Chapter 38: The soul

"We have to leave this place right now," Lucia summoned the rest of the knights. 

They began to circle back the way they came. Squeezing through the narrow, dark tunnels, everyone was tense. Were the demons still here?

At last, they burst out into the sunlight. There was a collective exhale. They began to tarry away from the mine shaft. Lucia couldn't help but look back into the dark, ominous hole from whence they had come. Just as they filtered over the hill, Lucia thought she caught a figure standing by the exit. She squinted trying to make out the figure. Did she imagine it?

She turned to the rest. "Go on without me, I'll catch up." She instructed.

Clover cast a wary eye in Lucia's direction but continued with the rest. Lucia made her way back. She tethered on the edge of the hill looking down. The cloaked figure waved. Lucia's eyes widened. That mask...

She had seen it before. It was the mask of her kidnapper, Neri. The boy who had killed DB. Before Lucia even realised it herself, she was hurtling down towards mine shaft. Neri disappeared into the black hole. Lucia propelled herself forward. She raced in after him.

She unsheathed her sword. It was already glowing hot with mana. Lucia stumbled out into the first open cavern. The figure stood with their back to Lucia. Lucia approached slowly. Her heart was racing. She pointed the sword at the figure.

"Turn around." She barked.

The figure appeared to deliberate before leisurely turning to face Lucia. The glow of Lucia's sword lit up the grotesque smiling mask. It wasn't the same mask. It was painted with the same dark features but the face was twisted into a tortured grin. 

On closer inspection, the figure was about the same height as Lucia. Neri had been a foot shorter. The masked figure tilted its head to one side. Lucia's heart sank. The heated frenzy that came over had passed.

Lucia gulped. "Who are you?"

"Nobody. Everybody. Names don't matter." The figure replied. 

"Are you one of them?" Lucia said holding her ground.

"One of who?" Even though Lucia couldn't see the face she could tell they were smiling.

"Take off the mask," Lucia exhaled unsteadily. The figure raised their hands to their face. They slowly removed the mask. Lucia was taken back. It was a young woman. Maybe a few years younger than Lucia. She looked so ordinary. Not at all as Lucia expected a demon to be. The only difference was the eyes. She had apathetic eyes that burned a dull red. 

The young woman took a step towards Lucia. Her lips curled into a smile. Her nostrils twitched. The girl inhaled.

"You smell like home." The girl proceeded to circle Lucia, looking her over. "But, you're definitely a human." 

Lucia ignored her. "Tell me where to find the demon, Neri."

"Neri?" The girl pulled away abruptly. "Oh, dear. Are you another loose end I have to clean up?" She focused her eyes on Lucia.

"That child leaves a great mess wherever he goes. If I knew where he was he would be dead at my feet right now." She continued. She tilted her head back curiously. "What did he do to you? Gut your parents? Drown your hound?"

"He killed my friend," Lucia answered.

The girl inhaled. "What a mess! Now there are humans looking for him too." She said aloud to herself. 

"What should I do? The lord only said to destroy this place. Do I have to chase after that little brat too?" The girl pulled at the corners of her mouth, dragging her face into a hideous frown. She turned an eye back to Lucia.

"I suppose I'll have to kill you?" The girl raised an eyebrow as though it was a question to Lucia. Lucia tightened her grip on her sword. This was bad news. Lucia took a deep breath. She tried to remember what the sword saint had told her.

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*a few days before:

"You waste too much mana!" Valentus exclaimed. "Do you know why?"

Lucia shook her head. Valentus exhaled.

"You have a lot of talent with the sword but you lack training in basic mana skills!" Valentus reprimanded sternly. 

Lucia knew this was true. In her past life, mana users in Ramelle were exceptionally rare. Her promotion had come because she had found her aptitude in battle. 

Ramelle was always at war. Lucia's life had been a never-ending battlefield. There was no time to train or hone the skill beyond protecting her own life. She never gave mana any thought until she had been brought back in time.

"Your mana is a reflection of the soul." Valentus continued. "Think of the soul as a vast lake. The mana pours out of you like water hitting the shore. A tranquil soul will have a steady source of mana and be able to perform great magic. On the other hand,  for a soul experiencing turmoil, the lake may be going through a spiritual drought. Or in your case, There's a great flood on the banks that clears out all the reserves. "

Lucia recalled how Keitel had defeated her. Ever since she returned, she had been trying to figure out who she was. She never had a chance to be someone before. Thinking back on those days, Lucia had hardly felt like a human at all. One day had blurred into the next. She wasn't a person, just a tool for Ramelle. To think, she had even been proud of her life before.

