A slip too far

Exiting the range of the watchtowers of Brighthold, the young Boreas was. . . A bit bored -- he didn't know what to do. Things were boring within the reaches of Brighthold, and part of him wanted to adventure. It was clearly the overwhelming want that all children experienced, but his ability to coop himself up like he'd done was.. Horrid!

For now, Holden looks about casually, knowing that something bad would happen like it always did; if not, he would go into the forests to train his light magic against Yokai..!

They always burned when it touched them, and Holden was certainly okay with that -- he needed to get stronger to protect all of his friends, and, if they were going to waddle into Loranthis to chit-chat with the imperfect it was very clear that he had to do it fast...

For now, the steel-eyed boy is moving around the prairie, examining everything whilst bored.
(Holden Boreas)

With the demon now successfully summoned there really was no real reason to stay in Loranthis. He no longer needed the anchor there and he had pretty much harvested everything he could. It was time to head elsewhere, time to find others that could be put to use. Perhaps he would fin people worth teaching his methods too... or perhaps he would only find people worth harvesting.

Valmasia was a wide and stupid place. And seemingly only full of children. "You there, child. You wouldn't happen to be with the Radiant Dawn would you? I have some questions for you if your are... Some very... pressing questions." He strode over, closing the distance between himself and Holden rather passively. Though not without the barest hint of a scowl on his face.

Gorandis placed his arm on the child's shoulder and began to steer him. "Come, let us talk about some things, yes? I'm sure you don't mind. After all, if you say no then... Oh then bad things will happen. And you don't want that do you? You don't want anything bad to happen right? SO you'll answer some questions and that will be that..."
(Gorandis)

As soon as he saw the edgy, purple clothes he looks about to make sure that the watchtowers were actually having people.. Watch, from them. But unfortunately, that was not the case -- not at all..! They decided to take a break just now and Holden finds that the man was, in fact, looking for him; whether for a random reason or not. His hand goes towards his sword immediately, another going into his pocket to feel at the horns of Erebes -- a reminder that he was strong.

He just had to be careful.

His sword is not yet drawn, but the boy is in fear and willing to if Gorandis actually tried to attack him. . . Gah, Holden had to keep his cool..! The young exorcist could not break. His steel eyes had a strong glare on Gorandis, but he was not unmoving as he continues not to say anything..! Once he began to be steered, the water magi lets out a bit of a sigh. He'd been captured without a fight, even.

"What kind of.. Questions?" He asks; curious, at the least. What information was Gorandis to try and squeeze out of him?
(Holden Boreas)

"Ah, you haven't answered the first question yet. But, considering where you were looking, It's safe to assume that you are in fact a member... That brings me on to the other questions. The Radiant Dawn. What exactly are they up to nowadays? Brighthold has been awfully silent recently. If you're a member then you would know. Tell me."

His grip tightened just a little. Small red sparks biting away like tiny static shocks underneath the tips of his fingers. "And I wish to know if you people in the Radiant Dawn have been doing anything with the spirit realm at all. Because if you have then we might end up crossing paths as it were. Though that might not end very well for you..."

He smiled, it wasn't pleasant. Mixed with the depravity the man was oozing it was likely very unsettling. "Oh, yes, before I forget... If you try any exorcist magic I will rip your head off. Sound good? Okay then." His tone shifted from pleasant to dark to overly sweet throughout the sentence. "So be nice, play nice and nothing bad will happen to you."

"You wont end up like the rest."
(Gorandis)

Being only a newly promoted Vassal, Holden wouldn't be able to know the most of things, except for the overall promises that she'd made to them.. To crush the alliance..! To defeat the imperfect..! Due to how close they were to Loranthis, however, it was very unlikely that Gorandis was coming all the way from Nostvale -- Holden had to act smart if he wanted to keep people off of their toes for longer.

"... Crush the Alliance.." He murmurs, thinking about what the Golden had said..! It was true, one of the things she promised. "....Train," he continued on, hands still resting on his sword; If he could surprise Gorandis, maybe he could get away..

Once there's talk of the Spirit Realm, however, the Boreas seems confused; did that actually exist..? No-one ever spoke of it. He shakes his head, no.

"I didn't even know... That was a thing." He said, pausing, thinking.. Now would be the time to strike..!

