Alas, the coral sun melded to the overarching infrastructures, leaving a trail of the eclipse to Anasthasia's eyes. In the sky, blushing above her, the red and orange colored it with such pastel artwork.
'The dust seemed to accumulate in the area; it's about time we should go home.'
"It's getting late, Sister Ana."
"Do you want to go home?"
"Yes, we must have dinner soon."
Both of them strolled away from the bustling area within the streets. Anasthasia gave a side-eye and noticed how it became less and fewer people on the streets. With Lucy catching, she tugged her hand.
"What's wrong, Sister Ana?"
"Things turned eerily quiet."
"Now that you mentioned it." She turned around, and lips trembled, mumbling, "This is unusual."
"You mean it's not like this?"
"I can vouch for that!"
By and by, the bloody pastel sky dimmed. In response, the pedestal lights flashed in harmony. However, the light was out of their reach. Anasthasia remained vigilant while Lucy paid no mind around her.
"Is this the path where we should go?"
Lucy wrinkled her forehead, she gulped hard before uttering such words, "I'm sure this is the way, it's a shortcut."
"Sure, let's go." Anasthasia strutted forward and noticed how Lucy gripped her hand on hers, which caused her to stop, whispering, "What's wrong?"
They continued to walk, but stopped as what welcomed both of them was a broad alleyway. Anasthasia discerned the several large crates on both sides. Peering below, she found the road dents filled with puddles of water, but only after several feet away from her changed into pitch-black darkness.
"I feel a little nauseous, Sister Ana."
"Do you want to ride on my back?"
"Sure! If you don't mind."
Anasthasia lowered herself with her back, facing the little girl.
"Hold on tight!"
Lucy moved nimbly in the air. With a slumpy nod, she then rested her chin.
"Before we move, you need to have this." Her left arm reached her shoulders, where Lucy propped her chin in comfort, and let out a white mist that hovered over her ivory face. The light in her eyes slowly vanished, closing her eyelids.
'I really have a bad feeling about this.'
She stood up and tapped her foot with a slow rhythm, and there went nothing but smirk on her luscious lips.
'My powers turned limited in this kingdom. Well, not that I would wreak havoc in this place, but I have to end this with a spectacular performance!'
Just as she entered the darkness, a sudden glint from her peripheral vision struck her way. She dashed forward with her quickness, which left the long broadsword that slashed her way, dodging by a hair's breadth.
'Refraction!'
Fading into the darkness, she crept backward and thought to herself.
'A blatant night of the assassination.' She clicked her tongue, and it didn't take long for her to smirk, 'I hope it's those guys.'
'Though I need to place Lucy in a safe place. With her on my back, it will restrict my movements. I must do this before I engage them in a fight!'
Anasthasia moved to the closest group of crates; there, she promptly placed her with care. While she was at it, the familiar rowdy noises boomed the darkness.
"Dang it! I missed her by a small margin!"
"How are you so careless! Did she escape already?!"
"Leader, it's impossible for them to escape with that little girl on her back!"
"Then get your grown as moving! We must catch them—dead or alive!"
With his men shouted in unison, Anasthasia laughed in silence. Her blue eyes seemed to glint cold in the abysmal darkness.
'It's them, I can't wait how this turns out!'
'Thermal Vision!'
Witnessing the place she had been, she noticed the anomaly fluctuations of both air and light by the end of the area, which she deduced the end of the barrier film—the same trick they used earlier.
But from her survey, she noticed nine people by the front and seven by the back, hiding among the walls and crates. With that said, she sighed in relief that none got close to Lucy's vulnerable position.
'Predator or prey, I wonder who will be in this episode of the night. Let the hunt begin!'
Anasthasia dashed forward, ducking under the complacent man's sturdy torso. Fortunately for her, two men were within her reach. Pivoting, she turned against their chests with both palms pushed on them.
She cast, 'Diamond Dust!'
The frosty spell punctured deep to their hearts. Before the crimson shade bloomed and smeared the crystalline ice, then men sent flying by several feet away from her.
