Bound By The Void

Medusa stared at Arc for a long moment, trying to rein her emotions. the ancient parchment in her hand heavier than it should be, causing her heart to waver with indecision. finally she exhaled sharply.

"Fine," she said, her tone reluctant. "I will hear you out, but let's move this conversation somewhere less exposed."

Arc inclined his head, sheathing his sword as he did so. "Lead the way."

Medusa gaze lingered on him for a moment, before sighing in resignation. she turned and began walking, her movements fluid but clearly heard this time to help guide Arc, which he was grateful for as he followed after her.

turning her head sharply, her blue eyes gleaming in this shadowy woods. "i should blindfold you. but in your case, it seems a bit... redundant."

Arc raised an eyebrow and let out a dry chuckle. "Oh, a joke about blind people. hilarious. do you write poems too, or is this just for me ?"

Medusa's lips twitched faintly, "You are lucky i am feeling merciful tonight."

"Could have fooled me." Arc muttered under his breath as his he felt his body still aching from the beating he just got.

as they walked, Arc started noticing different sounds filling the silent forest. the hum on nocturnal insects the rustling of leaves, the wildlife moving around. step by step the forest was starting to come alive.

"You have noticed, haven't you?" Medusa said, glancing back at him.

"The silence from before, was your doing." said Arc in a matter of fact tone.

Medusa nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "A barrier of sorts. keep the intruders disoriented, and discourage the beasts from coming closer. that why you can't hear the running water unless you are very close to it."

"Convenient." Arc remarked. the sound of a waterfall gradually become clearer the closer they got.

"For me, yes." she said coolly. "allowed me to live a peaceful life so far. keeping most of the pests away."

Pressing on, the damp chill in the air become stronger. soon, the faint roar of a waterfall became unmistakable, growing in intensity, until Arc could feel the mist dampening his face and the ground shifting beneath his feet.

"We are here." Medusa said, her voice raised slightly to be heard over the waterfall.

Arc titled his head slightly toward the sound. "Behind a waterfall? subtle."

"Efficient," she corrected. "And hidden." she guided him through the cold spray, her steps sure and practiced.

the moment they stepped inside the cave, the roar of the waterfall was muffled into a steady him and the echo of dripping water filled the place. Arc took a moment to take in the change in temperature and the dampness of the place.

"Nice place," he said before finding himself a dry rock and settling on it. "Very... damp."

Medusa smirked. "It serves its purpose."

sitting across from him, Medusa face turned deadly serious and her blue eyes stared intensely at Arc's dull orbs, causing the air to become tense once again. Arc felt the change in the atmosphere and he straightened his back.

"Where did you get this?" she demanded, her voice low but dangerous.

Arc leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "A while back, me and my companions were tasked with the mission to explore an ancient ruins that was unearthed during the mana upheaval a century ago. ruins that was so ancient that it could be traced to the lost age."

Medusa narrowed her eyes, didn't understand what he meant by the 'lost age'. "Go on." but she still urged him nonetheless.

"As we ventured deeper into the ruins," Arc continued, "I felt it... something strange. A pull, like an unseen thread tugging at my mind, pointing me in a direction I couldn't ignore. At first, I dismissed it—thought it was exhaustion or the echoes of the mana that still lingered in the ruins. But the further we went, the stronger it became."

He paused, his face turning slightly toward Medusa, as though seeking her reaction. "It wasn't a voice, not exactly, but it was calling to me. I didn't tell my companions. How could I? They wouldn't have understood."

"And yet you followed," Medusa said, her tone unreadable.

"I couldn't ignore it," Arc replied. "The pull led us through a maze of collapsed halls and broken chambers until we reached a massive room—a library, or what was left of one. Dust-covered shelves towered around us, their ancient books and scrolls untouched for centuries. It was a treasure trove of knowledge, but my focus wasn't on that. The calling grew overwhelming, almost deafening, leading me to a table piled high with parchment and fragments of books."

He gestured faintly, as if reliving the moment. "The others were searching the shelves, marveling at what they'd found, but I couldn't tear my attention away from that table. It was as if the very air around it pulsed with an unseen energy. And then I saw it—the parchment you're looking at now, there were others like it, but this one seemed....Alive. It didn't look like much, just a brittle fragment among countless other, it didn't look special, blank, untouched, with nothing to suggest it was anything more than an ordinary piece of old paper. But the moment I reached out and touched it..."

Arc's voice faltered, his hands tightening into fists as he continued. "I felt something stir inside me, as if the parchment had awakened a part of me I didn't know existed. It glowed faintly, a pale light spreading across its surface. Then, before my eyes, the blank sheet filled itself with runes and symbols—ancient, intricate, and far beyond my understanding. And then..."

Medusa leaned forward, her serpents still. "And then?"

"A voice," Arc said, his tone quiet and distant. "A whisper, deep and ancient, resonated in my mind. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, or even if it was human. All it said was, 'Serpens Cor. The seventh key to Actom.' I had no idea what it meant, and before I could even try to make sense of it..."

Arc's expression darkened and his fists were clenching tightly. "A cult of dark mages appeared. they ambushed us, we didn't even hear them coming until it was too late. they weren't after us though, they wanted the books. whatever knowledge was in that room, they were determined to have it."

Medusa's grip on the parchment tightened, 'Dark mages cult' another alien concept to her but she could tell for Arc's expression that it was nothing good. "And this was the only thing you managed to salvage?" she asked in a faint hope, but she already knew the answer.

