Chapter 3
A Change of Fate
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There is a saying. When you are put against a corner, and your only options are to die or to die fighting, the answer is obvious, like almost every wild animal, and most people will take the second option without regret.
That is something Alena could agree with as right now, she feels that there is no escape and her very life is at stake. Making her senses heightened to the point it felt like things were a bit slow and every action this guy was making was almost clear to her eyes.
He rolled his shoulder, eyeing her, "You're younger than I expected." He casually comments, making Alena squint her eyes. Younger than he expected? Hold on, did he know I'm coming here?
"Well, who cares?" He grinned, locking his gaze on her, "Today, you will learn pain!" He charged at her with his right arm stretched behind.
Fast! Ignoring the instinct to move away, she forced her tensed body to stay still, waiting as she locked her gaze at the man's brown eyes that reflected his ill intention of harm.
From the way he charged, it looked like he's going for a straight punch. From those without experience or training, their eyes would instinctively focus on the hand they would swing making their body move away, which is a mistake. Avoiding an attack ahead of time will make them change their offense.
Do not fear and do not stare at the appearance of the threat of your enemy, focus on the eye and their body and you shall know where and how to avoid their strike. The words of her uncle echoed in her mind as the man's fist headed towards her head.
As fast as the man was, she didn't put it in her eyes, she was not afraid. Leaning slightly forward, stepping to the side with her whole body as she brought her right arm, putting strength in her left leg as she swung her whole upper body, making sure her arm is well synced.
Her eyes glazed over his fist that barely missed an inch of her skin and her fist connected with his abdomen right where his liver is located.
This technique is something she usually doesn't do towards others; Since it was dangerous that could cause internal bleeding and worse cause them to die.
However, right now, she doesn't have much choice but to throw whatever belief she has and fight whatever she has to survive this.
The man who underestimated her, took the full brunt of her strike, knocking a few inches back while she gritted her teeth, feeling her hand throbbed with pain as if she just punched a concrete wall and not the flesh of a man.
It was ridiculous. As someone who had fought those who were twice her size, she knew how hard muscles could be. Whatever the reasons, his flesh that isn’t even buffed with muscles was twice as tough as concrete.
Enduring the pain in her knuckles, Alena put more pressure on her left leg and prepared her other fist to strike his neck, in the small hope of knocking him out; however, before she could, the man moved.
The last thing she saw was a large fist coming to her before her head snapped in the other direction, almost causing her to blackout from the sudden pain that erupted around her neck.
Crashing to the ground, Alena opened her mouth, silently gasping as she felt her cheek throbbed in a familiar sense of pain while her neck ached.
She tasted the familiar sweet metallic liquid in her mouth as she came back to her senses, forcing her mouth to close, despite the aching pain in her jaw.
"That hurt." Hearing the man, Shit. Alena cursed in her mind as she felt the back of her hoodie being picked, hovering her off the ground before a fist punched her in the solar plexus, knocking the air out of her.
Ugh... Coughing, she tried to calm her breathing as blood dripped down from the corner of her mouth. That hurt, she endured, forcing her not to cry out from the pain and mustered the strength to glare at the man she wanted to attack; however, she forced the instinct down to clearly analyze her opponent.
Much to her surprise, the man stood fine, looking at her as if he found an interesting animal.
How could that be!? Even grown adults would limp in pain from that. Alena looked at the man with widening eyes, as she couldn’t believe he was fine.
Until something flashed in her mind, reminding her this was not her world.
Alena felt her lips twitched. Damn it... Alena thought, feeling wrong.
It must be magic. It has to be magic that made her strike look like a punch from a kid.
"I admit," The man chuckled, making Alena twitch her lips again, she wanted to curse him but knew better than to make him angry when she’s at a disadvantage, "I didn't expect you to dodge like that, much less counter it."
That’s your fault for underestimating me. Alena retorted in her mind but her eyes made it clear to the man what she was thinking.
The grip on her hoodie tightened as the man's expression darkened slightly, "For someone who has yet to unlock aura, you're quite good…"
Alena's eyes widened as she was pulled around, the man grinned darkly as Alena struggled in his grip, "Too bad, you be as good as dead!"
Her world spun, twirling in the air, making her mind dizzy as she crashed to the ground, rolling as she heard something breaking.
Weakly opening an eye, she saw the man marched towards her with a grin that reminded her of a madman.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Son of a-
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In the sky above the Haruka village that was said to have a bright future.
The private pilot of Mistralian, couldn’t help but gaped as he maneuvered the bullhead forward through the dark smoke that was hovering above, creating dark clouds.
"L-lady Mavis, this is..." The pilot weakly called out as he stared in shock at the sight of the Haruka village burning to the ground.
My god. The pilot paled as a large, far larger than what king Taijitsu size should be, appeared within his sight, accompanied by an abnormal number of Grimms.
He had seen a horde of Grimms in his previous line of work but this was the first time he had seen this many.
Trapped within the cage of those large tall walls, those Grimms that looked more vicious were almost in every corner of the streets, howling as they feast upon their destruction.
The chances of surviving there are almost zero percent.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get us on top of those walls'' Hearing the cold feminine voice behind him, he stiffened, recognizing the owner of the voice. His line of experience was what stopped him from freezing as he quickly followed her order and maneuvered the bullhead outside the walls.
As the aircraft reaches above the walls, something flashes, making him double-check it in fear of it being a Grimms.
Who he saw made him gaped.
