Chapter 36: Jack; Shauran 46th, 344SR; 1:00
"Hey, come on wake up!" Lector's faded voice echoed through Jack's foggy head.
The ground was rough and rigid, and several pebbles stuck to his skin. Jack opened his eyes only for his gaze to sink into pitch-black darkness. Despite there being no source of light, the ground was surprisingly well-lit. 'Huh... Ah... Ow!' Jack's chest was poked by the jagged surface he laid upon. He pushed his forehead against the white stone, dust fell from his hair as his dirty arms wobbled. 'Ah!' Jack winced when he rested his weight onto his right hand, he promptly fell against the ground again, unable to muster the strength to support himself.
"Come on get up! We can't stay here," Lector tried to help.
"Ah stop... My hand..." Jack groaned.
"Yeah... You're gonna have to walk it off..." said Lector. "We need to go, right now!"
The pain from using Spirit Arts recklessly lingered, but now it felt like his entire wrist had shattered, each movement sent waves of pain through him. His head was numb, his legs and torso were sore, and his shoulders ached. Lector tried to lift Jack under his arm, but the pain suddenly swelled and Jack pulled away.
"Ah! Let me go!" Jack shouted as he fell again.
Jack's vision became blurry for a moment, his head felt incredibly woozy. Lector's blonde hair was a mess, he seemed to be in a better shape than Jack. However, blood poured down from his head past his eye. The guard's clothing he wore managed to protect him better from the fall, but he was still visibly shaking from the pain.
"There is no time, the faster we get out of here, the better. Let's go!" Lector urgently demanded.
Jack looked at his hand and noticed a black bruise on his wrist, 'This won't work... I can't fight...' He got on one knee, his entire body convulsed as he tried to move. 'My shoulders... And my head... Ugh...' Jack stood on one knee as he held his shoulder and looked around.
"Where are- Ah!" Jack whimpered in pain as his left shoulder ached.
"Come on!" Lector shoved Jack.
"Screw off you fucking angel!" Jack cursed. "Why are you even trying to help me!"
"I really don't have to! You wanna stay here and get eaten?! Be my guest!" Lector turned and stomped off. "I'm wasting my damn time trying to help this idiot... Dammit... Dammit!" Lector muttered to himself as he hurried away.
Jack looked down at his right arm and tried to move his fingers, just making a fist made him feel excruciating pain. 'I should use my left arm for now...' He looked back to where Lector went, only to see darkness. 'Huh?' Jack looked left and right with a puzzled expression. 'Wasn't he just there... Where did that guy go?' Jack looked at the ground once again, he looked all around him for something, anything that wasn't just darkness. 'Where am I...' The black walls surrounded him, but for some reason, the rubble around him was easy to see.
"Help..."
Jack turned around, he heard a voice.
"Whose there?" Jack asked hesitantly.
"Help..." A weak voice pleaded from within the darkness.
Jack pushed against his forearms, and it still hurt, but using his wrists caused much more pain. He slowly stumbled to his feet, letting out sharp breaths every time he felt his wounds. He turned and walked down the pale stone path, it didn't take too long to reach the end of the slab of rubble. He hopped down a step to a level where the ground was made of a green-colored stone covered in roots that stuck to the surface. 'What the... Where... Where am I?' Jack felt anxious.
"Help..." The weak whisper in the darkness was barely audible.
He gulped, took a deep breath, and pushed forward down the green stone. The strange ground almost seemed orderly, eventually reaching pillars made of a similar stone. 'Where the hell did I fall?' Jack limped slowly through the darkness, he was getting adjusted to the pain in his arm. For some strange reason, the ground in front of him illuminated the further he walked. 'Is this someone's gift? Where is this light coming from? I don't see any light around me... I don't like this place...' Jack's foot splashed against a wet puddle, he looked down and gazed at his reflection in the red liquid.
A tan-skinned hand lay in the blood, small in size with slender fingers. Jack approached slowly. The darkness around the arm cleared. A woman's head and shoulders came into view, her brown hair obscuring her face. She wore torn red robes. 'Someone from Welis?' Jack walked forward a bit more and saw more of her body. The woman was on the ground bleeding out.
"Hey! What happened?! Who did-"
Jack stopped as the darkness cleared even more. Underneath a large chunk of white stone, her other hand and her lower body had been crushed. Jack stepped back hesitantly, his teeth rattled as he grimaced at the body. 'She's... Dead... Who, who did this-' A sinking feeling in his chest suddenly overpowered him. His eyes widened. His chest tightened.
"Ha... Ha..." Jack huffed.
