While the Elkysti Army was distracted by the flames that Wing created, we were running through to the other entrance. He would use his needles to paralyze whoever we encountered, but after the electricity coursed through them, they would fly back into his hands in an instant.
There was so much to process while we ran through these halls and cell blocks. He knew this prison well enough to the point where we don’t even need to stop as we go through. From time to time we would encounter men with ruined clothing and he would direct them to where we are going.
“Hey guys! Head through the east exit, okay?! I’m going ahead, but try not to get mixed up with everything!”
Eventually, we reach the end of a hall; it looks like a reception area, so it’s probably the main entrance or something. Finally, we had a chance to talk. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me head-to-toe. It was kind of embarrassing.
“Eclaire… is it really you? Really?”
“Huh? Yes!?”
“You look… no… it’s… it's nothing.”
“Wh-what? Do I look bad?!”
“Yes. Sort of.”
I’m in shock! I didn’t take care of myself that much?! Was I really that ugly?!
He continued to speak to me.
“Regardless… I’m really happy to see you, even if this is not how I would have liked it to happen. I’d like to catch up, but for now I have to explain something very clearly to you.”
“Okay!”
“Do not call me Wing under any circumstances. Especially not Wing Agelheed.”
“Why?! That’s who you are!”
“Eclaire…. Look. For now, do your best to listen.”
“Alright…”
Wing then looked out the window and scanned the outside. Most of the soldiers who were storming the ward are already inside, so for the time being it’s clear.
“You’re already in Mysmegalos. Saum was a border town. If an Elkysti soldier is found, they will be captured and executed here. We’ll run and hide at the village of Eisenbar. They would hide us.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll figure out more later.”
He opened the right door slowly to look ahead, seeing that it was clear, he ran to the side of the stair steps. I followed him slowly down the stairs of Eisenbar Ward onto the descending hill’s slope. From there I could hear the distinct sound of marching. Wing turned to me with his finger to his mouth.
“These are Mysmegalian soldiers. Don’t even look at them, You’re not wearing either of the country’s colors so we’ll both be seen as suspicious people going through. We just pass through the hillside, down to the path of Eisenbar, okay?”
“I’ll make sure to follow you.”
Once Wing signaled me to run, I started to follow him down Eisenbar Ward’s steps, I almost tripped over the broken steps. Wing grabbed my arm before I face planted and I used my other arm to pull myself up on the rail. Since I was adjusting myself I couldn’t help but look down the hill towards the marching soldiers.
That was a mistake.
The pit in my stomach hurt even further.
The vision in my eyes shattered.
Red.
So very Red.
The disgusting hair color I couldn’t wash away.
The intense emptiness I couldn’t erase.
Surrounded by two flag-bearers, there he was. There he was. There he was. He was on the horse with the same disgusting expression he wore. An unbearable pain. An unbelievable hatred. I jumped onto the rail. I vaguely hear Wing’s panicked whispers.
“E-Eclaire?! What are you doing?!”
Red so very red.
Pain.
My body is in pain.
I want to vomit.
The immense amount of stress is causing my vision to warp and flash to the past years of suffering. I have done the irreversible. I have always been unsalvageable. My attempts to control myself to jump down only result in me hearing my raspy breathing. Until…
“AAAAAAAAAARRRGHH!!!!”
The Edonai glows red and bursts yet again.
I don’t know what compelled me to do so, but from the stair’s rail, I leapt down to the marching soldiers, pushing my feet off of the ledge, launching me directly at him. My instincts are telling me I’ll survive this drop. Before I would say it would kill me, but right now…
“SHANEN EL’GANT!!!!!!”
Crash—!
I hear the shouting and panic of all the soldiers around me. The weak neighs of the horse I just slammed my sword into, but nothing else. What’s more is that I heard his voice.
“What’s going on!?”
Before the dust settles I charge at his voice and swing my swords at him, but the two men with banners strike at me with the flags’ spear head. I swipe one away with one sword, and dodge the other strike. Finally, I start to trade strikes with the piece of garbage who ruined my life.
“Woah there!”
I wildly slash at the man, but he’s able to parry most of my strikes, the others don’t even make contact with him. I try to flail a feint at him, but he was able to see it coming as well. In my attempts to trick him, he knees me in the face.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Ngh—!”
I wipe off my nosebleed and continue trying to attack him, but now the surrounding soldiers have regained balance and are about to strike me also. I slam more dust at the surrounding crowd using my sword and go in to stab Shanen El’gant, but he steps to the side.
With his sword, he aims at my head, striking down. In preparation for it I go into a block, but right as I do that, an arrow shoots at me. Out of reflex, I give a weak sword swing while falling back to avoid the arrow.
His condescending smile bursts into joy as he basks in how overwhelmed I was.
“Haha! I heard that the demon with twinblades himself would be here, but all I see is a frightened child! However, I could hardly call how you use those swords as anything but sloppy.”
Before more soldiers start to attack me I see a metal needle fly into the area above me, so I cover my eyes as lightning strikes at Shanen El’gant. When I shift down my arms, I see Wing in front of me holding out the electric spikes and his sword.
“Wing!”
“…!”