"Yes, the rest of parchments were taken by them." Arc admitted, his jaw tightening. "We were outnumbered, wounded and unprepared. i made the call to fall back instead of losing more lives. it wasn't an easy choice but it was the best course of action. and to be honest, if it weren't for the fact that they were more interested in the books more than us, we wouldn't have made it out alive."

Medusa studied him in silence, her eyes piercing. finally, she asked. " Why did you hold into this ? why didn't you give it to someone else?"

"At first, it was because i didn't trust anyone, what happened wasn't a coincidence, more like someone sold us out." he then gestured at his eyes. "but after i lost my sight, i decide to give it to some mage in exchange for a cure, but he threw it back at me telling it was worthless to him, after few questions and more golden coins, he gave me a brief idea about what it was." then his dull eyes bore into her blue ones. "But i knew someone who will find it priceless."

Medusa's eyes softened, he suspicion was wavering as she stared at the parchment in her hands. "Its not just priceless," she said softly. "This parchment is a fragment of the original curse that was cast on my grandmother and plagued my family ever since."

Arc nodded . "Then you understand why i came to you. I want you to help me get back my sight, and in exchange i will help you find the rest of the fragments." he said before stretching his hand for her.

Medusa stared at his outstretched hand for a moment before she excused herself without a word to Arc, as she delved deeper into the cave. her steps hesitant, reflecting her state of mind. the air grew cooler the further she went, and the faint glow of bio-luminescent moss painted the walls in a soft blue hue.

Her thoughts churned as she walked, Arc's offer was too tempting. the idea of being able to undo curse that plagued her family was enough to spark hope, something she had buried long time ago when her mother died.

but accepting his outstretched hand meant that she would have to trust him. a human, and a royal knight at that. she didn't know if she had it in her to trust a human once again. she made that mistake once before and it had costed her dearly.

Standing before a shallow pool that was fed by a trickle of water from the cave wall. She crouched down, staring at the water, and her breath hitched as her reflection stared back at her.

blue eyes with vertical slits for irises glared back at her. her long white hair gathered at the end, turning into white serpents that writhed subtly but constantly. her skin, pale as snow, bore patches of fine scales, shimmering as they caught the light of the glowing moss.

Opening her mouth slightly, exposing the sharp fangs she had. Her face was hauntingly beautiful despite all that. With high cheekbones. and soft, full lips. Her nose was delicate and small and her chin was sharp yet feminine.

Her gaze dropped to her body, taking in her slim figure. The rough fur garments clung to her body emphasizing her form. Her body was definitely beautiful, with bountiful curves, slender waist and graceful limps. How much of it was it human and how much of it serpent she will never know.

All in all, if it weren't for her monstrous features, she would have been hailed as a beautiful goddess by the masses.

"An exotic creature, huh....." She muttered under her breath before shaking her head forcefully to stop her thoughts from wandering to a dark place, that she would rather forget.

She tore her gaze away from the water, her hand curled into a fist. Could this be the answer to all her problems ? Could Arc be the one who help her reclaim her humanity? but can she trust him?.

"Maybe i don't have to," she said to herself before straightening her body. her lips twitched, almost forming a smile. A new thought whispered in her mind, sharp and wicked. Perhaps she didn't need to trust him. Perhaps trust was irrelevant altogether.

Turning on her heel, she began walking back towards the entrance, her resolve hardening with each step.

As Medusa emerged from the dimly lit passage. she approached Arc who was leaning his back against the wall. His sword was in his lap and his head was tilted back with his eyes closed as though in rest.

Yet, the moment she got closer he stirred, his head straightened and his sightless eyes opened once more and looked at her general direction.

"You didn't strike me as someone who rested so easily." She said, crossing her arms, while she leaned against the wall.

Arc smiled slightly, his head tilting toward the direction of her voice. "A blind man learns to rest where he can, the world won't wait for those who stumble."

She studied him for a moment longer, before asking with a tone laced with doubt and suspicion. "Why did you come to me for help? I am sure, the royal family had the means to heal you. That or some powerful enough mage."

Arc's smile disappeared, replaced with a grim expression. He shifted slightly his hand caressing his sword as though to comfort himself. "Because the one i swore to protect, the ones i gave my sight to serve, abandoned me."

Medusa tilted her head, intrigued she asked. "Abandoned you how?"

Arc exhaled deeply, the sound filled with bitterness. "The royal family should have. They had the means and the obligation to heal me, since i lost my sight in their service. But instead..." He hesitated for a moment, his jaw tightening. "Instead, i was relieved of my duties and was given a pouch of golden coins in compensation before i was guided out."

Medusa shifted slightly, the snake in her head hissed, their voices filling the air. "Why?" She asked suspicion clouding her voice. " Why did they turn their back on you ? You were one of their knights, weren't you?"

"I was," Arc replied bitterly. "But the decision wasn't entirely theirs. A mage of some influence, a one that i had crossed paths with, whispered in the king's ear, that healing me was a waste of rare resources. And once i was relieved of my knighthood. He made sure that no other mage would see me and the healers weren't able to deal with my unique situation. I become untouchable."

"So you came to me because you have nowhere else to go." She stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Yes," Arc admitted. " You were the closest mage i could find that may be able to help me. Beside, i heard some stories about you, average mages can't be compared to you."

She studied him once more, her blue gaze looked into his grey one, before she stepped forward and leaned close to his face, her serpents hissed lightly at him, but to his credit he didn't move an inch.

"I said it before, you are either too brave or too foolish, Arc. But you sound honest, so i will take you at your word."

Arc inclined his head. "If you can restore my sight, i am willing to become your aid in breaking the your curse."

"You got yourself a deal. oh, sir knight."