The woman gritted her teeth, angered that the girl, as Lady Elanor had once described, was in fact multiple steps ahead of everyone. She wouldn't tell anyone she had taken the steps until they reach to her level of the case, and definitely didn't leave any flaws detectable. Every step she took, defied every laws, and caused it to lean towards it.
"In that case..." The woman spoke while picking up her sword from the snow. "I will stop you... For the Empire, the Imperial family and Elanor." She spoke out of confidence and pointed the tip to the girl's throat as a threat. But this so-called negotiation, seemed to be a small moment of joy to a girl who had suffered far more in life.
"How? You are draining... Until I choose to finish you off. And don't tell me you forgot there is something called Imperial princess... And she is standing right in front of you... Isn't she who you want to protect the Imperial family from? The Imperial Princess from the Imperial family... Ironic." Aefia responded as her hood fell off her head, wiping her ponytail along with the harsh wind.
Her index finger swept through her eyes in one straight line, wiping away the snowflakes that had accumulated at her lashes. "Or did the brainwashing wash away your common knowledge too? I believe the way the Guardian of Silence does it..." With a short pause, she clapped her hands in front of her, keeping it together while pointing it at the woman. "I think you have fallen for a foolish trap like the rest of us..."
"I am not dumb..." The Countess replied while slowly bringing down the sword to her side. "But that was also what I thought when I was forced into this dimension... Without having done much research about it beforehand." The girl instantly answered back, with a smile at her face that defined the real nature of what the competition had led her to.
"But still... I will survive it."
"You can until you are faced with the things the Guardian of Silence forces upon you... Going as far as watching the sacrifice of your loved ones..."
Frustruation took over the sister's mind, Elanor had once told her that the Princess knew how to psychologically play with someone's mind. "How are you so sure when you haven't faced it yet?" She asked in an attempt to make the girl step down. "Who said I haven't faced it before? In fact... The Guardian of Silence has my cousin in captive is enough proof for you. If she were whoever or whatever... I would have left them to die at the Guardian's hands." The reply was, however, a little unexpected.
"For a girl like you to say that... You are not even eighteen yet..."
"But trust me when I say I have killed more then what you may be or could have expected. For a person like me..." The girl stepped forward by one step. "I can kill more then two people at once... If choose to use my both hands. But if I add my legs, I may be able to fit in three people on one second."
"How is that even possible?"
"Simple." Aefia snapped her fingers at the word. "You take out a vital organs of the first two with both of your hands, and speed forward to kill the third person with the same hands! You know? If they were standing in a straight line, I would kill the two at the sides first... Then quickly retract my hand to kill the one at the centre, and then if anyone more was still alive, I use my other hand to finish them off. But you won't understand it unless I showed you."
"That's because you have your element and your magic!"
"But it won't be considered if you say... I had been doing this since twelve. I wasn't really short... Just spanning five feet and with the jump, five feet six... Extended arms... Maybe then seven feet? I won't say I have long arms... But that's just a rough estimate."
"No... Now! I am talking about now!" The woman snapped. "You blabber mouth don't even know how to understand what someone says it really means?!" She laughed while watching the girl's expression stay still for a long time. "What? Are you terrified that I have spoken the truth?"
Aefia didn't say word, but her face was expressionless and still. "I don't know... But I will leave the matter for you to judge." She answered. "Because even if I sensed danger around here... I think what I consider my prey... Only belongs to me."
"Stop joking around kid... Your cousin is getting killed."
"She is... But so are you. Have you not a single concern that this dungeon had much smaller monsters too?"
"How?"
"Because smaller monsters came before the medium, more human stalker... Monster. And then finishing it off with a sacrifice and a failed task." Her dark hair swept off her face thanks to the wind, as it cleared her vision and gave her a better view of the surrounding areas. "If I were you... I wouldn't have fallen for the Guardian's trap so easily. You do realize... That she didn't really intend to kill Nada instantly and had you sent behind me... But ever wondered why?"
"Why?" The woman spoke while clenching her sword tightly at her grasp. "Because she only wishes to use you as a source to drain my last remaining energy... So when I have killed you... She would come behind me and find it easier to end me. My cousin was a target... But she only used it as a bait fo lure me in... Just to take away my last remnants of magic." Aefia coldly replied.
"Then what if I killed you? Ever thought of the possibility? Because she promised me that she would help me burn the entire Empire down to ashes if I managed to kill you." The woman scoffed while walking towards her place, before grabbing at her neck and looking at the way blood was seeping through the bandages, but no sorts of pain or alert was at the girl's face.
"Silence knew that I would be able to kill you somehow... That's why she dared to say she would help you... But for a Guardian to burn down their own nation... I would suspect them of being a skin walker then."
A rippled of shock and realization went through the woman's spine as she lifted the sword right next to the girl's neck, who still didn't move an inch. "I would have spared you for your age... But I think I must kill you for lying like that. You really are a delusion and a bad omen for the Empire. And most definitely my sister. I will end you here and now, and I won't live a piece of you alive..."
"How would you like to give it a try? We both here have a mission to kill each other... And I never drop or give up on my mission in the middle of it. It's either I take your head and present it... Or I leave with nothing and go kill myself."
"Then I will take my try." The woman smiled as she swung the sword high above the girl's head and brought it down, but no force or obstacle was faced. "Wait?! Where have you gone?!" She shouted with anger and frustruation at her voice as she turned around, to see blood splattered against the snow at the girl's feet.
