The Hero Became a Mousegirl
Chapter 38
The first shot from my musket missed, causing a torrent of water to rise where it made impact with the sea. With swift hands I reloaded, as Rina used her magic to twist the currents around us and keep the sahuagin at bay. The second shot from my musket struck true as a cloud of blood began to coat the water’s surface.
The sight of blood, drawn by my own hands, caused my heart to race. Deep within me I felt something snap. Suddenly it felt as if I could see everything around me, as if I could predict the moves of an enemy I’d never met. The next two shots of my musket struck true, ending the lives of two more sahuagin.
“Rina, stop focusing on the currents and use your magic to fight.”
“We can’t let them board the ship… if Aivi or Bobbie were to get hurt.”
“They won’t board, I won’t let them. Let me focus on protection while you focus on extermination. If we keep going as we are, I might waste all my ammunition on this fight alone. That’ll be a problem for what’s coming next.”
“What’s next?”
I nodded. Perhaps if I had Bobbie’s eyes I could see it by now, but even without them, I could feel instinctually that the massive source of mana Eyrina had mentioned was upon us. Just outside the range of my augmented vision.
Rina frowned before releasing her hold on the sea. Summoning massive spears of ice, Rina began to impale the sahuagin while I dropped back to survey the battle. With my musket ready, I waited for any of the sahuagin to make it to our ship’s edge, ready to strike them down. Unfortunately for them, Rina’s magic was too powerful, and all the sahuagin were dead in the water long before they could reach us.
“That’s it…”
“Don’t waste your efforts on defense unless your enemy holds the advantage,” I chastised Rina before gazing out into the horizon.
“Caelan… have more of your memories returned?”
“We’ll talk later, go get Bobbie. We’re in trouble.”
Nodding Rina turned and ran below deck as a powerful wind whipped up around us. The air around us swirled, bringing our ship to a halt on the open water. Whatever was coming it wasn’t about to let us escape. Clutching my hand into a fist, I took slow deep breaths. “Eyrina, we can’t avoid this.”
“I know.”
“I’m not strong enough as I am.”
“What do you need, Caelan?”
“The power of the sun.”
“You’re incapable of controlling it as you are. You’ve barely learned to control basic fire magic. Divine fire would consume you.”
“Then use your wish magic to unlock my memories. We’ll die before we reach Kaia at this rate.”
“I’m too weak at the moment. Just staying awake is exceptionally draining.”
“What is that,” Bobbie muttered as she ran onto the deck, gazing off in the same direction as I was.
“You see it?” I asked.
“Yes… as massive swarm of mana unlike anything I’ve ever known. Perhaps the legends the beastkin told were true.”
“Can we win?”
Bobbie frowned. “I don’t know.”
“Eyrina… I need to protect everyone, at any cost. Give me what you can.”
“You have as much of my mana as I can spare. Good luck, Caelan.”
“Rina, can your magic overcome this wind?”
“No,” Rina shook her head. “This is something far beyond my ability.”
A faint golden aura entered my vision, growing brighter with each passing second. Straining my eyes I looked for a monster hidden beneath the waves, only to gasp in surprise at what I saw. The mana chasing after us was not a creature, but a ship. A massive ship made of living wood.
In moments, the ship pulled alongside us, a branch growing from it’s deck to connect to ours. Walking along the branch was a woman with a rabbit’s ears and a pair of long cat-like tails.
“Caelan Kubarev, it’s been too long,” The woman hummed, smiling as she stood before me, reaching her hand out to caress my cheek.
“Do I know you?”
“You did. But, ah, your memories have been taken from you haven’t they? That’s truly dreadful, honestly I cannot help but want to punish the one responsible.”
As the woman spoke, Rina shuttered before screaming and collapsing to her knees, clutching her throat.
“Leave Rina alone or I’ll kill you,” I snarled knocking the woman’s hand away.
“You must already have an assumption about who I am, what I am. And yet you threaten to kill me. My dear precious little Caelan, I suggest you watch your tongue. Eynhilda may be your protector, but I am the one who created your soul.”
Taking in ragged breaths, Rina’s body relaxed, the curse on her now gone.
“You created my soul?”
“Yes of course. You could say it was an experiment of sorts. Placing a beastkin soul in a human body, the two together stronger than they would have been apart. I never enjoyed what I did to you, and I’m glad to see you now clad in the form you were meant to have. Come with me Caelan, we have much to discuss.”
“We’re on a journey to see my memories returned. I don’t have time to spend taking detours.”
“With all her power Eynhilda has still failed you. A pity.”
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“Eyrina.”
“Hmm?”
“Her name is Eyrina, she is not the goddess Eynhilda. Eyrina is her own person.”
“A figment of a god, is still the god in question. She cannot be anything other than what she is. The spirit within you is Eynhilda, she needs to accept that.”
“Were you always this rude?”
“Come,” Amysara’s eyes narrowed. “I will not take no for an answer.”
“What of my friends? I don’t feel comfortable leaving them behind.”
“I can assure you the humans will come to no harm. As for the kitten… she may come with you. Though she still reeks of humanity, I cannot deny that she is now one of mine.”
Hesitating I looked to Rina who was forcing herself to stand. Returning my gaze, she nodded, as if to say she was ready to come with me. No matter what danger awaited us.
