137 - Bait

Two days later, Arielle had an idea,

The demon had tried twice more to coax her into helping him, giving her access to his soul, and even 'pushing it out' at her, but each time he did it, she stopped him. Told him off. Did everything she was supposed to do except tell Vittoria.

Once, when she was leaving and after she finally removed his gag, he said, "Demonic souls are fun wonderlands filled with all manner of curses and oaths. I can show you exactly what one would look like. Don't you want to see?"

Arielle's step faltered, but she forced herself from the dungeon regardless, ignoring his chuckle. She wouldn't ask how he knew what she was looking for.

Regardless, her idea didn't spawn from one of these attempts.

It was an idea born out of desperation, mostly because she couldn’t sleep. Lyra’s birthday was in three days. She was supposed to visit Lyra the day before her birthday and stay with their family overnight, and she wanted to use that chance to heal her.

But she couldn’t do that if she couldn’t even tell the problem with Lyra's soul.

And she couldn’t sleep now because all of it weighed on her. She tossed and turned, her lips pressing together and squeezing from the anxiety flaring within. She stared out of the window, at the moon, and wondered what she should do now.

She didn't want to let Lyra down.

Perhaps it wasn’t all bad. Lyra had her Vitae core, but she still only had a few spells in her arsenal, and it took her forever to learn the spells thanks to their difficulty. If she couldn't learn enough spells to be useful in the academy, if they kicked her out anyway...it would be Arielle's fault.

Arielle stared out at the moon, the demons’ words echoing in her ears, embellished to reflect her fear.

Don't you want to see more?

He won't help you as I will.

I'm the only one who can help you.

You need me.

He'd promised that she could learn how to manipulate souls in just a few hours.

And maybe that was about all the time she had left.

Of course, she wasn’t going to cooperate with that creature. She would never accept help from a demon who had tried to kill Elric, and she would especially never tell him anything about herself, since he could use that against her.

However, she wasn't above stealing his technique, if only she could see it. If only she could actually visualize the soul orbs moving, understand how he accessed and controlled them, and the structure of the curses. Maybe that was what the demon had planned to teach her, for a price, so that she was no longer touching the soul with her back turned, but with her eyes on the act.

However, she didn't need him to teach her. She could learn it herself.

He said it was like opening and closing his hand, as if his soul was a part of him completely under his control. Vittoria had used emotions to gain access to his soul to explore it, however, she couldn't command it. She'd never even suggested using his soul to control him, which meant that the soul was still within the demon's control.

He could not use soul magic right now, because he was bound by the magic-cancelling manacles.

But if he somehow managed to get out of them, she had no doubt he would take the chance to use his soul magic and try to escape from here.

That was when the idea occurred to her. It came slowly as she tried to close her eyes, but then it also came in a rush all at once.

Her eyes opened. Of course. It was so simple.

Well, not simple for anyone who wasn't Arielle Blacksoil. But for Arielle, it was.

She didn't have to work with the demon. She could work around him. She could get exactly what she wanted, and have him none the wiser until it was too late.

She only had a moment of doubt before she ran for her box.

She retrieved the book Valeria gave her, all about abyssal spells. They had only briefly discovered the structure of a rift, and Arielle stared at it, comparing it to the image she had in mind of when she had seen a demon's domain.

Yes, it was indeed very similar.

Demons were not creatures of the abyss, but they could create a world within it. And if Arielle could copy that, on a much smaller scale...

That was when the idea finally took root.

She shut her box and immediately padded into Vittoria’s room. Vittoria wasn’t asleep. She was at her desk, reading through a bunch of scrolls, frowning.

She glanced up at her, and Arielle said, “Can I go to the North Base cave?”

"Right now?"

“No. Tomorrow morning before I see the demon."

“I’m fairly busy tomorrow morning.”

“I know. It will only take a second. You just have to take me there and bring me back."

“Why?”

“Because I have an idea."

Vittoria stared at her for a few minutes, her eyebrows lowering over her eyes. “Yeah, you’re going to need to do better than that to convince me.”