The cold smoke wasn't enough to conceal her. She immediately cast, 'Heat Rupture!' which caused the plummeting temperature to heat up rapidly, evaporating every liquid around her. It was now misty and horrifying.
'Mistwalk!'
The mystical fog enveloped their body, causing them to flinch in their stead. The rest unsheathed their weapons, frantically looking around as their muscles tensed. An uproar erupted within their circle.
"It's a magician! A skilled one at that!"
"W—What do you mean, Leader?"
"Be careful; we made a mistake! Get ready!"
'You sure did make a mistake.' She grinned. "Should I kill the leader right away so they'll scram?"
Anasthasia prowled among them, her hands danced with every stride she made. Reaching the Leader's back, she raised her arms, manifesting a bow of magical energy. His blackened greatsword—which tainted with a mouthful of blood and dried not too long ago— reeked a rancid smell.
But at such proximity, he turned back so abrupt, screaming, "She's here!"
'I knew it,' Anasthasia harrumphed, ducking under the swing of greatsword. She stretched out the string with such elusiveness, forming a familiar sears of flame on its points.
'Burst Fire!' The arrows raged in anger and blasted forth, razing her enemies caught among the three lines of the impending doom of hell. Seeing as it wasn't enough, she clasped her hand cast.
'Dust Explosion!'
'I got four! Too bad he dodged so quickly—'
She rolled forward as her vulnerable neck exposed in their advantageous position, tingling with intensity. A massive strike quaked the area, and it was a tremendous shockwave. Consequently, Anasthasia staggered, albeit not to lose her stability.
Though things turned rough as soon as their Leader rummaged an item on his pocket, hoisted midair and a fracture of an intense flash of light, revealing her stature.
"She's there!"
His comrades rushed, raising with weapons of various styles and sizes, and struck their way. She waltzed around to see their defenseless back open, and she thrust her palm.
'Gust!'
Knocking over a few yards, she thought in silence, 'My moment has come!' With a stomp to create a pivot point, she diverted her momentum, so she waved her hand and formed a thick wall of ice, blocking a series of projectiles that came her way.
She pranced to the side, twitching her fingers as she converged the droplets of water and moisture in the air to small pockets. Blue eyes gleamed brightly as she swung criss-cross.
'Hydraulic Blades!'
It caused a mini version of torrential wrath as blades flying towards them. Forefront, the men dodged relatively easy, garnering them a sneer. Anasthasia acknowledged what their reactions meant, but she too smirked as well.
But things turned too late, for both sides.
The blades ricocheted, bounced, and followed the positions from the enemies afar. Their deathly screams with their gruesome cutting sounds resulted in a chime of terror in their ears.
At the same time, Anasthasia noticed, a few moments after, the near-invisible bullet flew towards her neck. She clenched her teeth as her reflexes panicked, blocking with her hands that aglow with blue.
Before the bullet could penetrate her flawless skin, a squall of ice flurries deflected the shot. Anasthasia felt the frost burns that etched her, but paid no attention. She looked back and saw the little girl, desperately on her knees, with one palm anchored to the ground and the other shooting out several violent power traces.
"Sister Ana..." The tears in her eyes overcrowded the rim, gritting her teeth as she scrunched out her face, murmuring under her heavy breath, "I—"
Anasthasia sucked in a cold breath and screamed with the command, "Shoot out! I'll control the rest!"
'Trajectory Analysis!'
Anasthasia's eyes glowed prismatically, and she danced her arm as she controlled her erratic powers with all that she can. Lucy's streams of ice turned out to be a force to be reckoned with her aid.
But the pesky Leader and his men worked with coordination, parrying the magical power. The
Lucy bit her lip, to the point of busting it, while Anasthasia's head throbbed more and more as she dragged out the fight.
'They're testing me—!'
A loud squeal that perked Anasthasia's ears had her turn to the side, watching how Lucy restrained and pinned to the ground so ruthlessly.
It was a man she never detected before.