'Why am I asking that...' Jack turned as he breathed in and out frantically, quickly limping back the way he came. Jack reached for the white stone and stepped onto it. He stopped climbing and looked at the white stone. 'I did it...' He looked up at the darkness. He had a blank look on his face as his breathing became uneven. 'I did it... I killed her...'
Jack went in the same direction Lector had gone, the darkness suddenly stopped clearing and he approached it. 'Is this... a wall?' Jack moved his hand closer slowly, but as he touched it he felt nothing. Instead, Jack's fingertip went right through. Jack squinted at the sight, stepping forward and seeing more of his hand go through. Jack poked his head through the darkness and stopped.
'Huh...'
Jack walked forward and looked up at the somber grey sky. 'What? But... It was so dark back-' He turned around and was bewildered to find a black wall of fog. The wall behind him was part of a mass that almost resembled smoke, however, it didn't move at all. 'What is this... Why can't I see anything through this... Where is the light coming from...' Jack stepped back and analyzed the fog, looking to the right and seeing the landscape in the side of his eye. His attention was quickly drawn to the devastation.
Bits of destroyed buildings and debris were scattered out for miles in all directions. A thick wall of uneven earth surrounded the destruction. The sounds of running water crashed in the distance. The rotten scent of logorite lingered in the dust. A leaning tower at the surface tipped, cracking more of the city's base with it before it plummeted down the three-hundred-meter drop. The building fell silently, until smashing against a building in the distance with great speed. A new pillar of smoke started to grow where it landed, the ground rattled around Jack. A white layer of concrete just two stories thick lined the upper edge of the chasm. 'Did... Did I do all of this?'
In front of Jack was a massive hill of stone varying in color between shades of rustic red and dark grey. A dull green liquid dripped down the uneven rubble. Jack looked up to see the tank that stored the logorite, now riddled with holes and blown open from the inside. A structure behind the hill was in sight, a shiny silver tree reflected light at the very top. 'Is that... A tree? It's undamaged... I've never seen a silver tree before...' Jack noticed someone in the rubble, it was Lector slowly climbing, he seemed to head towards the silver tree.
"John and the others... Should be... Somewhere around here..." Jack said to himself. "John! Sarah!"
Fear crept up Jack's spine, he tried to ignore it.
"Jack!?" Sarah shouted back. "Where are you? John's hurt bad!"
The fear he tried to ignore rippled through him. Jack hurried up the uneven stone, trying his hardest to keep his footing stable. 'The voice came from that side of the hill... Please... Please...' There were enough footholds to reach the peak of the hill, Jack climbed to the top and looked over.
"Sarah!" Jack shouted as he got over the hill.
The moment he stepped over the peak of the rubble, it gave out underneath him. 'Ah-' Jack fell onto his stomach and tumbled over onto his back and rolled down the hill.
"Ow..." Jack grumbled.
"Come on push!" Ben struggled.
"Use your spirit!" Franklin grunted.
"Easier said- than done right now!"
"Jack, are you alright? Your-" Sarah stopped and stared at Jack for a moment.
Her black shirt was covered in rips and streaks of dust, she wasn't very injured. However, she stared at Jack with wide eyes and a pained look. Jack blinked in confusion.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked with a guilty look.
"Uh... Yeah!" Sarah replied awkwardly as she glanced away from Jack's gaze. "John! John needs- help..."
Jack's eyes widened as he heard more, "Where is he?! He was hurt?!"
Jack glanced past Sarah towards where Franklin and Ben were struggling. They were trying to push a blue chunk of debris. Ben was shirtless, a gash on his lower back oozed blood over his shimmering skin. He fell onto his back and breathed in and out.
"It's too heavy... My back... Ah..." Ben groaned.
Franklin fell against the wall from Cabac, leaning against his right shoulder. His sleeves were torn. His head and arms were covered in dried blood. Franklin huffed in and out, gritted his teeth, and pushed with a grunt. His feet dragged against the ground but he fell on his knees.
'They... The alliance... Deserved this...' Jack told himself. He walked forward and looked down. 'They... Deserved it...' The closer he got the more the regret piled up inside of him. Jack slowly looked down, 'They...' His eyes went wide, a short gasp left his dry throat. John was breathing weakly, a harsh wheeze could be heard as Jack got close enough. His injured friend on the ground turned his head and looked up with tired eyes.
"Hey... Jack..." John uttered weakly.
Jack froze where he stood, the rumbling pressure in his chest made it hard to breathe. Blood was leaking from his mangled arm. John's head was just short of being pulverized, but his left arm and shoulder weren't so lucky. Jack walked forward, scanning John's body from head to toe, 'How do I get him out... How do I-' Jack looked up at the boulder and put his hands against the uneven and cracked surface. He tried to focus his spirit, but he struggled to make it flow.
