After carrying Sullivan onto her back, Eva then began their trek back home. A trek she knew that will take a while due to the distance between them and their house being quite far from each other. Thinking about the distance, Eva started to believe that it wasn't a coincidence that he was beaten this far from their house. Clearly Brody wasn't all brawn, in all the wrong ways of course.
He wanted no one to interrupt him.
However, by the time she arrived it was already too late and Sullivan won't be able to walk for months in her logical estimation.
Realistically, however, he will be able to walk fine once he gets home. For their family is quite... special.
Thinking up to this point, Eva began complaining her misgivings, "Why do they constantly bully you like this... You're too adorable and kind! How dare they!? I swear when I get my hands on the-"
While Eva started to cook up her revenge plot, Sullivan suddenly placed his finger on her lips, shattering her ideas like a mirror. Telling her 'No' in his own way of expressing himself. Albeit painfully of course. Feeling his intent, she looked back and stared at him with the corner of her eye, slightly surprised, "Sullivan... why... look at you! Look at what they have done to you! Constantly letting them get away will make them bully you even more! Please understand Sullivan! Let me protect you!"
Every word saddened the little girl until she was at the verge of tears. She was tired. Tired of seeing her beloved younger twin brother come home with bruises and broken bones. Tired of sitting back while the culprits laugh freely without so much as a single scratch on their arrogant asses! This time, especially, was worse it had ever been. Even she was shocked to find him in such a state. Now she started to fear for the worse. What if she found her brother's battered corpse instead? She honestly didn't know what she'll do if that happens.
However, even though she was slightly older by a few hours, she would often listen to her younger brother. His kindness and smile always made her helplessly listen to him. Forgiving anything and anyone, it was almost Saintly... 'Hell, he wouldn't even harm an insect...' grumbled Eva inwardly.
Staring at her teary and absentminded eyes, Sullivan turned his gaze towards the cloudy sky and falling snow for a brief moment before looking down with a renewed determination.
He swung his head side to side vigorously, expressing his rejection. Though, he sort of regretted doing that, however, as his neck once again floods with a new sense of pain. 'Why do I keep doing that?!' he thought.
Eva, witnessing his squirming and contorting face, dried her tears on her shoulder and then turned her gaze back on the trail. Silently contemplating and marching on with the bloody boy on her back. Unaware and uncaring toward her surroundings. Something she would quickly regret doing soon.
She felt she was forgetting something crucial as a faint sense of dread filled her heart. She attributed it towards her worries but something just... doesn't feel right.
Regardless, she carried the boy on her back carefully, adopting a slightly more vigilante look as they... or rather she walked on. Eventually finding signs of civilization.
Having experienced the dark side of humanity on multiple occasions, she naturally ignored their strange looks and began walking by. Not giving them as much as a glance much less a word for help as she completely ignored their existence.
The villagers, however, couldn't do the same as they quickly surrounded the pair with frightened expressions on their faces. How could they possibly ignore that thing on her back?!
"Eva! An ethereal, beautiful b-bloody lady g-g-ghost is behind y-you!" A random boy on the of side the trail nervously spewed. Using all of his courage to save the 'damsel' in distress.
Eva, as powerful and scary as she was, was actually pretty popular with the boys.
"I-I-I-I'll h-h-hel-" he continued.
"Shut up! What beautiful ghost?! Stop gawking at my brother and I and move! I have to get him back home quickly and get him treated!" Eva carelessly remarked in annoyance.
"Brother? Sullivan? What?? He is that p-p-pretty?!?" The boy stuttered in shock.
"Pretty?" Eva frowned for a moment before her eyes widened in terror in the next! "Oh no!"
'Shit! I forgot his mask!' Eva inwardly screamed. Sullivan had always left home with a mask and hood due to his unnatural beauty. It couldn't be helped, he was way too attractive for the average woman, and occasionally man, to resist! They had never had problems related to this due to their parent's foresight, but now she is experiencing first hand the effects of his looks.
She messed up!
