Rycio knocked the dagger from Kanoko’s hands, but not without the knife grazing his face. Frowning darkly, he ran a finger down the line, his finger becoming stained with the silvery blue blood.
“That was a big mistake...” he growled, mind icily focused on his mission of killing her. Kanoko stared at him, horrified. She hadn’t meant to hurt him at all. Just perhaps to warn him.
“I’m so sorry, Ryc-” Kanoko stopped as Rycio’s hand shot out towards her throat. Out of instinct, she grabbed his arm to stop him, but she couldn’t respond in time as his other hand came out, the glint of a dagger shining.
Her eyes opened wide and a shocked gasp escaped her lips. The silvery pools traveled down to stare in surprise at Rycio’s hand wrapped around the hilt of the tiny weapon which was so suddenly shoved into her stomach. Then she looked up at Rycio, her eyes quickly watering up from both the pain and from the act of betrayal.
“Rycio...” she whispered in quiet disbelief.
Rycio only gazed back wordlessly, his eyes cold and emotionless, even soulless. A smirk of satisfaction was his only reply.
“Why...?” Kanoko questioned softly. With a violent jerk and twist, Rycio removed the dagger, adding to Kanoko’s agony. The girl gasped again. Purple-red blood dripped slowly from the knife, matching the quickly spreading stain on Kanoko’s dress. She staggered back slightly, clutching her stomach in pain.
“First Orion, now this... Rycio...why?” Kanoko gasped, sinking torturedly to her knees.
Rycio’s eyes widened a little as the scene flashed before his eyes again. The glint of a sword, the slicing of air and flesh, the dripping of blood. And the boy’s last words.
“I know you didn’t mean it, ol’ buddy. I forgive ya. Just don’t let this happen to anyone else...,” Orion had stared at him, just as he always had, his blue-green eyes big and happy, but the pain was clear in the tears.
“Finish him...” the voice had hissed in his ear. The simple command and Kitia’s hand on his shoulder were all it took for him to bring the sword down again to end Orion’s life.
Before the sword tip shoved into his chest, Orion breathed out his last words, “Resist it before it happens again... Kill her...” Then his eyes closed forever and he passed on peacefully without further incident.
“Kill her...” Orion’s last words echoed in Rycio’s head. The bloodstained dagger slipped from his grasp as a wave of uncertainty washed over him. The clang of the metal against the stone floor was enough to snap him back into reality, as was another voice.
“Kill her, Rycio. Finish the job... Kill her,” Kitia hissed into Rycio’s ear as she playfully twirled a lock of his around her finger. “The sooner you kill her... the sooner you’ll be rid of her... and then all of the others will be a breeze. Then you can finally take your place in the great order of things...”
Rycio’s mind immediately cleared again, and only the pure hatred remained. He reached down and grabbed a hold of one of his swords’ hilts, drawing it from its sheath. Then he raised it up, ready to plunge it into Kanoko’s heart.
Kanoko stared into Rycio’s eyes, her own filled with tears of pain and sorrow. “Go ahead...I won’t stop you. I can’t... But I wonder what your brother would say though... if he could see you... now.” she gasped slowly between breaths.
Rycio paused again, another wave of uncertainty and something a little like fear washed over him.
“Yep... bet you didn’t think of that... and Orion... what do you think he’d s-”
“Enough,” Kitia grabbed Rycio’s shoulder and spun him around. “Don’t listen to her, Rycio! It’s a trick, a cruel hoax. She wants to kill you, just like she killed your brother!” Kitia watched as the hatred filled Rycio’s eyes again and she knew she had pulled the right string. She smirked, “Now kill her, Rycio. There’s nothing stopping you.” Then she turned him back around.
Rycio glared down at Kanoko coldly and rose the sword again, “This is for my brother. Your death shall avenge his!” Kitia smiled darkly and knew the false memories had worked. Rycio finally swung the sword back, preparing to behead the young ex-bandit. She closed her eyes tightly, silently waiting for the end. A tiny shiver of fear ran up her spine as she realized she’d be going back to Netherplane, and then Death itself. Forever...