The truth was she never doubted her role up until the last minute.

"There are times I feel like I can't control myself. Then, it all goes wrong." Lucia confessed.

The Sword Saint looked over the young woman in front of him. Truthfully, he had seen many like her. Knights on the battlefield could kill and main for years without questioning their own actions. Then suddenly, one day their mana would just dry up. They would come to terms with what they had done.

It's easy to be good or tell yourself you are good when your actions are determined by someone else. It's much harder to be good when you have to make an active choice in the matter. Valentus wondered what had caused Lucia to become like this.

"Chaos is comforting," Valentus said thoughtfully. " We tell ourselves 'Our actions are not our own, it's just the way of the world.' but eventually we have to face what we have become."

"What if the person who I am becoming isn't who I want to be?" Lucia replied.

"Do you know what makes a demon?" Valentus returned. "They are the souls who gave up trying to calm the waters. If you want to change, change. It's as simple as that. Don't delude yourself into thinking it will happen without effort. You have to take the first step" 

"Is that how you defeat a demon? You have to calm the waters?"

"It's not quite as simple as that. They are beings of complete chaos. You have to match their chaos with order. It's not enough to push the problems out, you have to be able to transcend beyond good or bad. That's what holy magic is at its core. It takes intense concentration,"

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Present*

Lucia knew that it was her anger that always caused her to drift on to the wrong path. The truth was, It was easier to be angry than afraid.  This was the last time she would make this mistake.

The demonic presence of the demon sent a shiver down her spine. She told herself to remain calm. Think.

The cavern constricted Lucia's options. She was at a disadvantage. The girl in front of her cracked her neck to the side. Lucia decided she needed to bring the fight back out in the open. That was the only way she would have a fighting chance.

Lucia released a flash of fiery mana. She used the distraction to run back down the narrow path leading to the exit. The demon held up her hand. The fire was swallowed leaving only shadow. The girl began to pursue Lucia. 

Lucia sprinted out into the light. Just as she passed out of the mine shaft she felt a presence behind her. The next thing she knew, she was tumbling across the ground. She had taken a heavy blow to the shoulder. It was dislocated. Lucia breathed uneasily, coming to her feet.

With her good hand, Lucia released a barrage of fireballs. The demon waved them away indifferently. 

"I quite like you," The demon laughed. "You're like a little squirrel throwing your chestnuts at me! Maybe I'll even tell you my name."

The demon struck a tree as she passed. Grabbing the trunk with both hands, she thrust it toward Lucia with an extraordinary swing. Lucia used her magic to fling herself out of the way just in time. This only seemed to amuse the demon more. She let fly a blitz of trees. Anything she could get her hands on was hurled toward Lucia.

Lucia deftly avoided most. She used her mana to counter the rest. She panted hard trying to catch her breath in the intermission between each throw. Lucia gripped her sword in her good hand. She launched herself towards the girl. The girl dodged with smug indifference. Lucia's sword came down again. This time it was charged with white-hot flames. 

Lucia expected the girl to dodge. The girl didn't move. She caught the bare blade in her hand. The edge didn't even pierce her skin. Lucia's eyes widened in horror. The demon grinned a wide toothy grin. She knocked Lucia back with a kick at point-blank range.

Lucia let out a cry. She shot back into the foliage. She wheezed. It was like she couldn't breathe. She tried desperately to focus her mind. She shut her eyes and used her full concentration to steady her breath. When she opened her eyes, the girl was nowhere to be seen. 

Lucia put a hand to her rib cage and tried to heal herself. The problem with using restoration mana was that it was extremely draining. Lucia knew she would only be able to use it a little. Once Lucia was able to stand again, she began to hunt for the demon. Where had she gone?

Surely, she hadn't simply given up? Lucia scanned all around. All she could see was a tangle of trees and weeds. Lucia looked back down to the mine entrance. The dark hallway was alight with flames. Lucia peeled back. Maybe the demon had really given up to complete their mission. 

Lucia turned back in the direction away from the mine. There was no time to waste.  She needed to warn the others. Just as Lucia turned to go, the girl appeared in front of her. Lucia flinched. She jumped back.

"You didn't think I was done, did you?" The demon laughed. "I pride myself on efficiency, you see." The girl chimed.

Lucia stumbled back. She hit something behind her with a thump. She looked ahead. The girl was gone. Lucia turned back, the girl was behind her now. Lucia held up her sword to defend. The girl flicked the sword away with the thrust of her hand. The corner's of the girl's mouth twisted into a grin.

"On second thought," The demon licked her lips. "Maybe, I'll just keep you for myself."