Continued from Trial of Fire.
"As to what?"
Two identical women sat on a bench outside the burning mirror shop, watching the tragedy unfold. Inside, their interest lay dying having just completed a gruesome battle. He suffered injuries that put him on the brink of death - a precipice if one would. The soldiers around them remained on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what would happen. No one entered the burning building, to afraid that it might collapse on them. ”Coming here was your idea. So what was it you had in mind?”
"We shall simply do what we do best, Pier. We shall judge him and provide a verdict for Vri. He stays or he goes. It is a simple matter."
The Immortal twins: Pier and Pre. Despite the brilliant fires that dazzled before their eyes, the eyes were still cold. The blue orbits pierced through the flames, catching the interaction between those inside. For the most part, they both focused on the man inside. They cared not for anyone else. Pier was standing alongside the bench, her long red dress plain cotton. Pre sat with her legs cross and her hands neatly folded in her lap. Her red dress was liquid satin, falling as a blood river down her thin legs. Both dresses, although made of different fabric, were high collared with long sleeves. It covered all but their hands and faces. Dark hair fell down their shoulders. Pier brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes as the wind picked up.
”It is time,” Pre purred, standing up. They moved quickly, faster than the mortal eye could comprehend. They slipped into the burning building, time on their side. It seemed to slow down as they moved. As Immortals, they were able to elevate themselves to a different plane, one beyond time and space if they felt it necessary. For now, they simply move and spoke faster than time itself, allowing themselves the opportunity to work as the mortal man bled out.
”Andráska Venora. Youngest child to Ebony and Kaleb if I recall. He recently started working in the King Cassander’s private guard. The Ouroboros I believe.”
”Well done. For once you have done your homework.”
”Shush. I have won more than lost, so who needs homework. However, I never find the win as satisfying as I imagined. You certainly need to work harder.”
”The scales are balanced. We win equally.”
Pier walked the room slowly, running a hand through the frozen flames. Pre knelt down next to Andráska, examining his injuries. He suffered compression to his chest, limiting his ability to breath. A severed artery in his wrist and possibly a mild concussion from the head trauma he sustained when impacting the wall earlier. There was a broken bone, but all could be fixed. That is, if he received medical attention and blood sooner rather than later. If much more time passed, they would be unable to stay Vri’s hand.
”Do you not see that the crimes he has committed on this day alone outweigh the benefits of keeping him alive? Sure, he has been good for most of his short life. He is noble, honorable, and kind. Yet, he is unpredictable. He ran towards a fight, not away from it. He has betrayed those that he has loved most. How is this a man worth keeping in the world?”
”Predictability is boring,” Pre stated, reaching down to touch his cheek. If he could see her, he might have mistaken her for someone else. ”You have also countered your argument. All this time he has done exactly as he should. He came to do justice by his sister by informing her of his service to the king. Is that not love, to want to be completely honest with one another?”
”He never told her. That point is null,” Pier shrugged. Pre stood up, moving away from Andráska. Pier took her place, to complete her own investigation. ”Intentions may have been good, but actions speak louder. He killed his sister Pre. He had abandoned her in the past, and now he has taken her life.”
”He killed a monster. He did not kill her maliciously. He believe he was saving her. His actions were flawless and pure. Had he known, had she not kept it from him, maybe he would have acted differently.”
”We are not here to judge her. She is already gone.”
”Then she cannot play a role in the judgement. He killed a monster, nothing more.”
Pre picked up the shield with the ruined Venoran rose. She ran her hand down the paint, her fingers sinking into the indentations created by the beast’s claws. ”You always seek punishment Pier. He has only done good in this world. You cannot argue that. He deserves to live and continue to do our work. He will seek justice for the weak and protect those that need it. He has already paid us respects.”
Pier ignored her this round, focusing on Andráska’s position. The man wanted to die. He was giving up. Maybe, their argument was not whether he lived or died, it was how he was to be punished. In Pier’s eyes, Pre was going to appear to win. Either way, Pier had already won. Andráska could pass into the afterlife as punishment, unable to continue living. Pier began to see a different perspective. Punishment through life. Eternal guilt and damnation brought on by self-loathing.
”How do you see this man Pre?”
”I see him as alive…”
”...and I see him as dead.”
They were at a crossroads. When weren’t they? Of course, Pier was playing a game now, ahead of Pre in many aspects. ”Why spare him now? He won’t live through the night? Without immediate help…”
”Again, a failed justification to allowing him to live. Rharne has the Thunder Priestesses. Ilaren has done well with her devoted. They have a healer group. They should already be on the way to help those in need. Her knights are already here. Give him a chance, and he will prove you wrong,” Pre smiled playfully, coming to set the shield next to him. Pier could be tempted with the opportunity to be proven right even when she wholeheartedly believed Andráska would live through the night and well into the next arc.
”Is that so. Dead is dead, Pre. He shouldn’t come back.”
”He’s not dead yet.”
Pier growled. It was a true statement. Pre chuckled, her laugh tinkling. Although he would probably be considered delusional, Andráska was most likely able to hear bits and pieces of their conversation.
”I concede. You win Pre. He may live. Vri will have to live with this judgement.”
”I knew you would see it my way Pier. Now call for the knights. I’ll do what I can here.”
Pier brought herself back into reality, moving towards the door. She beckoned for a knight to pay attention to her. ”There’s a man in here. He’s alive! He killed the beast! We need to help him!”
How degrading it was to have to help Pre help him. Losing an argument was one thing, but this was completely another. Then again, Pier only hoped that he would suffer in the long run. Meanwhile, Pre tore a strip from her silks, wrapping it tightly around his wrist to stop the bleeding.
