Silence persisted in the basement as Arwen stood in place, her arm stretched out, her gaze focused on the last place Douglas had stood and her breathing uneven.
"Where did you send him?" Alex asked in a hoarse tone, clearly struggling with something.
"The Afterlife," Arwen replied. "He won’t die... I think."
Arwen then glanced at him, her gaze shifting dramatically as she saw the copious amounts of blood spilling from Alex along with the fact that he was missing an arm.
"Oh my goodness, Alex!"
She rushed over and quickly tore off some material from her dress to staunch the bleeding only for Alex to hold her wrist, preventing her from doing so.
"Let me help you." She said in a panic.
"Don’t worry," Alex said. "I’ll handle it."
Arwen stared at him before ultimately relaxing her arm at which point, Alex pulled back and with his remaining hand, snapped, utilizing the Blessings of the Dark Moon.
His sight was swimming, and a profound, nauseating urge surged within, but he kept at it, doing all he could to focus his Will.
Ultimately, all he managed to do was prevent himself from bleeding to death.
As for getting a new right arm, he needed a bit more than an unstable Will.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to sit up with Arwen quickly moving to support his back with her body.
He’d gone deathly pale and appeared to be on death’s door with every breath he took.
"What’s going on, Alex?... I don’t understand anything." Arwen said as her eyes turned wet.
She was scared at the thought that she might have to watch someone else she cared about die.
And the worst part was, she couldn’t do anything about it.
Why had fate granted her Authority over the Domain of Death?
Couldn’t it have given her Authority over Life or something similar?
At least she would be able to help out.
"Don’t cry." Alex breathed out. "Don’t worry, I’m not going to die. I still have a lot to do, a family to get back to."
"But you don’t look good. It’s clear your condition is getting worse."
"It is," Alex muttered as he swallowed some spittle. "But everything will be okay once the loop is destroyed."
"I already told you, we have to destroy the source."
"Fine then, tell me, who’s the source?"
"I can’t tell you," Alex replied.
"Because you lost to her. I can’t risk sending you in, knowing fully well, you’d lose."
Alex nodded. "I don’t know how but she threatened me with your safety in previous loops."
Alex let out a sigh. "Councilwoman Thera."
Arwen rifled through her memories to determine if she was familiar with the name.
Save for a brief mention in a newspaper she’d read some time ago about her appointment in the Tribunal, nothing else stood out.
"A very powerful one. Holds Authority over Time and is nothing short of a genius. Compatibility works against you."
Silence persisted for a time, prompting Alex to call out. "Arwen."
"... Some earlier cultures in Ra’as refer to death as an eternal end." Arwen softly remarked. "They didn’t believe in the Afterlife nor did they believe in a life after death in the form of spirits. They believed that spirits were monsters that took the form of their loved ones to torment them and as for the Afterlife... Well, some claimed it didn’t exist while others claimed it to be the birthplace of the Spirit monsters."
"End..." Alex breathed out. "Everything must come to an end."
"... I would like to believe so, yes."
"You wish to reinterpret your understanding of death."
"Such an interpretation would give me the edge I need to deal with Thera’s Authority over Time."
"It would also invalidate everything you’ve learned before now."
"..." Arwen stayed silent, unwilling to give a response.
"There’s no need for that."
"So you want me to do what?... Stay here and watch you die?" Arwen questioned. "Do you really expect me to do that?"
"Then what, Alex?... What do you want me to do?"
"Seek help," Alex said.
Hesitant to leave him, Arwen ultimately did as he’d asked, hurrying up to his room to pick up the GodKiller he’d placed by the bedside.
She then hurried back, breathing a sigh of relief when she found Alex still breathing.
"Here it is." She said as she came to sit next to him, handing him the GodKiller as she spoke.
Alex took it and taking a deep breath with his eyes closed, called out its name, not to draw out its power but instead as a request to be let in.
A moment later, he opened his eyes to find himself before the towering presence of the Broken Saintess.
She was a deity with the potential to become a Demon Goddess, yet she had opted to reside in Excalibur, providing Alex with the power needed to slay gods.
"I need your help." Alex breathed out.
He didn’t expect an answer from her considering he’d never heard her speak, so he continued.
"I reckon you hold authority over pain..."
Suffering, dear child, I hold Authority over Suffering.
The silence that followed was deafening as Alex stared blankly at the Broken Saintess, realizing belatedly that she had actually spoken.
"You... you can speak."
Are you surprised, dear child?
I doubt you have the time to speak about such pointless things, especially considering your corrupted state, dear child.
"Corrupted?" Alex trembled. "I’ve been corrupted?"
To a great degree, dear child. Your Soma only holds because of the absurd strength of your pneuma which continues to reject the abhorrent nature of the corruption. But...
Unfortunately, dear child.
It depends on your request, dear child.
"Take this pain away from me."
You would have me take your suffering away, dear child?... You must understand that the pain won’t be gone forever; it will return, and when it does, you may not be able to take it.
"... Let me deal with the loop, first."
I see. In that case, I shall bear your suffering for a time, dear child.