"Dammit! Move!" Jack cursed at the boulder.
"I can't feel my left arm anymore..." John wheezed.
"Aah!" Jack screamed as he slammed his hand against the surface of the boulder. "Ajal! Ajal! Ajaaal! Somebody! Somebody help!" Jack choked on his words, tears flooded from his eyes.
"Jack..."
'Focus! I have to move this thing! Spirit Ignition!' Jack grunted as all of his muscles flexed. His wrist screamed in pain, and his arms throbbed but he didn't care. The ground beneath Jack's feet cracked as his spirit burst. His wrist twisted against the building and he fell against the wall just like Franklin.
"God dammit all!" Jack slammed his hands into the wall. "This isn't- This isn't," Jack sobbed as he hit the wall with his forehead.
"Jack..." said John. "It's okay man..."
Jack looked down with tears coming out of his eyes, he knelt down next to John. His blonde hair was soaked in the blood spreading from underneath the building. John raised his right hand slowly, grasping Jack's shirt and holding it as tightly as he could.
"I don't know if I'm going to make it- but I need to tell you something..." said John.
"You're going to make it!" Jack demanded.
"You guys- are some of the best parts of my life, George's too, all of you..." John coughed weakly. "We've all lost things... Back when we were in Roccan, our mom went missing in the mines. George believed it, but I know the angels did it... People, freedom, our lives. We should be the first ones to want to take away those things from others... I understand... But Ajal is right... It won't solve anything... It only puts our pain onto someone else..."
"I didn't want this! I didn't want you guys to get hurt!" Jack screamed.
"But you wanted someone to get hurt... we have to be... The dif-" John coughed again, a painful wheeze after he inhaled sharply.
"Don't speak! I'll get you out of there!"
Jack stood up and stepped back, he tried to focus his spirit on his left hand and then threw his fist into the wall. 'Spirit Ignition!' His hand slammed into the boulder, it didn't budge at all, he pulled his hand back as it throbbed, his fingers shaking. Although he was in pain, he threw his fist forward once more, barely controlling his spirit properly and smashing his hand against the rocky surface. To his surprise, the boulder started to rise, and several pebbles fell from the bottom of the structure and rattled against the ground. 'Huh?!'
"Ah..." John winced.
Jack took a step back, the piece of rubble lifted up, and as it rose, the people behind it came into view. However, the blood stuck between the ground and the rock caused Jack to shudder. He looked down at John's arm and was horrified at the sight. 'I...'
Mixed with rubble. All of the blood spread out. The skin was torn and smashed against bone and flesh. 'I...' If the boulder landed any closer, John would've died. 'I did this...' John glanced at Jack and saw his expression.
Descendants of Ophi stood on the other side, they ran over to John's aid as the boulder lifted. Jack stepped back as he saw Marina followed by multiple descendants of Ophi. 'I...'
"Find any of the survivors! Save anyone you can!" A hybrid yelled.
Jack took a step back, he watched large chunks of rubble lift up one after another. 'What...' He watched the people he tried to kill rush to his aid. A sickening feeling of guilt only continued to rise in his stomach. The crowd full of citizens from Rea hurried past him, rushing for Sarah and Ben's aid. Jack continued to step back, 'They... '
"Jack! Are you okay!" Marina ran forward and grasped Jack's shoulders. She looked at both sides of his head, and then put a hand on his head. "You have a bruise here, it's amazing you came out with just that..."
Marina didn't have any injuries, none of the descendants of Ophi around them sustained many. 'They must have been able to avoid being hurt with their gift...' Jack looked at her and felt glad she was okay, but couldn't smile. Her eyes were filled with so much concern, it was heart-wrenching, 'Stop...' She leaned forward and gave him a tight hug, her soft coat felt warm.
"I don't know who would do something like this... It's okay Jack... We can get out of this," Marina comforted him.
"John... John needs help," Jack uttered quietly.
"Don't worry, they're tending to him. You need to rest, let the doctors from Welis treat you. We're all going to get out of this together!"
Jack gulped as he looked at Marina with sorrow-filled eyes, she let go and went to check up on Franklin who was nearby as well. Jack got up and looked around, there were other hybrids amongst the descendants of Ophi. Jack shook his head and looked down. He looked to the right and noticed a path through the rubble, he slowly started towards it.
Jack walked down the path, unnoticed by any of the hybrids. Jack didn't know where to go, or where he wanted to go. He walked without purpose as he tried to avoid the reality of what he did. 'I... I was right... I know I was right... Am I right? They tortured Lydia... They killed Carol...'
