Chapter 75 Seventy-five.

Chapter 75 Seventy-five.
​The magma flew towards them as Ayla screamed loudly, but surprisingly it avoided their forms, falling around them in puddles as though there was something obstructing the fire.

​It was only when the light of the magma stopped as the creature dropped its hair and looked to them with a sneer, that I saw the blue orbs around their forms. Even more surprising was that my hands were glowing blue as I held them up.

​Kael's gaze snapped to me then, his eyes flitting to my hands.

​"Aeryn?" he murmured in surprise, and Rhydian looked at me then, his eyebrows furrowed as he raised his glaive.

​"How are you doing that?" he asked, a tone of shock in his voice, and I shook my head frantically, my hands pulsing with energy.

​"I don't know!" I responded anxiously, my whole body feeling charged with energy, and Kael shook his head, a look of disbelief on his face as he turned to Rhydian.

​"Impossible," he muttered, and Rhydian moved forward slightly, his hands eyeing the blue orb around his body curiously.

​"Can you keep it up?" he called out the command, to which the Baken looked in my direction, a bloodthirsty look in its eyes. I ignored this and focused more so on keeping the blue orbs in place, feeling my hands tremble as though they were holding a heavy weight. Nevertheless, I nodded shakily, to which both Kael and Rhydian looked at each other before turning to the creature, a smile on their faces.

​"Keep up with us, Aeryn," Kael called out, and then they were moving.

​They ran forward towards the Baken, to which it raised its hair to battle with them. However, it only reached within a meter of them before it hit against the mental shield I was holding in place for them, making Kael smile slightly.

​I could see it, the blue orbs around their forms as they moved closer. I had one hand focused towards Rhydian and the other towards Kael. My eyes were drooping as I kept the shields up, but I pushed on, knowing we had created a window of opportunity we could not lose.

​Rhydian raised his hands then, sinking each strand of hair deep into the sand, his eyes glowing and hair blowing with the wind as the Baken growled loudly at the action.

​"Let's see the rabbit behind the hair," he mused, a ghost of a smile on his face, before he twisted his glaive gracefully and cut at the strands, making the creature let out a loud, anguished shriek that echoed across the village.

​I clenched my teeth at this, feeling myself get hot from the exertion. The creature snarled, its hair just reaching its chest and barely moving. It raised its hands, spewing magma towards Rhydian, but I raised my hand, feeling a warm electric energy run through it as I placed a shield against its hand, effectively trapping the magma in. The liquid fire circled around within the shield, and the creature growled at this, its eyes snapping to look at me with a cold look.

​However, this served as a good distraction, as then Kael rushed in from the side, unbeknownst to it.

​I dropped the shield immediately as he raised his sword swiftly, slashing through the shielded hand that was spewing magma, and the creature let out another scream as blood spurted out like a water hose.

​My hands were trembling even more so now, especially when Kael made contact with something outside of the shield. I was trembling now as I tried my utmost hardest to concentrate.

​A good thing too, as it was then that Kael reached over and grabbed the arm of the creature with both hands before flipping him over his shoulder, showcasing his immeasurable strength. I held tight to the shield as Kael made contact with the Baken, flinching when the sound of it hitting the floor echoed across the village.

​Rhydian moved in immediately, leaving no time for recovery. Twirling his glaive as the creature attempted to get up, he sliced through the lower leg of the Baken, making it topple to the ground in a puddle of its own blood.

​It lay there for a moment with Kael and Rhydian towering over it with their weapons in hand. I looked down to see that its, now, chopped hair was trying to reach for their ankles, so I focused my hands yet again. Forming shields next to the hair, I pushed it inwards, until it was pushing against the hair and moving it towards the chest of the creature.

​It snarled as the sharp strands of hair pushed into its chest, and I scowled at the look on its face. It was such a satisfactory sight after what it had done to Maya.

​"Aeryn! Keep it up!" Ayla's voice screamed from behind me, and I nodded aggressively.

​"I can!" I reassured myself, holding it in place so much so that I could feel my arm muscles quaking.

​We can.

​I ignored the voice, stifling as the creature held to its clawed hand that was hanging on to the arm with mere tendrils of muscle now. Its gaze snapped to me then with anger, and it got up and moved to me, one foot not even touching the ground and the other stump of a leg dripping as it came with its long claws drawn.

​Luckily, Kael reached in time, maneuvering his sword and pushing the blade into the Baken's stomach. It gasped at this, its milky eyes white as it spat out blood. It reached its uninjured hand to touch Kael's face, but I stood behind him, holding the shield in place, and it let out another growl as it couldn't pass the barrier. It banged against it aggressively with so much force that even I shook, my teeth gritting with the force.

​Kael noticed this, turning to look at me with furrowed eyebrows before looking back with a stony expression.

