The Wishing Game

Chapter 55

FIFTY-FIVE

I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself for the impact with the hard stone wall. Yet instead of pain, I only feel a warm embrace as arms hug me from behind.

"You did well, little human," Ze whispers in my ear.

"Ze!"

He holds me tightly in his arms as he slowly descends to the ground.

"How could you do this to me?" I ask through gritted teeth. The rage is still there, but now it's being directed to a different target—one equally deserving of it.

"I apologize for my slight delay, but I wished to see what she knew about your marks," he confesses.

I frown.

"When the high priestess singled you out, it dawned on me that she must know more about your marks from the way she reacted to seeing them," he adds, his voice pensive.

I nod slowly. That makes sense. And thanks to that, we do have more information about them—that they're written in some ancient Tartareian script.

"But the sphere... Did you do that?"

"No. I have never seen anything of the kind. But have no worry, Luce. We will get to the bottom of this."

I purse my lips. His tone sounds apologetic, but I'm still a little peeved by his marked absence when he said he'd be with me at every step.

"You could have answered when I called. Do you know how scared I was..." I grumble.

"I am sorry. " He sighs. "I did not mean to do that, but the runes in this temple must be more powerful than I thought. I could hear you, but none of my attempts to reach you back were successful. There was a static noise that greeted me whenever I attempted to do so."

"Oh," I whisper, surprised. "At least you're here now. How did you manage that?"

"The pearl." He smiles as he speaks aloud. "It carried my essence within it, and when the priestess broke it, it automatically allowed me to enter this hallowed space."

"Did you know she'd break it?" I ask, regarding him with suspicion.

A sheepish smile crosses his face.

"It was a possibility I planned for," he admits.

"Ze! But it was my bracelet! How could you give me a gift knowing it would get destroyed?" I give him a deadly stare as I break free of his embrace. One look around, though, and I note that the priestess has been frozen in place, her eyes wide with shock, her arm stretched and ready for attack. There's not even the twitch of a muscle or the evidence of breathing. It's almost as if she's a statue made of stone. Even those serpent-like locks are frozen still in an awkward position.

Did he...stop time? Of course he did. He's Ze after all. I doubt there's anything he can't do.

He blinks, his smile slowly fading when he realizes he messed up.

"Oh," he murmurs, averting his gaze and scratching the back of his head.

Before I can blink, he disappears and appears again in front of me, taking my arm and slipping another bracelet on it with a similar purple pearl, yet this time it's a deeper color with streaks of black.

"I apologize." He sighs wearily. "I am afraid I am not used to caring about your human sensibilities."

I stare at him dumbfounded. Human sensibilities? The gall on this man.

"Tell me you did not make another mermaid cry." I shake my head at him, though I must admit, this new bracelet is prettier than the other. The chain is a rose-gold color that complements the purple of the pearl.

He gulps guiltily.

"I cannot tell you that, for it would be a lie."

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with and leave. I think I've been traumatized enough for one day."

Snapping his fingers, he allows time to flow again, and the priestess moves anew.

"How dare a male come into the temple of her ladyship?" she grits out, her chest expanding with each labored breath. She doesn't wait for a reply as she summons her strength, sending blast after blast at Ze.

He dodges each blow easily, moving through the blasts as he stops in front of her, staring her down. Despite her high heels, he's much larger than her, and a sliver of fear enters her gaze.

"You know who I am," he notes, his voice suddenly changed. There's a coldness there that was not present before.

"You're the God Killer," she spits out at him, doing her best to keep her calm. "The king warned me you would attempt to come inside, but I did not think you would succeed."

A smirk pulls at his lips.

"Nothing can stop me if I want something," he drawls, walking in a circle around her. His hands are at his back, his sword still sheathed at his hip. He makes no effort to arm himself or even muster a defensive stance. "Your king must have also told you the reason for my visit."

"You will not get anything out of me," she straightens her spine in an attempt to hide the tremor of fear racking her body. And I do not blame her. As Commander Azerius, Ze appears frightening even to me.

"That remains to be seen." He shrugs. "I am doing what is best for Aperion. If I entered the temple, a demon could do so as well. You were suspecting her to be related to a son of Tenebreis, were you not?"

She wets her lip, her body taut as she's undoubtedly gathering all her strength to attack him when an opportune moment arises.

"You are a rather half-witted female, high priestess," he drawls in a mocking tone. "You suspected her to be the enemy, yet you opened the doors of your temple to her. If she were an actual threat, she would have annihilated you and your precious temple just as she did that sphere."