'They deserved it! They deserved it!' Jack continued to argue with himself. He clenched his teeth as his regret gnawed at his conscience. 'I wasn't wrong! I'm not-' The surface he stood on suddenly rumbled and gave out underneath him. 'I-' Jack's thoughts came to a sudden halt as his feet dangled in the air. He looked up and saw the silver tree ahead of him. 'Oh no!' Jack felt someone grasp his arm, he looked up to see Franklin. He was squatted at the ledge, but he managed to grab Jack with both hands.
"I got you!" Franklin shouted.
"Franklin..." Jack gasped.
Jack looked down to see the surface fall several meters down. 'It's not too far!' Franklin grunted as he held on, he tried to pull Jack up. The jagged wire mesh sticking out of the rubble creaked and bent. Franklin gritted his teeth as he pulled with all his strength. However, even more of the rubble started to shift, Franklin grimaced as he turned his head back and forth between the moving ground and the depths he'd soon experience. The platform broke off.
"Ah!" Jack and Franklin both let out a cry of fear as they fell.
Jack looked down at the darkness they fell into. "Franklin! Reinforce your legs!" Jack yelled.
Jack focused his spirit on his feet and knees. His feet hit the ground and he fell onto his knees and then onto all fours, sending a ripple of pain through him once more. Franklin hit the ground and fell backward, grunting as he hit the ground.
"Ah... dammit..." Jack groaned as he pushed himself up off his arms.
"Ow..." Franklin moaned. "Where the heck were you going, you almost walked off the cliff..."
"Why did you follow me..."
"You're welcome... "
Jack pushed himself up. The pain from hitting the ground rippled through him as he stood and looked up, it was hard to keep his back straight. The residual light shone from above into the room between the gaps in pieces of rubble that had landed above the pit they stood in.
"Did they really torture her to death?" Franklin asked.
"Yeah... I wish I never fucking saw it... It wasn't just Lydia either... The hybrids were doing that to their own as well..."
"Seriously..." Franklin looked disgusted, he shook his head in disbelief.
'What the...' Jack looked around, the ground was made of dark stone bricks, more stone that was different from the pale concrete of Andurill. As his eyes adjusted, the stone walls of the room didn't look flat, they resembled giant feet. The water dropping from above into the strange hall became quiet as Jack looked up. His eyes adjusted to the dark and the sides of the room came into view.
"Jack... I don't think this was a good idea..." said Franklin.
The statue resembled a knight, clad in bulky armor. Jack looked up at the head of the statue, however, he was puzzled by the fact it was missing. 'What the...' Jack looked around the room, to his left and right, across the room, were eight giant statues of headless soldiers, holding shields and swords. At the other end of the room was an arched tunnel that led out of the hall. The breastplate and shield both had the design of a vertical branch, carvings of leaves with jagged edges around it. Four on the left. Four on the right. And one at the top. The bottom of the branch possessed five circles.
"Jack..." said Franklin, this time his tone stern.
"What do you want!?" Jack yelled back.
"This wasn't the right thing to do..."
Jack froze as he looked at Franklin, his chest felt heavy.
"They... They don't deserve that logorite... But I didn't want this, any of this," Jack looked around at the pieces of rubble that had crashed down from above.
"I'm not very smart... But, any of us could have died after that, we don't even know for sure if we all survived! John's arm is broken! We don't know if anyone else is okay!" Franklin shouted.
"I didn't-" Jack looked to his right. "I didn't think... The entire fucking country would fall if I did that... Okay!"
Franklin just looked down as he shook his head.
"Now go back to the others and stop following me, you idiot!"
"Where are you gonna go?" Franklin asked with an annoyed tone. "And don't call me an idiot! You're an even bigger idiot now!"
"Huh?!"
The two of them were interrupted by the sound of metal. Shifts, clanks, and the scraping of armor echoed through the room. 'What was that...' Hefty steps of metallic boots, followed by the rattling of chains on the ground. Jack and Franklin both turned around to face the other end of the room, opposite the entrance.
A headless person in a dull golden suit of armor similar to the ones of the statue stood. On its breastplate was a similar design, the branch with nine leaves and five circles around it, Jack noticed the handle of a sword under the cape. Franklin held his breath in shock as the headless armored man looked at them. There was a collar with a mantel hanging off of it, and an empty spot where a head should have been.
"What... What is that?!" Franklin
Jack had a horrified expression on his face as the armor took a step forward. Jack and Franklin both stepped back, and the armor stopped. It suddenly waved at them.
"What the fuck!", " What in the!" Jack and Franklin both shouted in terror as they stumbled backward.
The armor put its hand to where its mouth should have been as if it was shocked by their reaction.
"What are you!" Franklin shouted.
