Chapter 32

Alir learned a fair bit during his travels with Kasia, part of it was that the world disliked Shadow Mages, and Light Mages hated them with every fiber of their being. Kasia traveled looking for Shadow Mages, wandering from place to place keeping to the shadows unless she had to come out. This was due to the fact that every Light Mage was out for her head and it was a ‘pain’ to deal with them every time.

She always revealed herself to save any Shadow Mages she encountered, she would sometimes wander the whole day stopping only because he needed to rest. He would sleep when she left at night and when he woke up she’d still be gone, only to return when night fell again.

She worked hard to help the Shadow Mages and whenever he asked why she worked so hard her answer was simple.

“I’m the Arch Deity of Shadow.”

While this made her seem like a decent person, her feelings towards Light Mages were vastly different. She slaughtered any Light Mages in Red or Green clothes without hesitation. The Red Robes apparently never listened and the Green’s healing magic prolonged fights needlessly.

She gave anyone else a chance to walk away and just as she said back then, they never did.

Even after years of traveling with her he never received a full answer to his original question. Why Shadow Mages are so hated, she always said she’d explain it fully in the future and just told him ‘This world is written to hate us’ whenever he pressed further.

Even with all of that however he trusted Kasia, she taught him magic and whenever the fighting started she always hid him in her shadow, even though she said she wouldn’t protect him.

A few particular encounter stood out in his memory, especially upon meeting that priest.

Kasia held her hand out stopping Alir who was walking alongside her from moving.

The boy had grown a bit in their time together, he would be a young man within a few years and he’d be able to return the solemn woman’s protection up until this point. This was not that time however as she turned causing Alir to be behind him.

The two had been crossing a grassy field, heading towards a forest in the distance hoping to get there before the orange sky above turned black. He wasn’t sure why Kasia had made them stop but suddenly he noticed red falling from the sky. He thought it was paint at first but as it pooled in the grass he soon realized it wasn’t paint, it was clearly blood.

He stayed silent as the blood rose up twirling around something before breaking apart, the red dissipating as a black haired man in a black priest robe appeared before them.

Alir met the man’s eyes once and immediately looked away, the look in his eyes…scared him.

“Lady Kasia. I’ve come to report my achievements to you once again.”

“You don’t need to report your atrocities to me,” Kasia said going to walk away.

“Wait hold on Lady Kasia,” the priest said moving in front of her. “I’ve…I’ve worked so hard for you. I’ve slaugther plenty of heretics in your name, all those who worship the fake Celestial.”

“What about the children?”

The priest opened his mouth but closed it at the woman’s stare, even Alir felt something in the air around them shift. The priest seemed to be searching for the right words, as if he understood the quiet warning the woman was giving him.

“If…if this is about that girl that got away. That wasn’t my fault, a Grand Deity of Light stopped me. If I was made into a Grand Deity of Shadow I could do more, that’s why I work so hard for you Lady Kasia.”

“...I didn’t ask you to slaugther children, nor anyone else. If you want to kill Light Mages then do as you wish…but don’t say you’re doing it in your name.”

“L-Lady Kasia. You can’t be serious, I’ve done so much…I’ve served you faithfully the moment you blessed me.”

Kasia eyed the man before closing her eyes, giving a shake of her head she gently pushed Alir forward the two walking past the priest.

“Wait Lady Kasia! Please hear me out!”

Kasia came to a stop causing Alir to stop, the woman held her hand up and closed it. When she did something crashed into the priest stomach causing him to fall to his knees. A black orb rose out of the man’s back, the woman catching it as it flew at her before it vanished in her grip.

“It was a mistake blessing you,” Kasia said walking away with the youth. “You don’t deserve the role of Deity. Never show yourself to me again.”

While he heard plenty of things about Kasia, she was the closest thing to family he had after losing his own. While she would leave on her own sometimes, she always returned within a day, leaving a note if she left, so he never thought he was abandoned. He ate with her, she trained him and she always listened whenever he was excited about something.

He got into telling jokes in the hopes of one day making her smile, a decade had passed and not once had he seen her smile. He had long grown into an adult but with nowhere to go he continued to follow her.

Kasia was the only family had, and while some days were harsh, while he had witnessed some horrors along side her, being with her was a dream, having someone who actually wanted having him around. That was why it hurt all the more when he woke up.

Alir had asked to return to his old hometown and Kasia, though she gave him a look he couldn’t decipher, led him back to it without complaint. He now stood in his old home, which had fallen apart, the buildings long abandoned and the streets bare leaving only the two of them. He stood in the center of town, where the pyre still was, though at this point it mostly a part of nature.

“You really knew exactly where it was,” Alir said to Kasia who stood a few feet behind him.

The woman said nothing as Alir continued after letting that comment linger between them.

“You memorized it didn’t you. After you killed me?”

The woman remained silent, at this point they both knew the question was rhetorical.

“You were Bedridden,” Kasia answered simply.

“I could have survived.”

“The chances were low.”

Alir turned to Kasia fists clenched.

“Is that why you took me from my wife and child! Because the chances were low!”

His voice full of rage echoed throughout the village, rage and despair battled for control over his rapid heartbeat, his narrowed focused on the woman, whose stoic expression didn’t shift in the slightlest.

“Did you know who I was from the beginning?” Alir asked.

“I did.”

“Did you save me just to use me?”

Kasia offered no response causing Alir to continue.

“Did you know my memories would come back.”

“I did.”

“Did you want to form a bond with me…hoping I’d let go…that I’d serve you if I cared about you.”

Kasia watched the man in front of her, she watched tears flow down the man’s cheeks and for a moment she saw the young child of that day, tied to that pyre.

“Yes,” she responded simply.

Alir grit his teeth and brought his hand back.

“Ro-”

The words never came out, a shadow rose out of the ground piercing the young man’s chest the moment he went to speak the words. Kasia’s hand extended towards the man, she lowered her hand and the shadow returned to her, Alir’s body falling to the ground in front of her.

He coughed blood trickling down his chin as Kasia walked up to him, ignoring the blood pooling around her shoes she stared down at him. Alir glanced up at her, stared into the red eyes that never showed any emotion towards anything. For a moment though he thought he saw something, for the first time something behind her empty stare.

“...you told me that the world is written to hate us…”

Kasia offered a nod to Alir, watching as his mouth slowly curved into a small smile.

“...Are you sure it doesn’t just hate you…and the rest of us are paying the price…”

Kasia offered no response, and only watched as Alir’s eyes slowly shut. She waited patiently until she was sure his heart had beat last before answering him.

“...you were always a smart kid.”