“Rycio!!” his brother’s voice shot like an arrow through the boy’s head. A cascade of images poured into his mind. The untrue memory of Kanoko killing Zachary was quickly replaced by one of a hooded boy murdering him instead. That onslaught of uncertainty drowned out the hate that was so intent on killing Kanoko. “Rycio! She didn’t do it! You must remember!” the scene of Rycio speaking to his brother in Netherplane filled his thoughts. Rycio’s eyes filled with horror at what he had done. The village, Orion, Kanoko. The onslaught of memories had taken only a second. Rycio could feel every evil thought and feeling slip from him. All the hate for Kanoko and the others went away and instead concentrated into hate for someone else. The ones that had done this to him. Xanto and Kitia.
“NO!” Rycio spun away from Kanoko, the sword still being swung.
Kanoko looked up weakly as Rycio turned away from her and turned on Kitia instead. Kitia’s eyes widened and she instinctively held her hands out in front of her.
“Rycio, stop! She’s tricking you! It’s an illusion!!!” Kitia exclaimed frantically.
Rycio’s sword came down a little short of striking Kitia properly, but it did hit. The blade dug deeply into one of the mage’s outstretched wrists. Kitia cried out and pulled her wrist to her chest, clutching it tightly with her other hand. Rycio glared coldly at her, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Sweat lined his brow and a single tear slid down quickly from each of his eyes.
“The only illusion here is wrought by you. You and Xanto! Because of both of you... many lives have been destroyed. Because of you and because of me... and you’ll pay for it!” Rycio growled as he began walking toward Kitia.
Kitia stumbled back. She had tasted pain and fear for the first time in years, and that frightened her even more. Kanoko watched, her eyelids beginning to drop as her weakness and blood loss both grew. Rycio suddenly rushed at Kitia, who tried to phase out, but she was too distracted to concentrate and the spell failed.
“It’s all your fault!” Rycio yelled and, as Kanoko watched, his sword did the strangest thing. Unnoticed by all, his sword had begun to glow a dim white, which grew as it hit Kitia the first time, but now it exploded into a fiery hot shade of ivory. It was magic, which Rycio had none of.
Rycio finally reached Kitia and shoved the sword through her. The young mage was too terrified to scream, to move, or even wince. Rycio took a hold of her shoulder and shoved the sword farther through.
“Perhaps you should ask yourself some questions, so-called puzzle mage. Do you really know what you think you know? Perhaps your mind is as muddled as you made mine. I’ll spare you for now, but I won’t save you. You deserve your pain. Taste it and remember, for I can tell you’ve forgotten.” with that said, Rycio ripped the blade from the girl and turned away. Kitia fell to her knees and stared after him.
Kanoko blinked several times in surprise. As she watched Rycio walk back towards her, she had never seen him look so angry. She had never imagined that he attack someone who wasn’t fighting back. She wasn’t even sure if this was Rycio. The only thing she knew was that she was quickly losing all feeling, and that the world was getting dim. A few more moments passed and then she fell forward, everything now black. A small sigh quietly escaped her lips.
“Kanoko!” Rycio dropped the sword and ran to her. Kneeling down, he quickly pulled her up into his lap. “Kanoko, wake up...” he hugged her gently, panic beginning to rise up in his throat once more.
Kitia watched the scene, her mind still remembering the fresh pain and fear as it ran through her veins. She shook her head and tried to bring her mind back into focus. “I wanna go home...” she muttered to herself as she began concentrating. Then, a flash of black shot up and she was gone.
Rycio brushed a stray lock of hair from Kanoko’s ashen face and pressed his forehead against hers. “You can’t be gone... you just can’t! You won’t come back to me if you go. Wake up, Kanoko! I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry!!” The a banging at the door made him look up.
“Kanoko, we’re coming!” Pyxis yelled through the door.
“Yeah!” Tullio’s voice followed.
(Tullio? He can heal her!) “Tullio! Tullio, hurry up. Kanoko’s been hurt!” Rycio shouted.
“Rycio??” Dawn’s voice drifted through.
“What did you do to her?!” Tullio growled. Rycio winced, knowing they didn’t realize he was himself again.
“Just get in here!!!” Rycio yelled back.