“Lead the way, we’ll follow.” My voice felt sour in my throat, Amysara had hurt Rina, and yet I was about to follow her. To do exactly what she wanted without exacting a single drop of blood in retaliation. My soul burned, I hated it. But what I could do against a goddess? Especially when my own was struggling with remaining aware of the world.
“Good girl, now come,” Amysara turned and walked back to her ship. Taking Rina by the hand I followed, my mind racing through any and every possible scenario. I didn’t have the power to protect my friends, but perhaps if I sacrificed myself to Amysara’s whims I wouldn’t have to. I sent a silent apology to Myra, wherever she was, as I was no longer certain that I’d ever make it home.
Amysara led us into a massive cabin, laden with excess. “Sit,” She commanded pointing to a beautiful wooden table, set with golden dinnerware. “One of my servants will bring us something to eat.” Taking a seat at the head of the table, Amysara smiled at me.
“I can’t say I have much of an appetite. Perhaps we could cut the formalities and get directly to why you’ve come after me.”
“Even lacking a few memories, you never change do you, Caelan? Fine. I have recently awakened to find this world more wretched than the day I left. My kin are harassed and left living at the margins of society, the blessed are persecuted by those in power, and the shadow of Stelryus has once again descended upon the world. I am angry, very angry. I wish nothing more than to bring this world to ruin and restart it from the ground up, but I am bound to an ancient covenant which forbids such things. That’s where you come in.
“Mortal heroes can do anything their gods desire. You are bound to nothing but your god. As long as I don’t see fault in your actions, you can use my blessings for good or evil as much as you like. You can reshape the world to fit my whims. When I first awoke, I feared that no mortal alive was suited to such a task, then I learned of your resurrection. Caelan, it is time for you to take your rightful place at my side. As my hero.”
“I am already bound to Eyrina. I cannot become yours.”
“That weak flickering figment of Eynhilda pales in comparison to me. If needed I could snuff her out in an instant. If not for fear of what would happen to you if her magic were to run wild, I’d have already done so.”
Sighing I turned to look at Rina. “I don’t wish to bring more death and pain to this world than I have to. I would rather reform this world than cause its ruin.”
“Stelryus already has a champion. One stronger than any being, even your trusted ally Kaphis cannot match them. You need me Caelan. This world will fall, even if you do nothing. The only difference is, you will not survive to rekindle civilization from the ashes.”
“Then lend me your power so I can defeat them! But don’t ask me to kill those who have committed no wrongdoings.”
“Everyone sins, Caelan. Whether we pardon them for what they have done, or execute them, there are no innocents left in this world.”
“I refuse to believe that is true!”
A pair of cat-eared maids entered the cabin and began to lay bowls filled with a thin green soup full of wild vegetables, and glasses of wine before us. Turning to look at one of the maids, Amysara snapped her fingers. “Brunella, come here and get on your knees beside Caelan.”
The maid, a brunette woman with cream-colored fur around the tips of her ears and tail knelt beside me. “Good girl,” Amysara purred. “Now pull your hair aside, so she can see what was done to you.”
As Brunella pulled her hair aside I saw a ring of pale skin where a collar must have once been.
“That’s illegal,” I gasped, looking up at Amysara. “This isn’t allowed.”
“It’s pretty common. Laws mean nothing if they are not enforced.”
“Then we should ensure that the law of the land is carried out on behalf of all people equally. We shouldn’t destroy everything and try to rewrite it. It’s not like I’m going to live forever. Building a society with me at its center is foolish.”
“You’re not going to live forever Caelan?” Amysara grinned like a cat that’d just spotted an oblivious bird. “Do you have any proof that you can even age? Your body was created entirely by Eynhilda’s magic, there isn’t anything normal about you.”
“I was created? Even if that’s true, Rina is going to grow older, why wouldn’t I?”
Shrugging Amysara leaned back in her chair. “Her condition was created by molding and reforming flesh and bone into something else. Nothing was used to create you. Your body, every piece of you, was formed from the raw mana of a goddess.”
“She’s not the only one though! What about Aivi? She’s a clone, she had to have been created from nothing as well. Are you saying she won’t grow older either?”
“Was she truly created from nothing? Tell us kitten, what components did you use in your spell?”
Rina shivered. “I used a gemstone imbued with mana and brushed with my blood, some bride of the meadow, devil’s plant, and dragon flower.”
“All of which was consumed after your ritual?”
“Yes.”
“See Caelan, you’re special. Not a single spec of dust went into your body. Everything was created from raw aether. Your body knows only its present shape, the cycle will not claim you.”
I looked down at my hands as a chill ran down my spine. Even with my memories lost to me, I couldn’t imagine that this is what I wanted. I had loved ones, people I truly cared about, I didn’t want to see them grow old and die while I lived on forever. Living for an eternity without them was a curse, not a blessing.
“Could I be fixed?”
“Hmm?” Amysara raised an eyebrow. “Fixed?”
“So that I can grow old naturally, alongside those I care about.”
“Why would you ever want something like that?” Amysara smiled. “But… I guess if that is the reward you’re requesting for becoming my champion, I could make it so. Tell me Caelan, will you be my hero?”