บท 44: Aeon
The very air trembled with malice as Queen Zorla was about to unleash the essence of her being.
Although Zorla enjoyed their grand melee, it was now time to show her daughter the true pinnacle of power. Not the earth-shattering might that they possessed, but that which imposes your will upon the cosmos. Aeon.
"Web of Despair!" as Zorla shouted, wicked webs stretched as far as the eye could see. Allies and foes, none escaped the mad queen's webs, covering and putting an immediate stop to their movements. All were locked in place, pitiful insects caught in a cruel spider's web.
Her relationship with Lolth had been a complicated one. It was Lolth that tormented her with vivid nightmares, It was Lolth that whispered in her ear to kill her sister, It was Lolth that ruined her life.
Amidst it all…
It was also Lolth that gave her power.
She hated and desired Lolth at the same time, she would love nothing more than to wrap her hands around the Goddess' neck and choke her, but at the same time, her twisted devotion made her want to fuck the spider Goddess if given the chance.
And thus, she wished for a world where she and Lolth were the only spiders, and if that indeed happened, she needed a web that would be strong enough to even bind a Goddess, the threads would rob Lolth of her essence to ensure that she would remain forever bound. Once Entrapped, would she kill Lolth or violate her? We may never find out since it is an impossible wish, but one that she wished nonetheless.
Meanwhile, the other spider that was already bound watched in horror as the damage she had inflicted started getting repaired. The cracks in Zorla's armor disappeared as she subsumed the mana being absorbed by her webs. Her once exposed eye had been covered in infinite darkness once again.
Sadistic pleasure whirled in Zorla's chest as she watched Ellamir struggle in vain, trying to break free from captivity while being sucked dry at the same time.
"How does it feel being drained of your mana!? Feels good doesn't it!? Kyahahaha! Once your mana is all gone, it is your soul that's going to wither next!"
Despite her mother's taunting, her hateful eye didn't falter one bit. With all the strength she could muster, Ellamir released a bestial roar as she tried to free herself from her mother's web.
She failed to break free.
"I could watch as you turn into an empty husk. But where's the fun in that? Manifest your Aeon, daughter of mine. Or perhaps you need a little…incentive." Zorla's last sentence sounded nothing less than a malediction as she turned her gaze at the Amazon.
In the distance Ellamir could make out Antani, her lover was in the same helpless situation, sprawled on the ground with webs covering her.
As soon as Queen Zorla started to make her way towards her lover with slow strides, as if relishing the anguish her obviously cruel intentions inflicted upon her daughter, Ellamir screamed as if she was being gutted. She might as well be for the fear of losing Antani was like a sword being driven into her chest.
"NOOO! MOTHER, STOP!"
"Kyahahaha! That's it! Lose yourself in
agony as I once did!"
Ellamir shouting at the top of her lungs filled her mother not with pity, but with delight. Her guttural scream overflowing with fear was as melodious as an orchestra once it passed into Zorla's ears. A fitting requiem for the Amazon that's about to be damned.
There is no doubt in Zorla's mind that killing the Amazon would break her daughter, so much so that she might awaken her Aeon the moment she does. Hers, after all, manifested after she killed her beloved sister.
As the curtain is about to close on the first part of our story, let us now delve into Aeon.
Like all base sorceries, Aeon runs on simple logic, and uses the soul as its catalyst to cast. It begins with a question, and ends with an undeniable proof.
They began as enemies. She hated her, so much so that she tried to break her when she offered herself to her. Yet she was glad that she didn't.
She was strong.
And that very strength became the pillar that supported her. Dealing with someone like her must have been a pain, but she was always there for her with her infinite patience. The scales slowly tipped, from hatred, into love.
Then let us ask the question, what can she do so she could protect the one she loves? Right now? There is nothing, for the other spider's bindings are absolute.
What then, is she willing to give up in order to keep her lover safe? Everything.
As Ellamir shedded the entirety of her drider armor, it disintegrated into shadows and floated in front of her chest. Taking the form of her lover's passion, it transformed into a sword.
All of her strength and indestructibility were condensed into one blade. With otherworldly speed, the sword departed from her chest.
The obsidian sword cannot be bound, for it is the proof of her love.
Zorla howled in pain as a sword came out from nowhere and impaled her from the back. Her Aeon along with her drider armor was deactivated due to the unbearable agony that assailed her as the blade chaffed her spine like rasp.
With vengeance slipping through her mind, Ellamir's thoughts were immediately of Antani. Passing by her mother writhing on the ground, Ellamir went straight to her lover's side to make sure that she was unharmed.
"Was that your Aeon!? Ellamir, you're amazing…"
Antani's celebration was interrupted by the very woman she was trying to venerate. Shaking arms wrapped around Antani, she could tell from it how distraught Ellamir was at the thought of losing her once more.