51st of Ashan, 716
"Are you going to just sit there?""As to what?"
Two identical women sat on a bench outside the burning mirror shop, watching the tragedy unfold. Inside, their interest lay dying having just completed a gruesome battle. He suffered injuries that put him on the brink of death - a precipice if one would. The soldiers around them remained on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what would happen. No one entered the burning building, to afraid that it might collapse on them. ”Coming here was your idea. So what was it you had in mind?”
"We shall simply do what we do best, Pier. We shall judge him and provide a verdict for Vri. He stays or he goes. It is a simple matter."
The Immortal twins: Pier and Pre. Despite the brilliant fires that dazzled before their eyes, the eyes were still cold. The blue orbits pierced through the flames, catching the interaction between those inside. For the most part, they both focused on the man inside. They cared not for anyone else. Pier was standing alongside the bench, her long red dress plain cotton. Pre sat with her legs cross and her hands neatly folded in her lap. Her red dress was liquid satin, falling as a blood river down her thin legs. Both dresses, although made of different fabric, were high collared with long sleeves. It covered all but their hands and faces. Dark hair fell down their shoulders. Pier brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes as the wind picked up.
”It is time,” Pre purred, standing up. They moved quickly, faster than the mortal eye could comprehend. They slipped into the burning building, time on their side. It seemed to slow down as they moved. As Immortals, they were able to elevate themselves to a different plane, one beyond time and space if they felt it necessary. For now, they simply move and spoke faster than time itself, allowing themselves the opportunity to work as the mortal man bled out.
”Andráska Venora. Youngest child to Ebony and Kaleb if I recall. He recently started working in the King Cassander’s private guard. The Ouroboros I believe.”
”Well done. For once you have done your homework.”
”Shush. I have won more than lost, so who needs homework. However, I never find the win as satisfying as I imagined. You certainly need to work harder.”
”The scales are balanced. We win equally.”
Pier walked the room slowly, running a hand through the frozen flames. Pre knelt down next to Andráska, examining his injuries. He suffered compression to his chest, limiting his ability to breath. A severed artery in his wrist and possibly a mild concussion from the head trauma he sustained when impacting the wall earlier. There was a broken bone, but all could be fixed. That is, if he received medical attention and blood sooner rather than later. If much more time passed, they would be unable to stay Vri’s hand.
”Do you not see that the crimes he has committed on this day alone outweigh the benefits of keeping him alive? Sure, he has been good for most of his short life. He is noble, honorable, and kind. Yet, he is unpredictable. He ran towards a fight, not away from it. He has betrayed those that he has loved most. How is this a man worth keeping in the world?”
”Predictability is boring,” Pre stated, reaching down to touch his cheek. If he could see her, he might have mistaken her for someone else. ”You have also countered your argument. All this time he has done exactly as he should. He came to do justice by his sister by informing her of his service to the king. Is that not love, to want to be completely honest with one another?”
”He never told her. That point is null,” Pier shrugged. Pre stood up, moving away from Andráska. Pier took her place, to complete her own investigation. ”Intentions may have been good, but actions speak louder. He killed his sister Pre. He had abandoned her in the past, and now he has taken her life.”
”He killed a monster. He did not kill her maliciously. He believe he was saving her. His actions were flawless and pure. Had he known, had she not kept it from him, maybe he would have acted differently.”
”We are not here to judge her. She is already gone.”
”Then she cannot play a role in the judgement. He killed a monster, nothing more.”
Pre picked up the shield with the ruined Venoran rose. She ran her hand down the paint, her fingers sinking into the indentations created by the beast’s claws. ”You always seek punishment Pier. He has only done good in this world. You cannot argue that. He deserves to live and continue to do our work. He will seek justice for the weak and protect those that need it. He has already paid us respects.”
Pier ignored her this round, focusing on Andráska’s position. The man wanted to die. He was giving up. Maybe, their argument was not whether he lived or died, it was how he was to be punished. In Pier’s eyes, Pre was going to appear to win. Either way, Pier had already won. Andráska could pass into the afterlife as punishment, unable to continue living. Pier began to see a different perspective. Punishment through life. Eternal guilt and damnation brought on by self-loathing.
”How do you see this man Pre?”
”I see him as alive…”
”...and I see him as dead.”
They were at a crossroads. When weren’t they? Of course, Pier was playing a game now, ahead of Pre in many aspects. ”Why spare him now? He won’t live through the night? Without immediate help…”
”Again, a failed justification to allowing him to live. Rharne has the Thunder Priestesses. Ilaren has done well with her devoted. They have a healer group. They should already be on the way to help those in need. Her knights are already here. Give him a chance, and he will prove you wrong,” Pre smiled playfully, coming to set the shield next to him. Pier could be tempted with the opportunity to be proven right even when she wholeheartedly believed Andráska would live through the night and well into the next arc.
”Is that so. Dead is dead, Pre. He shouldn’t come back.”
”He’s not dead yet.”
Pier growled. It was a true statement. Pre chuckled, her laugh tinkling. Although he would probably be considered delusional, Andráska was most likely able to hear bits and pieces of their conversation.
”I concede. You win Pre. He may live. Vri will have to live with this judgement.”
”I knew you would see it my way Pier. Now call for the knights. I’ll do what I can here.”
Pier brought herself back into reality, moving towards the door. She beckoned for a knight to pay attention to her. ”There’s a man in here. He’s alive! He killed the beast! We need to help him!”
How degrading it was to have to help Pre help him. Losing an argument was one thing, but this was completely another. Then again, Pier only hoped that he would suffer in the long run. Meanwhile, Pre tore a strip from her silks, wrapping it tightly around his wrist to stop the bleeding.
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