I breathed out lightly before closing my eyes, listening to the rustle of leaves along with the crackling of the fire. There are at least three to four wolves that are clamping down towards my direction, if there are more, that I do not know. I snapped my eyes wide open and stared at the starting forest fire behind me. As the sounds of the howls get nearer, I got ready to sprint in the opposite direction of the fire.
I whistled once more and looking back, I saw three wolves clambering away from the fire before shifting their attention to the whistle I just made. Well shit, this wasn't something I had made my mind on. I was trying to the run up to the city and lose the wolves there where the other kids are. What I didn't calculate was how big and how far of a distance I had to run to reach the city.
As I was halfway near the entrance of the city, the growling and rustle of leaves behind me vanished completely. I looked back and stopped at my track when I saw that the wolves were frozen in their position, body, and face glitching away in blue light.
"Seriously, you all went through that trouble for a naught"
I pointed the rapier in the direction where the voice came. Out of the corner, just a few steps away from the frozen body of the wolves stood Lyra. She was one of the few big girls in the class, one of the class bullies may I add. I know for a fact that many of us are scared and had a seething hatred for her but the question of how is she still alive after all of this isn't a question at all.
She was the daughter of an ex-convict, an ex-murderer, having been taught a couple of tricks to kill and run is his father's forte, it's clearly no surprise to know that she might be one of the people in here who had the most kills.
I stood my ground and readied my stance keeping an eye on every possible move she made. On the other hand, she just eyed me and started laughing hysterically before clapping her hands. This action of hers threw me off guard, was there something funny with the situation we're in. I was still keeping an eye on the wolves hoping that the glitching they are making was some sort of malfunction on the system. No matter how unrealistic that thought is, it was still tempting to think of that.
"I'm also a part of the mutiny, you little girl"
My eyes widened for a second when I heard her mention the mutiny.
"What mutiny are you talking about? Also, can't you see those wolves"
"Oh Maia no need to play stupid with me, these wolves were part of your mission weren't they?"
I held my rapier higher extending it so that it will clearly point towards her way. Lyra was bad news, to begin with, but now, she was way more intimidating.
"I'm here because of this game Lyra, stop spouting nonsense and get off of my face before I thrust this sword to that throat of yours"
A brave statement I know but I was hanging on a thread here, The same situation with Damian cannot be repeated with Lyra, that would be too much of a coincidence. Also, the whole picture does not fit. Once again her loud laughter reverberates throughout the trees. She then lifted a hairpin, it was the same design as the one that I had on the inner pockets of my school pants.
She took several steps away from the wolves and when she finally deemed that she was far enough, she threw the hairpin and the wolves immediately exploded one after the other upon impact. Some shrapnels went flying my way which made me curl down to avoid being blasted by some of them.
I bit the inside of my lips when I saw that nothing was left of the wolves instead of a fire that was slowly engulfing the area we were in.
I shifted my gaze to Lyra who was now grinning down at me with crossed arms. I raised an eyebrow and stood up once again, sheathing my sword before pulling the knives that were hanging from my waist.
"Let's start that conversation all over again, who do you work for?"
"Oh my dear Maia, I just told you, I'm part of the mutiny"
"Impossible, two people who know about my identity and mission cannot be a coincidence and it cannot be a mistake on the part of Seditionem Coeptabat. Furthermore, your father is now a governor is he not?"
Lyra changed her facial expression from amused to a stoned expression, one that screams psychopath all over the place.
"Sometimes I hate how you're too good at what you are doing"
"Your father is now a dog of the government that had looked down on our race thinking that they were created to be the supreme ones. Your father who got out of prison and is now serving them, licking their shoes as he kills dozens of people for their entertainment."
"SHUT UP! You insolent brat, do not go berating your mouth at someone when you know nothing about them"
I stood my ground as she started running up at me, hands equipped with knives that were much longer than mine. She swung her knife at me which I defended by holding my knife up. Both knives colliding and producing a horrible sound as they clash.
"You shouldn't have unsheathed that toy sword of yours it was much better to use than knives"
Before I can even answer, her knife caught my right shoulder where the previous unhealed injury was, Since Lyra was taller than I was she had the power and force to pin me on the ground. I winced but decided to hold her arm and knife in place.
"Acting brave now are we"
She grinned as she stared at me and twisted the knife on my shoulder. I yelped in pain as the cold blade slide deeper into my skin and flesh. I breathed heavily as I sent a glare.
