Elisa turned to face Fray, her eyes conflicted behind her mask. "What do you mean, you didn't have a choice?" she demanded.
Fray gripped his ax on his back, his voice growing colder. "You already know what this is about, although Rin is talented, he can't hide from you."
"So you sent him on purpose, knowing I would find him?" Elisa asked, a hint of disbelief in her tone.
"Yes, I did. I wanted to give you a chance to come clean and explain yourself. But you didn't, which can only mean you did have a hand in what happened," Fray said, his voice getting colder. "And if I'm right, you're not planning to answer me even if I asked you."
Elisa sighed; her expression frustrated. "You're right, I wouldn't have told you anything. At least not willingly." She pulled out her sword, which gleamed with a strange gem on the handle.
Fray saw her sword and wasted no time. With a swift motion, he clenched his weapon and disappeared from his spot, reappearing in front of Elisa with his ax poised for an attack.
White energy enveloped Elisa as she swiftly dodged Fray's swinging ax, causing a powerful wind explosion and a deep fracture in the ground a few centimeters from her.
Elisa's eyes hardened, realizing Fray's serious intent to kill. Her mind raced as she swung her sword toward Fray's side. The gem on the sword's hilt gleamed, enveloping the blade in sharp green energy.
But as the sword neared Fray's body, the green energy sparked and repelled the blade, pushing it away from him.
"What?!" Elisa exclaimed, looking at her sword in shock.
Elisa was caught off guard but quickly recovered. She turned to Fray, only to see his fist flying towards her face. He punched her hard, sending her flying back. She crashed into the city wall and fell to the ground.
"What's going on? Why are they fighting?" Alex, who was hiding behind a tree, wondered. He was confused and scared, watching the two clash.
Elisa coughed, leaning on the wall. She got up slowly, staring at Fray who was walking towards her. "Did you do something to my sword?" she asked.
"No. The gem has a weak consciousness, with only two desires: to protect its owner as well as its maker. And since I'm the one who made it, it won't hurt me. Your sword is useless against me, Elisa. Just give up. I don't want to kill you," Fray said, his voice solemn.
Without a word, Elisa discarded her manipulated sword, muttering, "Ten Thousand Glory." Suddenly, a radiant white ethereal sword appeared in her hand, accompanied by tens of blades materializing around her.
---
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Lyla and Sid were making their way through the worn and old corridors of a dilapidated building in the heart of the city. The walls were cracked and peeling, the floor was dusty and littered with debris, and the air was stale and musty. The dim light from the windows barely illuminated the path ahead, creating eerie shadows and silhouettes.
Sid looked around in confusion and couldn't help but say, "This is strange. I have a bad feeling about this. The entire city looks very clean and new, but this place seems abandoned."
The mission Lyla and the rest took was the annihilation of a horde of monsters that nested in this building, which, according to the mission briefing, was a laboratory. When they reached the building, the team separated into two groups, each taking a different route, while Casper alone took the other. Lyla and Sid took this path, but until now, they hadn't encountered any threats.
"So, you said you're from the Dark Hollow. I've never met anyone from there!" Sid said, trying to make conversation.
"Haha, and you must be very strong," Sid added, admiring Lyla's physique.
(Sigh, damn it. Can't he ever stop talking?) Lyla thought, feeling tired of Sid's incessant chatter. She didn't reply but kept walking, scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.
"Did you ever leave the Dark Hollow forest and explore the outside world?" Sid asked, curious about Lyla's background.
Suddenly, between Sid's constant murmurs, something in his question made Lyla's eyes waver, revealing a deep and complicated look that seemed to hide a deep grief. But before she could say anything, something else happened.
Meanwhile, Sid, who for some reason started talking nervously, murmured, "By the way, I think you're really beautiful. Do you..."
Crick!!
Suddenly, a loud sound interrupted Sid's words as a creature emerged from the darkness at the end of the corridor.
It was a monster that took a human form, but with skin that looked like an old tree, rough and brown. It had two limbs, but they were twisted and clawed, and its face was distorted and grotesque. It was similar to the monster that appeared in the darkness before, but smaller and faster.
Lyla saw the monster, and her expression turned to alarm. She shouted to Sid, "Get ready!" Raising her weapon higher, she prepared to face the enemy. Her weapon was a black scythe, sharp and deadly, a symbol of her origin and power.
The creature roared and charged at Lyla and Sid, and they quickly got into their fighting stances. Sid swung his sword, aiming for the monster's neck, but the creature dodged and slashed at Sid's arm, drawing blood. Sid winced and backed away, trying to stop the bleeding.
Lyla muttered some words under her breath, and her scythe glowed with a dark aura. She swung it at the monster, sending a wave of black energy that cut through the air.
The creature was hit and stumbled, but quickly recovered and lunged at Lyla, biting her shoulder.
"##*@! Ahhh!" Lyla screamed and pushed the monster off, feeling the pain and the poison spreading in her veins.
She recited another spell, and a burst of fire erupted from her palm, engulfing the creature in flames. The monster shrieked and writhed but did not die. It shook off the fire and leaped at Lyla again, knocking her down.
(How can it be this strong!? Is this the end?) Lyla tried to resist, but the monster was too strong and heavy. It opened its mouth, ready to finish her off.
Sid saw Lyla in danger and rushed to help her, but he was too late. The creature was about to bite Lyla's head when suddenly, the wall of the corridor cracked and collapsed, revealing a hole. A figure emerged from the hole, holding a dark sword.
Casper stepped inside; he looked at the injured Lyla, who was still in the monster's hand, before he turned to the monster. "Hey, ugly! Over here!" Casper shouted as energy started swirling around him. The monster, leaving its threat to Lyla, let go and turned its head, snarling at Casper, who charged at it with a dark sword in his hand.
The monster swung its claws, but Casper dodged and slashed at its arm, cutting it off. The creature howled and bit at Casper, but he blocked with his sword and stabbed it in the eye, making it scream and fall back.
Casper took advantage of the moment and ran to the monster's chest, plunging his sword deep into its heart. The creature twitched and stopped moving, dead. Casper pulled out his sword and kicked the corpse away, then walked to Lyla and Sid.
He ignored Sid, who was bleeding from his arm, and knelt beside Lyla, who had a bite mark on her shoulder. He looked at her with concern and asked, "Are you okay?"
Lyla opened her eyes and saw Casper's covered face. She was surprised by his sudden appearance and his worry for her. For some reason, she felt safe as she said, "I'm okay. I can heal myself."
She reached for her scythe, which was still glowing with dark magic. She touched the blade to her shoulder and muttered a healing spell. The wound closed, and the pain subsided. She sighed and smiled at Casper, who smiled back.
They were about to say something when they heard a loud noise outside. They looked up and saw a huge storm of energy in the sky, with tens of energy blades swirling around it. It was a terrifying sight, and they felt a chill in their bones.
"What is that?" Lyla asked, shocked.
Casper's eyes widened, and without answering, a pair of wings emerged from his back, made of metal and feathers. They flapped and lifted him off the ground. He flew towards the storm without saying a word.