41. Despair

Isabella felt a strong heat like fever all around her body. As she lifted her head she saw herself in the middle of her town of Morirom and it was engulfed in flames. She could see her castle burning with the banners already destroyed and it seemed to be crumbling. The houses and all she could see were being consumed. And, on the cobblestone floor, she could see a teddy bear, ragged, torn and charred by the flame. She knelt and she wept. And she wept for a long time, hardly able to look up. Alone, all she listened to was the rustling of the flames.

The heat subsided and she lifted her head. She was outside Mazanlold's house in Steeleets, with her friends. Caoilainn said:
- "I will be the best mage of the entire Omega Magus. Thanks for your help, but to attain that, I have to kill friends, to learn all the ways of the dark magic. I am sorry" - Caoilainn's eyes were red as she released a blast of energy in Richard's direction. He tried to protect himself, but did not survive. Isabella tried to shout, but no sound came of her mouth. Mazanlold said:
- "I won't allow you!" - he leaped at Caoilainn. He attacked her twice with his morning star, she defended one hit, but took the other hit to her leg. Isabella watched it all, but couldn't move. Despite being hurt, Caoilainn was able to send a fireball burning him and making him flinch and she stroke him down with a blast of energy.

Slowly, she walked towards Isabella, with her leg bleeding.
- "I am sorry for that Isa, but you see, I must learn it all." - she panted - "I won't hurt you, but I will have to kill more to learn it all."
- "Stop it!" - Isabella shouted - "Caoi! Please stop it! I cannot let you do that!"
- "But I must Isa, it's my dream."
- "Stop! It is your last chance!"
- "I can't!" - Caoilainn shouted. Isabella leaped at her and stabbed Caoilainn's heart. Caoilainn tried to hug her friend before falling without life. Isabella removed her sword and knelt again weeping.

Isabella wept and sobbed so much that she couldn't see anything. Her heart felt torn apart as her world fell around her. She cried until her tears dried up and her mouth felt dry. When she lifted her head, everything was white. In the distance, she could see Morirom on fire on one direction, on another, her father's funeral, and on another, her friends going at each others throats. Then, voices. Voices. She heard voices:
- "You are a failure!"
- "You've let your father down!"
- "You've left Morirom to its ruin!"
- "You've let your friends be captured and suffer!"
- "You couldn't stop their wickedness!"
- "You should be ashamed!"
- "You are worthless, useless, evil, wicked, incapable!"
The voices came from shadows with red dots as eyes, which surrounded her and kept shouting.

Isabella remained there, isolated by the shadows, overwhelmed by guilty, deafened by the voices.

At the same time, outside, Caoilainn was moving her hands around and tapping her feet. It was not Mazanlold's fight that worried her, but Isabella and Richard who were for quite some time inside the house already. Not being able to shake her anxiety, she shouted:
- "Mazan, keep fighting, I will go check Richard and Isabella."
- "Go and don't worry!" - Mazanlold replied. Caoilainn walked around the altar and entered in the house.

Epitropos held its sword pointing up, with two hands. Mazanlold did exactly the same. The two stared at each other and moved a few steps back and front, just studying each others movements. Mazanlold approached for an overhead hit, but Epitropos defended, Mazanlold continued with more strikes, all defended and both stepped back again. Now, Epitropos went on the offensive, feinting attacks, which Mazanlold calmly reacted to. The automaton did not commit to any attack.

Mazanlold stared at him and breathed deeply. It was a contrast, he seemed heavy in his posture, but his leg movement was limb and his arm movement precise. The automaton lacked the elegance, but compensated with scary precision. The two danced giving very few openings and defending every strike.

Suddenly, Mazanlold turned the sword away from his opponent, set it on his left side and lunged forward. With his body wide open, Epitropos went for a left strike, which wouldn't leave it open. Mazanlold smiled as he saw that, because he span to hit the construct's gem from the right side. Epitropos was able to defend the hit, but in such a way that Mazanlold slid his sword on his foe's sword and poked at its gem. It was a very risky move, but one an automaton would hardly be able to predict and react to.

Epitropos jumped away and said:
- "Stage completed, test completed." - it threw away the sword. - "authorize access to alta... authorize... unauthorize.... system override. " - Epitropos started moving its members erratically - "unauthorize... System override complete." - it stopped - "Protocol: 'destroy foe' activated." - with that, the automaton grabbed a mace from the ground and lunged at Mazanlold.