The armor turned its torso in both directions before it pointed at itself.
"Yes, you!" Franklin shouted louder. "Did it just hear me?"
The armor turned left and right once more as if it was confused, then pointed at Jack and Franklin. The two glanced at each other and back to the suit of armor.
"It can hear us... Without a head..." Jack whispered.
"Where's your head!?" Franklin yelled across the room.
The suit of armor shrugged. The clanks and scrapes of metal started once more. Bodies clad in armor started to stand. They were all around the room covered by darkness, headless knights clad in bright metal armor.
"What..." Jack watched in disbelief.
"Run... Just run!" Franklin panicked in fear as he looked at the knights.
Franklin turned and ran for the exit as fast as he could, Jack watched the suit of armor raise a hand toward them before he turned and ran as well.
"Where do we go?!" Franklin asked.
"How should I know? Where the heck even are we?!" Jack replied as they ran through the arched tunnel.
"Let's go back to Marina and the other-"
"No!" Jack declined immediately.
"Why?!"
"I- I can't!"
"Why not!? It's the safest place to be right now!"
Jack clenched his teeth as he tried to run ahead and ignore him. 'Of all the people who had to follow me! Where am I even going though... I can't face the others...' The sounds of clanking metal behind them made Jack's heart race even faster.
"Stop following us! What are these things!" Franklin yelled wearily.
"Ah! I don't know!"
Jack glanced over his shoulder, and all of the headless knights ran while waving their hands in the air. 'What the fuck!' Jack turned his head forward and focused his spirit on his legs, trying to run even faster as he saw the frightening pursuers. Up ahead, the path led outside. Jack and Franklin sprinted out of the tunnel and found themselves in another hall with a crumbled ceiling. The intersection had three paths, one of which led to a well-lit area, while the path on the left was dark. Jack turned to the last path, which Franklin already was looking at. Several oddly curved pillars stood tall, Jack looked up only to discover that they were the legs of massive skeletons. Their heads slowly creaked downward, and hundreds of green eyes even in the darkness started to light up
"Ah!", "Ha!" Jack and Franklin both screamed and ran even faster.
They ran for the courtyard and approached a flight of stairs. As Jack reached the first step, he looked down and realized the stairs had been destroyed. 'Ah-' Jack focused his spirit on his legs as he hit an uneven ramp, his right ankle bent and he landed on his shoulder, sliding and tumbling down the rough slant. His sleeve and the skin on his shoulder tore as he slid against the ground.
"Ah!" Jack rolled onto his front, he moaned weakly as he grasped the scrape.
Franklin kicked off the slant as he landed on it, jumping past Jack at the bottom of the steps and rolling to break his fall. The courtyard was full of rubble, jagged metal pipes, and chunks of buildings. Right next to a plate of metal stuck into the ground, was a part of the casino from Anka. Jack watched a spark fly off of a live wire, it led behind the debris.
"Hey! Are you good?" Franklin asked as he got to his feet.
"Who was that!" an unfamiliar woman yelled.
Jack and Franklin's heads both shot up as they heard a voice somewhere in the courtyard, 'Crap!' Franklin stood up and crept towards the chunk of the building, glancing past the wall to see who it was. Jack tried to stand but fell to his knees, his shoulder was burning in pain, and the rest of his body was aching as well. 'My spirit didn't break the impact of the fall... No... My spirit didn't flow... Why...' Jack pondered, but squinted after he remembered that he'd pushed himself past his limit long ago. Jack focused his spirit on his legs and struggled to stand straight. 'My arms and legs... I've used way too many Spirit Ignitions...' Jack moved his spirit to his knees, then limped toward where Franklin was.
As Jack got around the rock he saw a small clearing where three people stood. They were all blonde, and one of them was Lector. A woman had a braided ponytail on the right side of their head, she was rather tall but slim. The other was a short man, he had a braided ponytail on the left side of his head. The two of them wore tight white clothes with torn white capes. 'What the heck are they wearing?' Lector was standing several feet away from them. What alarmed Jack and Franklin the most was the insignia on their chest. A golden symbol of a sword with an eye embedded in the guard, always watching. 'Lightbringers! Wait... Isn't that guy also one of them...'
"Laris I know I heard a voice..." The woman with a braided ponytail on the right side of her head whispered.
"Leanne, we're surrounded by who knows how many more of those freaks... We're in their territory right now..." said Laris.
"Screw that, we need to go! Where's Arid?! The darkness can spread to the surface, we need to-"
"We?" Laris spat, cutting Lector off. "Listen to the bastard with his tail between his legs, you weren't even supposed to be here!"
"You weren't even supposed to be here either!" Lector spat. "Lucifer wasn't even here!"