“Lady Mavis!?” He almost shouted as the young woman with dark red wavy short messy hair hovered in the air. Clothed in a black and darker blue shade of a high collared uniform, black skirt, black knee-length socks, and black and dark red combat boots.
The woman behind the pilot also recognized the young woman hovering below, making her click her tongue.
“Of course.” The woman grumbled, shaking her head as she turned around and went to the passenger seat.
“Open the hatch!” She ordered for the pilot to hear. After a moment the hatch opened and the woman was revealed.
She was a black-feathered-haired woman whose outfit consisted of a shallow-cut black and red dress with black shorts underneath. With a series of beaded necklaces and a belt that wrapped around her waist and carried her weapon's sheath.
Also attached to her waist are long black feathers, with a red and white bandana material hanging from behind her.
Her forearms bear red armored gauntlets that protrude outwards and black fingerless gloves and she wore black mid-thigh high leggings with red splatter patterns and black heels.
With her hand gripping the handle of her weapon, her pair of red eyes narrowed at the burning village.
Landing on top of the walls, she nodded at the pilot, motioning him to follow where Mavis headed off.
The bullhead flew off as she unsheathed her sword, a red blade formed within her sword, glittering with her aura flaring as swung the sword behind her. She activated her semblance, making her blade cut through space, tearing a large portal in the air.
Taking a deep breath, she mumbled, "You owe me this one."
Human figures started pouring out from her portal as she yelled out an order, her voice echoing loud.
“Kill any Grimms you come across and evacuate any survivors you find!”
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Mavis flew like a shooting star. The wind brushed against her skin as she narrowed her pair of silver eyes at the two figures below her.
Come on! Seeing the man roaring with anger, holding his bleeding face where his right eye had been stabbed, he held a Dao sword in his other hand, gripping it as he aimed to stab the unmoving girl below him.
I won’t let you! Her aura flared as she activated her semblance, twirling into magenta petals.
Like a storm, she burst towards them, appearing right above the man in a blink of the eye, shocking him with her sudden appearance.
Deactivating her semblance, she coats her leg with her aura, a bit denser as she kicks him in the forehead, breaking his orange aura.
The man went flying, crashing on his back quite hard, and immediately lost his consciousness.
Gracefully landing on her feet, she immediately turned her head and looked at the girl on the ground, fearing for the worse.
Bruised and bleeding, the girl was half-awake, weakly breathing as she blankly stared at the dark clouded sky.
It made her grimace as she looked pitiful in those dirty clothes filled with cuts and marks of where the man had struck.
Even though she knew this girl, Alena would still survive even if she wasn’t here, it still made her angry, whether it was in her instinct or subconscious, Mavis felt the urge to tear the man herself. But she held it down as she didn’t want to risk it.
If she wanted Alena to be away from most bloodshed to keep her from manifesting that thing, then Mavis needs to make an example, a good example while keeping the cruelty mostly hidden.
I will kill him later. Mavis mentally noted, briefly glaring at the unconscious man before kneeling down on one knee.
Examining her, she noticed something amiss with the pupils of her eyes.
It was glowing faintly, like the color of her pupils was being mixed with bright purple and white.
Was this supposed to happen? Mavis furrowed her eyebrows, alarmed as she recalled none of this ever happening in that vision.
Mavis paused, lips pursing as she stared at her eyes, coming up with the most possible conclusion. This must be the sign of her power manifesting!
I can’t let her manifest the darkness… I must assist her quickly.
“It’s okay.” She gently whispered, making the eyes of the girl look into her way.
“I won’t hurt you.” Her hands that were covered in a pair of black fingerless gloves, glow in purplish-red light, “I will open your aura, just relax.”
Closing her eyes, Mavis' soothing voice echoed in the forest. The wind loudly howled, whispering the ancient language of the world as the Grimms within the village raised their heads and stared at the darkened sky.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality." Mavis let her aura go through her hands, to the injured girl who closed her eyes, vividly feeling aura for the first time,
"Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all." Mavis felt sweat sliding down her cheek as Alena hungrily ate chunks of her aura, straining her.
What a powerful soul. Mavis pushed forward, "Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."
Feeling the shock within her arms, Mavis gasped as a golden light burst from Alena's body, making Mavis shield her eyes as the light engulfed the surrounding area.
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She thought it was the end.
She had given it all but the man's strength was almost impossible to match.
Even with her good physical body, open mind, and experiences, she was still someone who grew in a land where killing and fighting a human being is bad.
At the sight of his blood, she hesitated at the last second and paid the price because of it. She missed the chance and the man overwhelms her with strength and speed.
At his enraged stake, she knew she was going to be killed. She can’t run in a wounded state, negotiation is no option either as she can’t speak well nor is he in a state for one.
But then, an angel came.
Everything was hazy and blurred but her glowing pair of silver eyes seemed to pierce her soul awake.
She did something. Something that pushed her agony away.
The numbness and the pain are starting to fade each second. Her mind was getting clearer as she forced her body to sit up despite the fatigue straining her body.
Blinking away the dizziness, she felt odd. There was a strange sensation within her body as if something was coursing through her veins.
Looking down at her body, she noticed the glowing yellow light around her.
Raising her hands, it felt light like she could punch continuously. Not just her hands but also her whole body.
Amazement flashed within her eyes, "Woah..." She whispered in awe, clenching and unclenching her hands.
It’s like I have been reborn! Alena thought as she raised her bright gaze to meet her savior.
A young woman, who should be in her early twenties, stood there, staring at her in an unreadable look.
Alena faintly smiles, “T-thank you.” She managed to speak as her shoulders slumped in relief.