The Dragon King's Heart

"Killing me won't bring them back. Hurting me sure as hell did not mend that hole it left in your heart."

Cordelia tilted her head up. Sadness and anger swirled in her heart and mind. Each time she tried to trick Laina or cause her harm, she felt a little better. But it only lasted for a fleeting moment. After all, was said and done, she was hollow again. 

"You're wrong. I take immense satisfaction in watching you suffer!" she yelled back, refusing to face the truth. 

She pushed Laina in the shoulder with her index finger, "You destroyed everything I held dear. You took everything away from me. How would you know what it's like to have lost everything? Everything!"

Laina took a few steps back. She did not know what to say in response to her. Perhaps there was nothing she could say to mend the hole in Cordelia's heart. But one thing was for certain. Without a second of hesitation, Laina closed the distance between them. She embraced Cordelia in her arms, refusing to let go. 

"What are you doing! Let go of me! Do you think you can crush me to death? You foolish..."

"Don't you know what a hug is?!" Laina cut her off as she tightened her arms around Cordelia.

Through the anger, Laina saw a woman who was in pain. It was as if she had been sucked in a vortex of darkness spiraling deeper. Drowning in a sea of pain. She could not think of any words of encouragement. Words failed to bring across the point. So Laina chooses to take action instead.

Despite her best efforts, Cordelia wriggled out of Laina's grasp. She refused to accept what was happening.

"You have no idea what I've done to you!" Cordelia tried to reason.

Laina bit her lip, "I know what you've done in this life. I can see your determination to exact your revenge. But who are you doing it for?" 

Her words echoed in Cordelia's mind. 

"I...It is to avenge them of course!"

Laina shook her head, "Face it, Cordelia. You've been doing all of this for you."

At that moment, something snapped in the witch's mind. She felt as if her entire world was crumbling down. All because the woman she had wanted to kill questioned her resolve. The foundation of her plans was shaken to the core. Cordelia yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice echoed throughout the room. 

She lunged towards Laina with a newly formed dagger in her hand. Laina did not move. She was going to take the attack head-on. But at the last moment, a shadow appeared before her. It was Dante. He had sensed that she was in danger and came to her aid.

Dante froze the dagger Cordelia had in her hands, shattering into shards of ice upon impact.

"Laina, are you hurt?" he turned back to check on her.

The look of concern on his face was all she could think of. 

"I'm alright. I'll deal with her," she said to him confidently.

"But..." Laina did not give him time to protest. 

Florin and the others rushed into the room, ready to protect Laina. She looked over to Cordelia, all alone. Despite being outnumbered, she was still ready to take on all of them in one go. 

"Stand down, all of you," Laina ordered. 

"Laina are you mad?" Margaret protested.

Florin and Kol voiced their concerns too. But she was adamant. She had already made up her mind. Laina turned to Dante. It was clear from his expression that there was something he wanted to tell her. But alas, he could not. Their pasts were interconnected with one another, perhaps more than she had initially thought. 

Dante sheathed his weapon and returned to a more relaxed stance. He respected Laina's wishes. He would stay out of the fight. Despite the others' protests, Laina remained adamant. 

"I don't have all day!" Cordelia yelled in annoyance. 

Finally, they begrudgingly agreed. All of them took a few steps back. But the room was not big enough for them to fight. Hence, they transported themselves to an open field instead. It was nighttime, and most of them could barely see a thing. Laina lit up the field with spheres of fire, while Cordelia cast a barrier spell to avoid interruption.

All the others could do was watch on and hope for the best. Once Laina had made up her mind, no one could change it. Not even Dante. Laina stretched out her arms. This time, she chose not to use any weapon. Cordelia, on the other hand, chose to use a staff. An amethyst crystal served as the core of the staff. 

Both of them stared down at one another for a good minute, watching the other carefully. No one was willing to make the first move. Everyone else watched on anxiously. Annoyed, Cordelia ended up being the first to make a move. In a fraction of a second, she closed the distance between them. 

She cast a spell, sending lightning bolts in Lania's direction. It was a point-blank hit, but she was still able to dodge it with ease. Laina kept her hands behind her back, refusing to attack.

Margaret was anxious, watching the battle play out, "What on earth is Laina doing? Is she trying to get herself killed?" 

Dante watched on anxiously too. He was unsure of what Laina's plan was, but she must have had something in mind. Her movements looked to have been calculated with great detail, she must have a plan.

"Fight me head-on you coward!" Cordelia taunted angrily.

To her, Laina did not seem to be taking the fight seriously. Every attack she threw at her, she dodged with minimal effort.

"If you want to kill me, you would have already done it," Laina said calmly.

"Liar! You're just trying to get into my head! "

Cordelia squinted her eyes shut, shaking her head violently. Laina's words were getting to her, shaking her resolve. She could not let that happen, she had to finish what she had started. Laina grinned. Her plan was working. 

"Face it, Cordelia. You never wanted to kill me in the first place. Deep down you know it would not make a difference," she added fuel to the fire.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! " the purple-haired witch yelled in frustration towards the sky.

Bolts of lightning flashed across the dark night sky, aiming at where Laina stood. The frequency of the bolts increased in succession, making it increasingly difficult for her to dodge the attacks. Laina was caught by a bolt of lightning, taking a direct hit on her back. She winced in pain as she fell to the ground.

Just as another bolt came raining down on her, Laina flipped herself around and summoned a shield of fire, successfully repelling the attack. The reflected bolt of lightning hit Cordelia instead, causing the witch to drop her staff and collapse on the ground.

"Laina!" Dante called out for her as he banged his fists against the forcefield.