YUKINA AYLING

I once again found myself on the outskirts of the same settlement, which lay beyond the two hills with gentle slopes, standing right in front of the tiny wooden bridge that ran across the narrow creek. The serene and peaceful outlook was gone and was replaced with one that would strike panic and fear in anyone who beheld the sight of it.

Flares of fire rose high in the air, burning from a distance, precisely at the main settlement, and without doubt, the houses of the settlement dwellers provided more fuel to the raging inferno.

Visibility of the area where I stood was greatly reduced as smoke particles clogged the air forming a smog that condensed over the whole area. Anyone would most definitely have difficulty breathing under such conditions, but surprisingly I was breathing just fine.

Despite the dreaded sight of the settlement, I was tempted to go in, curious about what had happened. There could still be people trapped there, in needing help, and I might just happen to be their only hope of survival. Without hesitation, I made my way towards the settlement, sprinting at full speed but was suddenly halted by the sight of a figure approaching the bridge.

The thick smog rendered me incapable of telling if the figure belonged to a male or female. Abandoning the idea of rushing into the settlement for a moment, I stood still. I was curious to know who was approaching because it was natural that anyone would instinctively run away from the area and not approach it.

The figure got clearer as it emerged from a wall of smog, and surprisingly, I found out that there were actually two of them; one was much smaller and behind, completely covered by the silhouette of the larger figure. Looking closely, I recognized them immediately; it was the pregnant lady and her daughter as they approached in what looked like they were running, though not hastily. They halted right in front of the bridge, a few paces away from where I stood. I walked closer to them,

“Don’t go any further. It’s dangerous. You might get hurt.”

I knew I had said those words, but I didn’t hear them. It felt like I was trying to talk underwater; the only difference was that I wasn’t choking while speaking. I wouldn’t say the sound of my voice was muffled; at least, I would hear a thing or two if it were. It was completely canceled as they left my mouth.

I waved my hands so they could see me, but there wasn’t any reaction from them. It was like I wasn’t even there to begin with. I was already close enough to them, so I decided to try if I was going to be able to make physical contact with them. My suspicions were confirmed. As I walked toward them, I never got within touching distance. They were so close to me yet so far away, and it became evident that I was just a third-party spectator that couldn’t influence or tamper with anything. Disappointed, I looked at the raging flames that burnt away in the distance. There was nothing I could possibly do to help.

The lady’s expression could easily tell that she was panicking as her hands appeared to be trembling while her daughter looked more confused than startled. She took her daughter’s hand as they both walked hastily to the foot of the bridge, squatting underneath it. The little girl was coughing. It was evident that the heavy air was making breathing difficult for her.

“Come on, just take the child and leave this place,” I said, even though I knew she wouldn't hear me.

Her mother quickly removed her outer garment, soaked it with water from the creek, and then wrapped it in a way that covered her daughter’s head and most of her face. I found myself standing right in front of the pregnant lady, close enough to properly have a good look at her. There was a feeling of nostalgia that swelled from inside me. I couldn’t describe how astonished I felt upon noticing that she had a striking resemblance to me, and for a moment, I thought that she was an older version of me.

“What’s going on?” I queried myself.

I watched as she placed her hands over her daughter’s shoulder and said to her,

“Sweetheart, I promise I won’t take long. I need to find your father. Just wait here for a little while and don’t go anywhere. I will be right back, okay?”

The little girl responded with a little downward nod. It was clear that she agreed with her mother.

“That won’t be necessary,” a tiny voice said, obviously feminine.

She approached from the bridge's other end, implying that she was coming from the settlement. The pregnant lady stood up anxiously to see who spoke while I fixed my gaze on the figure approaching. She appeared to be wearing a black hooded cape coat made of leather. I couldn’t detail her facial features as her hood provided much of the unwanted hindrance and was worsened by the poor visibility. She was clad in black close-fitted slacks which had a large belt and thigh-straps that bore small knives. To complete her outfit were knee-high boots with many buckles matching her coat. Her appearance alone was a sign that she meant no good.

The next thing I saw visibly shook me. Behind her was the creature that Svan called the falx as it dragged the body of a man along with it.

“I just saved you the trouble of searching for him. At least you should appreciate by saying thanks,” the hooded lady said, as the falx carelessly tossed the body towards the pregnant lady.

I had a lot of questions and was craving answers, but the first on my scale of preference was why the falx was following her and what was weirder was that it seemed to be doing her bidding. The pregnant lady watched in horror with her eyes stretched wide open.

“It’s your fault. All of this is your fault. Why did you waste so much time returning home? I got bored, so I had to keep myself busy.”

Her nonchalant behavior, which she used to back up her evil deeds, reminded me of Vixra. Thoughts on Vixra immediately helped me fix a piece of the puzzle.

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“Could it be that the falx Svan killed in Ausbane was controlled by Vixra?”

Witnessing one being controlled by a person, it couldn’t possibly be a coincidence that we happened to encounter Vixra just after we encountered the falx. I wondered if Vixra knew that Svan killed her falx, which would explain why she said she wanted him.

Reality struck me fast and hard as the thoughts of Vixra infamously reminded me of what happened when I fought her.

“Am I dead?” I asked myself.

The last thing I remembered was Vixra driving her sinister blade toward my heart. Maybe I was dead; that would explain why I was seemingly incorporeal. I was in denial, telling myself that I couldn’t possibly be dead, but if I really was, I didn’t know how to feel about it. I couldn’t just bring myself to accept it.

My contemplation was cut short when I heard the pregnant lady yell,

“You will pay for this!”

The hooded lady giggled as she nodded her head, a signal prompting the falx to attack. The pregnant lady stood her ground with tears falling freely from her bloodshot eyes.

