From that day forward, little Mui never smiled again. He never cried, and he never wished for anything at all. The few surviving people of the valley blamed the child for the massacre, the disappearance of his older brother, and the deaths of their Lord and their greatest assassin. The name Anathema became his legacy. Ryuuken and Rui, whom Aurelith had spared for reasons known only to her, tried to console the boy, but their words had no effect.
Mui accepted every insult with a blank, hollow face. He lacked even the desire to search for his brother, his spirit broken by the weight of the "curse." When the people demanded the child's execution, Ryuuken and Rui stood as his shield, preventing the mob from taking his life.
Under their guidance, Mui became the Head of House Corvus at the mere age of twelve. Beside him stood Ryuuken as his Imperial Knight, and Rui, who served as his most trusted advisor. Mui embraced the title of Anathema and worked tirelessly to restore his house's reputation for producing skilled assassins. He succeeded, yet despite his achievements, the people of the valley still hated him above all else.
He accepted their hatred because he viewed himself as a coward for being unable to help on that horrific night. He could never forget the absolute helplessness he felt then the same helplessness that was consuming him in the present.
Back to the Present
Anathema continued to summon more and more mist, but it was useless against the intense blue flames. Because his body could not produce its own mana, he had to tear it from the environment, a process that was now ravaging his physical form. Deep, jagged cuts opened across his skin as his body buckled under the strain of over borrowing mana, yet he had no intention of stopping.
'Not again... not again...' The thought looped endlessly in his mind, his face now streaming with tears.
He panted heavily, his breath coming in ragged hitches. He glanced up at Emerion in the sky, knowing he had no time to fight him. Emerion was still gathering a massive amount of blue flames for a final, finishing blow. Anathema looked down at his sword, the metal reflecting the fire. He remembered the good times spent with his brother, Ryuuken, and Rui how, in a single night, the world had turned to ash.
"Not again... I won't let you... harm them again!" Mui muttered to himself. In his delirium, he no longer saw Emerion; he saw Aurelith standing in the sky.
"Velarium Noctis!" Mui shouted, slamming his sword against the deck. He coughed up a spray of blood as more cuts erupted across his limbs, blood dripping from his body like a waterfall. Yet the pain was worth it as he saw the mist finally begin to thicken.
A massive shroud of fog surged outward, swallowing the ship and plunging the deck into near total darkness. From above, Emerion was taken aback,he could no longer see anything below except for the faint, flickering sparks of his own blue flames.
'What is he doing now?' Emerion wondered, his eyes searching the white void.
Below, Mui found a small opening in the wall of fire. He wasted no time and leaped through the gap. However, he underestimated the sheer intensity of the heat, the moment he breached the circle, his skin began to sizzle and burn.
"Damn it!" Mui cursed through gritted teeth. The mist he had summoned managed to dampen some of the flames on his body. He scrambled forward, finding Ryuuken and Rui lying unconscious on the charred wood.
"Hey, Ryuuken! Wake up!" Mui shook his friend's shoulder, but Ryuuken remained limp.
"Rui, come on! We need to get out of here!" Mui pleaded, shaking Rui as well, but there was no response. For the first time in years, the wall of ice around his heart broke, and he didn't know how to handle the sudden rush of emotion.
"Guys... wake up, please. I'm begging you!" Mui's tears splashed onto his scorched hands as he watched his guards, who were likely unconscious from a lack of oxygen.
'This is bad... if I don't find them, or if they escaped, they'll go after the kid,' Emerion thought from above, his focus narrowing. 'I don't know how Arlienne is doing down there. Damn it, I should have finished this quickly instead of taking time to gather so much mana. Now I can't even see them.'
As if fortune were favoring him, Emerion spotted a faint blue light flickering at the exact position where the two guards had been. He didn't realize they were unconscious, he was too focused on the spell he had prepared.
'Now or never!' Emerion thought, and he unleashed the massive torrent of blue flames directly toward the light on the ship's deck.
Below, Mui sensed the impending disaster. He noticed a small flicker of blue flame caught on his own shoulder his mist hadn't been able to fully clear the fire from his own body. In his frantic worry for his friends, he hadn't even realized he was on fire.
Mui's eyes widened as he realized the blue light Emerion was targeting was him.
'I really am a curse,' Mui thought bitterly. He didn't run. Instead, he stepped in front of his unconscious guards.