"What are you?—"

"You know I speak the truth. You have no one to blame but yourself. You invited danger. Well, do not be surprised when the danger strikes."

"What is she? Are you working with them?" the priestess asks, her tone as venomous as the hatred in her eyes.

"She is my person. That is all you need to know." He smiles, a sinister smile that does not reach his eyes. "And I do not appreciate it if anyone makes her anxious."

She narrows her eyes at him.

In the span of a second, he's in front of her, his fingers wrapped around her right wrist. "Was it this hand you used to attack her? Or this?" He grabs the left one as well.

She draws back, seeking to escape his grasp.

To my surprise, he lets her go easily. But it's only for a moment before he withdraws his sword and cuts her right hand in one smooth slice. Blood pours out of the wound, the bone visible where he cut it. She releases a sharp cry as she presses her other hand to stop the bleeding.

Ze doesn't even blink as he wipes the residual blood off his sword before sheathing it.

My eyes widen at the pure ruthlessness rolling off him.

"That is merely the beginning, Priestess," he adds casually.

"You will not get me to say anything . I made a vow."

"I am aware. And breaking that vow will mean death, but you will die regardless. The question is whether it will be peacefully or...violently."

"I cannot. You don't understand." She gasps, her features strained with pain. "No priestess would willingly betray her duty."

"Really?" He raises a brow. "What about Helen? Her duty to Elias was far more important than her duty to the temple."

"She is an anomaly. Priestesses have a duty..."

"Spare me the rehearsed speech. I am here because I have a duty as well, the only difference being that mine extends to the entire universe. Shall I remind you what will happen if the demons get their hands on the vial? We are already at a crossroad. If I could so easily break into your sanctified temple, it is only a matter of time before the demons will as well."

She shakes her head, her breath harsh and punctured. Her blood courses freely and her features become paler by the second.

"I will ask this just one time before I will be forced to get the answers myself. You either tell me of your own accord and embrace your death or you will die a slow and painful death as I examine every thought you have ever had."

Her lips flatten in determination, and with a loud battle cry, she hurls herself against him, using her other hand to conjure her blasts.

Ze releases a heavy sigh as he opens his palm and absorbs her energy.

The veins on her forehead are about to burst as she strains herself to send blast after blast. Ze indulges her, looking bored all the while. When he finally has let her play enough, he lifts her in the air with the snap of a finger, his eyes narrowed as he takes in her struggling features.

"You have chosen the hard way. So be it," he declares before his eyes flash a deep purple, his irises swirling with specks of silver.

A sharp, horrifying cry escapes her, her features contorting in pain as Ze tries to assault her mind to get the information out of her. Despite the fact that she wasn't the nicest to me, I cannot bear to watch her in such agonizing pain that mounts by the second.

Ze does not mind it, the corners of his mouth curling up in a twisted smile. He enjoys this. I've known for a while how bloodthirsty he is, but I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing him derive such pleasure from harming others. Especially since it's so at odds with the Ze I know.

How can two diametrically opposed people reside in the same body? Azerius, the God Killer and Ze, the thoughtful friend.

"Agh," the priestess cries out, and rivulets of blood flow out of her eyes, dripping down her cheeks as blood vessels burst from the effort it takes to block Ze's attacks.

The entire scene is horrifying and far too violent for my feeble human sensibilities.

"Wait," I call out, unable to watch this any longer.

Ze reacts to my voice, half turning to regard me from the corner of his eye.

"What if we got the location out of her without her breaking her vow?" I suggest.

His brows draw together.

"Continue." He nods at me.

"If she visits the hiding place of the vial, and we follow behind, wouldn't that work as keeping her vow? She's not directly revealing the location to us. She's not speaking of it."

"That would be a good idea if she were amenable to it," Ze notes as he returns his attention to the priestess. "It is how Helen and Elias worked around their own vow."

"But it could work, no? She does not have to die."

"You would have her live after she behaved so appallingly to you?" His eyes flash.

"She was only doing her job, Ze." I sigh. "Yeah, she's not the most likable person I've ever met, but she was only trying to do her duty. I think we should give her a fair chance."

"You have too soft a heart, human."

"And you have no heart, Ze." I shake my head at him. "The least you could do is let me balance you out with my soft heart," I fire at him, fighting a smile. "It would certainly make you more...nice," I add, knowing those magic words would get a reaction out of him.

"Nice?" He repeats the word with slow, deliberate strokes of his tongue. His eyes sparkle, the murderous aura surrounding him all but gone.

"Yes, that would make you very nice. You want to be nice, don't you?" I ask, fluttering my lashes.