Finally, the door was blasted open and the trio ran in. Immediately they rushed over to Rycio and Kanoko.
Tullio knelt down and placed his hand on Kanoko’s forehead, looking up nervously at Rycio. Rycio shook his head slightly as Tullio’s eyes met his. “I’m better... I think...” Rycio muttered. Tullio just narrowed his eyes and looked back down at Kanoko. After muttering some words, a pale light passed from the young boy’s palm into Kanoko. Her whole body seemed to glow a dull white. After it went out, Tullio looked up at Rycio once more, his eyes blind but still somehow able to see through the warrior.
“There... Now get lost... Go back to Xanto and his little friends. I won’t stop you... I won’t kill you this time...” he growled.
“But I’m better! It’s gone! Really!!” Rycio insisted.
“Yeah, right. I don’t believe you...” Tullio snapped. Dawn shoved Tullio aside and hugged onto Rycio, who gritted his teeth in annoyance, but he dared not shove her away. He knew that would only make Tullio more suspicious.
“Don’t listen to him, Ry Ry.” Dawn said cheerfully. Rycio inwardly cringed at the newfound nickname.
“Where did the mage go?” Pyxis inquired, nudging the slowly dimming sword hilt with his foot. “Did she try to take a swing at you? Is that why you’re you again? Or did she just drop it? The spell, I mean, if it was a spell. Kanoko was convinced it was.” Pyxis went on like this for a few more moments before Tullio cut him off.
“No. It wasn’t a spell. He’s just a backstabbing traitor. Come on, Dawn.” Tullio snapped as he yanked her from Rycio, who gave him a look of both thanks and of hurt.
“I’m better, Tullio. What do you want me to do to prove it?” Rycio asked somewhat weakly.
“I don’t know. Just prove it, if you can.” Tullio growled, a doubtful gleam in his eye.
Rycio stood, gently laid Kanoko down on the ground, walked over to his discarded sword, and picked it up. Then he held it out to Tullio. “Recognize that?”
Tullio ran a finger along the silvery black stain on the blade, but quickly jerked it away. “That burns... Kitia’s blood?”
“Yes,” Rycio nodded. “And Kanoko doesn’t have a sword so you can’t doubt that it was I who stabbed her.”
“Stabbed her? So she’s dead?” Pyxis looked somewhat relieved.
“Not quite... but she won’t bother us any time soon.” Rycio answered.
“Whatever you say, Equinox... Let’s go. Kanoko will not be safe lying there if we’re attacked. Come on, Pyx.” Tullio said.
Pyxis nodded as he tried to pick Kanoko up, but failed miserably.
Dawn laughed. “I just knew she was a whale! Pyx can’t even move her an inch.”
“That’s because Pyx has almost as much muscle as you do, Dawn,” Rycio replied sarcastically as he looked over at Pyxis. “I’ll get her.” Pyxis nodded, looking slightly embarrassed, and backed away. Rycio carefully picked the sleeping Kanoko up from the cold stone floor. Tullio gave the group and angry look and stormed out of the room. Pyxis and Dawn followed slowly along with Rycio.
“So, this means you’re working for me again.” Dawn grinned happily. Rycio only nodded, knowing it was probably the only choice he had anyhow. Dawn let out a happy squeak and wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly making him fall over.
“Get off me, woman!!!” Rycio snapped frantically, trying to keep his balance, get away from Dawn, and not drop Kanoko. Dawn let go and happily skipped out after Tullio.
Pyxis patted Rycio on the shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t let her drive you nuts. She isn't that bad.”
Rycio rolled his eyes and looked down at the silently sleeping girl. “I’m sorry...” he whispered. He then walked out after Tullio and Dawn.
Pyxis stopped as he pricked his ears. “Hm?” he looked around the large room, but nothing could be seen, so he shrugged and walked out after the others. The footsteps of the group slowly faded out into the darkness and then there was silence.
A pair of red-brown eyes glared out from the blackness of the corner. “Damn....” A spark of pale light shone as a small fireball was formed. The light revealed only a pale smirk and a cigarette being lit by the fire. “Better luck next time, Miz Andromeda.” The the light disappeared along with the eyes, and the room was truly left empty.