Bound, Chained

John had started to believe that the entire incident would go unnoticed by the others, but to his surprise, he and Aria were only around halfway back to the house when they crossed paths with the others. Sophia, Lerianna, Shishun, and Orria crested the next hill as John and Aria were casually walking down their own, with Sophia and Orria jostling for the lead while trying to avoid leaving the others behind. They weren't quite at a full sprint, but in the moments after they first noticed each other, John could tell that all of his family were on high alert.

"Hey, sorry, sorry, everyone," John called out, waving his hands over his head slowly as he called out to them, "we had a bit of a fire break out, but it's all taken care of. Nothing to worry about, no one is in danger. Sorry for startling everyone."

The effects of his words were fairly immediate - there was still some tension in the air, but the entire group seemed to deflate at once, in some cases literally as Lerianna heaved a sigh so impressive that John could hear it even at a distance.

"Father, you're sure everything is alright?" Sophia asked, her eyes passing by him and taking in the lands behind them. "We knew you would surely call us if anything was truly amiss, but Lerianna saw a pillar of smoke rising over the horizon, and Farrah told us that she'd last seen you heading in this direction."

"Yeah, that was us. Sorry, again," John murmured, wincing. He should have known that the massive plume of smoke that hellfire seemed to give off wouldn't go unnoticed, but when no one had arrived during the fire or in the immediate aftermath, he had thought they wouldn't be coming at all.

"I-it's not his fault, it's all mine. I'll add my sorry to his—especially since I know this isn't the best first impression." Aria shifted nervously on the tips of her toes, her hands clasped tightly behind her back in a dutiful manner. "When I got summoned here, I might have gotten a little too excited. I mean, I really exploded onto the scene! Y'know? Only I did it a little too literally. Oopsie."

The others all went quiet as their gazes shifted over to Aria, taking in the new arrival. She didn't wilt under their gazes, nor did her bashfulness change much when more eyes were on her. She simply continued to smile awkwardly, occasionally glancing over to John.

"Like I said, just a small accident. Nothing to worry about. We actually got the fires under control a short while ago. I would've used the rings to let you know everything was okay, but I thought if you had noticed, you would've been here by now."

"We might not have noticed at all if I wasn't heading out for a workout," Lerianna said, giving John an annoyed glare, her irritation now smothering any relief she felt. "I saw a big cloud of this pitch-black smoke and grabbed everyone as quickly as I could. By the time we were out the door it was already dying down, but, eh, we were already headed this way. Maybe next time give us a heads up if you're gonna be starting forest fires?"

"No fires, just a little grassland that got scorched. I already fixed up the zone, it's as good as new. Not sure how this world filters out smoke, though. We've never run out of oxygen, so I assume there's some kind of air renewal or circulation, but I'll look into it just to be sure we're not breathing in all that crap."

"The grasses here shouldn't give off that much smoke from burning. At least, not that dense, nor so black," Orria murmured, staring at the wisps of smoke that had yet to dissipate, high in the sky above them. "I did feel a vague sense of something being disturbed, but I had no idea the true extent of things. Does our new friend here have something to do with the unusual nature of the burn?"

"Seems to have been some kind of magical fire, yeah. Generated a lot of smoke and was a bit harder to put out, but thanks to her, we handled it before it could spread far." John's eyes wandered over to Aria, noticing her nodding in agreement as he spoke. "She says she's not much for combat magic, but it was quite the little display, whatever it was."

His one comment earned more of a reaction than the stares of everyone else combined. Aria beamed and bounced happily on the tips of her toes the moment the words left John's mouth, though she was waving her hand dismissively as she did so.

"Really, it wasn't like I did anything impressive. I didn't even release the mana intentionally—it was a complete accident, and all I did was burn some grass. It won't happen again, I promise."

"I hope not. We can't have the yard ending up like all of Yvara's clothes," Lerianna said with a snort. The bunnygirl gave a backhanded wave as she whirled around and started walking back to the house, clearly done with the excitement for the day.

"I think she's got the right idea. And I've had my share of excitement for one day. Let's head back to the house and finish up introductions and a quick tour of the place. After that, I'm ready for a nice long rest," John said, surprised at how genuinely he felt that way.

The anxiety from his earlier conflict with Layla and Tessa was still present, but it was muted now, a little more distant as his thoughts lingered on their newest arrival. And it was tempered further by a feeling of optimism, a sense of accomplishment. As the group all more or less fell in step with one another, Orria moved to his side, taking the right while Aria seemed almost stuck to his left.

"John, if you don't mind me asking, what brought this decision on now?" Orria glanced at Aria with a welcoming smile, then swiveled back to John. "Not that I mind, nor any of the others, I just wasn't expecting it. You hadn't mentioned bringing anyone new along."

"It was sort of spur of the moment, though I wouldn't call it spontaneous," John admitted. "I've been needing to practice getting a bit more precise with my control for a long time, I just never felt very comfortable actually doing it."

"Farrah must have given you quite the pep talk." Orria's ever-present grin widened noticeably when she saw John's eyebrows lift. "Don't forget, I know everything the plants around here do, as long as I'm close enough and listening to what they tell me. I knew you were out in your lab, and I knew she left the house and strolled her way over there. I just didn't realize how significant that little trip would end up being!"

"I don't think we did, either." John could see by the shift in Aria's features that she was curious about what exactly had led to her summoning - and maybe was starting to catch on that it wasn't quite the kind of summoning she thought it was - but she didn't voice the questions written on her face just yet.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're feeling better. And as for your control, what's the verdict? Could you describe the process, and how the results compared to your expectations?"

