The Sight Beyond The Haze

Chapter 61: The Lord's Order

Leigh told Cocytus and me to just go straight to the house, without even asking what was he supposed to know about the attacker.

"What will you do if you got hold of the attacker?" I asked and swallowed the adrenaline on my mouth down to my throat. "I have not..." Because I was so out of breath, I was almost so spent that I cannot even speak so directly in just one breath, not even a single sentence. "I have... I have not told you," I tried to say but Cocytus was already holding my elbow, trying to get me to back down. "The attacker! They were the ones who... who got around the Sight of the Seer!"

The adrenaline of the fight earlier made my heart thump so fast I though it will fly off my chest. I was still trying to calm myself down when the golden light butterflies approached to me. They finally shed off the darkness on their wings and let the shine through the forest. Their glow provided more than enough light for everyone to finally see each other more properly.

We were all near by the sputtering fire where the seal has truly faded. Even with the seal completely gone, there was still the remnants of the fire that scorched the ground and melted through the ice. I know that Leigh had seen it.

There was silence after my revelation. Cocytus' hand let go of my elbow and took a step back, waiting for his foster father to say something or to give his orders. Despite my best effort to keep Leigh around, he was firm and unyielding. Using his placid expression, he nodded towards the Cocytus, resuming the same order that he initially wanted Cocytus to execute.

"If that is true indeed," Leigh said coldly, his hand gripped a sabre which glinted under the moonlight. "Then you of two better get to the house as soon as possible."

I looked at him dumbfoundedly while the same expression was plastered on Cocytus' face. We both looked at each other. My eyes widened, trying to convey that I actually wanted to go and that he should go back to the house and protect Eris who was probably alone by herself with only a handful of servants. The servants won't be able to do anything if the attacker targetted Eris, not even to defend her. Besides that fact, there was also this reason that the attacker could avoid the power of the Seer's Sight. It would be so easy, too easy actually, to sneak inside of the house without anyone knowing.

At least if Cocytus was there, he could do something against that person.

Cocytus also widened his eyes towards to me and I nodded. When I thought that we have come to an agreement, that was when I was wrong.

"Seraphin will go back since she's injured, maybe we could still catch up with the intruder if we both split up," he announced with all the confidence of justice and pride.

I almost slap myself senseless in frustration. I thought he knew! But then he did not actually understand me.

"No," I contradicted my foster cousin and took a steo forward, "I was the one who fought off with that attacker so I should be the one finishing the job. Besides, you don't even know the attacker's face."

"Why?" Cocytus demanded to me with an arrogant raise of his head. "Did you see his face from your fight earlier? You're injured anyway, it's better to just go back and protect the Seer inside. We have to get the intruder no matter what happen."

I got silent with that question because I do not, besides, with Cocytus being one of the heir of the academy, he would certainly be known to unfamiliar things about the vicinity of the academy. I do wanted to go with Leigh though.

Because I do not know if Leigh has any plans on killing that person and I was still curious about them.

"My injury is only superficial," I countered with Cocytus, "there's no need to be too meticulous about it."

"Enough, you two," Leigh finally said. His face was as cold as ever and I could actually feel it seep into my bones and flesh. "Both of you would go back to the house." Leigh turned towards my direction. "Seraphin," he called to me with a chilling tone, "create the strongest barrier you could procure." He then turned to his foster son and ordered some things. "Prepare the armory, Yto."

"Father!" Cocytus complained to Leigh. "What is actually going on?"

Cocytus does not know what was happening?

We both looked at Leigh, waiting for any kind of explanation, but he already turned away from us.

"Do not give chase, Seraphin, Yto," he instructed us both. "Eris is blind from the Sight now, and we aren't certain if the intruder indeed went outside of the academy. You two must go on."

We did not act immediately. Leigh was so serious that instead of this instance being a hunt for the attacker, it seemed like we were the ones that being hunted. We were indeed in a haunt, despite the advantage of our number, it felt that we became the prey.

"Great Uncle?"

There was uncertainty on my voice, so very tiny it was when it came out of my lips. Leigh looked at Cocytus, it was a long gaze that it unnerved me. Abruptly, Cocytus held my arm and started dragging me towards the direction of the house.

"Let's go, Seraphin," he told me in all seriousness.

It was a command from him that probably came from Leigh with that brief glance with each other. Behind me was an explosion of magical energy that threw both of us off, stumbling on the ice and the roots of the trees. The air stilled until the very wind became erratic and the dried leaves and branches flew around us. As though nothing has occured, everything came to a standstill.

Cocytus was still holding my hand, almost slipping with the pressure that forced us forward. Curiosity got the better of me, my head automatically turned to look back to where Leigh was.

"Don't look back!" Cocytus shouted to me. "Come on!"

He dragged me still with a stronger and renewed grip, tugging at our intertwined. My eyes widened with Cocytus' reaction. I have never seen Cocytus be afraid of his own foster father. Because of that, I did not dare to look back, but I could feel sting on the back of my layers of clothing. I felt that I have been forced to stand in front of a flowing lava on an active volcano.

