The Sight Beyond The Haze

Chapter 69: The Entrance to the Illusory Fragment

"I see that the Alrerk sisters have teamed to subdue me," Haziel Imbert said.

My eyes widened, looking at that Haziel Imbert on the first floor of the hall. Idris was still, however, gazing at me with those green eyes filled with a slight happiness and shock, not comprehending that there was a person behind us both. The spear that I was holding was wielded almost immediately to deflect the oncoming blast of sharp daggers behind us. Although I deflected the three daggers coming towards us, Haziel was also holding an axe on her other hand.

I took a step back, dodging away from the reach of her axe but my ballgown was still caught. I groaned internally, looking at the expensive fabric that was torn away from the skirt of my ballgown. On the other hand, it also protected my leg from being cut and hacked since the voluminous spread of my ballgown hid my body on its silhouette, making it hard to estimate just how far my legs were.

My eyes glared at Haziel and I could only see blood and black on them.

"You will pay for that," I sneered at her and pointed the spear on her chest.

"Make me," she said with a smirk then she paused before saying with great emphasis, "my Lady Alaric Elliot."

The innocent face that Deo would often wear was tainted on my eyes. Suddenly, the indifference the hid underneath Haziel Imbert's small face and beautiful lips has turned into something evil on my eyes. The Hybrid was obviously downstairs, pretending to be her while she observed what was happening from a vantage point.

They knew this would happen.

"You knew," I whispered while we both circled around each other. My eyes drifted down to the Haziel Imbert sitting with the other students, but I was aggressively struck by another dagger, grazing me on my arm. I hissed vehemently.

"We both knew," Haziel answered, there was coldness that lingered on her eyes. "Of course we do, from the very start when you let Anasthasia out of your cave. So if you please, my lady, do not take your eyes off me."

"You b***h!" Idris howled at me. "I will make sure that you will be branded for betraying your country and fraternizing with the enemy!"

Haziel chuckled lowly, she was holding a great axe on one hand while drawing more daggers with the other. She was not wearing the part of the occasion, instead her whole body was clad in black gear with multiple pockets. Her black hair was in a tight ponytail and her slender figure looked fragile and could be blown by the wind.

Except she probably was not someone who would let herself be blown by the wind. I measured the impact that I faced earlier with on her daggers. She was not physically strong, but ber moves were agile and she relied more on her speed. Compared to her, I was clumsier with my height and so she got the advantage of getting ahead of me with every moves.

I have to overpower her with my strength.

"My Lady Alaric Elliot think that I betrayed my country?" Haziel asked rhetorically. "Then what do you call yourselves?" she demanded. "Seraphin was the one who left the country as the war brew on, you are the one who experienced all of the luxury of being treated as the supposed heir of the Eirini. None of you were there when we were being bombarded by the royal family, the Noble Families, and the Haefen in all direction."

We, she said.

It was not the Eirini she was referring to but her parents who were both killed at the Paris incident. Cocytus and Eris were both right, someone was indeed betraying me. Haziel Imbert was still angry over the death of parents. I never had any real connection with my parents, I could hardly ever remember the features on their faces or how they moved about and they treated me. Only flashes of my memories would tell me that there was a point in time that maybe they did loved me dearly.

But I cannot know since I already held a very small piece of my sixteen years being alive. With that sixteen years, I was only ever awake for a few months.

I never really felt that sense of attachment to them, but Haziel was unlike me. She took me out of the forest, believing that she would be able to see her parents at the other end.

We were both fifteen that time.

"My sister was manipulated by the royal family and my mother too!" Idris went back at her, spits flying and smher hand was wild, almost knocking over things with her bow. "I wasn't even walking or talking when that happened! Do you know how old I am right now, Imbert? I'm only fourteen! Fourteen! Is it fair that you would only put the blame on us?"

Haziel threw a dagger at Idris' direction which I deflected with the spear I was holding. For the first time, I saw fury and wrath raged within Haziel's usually calm facade.

"Is Lady Alaric Elliot really talking about fairness with me?"

I clenched my jaw, not wanting to drag this out. I renewed my grip on the spear and pointed it closer to Haziel who managed to stepped back from me.

"Where are the students?" I asked her with a glare. "And what have you done with them?

"Why do you care, Seraphin?" she snapped back at me with the same glare on her eyes. "You haven't had any care about anything at all before, why start now? Your family abandoned us all, none of you have any rights to demand fairness on any of us. Those people, those students," she spat at us, "they aren't your own but you cared for them. Enough to notice their disappearances, how paradoxical it all is that you do not have the same compassion for the Dalcanorians who died in your name. In your stead."

"Enough with your nonsense," Idris said, drawing an arrow from her quiver and nocked it on her bow. "Tell my sister where the students are and maybe I will reconsider on lowering your sentence."

Idris aimed right at Haziel. I sighed, preparing my spear. She was not Deo, I said to myself, she took those students away and we do not know what has happened to them.