[https://imgur.com/DMoiZ0q.jpeg]
Shanen El’gant changes his expression when he hears the name being spoken, but before he could figure anything out, Wing tosses another ineffective electric strike towards him and follows up with a slash.
He avoids the swing and looks at me head-to-toe. Afterwards, he starts to burst into a laugh.
“Wing?! Wing Agelheed?! Haha! Aren’t you the mutt from before?! I didn’t recognize you! That’s hilarious!”
After saying that, he looks back to Wing with a scowl.
“And you… I should have figured. That old coot didn’t have the heart to kill you for what you did to my men, huh? I wondered why the registry suddenly had his son listed here. To think… I would be able to have closure over what happened those years ago.”
Wing stared silently at him until an arrow shot out. Jumping out of the way; there was a spear then pointed towards Wing. Shanen El’gant then continued to speak.
“Woah there, I felt the mana in the air, you can't just try casting magic without giving me any attention.”
“Tch..”
“Still such an attitude, too.”
“Closure, huh? Well, good for you, esteemed knight. A pig amongst the wolves, they say. You aren't the one getting it today."
“Lucky for you, my qualms aren't with you, but rather that red haired mutt."
He gestures to his men in a familiar way.
"Make sure he doesn't make any moves.”
Turning his back to Wing, he approached me in a disgusting stride.
“Besides… It’d be better to get your come-uppance by dealing with this thing.”
Once again, I got ourselves in an unavoidable situation. My head starts to ache. My heart tightens.
Red…
Will I see red again?
Why? Is it my fault again?
With a twisted smile, Shanen El’gant waved his hands at his soldiers and they created a proximity around me and him. He then started to pace around me while tapping the edge of his sword to his palm.
“Let's have a duel, shall we? When you, yet a little runt… you ended up killing one of my men. In fact, if you stayed on a tight leash… perhaps, that boy over there wouldn’t have had to dirty his hands, either.”
“Shut up…”
“Oh, I’m so very sorry! I can't hear such quiet barking! I’m sure that pretty boy over there would have lived a nice and quiet life, but an untamed mutt couldn't mind their own business.”
“Shut up–!”
Immediately, I leapt towards Shanen El’gant, swinging both of my swords at his head, but he was able to quickly dodge it. Once I landed, I felt his sword striking towards my back; I jumped out of the way and spun my sword towards his ankle. He simply stepped away and hit me while I was low.
Clang–!
The crossing of swords sent spark into the air; I was outmatched. I didn’t want to believe this person was out matching me. In a fit of anger, I smashed the edge of my blade into the dirt and flung dirt in Shanen El’gant’s eyes.
“You little–!”
Once he couldn’t see, I aimed for his torso, but as expected… predicting that, he went further back. I took advantage of him retreating and chased him further with my swords. He was backing away closer to where Wing was. Once more, I struck at Shanen El’gant to prevent him from recovering. A motion fixated on his head. No way to recover.
Spurt–
The sound of blood. My blood. Dripping onto the battlefield. I was stabbed by the man holding Wing hostage. Shanen El’gant bursted into laughter.
“Hahaha! That’s hilarious! You thought you had me on the ropes?! Ridiculous!”
“You… scum–!”
Red….
A different red…
A red I'd be fine with, if it were only mine…
Somehow I managed to avoid it going too deep, but where my ribs are… I’m bleeding a lot. When he waved his arms, arrows shot at me from all directions. Almost as if nature itself was in on the joke, a downpour started, making it significantly more difficult for me to stand. In my mind a familiar scenario is being played. The sight of me on the floor, the sight of Wing having to carry me to safety.
No.
I can’t.
I scream in rage as I flail my blades at him as he steps away, but I am stopped with a high-speed force against my gut, knocking the wind out of me.
“Ugh–!”
Again. It's all happening again.
My vision is clouding.
Everything's going to happen again.
Using the opportunity to be free, I’m in the air, above the soldiers. I looked over my shoulder. It was Wing who tackled me away while his sword was wreathed in electricity. I don’t know what came over me; I struggled out of his grasp and we both fell to the ground, dispersing the electrical energy he gathered on his sword in a nearby puddle.
“Eclaire?! What are you doing, we have to leave, now!”
“N-not again..! Not again!!”
“What?”
I know I don’t have time for this, but the thought of being saved again, being the one not facing the consequences of my actions leave me feeling confused. Shanen El’gant started to command his people to go after us. Wing grabbed my shoulders again and looked me in the eyes.
“Eclaire… can you run?”
I meekly nodded while holding my blood-stained swords. I want to be active. I want to be part of the solution to the mistakes I made, just once. Wing was silent for a bit, but I could feel mana surrounding us.
An unknown warmth surrounds my body.
The pain doesn’t go away, but it feels like I won’t be hurt again.
[Aura Shield] As if blessed by the light of the sun on a cold winter's day, enveloped and embraced by warmth.
After we were surrounded by his mysterious feeling, I saw a band of blue light surrounding my arm. I see…
That’s why we couldn’t hurt those people from before…
He grabs my right hand. It's practically fused to the blade I was holding, unable to let go. We run in the other direction, up a mountain path. The arrows can’t reach us. The arrows that do reach us don’t even penetrate the air surrounding our skins.