"Sullivan, quickly hide your face on my back! Don't let anyone se-" Before Eva could finish her sentence, a large crowd of villagers quickly surrounded them.
"Eh, Sullivan? Why is he so bloody? Oh my god! Look at his face! It's so handsome... so intricate... as if a Moon Goddess blessed him..." one older lady spoke absentmindedly.
"I heard rumors of his looks, and even seen him walking with a white mask and hood around town... but who knew those rumors greatly underestimated his beauty! Hell, I believe they didn't exaggerate it enough!" another salivated.
A few of the older lady's gossiped with one another in great shock. The more younger, innocent and refined ladies, however, looked at him with a daze. Flushed and charmed beyond comprehension. The more 'wild' ladies, however, were a lot more blunt, staring at him with a hunger that frightened the young lad.
The men and boys were shocked at first by the sheer specs of this boy. They couldn't believe that a child like him could be so handsome! Feeling inferior, most men quickly looked away. Some, however, did so to avoid 'awakening' something else entirely...
... For the very small minority, however, it was far too late as they stared at him in a daze.
Eva furrowed her sharp eyebrows, thinking this is going to be hard to breakthrough. So, in an effort to get them out of the area fast, she immediately entered her stance as if she was going into battle and observed her surroundings.
'I have a an injured man on my back, and a lot of 'enemies' surrounding me. They haven't realized my intentions so if- Wait! There are way too many!'. She quickly thought.
Desperately, Eva tried her hardest to find an opening through the encirclement. However, tried as she might, no opportunities presented itself to her. It's almost as if the people around them knew she would run, so they blocked every available space... Actually, on closer inspection, she can see some of the ladies around doing exactly that! They knew what she wanted to do!
"Move out of the way! He is clearly seriously injured and needs first-aid as soon as possible!" She shouted in anger.
"Oh my, you're right! My house is nearby, quickly I will take him there to get him treated! My mother and father are good with herbs!" A fairly pretty lady said as looked at Sullivan with a fiery gaze.
"No he will not! He will come to my house! My father is a powerful hunter and will easily treat the boy. Quickly, give him to me and I'll make sure all of his pain will vanish!" Another more open lady passionately remarked.
"I want him. I want him. I want him. I WANT HIM! GIVE HIM TO ME AND HE WILL NEVER BE IN PAIN EVER AGAIN." The villagers around this woman quickly distanced themselves. This was a crazy one.
Eva noticed the situation was quickly escalating beyond her control, becoming stickier in the process as more woman sprung up to 'fight' for Sullivan. She began to get nervous until, suddenly, the boy who pointed Sullivan out earlier stepped up and faced the crowd with them. Determination plastered on his face.
"I will help you get Sullivan out to safety! I'll carry him while you carve out a path!" He resolutely stated.
"Random boy..." Eva was touched, perhaps she may have misjudged him, perhaps he was something more...
She gave him a second glance and quickly noticed his feet shuffling ever so closely to them, panting with eyes devoid of light. She immediately assumed he was a pervert after her body until she followed his gaze towards the individual behind her.
Her eyes widened with disbelief!
'Did my brother just convert and snatch one of my admirers in front of me?! What the hell?!' She internally screamed. 'I understand he is attractive but... IT SHOULDN'T BE THIS EXAGGERATED!'.
It was 'that' exaggerated.
It was clear to her that unless it was someone she trusted, she could not hand him over to anyone! Neither female nor male!
Eva took one last look around her surroundings and found that her surroundings was tightly secured. She sighed and decided to throw caution against the wind, whispering to her brother apologetically, "Sorry brother, this is going to hurt a bit.".
Sullivan quickly glanced at Eva, giving her a dumb-look. However, she did not see it.
Eva tightened her grip around poor Sullivan's behind, making him open his mouth in pain to shout out a silent scream - revealing his pearly white teeth. The ladies around them also howl in delight, as if they are trying to reply to his silent call. 'How cute', they all thought.