Arielle swallowed. She couldn’t tell Vittoria her whole plan, as Vittoria likely wouldn’t approve. But she could say some of it, just enough truth to give her the things that she needed to know.

“I think I can use the blue orb to look into the creature’s soul.”

“You can?” Vittoria raised an eyebrow. “I thought that was impossible.”

“It may not be. I just want to try it. I think I have a spell that could work."

Vittoria stared at her for a while, then ultimately nodded. "Alright, I believe you. I’ll be out of the house, but I'll have the portal bird take you. Just say ‘Cave,’ and it should activate.”

“I can do that?”

“Yes, but only to the cave. That’s all you’re going to, right?” She gave Arielle a hard stare, and Ari nodded frantically.

“Yes. That’s the only place I'm going to."

Vittoria nodded. "Good. Be careful."

"I will."

She went back to the couch, but she couldn’t sleep the entire night. Her body buzzed with anticipation and nerves.

What if it didn’t work?

What if the demon discovered what she was trying to do and stopped her, or what if Vittoria discovered what she was trying to do and stopped her, or what if it simply did not work?

Perhaps it wasn’t as clever a plan as she thought it was, but she didn’t have time for a smarter one.

More importantly, Lyra didn’t have time. There were only a couple of days left, so Arielle had to try everything at this point.

It would be fine. She was Arielle Blacksoil, and the demons didn't know enough about her to be able to stop her. He probably didn't know she could see essences or that she had strong control over them. And even if he did, she had defeated stronger demons, who weren't currently bound and weakened. He would be no match for her.

So the next morning, after a good breakfast that Vittoria was absent for and Ari was silent at, she and the portal bird headed to the cave.

The blue orb was surrounded by other orbs when Ari got there, along with a few manalings. It seemed that someone was on campus performing magic very badly. It didn’t surprise her. Struggling students typically volunteered for extra sessions with the dean, who always stayed behind on campus during breaks. Arielle would be having their meetings with him over the break too, once a week, once she was done with Lyra’s thing.

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But whoever was casting these spells was truly terrible to create this many manalings in such a short time. She quickly fixed them and drew the blue orb closer, trapping it in a spell as usual.

"Hello,” she greeted. “I need your help again."’

It was happy to oblige, bouncing closer to her.

She took it back to Vittoria's dungeon with the portal bird, letting it go as she let it refuel.

She would not need it now, but she might need it soon, depending on how long it took the demon to take the bait. If he took the bait. She didn't know if it would work. She was a terrible liar, but she wasn't going to lie now. She would let her silence do the talking.

She stared at the demon for a long time.

He wasn't speaking. He merely smiled as she sealed his lips and got started.

She closed her eyes and waited, knowing that it was coming.

Demons were by definition not abyssal creatures, but Overlords in particular could create other worlds from nothing at all.

The hellish realm that the other Overlord had brought Arielle to wasn't in the demonic realm; neither was it in the earthen realm.

It was nowhere, in between two planes. That was a kind of abyss, and demons were familiar with it, which was why abyssal rifts could be used to summon demons and other creatures like them. The structure, especially, was very similar.

Arielle's plan was this: she would create an abyss, similar to the ones that the demons created, and bring it close to the Overlord. When he tried to push his soul at her, she would put the abyss between them and trap it there.

Then she would use her blue orb to observe the soul orbs in the abyss.

Though it sounded risky, Arielle was certain it was relatively safe. Vittoria herself had told Arielle once that the demon could not use soul magic in this room, no matter what, even if there was an abyssal rift. Him pushing his soul toward the abyss would not be magic. It would be extending his hand.

And when he got stuck, he wouldn't be able to break out of it.

The only possible danger here was towards the demon, and it was a risk she was willing to take.

So as long as Arielle kept the abyss in this room, they would be fine.

And once it was in the abyss, Arielle would evaluate portions of his soul for as long as she wanted. She would look for the cursed structures, figure out how to break them. She would also search to see how he controlled his soul.