-- Then the threat of his head being ripped off was given, and it was clear that Gorandis was just as prepared to smite him with dark magic if Holden tried such things on him.

"... That's all I know.." He states, his hand coming off of the blade's hilt -- it seemed like he had no chance of escape, and he had to work for it if he wanted to be let go.
(Holden Boreas)

"Really, you don't even know about the spirit realm? What are they teaching you children these days... It's very real. I've been there myself. Fought spirits, demons, all sorts along the way. Both of which I can show you." His hand came away from the young boy's shoulders and began to root around in his robes before pulling out two crystals, one purple and one red.

"These are two spirits that I have crystallised to keep them... secure. This one, the purple one, that is the spirit of a demon. A large rock golem-like creature that I fought in the spirit realm. Very nasty thing indeed. This one, the red one, is a human spirit, taken from a man whose name I did not bother to learn as I killed him in cold blood. Both of these are quite powerful."

Seemingly without hesitation he placed them back away into the deep recesses of his clothing. "Now then, what else has your ruler or goddess or whatever she calls herself, been telling you to do? You know I don't even see why people call her a goddess. She's anything but divine... Perhaps she has far too much of an Ego for her own good."

"So, little boy. What's your name?"
(Gorandis)

It's not like the Spirit Realm was the BIGGEST deal when there was an imperfect practically looming on its borders; the Boreas himself was trying hard not to freak out too much as Gorandis continued to be... Well, scary; pulling out the two crystals that housed the spirits. He seems a bit interested at it to begin with, at least, looking at the spirits within the crystals before looking at Gorandis once more.

He listens to the explanations behind them, somewhat.. Uncaring, but he wouldn't try to show too much of that. When Gorandis finally asks what the Fildegarde had been asking them to do, he looks about. Aaaah, what had she been getting them to do..?

"... The Golden has been getting us to train; and do things on our own. She has had use best others who step into Brighthold and show them of her divinity..." He explains, without fear nor hesitation, strangely enough -- as though he wholly and completely believed the Pride sin's lies.

He did.

"My name is..."

... Well, there was truly no point in lying -- he was a proud Vassal. "Holden."
(Holden Boreas)

"Ah, so then by right Holden, you are an extension of her divinity? Then show me. Come on then. Show me her divinity through you. I'm sure you can do that, yes. If she is so divine then she can surely bless anyone with enough power to win anywhere yes?" His words were placid but his features were not. His mouth was stretched into a strange, broken grimace.

"I'm sure you'll be able to defeat me, yes? That is unless, all of what she says is a lie. That she is not divine, that she is not capable of having her divine power help you. You surely don't want her to be a lie do you? You want to prove that she is right, yes? I know, I'll give you a handicap. I'll use a sword. After all I am a magic caster at heart."

"Surely you, a warrior of the blade can defeat me, a magic caster, in a clash of swords, yes?" He drew his sword with a quiet metallic ring. "But, you can always admit that she is wrong. That would prevent you from having to cross blades with me and you would get to face the truth. That would be doubly good for you. So then, do you think you can prove yourself for your Golden?"

"Or will you die like a dog following stupid commands?"
(Gorandis)

It seemed that. . . Gorandis was trying to test the boy's faith, to see if he would truly cower in the face of someone stronger..! Once the question was asked, the boy has to think over it; he could not lie; The Golden was his Goddess. Though it was rare for her to grant her power to her followers, he was positive that she wouldn't let him die like this. . .

... So, even if Gorandis was to try and taunt him with his own strength against Holden's, he didn't care. He would fight for his Goddess as he'd sworn to.. The Goddess In The Flesh saw his potential and guided his hand to cut off the Neries' horns; his hands reach into his pockets to, once again, grasp for them -- it was time to act, he supposed..

... So, with that, Holden's hand slowly reached for his blade. He was not going to cower, he wasn't going to.. Deny his Goddess' divinity; just like a Neries, he was going to fight for The Golden -- and -- if it came to it, become a Martyr for her sake.

He wasn't very afraid, surprisingly.. If Gorandis wanted to test his faith, he was going to show him faith.
(Holden Boreas)

Not too far from where he originally was, below the Wychwood an intense moment was sparking between two magi. Casiel one that had been heading towards the Sarab spotted them and could feel the tension. Closing in on the two, he'd be able to overhear at least the final parts of the man's speech.

