Acacia fluttered her wings some more, the colours seemed to have deepened and changed a bit. Her butterfly's wings were like dark velvet, soft to the imagined touch. The black was so deep it seemed to absorb the light, while the red, a shade of deep oxblood, appeared almost luminous against it. The pattern was subtle, a delicate tracery of red veins against the black, giving the wings an air of mystery and quiet elegance.
The sight of the new length and change of design filled her heart with a thrill of excitement. She increased the pace until she was lifted up from the ground, the bigger wings helped in balancing her flight and steadied her body in the air. She still had a bit of nervousness when it came to controlling them. She moved gently in the air, a few feet above the ground.
"I'm flying!" She cried, a laugh bubbling up from her chest. She spun a slow circle, the wind rushing past her ears, a feeling of pure freedom filling her. She landed softly, her feet barely making a sound on the ground. Her gaze on the ground as she noticed the ground was already covered in snow. The green leaves on the trees had turned into light blue leaves.
'I guess the Frost of Whispers will come early this year.' She thought before flying in the air once more. She decided to move higher and higher until her gaze was on the rooftop of the building. The feeling of the cold breeze hitting her face and the faint sounds of her wings flapping together. She decided to move in circles again and her wings moved too fast but she quickly controlled it before it spiraled out of control.
Once she gained control in the air, she decided to test the speed and move upwards in the air, turned around a couple times, spun in the air and almost lost her balance as her wings moved out of control again. She caught herself in the air, letting the wind assist as she forced her wings to move in accordance with what she wanted. She flew up and down a couple times, spun in circles in the air but stopped abruptly in her tracks at the sight of Elric coming out from the bushes.
She flew down and landed gently behind him. "What are you doing out here?"
Elric flinched at the sight of her voice, in a split second, a dagger was pointed at her forehead. Acacia's eyes widened at the speed of his movement. His brown eyes softened at the sight of her and he pulled the dagger away from her forehead.
"Sorry, you scared me." Elric set the dagger by the belt around his waist.
"It's fine, you were defending yourself.'' Acacia backed away from him a bit and rubbed her forehead to get rid of the tense feeling she had there.
"I came out for fresh air and noticed the weather, so I stuck around to observe it. Why are you out here?" Elric explained
"Training." Acacia said casually.
"Of course , I should get going. You shouldn't stay out for too long." Elric glanced at the bandage wrapped in her hands. He walked away and went back inside the house.
"He was quick, should I ask him to teach me how to be that fast?" Acacia thought out loud and stopped rubbing her forehead.
'Whatever you feel is fit, as long as you don't lag behind. I don't mind you using humans for your benefit.' Daemonis said.
'Hey, I'm not using anybody.' Acacia walked towards the smallest dumbbell and lifted both up in her arms. She let out a deep breath and kept her back posture straight. Pulling the weight to her chest as the snow continued to fall.
'I am more interested in getting those poisons and I need more information on the Flow Society. Does mother and father care that I'm dead? I doubt they care, they might be sad for a while but Lucian is the apple of their eye as annoying as it is.' She thought as she continued to pull the weight to her chest. Her gaze lost in a daze.
'Why did he even do that? He has everything that I don't, I'm not even a threat to his success. But then, he used my death to antagonize the beast men. Was it planned? No, it seems too perfect to be planned. He probably took advantage of the situation.'
'Humans have a history of being unpredictable forces of nature. Your brother might have had a hidden resentment that you were not aware of.' Daemonis said.
'For me and beast men? Well, whatever the reason is. It won't stop me from destroying him. He could've saved me but chose to end my life, I won't forgive that.' Acacia replied and felt a weird stirring in her heart.
Days passed, the snow fell with an ethereal hush, draping the city in a blanket of shimmering white. But it was no ordinary snow, the greenery faded, replaced by a vibrant, almost luminescent blue, each leaf now a tiny, glowing sapphire against the wintery backdrop.
Acacia was waiting by the dining table, her hands held a cup of herbal tea, the aroma hitting her nostrils, a comforting blend of chamomile and mint. She was donned in a baggy coat with a rough cut out at the back for her wings and a hood that covered her head.
Zephyra, Kel and Edwin were gathering their bags with some tools. Bella was beside Acacia with her arms crossed.
"This weather should make up its damn mind." Edwin said in irritation. His long lavender blue hair was tied up in a bun.
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"The weather is just reacting to the mana just like our technologies did before they burnt out." Jahir said with a blanket over his shoulders.
"Then the mana should make up its mind." Edwin replied and hung his bag on his shoulders.
"Maximus, Elric and Jahir, you know the usual rule. Protect the building." Zephyra spoke out.
"Bella and Acacia are going after the bat boars, if either of you get into any danger just scream my name and I'll be there." Zephyra turned her attention to both of them and they nodded.
Acacia finished her tea in one gulp, the steaming warmth tingling her senses. She placed the empty cup on a nearby table and adjusted her coat.
"Here!" Zephyra threw two empty bags at Acacia and Bella to which they caught easily. "It has a dagger inside and earplugs. You can put the remains of the monster in there."
"Thanks." Acacia said with gratitude and hung the bag on her shoulders, her wings twitched as if in protest of the placement. She decided to switch the position and hung the bag in front of her.
"Let's head out." With a grunt, Zephyra forced the heavy metal door open. It protested with a loud, metallic shriek.