​"Rhydian," he called out, and I looked behind the creature to see Rhydian moving forward before dropping his glaive and jumping gracefully. He landed on top of the Baken, his knee against its shoulder and his hands on either side of its head.

​"Ma'as-salāma," he said coldly, before pulling roughly and ripping the head clean off the body. Blood was pouring in every direction, and I stumbled back, feeling an arm on my shoulder.

​"It's okay. You can let go now," Abrax's kind voice rang through the haze, and I nodded.

​Do not let go.

​I ignored the voice yet again, feeling chills at the anguish in its tone, before pulling the blue vapor in and shutting the oak door with a resounding slam.

​It echoed through the corners and depths of my mind, and I let out a tired sigh before dropping to my knees.

​Looking up, I could see that the Baken's headless body had now dropped to the floor, as well as Rhydian chucking the head carelessly on top of the body before dusting his hands and grabbing his glaive.

​"You didn't have to behead it, Rhydian," Kael spoke, looking to the body, blood staining his torso.

​Rhydian merely rolled his eyes, but there was a ghost of a smile on his face.

​"I wouldn't have had it not given me the idea. What can I say? I'm an impressionable being," he mused, to which Kael tutted, but even then there was no annoyance in his tone.

​I leaned back on a wall behind me, and then they were both looking to me. Kael moved forward first, crouching down to look at me. The others rounded me also, looking to me with indecipherable expressions.

​"Are you okay?" he murmured, his eyes tracing me for any injuries, and I nodded, knowing that despite the weakness, I was completely fine.

​At this, his concerned expression relaxed slightly, switching to one more of awe as he looked to me yet again, his eyes searching me as though they were looking at me for the first time.

​"What was that, Aeryn?" he asked, his voice a gentle caress, and I shook my head, cursing at the action after it only spurred on the headache.

​"I don't know. I just did it," I admitted weakly, and he looked down, running a hand through his hair.

​"We just killed a Bakenanouke," he muttered in disbelief, and I let myself smile at this, despite the ache I felt in my bones. I turned when I felt warmth beside me and looked with wide eyes at Rhydian extending his bottle of water towards me.

​"Drink it before I decide to," he said bluntly, and I rolled my eyes.

​"How about 'here, have a drink, Aeryn'? That would be nice," I taunted, to which Rhydian raised an eyebrow.

​"I'll only consider it seeing as you really impressed me today," he quipped, making me feel bashful, and he smiled slightly at this, a look that was rather foreign for him as his gaze flitted across my form.

​He jutted the bottle to me again, and I smiled in thanks before leaning to grab it, but the ache was too great to raise my hand.

​Ayla leaned in then, grabbing the water bottle and leaning it against my lips, to which I took a few gulps before moving back and uttering out a small thanks.

​"Aeryn, that was amazing! How did you do that?" Abrax spoke, a kind smile on his face, and I shrugged with a bashful smile, to which Ayla squeezed my hand.

​"We'll take her back to Arun to see the damage," Kael announced, his eyes not leaving my form, and I shook my head vehemently.

​"That's not necessary," I uttered out sheepishly, and Rhydian rolled his eyes, standing back up to his towering form.

​"Don't be stupid, Aeryn," he replied to my reluctance, and Ayla nudged me slightly, pouting.

​"Yeah, Aeryn, at least go to see if anything is wrong," she pleaded, and I nodded concedingly with a small smile, to which she giggled.

​I glanced towards the body then, feeling too scared to have done it earlier. It was crumpled up as though it was mere paper, but I could still make out the long sharp teeth and paper eyes of its face from the head that lay on top of the body.

​"What are we to do with the body?" I pondered with a grimace, and Kael shrugged, looking to the body with a firm expression.

​"It doesn't deserve a burial," he spoke, his eyes fiery at the concept of having to deny any being or creature its rights.

​Ayla whimpered, her hand tightening around mine as she looked to the creature.

​"Then we leave it?" she contemplated, and I shrugged.

​"Such a creature shouldn't have the right to afterlife."

​I turned hurriedly at the sound of Maya's voice, as did the rest of us. Without a thought, I stood up and made my way to her, as did Ayla. She let out a small, startled sound as we hugged her, her body going stiff for a moment before relaxing and placing her arms around us.

​"You're okay," I muttered, consoling myself, and Ayla let out a giggle as Maya's hold tightened on us. Moving back, I looked to her with a smile, yet she was entirely focused on the creature, a look of disgust in her eyes.

​"It deserves hell," she muttered, before spitting to the ground, and then she moved forward abruptly before releasing her fires against the being, burning it to a crisp.

​No one did anything to stop her as we watched her exact the pain she had felt. I placed a hand against her arm reassuringly as she dropped her arms and leaned in to my touch.

​There, watching the burning remains of the Bakenanouke, I felt a new sense of hope light in me; one that had not been there this morning. Perhaps a change was to come about, and right here, amongst the six of us, lay the solution.

​We only had to have hope.

