"Shit ... I fell asleep ..."
I regretted opening my eyes and gazing up at the reddish sky before me. The icy evening breeze had woken me just in time to avoid a major disaster. Since I had to walk for a couple of hours to get home, it wasn't a very good idea still lying down for another minute. I jumped up and approached the lake, where the sun beginning to hide behind the distant mountains was reflecting on the water. Just over a quarter of its total size was visible.
'I'd better hurry back,' I thought as I scratched my head in concern.'
I pushed away the sleepiness with some of the ice water of the lake and I hurried into the forest, way to home. Since some of the trees were over five-meter high, the interior was quite dark, and it didn't take long for me to realize that in the end I had not quite managed to avoid the disaster I feared. In just a matter of minutes, the sun had practically set completely, taking with it much of the little light that made me able to guide my steps… and I still had a long way back.
I tried to speed up my pace, but the moon soon began to show itself between the treetops. What had once been partial darkness disappeared into a night illuminated by the white light of the crescent moon. Although thanks to that I was still able to move on even without having a very precise vision of everything.
I was constantly cursing myself for falling asleep, but there was nothing that could remedy my situation anyway. All I could do was keep moving through the dark forest, which for some reason seemed very different from what I used to remember. What's more, after a long walk I finally understood, I was completely lost.
'I think I went into the deepest of the forest..'
In this area, unlike where I used to go, the trees were close together and it could almost be called a miracle if a single ray of light managed to pass through their tops. Visibility was practically nonexistent, scattered, and confusing. I did not know what to do and was afraid I would have to spend the night there. I had never fallen asleep in such a way before, and I had spent many days lazing around that lake.
¡Cling! ¡Clang! ¡Pum!
"But what the fuck is that?"
I froze, silently listening to a noise echoing through the trees. It seemed to be heavy blows, and most of them had a metallic hue on each impact, which was not normal in the middle of a forest.
'Could it be that there are people around here?'
I immediately began to look quietly for the source of the noise. After sneaking through quite a few trees I finally found it. In the middle of a small clearing that the moonlight managed to dimly illuminate were two young girls who looked at each other cautiously from a distance.
From my position, it was difficult for me to see them well, so I kept getting closer while hiding behind the trees to prevent them from seeing me. Thanks to the fact that the moonlight barely managed to illuminate the clearing, I was able to get almost to their side without being noticed.
'What the hell are two girls doing here at this hour? No… more importantly… what the fuck are they wearing?!'
Their appearance was anything but normal. To begin with, their hair was already rare. With a quick glance, one could say that they were just a blonde girl and one with white hair, but on closer inspection, one could see that their colors were actually golden and silvery. They both seemed to slightly glow, reflecting faintly the moonlight. Also, in the place of normal clothing, they both seemed to be wearing costumes.
The silver-haired one could still be passed up, as she was simply wearing an extravagant purple dress, but the golden-haired one… She wore light blue-colored armor, which one would not expect to see anyone wearing today. Anyway, what stood out the most were a couple of things sticking out from both of their backs.
'That are… wings? It must be quite uncomfortable to move with that…'
I hadn't finished taking a good look at their strange appearance before they both ran against each other. Although my eyes weren't able to see so much more in the middle of the night, I could finally recognize the origin of the sound that I heard earlier just at the moment in which they collided. Both girls wielded swords in their hands.
'Is this a joke?'
At first, I doubted whether they were real or mere imitations, although it did not take me long to confirm their veracity. They began to deliver ruthless blows, using movements that would only be seen in a true professional. Furthermore, it was obvious that they had no good intentions against each other. The loud sound of sharp metal colliding was enough to chill the blood. If one of those swords was able to hit the target, there was no doubt that they would be pretty hurt.
My gaze jumped from one to the other without stopping. However, perhaps because her appearance stood out more, it did not take long to fixate on the girl with golden hair, who even seemed to shine with her own light.
Her hair hung down to the middle of her back, being held in place by a pair of braids that were joined into one just at the back of her head before being dropped in the same way as the rest of her hair. Her eyes were grayish in color and were giving a fierce look at the girl in front of her as if they did not want to miss a single of her movements or let her escape.
The weapon in her hands was a two-handed sword that also seemed to glow with its own light. No, it didn't look like it, it was really shining as it danced in the air, leaving fleeting beams of light behind it each time it was swung.
I didn't quite understand what about those girls caught my attention, but without realizing it, I started to get even closer to them, even reaching just the edge of the clearing where they were battling. Obviously, once I left behind my hiding place among the trees, they soon became aware of my presence.
"Who's there?!"
The first to see me was the silver-haired girl, who I hadn't paid much attention to so far.
"A… a… human? Anyway, if you appreciate your life, don't just stand there! Get out of this place right now!"