There it was. Orria's concern had worn away enough for the notebook to come out. The empathy and care for what John had been through was over; the curiosity and inquisition had begun. John resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Orria's predictable adorableness, and shifted a little closer to Aria. He offered her his arm and the demoness took it without hesitation, looping her own through his and letting out a happy humming noise as the traces of suspicion that were beginning to appear were vanquished once more. At least for the moment.

"Sure thing, Orria. But first, let's get back to the house before we start the full breakdown. I think we should all be sitting down for this discussion."

As the veiled portal faded, sealing away the rapidly brightening ghostly light from beyond, Bella's strength finally failed her. Her legs quivered once and then gave way entirely; in an attempt to prevent herself from fully collapsing, she crumpled against the wall, her breaths coming in heaving, ragged gasps. Her skin had become so pale with fright that it was almost difficult to trace the line of her lost soul fragments along the contours of her face. Her eyes remained fixed ahead and alert, terrified of a threat that was no longer there, and yet was never far away.

"You're ridiculous. You're absurd. You're pathetic," Bella whispered in her own mind, trying to **** her shaking limbs to work again. "How can you call yourself a necromancer if the sight of **** frightens you so? You weren't even hurt. Not like..."

Bella's quivering eyes traveled to her mentor, where she stood proudly at the center of the chamber. Xanthia was in no condition to shine so brightly, to pose so boldly and victoriously, yet she held herself with conviction that Bella wasn't sure she'd ever have again. Despite the open wound blasted into her abdomen, the blood that poured down her body from a dozen lacerations, and her missing left arm, Xanthia hardly swayed on her feet as she clenched her remaining hand, gripping tightly to a shadowy cord that seared itself into her flesh.

"F-forgive me, my Lady, I will... I must…"

Bella's words failed her as her jaw quivered as strongly as did her limbs, but she **** both to work despite their rebellion. Her fingers scrabbled along the scratched stone of the walls, seeking any purchase they could find to help her bear the weight of her damnable flesh.

"...I will fetch the healers, before your wounds get the better of you," Bella groaned, shuffling her feet along the stone, hardly trusting herself to lift them properly. The chill in her body ran so deep that the cold, gritty stone felt almost warm against her palms as she sidled her way toward the chamber's exit.

"What hope have my wounds?" Xanthia asked, her voice quiet and contemplative. "**** itself cannot get the best of me. Some small part of me, perhaps, but…"

The last of the black strand shimmered for a moment, its aura seeming to taunt Bella as it shifted one last time. Then it was etched into Xanthia's right arm, a spiraling black weave that extended from the tips of her fingers and wove around them, all the way up to her elbow.

"You were incredible, Lady Xanthia," Bella murmured, tearing her eyes away from her mentor in shame. "I am only sorry that I could not be more useful to you."

"There will be time enough for you to learn. We will need to grow our strength if we are ever to achieve our goals, that much is clear. We cannot…"

For the first time, Xanthia seemed to notice her own wounds. Her right hand touched the ragged and torn stump where her left arm had once been, then lingered for a moment over the fist-sized hole punched in her lower abdomen. The flow of blood had already slowed to a mere trickle despite the severity of her wounds, black and decaying flesh now patching over the necromancer's body temporarily, but that was not a proper way to heal. Xanthia swayed for a moment, her balance shifting out of her control as her lower half seemed to flicker and waver, the ghostly tendrils and energies holding her aloft nearly giving way.

Xanthia's fist and jaw clenched in unison, a touch of frustration crossing her face, her fingers wrapping around the black seam that had been etched into her skin. Her body returned to its steadfast pose, and she finally turned to face Bella properly once she was under control once more.

"It is time for this war to end, Bella." Xanthia's gaze lingered on her apprentice a moment longer before traveling the length of her forearm, taking in the midnight-black inscribed into her pale skin.

"You... think that we have the power to win now, Lady Xanthia?" Bella tried to compose herself the way her mistress had, but her voice still trembled with awe and terror.

"I think we may. But it is not a victory I care for - only an end," Xanthia responded coolly. "It is obvious to me now that even if we were to find each piece of the seal that we yet lack, we would need to grow far more powerful before we are able to dispel the curse placed on mankind. We grow closer to the seal with each nation we burn, but we cannot continue to lose disciples and expect to overcome the obstacles that await us on the other side of the veil between worlds."

"What would you have me do, Lady Xanthia?" Bella asked quietly, still slowly inching toward the door.

"Fetch the healers... I will need to be at my full strength in the days ahead. Give them an hour to mend what they can - then gather the inner circle, bring them to me." Xanthia finally allowed a sigh, a weary breath of fatigue accompanied by a grimace.

"After what we have done, the guilds of the Great Plains will not suffer us merely retreating to the north, especially if they believe that they have a chance to eradicate us. Even if they did, others will smell opportunity. What little time of peace we might have in the north once more would be spent harried on all sides, waiting for someone to grow bold enough to march against us as we did them. We must strike a decisive blow and leave the battlefield on our own terms, and that will require planning. With that little gift from Suula and our new tool at hand, we have a chance, but we must not waste it."

"I will do as you command, Lady Xanthia, as I always shall. My soul follows yours, here and beyond."

Xanthia nodded, though she hardly even looked at Bella now. "Perhaps if you're fortunate, that Newman boy will even show his face on the battlefield. You still seem to think he holds the key to our success. I did not truly believe so before, but now that I see the path that lies ahead, the army that we might well need to conquer it..."

Xanthia smiled slightly, the taut lines of her mouth creasing as she began to hover toward the room's exit.