What was going on here?

Whatever it was, the Melym sought to be apart of it and enjoy whatever fun might come from such a scene. A grin birthed on his lips, the boy wasted no time in approaching the two who seemed to be prepared to clash. "Oi! Oi! What's going on here?" he'd step forward, making his presence uningorable.

Blades were being drawn, eyes filled with will were visible, at least on Holden. Such a guy was already feeling such emotion for whatever was going on. If the two were rivals Casiel could understand, but it seemed far from just normal rivalry, you could almost feel the bloodlust.

Mana focused into his right hand, prepared for anything to happen. A chilling feel emitted from the child.
(Casiel Melym)

"No words? Simply drawing your sword? My word the dogma does run deep. You know, there are much easier ways to waste your life. People get showed a single piece of kindness and they latch on like nothing else. It's hard to believe sometimes that people ever truly--" His words cut off as he himself was cut off. His hooded head turned slowly.

Only to stare at the boy who had interrupted him. It was always the children... "Leave, child. Leave if you know what's good for you, leave if you want to keep on living. Because if you stay I can only imagine I would end up killing a presence as annoying as yours. No matter your age. If you're old enough to threaten me with magic you're old enough to die by it."

Convinced that his words would do the trick he turned back to Holden. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes, degrading you. Do you know what a god or a goddess is? Do you know what they are capable of? Because the only thing I have heard about your goddess is that she failed any attempts at actually accruing any power and simply ended up running Brighthold to shut her up."

"A screaming, trantruming child. If you wish I can show you how a true god gets things done. I can trade this flimsy sword for my staff. i can fight you as a magic caster and not as a warrior. Do you want to see something worth worshipping?"
(Gorandis)

He cannot bend, he cannot break -- he is the Vassal of the Golden..! Nothing could scare him and he was sure of it. Even if they made him feel. . . Nervous, a bit queasy. His eyes look towards the approached Melym, and his eyes almost seem to roll. . . How annoying, he was trying to fend off Gorandis -- or see if this was some screwed up test. His sword is held out, still, as the tip of it begins to heat up with fire magic.

". . . I will not deny Her divinity. She is the light in the darkness." He declares; he seemed.. Wholly confident, still. Holden was a truly devoted member of the Radiant Dawn, and if Gorandis only wanted to ask questions, it was best to do that unless he was going to actually murder Holden -- it was probably best to do that, too.

Maybe not so close -- they weren't THAT far from Brighthold.

"... I win if you kill me here, anyways.. I -- I die for Her. I become a Martyr. You need more than words if you want to truly deny Her divinity." Words that he could recite days on days, in the same way that Erebes was Martyr'd in Brighthold, losing his horns in exchange for telling off the Golden and denying her.

"... You're not a god. You're just an Occultist with two trapped spirits."
(Holden Boreas)

Survivor of Dragon's Peak as a mere child.

Soldier of Ragnarok and Armageddon.

Tamer of Yokai.

Did this man think that merely because he was a youth that he'd simply run away at the first sign of a threat? The air around them all became even more frigid, compareable or perhaps even surpassing that of Dragon's Peak. Casiel narrowed his eyes on the man who was clearly the instigator.

His switch had been flipped and he'd no longer behave like the nonchalant child. Instead he'd adopt the personage he did in the mountains to survive. His sapphire hues became fierce, or as fierce as a child's eyes could be, akin to a wolf's. Now the Melym had been utterly annoyed by this man's words, but thanks to the magics he used, his nature would remain level-headed.

"I'm not sure of your name-" he'd cast his look over to Holden before looking back to Gorandis. "- But after that, it'd suck if you got to fight him alone." there was no obvious annoyance in his tone, but there was a tone that portrayed hostility against the stranger.
(Casiel Melym)

"Two? Who said I only had two?" He gave Holden a deep, disgusting smile as depravity rang out from him. And with it, came screams. The screams of the damned. Those trapped, tortured souls. "Why would I have ever stopped at only two? You must think me some kind of idiot. I very much don't like it when people think of me like that."

The air around him began to split and crack as crimson bolts rang out with thunder. "If you wish to join Holden here against me then I'm all for it. Though if i were you I'd be very careful indeed. With two of you here I wouldn't feel the need to hold back so much... And Holden. You never win if you die. Not against me. Oh, your name might become a martyr but your spirit will become mine."

