Everything Comes With A Price

Kalliope watched as the faint light covering the academy ground gradually collapsed and darkness would soon overrule the place. Silence dawned on her surroundings with the absence of the pitiful young sorcerers. And even Kalliope's shadow dragged across the stone floor forlornly without his darkness as a companion in the rainy cold night.

However, amid the pouring sky, a series of small coughs finally broke the tranquility. Kalliope clutched onto her chest as she felt her heart pounding furiously - more powerful than ever before. A single heartbeat was capable of leaving her teetering in tremendous agony. She gritted her teeth as she tried to steady her labored breath rigorously.

That Gozurak wasn't joking. Without his possession, the agonizing pain did return as her body had yet to adjust with the sudden accumulation of dead mana flowing in her veins. It took time and patience to successfully finish the merging. But, Kalliope had carelessly moved on with her plan.

The blessing of The Great Elemental Spirits, the pure mana, obstinately rejected the merging throughout the whole process. It acted like antibodies trying to fight a virus.

Therefore, Kalliope had no choice but to use sheer force to accomplish this and the process felt like a thousand blades hacking every nerve in her body.

Her entire being staggered, begging to succumb into slumber, but Kalliope persistently resisted.

"Power comes with consequences," Helliot's voice suddenly rang in her head.

Kalliope's breathing sounded ragged as though she had run a ten kilometers marathon. But, it didn't stop her from casting a teleportation spell even as the pain was gnawing her alive.

A blinding light tore the darkness apart and a simple magic crest carrying a sinister aura appeared beneath Kalliope's feet. The difference was very clear now. Before, her mana force wouldn't emit such a dreadful aura but now, it carried a wicked sense behind it.

With a destination in her mind, Kalliope transported herself swiftly. Her surroundings soon faded into a bedroom.

Although she successfully cast the magic, her current condition wasn't well enough to do so without the help of the Gozurak. Hence, upon her arrival, the pain doubled back, driving her to biting her own lip. It bled under the pressure.

But, she didn't have time to relieve herself as two surprised gasps came from behind her.

"Who are you?!"

They were gearing up for an attack when they suddenly realized the dazzling rose-colored locks flowing down the woman's elegant back. And the white mages instantly stopped in their tracks.

"Kalliope?!"

Kalliope turned her head slightly, showing only her side profile, but that sight had already terrified the both of them. She indifferently spat out one word, "Sleep."

In that second, the white mages were instantly knocked out.

"Cough, cough!" Kalliope let out a series of coughing once again as she bent down weakly by the bedside.

When she finally settled down, she lifted her head with much effort to look at the sleeping woman. Time had left a mark on her face but she had always appeared wise and calm beyond her age. Kalliope silently studied her countenance.

"Remember Kalliope. Everything comes with a price."

With her head lying sideways on the bed, Kalliope winced painfully when the black veins on her body throbbed, showing the aftereffect of the two mana colliding together.

"Well...this is one hell of a price, Ms. Helliot," Kalliope sighed. "I just…"

"I just hope it's worth it."

She chuckled weakly while she held on to Helliot's thin hand. "...or I won't even know whom to look for to collect this painful debt from."

A bitter smile graced her horrifying face. This… wasn't what the young witch had come for. But, it had always been her habit to cover the guilt, the pain, the sorrow with a mask of laughter and words of jokes.

She tightened her grip yet, the word still didn't come out.

Right now, 'sorry' seems to have become a collection of what ifs. A series of predictions that the young witch didn't have the guts to face.

What if forgiveness was never in her favor? And to this, Kalliope somehow knew she wasn't worth it.

What if anger was the answer and what if resentment followed after that? For her action, she didn't have the rights to even hope for otherwise.

But, what she was scared the most was what if her apology was answered with silence instead? It was truly a price that she would never wish to pay.

Yet, could any of these stop her madness? It would be meaningless to even question it. The darkness flowing in her veins itself was a solid proof.

He himself, who stood behind her, smiling ever so merrily upon her demise was the guarantee.

With a gentle stroke and a kiss on the tip of her hair, the demon announced, "I have returned, My Lady."

----------

(In the underground prison)

"Will she really free us?" asked one of the prisoners doubtfully.

"We can only hope," another sighed. The last thing he had heard about Kalliope before getting chained up in the dungeon was that the young witch was a little devil with unrivaled mischief. They could only hope she still had some integrity in her to keep a promise.

Evie chuckled softly while she listened to the hopeless chatters of these little lambs. 'Oh...don't you worry. Kalliope will definitely free everyone'. She then looked across her cell to Dozahr who was pacing back and forth impatiently. A peculiar smirk danced on her lips.

It was at this moment, suddenly an eerie breeze rushed inside the dungeon, blowing out the row of torches. It sent everyone into total blindness. Then, without a pause, a medium-sized magic crest flashed in the hallway and the chains binding their legs were instantly unlocked.

The prisoners watched all of these happenings with their mouths ajar. They didn't even get to react before every single cell bust opened. The loud bang awoke them from their stupor.

Staring at the freedom in front of their eyes, the prisoners exclaimed in disbelief, "We're free…?"

A few seconds of doubt passed before their boisterous cheer erupted within the dungeon, "We're free!!"

In that instance, their eyes glinted maliciously. They rubbed their hands together in eagerness, some for revenge and some simply for their blissful escapade. However, just as they stepped out of their cell, a voice tinged with mirth rang in their heads.

"Now, honor your promise as I have done mine."

Their steps instantly halted as they flinched in surprise. They recognized the voice although it sounded different than the previous Kalliope. While they tried to remember what the promise was, the hallway suddenly lit up once again and a quick flashback struck their mind.

Indeed, they had promised to provide distraction to help her escape. With a pleasant grin on their faces, they hailed, "Leave it to us, My Lady!" ...for chaos was their forte.

After that, they hurriedly made their way out of the dungeon where they could finally feel mana once again after all those years.

Meanwhile, Dozahr slammed against the prison bar in rage. "You didn't honor your promise! You haven't freed me!"

On the other side, although her cell was opened, Evie didn't step out nor did she get up from her seat. Instead, she was immersed in her thoughts as to how Kalliope cast a spell inside the anti-magic field.

Yes, right now, she still couldn't feel any mana standing in the dungeon. Besides, she wondered what was that creepy feeling just now when the magic crest appeared?

And her answer came sooner than she had expected. In the middle of Dozahr's howling, a soft sound of water splashing was heard, then the sound of dripping. Following that, a somewhat foul scent fleeted into her nose. Black smoke permeated in the air, ebbing gently into their periphery.

Evie jerked up and Dozahr stopped his shouting in that instance. Both of them stared dumbstruck at the wisp of black smoke with flickering roseate lights clapping in jovial sparks that gave the dreary mist an enchanting allure.

The smoke filled up the empty hallway before Evie could slowly make out a figure standing within the darkness with their back facing her.

When it vanished, Kalliope figure was revealed from within. She was staring expressionlessly at Dozahr.

The great mage took a step back as his face scrunched up warily. He didn't need mana to be able to detect the evilness from the presence before him. After all, the scent of death surrounding her body was too strong for it to go unnoticed. Even more so, for her diabolical appearance.

In a defensive stance, Dozahr forced his trembling self to probe, "Who…"

But, Kalliope cut him fast, "Why… you don't recognize me anymore, Uncle?"