"You haven't answered my question Lyra, who do you work for"
Lyra smiled wider before bellowing at my ear the words I never thought I will hear.
"Simple, who do you think is the person who knows what your plan is?"
I shivered as a certain someone raced through my mind, with gritted teeth I hissed at her.
"Don't play fuck with me, get straight to the point"
"Oh my dear Maia"
She then proceeded on caressing my face and jawline before forcing me to look at her directly.
"You were so lovestruck with him that the idea of his betrayal didn't even cross your mind. You trusted someone who had killed a classmate of ours without batting an eye, even though the organization that you were in had specified rules that no killing of sacrifices was to be made."
I lowered my gaze. I cannot believe that what she was saying was hitting a home run. The specified rule that she was talking about was a rule to older members of the mutiny as I recall in the back of my head.
"That's enough"
Once again she laughed and it reverberated throughout my whole body since she was still on top of me.
"Did it hurt your ego? Your two friends will die, the mission that you had been given that was so futile will not be accomplished just because you trusted the guy that you were love-struck with."
And as if on cue, two cannons had been shot, my ears and eyes peered up at the sounds. No, it can't be.
"Oooh well look at that, I guess he already had finished up both of your friends. Well, no worries you will go after them anyway"
My whole body shook at the thought of seeing Iavan and Miisa's bloody bodies while he was standing next to them, holding a knife that was filled with their blood. It was stupid of me, how can I entrust them to him, to him who I only talked to once before. He killed three or more of our classmates without batting an eye.
Tears were starting to form under my eyes. Lyra laughed as she had taken in my pitiful state. But above the sadness, was something else that was beginning to boil inside of me.
"Hey Lyra, I told you to shut up didn't I?"
Before she could say another word, I force my left hand high and sliced the knife right through her throat.
"You had let your guard down"
Her blood dropped in my body and face and not long after, she scampered away from me, both of her hands now on her sliced up throat. I stood up and took out her knife on my right shoulder. I held it in my right hand and walked up to her, placing my body above her pinning her down. She was looking up at me now and you can never understand the satisfaction it brought me.
With all the anger about the betrayal and sadness of losing my friends and mission all pent up inside of me. I raised both of the knives and stabbed Lyra countless times. Her blood splattering all over the place. I let out all of my emotions as tears started dropping from my eyes. At some point, the crackle of the forest fire and the cannon brought me back to sanity.
I stood up wiping the tears but not bothering to wipe the blood splattered all over my face. I looked down at Lyra's unmoving body which was still struck by the two knives I used to take out the last fire of life from her.
I looked up at the sky and decided that there was still something that I needed to finish. I will see this till the end.
Lucky enough, the forest fire hadn't reached the edge of the river. The river was 80 feet deep at the least. I walked through the shallow part and looked around. The fact that Miisa and Iavan were not there made me lose the little hope I had that Lyra might be lying. I breathed heavily before taking off all of my weapons and bags dumping them on the wet ground. I took out the hairpin and decided to swim across the river where the barrier should be.
The hairpin was made of explosives, once made contact with the barrier it should blow up creating a reaction that will make the barrier of the whole area disappear.
When I reached the end I spread my palms tracing the almost glitching light of the barrier. Something like this wasn't even possible a few years back but now here we are.
"MAIA!!"
I looked back and almost immediately regretting doing so, stood on the other end of the river was Damian with hands equipped with knives and a shirt filled with blood. The tears started welling up in my eyes again. The thought of him betraying me was something unforgivable. Just when I started trusting him that was when he drops a bomb. I felt my heartache at the pain that was far from familiar. I would rather die than to know the truth that Damian had indeed betrayed me. No, I would rather be dead than to feel the pain, hatred, and anguish that was now engulfing my entire being.
I looked at him one more time before gritting my teeth. That was when I thrust the pin in the barrier. With no seconds spared the barrier blew up sending me deep in the water.
I felt a sting run up on the lower part of my body. What had caused it? That I do not know and would not bother knowing. I closed my eyes as the darkness of the river swallow me up deeper. My whole body ached. I felt my body lose all air and as I grasp through the nothingness, the painful reminder that Iavan and Miisa were gone played through my mind.
Along with the memories that had been deep stored in my subconscious. I smiled bitterly before grappling my neck as the last amount of oxygen leaves my body.
I really am stupid.
I opened my eyes one last time. A river of fire, my mission was complete. The start of an era of freedom was now within our reach once more.
But, what did it cost me?