They all left the building and Maximus closed the metal doors. They crossed the barrier, and Zephyra led the way through the Ruins. Their boots crunched on the snow-covered ground, leaving a trail of footprints that stretched behind them like a fading memory. They pressed onward, the silence broken only by the whisper of the wind, until they reached a precipice. The path ahead was cleaved in two, a yawning chasm splitting the road.
"There are maybe three or five bat boars the last time I was here. A loud noise would wake them up and come out of their hiding." Zephyra explained in a whisper. "Be careful."
"Don't die, if you do. I'll curse your souls." Edwin said in a casual manner. Acacia was unsure if he was serious or if he was joking.
With that, Zephyra left the two and walked away with Kel and Edwin. Acacia turned her attention to the chasm when Bella spoke.
"Just know I still don't like you but you haven't brought any trouble, so I'm not going to do anything against you." Bella whispered and Acacia glanced at her.
'She is quite annoying when Elric isn't around.' Acacia thought to herself as she gently opened the zip of her bag, removed the earbuds and dagger.
"How good is your flight?" Bella asked.
"Adequate." Acacia replied.
"Good enough. I will lure them out and get one of the bat boars attention away from the rest to a secluded corner where we ambush it. You will attack from above while I will attack from below." Bella whispered out. She removed her earplugs and dagger from the bag.
"Got that but how are you sure that only one will follow you?" Acacia asked in a soft whisper.
"They don't attack as a group, the first one that spots a prey usually leaves a warning screech to the others before attacking." Bella replied in whisper.
"I see." Acacia nodded and put in her earplugs.
"Let's start." Bella's legs began to tremble, then bend, the air around her shimmering as bone and muscle rearranged themselves into powerful hind legs. Long, black ears unfurled from her head, her human ears dissolving into her skin like mist. With a practiced movement, she placed earplugs in her new rabbit ears.
Acacia stepped away from the chasm. Her wings fluttered, catching the wind, and with a powerful beat, she launched herself into the air, landing gracefully on a nearby rooftop. She dropped her bag on the rooftop and kept her gaze on Bella's movement.
A sharp whistle pierced the silence. From the chasm's depths, three shapes emerged, coalescing into bat boars against the bright sky. Their blue eyes burned with an eerie light, and their tusks promised violence. Bella whistled again, and one of the creatures answered with a chilling screech, folding its wings and diving towards her like a stone.
'Interesting.' Acacia thought to herself as she watched the bat boar use of its wings.
Bella reacted instantly. She dropped into a crouch, muscles coiled like a spring, and launched herself upward just as the bat boar shrieked past, its razor-sharp tusks slicing through the air where she'd been moments before. She landed heavily, a few feet away, her heart hammering against her ribs. The bat boar shook its head to dust the snow off and turned its gaze at her. The bat boar spread its wings and dashed up to the sky, Bella noticed that it was about to attack again and began to run to lead the bat boar away from its group.
As planned, the bat boar chased her in the air. Its blue eyes kept a calculated gaze on her as she ran on the snow but was unaware of Acacia silently following its movements as she jumped from rooftops to rooftops. Bella turned towards an alleyway and noticed it was a dead end. The bat boar folded its wings and was about to dive down when it let out a loud screech.
Acacia had flown high above the bar boar and landed a clean cut against one of its wings. She dragged the dagger until the wing bled and she backed away from the monster in the air. Even with the cut, the bat boar's skin was still thick and hard. The bat boar screeched and lunged towards her. The bat boar movements was terrifyingly fast as it slammed its head against her stomach and she felt her ribs crack. She used the opportunity of the close contact and wrapped her arms around the monster's neck. Her grip was tight and it thrashed in the air with her.
She opened her mouth and bit down on it's neck but immediately removed her mouth at the foul taste. 'Disgusting! I guess they have no toxins in their blood.'
The creature shrieked, folding its wings into a deadly point, and plummeted towards the snow, intent on scraping Acacia off its back. Acacia braced herself, closing her eyes as they slammed into the icy ground. She used the bat boar's body as a gruesome shield, the impact jarring her bones. Even before the dust settled, Bella launched herself into the air, a blur of motion. Acacia released her grip on the monster's hide and scrambled back as Bella's powerful hind legs connected with the creature's neck. A sickening crack echoed through the air.
'Her legs are strong.' Acacia was in a bit of a daze at the sight and got up to her feet. Bella launched herself in the air again, her powerful hind legs connected to its neck again. She stepped off from the monster's body when it fell limp. Acacia felt relieved until she saw the bat snap it's jaw against Bella's leg. It was so quick that Bella barely noticed the pain for a spilt second before she screamed and kicked the bat boar's jaw with her free leg. The bat boar released her leg instantly and Bella fell to the ground.
'If I only I could use my whip but I can't let them know about that side of me yet.' Acacia immediately lunched herself at the bat boar as it screeched to the air. She straddled the monster and Bella quickly held the head on the monster down on the ground with all her strength. Acacia's dagger met the monster's thick hide, but the blade wouldn't penetrate. Frustration flared, and she attacked with primal fury. She lunged, her teeth finding purchase on the creature's neck, tearing and ripping until she tasted blood.
The monster flinched, and in that moment of weakness, Acacia's dagger found its mark. She stabbed relentlessly until the creature ceased its struggles. She panted as blood stained the snow and her face. Bella stopped holding down its head, her purple eyes widened with shock.