Gaslighting A Sentient Krepsuna

The metallic clash of sparring steel echoed in the open expanse, but it wasn't the sound of practice that held everyone's attention.

It was Raika, her voice shaking with restrained fury, pacing across the training grounds like a cornered predator. She stopped in front of Vastarael, who stood calmly at the center of the courtyard.

"You used him! Don't stand there and act like you didn't know what was going to happen!"

The moment stretched taut.

Several mages paused in their training. Archers on the high parapets ceased practice, their eyes drifting toward the heart of the confrontation. Obsidian casually slung over one shoulder, slowly turned her gaze toward the fuming Raika.

"You want to try that again, girl?"

Raika clenched her fists.

"He was taken. He saved this city and none of you are even trying to find him—!"

Before her foot could slam forward, before she could even respond to her outrage, a flash of black steel split the air.

Obsidian was suddenly inches from her, greatsword raised not above her head, but positioned beneath Raika's chin. The flat of the obsidian blade lightly pressed against her neck, just enough to let her know that death was only a whisper away.

"Another word and you won't even blink before your corpse hits the ground."

A chilling silence descended.

"I won't say it again. No one disrespects the Master."

The temperature in the courtyard plummeted. The only movement was the wind playing through Raika's hair. Vastarael lifted a single hand lazily, his expression unreadable.

"Obsidian, let her go."

Obsidian huffed in irritation and lowered the blade, stepping back with the grace of a trained predator returning to perch. Zarvana stood nearby, arms crossed, golden hair pinned in her usual braid, and Seyna flanked her, her gaze ever-serene. Zarvana let out a sigh.

"Let her speak her heart, Obsidian. Emotions are not crimes."

But Vastarael's gaze never broke. He looked at Raika like one would examine a cracked mirror.

"You blame me? I find that curious."

Raika's breath hitched.

"You argue with the boy, tell him he's weak. Tell him he's useless. You hurt him. Then you wonder why he ran into danger."

Her lips parted in shock, her emotions wavering in and out like a failing heartbeat.

"That's not—"

"He told me, Raika. He told me he wanted to get stronger and that he was tired of being seen as nothing."

That part… that was true.

But what came next was pure manipulation.

"He asked to be near the Ice Rain circle. I warned him. He insisted. He walked into the circle after his heart was broken."

He shook his head and looked away as if pained.

"Who would have thought he'd resonate with it and awaken something so violent that it summoned a beast no one could track?"

Raika stepped back, eyes wide.

"No… no, I didn't mean—"

"He's gone because of you, Raika. Because your words pushed him off the edge. So don't pin your mistakes onto someone who wanted to help him."

She stumbled, breath catching as though someone had slammed a fist into her chest.

"I… I didn't… I didn't know…"

"And now the city mourns him as a hero," he added cruelly. "A hero who saved them… and was then taken. All because someone he trusted broke him."

Her hands shook violently.

"No, please—stop. Just tell me he's alive! Please!"

"You want comfort?" Zarvana said, stepping forward with a cold gaze. "Maybe you shouldn't have told him he wasn't worth anything. Rumors travel fast, Raika. And I heard exactly what you said. We all did."

"I didn't mean it!" she screamed. "I didn't—!"

"Intentions don't matter when someone's gone."

"He isn't gone."

Raika froze.

"What…?"

"I can feel him. He's not dead," Vastarael said, almost casually, like he was talking about the weather. "His presence flickers not far from here."

Her eyes lit up. "Then we can go—"

"No. He is not part of Insignia. I will not risk my soldiers for a boy who doesn't even belong to us."

Her lips trembled. "But—he saved—"

"Not my concern," Vastarael said, stepping closer. "Besides… I couldn't even if I wanted to. You know what took him."

Seyna nodded softly. "The Invisible Beast Ghost…"

Zarvana's jaw tightened. "It's legend. A phantom predator. No one knows where it takes its victims. But none have ever returned."

Raika dropped to her knees. Her shoulders shook violently.

"I killed him. I killed him…"

Vastarael kneeled beside her, voice suddenly soft and full of pretend sympathy.

"No, Raika. You didn't kill him."

Her head snapped up.

"But you did push him to walk into a storm he wasn't ready for. You didn't kill him. You only led him to his death."

He stood, and his cloak billowed slightly behind him.

"Now… let's not pretend your guilt is our responsibility. You want to save him? Go into the woods yourself. That thing will kill you before you even breathe in its scent."

"I-I can't… I…"

"Then don't ask us to die in your place."

"But what if—"

"Even if I sent an army, we wouldn't even make it close. We'd lose dozens before we saw a shadow."

Lie.

"Maybe if I had ten more mages and a battalion of paladin troops, we could even stand a chance. But we don't."

Lie.

Raika curled up in herself, chest heaving with sobs she no longer tried to hide.

"Please… help me…"

"No."

Elyonari stood a little farther off, hands clenched tight, eyes fixed on Raika's crumpled form. She knew every word Vastarael said was false. She had seen the plan unfold. He told her everything and he even boasted of it.