"I won't let you harm them again!" Mui screamed at the top of his lungs. The mist vanished, burned away by the sheer heat of the massive fireball descending upon him. He stood his ground, a lone figure against the inferno.
'I guess everyone is a hero and a villain at the same time,' Arlienne thought to herself, watching the scene unfold from the sidelines as if it were a stage play.
"What is happening here?!" a gruff voice roared. An old man with a thick grey mustache stormed onto the deck. Arlienne recognized him immediately, it was the Ship's Captain.
Sensing the life threatening urgency, the Captain channeled a massive amount of mana, manipulating the seawater from the ocean and launching a colossal wave toward Emerion's flames.
Right before the fire could consume Mui, the water formed a shield in front of him. The collision caused the fire to vanish, but the impact turned the water into scalding, near boiling liquid that slammed directly into Mui's body.
"AGHHHHHH!" Mui screamed in pure agony. It felt as if molten coal had been poured over his skin.
The Captain was shocked by the devastation, and Arlienne stood astonished. Mui collapsed, falling unconscious just like his guards. His body was a map of burns and mana cuts wounds that would undoubtedly leave permanent scars.
"You will have to explain this!" the Captain barked, barely containing his fury as he glared at Emerion and Arlienne.
"He started it!"
"Anathema is a monster!"
"The silver haired guy is a hero!"
"He's our savior!"
"He saved the day!"
The voices of the passengers began to rise in a chorus of cheers. People watched from their cabin windows and the upper decks, chanting Emerion's name.
"He's a hero!"
"He's a hero!"
The Captain looked dumbfounded as the crowd continued to celebrate. Emerion descended slowly, landing on the deck.
"Brother, are you okay?" Arlienne asked, showing genuine concern as she tapped his cheek. Emerion blinked, coming out of his trance like state as if he had been possessed throughout the entire fight.
"Huh? Yes... um, why are they cheering? For whom?" Emerion asked, confused by the waving crowds and the chants.
"Well, looks like you've gained some unexpected attention again" Arlienne smirked.
"You damaged my property, you know that?" the Captain growled, stepping toward them.
"Well, forgive us for saving the life of an innocent kid. We should have cared for your precious property more," Arlienne replied sarcastically, meeting the Captain's explosive glare with a cold look of her own.
"Here is the sum for your damages," a stern, youthful voice interrupted. A heavy bag of coins hit the Captain in the face. He spun around, startled.
"Nyxelle, I told you to behave," a mature voice followed. It belonged to a woman with golden blonde hair, a slender, elegant posture, and a warmth in her light blue eyes. She reached out and lightly pulled the ear of the raven haired girl beside her.
"Mother, he was being a jerk!" Nyxelle pouted, her shoulder length black hair swaying. Her mother simply sighed.
"I hope this sum will cover your repairs" the woman said softly to the Captain. The Captain felt humiliated by the way the girl had thrown the money, but upon looking at the mother, he didn't dare complain.
"Lady Seraphyne... I didn't know you were on this ship as well. You don't have to pay, you didn't cause this" the Captain said, bowing his head in deep respect. Seraphyne simply smiled.
"I insist. Children make mistakes at this age. I hope you won't hold them accountable," Seraphyne said, her soft voice carrying a hidden weight as she glanced briefly at the Dawnveil siblings.
"If you say so..." the Captain agreed, his anger deflated.
"Now, Nyxelle, why don't you carry those three injured boys inside one by one so I can treat them?" Seraphyne instructed. Nyxelle pouted but obeyed her mother's command.
"And why don't you two come with me for a check up as well?" Seraphyne added, looking at Emerion and Arlienne. Emerion swallowed nervously, recognizing the woman. Arlienne rolled her eyes; she hadn't expected to run into a family member so soon.
"Let's go with her before she reveals our identity," Arlienne whispered into Emerion's ear. They both turned to follow the woman into the ship's interior.
"Hey! You did great beating that Anathema!"
"Thank you for saving us all!"
"Thank you for saving our children!"
Passengers called out to Emerion as the ship reached a nearby island. Nearly 75% of the passengers began to disembark, many stopping to thank Emerion personally.
Emerion didn't fully understand why they were so grateful, but he nodded politely in response. Arlienne, however, noticed the Captain having a frustrated conversation with several people from another ship that had docked alongside theirs. This other ship looked poorly maintained and suspicious.
"What are you two waiting for? Come now, don't keep your Aunt waiting" Seraphyne said, looking back at them. With a mix of apprehension and curiosity, they followed her inside.