"He said that I should finish this here," I heard Haziel whispered to herself before attacking us both.

Before she could make any more moves, I quickly blocked her and let Idris let her arrow fly. Blocking Haziel like this, she was almost cornered but she somehow managed to dodge the arrow though Idris' aim was on spot.

"Where are the students?" I hissed at her. "What have you done to them?"

"Lady Seraphin Alaric Elliot," Haziel hissed right back at her, pinning her axe on my spear as to not let it penetrate her. "You must think you are so noble but you are just exactly like them."

I wanted to protest, but what effect would it cause if do speak about my grievances and pain? She would only think that I was invalidating her own and I do understand that she was still probably in pain. It has been almost a year since Paris and here comes the girl whom her parents risked their lives for, roaming around freely and with luxury.

She pinned her axe on the body of the spear I was holding. I could see how hard she was gritting her teeth and hard she was breathing. She knew that I could overpower her and that with Idris behind me, just waiting for the right opportune moment, she would not win. Her other hand reached for another dagger, as she stretched it out to throw, I prepared my other hand to catch it but her trajectory was right at Idris and not me.

"Idris!" I shouted while my other hand reached to get the dagger.

"You dumb i***t, Seraphin!" Idris told me angrily before letting an arrow loose.

I shifted my gaze towards my sister. Seeing her deflect the dagger with her bow, I felt that relief overcome my whole body. But that relief was only temporary, Haziel pivoted and managed to get out of the grip our weapons were both under.

"Damn," I cursed at myself before running after her.

"If we keep this up then she won't be able to win!" Idris told me as we both ran.

Haziel made a sharp turn on a corner, we were finally out of the sight of the arena-like structure of the function hall and could therefore move more freely. I saw that Haziel went out of the backdoor, the very same door that both Idris and I used earlier.

"Should we regroup with Cocytus?" Idris asked me as she saw the same thing that I did. "If Haziel went out of that door, it would be easy for her hide within the Blessing of the Middle Ground or maybe hide within the mercenaries outside. It would be a manhunt and the other children here might notice something was awry. Should we pursue her or nah?"

Idris was right.

If Haziel was not with the Eirini any longer then it would be easy to her to get out or even hide within the Middle Ground. It would a tiring hunt. Besides that, we do not know what happened to the other students who disappeared. I do not want to think of the possibility but I feared that something irreversible had already been done with them.

Another thing was the Hybrid.

We cannot let the Hybrid regroup with Haziel. The only reason I could come up with myself why there were two Haziel Imberts was because the Hybrid was helping her by taking a false skin and Haziel did not even denied it when I subtly confronted her.

I gave Idris a sideways glance and nodded at her.

"We should pursed her," I told Idris as we ran towards the direction where Haziel was going for. I let one of the light butterflies flew ahead of us, ordering the light butterfly to make sure that Haziel would not step a foot outside the Academia Amitiel. If she was able to get out, then it would be hopeless.

Even finding the students would also be hopeless, maybe we could find them later on but what else would we find? I do not want to think about it so I ran as fast as I could.

When in terms to speed, both Haziel and Idris were of the same level so Idris went ahead of me to scout over. I looked around. We were already outside of the building where the event was being held. Cocytus might be around his area, I see no sign of him though.

I never thought they would be so daring as to actually do that. Anasthasia became our bait as soon as we let her resume her classes in the academy, but they did not do anything to her which only made Cocytus and me to be a little complacent and confident that we were holding up well when in reality they were careful.

It was just a chance that the very face of Haziel Imbert was a trigger on Anasthasia's Veil and it completely unrivaled her whole mind. Like how Zachriel's face to mine. The trauma warned her of the danger in place of that face.

I cursed at myself for being too blind at looking on Haziel Imbert's face, by just looking at her face.

I was too focused on her physical form and how it reminded me of him, but she can never replaced him even with that face.

I remembered the time that I gave her the little piece of note that Anasthasia left on the door jamb. I gave it to her myself and she must have had quite a good laugh at that kind of stupidity, trusting her so much and not even suspecting that she would this kind of stunt. I dare not hoped that Eris was just wrong, fearing that Haziel's face would only weaken me greatly and I won't allow that to happen again.

Feeling this overly ridicule crawling up to me, I ran faster. I realized that Haziel was leading us to the building where the classrooms were located. Clenching my jaw, I called out for Idris, wanting to warn her about what lies within that building, but she never answered to my calls.

"Idris!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

My whole body wanted to turn back. If I could get Leigh to help us or maybe even just Cocytus, I would be more confident to enter this, but I did not know what was awaiting for me inside the building. I remembered being trapped with Caspian and Sir Apollyon within a temporal illusory fragment. I almost lost a hand back then with how strong the illusory fragment was. With the potency of the magical energy surrounding the building right now, I wonder how long I would be able to survive. Even just the building's entrance's handles emitted a strong scent of magical energy.

I did not lose my mind back then, I kept my cool and braved the route within it.

Now what would happen?