He fully turns toward me, letting the priestess drop to the floor with a thud.

"If you say that would make me nice..." he starts, a little unsure but eager nonetheless.

"It would." I nod as I walk to the priestess, dropping to my haunches to be on eye level with her. She strikes a pitiful picture. If a few moments ago I'd been terrified of her, now I only feel bad for how the fates have turned. Her paint is smeared over her face, mixed with the blood she spilled. Her features are tighter, more strained, as if she's aged a hundred years in the span of a second.

"You have one chance to avoid a painful death, and trust me, if you refuse this, there will be nothing I can do to help you anymore," I whisper. "You know him. You've heard of him. You are well aware he is more than capable of delivering his threats."

She seethes quietly as she glares at me.

"What are you?" She hisses between her teeth. "You are no more human than I am."

"But the truth is that I am." I sigh. "Whether you believe it or not."

"You do not know what an Elegian Sphere is, do you? It is made out of pure chaos and while it can react to spiritual power, it cannot be destroyed. Chaos is a primordial force that simply...is," she says as she sputters more blood. "These writings..." she says, suddenly grabbing my torn dress and pulling me closer. She splays her bloody hand over my skin, tracing the marks. Ze immediately flashes himself next to me, ready to act. I put a hand up to stop him, curious about what she has to say.

"They can only mean one thing...doom," she utters in a low voice.

Turning her gaze to Ze, she addresses him, "You are concerned about demons, but you have brought danger within Aperion. The enemy might be closer than you think, God Killer."

"I advise you to choose your words carefully. Any insult to her is an insult to me, and I will not let it slide," Ze adds in a harsh tone as he fiddles with the handle of his sword.

I put a finger up.

"I am not the enemy, and regardless of what you may think of me, I only want to help. These demons...they've already infiltrated the intermediary realms, and from what I'm told, it's not long before they'll be able to jump freely between worlds. That means my world is in danger," I tell her. To Ze, I turn to ask, "How do I go about making a vow like hers?"

"You will do no such thing!" he immediately thunders.

"How, Ze? Tell me."

"You vow three times to our Vestal Ladyship and give a drop of your blood as offering."

"You will do no such thing," he growls.

I ignore him as I grab a pin from my hair, pricking my finger as I say the words.

"I vow to the Vestal Ladyship that I do not have any nefarious purposes planned for the vial." I repeat it three times just as a drop of blood falls to the ground, evaporating into the hard stone.

Ze continues to grumble in the background while the priestess merely stares at me.

"You foolish human," he says as he crouches next to me, grabbing my finger and bringing it to his lips to lick the wound. His words speak of his disapproval, but his eyes express the opposite, a fiery warmth enveloping me as he caresses me with his gaze.

I gulp down hard, barely wrenching my eyes from his.

"It is done. You can see that I am in earnest now. Will you help us?" I put on a smile as I address the priestess. Her lips tremble as her gaze moves from me to Ze, who's greedily sucking on my finger. I pull my hand away, my flesh healed. He grumbles a small protest under his breath.

The priestess is quiet for a moment before she nods, her shoulders slumping down in defeat.

Getting to her feet, she waves the stone wall aside as she wobbles toward the main hall.

Ze and I follow closely. Skepticism is written all over Ze's features, and I can tell he's ready for attack at any point. The only reason he's going along with this is to please me and earn his designation as nice . As odd as that might seem, it appears to be the only thing he truly cares about. He doesn't mind when he's called names, not even when he is referred to as the God Killer. But being called nice seems to work wonders for his ego.

The priestess stops in front of the giant statue in the hallway. Going closer to it, she climbs the podium, placing herself at its feet. She reaches out with her good hand, touching the precious stones in some kind of secret combination. Her movements are fast—so much so I can barely follow. But as she uses her power to make herself levitate, she places herself in front of the statue and touches the lips of the goddess—her Ladyship as she'd called her.

A loud noise permeates the air as a fissure appears in the middle of the statue, the two halves separating to reveal the vial in the center. It is a small container—no bigger than my palm. The outside material is made of gold and encrusted with the same type of precious stones as the statue. Only at the top there's a translucent material that reveals the red of the blood within.

Ze uses his powers to bring the vial to him, the object infinitely smaller in his big hand. He closes his fist over it, and when he opens it next, the vial is gone.

"Your help is appreciated, Priestess. Rest assured that the vial will be safe in my keep." Ze inclines his head. "For your cooperation, I will give you back your hand."