Whilst he internally screamed in pain, Eva crouched down into a squat-like position. Seemingly kneeling in defeat. To those who didn't know any better, they were delighted at her actions and began approaching them slowly, as if they wanted to relish the moment before claiming their prize. However, the culprits who were trying to thwart Eva earlier instantly knew what she was doing. Immediately, they churned their cultivation and zoomed towards Eva to stop her from doing what she wanted to do, but it was too late. Eva gathered her strength toward her legs and then powerfully jumped over the huge crowd of people. Shocking them in the process.
The culprits and other young ladies who were near the siblings immediately fell back in fear as snow and dirt covered their faces. Then, slowly, anger started to replace their fear as their faces got redder by the second. The bystanders, who were watching the show, were very impressed that a small girl like her managed to make such a jump with another person on her back. Thus they talked amongst themselves, mostly ignoring the buried 'roses' in the middle of the trail. Unfortunately for Sullivan, however, the rough and powerful movements that Eva displayed was too much for the wounded boy. Heightening his pain once again as some of his dried and clouted wounds open up and drip blood down from the air.
In the middle of the jump, some of his blood threaded the needle and landed on the face of a young lady who was entirely covered by a winter cloak and hood at the outer-edge of the circle. However, if that was it then all would've been fine. Alas, Sullivan's luck with women isn't so good, because this particular lady was one of the very 'weird' ones.
Shocked, the young lady felt her face, quickly going into her own dreamland of thoughts with her eyes closed. Her body shivered, showing hesitation before, suddenly, she snapped open her eyes. A new type of resolve appeared on her face, like a soldier going to war. She took out the bandana from her face to reveal her pretty lips, seemingly planning something. Then, without hesitation, she opened her mouth and licked the small drop of blood on her cheek - causing her to go into a stupor. Her face flushed in embarrassment and 'love'.
"Sweet..."
The girl, with her cute voice, intoxicatingly shouted out. Charmed out of reality. Hearing that, everyone around the girl froze in shock, then after a moment, began distancing themselves from her like the last one. Thinking about the insanity of it all. 'How many crazy ones are in this village?!' questioned the stunned villagers.
Whilst this is happening, Eva, who landed a long time ago, was in a daze. Her face and body convulsed in shock! The young lad- Nay, 'beast' was like it was in heat!
'Oh my god, is he going to look so good that girls will eat his flesh and suck his blood?!' She genuinely started to think along those lines and feel fear for her brothers future. Unfortunately, she was not given time to think. Other girls, including the 'roses', who saw the entire exchange happen are looking at them. Not with an innocent or pure expression. Nay! You can describe them as 'beasts', each one with the same resolve as their 'senior' before them!
If you count cultivation bases and power, then Eva can be considered to be one of the strongest there. Second only to the warriors who were watching the entire show on the side. Meaning she is a lot stronger than any of the young woman there, stronger than even Brody and his goons before. Yet even she started to feel fear under the heated gazes of these 'beasts'. Their passion, resolve and determination was like hunters staring at their prey! She was speechless!
Have they no shame!?
Without further ado, Eva booked it with all the speed she could muster while poor, poor Sullivan, who is the cause of all this, is squirming in pain. Trying to hold on as much as possible while feeling the greedy gazes of these hungry 'beasts' 'licking' him like candy. Once caught, who will save him?!
Eva tried to make twists and turn yet she still hadn't lost them, they were a persistent bunch. She was shocked again and was beginning to believe that she would die of shock from the sheer amount of surprises today.
By now the chase had been going on for a while. Despite Eva churning her entire cultivation and getting a boost in speed, they hadn't lost them yet. 'It's as if they are burning their own lifeforce to get to us!' thought Eva. 'What's even worse is that more young ladies entered the chase, as if the most delicious meat suddenly sprouted legs and took off in a hurry right in front of them! What the hell is driving these girls!'
While Eva was going internally crazy, Sullivan had the sudden urge to look back. An action he would regret immensely. He was stunned by sight of it all, the number of 'beasts' chasing him numbered to a grand total of fifty! What shocked him even more is that he saw a few boys in various ages mixed in their too. At the time, he believed they were after his sister; of course, this was just within the confines of his naïve thinking.