She might still need Vittoria's help with Lyra, as she still could not see into Lyra's soul. The problem they currently faced was that Vittoria could not see orbs, so she didn't know exactly what spell form a soul oath took. If Arielle could see it, then maybe she could direct Vittoria on how to break it. Or maybe Vittoria could extract some of Lyra’s soul, as she’d done with the demon, and then put it back. Humans weren’t as resilient as demons, but maybe…it didn’t matter.

Together, they could make it work.

Something bugged Arielle's mind, like she was missing something vital. It whispered that there were too many holes in her plan, but she didn't listen to it as she meditated. She didn't have time, so she compartmentalized it in her brain.

So far, this part of her plan was solid.

When she was done with this part, she would worry about how to achieve the next.

She crafted a small abyssal spell first, a lower-tier one, holding it steady, though it was extremely unstable by nature. She drifted it close to the demon as he pushed his soul at her. Arielle waited for what would happen next. She hoped against hope that it would work, that even if she couldn't trap him in the abyss, the demon would take the bait, that he would make an attempt to capture her magic through that. That he would even notice it was there in the first place.

And then finally, he did.

She felt his soul entering the abyss.

That's when she activated the light spell with the Blue Orb, enhancing it with [Sensate] so she could look into the abyss.

She saw the structure, a conglomerate of orbs, that looked a little different from their compatriots in the human world. She scanned it and saw a pulsing around it, like a heartbeat controlling its movement.

She nearly jumped for joy. It worked! She could see into his soul and see how he used it. It was only in flashes that the blue orb offered, but it was enough.

Now she only had to feel what he felt.

She wondered if she could use this to enter his soul too, or if that would be taking it too far. Could she activate a sympathetic spell here that would help her?

And then she noticed something.

A demonic silver orb separated from the rest of the soul and headed towards her.

Arielle tried to hold it back, but she had no cores to do so. It penetrated the abyssal spell, but unlike when it had broken her spell before, this time it kept it together.

Then it took hold of it.

Arielle immediately tried to shut it down, but it was difficult with the silver orb holding it in place. It was trying to wrest the spell from her grasp, but she fought back, not letting it out of the abyss.

She heard a chuckle in her mind, and that was when she realized that he could connect to her using the abyss. He hadn't been lying about that.

When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back.

He was trying to use her magic against her. And he was poisoning it somehow.

Poisoning her.

Arielle felt her vision get woozy, nausea overwhelming her. She pushed back against it, yanking the spell from him, closing rank so that the orb didn’t escape. His hold weakened, but it didn’t help her nausea.

Then she heard a loud slam that interrupted, and the feeling was ripped from her.

At the same time, she saw Vittoria slamming the demon into the wall, her light dagger stabbing through his throat. She kept it there, burning while the demon choked, and watched the life drain from his eyes.

This time she didn't let him come back.

The demon lay slumped over.

"Enjoy your final death," Vittoria spat out at him as she backed away.

Arielle caught her breath, a feeling of vertigo overwhelming her. She felt herself being picked up in Vittoria's arms and carried into the living room.

She heard Inara murmur a question, and the dragon made a sound, but she only focused on breathing and clearing her vision. Vittoria then placed her hand on her chest, and a heat spread through her body, which meant that she could finally see

And what she could see was a furious expression on Vittoria's face.

Uh oh. Arielle wanted to cringe into herself.

"Tell me everything," Vittoria said in a hard voice.

Arielle didn't have a choice. Regret and shame sat on her shoulders as she sat up and relayed everything that happened, visualizing Vittoria getting angrier and angrier with every word.

When she was done, Vittoria let out a long sigh and a long string of swear words.

"Do you think he said that to you by accident?” Vittoria demanded. “Mentioning the abyss? Extending his 'hand'? Did you think he didn't say that to get your mind going in that direction? Did you think he didn’t know exactly what you would do with that information?”

The entire room was silent. Arielle looked at Vittoria’s collarbone, and she pressed her lips together, embarrassed.

