The next day came with looming anticipation. It wasn't precisely a bright day like the weather was empathic of the day to come and what was about to happen. It was partially gray in the skies. The blue sky was covered with the glum white clouds. There was no sun at sight.
Rana was dressed in white robes as she walked to the high ground where she would be executed. Her arms were bound by tight ropes behind her. Two guards walked beside her as she was brought to the ground. She looked at the tall blade that hung above her.
Rana felt surprisingly calm as she raised her head above to look at the blade.
She looked everywhere around her.
The townspeople were gathered at a far distance to watch her. The jury and the Elders of the Council were gathered at a closer distance. The Elders sat atop a raised stadium. At least ten guards watched the post where she would be executed.
She looked down at the ground below her.
The ground was rocky. Big and small rocks and stones of cream color scattered. She could see a line of ants walking in a procession a distance away from her. Some bugs and bees flew around.
Rana looked at the horizon ahead of her.
The top of a jugged mountain could be seen from the distance. It's unequal tip a faraway sight to her already decided fate.
"Guess that would be the last place I will be looking at before I die," she thought with a faraway look.
She switched her sight and found her father grim-looking sitting by the Council of the Elders. Her mother was beside him, clutching her handkerchief to her already weeping face. She tried to look for Ethiara but she couldn't see her.
Rana looked around the crowd.
She couldn't even see Shane, Helios nor Ethos.
Of course, they wouldn't want to see this, obviously. She thought wryly.
One of the guards went in front of where she was standing holding a rolled parchment in his hand and flattened it out with his hands.
In a steady voice, he read what was written on the parchment.
"2266 31st of November
Enara Ruille of Lunara City of the Moon is hereby executed for violating 220 rules, codes, and laws of Lunara, thereby making her a persona non grata of the City of Moon, which is punishable by death. Therefore, she will be executed from the blade that hovered above her."
The guard rolled the parchment on his hands and walked away.
Rana stood below where the blade hung above her. She didn't look above anymore.
She closed her eyes in grim anticipation.
It would be fast. Her death would be quick.
Rana breathed slowly and evenly as she waited for it to drop on her.h
The blade would be released at the same time by the two guards who stood on each side of the post.
"Prepare to release the rope!" shouted one guard.
A minute passed before another one spoke again.
"Release!" ordered another guard.
Rana stood still as she waited for her life to end. She bit her lower lip. She could feel the blade lowering itself to chop her to death.
Swish.
Boom.
In a blink of an eye, Rana felt someone embrace her fiercely as she heard the sound of the giant blade dropping to the ground. She opened her eyes and saw Shane covered in a white cloak covering his face and his body.
She tried to see in front of her and saw four guards already down on the ground.
"Shane…?" Rana asked in total surprise. Her face was in total confusion. "What are you doing here?"
"As if I will let you die, Rana."
He said with ferocity in his voice. He was still locked in their embrace.
"How dare you, insolent prig!"
The voice of a man appeared before him. His sword arm was raised above his head.
Shane made a quick turn of his feet carrying Rana in his arms.
The sword missed him and hit the ground.
Once more the guard raised his sword and directed it towards Shane. Shane raised his right arm and bent it and hit the guard's chest. He immediately took his sword out of his scabbard.
"You fool!" cried the guard and tried to lunge at him.
Shane immediately deflected it and their swords clashed.
For the next minutes, the sound of swords clashed and clanged against each other. Shane used his energy and made a wide pivot of his foot clockwise and knocked his opponent down to the ground.
"Wait here, Enara. I'll make it quick."
He said in a brash voice and met with more opponents. Two more guards faced him and tried to hit him with their swords on either side. Shane looked at them squarely and raised his sword. The two guards attacked from their side rushing towards him. Shane raised his sword to deflect the first guard as he tried to kick the other at full force. The guard dropped to the ground. He focused his sword against the other guard and their swords fought for the next minutes.
Rana tried to look everywhere around her.
She saw Ethos fighting his sword with two guards. Helios just knocked off an opponent on the ground and was clashing his sword with another.
Everything felt like a blur. The sound of swords clashing against one another and the quick movements of feet were the ones heard the next moments to count. Shouts and swords filled the ground and the air.
Thud. Another sound of a guard falling to the ground.
Rana felt water on her palms. She looked up at the sky. Slowly, the rain has fallen. Needles of rain fell from the sky. Then, the sky rumbled.
Rana dashed to a tall tree with a wide trunk to find shade from the falling rain.
The fight ensued on the ground. More guards came to the ground to fight Shane, Ethos, and Helios. All the three young men were covered in their cloaks. Ethos wore a dark blue cloak while Helios wore a black cloak. Mud and water splashed on the ground as they raised their swords against the army of guards who had joined in the fight. Rainwater soaked them.
