, a rare moment when an Aeldari's control purposefully wavered so they could feel the natural intensity of their emotions and process them fully.
No tears fell but her breaths came in great, shuddering heaves. Her shoulders shook, her ears drooped, and her psychic aura fluctuated with grief. The weight of what she just did came crashing down on her. And though she didn't regret it, she could still feel her actions as waves in the Sea of Souls.
A familiar presence wrapped around her soul from afar. Distantly, she felt something hesitantly match the embrace in the physical world. She recognized the first as the Dragonlord, sending her the support he couldn't show her physically. The second was unfamiliar but oh-so warm and Elodia found herself melting into impossibly strong arms.
The grief and trauma of killing her own father slowly began to wane. It would never vanish completely but it faded to the point that she could process it more completely later. Her presence in the Sea of Souls calmed. As did her physical form.
Eventually, she opened her eyes to look at the person holding her. As she did, she saw the lead Human looking down at her with concerned eyes. They were so blue… He was so close… She could see every little imperfection in his features and unlike other Aeldari, they only seemed to make him more beautiful.
Then his scent — that strangely appealing mix of sweat and natural musk — invaded her nose and Elodia jumped out of his arms in an instant. She felt her face redden — barely to the point of a natural flush to Human eyes — instantly and her ears start to twitch like a flustered maiden.
To distract herself, Elodia looked around. There was the ab-… oddity… And there were the rest of the Humans. Strangely, one of the Human females in bulky armor was straight-up glaring at her. Another Human — the one Elodia pegged as the party's second leader — eyed her with a frown. The others had expressions that ranged from amusement to distaste or begrudging acceptance.
What Elodia had missed was the hushed conversation that preceded Octus going to hug her. Almost no one was on her side in the beginning. Even knowing that she had killed her own kin and been the one to warn them about the ambush, Elodia was still Xenos.
Octus and Violet were the ones who ended up wanting to give her a chance. Her grief was so potent that it was physically affecting Violet and Octus just couldn't help the fact that he was a big softie at heart. Plus, Octus felt a certain unexplainable pull toward the Eldar woman, one that he wasn't willing to resist.
Most of them — Sabine, Sona, Lady, and Lilya — didn't quite like it but they were willing to trust Octus' gut. IV-20 didn't care either way, too caught up with moping over the loss of his 'special stash'. The only two who took issue with it were Geneva and Ashe. And of those two, only Geneva was vocal about her issues. Ashe was more wary and skeptical but also willing to give the Eldar the benefit of the doubt because of how she aided them.
Geneva's protests were silenced by Lilya. Octus was chosen by the Emperor after all. That meant the Emperor approved of his judgment. And on the fringes of the Imperium — like this planet — Octus' word was law. If he was willing to pardon the Xenos, the rest of them could only accept it.
And so it was decided. They would listen to Octus' gut regarding the Xenos and try to deal with her peacefully. Elodia would not get the Emperor's Mercy just yet but Ashe kept the possibility wide open. If the Eldar proved to be deceitful like so many of her kin, she would be put down like an animal.
Elodia knew none of this but she could read the energy in the air. There was so much caution and thinly-veiled hatred directed at her. It made her worried she'd made the wrong choice in all of this…
Still, she took a deep breath and put on a strong face, "Hello… I am… Elodia Auras… I… come in peace…"
The way she spoke was choppy and unsure. Her High Gothic was scattered with a couple of Low Gothic words. The information she'd pulled from Violet's mind had contained both languages and they were easy for Elodia to mix up. But the fact that she was willing to speak to them at all said good things about her willingness to cooperate.
"Why did ya help us?" Octus asked, taking up his role as the diplomatic face of their party.
"For… peace… Also… Mon-… Humans… are… interesting… and… smell good…" Elodia said haltingly, blushing enough for even a Human to notice when she said the last bit.
"Hehehe~! My kind of girl!" Sona cheered, throwing an arm over Elodia's taller shoulder. Elodia was at least a foot taller than Sona, though, so it looked like Sona was hanging off the Eldar. Sona was also the only one who didn't notice Elodia tense the moment they made contact.
"Ugh," Geneva groaned in disgust. "A Xenos with a Human fetish… Emperor save our souls."
"It could be worse," Lilya whispered to her friend. "She is a simple Exodite. She knows nothing of the galaxy beyond her world. We can take this chance to reeducate her and gain a powerful, if heretical, ally."