"It's okay, everything's alright now."
Antani's words soothed Ellamir's fearful heart, and the Amazon returned the embrace in earnest. Ah, her lover's warmth was greater than any rejuvenating potion, Ellamir could feel her tiredness and worries being washed away.
Ellamir wished they could stay entwined for a little longer, but there is still some unfinished business she needs to attend to. As she seperated, she flashed her lover a soft smile.
"I love you." Ellamir would until the end of time.
To which, Antani responded, "I love you harder."
And to ensure that the last word is hers, Antani followed it up with a kiss. Her logic was solid, Ellamir can't disagree with her if their lips locked.
With her plan proving to be a success, Ellamir instead closed her eyes, savoring the tender kiss.
Ellamir giggled right after, "Of course, everything has to be a competition with you."
Soon, the two separated, and Ellamir's demeanor shifted to one of loftiness as her eye bore deep into her mother, a gaze that says 'serves you right.'
Zorla tried to laugh it off only for her to grimace and momentarily lose consciousness due to the agony caused by the sword jutting out from her stomach. Before she noticed it, the hands of her daughter were already at her neck.
"Any last words, mother?"
"I killed your grandmother by ripping her heart out. At least be creative at how you're going to end me."
Good riddance, Ellamir could only wince. Unsavory until the very end. She was truly glad that she would now be removed from her life.
But before her hands could tighten, Maesha's touch fell upon her arm.
"Sister, I know that mother has caused us great pain. One that she could never atone for, but I beg of you. Don't."
Confusion and anger mixed together in Ellamir's face. Is her sister for real? After everything that their mother has done to them?
"Are you fucking insane, Maesha!? Don't you dare give me that she's 'our mother' crap, she's never tried being that even for once in her miserable life!"
Maesha's serene expression managed to deter Ellamir's anger for a bit so she would listen, but it wasn't enough to calm the storm of hatred raging within her.
"You are right, she is irredeemable. She only has one good quality about her, it is being our queen. I cannot take her place, I do not have it in me to be as cruel as her. How about you, dear sister, are you ready to take her place?"
She can not, will not. Her place was now at Antani's side. Yet as doubts were instilled in her, Ellamir's grip on her mother's neck remained steady.
"I'm sorry, Maesha, but I can't let her go. She will come after Antani again."
"Trust me, I definite…hmmm! Hmmm!"
Zorla suddenly found her mouth being covered by Maesha in order to prevent her from saying stupid shit. Maesha was doing her best to save her life yet that foul mouth of her mother might just seal her demise.
"I will look after her to ensure that she doesn't."
An impossible sentence if she's ever heard one. Ellamir shot her sister a doubtful glance, not that she doesn't have faith in her sister, it's just that their mother is a loose cannon, currently aimed at her lover.
"You can't handle her, no one can except for lolth."
"Put your trust in me, dear sister. She is still needed." Maesha's grip on her sister's arm tightened, almost pleading.
The safety of Antani and her vengeance…or have their society fall into disarray? The answer was indeed obvious. But why was her hand slowly unraveling from her mother's neck?
If her sister asked for her trust, then she owed it to her to give her at least that much. As Antani put it, strength comes in many forms, Maesha might just have a way to keep their mother in check.
Ellamir would let her mother go free, but not without a dire warning. Her hand dragged a handful of Zorla's hair and tugged it with such force that it further twisted the queen's pained expression.
"If it wasn't for Maesha you would already be a lifeless corpse. Go after us again and I promise you that next time, this sword WILL pierce your heart. Or maybe I would just stab you numerous times, avoiding your vitals, all so I could watch you bleed to death. Is that creative enough for you, mother?"
Seeing her mother in too much agony to reply, Ellamir stood up, her Aeon penetrating flesh collapsed into shadows, returning into her skin. The shock from the pain of having an open sword wound finally caught up to the mad queen, she had finally fallen unconscious like the rest of her soldiers who weren't able to resist her web's energy drain from earlier.
Ellamir hoped that Zorla would die from blood loss, but unfortunately, Stefano made his way into the scene. With her sister's pleading eyes, even the hesitant cleric gave in and healed Zorla.
With her sordid family affair all wrapped up, Ellamir wanted to pick up where she and Antani had left off from earlier. She returned to her lover's side and entangled her into her embrace once more.
"Love birds, I don't want to ruin your moment but..I'm dying over here."
There was Yulia, laid on the floor looking absolutely worse for wear. They lifted her on each shoulders. With Stefano and Gloria joining them, they soon made their getaway before the soldiers started waking up.
"Here's hoping that I won't see that mother of yours ever again."
Yulia's sentiment was something that Ellamir shared.
"You and me both."
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