"Your suffering wont end with death. That will only be the beginning. Tell me, do you really think that this one woman, this person you seem so stupidly infatuated with... do you think she's worth endless torture?" He raised his hand and the wails were cut off. "She might be the light in the darkness. but do you never wonder why there's always so much darkness?"

"If you really think Alisaie is worth more pain than you can imagine, then step forth." His sword went back to its sheath and instead his plucked his staff from his back. "Step forth and show me your conviction."
(Gorandis)

He was going to die here for the Golden if he was unlucky, but hopefully they'd be lucky enough. He looks at the Melym for only a moment, and though he thought he was. . . Well, annoying before, it was clear that the ice mage was going to become a great ally if they could win. His eyes focus on Gorandis as he continued to slander his Goddess, and Holden was having enough of it..!

"... Enough!" He cries out, slamming his sword on the ground as fire bursted out of it in a sort of pyroclasm. All he needed were allies to drive him through, that much was certain. He would die as a Martyr if it came to that, and if he lived. . . Gorandis would be no Martyr; he would be punished by the Golden herself if he could win.

... Hopefully that was the case, looking at Casiel. ". . . We can do this, okay?" He answers, a bit of a shaky tone if only for a second. "You will pay for slandering Her name." With that, Holden only grew more and more confident; as he could imagine the Golden taking over, guiding his hands as it did with the blade.

... But it was not truly the Golden, only his pure faith. Holywater arises in a shroud around his body and Casiel can feel his holy energies bouncing between them; sharing healing magic and such. Could they do it..? Either way, Holden was not going to let him continue to slander Her name.
(Holden Boreas)

What.. He has.. The same thing that she did.

Casiel's thoughts going back to when they had been at the tournament and he singlehandedly witnessed Lorelei's transformation. She was sickening, depravity spewed from her as she raised her hand against Lasswell, Loranthis' current champion.

Was this man possibly that strong? If so, then this would perhaps be problematic. Casiel had no idea how strong the person he was about to aid in combat was, but he could only hope that he was at least as strong as himself or even stronger. The comforting thought, was that Holden seemed to have strong will, which led to better might for most.

Casiel's piercing sapphire gaze focused solely on Gorandis, the malicious occultist seemed to delve deeper than just the basic arts. He seemed to hold more than what Kraus intended for mankind to have, which meant that he was perhaps even stronger than Lorelei.

The Melym however couldn't run away now, his ancestors would twist and turn in their graves if he did. Despite the earlier feeling of annoyance that Casiel had missed, it seemed as if Holden had now accepted that they were indeed allies and would fight- and possibly die- together.

Quite the fate to face such a duel for the first time with a complete stranger. Casiel glanced to Holden and nodded before facing Gorandis.

"My name is Casiel Melym. And I have a dream that I must achieve! So.."

Droplets of water materialized around the child before soon enough shrouding him within the soothing and healing properties.

"We will defeat you."
(Casiel Melym)

Gorandis simply let out a yawn as he stared at the two doing their best to conjure magics. "I'll pay will I? Sure thing, kid. Whatever you say. And you're a Melym? Is that supposed to mean something nowadays? Am I supposed to care? You know I think I've seen you out and about before up in Loranthis. No wonder I don't seem to think much of you."

He held his left hand out and the air began to grow thick and wet. The wetness cloyed together into a shape that fell wetly to the ground. It was humanoid in shape but far from human. It was a demon, plain and simple. A creature with a horned head, hoofed feet and great rippling muscles despite it's rather average stature.

"Two on two it would seem?" He smiled softly. "Now then, yes, enough chatting I do believe, let's get this done then shall we? Which of you would like to be the first to fall? Come on now, don't be shy. Give me a show of hands?" He continued on before any response could be made. "What's this? Neither of you wish to put yourselves forwards?"

"Deary me. I guess I'll just have to pick and you'll have to hope it isn't you."
(Gorandis)

Well, two on one was considerably less awful for them than it could have been. Granted Gorandis wasn't exactly fighting at his peak either. He'd been very... mellow recently. Very mellow indeed. Something quite unlike him, but he did only have room for the extreme rage that was dwelling somewhere in the pit of his stomach. So he found it quite hard to be angry at these children.