Swords against swords clanged. Three men in cloaks against an army. For the next half hour, the uniformed guards tried their best to fight against the three young men. One by one the guards fell to the ground.
"Found you, little one!"
One of the guards spoke behind Rana and caught her. He raised his sword against her throat while he held her.
Rana saw Shane turn to see her caught hostage by one of the guards. He ran towards her but another guard chased after him. Shane whirled around the guard and raised his sword and lunged towards the guard. The guard fell to the ground.
Shane dashed towards her.
"Don't hurt her!"
Shane said as he gasped for breath.
"Then, drop your sword, Enos, if you don't wish to see your girl die in front of you."
The guard threatened.
Shane looked at Rana then at the guard. He lowered the sword to the ground.
"No, Shane. Don't do it!"
Rana said she tried to struggle against the guard's grip.
"Shut up, woman!"
The guard held her tighter against him. He closed the word on her neck until blood seeped on her skin.
"You bastard! Try to hurt Enara and I will kill you, Esthmos!"
Shane said fiercely as he glared at the guard.
The guard laughed at his anger.
"Really, Enos?"
He asked jeering Shane. He closed the sword on Rana's throat. Rana closed her eyes as she bit the pain away.
"You bastard! I will kill you, Esthmos!"
Shane said as his sight darkened. He picked something from inside his cloak and with a swish of his hand directed it towards Esthmos. Esthmos dropped the sword with a clang on the ground. Rana dropped to the ground.
"Rana!"
Shane immediately dashed to her side.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he knelt before her. He tore a part of his cloth and wrapped it gently around Rana's neck.
Rana coughed in front of him. Panting, she looked at him with her wan face.
"I'm okay," She said smiling.
One of the unseen guards hit Shane on the head and he dropped to the ground. The guard continuously hit his face with his foot.
"Stop!" Rana shrieked. "Don't kill him!"
She shouted through her tears.
"It's not his fault!"
Suddenly, Rana felt her eyes turn gold and blue. She felt strength summoning inside her body. The air around her changed. It turned warm then it turned chilly.
"Did I not tell you to stop?" she asked fiercely. She felt the beast within her awakened. The binds in her arms snapped out. Nine tails came out of her back.
Rana floated on the ground.
"Did I not say that it's not his fault?"
She angrily asked.
The guard looked at her with a frightened face. He stopped kicking Shane's face. He tried to run away but Rana floated towards him. With beastly eyes, she raised both her arms and shoved him to the trunk of the tree. She held his face with both her hands and squished them as hard as she can. Blood and flesh tore before her.
Rana turned to see more guards still fighting with Ethos and Helios. Without care, with a smirk on her lips and a wild look in her eyes, she dashed forwards to the enemies. Within the next minutes, the ground became her battleground. It became her corpse yard. Rana managed to put all the guards on the ground. Bloodied with their limbs gravely detached.
When all guards were down on the ground, Helios and Ethos looked at her with unfazed wonder, mirth mixed with the slight shadow of fear. The city people of Lunara were stunned in their silence. The Elders of the Council could only stare in grave silence.
Rana whirled around and returned to where Shane was lying unconscious on the ground.
"Shane! Shane!" called Rana putting his head on her lap. "Wake up! Wake up!"
"I think we need to bring him to the infirmary fast, Enara."
Helios said as he loomed over them.
Shane's hand curled at his side. He opened his eyes slowly.
"Hey, don't cry, Rana. I'm not dying," he said.
His voice was hoarse.
Rana sniffed in front of him. Shane tried to sit.
"He still needs to be checked."
A female voice spoke.
All four of them turned to see Ethiara walking towards them past the tall wide tree.
"You all went all out in there," Ethiara said looking at them. Then, she directed her eyes towards Rana. Her silver eyes were sparkling. "I might say I have never been frightened in my life, little sister. You were mighty scary."
Rana who still has her tails behind her and her golden blue eyes shimmering showed a fierce smile.
"It's only once in a while I show my true form, Ethiara."
"And here I thought I will never see the beast of you, Enara."
"Some people are capable of activating the trigger of my beastly form."
"Then, should you thank me instead, Enara?" asked Shane in a quiet voice as he tried to make a joke. He smiled at her.
Rana smiled back at him.
They all turned to walk back out of the high ground and went to the infirmary where Shane's face was treated.
The wound on Shane's face took two weeks to a month to fully heal.
But, what happened on the high ground where Rana was supposed to be executed? After the Council fully saw and witnessed how the younger ones fought for Enara's life and saw the beast of her, they have decided to keep mum about what happened. They decided to turn a blind eye to what happened.
The Lunara City of the Moon valued strength among its residents. They value their beasts within.