The severed hand makes an appearance, floating toward us and fitting itself at the priestess's wrist. Her eyes widen for a moment, but as the hand is locked in place, her flesh begins to mend until it's as good as new.

"How did you do that?" I whisper in awe since he didn't use his healing saliva.

"I merely nullified the spell keeping her from healing." He shrugs. "It is not by chance that I am called the God Killer. My sword is the only weapon from which a god cannot heal."

"Oh." I blink.

I guess that explains why everyone's so scared of him.

"But I should mention one other thing, Priestess." He turns his attention to her, his voice cold and unyielding. "You will utter no word of what you have seen of my female. Not about her markings, nor about the sphere. If anyone asks, you shall say it was just a mishap. Understood?"

The priestess nods slowly, barely daring to meet his gaze.

"Good. That concludes our business here," he tells me.

Without waiting for my reply, he grabs my hand and flashes us out of the temple. As I blink, our surroundings change, and I'm back in my room at Thea's house.

I break away from him, a little shaken by everything that happened.

"No one in Aperion speaks ancient Tartareian. It is a forbidden language," he adds quietly.

"But you said a god must have left the marks on my skin. Who could it be...?"

He purses his lips.

"I am not certain. But I am concerned. If this has anything to do with the Sons of Tenebreis, I will find out. Until then, you must ensure that no one else sees your markings. We do not know who might also recognize the script and jump to conclusions," he advises.

"Do you..." I pause, searching his gaze. "Do you think I'm dangerous like the priestess said?" I ask tentatively. "I don't know what happened to that sphere, I swear. I just touched it and?—"

"Do not worry," he declares swiftly. "You are my responsibility. I will protect you."

"But you didn't answer my question..."

"There is no answer, for it does not matter."

"But what if..." I swallow. "What if I am in any way related to those demons or to the Sons of Tenebreis? Aren't they your enemies?"

I can't believe I'm even contemplating this. This morning, I was just a human. A simple human. Now, the markings I bear might have demonic origin, not divine. The thought makes my stomach plummet. But nothing surprises me anymore, and instead of hiding behind a wall of ignorance, I'd rather face everything head-on. After all, knowledge is power. And only knowing the truth about myself will allow me to come to terms with my past...and my future.

"It does not matter," Ze states unequivocally, his gaze dipping lower. "You are not my enemy, Luce. I do not care what you are. You are not the enemy. Understand?"

I nod slowly, although I'm not entirely convinced by his words. His duty is to Aperion first and foremost. He is a weapon designed by the Supremes to battle demons. It might not be up to him whether I am the enemy or not...

I force a smile on my face as I awkwardly pat him on the shoulder. Moving about my room, I accidentally catch my reflection in the mirror, and a gasp escapes me as I notice how disheveled I am. My hair is all messy, some strands waving in the air, others sticking to my skin. Blood spatters are across my face and cleavage, my torn dress barely covering the top of my breasts. Dear Lord, have I been carrying on an entire conversation with him almost topless?

My cheeks burn with mortification.

Muttering a hurried goodbye, I dash into the bathroom to clean myself and change into something more comfortable. I take my time showering and removing all the traces of the day from my body, and when I'm done, I moisturize my skin and dab some perfume behind my ear. I settle on a dark blue silk dress—perfect to wear to bed for a nap.

But as I come back to the room, I note Ze has not left. He's sitting on my bed, his legs apart, his palms resting on his knees. I frown, concerned. It's been an hour since I left him there, maybe two.

His intense gaze is on me, his lips pursed as he just stares at me.

"Ze? What are you doing? Don't you have some demons to slay?" I ask, thinking he'd get the hint and leave. I did my duty and helped him. Now I deserve some me time, which is code for I'm tired and I want to nap the day away. After everything that happened today, I think I'm entitled to as much.

"I have been thinking," he starts slowly.

I raise a brow at him.

"You have been thinking for over an hour?"

"I have been thinking," he repeats, clearing his throat. "Today was a success."

"It was." I nod.

"Because of you," he surprises me by adding.

Now that's...unexpected. He looks mighty uncomfortable as he says that, though.

"You did well," he adds quietly.

"Thank you... I guess?"

He nods, his expression serious.

"You are, indeed, a worthy female."

"Okay..."

"We make a good team," he continues awkwardly.

"Right. Thanks. Now you can go."

He doesn't move.

"We shall celebrate," he declares, straightening his back.

"Celebrate?" I repeat numbly, still confused.

"I have decided to give you the honor of being the first female to go on a date with me."

"A...date?"

He nods proudly.

"You may rejoice."