The blade at her hand was bloodied with the fluid drawn not even a second ago, and the sickening sound of the monster's death scream echoed into the woman's ears. There were three bodies, and only a single hand was used, with a single blade and not a single injury at the girl's face. Another shriek was heard, and the sound of the monster's body hitting snow.
"I told you... I can take on three at a time." Aefia spoke while turning around and facing the Countess, then stepping away. "I also said that what I see as my prey... Only belongs to me and no one else can have it. Well? You are my prey and I haven't done or heard enough from you just yet."
The blade continued to drop blood onto the ground, as the monsters lay dead on the snow. "How did you do that?! And... You didn't use magic?!" She gagged while turning to face the girl, whose pale skin showed signs of a hard battle within minutes. "And you are practically a wreckage of bandages and injuries..." She whispered to herself.
"This is exactly what the practice is about... Did you expect me to be training that hard and enduring injuries like this for no reason and just survival?" The girl asked while turning the knife at her fingers and causing a few drops of blood to fall onto the ground at her feet. "I was forced to use my magic when it reached a crazy low level, so I went back to using my technics from my younger ages."
"Well that is to much to expect from a Snow beauty Princess like you... Don't you think?! To a stranger?! How was I supposed to know those beasts were trying to kill me?!" The woman asked while gritting her teeth. "And an Imperial princess can't kill like that."
"Stop trying to change the topic. It's you the one I am killing next... So remember." Aefia replied while keeping her face expressionless, and wiping away the snow settling against her lashes and face. "And do I need to remind you that I was adopted? I don't consider myself the Imperial princess at any cost. They taxed me, made me work hard and bleed for that title."
"What are you? Bloody Mary reincarnated?" The Countess asked while picking up her sword again, but held it high and trying to make it an alarming sign instead. "Or are you her descendent?"
"Then I would choose a possible descendant. I am bloody when it comes to battles, but why would you think I am bloody Mary by just that? Queen Mary was less violent then me... I know you would agree. She bathed in blood to make herself look younger... I don't do that... But I do look like I have bathed in it at the end of the battle... Because I am actually bathed in my own blood."
This isn't going good... She is trying to find a reason to kill me... I need to stay alive to alert Elanor and the duchess! I need to be standing! The woman spoke while finding herself between a trap she can't get out of. "Why are you so desperate to destroy the empire?" I need to ask questions to keep her away from me for as long as I can... Why did I take up the offer to hunt her?!
"Because... I was taken in without my accord... And got tortured, threatened to get killed, forced into overwork, forced to act for them, forced to endure it all, and then... Did I mention? Was poisoned just so she can steal a moment of absolute lie from my mouth... And then she killed my favored and only friendly servant." Aefia spoke without breaking her eye contract.
"What did she force you to say?"
"..." A sigh left her mouth as she looked down at her hands, which were slightly stained red from the blood. "I love you mother." She finally spoke while getting her teeth. The Countess looked at the girl who seemed to be breaking from the inside out. "Because you were her favoured type of daughter... But only that you were moving away from her." She spoke while looking down, pulling her cloak's hood over her face tightly.
"She wanted you to be the kind of daughter she wants... Intelligent, brave and beautiful... That's what every mother wants... But you missed a mark." The woman continued speaking while lifting her gaze to the girl. "You were not the clingy daughter that every mother wants... A child who would come crying to their mother for emotional support." A smile settled onto her face.
"You know... Until now... I was questioning why you would get entrusted with that locket... Because she is trying to apologize to you... You aren't just seeing through it. Try thinking it carefully... I believe she is trying to keep you away from the torture she herself had forced on you."
A maniacal laugh left Aefia, as she lifted her face with soft eyes at the woman. "Crying to her as a mother... Is the last thing I would do." She clenched her fingers at her sides as she felt her knees to give up and she plummeted. "She will never get me to cry to her to find emotional support! She took away everything from me... Am I going to go to her to get support?! My ultimate enemy?!"
Her hands came to cover her face as her plain expression turned grieve-struck. "I will never allow myself to see through her tricks... Because then... She would take away my bottom last." She lowered her voice as she felt the woman walk towards her. " I understand you... Even if I were in your place, I would think of the same thing..." The Countess spoke while crouching in front of her.
Her cold hand dropped the sword and came to rest on Aefia's pale face. "Tell me tell you... At first glance... You honestly look like a dangerous beautiful battle maniac... But only after someone gets to truely see through you... Then they start to soften for your situation." She spoke while smiling. "You won't understand it now... But sometimes some motherly love are not that easy to get or detect. And you can't really see how hard she is trying to changer herself... Because of you."
"Nonsense! That woman is just using me to keep her empire surviving!"
"I know... Every beauty with brain dies faster... Because they know they are being used and can't really adjust to the real world... Leading to their finalty." The Countess spoke. "I need you to keep a promise... Don't do anything stupid... And in return... I will leave you to go save your cousin. And be quick." The woman spoke while standing up and clenching her sword tightly and brining it towards herself.
"I know that you are not going to make Elanor do anything bad... And I know she isn't dumb to betray you... But I can't trust you with your life at this point... But you understand what I mean soon enough." The Countess spoke while sending the blade into her abdomen. Blood splattered out and onto the snow.