"Sona? I don't think she's entirely comfortable with physical contact. Perhaps you should let go before you offend her," Sabine said, referencing Elodia's tense body language.
Elodia jumped slightly, "No!… It is… fine… I am just not used… to someone having… no presence… in the Sea of Souls…"
"Ah, I see," Octus nodded. "Eldar are more sensitive and shit, right? Sona's Blank nature must be drivin' ya crazy."
"Yes… It is… uncomfortable…"
"Right, get off her, Sona," Octus ordered. "Oh, don't give me that shit, girlie. Yer just teasing her on purpose at this point."
Sona pouted but complied, letting go of Elodia. Elodia relaxed almost instantly once Sona stopped touching her. Violet gave the Eldar woman a commiserating look. She was more than familiar with the discomfort Sona caused for the Warp-sensitive at this point.
"What… next…?" Elodia asked, hiding her nerves. The reply to this question would decide her future.
Octus shrugged, "I dunno. Ya go back to yer fam-… yer kind and we stay out of each other's way. I ain't going back empty-handed so we'll probably keep exploring. But if y'all don't bother us, we won't bother y'all."
Elodia tensed at the mention of her family but she only sadly shook her head, "I… cannot… The male I killed… was my father… And even if I saved them from war… my clan… will shun me for what I have done… I am… an Outcast… Even the Dragonlord can't change that…"
The area went silent after she finished speaking from the sheer weight her words bore. Everyone there could hear the capitalization of 'Outcast' and it seemed to be more than a simple title. Elodia was a Kinslayer and an Outcast. She would be shunned and scorned in equal measure. Her whole life had just changed and she knew there was no going back…
Her expression was downcast, her ears drooped, and Octus could not hold out against the adorable melancholy for long, "Ah, shit! Don't give me that look!… Fine! Ya can come with us! I'ma get so much shit for this…"
He eyed the rest of the party anxiously, waiting for one of them to make their discontent known. Instead, all he received were looks of acceptance. Even Geneva would not go against his decision. She did not look happy with it, but a glance from Lilya kept her in line.
Octus asked with surprise clear in his voice, "Nothing…?"
"Octus, you have made your decision. We shall heed it," Ashe explained. "Besides, consorting with certain Xenos is nothing new. Especially not for Rogue Traders. There are different rules for those who wield a Warrant of Trade."
"That's kinda bullshit," Octus grumbled. "I guess I can't complain too much though. Alright, welcome aboard, Elodia. Just… be careful with yer elf-magic stuff. I'm sure the rest of the crew won't be nearly as accepting as us…"
Elodia perked up, her ears wiggling excitedly, "You… will allow me to come with you…? To travel the stars…? To… start my adventure…?"
The sincere energy, excitement, and joy Elodia literally radiated made Octus feel a bit awkward, "Err… yes?"
"Many thanks, Leader Octus!" Elodia exclaimed, jumping forward to hug Octus tightly.
"Yer… welcome…?" Octus wheezed as it felt like his ribs started to creak from the hug. "Wait… Did I tell ya my name?"
"Oh…" Elodia sheepishly let Octus down. "N-No…? I pulled it… from your mind… It is how… Aeldari communicate…"
"Yeah, don't do that anymore," Octus stated simply but emphatically. "Humans don't do that. If ya did that to anyone else, ya'd probably be attacked."
"I am… apologize…" Elodia said, mixing up words in the embarrassment of her interspecies faux pas.
Octus sighed, feeling surprisingly protective of the surprisingly innocent Eldar "Just… don't do it in the future. Or at least, be more careful about it. Humans aren't always the most understanding bunch…"
Elodia nodded, sufficiently chastised. Thankfully, though, her mood was not too impacted. She was still practically giddy and it could be seen in the way her ears still wiggled slightly. This was the start of her adventure, the true start of her life. Her sacrifice was not for nothing. Though one chapter of her life was ending tragically, another was starting with endless potential…
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
Daddy
Daddy AN: This Author's Note is just a heads-up for everyone who enjoys this story. It's approaching a bit of a break/stopping point for now. There are three more chapters (including this one) to be published but I've already stopped working on this for now. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the support. This story has been a blast to write but I feel like I need to move on to something else at the moment. I already have another story ('Goth Girls Galore!' an Urban fantasy Reversed Sexual Morality world with a focus on goth waifus) in the works. The first couple of chapters were published yesterday and it will hold most of my attention for a while probably. After that, I have no clue.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder