After splitting up from Fishy and Clara, Ziu was left wandering the isolated streets of Tanba, unsure of where exactly he should go. He had a rough image in his head of who he was looking for. The image he remembered seemed as if they were any teenage human. He looked around for someone who matched the description but with everyone wearing some sort of hood, it was impossible to see either the long brown hair or the pierced ears.
"This is impossible…"
He continued walking around the snowy wasteland with the chilled wind blowing his hair, hoping to make it as far away from where they started, assuming that the others wouldn't do that. He continued to look around him, each building as repetitive as the last with its bland colour scheme that blended into the snow. Everyone in sight, slowly moving as to not die from the cold, but destined to die from starvation.
Eventually, Ziu found a large metal fence that circled around a central building that looked as if it was built for a king. The building was connected to a massive garden that was drowning in snow and the fence around it spread further than the eye could see in the calm snowstorm. Any plants that were once there had died off and the dirt had frozen so that life would never return to it. The gentle setting snow rested on the top of the spiked fence that surrounded the golden building, piercing apart the individual flakes that tried to settle.
"This must be the king's house."
Ziu investigated around the sides, following the fence in hopes he could find something useful, dragging his hand along the metal poles for entertainment, and it made a cool rattling noise. But it was useless, as the building had been sealed off from everything. No one could get in, not even a tiny snow rat.
The fence covered the whole area with no gaps for people to sneak in. Even if they did, no one would be able to escape from all the armed guards standing around in thick fur coats, and rifles in hand.
In an attempt to not bring about danger to himself, Ziu walked away, but the thought that their target would be in the royale building did cross his mind. The possibility that whoever they were after had already been found and captured by the king was one that kept creeping up on him since they arrived. One that Fishy and Clara may not have even thought of.
He turned around and gritted his teeth as he looked up to the top of the gate, scouting up and down whilst doing several stretches to warm up.
"I can jump it… just in and out…"
He ran up to the gate and in one large leap, passed it with tons of room to spare. He landed as quietly as he could, using the snow to muffle the sound, in hopes no guards would find him.
Ziu followed around the sides of the building, checking each corner he passed to make sure no guards were close. He hugged the cold building's walls until he approached a window. opening up one of the lower floor windows and diving into the building undetected.
Inside he saw just how spectacular it was. Golden flooring. Perfectly tended flowers, resting in emerald vases, that he had never seen before. Even the door handles were made of gold and cleaned to shine Ziu's bruised and chilled face back at him.
Ziu continued to walk down the corridors, listening out for any approaching footsteps. His hand resting on the frozen sheath of his sword, just in case. He walked down the hallway focuses on his surroundings, unsure of if anything had truly been touched in years. However, he failed to notice something. Not once during his short walk down the enchanting neverending corridor did he ever look behind him, and notice the trail of snow he was dragging in behind him.
Ziu walked further and further into the building. His senses were fully maxed out. His hearing and sight were dashing around checking that everything was fine as he kept going. But, as he did, he noticed the tiny emission of footsteps approaching quickly from behind.
He had no time to think and ran deeper into the house, noticing the snow that was behind him. He continued to run and run, hoping to find a window in the hallway that was painted with a hundred doors. Each door looked the same. Each one was as clean as the last with no touch of dust.
With no other choices, Ziu opened the first door he found, he was taken to a large bedroom, one that was seemed as if it was emptied out by someone. But, it was impossible to notice the grand glass door leading into the garden. The bed was large enough to house many people and, despite its emptiness, the room was pathed with golden walls, showing off just how rich and successful Tanba used to be. The glass wall had its curtains tightly wrapped to the sides to not restrict whatever view there once was. But looking at it now, only showed an empty snow-filled wasteland, freezing over the fountain in the middle.
He didn't think before opening the door into the garden, running straight ahead as he dashed towards the fence. Ignoring the guards that noticed his presence. They began to shout and chase after him. Shooting at him with magic bullets that blasted away the snow around him, and even grazed his legs. But, even after jumping the fence, the guards didn't let him escape. They chased after him nonstop. Chasing him down every alley and every street he tried to hide in.
He ran until he turned one last corner. He couldn't have known what was around the corner, but it wasn't a dead end.
As he turned it, something smashed against his chest, knocking him to the ground. He looked up at what hit him, a young girl with tears in her rage-filled eyes.
Ziu stopped to look at her and she stopped as well. However, during this time, the guards had already surrounded him from the two entrances of the alley, pointing their guns at them. Having shown Ziu that they will shoot on sight, he realised just how much danger the girl next to him was in.
"Stay behind me."
Ziu took one step forward with the girl cowering behind him. He unsheathed his sword which glistened in the crystal snow that blended in with his once spiked hair.
He kept an eye on the guards in front and behind. Hearing as the first shot was fired.
From directly in front, Ziu saw the bullet fly towards him, colliding with his sword as he sliced it into two.
The remains of the bullet lay peacefully in the snow, by the girl's side. She crawled closer to Ziu but the next shot was fired.
From behind.
Ziu didn't hesitate. He couldn't. As if the girl was a pivot, he moved around to the other side, slicing the bullet in half.
Whenever they fired a bullet.
Whatever side it approached from.
Ziu was at that side, slicing them in half with quick and fluid slashes that could rupture a tornado's fury.
His technique was one that others could not reproduce. A technique that allowed him to see the world as if time was slowed. A skill that he unlocked after his losing battle against the colossus marionette.
This was his magic skill, Timeless eyes.
The world moved around him slowly, each bullet moved as if in sync with the second hand of a clock but still faster than the frozen snow. He dashed around the girl to the other side and slashed the oncoming bullets. As if he was a flowing river, dancing around several rocks to reach the end waterfall. He kept moving.
He kept protecting the girl until the guards were out of mana and defenceless. He didn't know how long it took, for time to him was moving at a different speed. But once this was the case, and the guards' weapons all clicked empty, he cut them down with no hesitation.
He smiled to the girl in front of him whose hood had fallen down during her trip, showing her bright blonde hair. Ziu smiled like a proud child before helping her up and running away to continue his search.