Theo's footsteps thudded in time to his heartbeat as he raced up the stairs. His legs ached and his chest burned, but he kept going. A little bit of uphill running wouldn't stop him.
He took comfort from Zenith's cape flapping in front of him, the golden symbol glinting the darkness. It was the closest thing to the sun in this dark prison.
When something clattered behind him, Theo froze and spun on his heel. Guards?
No, it was Ryan. He'd tossed the glasses down the stairs and was now busy yanking off the wig. After throwing it over his shoulder, he started on the shirt and tie.
Theo found his voice. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Getting rid of this crap, makes it hard to run," Ryan spewed in one breath. The shirt and tie came off and he lifted his arm to toss them, only for sense to come slamming back into Theo's body.
He ran down the stairs and snatched the clothes from Ryan's hand. "These don't belong to you! Don't just throw them away!"
"Yeah, whatever," said an unrepentant Ryan. Theo shot him eye daggers as he stuffed the clothes into his backpack.
A clank from above indicated Zenith had stopped too. "What's the matter?" he called down. "We must hurry."
Right, no time to waste messing around. Though it was all Ryan's fault. Once he finished zipping his backpack, Theo started up the stairs again. Hopefully Darian wouldn't miss the wig and glasses too much.
Ryan had already dashed on ahead, almost catching up with Zenith. Shedding the disguise seemed to have given him a new burst of speed, though Theo supposed it was probably easier to run in the T-shirt he had on underneath.
Though Theo forced all of his strength into his legs, he still lagged behind. Each breath burned harder. But it was fine, as long as he kept Ryan and Zenith in sight. Especially Zenith, his cape billowing like a war banner.
They reached a landing, then turned to continue up the stairs. How far they'd gone Theo couldn't say. Surely they must have already passed the second floor, at least.
Why hadn't any guards stopped them yet? Were the others doing that good a job keeping them occupied?
Well, it didn't matter. As long as it meant Theo's group could reach the top floor.
Suddenly his Levia spiked, causing him to stumble. He threw out an arm, catching himself on the wall, but his heart didn't stop pounding. Not from the near-miss, but –
A sound from ahead, like a whir of metal.
Zenith dove in front of Ryan, shield extended. Something clattered off the shield with a metallic echo, then the whirring sound came again, becoming steadily fainter.
"Wh-what?" Ryan cried.
Zenith had fallen still, posture stiff and shield still ready. Dread rising inside him, Theo closed the distance between them.
Though he was now immediately behind Zenith, he still couldn't see much. Peering past Zenith's armored side, he managed to make out the staircase rising into the gloom. It seemed empty....
Until the whir sounded again. Zenith lunged, shield raised. Theo barely had time to make out something gleaming in the air before it collided with Zenith's shield. He heard a loud scrape, saw sparks flash.
The object veered away from the shield. It looked like a rapidly spinning metal disc. Zenith dove toward it, slashing his sword, but didn't manage to hit it before it once again vanished into the gloom.
Then Theo's Levia surged like a jolt of lightning. It sent him stumbling in surprise, and judging by Ryan's wide-eyed shock, he wasn't the only one who had felt it.
A flash of orange light, and something appeared at the top of the staircase. A person?
The person took one mincing step, then another, down the stairs. As they came closer, Theo saw that it was a petite girl in a tight-fitting outfit that revealed quite a bit of skin, which glowed pale as the moon in the darkness.
But her eyes were even brighter, a shocking yellow-green with slit pupils. Four long purple braids trailed after her head, twitching like a spider's legs.
And she had flat, coiled horns on the sides of her head. A demon.
Ryan sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth and took a step backward. "It's her."
"Her?" Theo whispered.
"The one who captured Avia. Yeah, there's no mistake!" Ryan's voice rose, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
The demon girl turned those noxious eyes upon him. "Who are you again? Talking like you know me? Rude."
"Don't front! You're Oliver Enson's, aren't you? You stole my familiar!" Ryan howled, jabbing an accusing finger at the demon.
"Oh? Did you come for revenge? That's cute." The demon giggled. "Well, if you want your familiar back, you're gonna have to beat Lyura Tepi!"
With that, she somersaulted gracefully backward, and when she landed she held two metal chakrams in her hands. Even from this distance, Theo could see how their edges gleamed.
"Zenith," he whispered, a bead of sweat crawling down his temple.
Zenith didn't look back at him, but he sensed his familiar's Levia shining brighter, sharpening at the edges. It reassured Theo, allowing him to draw a full breath.
He had to get ready too. No matter the enemy, they'd come here to fight and win.
Lyura flung her chakrams. They flashed in the air, too quick for Theo to follow, but he didn't need to. By the time Zenith leaped to intercept them, he was already aglow with a strengthening spell. As he swiped his sword in an arc, Theo seamlessly transitioned into a blade-augmenting spell. A wave of pink light blasted in the wake of the sword.
The light caught one chakram, knocking it to the stairs. The other?
Zenith hefted his shield before his face. Just in time, because the chakram slammed into its crystal surface with a screeching impact. Zenith swiped out the shield, knocking aside the chakram, but instead of falling it zipped back into Lyura's hand.
"Ooh, you're a tough one." Lyura pursed her lips.
"Stay on your guard," Ryan hissed into Theo's ear. "She's a lot stronger than she appears."
Theo nodded, but he couldn't help but think they'd fought stronger opponents, Avia included. And it didn't seem like Lyura had a wizard with her, either.
As Zenith charged, Theo enhanced his sword again. Lyura leaped backward, jumping from stair to stair like a flea.
"Come and get me, Mr. Knight!" she called, giggling again.
Zenith gave chase, following her up the stairs until Theo almost lost sight of him. Theo took off running as well, wanting to keep Zenith within spellcasting range. Soon every breath stabbed like a knife and sweat dripped into his eyelashes, stingingly cold.
Up ahead, a flash of blue. Relief surged through Theo and he forced more strength into his legs.
Finally he caught up to Zenith. The knight had stopped at a landing, his posture defensive and shield raised as he scanned the stairs above. Lyura was nowhere in sight.
"Where – " Theo panted.
"Look out!" Zenith yelled. The next thing Theo knew, metal whirred through the air and Zenith lifted his shield just in time to deflect the chakram. Only for another to close in on his undefended side.