She stared at me, her eyes revealing her unrelenting. "It was the only way."
"You watched your kingdom fall to ruin for eight years. You watched as your brothers lied, cheated, and stole." I only realized I was crying when my voice cracked. Though, as I stared at the girl in front of me with disbelief, not even a flicker of regret passed her eyes. "You framed me, for the murder of your parents, Isabella."
"It was the only-"
"It was not!" The dagger flew towards her.
Isabella shut her eyes tightly. "It was!"
I didn't know I was moving until I clasped my hands around the handle of the dagger. Isabella opened her eyes after several seconds of silence, a shaky breath leaving her lips.
I held the sword as it floated between her brows. My hand were shaking, my mind whirling. My logic was at its wits end, barely able stopping the burning heart. But now, how else would I finally be able to digest the fact that Isabella's actions had come from the cruelest blend of self-obsession, envy, and ignorance.
"You... you and your family, have ran this country on cruelty, lust, and chaos." I whispered, her muffled cries were enough to know she could hear me. I dropped the sword to the ground. "But, I offer you a chance at redemption, right now."
"...What?" Her eyes lifted slowly, tears filling them.
I wiped my face before she could see my own, clenching my hands into fists. "I am pulling the crystal shard out of you."
Her eyes opened wide, she shook her head wildly. "No!"
I only looked at her, unimpressed. "If you resist. It will kill you. But- if you allow me-"
"I said no!"
"Quiet." The vines suspended her higher in the air. "You don't get a choice other than this. Die, or let go of the crystal shard."
"The kingdom will know you killed me," she lifted her chin, hot tears of anger dripping from her eyes. "They will not let you live!!"
"It is you who is killing your self." I raised my hands. "Your kingdom already knows the truth."
She laughed. "That isn't possible."
"All three paperweights were found. The last was with the sword of balance. Those paperweights, as we found out, we're from the crystal shard itself, Isabella. Did you know that?"
Her eyes flickered with shock, she shook her head again. "No. No!"
"It's like some, defense mechanism that it released when you used its power the first time to wipe the memory of your people." I smiled at her. "Can you believe it has such an extraordinary measure of defense?"
"Why..." She asked, as if she had done absolutely nothing to deserve this fate. "Why would you—"
"—That's enough Isabella." I stared at her, tired of her tears. My emotions could no longer control me, either. Perhaps thats what seven years in an ice abyss does to a person. "It's over."
My hands began moving in several directions, preforming a removal magic technique. As I did so, however, I could feel her resistance.
"You can't do this!!" she yelled and cried wildly. Her screams were hurting my ears. "I've spent years working for this country!! You don't get to destroy my life's work!!"
I sighed, but it turned into a wince unexpectedly, I started hearing something in my head as my hands finished the technique.
'Kill the Queen...' The voice was louder than when I was resurrected. Like some kind of blaring alarm. I didn't understand why.
'Who are you?' I thought back to it.
'Kill her, kill the queen!' The voice was growing restless in my mind, in addition to Isabella's screaming as I extracted the shard.
Through gritted teeth and a pounding headache, I manage to respond to the voice. "Who?!"
'The Queen of Destruction.'
My body started to shake. In my mind, I'd been returned to the shackles of my frozen prison. My arms felt heavy, my throat cold, my blood ran dry. Having no energy to keep myself up, I dropped my hands to the floor, falling to my knees.
Isabella's loud screaming calmed, perhaps because my vines had started to whither from around her. The technique had faded, also, for some reason. Someone—something was taking my powers.
"Who is, the Queen of Destruction?" I asked the voice, admist my heavy breathing. I started feeling sleepy, all of a sudden, like I had just pushed myself to my absolute limit. "Quickly... tell me."
'She is in front of you.'
"That's it..." I clenched my hands, annoyance bubbling up. "That voice... are you happy you've interrupted me like this?"
"Elodie... you will not walk out of here alive." Isabella suddenly said. It was then that I realized nothing was stopping her anymore, my body was crouching on the ground, and I couldn't find any energy left to lift my head and defend myself.
The sword in front of me started to glow red. I swallowed down as hard as I could, finding my current situation unpredictable. All the clues and battles—just for me to die again?
"Crystal shard... you really had such a defense mechanism." I whispered, closing my eyes. Of all the riddles I had to solve, the only one what perplexed me was of the three paperweights I'd found. But something still made no sense. How could a crystal know it is in danger? "Only... only if it is sentient... an existence. A voice."
A voice. That was it. A voice that woke me up.
'The crystal shard...' I thought, trying to communicate with the voice. 'Is it you?' Forgive my rudeness.'
The voice was calmer, this time. The warm voice of a woman. 'You are forgiven... Emerald Witch.'
"Die!!" Isabella's shout returned me to reality. The reality where I was about to be killed. For real this time.
Reflexively, I raised my hands, preparing to block her attack. A white light radiated out of my hands instead, blinding me.