She took a step toward me but was immediately forced back by a sharp blow from the other girl's sword.
"Monster, do you intend to use an inferior being as a shield? I'm telling you now that dirty games won't work against me. If it is to eliminate any of yours, I will not hesitate to take away any insignificant life form."
"Ah? What nonsense are you saying?! You are crazy!"
The golden-haired girl's words only seemed to annoy the other, which did not hesitate to fight back with even more force.
'Human? Inferior being? The insignificant part does not surprise me so much…'
I didn't understand anything, but I noticed as if both of them had only used me as an excuse to intensify their fight… since again they began to fight as if I did not exist. Clearly, the silver-haired girl was being easily repepled and cornered. If everything remains the same, she would soon be hurt or worse.
"Wait a minute… even though I don't dislike the idea of seeing two girls fight over me… let's discuss this peacefully…"
"Shut up and go!!"
They both screamed at the same time. My mind stopped working for a few moments. Those two were definitely insane. It was clear that by themselves they were not going to solve anything and they would definitely not end well.
'Anyway, this is not my problem… Maybe the best is not to interfere.'
I thought about leaving them alone with their bullshit and turning around. I still had to find my way out of the forest so I could go home…
"Enough! I have things to do. I will not waste more time with you."
But before I could make up my mind, the golden-haired girl began to glow brightly and defy the law of gravity.
"What the hell?!"
My cry of surprise could probably be heard throughout the forest…
"Why are you still here?! Leave now, I'm not going to be responsible for what happens to you!"
As soon as she finished yelling at me, the glow of her sword intensified to the point that she seemed to be able to create new dawn. Multiple light balls surrounded her and then shot out in all directions. They were not simple lights, I could see how they took a shape similar to small blades. Those weapons created out of nowhere began to hit everything that got in its way. The trees that were near me were cut as if they were simple sheets of paper. I understood instantly that those lights, able to easily cut logs, would not have much difficulty dismembering me at the moment they reached me. I wanted to run, but my body froze.
'Please, my legs, move! Don't betray me now!'
No matter how much I tried, my feet didn't step forward or back. It was as if my body had ceased to be mine and ignored all the orders I gave it. I could only close my eyes tightly, wishing I didn't die cut into pieces.
"You stupid, don't just stand there!"
The other girl's voice made me react. When I opened my eyes, I saw a gigantic black cloak covering me and the silver-haired girl.
'What is this thing?'
"Dammit! Why didn't you listen to me?!"
Her scream seemed to contain a bit of frustration as she grasped that makeshift shield to cover us both. She managed to firmly withstand the impacts of the lights until the sound of the blows began to be heard more and more dispersed, which seemed to indicate the end of the bombardment. However, the calm did not last long.
Another attack of a considerably larger size was launched towards us at a breakneck speed. That blow could not be compared with the previous ones and it took the girl ahead, who then hit me. We both went flying until we hit a tree. Thanks to that black shield, the attack did not reach us directly. Still, my entire body ached considerably from the blow. Anyway, the worst part seemed to have been taken by that girl who saved me, since she was lying next to me without moving.
I tried to use the trunk of the tree as a foothold and stand up. As I got up, I saw a black object stuck in the ground right in front of me. After a better glare, I realized that it was a sword, probably the silver-haired girl's sword. It was such a dark weapon that the night would envy its essence. The only part of a color other than black was a round, deep red gem embedded in its handguard.
'What is this sword?'
The moment I saw it, everything around me disappeared. What's more, I could feel as if the sword itself was speaking to me… although I wasn't actually hearing any voice directly. Without noticing it, my arm began to reach for the hilt. It seemed that not only my mind had been enthralled with that weapon, my own body was looking for it, I needed it more than to breathe, which I also seemed to have forgotten to do.
My hand advanced until I had that piece of metal in its palm. The moment I clenched my fist and gripped the hilt something in the form of smoke began to come out of the weapon. Moments later it began to swirl around me and slowly merge with my body until there was no trace of it. A terrible malaise assailed me. I wasn't cold, but my body was shaking. I was nauseous and could barely stand. My head started to hurt a lot, a terrible pain. I felt like my whole body was breaking… my mind was breaking… My head seemed to be literally splitting in two.
I closed my eyes because of the pain, but at that moment, I saw a pair of red blood eyes open in the middle of the darkness. Shocked, I opened my eyes again. Since my gaze was focused on the sky I could see the golden-haired girl looking at me in a scornful and hurtful look. She was clearly asking: What kind of monster are you? As if she disgusted my mere existence.
Before I could even ask what the hell was going on, everything around me started to warp as my head pain kept getting worse. Seconds later, my world was completely plunged into darkness...