​I sighed deeply, letting the cool night wind caress my face with a small smile. The last time I had been standing on the terrace, the prospect of death was highly likely, yet now it was different. The events that had just occurred mere hours ago had surely changed it.

​No, the death of the fire Bakenanouke had changed it.

​As soon as the flames on the corpse had doused out, we made our way back. Both Arun and Negus had met us in the courtyard, a look of shock on their faces as they had eyed our mangled states. Feeling woozy and dirty, I was thankful that Kael excused the rest of us, and he, Rhydian, and Negus made their way into the study. I left Ayla to explain to Arun as I made my way to the showers.

​I had originally planned to go straight to bed, but the fresh breeze had brushed against my skin as I made my way past the terrace door, and with that, my plans had changed. After a chaotic night like that, the serene landscape was a sight for sore eyes.

​"Great, after all that chaos, I thought I'd get some peace. Seems I was wrong."

​I flipped around at the sudden voice, looking to Rhydian, who was leaning against the entrance, an eyebrow raised at my surprise.

​"Can you give a small warning before you sneak up like that?" I muttered, placing a hand against my chest, and Rhydian rolled his eyes.

​"You beat a deadly creature of fire, yet you scare of this? How disappointing," he mused, a small smile on his face as I narrowed my eyes.

​"Don't flatter yourself; nothing pertaining to you has enough significance to produce an effect on me," I retorted curtly, leaning back against the railing smugly, and Rhydian laughed slightly, moving in.

​"If not me, then at least be truthful to yourself, lest you lose grip of reality," he quipped just as fast, and I watched as he continued his approach towards me, his hair falling into his eyes as he looked down at me. In this state and with the luminous glow in his eyes as he walked silently to me, he looked as every bit a predator as he was. I sucked in a small breath at the thought, and Rhydian halted in his approach at this, smiling slightly.

​"Something wrong?" he asked, an amused glint in his eyes, and I rolled my eyes at his words, eyeing his movements warily. He was coming closer than what I normally encountered. I wasn't used to the close proximity, but of course I wouldn't share that.

​"With you, yes," I bit back simply, and Rhydian shook his head, smiling before walking forward. I eyed him yet again as he did so.

​"Is a man's proximity new for you?" he drawled slowly, and I narrowed my eyes, feeling my cheeks flush at his words. Nevertheless, he continued on, ignoring my state.

​"Does it make you uneasy?" he asked, his eyes glinting as he moved closer, and my eyes widened instinctively before I shook my head to deny his allegations.

​This only made his smile widen, and I tried my best to neutralize my expressions so as to not give anything away.

​"Does this scare you, Aeryn?" he murmured suddenly, his eyes glowing in the night, and I faltered for a second, making him smile yet again. Thankfully, I composed myself quickly this time, looking to him with a scowl.

​"No, but your stupidity scares me many a time; it scares me to think that any living being could have zero brain capacity," I edged out, folding my arms, and Rhydian shrugged his shoulders, making his biceps tense.

​"Is that so?" he questioned almost rhetorically, not even focusing on his retort as he began making his way to me again. I tried to school my expressions as he walked closer, but I knew even he could see I was slightly fazed. The notion of being in such close proximity with a male was unnerving, to say the least.

​"Yes, see? No effect at all," I voiced out, thankful that my voice remained steady, yet this did nothing to quell Rhydian's actions, and he stopped only when he was within a hand's width of me. I let out a small choked gasp when he leaned his arms against the railing behind me, my hands clenching into my sides.

​"I never took you as a liar," he mused, a smirk on his face as he enjoyed my discomfort. I could feel the warmth emanating from his frame, as well as his scent of musk and peppermint that traveled the short distance along the wind. The very essence of it made me aware of his close proximity, and I hurriedly ducked under his arm and moved a few meters back before swiveling to look his way.

​He moved his hands off the railing before turning to look at me, an amused glint in his eyes. He was enjoying this more than I would have liked, and I scowled at the thought.

​"Perhaps you've confused repulsion with fear. One of them I most certainly feel when you're near," I jabbed, and Rhydian smiled at my words.

​"Well, let's find out which one," he answered bluntly before moving towards me again, and I held a hand up, instinctively taking a small step back, which didn't evade his notice.

​"I'll save you the trouble, it's repulsed," I answered all too quickly, and before Rhydian could make another move to prove me wrong, I moved towards the door.

​"I need to get some sleep," I said hurriedly, making my way to the entrance. He noticed this too, but made no move to stop me, leaning against the railing.

​It was only when I turned and began walking that his voice spoke.

​"I'm going to enjoy proving you wrong, Aeryn."

​I tensed slightly at his words, but continued back into the hall. I'd worry about his words tomorrow. For now, I needed to rest.

_____________________________________________

A/N:Let me know all your thoughts in the comments! Like, subscribe and add to your library so you never miss an update!

See you in the next one!