The Fate of the Twins

Felix had failed… It was a stupid mistake, leaving himself open like that. Edea captured him with those disgusting black tentacles, took him to Gwehrtain Manor, strung him up on that cross, and played with him like a toy.

The pain was immense as she used Crinis to torture him, maiming his body and sucking out his very life force, but the pain was something he could bear. What he couldn’t handle was his own failure.

He had promised to protect Velvet, but he wasn’t even able to protect himself, and now she was almost certainly on her way here, weakened, walking into her own death.

Eventually, the physical pain faded as he lost consciousness.

***

Velvet blocked Edea’s attack, but what should’ve been as easy as breathing was now something that took everything she had.

Edea pushed off of Velvet and landed a few feet back. “I saw it. You’re dangerously low on mana. And it’s all because of him,” she said as she pointed to Felix over her shoulder. “I sucked him dry earlier. He’s barely hanging on by a thread. Even just attacking and defending is causing him strain. If you actually cast a spell…” She smirked. “he might really die.”

Velvet scowled. She’d make her sister pay for this.

“So you have a choice to make. Fight without magic and lose… or use magic and kill your precious little Felix.” An evil grin crept onto her face. “Life’s full of tough choices, huh?”

With a cry, Velvet dashed forward and slashed, but Edea dodged and leapt back, countering with a barrage of spells.

Velvet narrowly avoided each blast as she widened the distance between them.

“Try as you might, Velvet, you can’t keep this up forever.” Edea planted her feet against the wall and pushed off, launching herself like a missile towards Velvet. As Edea was about to make contact, she drew her sword and slashed with lightning speed, but Velvet dodged and countered with a slash of her own which was promptly blocked.

Edea slammed down her sword onto Velvet again and again. Brutal and relentless, each strike was more powerful and erratic than the last. Velvet could barely keep up. Her breathing quickened. Her energy, Felix’s energy, was almost completely gone.

With another powerful strike, Edea smashed her own blade into Velvet’s, locking them together. Edea leaned in close to her sister and taunted her, “You know you can’t keep this up, so come on! Use a spell! Use up the last of that pathetic bastard’s energy and save yourself!”

Velvet gritted her teeth and let her actions speak for her. She caught the hilt of Edea’s broadsword in the crossguard of her rapier and, with all her strength, twisted and pushed, sending both blades flying.

With both her and her opponent disarmed, Velvet launched her fist right at Edea’s face, and while it was a direct hit, causing Edea to stagger, she recovered quickly, revelling in the pain and retaliating with a punch of her own.

Her fist hit like a cannon, sending Velvet reeling. Punch after punch followed, each one rattling her head.

“What did you think was going to happen!?” Edea shouted, pummeling her again and again. “You’re not a match for me, you never were a match for me!”

And with one last punch, even more powerful than the rest, Edea knocked Velvet backwards several feet.

Sprawled out on her stomach, Velvet tried to get up, but she was kicked hard by Edea, flipping her over onto her back.

“Just as I thought,” Edea said, standing over her. “You won’t use a spell because you’re too pathetic yourself. You’re just a slave, an object, the property of a human.”

Edea planted her foot down on Velvet’s neck and pressed hard.

Velvet looked up, horrified.

This was it. This was how it ends.

She turned her head, looking at Felix, the one she had come to save, the one she had failed, but as he hung there limp on the cross, even though he was barely conscious, he gave her a smile. It was weak, but it was there, and it said, “Don’t worry, everything will be okay.”

It was at that moment, Velvet understood. She wouldn’t surrender. She would fight.

“And now I’ll kill you both!” Edea summoned Crinis, six black tentacles emerging from her body and lunged at Velvet.

But they never reached her.

A blinding burst of light exploded forth from Velvet, searing through the tentacles, and straight towards Edea.

Edea’s eyes widened in horror, realizing too late what was happening. She barely had time to let out her first ever cry of terror as the light consumed her.

The spell was a direct hit, tearing through her, splitting her body apart into burnt fragments.

Her charred, shattered body crumpled, landing on top of Velvet.

It was over. Velvet stared at the ceiling, breathing heavily. She had won.

With a gasp, she called out, “Felix!” and shoved Edea’s remains off of her. Struggling to her feet, she hobbled over to the cross. It didn’t look like he was breathing. Her speed increased, but this only caused her to trip and fall, but she still got up anyway and kept clambering over as fast as she could.

“Felix! Are you okay!?” She finally reached him. First thing was getting him down. It felt like climbing a mountain, but she got on top of the cross and untied his arms, letting him down as softly as she could. Once he was on the ground, she rushed up to him, checking his pulse. He was still alive.

Velvet breathed a sigh of relief, but this wasn’t enough. “Felix!” She tried shaking him awake. “Felix!”

He groaned in pain as his eyes slowly opened. “Velvet…”

“Felix!”

Blinking slowly, his eyes glazed over her. “Velvet…” He coughed up blood. “I don’t think I’m going to make it…”

“What!?”

“Sorry… I failed… I got captured…and you had to save me…” He chuckled bitterly, but that quickly turned into a coughing fit. “And now…” He coughed again, even louder.

“It’s okay, Felix, don’t worry. We’ll get you fixed up.”

“N-no… It’s okay… I’m finished… J-just go on without me…”

“What!?”

“G-go… and live…” Felix gave her a sad smile.

“You idiot!” Tears started pouring from her face. “What’s the point of surviving if it’s not with you!?”

Felix’s mouth dropped and his eyes opened wide as he heard those words. Never had he imagined that somebody would say something like that to him. Suddenly, before he even realized it, he started crying as well. For the first time, he hugged her. Through his tears, choking out, “I’m sorry.”

Velvet closed her eyes and hugged him back. “Don’t worry, it’s all okay now…”