"Did I almost get possessed?" she wondered.

"No. I told you he didn't have the power to do that; otherwise, I never would have left you alone with him. What he did do was attempt to tag you while in the abyss. It's a complicated thing, but essentially he would have left enough of his magic behind for anyone in his family to find you if they wanted to. If you were a lesser mage, it would have worked. He would be a part of you, and they would come for you immediately."

Ari swallowed. She looked down at her hands gripping her knees. She didn't even think about that.

“Did you not think of what could happen to Inara or Sir Spendulon if you led a swarm of demons to my home and my wards failed? Did you not consider it?”

“I’m sorry,” Arielle said. “I just wanted to heal Lyra.”

"Please. This isn’t just about Lyra. This is about you, and your inability to accept that there is one thing, just one thing about your magical skill that is merely average rather than exceptional.”

Arielle opened her mouth to renounce it, but Vittoria held up her hand. “No. Don’t even deny it right now, I’m not in the mood. I understand that this started as you wanting to help your friend, but it turned into something else entirely. You think because you have certain skills you can just do anything you want. You thought you could outsmart a demon! You, against the king of manipulation!”

Arielle winced, toying with her toes and studying the wooden floorboards, silent underneath the censure.

“It’s because you can’t stand that there is one thing in the magical world that eludes you,” Vittoria scolded. “You think this is about Lyra? Or is it more about your inability to take no for an answer, Arielle?"

Arielle didn't know how to answer. "I'm sorry," she said again.

“I know you’re sorry, but I also know that given the choice, you would do it again, because so far you’ve faced no consequences for your behavior. You disobey me at every turn, even when I give you the luxury of trust. You had many chances to tell me what was happening, and yet you lied. Did you think I didn't suspect something? Why do you think I stayed home and tuned to the portal bird?"

She stayed home? Ari looked up. "But your portal bird..."

"My portal bird alone may not have known anything was wrong until it was too late. But I didn’t want to be suspicious. I wanted to give you a chance. But now I see that was a mistake." Vittoria pinched the bridge of her nose. “From now on, until further notice, there will be no more soul lessons.”

“No,” Arielle’s heart sped. "Please not that."

“You’ve left me no choice,” she said.

“But Lyra’s birthday is in two days. We must–”

“Arielle, you’re not going to get the spell right in time for Lyra’s birthday,” she said. “You cannot even feel the soul without help. I thought maybe by some miracle you would figure something out, but now I realize that I was probably better off dissuading you from the notion entirely. Maybe if I had, it wouldn't have come to this. ”

Pain pierced through Arielle. Despair crashed over her, and she felt tears push at the back of her eyelids. “Or maybe you can help me. Together we could–”

”The answer is no,” Vittoria said. "I've visited Lyra’s aunt. From what I could gather, the structure of Lyra's spell is complex. Even with my help, you will be incapable of breaking it. And here’s the thing you refuse to accept. You risked your life for almost nothing, for the off-chance that it would work. You didn’t just endanger yourself. You endangered us."

Ariely pressed her lips together, and Vittoria sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I'm sorry," Ari said again, her voice tight.

Vittoria exhaled, the anger draining from her. Now she looked sad, almost sympathetic. "I'm sure you are. But actions have consequences, and it's time you learned that."

Vittoria didn't give Ari any other chances to speak. She walked away, and Inara hung back.

“Are you okay?” Inara asked

Arielle shook her head, tears escaping her control and rolling down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry I put you and Sir Spendulon in danger,” she said in a tight voice.

“It’s okay," Inara said. “I don’t think you would have let us get hurt.”

“I wouldn’t,” Arielle said, but at the same time, she hadn’t been thinking about them when she’d concocted this plan. She’d been self-centered. Again.

Arielle wiped her eyes once more as more tears escaped. Inara came over and patted Arielle’s back as she furiously scrubbed her face.

The tears kept flowing anyway, and she ended up sobbing on Inara's shoulder.