"Why? Why is Leigh like that?" I asked him, also tugging at the hands of ours that were still connected. "What happened, Cocytus!"

I reached out my hand and dozens of golden light butterflies flew to light us. I commanded a few of them to go to Leigh, but Cocytus shook his head and only harshly towed me along. It was fortunate that I was nimble in my feet that I was able to keep up with Cocytus.

"What is it?!" I screamed at him, tugging at my hand away from his firm grip. "Something happened! And you won't tell me about it!"

On this angle, I could only see the side profile of Cocytus but I could still see the hesitation and anxiety on his expression. He tried to drag it dow from his face though it was already too late since I have already seen it on.

I thought back to the few hours before I went into the patrol. Cocytus was taling care of his business, Leigh was sleeping so soundly that he did not even notice that I put a blanket over his cold body, and Eris told me that the night would fortunate and that there was no events that would happen.

Then again, we all know that Eris' Sight was not bulletproof any longer.

"What happened, Cocytus!" I screamed louder and forcibly yanked at my hand from him.

Because we were both running so fast, the sudden movement from my hand made him stumble and that caused us to roll on the ground. He threw a punch to me, attempting to get me to go with him by strength. I easily deflected it, kicking him square in the chest. That simple kick did not get Cocytus down for so long, he rolled once then again before regaining momentum to stand up.

On his other hand, I have only just seen the simple scimitar and he immediately went to point at me.

"Eris saw herself dying!" he screamed.

"B-but she... she was fine earlier," I stuttered, stepping backwards. "She told me to go on."

"That bastard killed her!" Cocytus told me still, the scimitar on his hand was shaking heavily. He told it to me as though it already happened. "Eris... Eris said that she cannot see her future or any of the future. Her Sight just faded. And that only happens... that only happens..."

Cocytus did not dare continuing that line.

Because we were both aware that the next words would not be so pleasing in the ears.

The Sight withdrawing from the Seer only meant one thing; that the Seer was close to death and there was no future nor present for them except for passing the Sight to other people.

"Then let's go," I whispered weakly.

Cocytus does not need any encouragement. He was speeding through the forest. My hand was still holding on to that high grade quality spear that the attacker left behind. We arrived at the house in no time, almost cutting the time in half compared to how long we usually usually spend on the way around from the forest and to the house.

Cocytus immediately went inside and I wondered why he was just going inside? I thought that he was inside of the house earlier? But then, Leigh would never leave Eris alone if he knew that Cocytus was coming.

While Cocytus checked inside of the house, I started with the barrier. I clenched my teeth, beads of sweat dripping from my temple down to my chin. It was really cold, but I felt so hot and warm. I have never drawn such a large barrier before, I was not certain of its effectivity or whether it would even work.

I closed my eyes, concentrating on letting out of the magical energy out of me with my hands outstretched. The golden light butterflies that have regained their previous glamour, seemingly like fairy lights, flew all over the great house. I touched two light butterflies with my outstretched hands and realized that the butterflies were trying to amplify my power and spread evenly from the very side of the house to its surrounding.

It took me an hour before finishing up the whole barrier. Because I had been spent on my fight with the attacker, I know that I would be in a vegetative state once my body touch the softness of the bed.

"She's alright," Cocytus announced after getting out of the house, "the intruder must've gone out of the barrier of the academy."

I sighed, my closed eyes' lids could barely be even lifted from fatigue.

"How is she exactly?"

"She could see Leigh making his way towards the house. That's how well Eris is right now."

There was a long silence between us and I do not think that Cocytus meant for a silence to occupy the space between us. It was simply that we were both exhausted. He was also in a sorry state himself with torn coat and blood smeared right on his nose as though it had been broken. And maybe it did broke.

"Who was that?" he asked me suddenly, almost making me jump.

"That person," I pointed out. "I do not know their identity and they are not keen to even introduce themselves to me."

"He's skilled then, that's certain."

I turned to look at Cocytus and raised an eyebrow, silently asking him how he knew that when he was not the one who even fought off with the person.

"Father is serious about the person," he finally said after observing the barrier that I put up around the house. "He's prepared to fight and kill the intruder. I felt it earlier, the anger and frustration because there's a great possibility that Eris will die. In my lifetime of being his foster son, Father went through two different Seers. He told me that just before I was born, the Seer before Eris has to die."

"But Leigh is meddling with the flow of fate," I whispered to myself.

"Father could do a lot of things, Seraphin. I don't understand why you're still shocked. You saw how powerful he is earlier and that isn't a quarter of his power."

Cocytus was right.

I should not be this shocked.

"Why are you calling him father again?" I asked him abruptly, truely bothered that he was suddenly so compliant.

"I did say that you must have felt his power earlier, I'm just fulfilling my filial piety. Now come on! Eris is waiting for us."