Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Isolde & Cassius [4]

Chapter 32 – Isolde & Cassius [4]

Her hand moved faster than Cassius could follow and a dagger dripping with poison pierced his throat.

...Or so she thought.

CRACK—!

The purple earrings on Cassius’s ears blazed with searing light, then cracked and shattered, pieces enveloping his entire body.

A thin, almost invisible barrier shrouded him briefly, the poisoned dagger clanked against it. The considerable force Isolde had put behind the strike was absorbed instantly, and then...

...an effective counter was released.

Isolde’s eyes snapped wide. Her own dagger slipped from her hand, pivoted, and shot straight for her throat.

She parted her lips. A thick purple essence poured out, shrouding her body and enhancing it. She ducked just in time for the dagger to fly past — cutting loose strands of her hair — and lodge itself deep into the wood of her bed with a sharp, piercing sound.

The room went instantly silent. The air sizzled with tension. The sweet stench of poison drifted about.

Isolde turned her head and watched the poison melt the wood with a spluttering sound, like something drowning.

She drew a slow breath, then turned back to Cassius. He stood a couple of paces from her, wearing a wry, tense smile.

”You were serious, weren’t you?” He said, glancing at his destroyed artifact, doing his best to appear unbothered. He failed.

He couldn’t stop his heart from pounding in his ears, couldn’t stop the faint trembling of his lips. In that instant, he could do nothing but thank Dorian deeply for that gift.

[Cassius...] Ananke’s worried voice reached him, watching the scene from her Gate, inwardly shaken that Isolde had been genuinely trying to kill her Blessed.

For a moment, a surge of anger boiled in the Goddess’s chest as she looked at Isolde.

And yet...

”I wasn’t even trying hard.” Isolde said with a thin smile, watching Cassius steadily. ”Now I know you are not a fool. You came prepared.”

She turned on her heel and walked toward one of the chairs at the table — the tea and cookies still untouched by the recent chaos.

”A Tier Six artifact, at least, it was.” She said, calmer now.

Cassius understood who he was dealing with in this moment. This was no longer the volatile woman who wanted to burn everything down.

This was Isolde Amaris the Villainess.

A woman far deadlier than anyone gave her credit for.

She sat peacefully, crossed her legs, and began eating the cookies without a care in the world.

”It was.” Cassius answered, smiling back. ”And you just made me waste one. Do you know how much that cost?”

”No.” She tilted her head. ”Tell me.”

”I don’t either.” He shrugged. ”It was a gift from my brother.”

Isolde rolled her eyes. ”Spoiled.” She sneered.

”Just say you’re jealous.” Cassius mocked. ”After all, I don’t think anyone here is lining up to gift you anything.”

She shot him a hard, deadly glare.

His grin only widened. ”What? Did I hit too close to home?”

”Are you provoking me into another attempt?” Isolde sneered. ”Don’t bother, spoiled bastard. The next one you will not see coming. Let’s see what saves you then.”

”You just said it yourself. I’m spoiled.”

”And I told you I went easy.” She narrowed her eyes. ”Your artifact only stopped me because it had time to detect my intent and activate itself.”

She smiled without humour.

”Let’s see if it’s that fast next time.” Then she scoffed. ”If you even have any left, that is.”

Cassius said nothing. Isolde was completely right. The Tier Six artifact had a latency before activating. Anyone fast and strong enough could shatter it before it triggered.

’As expected of her.’ He mused. ’Almost at the Twins’ level in terms of strength.’

But where the Twins were stronger, Isolde was more calculated. More patient. She had tested the waters with the first attempt. The second would be planned properly.

Already, Cassius could feel a chill crawling up his spine. Still, not everything was bleak.

He lifted his eyes slightly, and noticed a second Snake loop above the first.

The second loop was barely a quarter formed, compared to the first where only a third remained.

’The first is my adaptation to dual wielding. The second...’

He looked back at Isolde calmly eating her poisoned cookies and tea, helping herself to his portion without ceremony.

She was completely immune to her own poison.

His lips twitched. ’The second loop is my adaptation to Isolde’s presence.’

Not her power, but her presence.

Isolde’s natural absence was already unsettling enough. Paired with her Aspect — The Sound of the Grave — she was a born assassin.

From what Cassius recalled, her first skill was the suppression of the concept of sound within a limited area.

It seemed simple. But anyone could imagine how disorienting it was to suddenly inhabit a world stripped of an entire sense. The brain needed time to adapt. Isolde never gave anyone that time.

Soundless Maiden, that was her title in the game.

’If I adapt to her presence first, adapting to her Sound power becomes easier.’

Three days to achieve that first adaptation.

”What are you thinking about so hard?” Isolde said, pulling his attention back. ”Already scared?” She taunted.

Cassius looked at her for a moment, then smiled, his decision already made.

’Well, bloody hell with it. Leap of faith, once more. May the Queen’s threaded hands protect me.’

[I will.]

’Cute.’

Ananke scoffed but said nothing.

”Scared?” Cassius finally answered. He took his cane from against the wall and walked toward her, each step measured.

”There is still something you seem to misunderstand, my dear.” He stopped in front of her and leaned on his cane, face close to hers without hesitation. ”If I were afraid of you, I wouldn’t be here.”

”So you are ready to die,” Isolde whispered, ”just to marry?”

She still couldn’t fully believe it. Why had he chosen her? Why her and not Anesthesia like everyone else always did?

And how even did he know so much about her?

Was he underestimating her because she had always been alone? Because she had never been chosen?

Her eyes narrowed colder...then faltered when she saw the smile on his face.

Gentle, touched with something warm yet a little bit mad.

”Darling,” Cassius breathed.

Isolde’s body trembled at the word.

”You can’t imagine what I am prepared to do for you and your love. My life is precious and heavy. Yet here I am, risking it for you.”

”A bloody fucking simp, then.” Isolde tried to sound disdainful. But her voice lacked the emotion entirely.

Something else was surfacing. Something she couldn’t — or didn’t want to — name.

Yet it was obvious: Expectation. The expectation of something real. Something true. Something that was hers alone.

She cursed inwardly and clenched her fist.

”A simp?” Cassius laughed freely. ”Don’t say that. I thought women loved a man who yearns.”

”Do I look like any other woman?”

”Not at all, darling. Then what do you want?”

”Your death.”

”Alright.” He chuckled. ”Anything besides that, darling?”

Isolde paused, studying him again. This was the man who would have died by her hand if not for his artifact. Yet here he stood, offering his face and neck freely, smiling, leaning on his cane, asking what she wanted and calling her darling.

’Darling.’

No one had ever called her that. Not once. And she found herself entirely unable to tell him to stop.

’He... truly wants me?’

She still couldn’t fully believe it. But she couldn’t deny...

”Let’s duel.” She suddenly said, standing.

...she was somehow enjoying this strange situation.

Isolde stood an inch from him now. ”I will lower my power to Mortal Self level. We duel until my maid brings us food.”

Cassius smiled, his cane faintly glowing with his crimson essence.

”The wager?”

”Your choice.” She said confidently.

Cassius’s grin stretched wider.

”If I win, darling, I sleep in the same bed as you for all three days.” He said, pointing at the bed.

Dead silence. Isolde’s eyes went wide, and she staggered backward in complete shock.

”WHAT??” She shrieked like a virgin maiden.

—End of Chapter 32—