With that belief, his pained expression changed into a deep fear - shown clearly on his face. The 'beasts', watching his every move, didn't slow down, but sped up with a new found determination.
They wanted more! To pinch his cheeks! To see his cute expressions!
More!
"Gods dammit! All of the sudden, it's like they're empowered! They're also starting to get closer too!" Eva nervously screamed out her thoughts, but before she was given a chance to think, an entirely covered 'beast' suddenly appeared ahead in her daze. On closer inspection, Eva detected some residual red energy outlining her body for a brief moment before dissipating entirely. Before she can guess what ability was used, the 'beast' in front of her extended her arms, preparing for a big embrace. She opened her mouth and in her 'hunger' shouted out, "Come to me my red snowflake!"
"By the Gods, she's crazy! If we crash into her, we will all get injured! Sullivan even more so with his current injuries... What do I do..." Alarms started to ring in her head as time seemingly started to slow down.
Eva racked her mind for a solution while approaching the 'beast' quickly. Suddenly, she resolved herself in a thought she had a long time ago. She didn't have to resort to this due to her brother's current injuries but she had no choice.
"Sullivan, you love me right?" Eva said without looking back.
He looked at her incredulously, wondering where this came from. He, without hesitation, nodded his head.
Eva smiled when she felt his movements. She already knew the answer, she just needed the conviction. Without anymore hesitation, and with a big smile to top it off. She activated her technique.
"Great! Hold on! [Empower: Speed Burst]!"
An energy that came from seemingly no where outlined her body and she began glowing green. The moment they were about to hit the 'beast' who lunged at them with her arms opened, they disappeared. Shocking her since she didn't feel their bodies colliding. The chasing 'beasts' also slow down to a halt. They knew they were too late.
Thus, some decided to look around for a while to see if siblings hid in their surroundings. Others decided to head home, frustrated they couldn't 'eat' the boy up.
Everyone had given up... except for one. It was the girl who used an ability to instantly arrive in front of the siblings. Due to the chase and the speed of it all, they never actually payed attention to this mysterious lady, especially since they disappeared as well. However, if Eva payed closer attention to this woman, she would've instantly identified her as the very same girl who started this whole thing! Patient zero 'beast'!
Her clothes had changed at some point into a red-frilly dress. In fact, based from this young lady's features, it was pretty obvious that she did not come from the village. She had short pink hair that looked as silky as the finest cloth, cute purple eyes that shined with playfulness and an adorable little face that demanded attention. Her, dress which covered her petite body, only further complimented her charms. Though she was called a young lady and 'beast', her looks would make people believe that she was around thirteen or fourteen, similar to the ages of Eva and Sullivan.
Strangely, whether it was a coincidence or not, her gaze was locked at the trail where the siblings disappeared to. Smiling eerily with unknown intentions. After what seemed like hours, the girl finally turned around and started singing a tune. However, the moment she took a step, she disappeared without a trace, the song still resonating in the area.
Later, the siblings reappeared after completely losing sight of the 'beasts'. What Eva executed was a technique that increased her speed three-fold, giving her enough velocity to 'disappear'. However, such a technique requires intense concentration and control from the user or else they would become a human cannonball, crashing into various of things in a linear path and severely injuring themselves. Eva kneeled down on the ground with Sullivan on her back, breathing and sweating heavily.
"Huff...Sullivan! We did it! Huff...Huff....We got away!". She said in joy.
When she looked back to share her happiness, she saw a delirious and bleeding Sullivan. He felt and looked sick, to the point that swirls even seemingly appeared on his face. Naturally, the swirls is within the confines of Eva's imagination.
"Hey, are you alright...? I mean I DID say to hold on properly... Did I? Anyway, home is just over there, don't faint yet." She guiltily said.
Worried that he might faint at any moment, she quickly moved to the door of a two story brownish-grey house. It had multiple glass windows in the front and top which showed how many rooms it had. A luxury not many villagers get.
Knock knock!
"We're home!"