Laris raised his hand and created a block of light above Lector. The block fell, pinning him down and crushing him underneath. 'What the?!' Lector groaned in pain as he was pressed against the dirt.
"Agh!" Lector cried.
"Nosey bastard... You were spying on family eh? How did you find out about that, stupid fucking spies... This deserves punishment, fatal punishment... It'd be fitting for someone like you who should never have been born anyway..." Laris pressed his heel into Lector's head.
"Laris! Over there!" Leanne reacted to the sound of metal-clanking footsteps approaching.
Jack turned to the building he and Franklin had escaped from a minute ago, to see their pursuers still coming, the giant skeletons behind them and all. They ran out into the courtyard. The headless knights pointed their swords forward, the golden knight's sword being especially long. His sword possessed a gold line running down the middle of the blade, and what looked like a golden triangle on the guard. In the center was a green dot with some engravings surrounding it.
"This is bad..." Franklin cowered.
"Woah!" Jack screamed as the giant skeleton landed in the courtyard.
"Ah, shit... Here they come..."
Jack stumbled out of his cover. The three Lightbringers looked at Jack with shocked faces.
"Jack?!" Lector spoke under his breath.
"That's... Isn't that..." Laris squinted. "What..."
"Him..." Leanne said with a shocked expression. "The one who brought the noble of House Rael to his knees..." a grin curled on her face.
"A slave... The one named Jack... The off-worlder was in Andurill... So he was here too..." Laris shouted.
'Shit, focus on movement!' Jack focused his spirit on his legs, however, it didn't flow. Leanne grabbed her whip of golden light, and it flashed as she flailed it. Jack dashed behind a boulder. The whip struck the ground just behind his foot, sweat left all of his pours at once as he barely dodged the lash. Jack landed on his front, he looked back and noticed his pants were slightly burned around his ankle. 'Shit!'
"Jack!" Franklin cried.
"Ah-" Jack crawled against the wall of the debris and leaned against it.
The headless swordsmen in silver and green armor surrounded Franklin. The one with gold and green armor stood atop the broken stairs observing the situation. One knelt down to Franklin. Jack had no time to process it as another whiplash echoed through the air, a bright flash of light made him flinch.
"Jack! What are they doing? Jack?!" Franklin shouted in terror.
"So that confirms it, you are the one Alexander Rael fears," said Laris, standing in front of Jack.
Jack turned to the left and tried to run. But he collided with a wall of light that appeared out of nowhere. 'Ah?!' Jack grabbed his nose and opened one eye, the glint from the light obscured his vision. A sudden force from the side slammed him into the debris, and Jack's body convulsed as he dropped to his knees. 'What happened...'
"Hah! Seriously?" Laris laughed in a condescending tone. "Alexander feared this weakling?" Laris laughed.
Laris moved his hand to the left, and the wall of light followed. Jack held his nose while on the ground. Only to be struck again by another wall of light moving quickly. Jack was dragged against the dirt, tumbling over and over. 'Focus-' The regret from his actions in Anka made his spirit stop. The whip of light suddenly ensnared his neck. 'Shit!'
"I'll give your head to Alexander on a silver platter if he's still alive!" Leanne laughed. "Oh, I hope he lived! He'll be so disappointed to know, I was the one to kill you!"
"Aah!" Jack cried.
Jack's shoulders and head took the brunt of the damage, he winced in pain every time he was dragged through rough and jagged ground covered in the rubble before he heard a loud stomp. 'Ah, what...' Jack looked up and saw the golden headless knight.
"Ah?!" Jack was suddenly startled.
The headless knight smacked his fist onto his chest, over his heart.
"Huh?" Jack's eyes widened
"Damnit! What the hell is that!" Leanne shouted angrily.
The golden knight turned, drew its sword, and lunged forward. Leanne hesitated. She jumped back, and the golden knight swung its sword, cutting the braided ponytail with the blade's tip. Leanne's hair spread out as she looked at the knight with shocked eyes.
"Fucking fiend!" Leanne snapped and flailed the whip around wildly, striking everything around her.
The suit of golden armor barely tried to dodge the whip, just stepping into the right spot and avoiding it efficiently. Jack didn't notice at first, but it looked like a green light glowed within the armor as it dodged every lash. It then drew its sword as it dodged three more wild flails and then jumped forward at Leanne, slashing her right shoulder in a single second with the large straight sword.
"Agh!" Leanne cried.
The knight spun the blade around in his hand and readied for another attack. He quickly slashed left and right, drawing blood from her waist and arm. 'He's swinging that huge blade so easily! Who is this guy?!'
"Ahah!" Leanne cried once more as she dropped her whip.