"So then, yes, you will defeat me will you? How's that turning out for you?" The fight itself had been surprisingly long with Gorandis seemingly taking his time with them. He took their blows with some interest actually. It was all so strange to him that they didn't seem to rile him up that much. But, eventually, even him toying with them could only really go on for so long.

"If you can get up we can go again but I doubt you'll make much more of a dent. A shame really. Holden... where's your power? I thought your Golden gave you strength? Did you misplace it along with your faith or what? I'm still quite confused. What do you see in her? Why do you follow her? And before you say 'I wouldn't understand' please remember who you are speaking to."

"Tell me the origins of your faith. Who knows, maybe you'll convert me. Or maybe you'll give me the excuse to take your spirit."
(Gorandis)

Holden's exorcism was powerful, in relativity to the people of Brighthold; but against Gorandis, it was certainly far weaker; his magic wasn't as great as it could be. If he was older than ten, than likely, he would've been able to dent the Hellstorm magi more than he just did, barely touching him really.. Quite embarrassing; the boy felt bad.

He felt.. Pained, but he knew he could do better. This was not his best and he had people he still had to train back home. If he gave up now, it would be.. Upsetting, and unfaithful to Her. His rapier is gripped once more as the water around him begins to burn, the holywaters beginning to heal him up -- though not as fast as it should be, it was somewhat effective. He comes to a stand.

"... No! I won't give up." He cries out, as golden fire begins to erupt from the blade; in truth, Holden held the power of many elements; Holywind, Holyfire, Holywater, Steam, and Ice -- but what he could usually manifest without what he thought was the Golden's help was.. Holywater magic.

"She is divine, and she will.. SMITE you." He declares; as his grip upon the blade tightens. It was his friend, the blade; enchanted and used since he was seven years old. He had to beat Gorandis with Casiel if he wanted to beat Macheath or Sophia.

If he died here, it was all for loss..! The magic swirls around him in a fury as rings of steam magic float about his body. "I'm not.. I'm not dying!" He promises, swinging the blade -- holy magic bursts from it..!

". . . You wouldn't understand. Occultists will never understand her divinity."
(Holden Boreas)

No No No No No No No No!

The boy's mind was pulled asunder from the might of the man's magics. Casiel himself wasn't sure how it was even possible for someone to take on two magis of their strength. During the fight he had witnessed Holden's power and had seen that the older boy was by no means a pushover.

However, even with their combined might, they still fell to Gorandis' power. Was this the full extent of what he could do when pushed to the brink? Was this all the strength he could muster when looking an opponent who wished him pain and suffering in the face.

Gorandis was perhaps right, it was because he had grown complacent within the safety of Loranthis. When he had been in Dragon's Peak and faced danger everyday, he grew stronger rapidly after only a year and a half. But once he set foot in Loranthis and began making friends and having duels without consequences.

Only then did he begin to decline at the rate in which he gained power. Gorandis' words stung but held merit. Small hands clawed at the dirt whilst Casiel tried to find the strength to rise to his feet. But, his pride and body had been damaged, bruised by the overwhelming power of Gorandis.

But!

With his gaze cast to his side, he'd witness Holden's own will as the boy rose once more to do combat against the overwhelming occultist. Observing the boy's willpower, was it any greater than his own? Was his bloodline not ancient? Leading back hundreds of years.

Should he fall here, would Dawnbringer be his to claim again? Would Loranthis become Danrium once more? Such thoughts instigated his body to rise, to continue to lash out at the threat that stood before them. Gritting his teeth, could he allow such slander to befall his family's name?

Gritting his teeth, Casiel lifted himself from the floor, though dirt and bruises, lacerations alike spread across his body, he'd take his sword into arms. "My name does mean something.. It's the legacy of those before me that did great things! Do not look down on the hard work of my ancestors!"

Water called to his aid yet again, Casiel brandished his weapon and a gust of wind emerged, before once more his stance was taken.
(Casiel Melym)

Well the boys did much better this time. And Gorandis could feel the settle rage begin to lurch. Slowly, gently, it crept up from the pit of his stomach and began to burn at his throat. He had given Holden a warning and he had ignored it. He had shown him disrespect... And he had even threatened him. After losing... Gorandis' hand tightened around the shaft of his staff.