I kept yelling, “go for the eyes,” hoping she would miraculously hear my voice. I was gripped with fear because I knew how strong the falx was. If she wasn’t a deviant, she stood no chance against it. The more factors I considered, the more her chances of survival got slimmer. She was pregnant which was already a handicap because there was no way she could possibly manage her movements in that state during a fight. If that wasn’t bad enough, she also had a child to protect, which would constantly keep her distracted, and finally, she wasn’t just going up against the falx. If the hooded lady was a demon like Vixra, the fight was as good as over.

I tried to approach the situation from her perspective, and it seemed that maybe engaging in the fight was her best and only option. The hooded lady seemed hell-bent on killing her, going as far as slaughtering a whole settlement. She couldn’t possibly outrun the falx, and any pleas would most likely fall on deaf ears.

The falx attacked. I focused my attention on the pregnant lady as my heartbeat increased tenfold. There wasn’t any hint of fear coming from her; all I could see was a burning rage. She conjured a large fireball, the largest I had ever seen someone conjure, engulfing the falx in it. Though the falx was covered in flames, it didn’t burn. The fire seemed to have no effect on it.

“Shit!” I cursed.

I was caught by surprise seeing her evade a strike from the falx. She was so swift that I almost missed it.

“What is she going to do now?”

Astonishingly, I saw her grab a spear conjured from lightning and couldn’t stop myself from smiling. She was a deviant. At least she'd have some fighting chances. She threw the spear at the falx, taking flight at speed difficult for the eye to follow. I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like the falx was pierced, considering how it reacted, roaring in agony as lightning tendrils crackled all over its body.

She wasn’t done yet, immediately conjuring an even larger spear that gave off an imposing ambience. Hurling it to the falx, the force of its contact flung it into the air before sending it crashing. I knew the fight wasn’t over because the falx was a resilient creature. She had to go for its eyes if she wanted a guaranteed victory.

I was beyond shocked when I saw her conjure multiple light beams that were too many to count. Not fire, not lightning, but light in a materialized form all suspended horizontally in the air above her like they were awaiting a signal to be let loose. I was speechless and dazed. Moments earlier, I was worried for her, but the current situation made those worries disappear.

“C-Chaos-class,” I stammered, still in awe.

I would never have expected her to be a deviant, let alone control two deviant attributes. The falx recovered, roaring before charging towards her at full speed. The light beams reacted instantly, seemingly having minds of their own though it was obvious they were being controlled. They charged at the falx piercing different parts of its body. Not so surprisingly, the falx dropped to the ground, lying motionless. I was convinced that some of the light beams pierced its eyes, given that it slumped dead.

I was joyous. The most amazing part of the fight was that it was totally one-sided, and she didn’t even break a sweat. There was still a lot of rage in her eyes. She was clearly not done as she immediately switched her attention toward the hooded lady.

“I would give it to you, you were impressi…..”

She wasn’t given any chance to finish what she was about to say as she was shot with a barrage of fireballs clad with lightning. She instantaneously erected a stone wall that took most of the damage, and at the same time, the same black fire I’d seen on Vixra engulfed her. She was quick, fast enough to stop a lightning bolt thrown at her with earth. I couldn’t be more convinced that she was a demon, and just like Vixra, her defenses were spot-on automatic. I was getting more and more excited as the pregnant lady pressed on with her attack while the hooded one went defensive.

Suddenly, everywhere got so bright. I saw a concerned-looking face staring at me,

“My lady, you are finally awake.”

Startled, I sat up immediately, only to discover that I was only wearing a white sleeveless underdress. On my left were two large red valance curtains with golden stripes held on both sides by a curtain holdback which was closer to the floor than its mid-point, separated just enough to allow sufficient illumination in the room. It looked so familiar,

“This can’t possibly be my room.”

I looked at the woman who spoke to me earlier. She’d already moved away from my side, standing right in front of the bed. She wore a plain white shirt with long cowl sleeves, pegged slacks, and black shoes. She bowed slightly as both our eyes made contact. She was definitely an attendant who worked in the Choryth castle, and I was right in my room.

“How am I here?” I asked her.

“Before she could say anything in reply, I interrupted her,

“Svan. Where is Svan?”

After much hesitation, she replied,

“They didn’t bring him.”

“What! What do you mean by they didn’t bring him?” I asked, with my voice louder following each word that left my mouth.

I was mad-furious. How could they have left Svan out there alone? He could be badly hurt. I quickly rushed out of bed, almost tripping as I took the corner that led to the door.

“My Lady, put on some proper clothes,” the attendant cried out.

I completely ignored her as I stormed off the room. If I was being sincere with myself, I was actually looking for who to vent my anger on rather than trying to know why Svan wasn’t brought back because the reason was pretty obvious. Ahead of me were Lord Edger and Lady Evren approaching, most probably coming to pay me a visit. I didn’t wait for them to come to meet me as I marched forward towards them.

Still burning in anger, I didn’t care to greet the High Lord.

“Where is Svan?” I asked, directing the question to both of them.

“Show some respect to the High Lord,” Evren cut sharply.

I found my scapegoat. I turned slowly in her direction with a menacing look on my face.

“What?”

She opened her mouth to say something, and before the words came off, I slammed her back against the wall with a considerable amount of strength, enough to leave a sizable crack on it. Lightning crackled and shot sparks from all over her body, but I augmented mine and held firm.

“Enough! Both of you,” Lord Edger scolded.

I reluctantly let go of her, awaiting a potential punishment for my rude behavior as Evren straightened her clothes.

“We didn’t see Svan when we found you, but we are still searching for him,” he said in a much calmer tone.

“No, No. It’s not possible,” I said in a breaking voice as the worst thoughts of what might have happened to Svan flooded my head.

“It can’t be.”