"Sister!" Laris shouted.
A wall of light suddenly blocked the knight's fourth strike, but he simply leaped above the wall of light. Laris ran for Leanne, only for the headless knight to land in front of him and cut down his chest.
"Ah!" Laris groaned.
A purple beam shot across the sky, lighting up the entire chasm. 'Ajal... He ended up down here too...' Everyone turned to it and noticed a silhouette standing atop the courtyard wall. The figure had a hood, and the ends of its cloak looked like feathers, it had a golden staff on its back. The figure stepped off the wall and fell into the courtyard. Jack got a better view of the bright silver breastplate, gauntlet, and boots with greaves covering up to their knees. The rest of its body was covered in black robes, at the left side of its waist was a sheathed short sword, and at the right was a book as well as several vials full of logorite. 'What the...' She had messy hair and a silver mask covering her mouth. 'A woman?' Her eyes were an ominous yellow. It walked towards the headless knight who looked at her and waved.
"Reygar, the great druids are being summoned, Oaraun has returned," the woman spoke with a serious tone.
The golden suit of armor grasped the air around his head as if surprised, then jumped for joy. 'What the hell is going on... Great druids? And... Oaraun?! Isn't that...' Jack's thoughts were interrupted as he turned to Laris and Leanne, they were running for the gate at the end of the courtyard. 'Huh... Wait... Wait!'
"Get back here! Which one of you did that to Lydia!" Jack shouted in a rage. "Damn angels! You'll pay for what you did! You'll pay for everything! You spineless cowards!"
"Cowards?!" Leanne and Laris both scoffed and came to a stop.
Leanne turned and swung the whip of light horizontally, Jack raised his arms to guard, and he braced for the pain. But the woman in black feathered robes darted in front of him and caught it.
"Ugh! Another pest in the way!" Leanne spat.
"What the..." Jack uttered as he looked at the golden staff in her other hand, the triangle tip had a dark green gem embedded in the middle. 'That knight has one of those embedded in his sword...'
"You there, and that other one over there... You're both purebloods from the surface..." the hooded woman in black and silver asked, her voice slightly muffled by the mask.
Jack tried to crawl away while facing her.
"Fear not, we mean you no harm," the knight assured.
"You... What?" Jack stuttered.
"You damn husk of bones!" Laris raised his hand and a wall of light appeared.
"Husk of bones? My name is Elisia Von Friede, remember that in death, fickle angel..." Elisia drew her silver short sword.
"Leanne! We need to go! Those knights are still over there!" Laris warned.
"I'll kill that useless slave!" Leanne cursed with a wicked grin.
Jack was confused by everything happening around him, 'Who is she? Who is that headless guy? Where are we?! These people were underneath Andurill?!'
Elisia stepped forward and twirled the golden staff. Reygar landed in front of Jack with his broadsword drawn, his armor rattling with a nerve-wracking crackle. The suit of armor stood up straight and pointed towards the two Lightbringers, and then clenched his fist. The fierceness in his movement was different from before.
"And who the hell are you two?!" Laris squinted.
"Forgive him, he is not privileged with speech," Elisia gestured towards the headless knight. "Reygar Von Aegis, first son of Viceroy Gungnir. I am the first daughter of Viceroy Evangeline. Desecrators, it is time for you to pay for the sins of your ancestors."
"Desecrators?" Leanne scoffed. "I have no idea what you're on about..."
"I'm sure, your crimes predate your life after all."
"Huh? Predates our life?" Laris replied.
"The crimes committed by the angels and the demons, you are responsible for the curses placed upon my mother, upon Reygar's father, you will pay with your bl-"
"Stop with the nonsensical rambling!" Leanne shouted and swung her whip.
As the whip struck Elisia, hundreds of black flower petals splashed outwards in all directions. Elisia vanished.
"What the!" said Laris.
Leanne stopped as the black petals flowed like a gentle breeze towards them, and collected. It took the form of the female knight once more as she swung her blade down at Laris. The blonde man tilted his head back and just barely avoided the blade, the tip dragged through his cheek.
"Wench!" Laris cursed.
Elisia thrust her blade forward, and a wall of light blocked her stab. It moved forward and slammed into her shoulder, her metal boots pressed against the dirt. Elisia ducked out of the way as the headless knight dashed forward with his sword raised overhead, focusing his spirit on the blade. 'They can use Spirit Arts?!' Reygar swung it at the wall of light and smashed through it. Laris was shocked, but quickly jumped to the left. The blade sliced the braided tail on the side of his head in half.
"He's strong enough to break my wall?!" Laris stepped back in shock.