"You know. I've been being rather nice to you boys. I've not been too harsh, I've given you time to fix your mistakes and all of that... And then you spit in my face. Well, there's only so much kindness I can show children after all. And these emotions have been sitting in me for far, far too long." The staff began to shake in his hand, red lightning crackling along it.

"You two. Decide. Which of you is going to die!" He barked it out. his whole body seeming to shake at this point. His fingers were biting into the handle of his staff, breaking it as he did so. He was quite clearly holding himself back. His hand came out, pointing directly at his summoned demon. And a single crimson bolt ended the creature's life.

"Choose!"
(Gorandis)

They had lost again; maybe it was foolish to try and fight against Gorandis like the way he did, though unleashing everything he could seemed to work just a bit better than he imagined it to be..! Holden felt.. Disappointed in himself, only hoping that Casiel could've been far stronger than he seemed to be in the fight. Overall, it seemed that.. Though the both of them were excellent when fighting those their own age, that Holden was weak in comparison to Gorandis' might.

He takes a slow stand, as holywater, once again, tries to heal his injuries; far slower than before, and it was rarely healing this time -- rather, bits of relief. He seems weakened, beaten, and battered...

". . . Kill me. Make me a. . . Martyr." He offers, suggesting that he -- himself, died.. Well, even if he did fear death; it felt better than putting the Melym into this situation himself, and it felt better than giving up on Her.

"... But I won't deny Her divinity."
(Holden Boreas)

His sword was risen for reasons he himself thought were honourable, rising for his family's name. Rising in order to aid a fellow magi protect his beliefs and his life. There was a certain feeling that swelled up within him now that he had been defeated twice in a row with help.

He felt complete and utter disappointment in himself from becoming so cozy within the city. He pushed himself, or thought he was, to get stronger, through training on dummies and simple spars. But it was nothing compared to the real world, nothing compared to this. To reality.

They had been smitten, sent to the ground for a second time in a row without even managing to down the man once! Though they pushed to their maximum potential, in the end it made no difference. Laying on the floor and feeling a form of uselessness, he'd look up.

His vision blurry as his eyes tried desperately to refocus, though he had water magic, it was nothing compared to the healing ability of holy magic. Casiel couldn't stand like Holden could, even though he pushed himself as hard as he could, his body had enough.

"You.. What are you d-doing? Don't you have.. D-Dreams?"

He'd do his best to keep conscious.
(Casiel Melym)

"Would you shut up about your stupid beliefs!?" The lightning cascading around his body arcs to the floor violently, blowing a hole in the ground. "Especially when you can't even explain them! Especially when you don't seem to know why you do it! You're just stupid children! Stupid children, that need to be taught a lesson!"

"And a lesson is no good if you're too dead to understand it!"

He strode over and grabbed their faces, one in each hand. His right hand on Holden's right side and vice versa with Casiel. The red lightning flared up and shot into their flesh. The first thing to happen is that the closest eyeball would detonate, exploding under the magic that coursed through it. Next it would travel down their necks and to their shoulders. For Holden it would split off here and travel down his arm.

It would destroy the nerves, irreparable by conventional means, leaving it limp and unresponsive. For Casiel the magic would travel down to his leg and do much the same to it as it had done to Holden's arm. The lightning would leave scars all the way down their bodies to serve as a reminder. "Hopefully this is a lesson you will come to appreciate in time."
(Gorandis)

He didn't even listen to Casiel as he offered himself to die; offering to take the hit so that Casiel could live. He never thought he'd have done such a thing at the age of ten, but considering he caused it, it made sense for him to. . . Offer such a thing. However, it seemed that his constant barking about the Golden may have been what saved them -- but as his face is grabbed. . .

He lets out a scream as the lightning courses through him, flaring through the flesh; his eyeball exploding almost immediately. If there was a way to scream louder, it occurs at this second, and slowly does he feel his arm lose feeling, his sword dropped and he fell to his own knees; Holywater magic would repair none of this, and he knew that, he certainly, certainly knew all about how much his Holywater magic could do.

. . . Instead of saying anything to Gorandis, the boy weeps, screams, and cries. He's not very understandable as no words come out, only screams.
(Holden Boreas)

The youth had laid there, he wished he had some more encouraging words to say in order to sway the boy's mind. Casiel couldn't move but Holden could, he could run, leave the Melym who had been temporarily incapacitated behind, so why? Why stay and instead offer up himself as the sacrifice?

