The weight of leadership (4):the confrontation

Ariana knelt by the vendor's lifeless body, her cries filling the room like a haunting melody. Tears streamed down her face, and her trembling hands clutched his bloodied neck. "What have you done?!" she wailed, her voice cracking with raw anguish. She rocked back and forth, as if the weight of her grief had crushed her soul. "You monsters! You've taken my whole world from me!"

Belial crossed his arms, unimpressed by the display. Something about her sobbing seemed… rehearsed. Luna tilted her head, her small arms crossed. "Okay, stop the acting. That's not your husband."

Ariadna froze mid-sob. Slowly, her cries turned into muffled chuckles, and then into full-blown laughter. Her tears stopped instantly as she wiped her face and turned toward them, her lips curling into a wide, sinister smile. "I see," she said, her voice now dripping with malice. "My acting wasn't good enough to fool you, was it?"

"Not even close," Luna replied casually. "Your husband was shaking like a leaf the entire time. Kind of hard to believe someone that terrified was married to you."

Ariadna stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her dress. "Clever little girl, aren't you? But no matter. I've already lured you here."

Belial arched an eyebrow, turning to Luna. "Wait… you knew this was a trap?"

"Of course," Luna said as if it were obvious. "That vendor reeked of negative energy. It was similar to the dark magic that big brother Theodore uses, but messier. I couldn't prove it at first, so I needed to confirm my instincts by touching him."

"Touching him?" Belial repeated, narrowing his eyes.

Luna grinned. "That's why I asked for the applepop. When I grabbed it, I brushed against his arm to read his energy. His past was practically screaming that this was a setup."

Mimi's jaw dropped. "Wait… you can read the past?"

Luna nodded, still smiling. "If I touch someone, I can see glimpses of their memories. It's easy for me, but faster than trying to explain everything to you."

Belial stared at her, thoroughly impressed. (This kid is terrifying. She's been pretending to be an innocent little girl, but she's sharper than most adults.)

Mimi, on the other hand, was utterly baffled. "You knew all this, and you didn't say anything?"

"I wanted to see what you would do," Luna said cheekily.

Belial chuckled, patting Luna on the head. "You've proven your worth, little one. Our lord will be pleased."

Luna beamed at the praise, looking every bit like the sweet, innocent child she pretended to be.

"Blah, blah, blah," Ariadna interrupted with a sneer. "Are you done with your little family moment? Because now, I'm going to kill all of you."

With a sharp tug, she ripped the rug off the floor, revealing a massive mana circle etched into the wooden planks. Dark energy pulsed from it, filling the room with a suffocating aura. Before Belial could react, the circle glowed brightly, and he felt himself being pulled into its vortex.

The next thing he knew, he and Ariadna were standing in a dense forest. The air was thick with moisture, and the faint cries of distant animals echoed through the trees.

Belial frowned, scanning his surroundings. "Where the hell did you take me?"

Ariadna smirked, stepping back into the center of another glowing circle. "You chose to follow me here. Now, you'll die here. Your soul will serve as the key to my cure, just as my messiah promised."

Dark veins spread across her face as she pressed her hands to the ground. "Anistemi!" she chanted. The earth trembled violently as grotesque figures began clawing their way out of the soil. Sand-like zombies, hollow-eyed and featureless, rose in droves, their bodies crackling with dark energy.

They charged at Belial.

Belial summoned his molten blade, the weapon materializing in his hand with a fiery hiss. He slashed through the first wave of zombies with ease, their sandy bodies scattering into clouds of dust. But as soon as they fell, they began to reform, their limbs stitching themselves back together.

"Tsk," Belial muttered, sidestepping a clawed hand. "Annoying little pests."

Ariadna laughed maniacally. "That's the power of my messiah! You can't defeat them. They're endless!"

Belial ignored her, his eyes scanning the area. The towering trees cast long shadows across the ground, and a smirk tugged at his lips. "Perfect."

From the shadows of the trees, tendrils of dark energy began to writhe and twist. They morphed into shadowy entities with glowing red eyes, which launched themselves at the sand zombies.

"What?!" Ariadna shouted, her confidence faltering as her creations were torn apart by the shadow creatures.

Belial used the opportunity to close the distance between them. He sprinted toward her, his blade glowing with molten energy.

Ariadna's eyes widened, and she slammed her hands into the ground again. One of the nearby trees uprooted itself, its branches twisting into grotesque limbs as it charged at Belial.

"What a pain," Belial sighed, slicing through the tree with one clean strike.

Ariadna used the distraction to flee, running deeper into the forest. "You won't catch me! I'll return and take my revenge!"

"Not a chance," Belial said, hurling his molten blade with incredible speed. The blade struck her leg, the lava burning through her flesh. She collapsed with a scream, clawing at the dirt.

"Just kill me already!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.

Belial approached her slowly, his red eyes glowing with an eerie intensity. He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against a tree. "Oh no, you're not dying yet. You're coming with me. My lord will decide your fate."

Ariadna's eyes widened in terror. "Your lord… you mean Prince Theodore?"

Belial's grip tightened, his voice cold as ice. "Don't you dare speak his name."

With a sharp punch, he knocked her unconscious and slung her over his shoulder. He opened a portal back to the vendor's house, stepping through with his captive.

When Belial reappeared, Mimi and Luna turned to him, their expressions a mix of relief and curiosity. "Is it over?" Mimi asked.

Belial dropped Ariadna unceremoniously onto the floor. "Not yet," he said. "She's a prisoner now. She'll tell us everything she knows about the Red Church—whether she wants to or not."

As they prepared to deal with their captive, deep within the forest, four figures emerged from the shadows.

They wore red cloaks and masks shaped like bird skulls, their eerie presence radiating malice. One knelt down, examining the traces of battle left behind—the uprooted tree, the broken mana circle, and the scattered sand remains.

"It seems a battle occurred here," the kneeling figure said in a gravelly voice.

"Is she dead?" another asked.

"No," the first replied. "But someone powerful was here. We should investigate and report this to the higher-ups."

The four figures nodded silently and disappeared into the mist, leaving the forest eerily quiet once more.