And yet she stayed silent because she had chosen his side.

And watching Raika completely break in front of them all, even Elyonari, with her ancient calm and forest-born detachment, felt her heart twist in pity.

Raika lay on the cold stone, shivering as the guilt ate through her like acid. Her sobs were no longer coherent, just broken gasps and apologies that wouldn't change anything.

Above her, Vastarael turned and began to walk away.

"Training resumes in five minutes!"

And then he was gone. And the courtyard moved on.

°°°°°°

It was well past sundown now, and the courtyard's flames had dwindled into flickers. Training dummies stood abandoned like forgotten guardians and most of Insignia had returned to their halls or quarters. But from the outer terrace of the eastern parapet, away from the guilt-torn echoes of Raika's breakdown, two figures stood beneath the lantern-lit towers.

Vastarael leaned against a balustrade, one leg crossed over the other, arms folded in that relaxed posture he always carried. His eyes weren't on the stars. They were fixated on something moving through the lines of space only he could see.

Then came the faintest whisper of sound, like wind moving over silk.

Chainless had arrived.

She was as quiet as her name implied, clad in her usual midnight-grey cloak making no sound against the stone tiles. The only indicator of her approach was the cooling of the air around her.

She stopped precisely three paces from him and waited.

Without a word, he stepped toward her. She didn't flinch or move.

"Hold still."

Vastarael drew a Tracing Rune against her skin. The rune pulsed faintly with warmth as he carved the last sigil at the edge of her forearm. It shimmered for a moment then ignited in a slow, steady glow. A red line formed just above her palm, visible only to her eyes. It pointed toward the city, just beyond the castle's perimeter.

"Follow that line. It's where he is."

Chainless blinked, then tilted her head slightly.

She didn't speak but her brows twitched and her eyes locked onto his. Her posture asked the question without needing sound:

You're sending me? Now? Alone?

"Yes. I know what you're thinking. 'Why now? Why not earlier?' Because he's where I want him to be. The beast won't kill him. Not yet. He's... unique. I just need him to suffer enough to be useful later. But I do need him alive."

Her expression darkened slightly. The red line burned brighter, almost in protest.

"I know it's dangerous. Yes, it's the Invisible Beast Ghost. Yes, I've heard the stories of the Sentient Krepsunas. No one's ever tracked it this far. You'll have to deal with whatever it leads to."

She turned her wrist, testing the rune's reaction. It adjusted to her orientation like a compass.

Vastarael then smiled faintly.

"You're not going alone."

Chainless blinked once, confused.

"She'll be joining you."

A small voice behind them piped up, "She? I have a name, Dad."

Out of the shadows stepped Shimmer, still in her sparring gear, white hair tied into two long braids. Her cheeks were flushed from an earlier training session and she bounced on the balls of her feet like she was ready for a fight at any moment.

"Dad, you said I'd get my mission tomorrow."

Vastarael turned his gaze toward her.

"Change of plans."

Chainless narrowed her eyes in a clear: You're seriously sending her with me?

"Don't look at me like that," Vastarael replied with a chuckle. "You're the blade. She's the shield. You'll move like a shadow. She'll make sure nothing grabs you when you're not looking."

Shimmer tilted her head. "What's the mission, anyway?"

"You're following Veyn," he said, pointing at the red line on Chainless's arm. "You'll be escorting her. The line will take you where you need to be."

Shimmer frowned. "You said we weren't allowed beyond the castle unless we had four—"

"I'm your father."

She stopped. "...Right."

Vastarael leaned down just a little, enough to meet her eye.

"You want to get stronger, don't you? You remember what your mother told me before she left?"

Shimmer's mouth tightened at the mention of Erna.

"...That I have to be stronger than her one day."

"Exactly. And this is how it starts."

He stood straight again and clapped his hands softly once.

"You'll be fine. You've sparred with Obsidian and won at least once. That's better than half the veterans in this castle."

Shimmer puffed her cheeks. "That was a fluke."

"Still counts," he said with a grin.

Chainless stepped forward once, placing a hand on Shimmer's shoulder. She nodded firmly, her gaze softening. The unspoken message was simple:

Stay close. Listen. You'll be fine.

The two girls stood together now. They looked nothing alike, but for a moment, they resembled sisters ready to walk into shadow together.

Vastarael looked at them both, eyes gleaming beneath his lashes.

"Get going. The longer he's with that thing, the harder it'll be to pull him back before the next phase starts."

"What next phase?"

He waved her off with a smirk.

"Later. Have fun!"

Chainless bowed slightly. Shimmer gave a quick salute. Without another word, the two turned and began to run along the parapet, vaulting over the eastern wall.

Vastarael stood alone now, wind fluttering the edges of his outfit. His Mystic Eyes flickered just once, following the red line that cut through the void and beyond the trees, past the outer wards.

He folded his arms again, watching the fading silhouettes.

"All the pieces are in place. Time to see how well they do in the dark."