Casiel thought he wasn't afraid of death because he had seen it so many times before him. Wolves, dragons, bears, all of them he had witnessed as a mere child, but he had survived it all. Thus he thought he was a true fighter, one without care for life..

But he did care.

There were goals he had yet to accomplish, people he had yet to defeat, how could he reclaim what was rightfully his family's if he died here and now? He didn't fear death, he was taught otherwise, being recruited into Armageddon and such, but what he feared was wasting his life.

This was a wakeup call for him to know his limits and to surpass them everyday in order to avoid such a situation ever again. But as Casiel sought to somehow rise up and 'save' Holden, Gorandis moved towards them, the Melym helpless to stop it, this was the end?

His face grabbed whilst being lifted from the floor, his hands gripped at the man's arm as he tried to get free. "Mmmmffff! Mmf!" he'd rebel with muffled words before suddenly a flash of crimson and then?

Nothing

His eye had exploded, blood spewed from the wound as the child screamed out without end. However, the punishment didn't cease there, no, hellstorm travelled through his body down to his leg. Each moment spent within the man's grasp was pain, terror, despair.

His entire body trembled repeatedly, twitching from the sheer physical trauma as he could feel constant pain. His throat throbbing from the merciless shrieking that came form the child as he was treated as a mere ragdoll.
(Casiel Melym)

"There, that's better, not you know your places." He peeled his hands away from their charred and smoking flesh and threw the pair of them down to the grass. "It's a shame you didn't tell me what i wanted to know, maybe next time I can find someone intelligent enough to give me the right answers. Oh, but you are children in the end."

"That's why you're still alive. You're not yet ready for harvest." He dusted his hands, scraping off the sections of burnt flesh that had clung to him. "You know, you managed to make me very angry... Very angry indeed. And I still am." His hands came out over their fallen bodies and more arcs of crimson came down to pierce them painfully.

"Be nice to strangers boys, you never know who you might run in to... To think I'd give out that advice twice in one day... Well! Holden!" He spoke directly to him, ignoring the boy's anguished cries. "Maybe next time we meet you can have that answer for me then? I expect you to be fully healed too, after all, this Golden of yours should be a miracle worker, yes?"
(Gorandis)

He would've continued to scream -- and cry, freaking out; he wished that he could run, but the boy himself felt too scared to do anything. He had to escape, he had to get back to Brighthold; his only eye was covered by the functioning arm, since it was.. Well, basically one side of his body that was now non-functioning, awkwardly. At least he had the leg on that side.

When there's talk of him not being killed -- solely because of his age, it puts fear into him that he never thought he'd had. If he was older, he would've standed a better chance, too. . .

. . . He looks at Casiel -- and Gorandis as he probably walks off..(?), and then the boy lets out a whimper before he takes a quick stand... Casiel was not a worshiper of the Golden, so there was no point in taking him to Brighthold where he'd probably just be executed.

He had to find the answer.. He wasn't positive on how sure he was, anymore. But his faith stayed as strong as he could make it.
(Holden Boreas)

He tried to stay strong and tried to withstand the pain but it was hard. It was insurmountably hard, at this point in time Casiel wanted to be a child, a child that cried, blubbered and whimpered. But sadly it wasn't so, he was a soldier, a magi and one that held onto his pride as a magi and as a Melym.

He had been through pain and suffering before, he had been through hell to get to where he was and it showed. His power was greater than most people's, but it still wasn't enough and that was proven. But in this moment, he could only weep and feel pure grief in his weakness.

Had he been stronger this wouldn't have happened, had he achieved what he wanted to he wouldn't be in this position. But did he deserve it at all if he lost here like this? An answer would come to him in time, but for now, he'd allow water magic to circulate around him.

Hopefully it's soothing and healing properties were enough to keep him from collapsing. This day? He'd remember till his death, he'd also remember Holden and how they had fought side by side. His body regaining some strength, he'd push himself to one foot.

Once he gained some balance, he'd stumble, crawl, rise again and repeat the process until he arrived in Loranthis should he be allowed to go free. His flesh sizzled and disgustingly scarred, but he didn't care, he was alive. That's all that mattered.

No words to say or describe how he felt.
(Casiel Melym)