The sand dissolved as Brine stood firmly in the middle. Blood were rushing out from her eyes and down her cheeks. The pharaoh turned around as he look at her, he seem amused, as if he was inspecting a rare collection. "Interesting." He let out a smirk. "Perhaps you wanted more suffering, or either a gruesome death." A huge wall of sand started to form under his command, forming the shape of spears. There were at least hundreds or even thousands of spears, locked and ready to launch on her.
She stood there calmly.
Even though she cant see, she could feel him, and everything around her.
She could fell the sand, the wind, the arena, the shards, every creak of his armor….
She could fell everything, every step, every breath, every heartbeat.
She felt the power that she have never felt before. Rushing through her veins, she felt able to see things beyond her vision, beyond her sight, beyond mortal.
She walk towards her bow as she took it, swipe away the sand covering it before pulling the arrow, and take aim, not towards the pharaoh, not towards the menacing spears, but towards one of the pillar. She stood there, silently, as if she was a guarding angle, a statue, serving its purpose to pose.
"She must've crazy." The pharaoh laughed. "What's the matter little girl. Did sand get into your mind?" He say sarcastically. She stood there, silently, as she does not reply or even act his laughter. The pharaoh was displeased, a feeling of insult swallows him, how dare a puny mortal ignore the word of a god! "So you've chosen death! And let me fulfil your thirst for DOOM!!" He screamed as she dash towards her, together with the sand spear that fires towards her at alarming speed.
"One."
She could fell him approaching, every move he make was within her grasp.
"Two."
She is waiting for the right moment, the right time, as one millisecond would end up costing her life.
"Three."
And she let go of her arrow.
She could fell the spear approaching her, just when it was centimeter away, it stopped, before scattering and dropping back to the ground, turning back into ordinary sand. One single arrow, has struck the only weakness of the pharaoh, the only inch where there is no armor or protection, a square hole located at the back of his chest plate not even a centimeter in diameter.
Yet she done it.
She put her bow back as she ran towards the potion, she has not much time left, there is only 4 or 3 hours before dawn.
"I am free, kid." She turn her head around, and saw the pharaoh whispering to her. "I am free, finally. From the system, from the experiment." He smiled as his body shine and turns into ashes.
"Hope I can meet you once again, kid. That was a great fight, a great fight…."
His words struck confusion to her, but she ain't got time to think too much. She put the potion into her backpack, secure it before leaving.
Hero lie beside his campfire. Remorse swallowed his thought, why would she let her go? Why it must be her? He felt pain, both mentally and physically. The "tattoo" has already spread towards his neck, every second, he felt as if her cells were torn away and stich back together, an endless loop of pain and torment. Beads of cold sweat roll down her face, as he struggles to even take a breath. He turn his head around as he tries to make the most out of what he have, trying to at least decrease the pain he was suffering. Just then, he saw someone approaching from far away. Although his sight must've been blurry as hell, but he could still manage to see it.
A small girl, climbing up the dune as she stumbles towards him, clumsily, yet very cute.
With long carrot orange hair and fair skin that glitters beneath the moonlight.
With a green shirt, a brown pants and grayish boots.
She was waving her hand and shouting for his name.
And for the first time in his life, he cried.
They sat beside the campfire.
He stay tuck on bed while she clean up the area and seal the cave. He felt something familiar has happened before. Yeah, the night they stay in the cave at the forest. He turn his head towards her, she was placing cobblestone at the entrance and at the section of the cave to create a small enclosed save room for them to stay for the night. At least they do not need to fear about creeper creeping up and blowing in their face.
He remember the day he found her in the forest, or she is the one that found him. That hopeless young girl. He always thought he was going to be the protector, but now they've switch roles. The potion make his body warm and fuzzy. She has finish covering every single hole and visible entrance as she scour around trying to find a place. He let out a weak "Hey" to get her attention, and that seems to work as she headed towards his bed, before putting hers behind his.
"What are you doing?" Hero seems a bit shocked, his first night with her at the hut back then in the forest has left a bad taste in his mouth. She seems a bit awkward for his reaction as she started to bit her lips, which is quite a common action for her when she is excited, surprised or shy. He look at her face, her pale cheek still contain traces of blood, and her eye is still shut tightly. He reach his hand out for her face, she seems to sense it though as she try to dodge his hand ever so slightly, before settling it down, like a quill nestling. The moment his hand touches her face, he felt a sensation he have never experienced ever. Her face was soft, as if it was the moss that he often found in the jungle, but warm, just like a heated bread dough, ready to be send into the oven. Creating a huge difference from his old, rough, freckled palm, rougher than a sand paper. Her face is spotless, the one that girls would usually have, smoother than a piece of butter he used to make from the leftover fat in the furnace. She seems to blush, as her face grew hotter and hotter as if she was about to explode. He ran his fingers to her chin slowly, she senses it as she turn her head away from his hand.
It was awkward for s split second, she continue to make her bed, while he stay tuck within. The sensation was still clear in his hand, as if it was one with him, making his breath heavier. She blow away the torches before tucking in bed. Even though for a long time, she could still fell the warm grasp of his hand. She blushes as she burrow her head deeper into the bed, like a mole tunneling down.
"Girl, still awake?"
"Mhm."
"Your eye, it will be alright."
"Yeah."
"I once blew my arm and leg off by a creeper you know." Hero turn his body around as he put his arms back at his head.
"How?" She turn towards him.
"It's a long story, the first night I arrive at this crazy world…." He began his tale once again, although to her, it was just his adventure, but to Hero, he was actually convincing he himself that her eye is going to be alright. He can't survive the guilt and loss if she really lost her sight.
As the morning sun rises, Brine lose her sight forever, but not her pure hearted soul.