STAGE THIRTY-SEVEN: LIAR

STAGE THIRTY-SEVEN: LIAR

"I'll take a quick look around. I just want to make sure Keon's not here anymore!" She said running the other way, while Alyon and Alaric escape with the unconscious Kirin.

"Will she be okay?" Alaric asked, a bit hesitant to leave without her. "Worry more about yourself runemaster. She is the Lenfiare of Celestia. Moreover, Afra's indestructible barrier can easily melt this debris. She'll definitely make it." Alyon assured as they ran.

Freyja didn't have to summon her guardians. Just a bit of her aura is more than enough to ward off the falling debris. But as the floors collapsed and explosions continued, Freyja was forced to use Avice's wings, and fly through each and every room in the phreinian fortress. "Keon… please be safe." She thought, a growing uneasiness in her heart. "No, he should have escaped already. That's why my aura returned, right?"

Freyja struggled to maintain her focus. For every room and every corner she searched that she hadn't found him, he heart raced. Was she relieved? No. She was scared. Freyja reminded herself of how strong the young Aethelmaer is. "Aethlmaer… that's right. He is an Aethelmaer." But this supposedly comforting fact made her anxiety worse.

"Keon!" She shouted. "Answer me, Keon!"

The face of the young man, just before he left to find the celestial soul orb, flashed before her eyes. She ordered Avice to fly faster.

"Lenfiare! Please be careful!" Astrid exclaimed, coming out of the pendant to slice off a rock that was supposed to hit the distracted Freyja. "You released Aria's true form, and Afra is still in no condition to summon a barrier for you. Please be careful!" He scolded, but Freyja shook her head and continued flying. "Sorry, and thanks. Yeah, Let's go."

"KEON!" She shouted, "HURRY AND COME OUT!"

More debris fell, the floors cracked, explosions won't stop. Freyja passed through corpses after corpses on the ground. She didn't see a trace of him, until she found a hallway, with a huge, open window, shining light on the path as if guiding her way. Freyja recalled Avice, and walked through it, carefully. "Keon? Are you there?" She called, but very softly.

Then, on the floor, she saw fragments of the celestial orb.

The treasure of phrein, the once powerful weapon that was used to capture Afra. The weapon that sealed her white aura and almost killed her. Of course, she'd recognize it immediately! But now, it's on the ground shattered, without a single trace of its power. It shouldn't be there.

Freyja trembled as she forced herself to take steps forward. Around her, scattered body parts of phreinians. But, there was a leg. It was burnt, but she could tell it was not a phreinian. Freyja started shaking, she can't get a word out. Her heart raced. But she had to keep walking forward.

Then, another leg was there. The floor was burnt, and bloodied. Even the walls had traces of burn. Cold sweat fell from her forehead, tears started forming at the corner of her eyes.

"No." She uttered, pupils dilated. "No, don't joke around Keon. Hurry and come out!" As she looked further, she found a torso. "GODDAMMIT! JUST COME THE HELL OUT!" She shouted, the collapsing debris not in her mind anymore. "COME THE HELL OUT!"

And on the far corner of the room, a hand. A hand, with a familiar bracelet tied around it. It was weaved shabbily, the beads were not even aligned. She made it when she was younger, and she gave it to a precious friend. Shabby, cheap, even she wondered why anyone would wear it. Freyja picked up the hand, together with all the body parts scattered in the room that were barely recognizable.

Freyja fell onto her knees, tears gushing out without end. She roared, like a dragon. "ARIA!" She called the healing guardian out, out in his full, celestial form. "HEAL HIM! BRING HIM BACK! HURRY! DO IT!" She commanded. Aria obeyed. Using everything in the power of a celestial guardian, Aria stitched the body together, restoring it into its former appearance. It looked as if, Keon is just sleeping. It looked exactly as if, he's still alive. But no matter how good Aria stitched them together, he is still lifeless.

"Forgive me Lenfiare, it is not within the power of celestials, to bring a dead person back to life." Aria apologized, before returning to his human form. "KEON HAS CELESTIAL BLOOD TOO RIGHT!? YOU CAN DO IT! BRING HIM BACK! TRY AGAIN!" Freyja was losing it. "YOU BROUGHT ME BACK TO LIFE, THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO HIM!" She exclaimed, shaking Aria, who only shook his head.

"Lenfiare, you know very well that what happened to you at that time is different from this. Keon, is a human. He may be a descendant of a celestial, but he is human." Aria apologized before disappearing, leaving Freyja on her knees. "NO." Her tears fell on Keon's pale face. She tightly held onto Keon's body. "You liar. You said you'd go to Celestia with me. No way." Her tears won't stop. "ARIA! ARIA! COME BACK HERE!" She shouted, calling the celestial guardian once more. "DO IT! SAVE KEON! TRY AGAIN!" She ordered.

Aria obeyed. Again, he gave his all, to return Keon back to life, but he couldn't. "AGAIN!" And again, he tried. "USE ALL OF MY AURA! DRAIN ME TO DEATH! JUST DO IT!" Freyja shouted, which started to bother Aria. Though he obeyed every command of his Lenfiare, he can sense that she is at her limit. Freyja used too much of her aura already, and using it over and over is no different from suicide. "AGAIN!" Aria did as he was told, but then again, celestials are no gods nor immortals. Aria disappeared, and Freyja collapsed over Keon's corpse. She could barely keep her eyes open, let alone call Aria again. All she can do, was cry. Her tears endlessly falling on Keon's body. That's all she can do.

And finally, Freyja closed her eyes, and a gigantic boulder fell straight above them.

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