Chapter 39 The One Who Was Once Tricked
“Klishei?” Yeseus said, his voice devoid of recognition, his expression blank. It was a question, an inquiry, not the familiar warmth she craved.
Klishei saw Suneia gulp, the spot in her neck bobbing. The elf drew in a quick breath like she had rehearsed for this. Suneia’s eyes, however, held a flicker of triumph, quickly masked by feigned concern. “Klishei! What are you doing here?”
Seeing both of them together should not be an issue. Yeseus described Suneia as her little sister. They had met decades before Klishei. But Yeseus never touched her like that. And the fact that Yeseus and Suneia were surprised only confirmed her suspicions.
Klishei stood there, rooted to the spot, her world crumbling around her. The man who had promised to protect her, to stand by her side, looked at her like a stranger. He had forgotten her. He had chosen Suneia.
"Tell me, Yeseus. Since when where you playing with my feelings? Was it before or after my graduation?"
When Yeseus only looked at her with an empty expression, she raised her voice and the ground shook, clattering the objects inside the house.
"ANSWER ME!" Her scream vibrated the surroundings. Yeseus positioned himself in front of Suneia, as if ready to protect her if the ceiling crumbles. Klishei's vision dimmed.
While she cried herself to sleep because Yeseus did not appear for their supposed to be date, the time when they should have cleared things out, Yeseus forgot and went back here. The betrayal slapped her. This was it. This was Yeseus' answer. This was why he could not answer her question directly. It was because he already made a choice.
Tears welled, hot and stinging. She turned, stumbled back out the door, and ran. She ran blindly, the image of Yeseus and Suneia burned into her mind.
“Klishei, wait!” she heard someone call.
She didn’t stop running because it was not the voice that she wanted to hear to come running after her. She ran until she was outside the sanctuary’s boundary, until the mirage shimmered and closed behind her. She collapsed on the forest floor, sobbing, her body wracked with a pain deeper than any physical injury.
How did this happen? What happened to them standing side by side?
There was the sound of a soft flutter of wings. Angus landed beside her, his expression one of profound sympathy.
“Klishei,” he whispered, his voice gentle. “What happened? Are you okay?”
She looked up, her vision blurred by tears. “Angus, please tell me that you don't know what is happening between Yeseus and Suneia.”
The fairy had a question mark on his face. "Them? What do you mean?"
Klishei grabbed Angus' clothes. "We were supposed to go on a date. Yeseus did not appear. And now I find him here with Suneia."
Angus scratched his head. "Well, it did seem weird that Yeseus suddenly came home last night. But they treat each other as siblings. Don't you think you are overreacting, Klishei?"
She shook her head. "No, no, no. I know what I saw. Yeseus was touching her tenderly. And they were surprised to see me, like I caught them in an illegal act. And Yeseus was acting indifferent like he doesn't know me."
Angus reached out, his hand lightly touching her shoulder. “Oh, Klishei. I’m so sorry. Suneia… she’s always been jealous.”
Klishei let out her wails, fresh tears streaming down her face. “I just… I don’t understand. How could he do this to me?”
“I don't know,” Angus murmured, his fingers subtly brushing against her cheek, collecting a tear into an invinsible bottle.
“He loved me,” Klishei choked out. “He said he did.”
Angus pulled her into a comforting embrace, patting her back. His face, hidden from her view, held a chilling smile. “He did, Klishei. He truly did. But some relationships are too dangerous to survive.”
He continued to offer solace, his touch warm, his words soothing. All the while, his hand moved, collecting her tears, drop by precious drop. Each tear, imbued with the Phoenix’s essence, glowed faintly in the small vial he held. Then, he flew her to the bus station and waved her off.
Later, under the cloak of night, Angus returned to a hidden grotto deep within the forest. There, nestled amongst ancient roots, lay a dozen figures, gaunt and still. They were his army, an undead legion, awaiting the touch of the Phoenix.
He uncorked the vial, letting Klishei’s tears fall onto their withered lips. The figures stirred, their eyes, once vacant, now glowing with a malevolent green light.
“Rise, my beauties,” Angus whispered, his voice resonating with a sinister glee. “The Phoenix has wept for you. Her essence flows within you. The werewolves fell. Now, the humans will too. And the fairies… the fairies will reign supreme.”
He watched his army begin to move, their reanimated forms flexing with renewed power. Chaos would soon engulf the human world. And from its ashes, a new dynasty, guided by him, would rise. The Phoenix, unknowingly, had just sealed humanity's fate.