Leanne swung at Elisia again but she glided around quickly with legs made from black petals. She floated around the rubble-filled battlefield and disappeared behind a building from Anka. Leanne swung her whip down while maintaining a distance, splitting the building Elisia hid behind.
"Where is she?" Leanne looked up and down.
Elisia ran over the split debris, her footsteps clanging against the stone. She jumped off of the building and raised her blade, Leanne smirked. The whip of light wrapped around Elisia and bound her arms tightly. Leanne swung the knight overhead, however as Elisia passed over Leanne, Jack noticed something fall from her side. 'That's-' Jack saw the vial of logorite glow bright as it fell. Leanne didn't notice the green light, she slammed Elisia into the ground. However, there was no impact, Elisia's body burst into hundreds of black flower petals.
"What?!" said Leanne.
Leanne blinked in confusion as the black petals soared toward her.
"Show your-"
As the vial of logorite shattered against the ground, it exploded and knocked Leanne off her feet. The force sent her across the courtyard, tumbling across the ground and rolling backward onto her front. The petals collected together around Leanne, and Elisia's body reformed behind her. Leanne struggled to her feet, wincing slightly at the burns on her skin. However, she yelped as Elisia grasped her face and pulled her up by the chin.
"Darkroot Magic, Dark Seed!" Elisia chanted ominously.
Elisia held Leanne's face and pulled her back. Elisia held up two fingers, she held something between them as she quickly jabbed her sharp claws into Leanne's shoulder.
"Ah!" Leanne cried.
Leanne cried out in pain and shoved Elisia away as blood spilled from the small wound. Leanne flailed her whip wildly toward the spellcaster knight. Elisia blocked it with her blade but fell back from the force. She rolled backward and focused her spirit on her feet. Elisia dashed forward. Leanne held her shoulder as she jumped back, blood leaking between her fingers.
Elisia grasped the whip of light and pulled Leanne back in. As the angel stumbled, Elisia brought her blade down and cut the rope of light. Leanne stumbled back and reconjured her weapon, then swung it at Elisia once more, however, Elisia simply dodged under the whip and slashed at Leanne's feet, forcing her to jump back again.
"They're strong..." Jack uttered in amazement at the mysterious combatants fending off the Lightbringers.
Jack glanced over to Laris and Reygar who were also locked in combat.
"Dammit! Dammit! Why!?" Laris shouted angrily as he formed multiple squares of light and attempted to crush Reygar.
A hand fell upon Jack's shoulder, he looked behind him to see Franklin, uninjured. Behind him, were the headless knights that chased them earlier. They stood with their arms crossed as they watched the two druids battle the lieutenants of House Lightbringer.
"I think we can get out of here..." Franklin whispered as he glanced at the headless knights behind him. "They haven't tried to stop me, let's just go!"
"But-" Jack looked back to the battle.
"I don't know who they are, but I don't think they are interested in us... Let's just get out of here!" Franklin advised.
"How!" Laris complained angrily.
Laris created squares of light all around Reygar, as they enclosed around him, he focused his spirit on his legs and dashed out of the enclosing cube. A square of light appeared underneath the headless knight and raised him upwards. A large square of light appeared above him, Laris clapped his hands together as both squares sandwiched together.
"I got him-"
A clank of armor landed behind Laris, and his eyes widened. He turned and an upward slash dragged through his chest and grazed his face.
"Ah!" Laris stepped back as blood squirted from his wound, staining his pristine white clothing.
"Holy shit- that guy's strong!" Franklin exclaimed.
"Laris! Why you-" Leanne stopped as the whip of light vanished from her hand. "Huh... what happened?" Leanne glanced at her hand, puzzled as she asked herself what caused her gift to suddenly fail.
"You're quite pompous for someone with such a small amount of ether or knowledge..." Elisia walked past Leanne who was on her knees.
"You dare insult me!" Leanne growled
"While we druids lack the power of Lithonian gifts or the potential of Hydronian gifts, the retainers of Xenia possess gifts which offer utility over power,"
"Utility?! What are you rambling about!" Leanne repeated.
"Reygar possesses the Rite of the Innovator, he sees the ideas that come to your mind before you can even act on them."
Laris's eyebrows raised in shock as he heard that. "What... What kind of gift could do that?!" Laris shouted in disbelief.
"I possess the Rite of the Shepherd, I speak to the plants you see around you, and extract knowledge from them," Elisia pointed at the wound on Leanne.
Leanne's eyes widened as she skipped a breath, her head slowly tilting to where Elisia had jabbed her. Something shifted under her skin.
"What- what'd you do to me!" Leanne cringed, she squeamishly pulled and poked at her wound shuddering all the while.
"Nature-based magic is rather advanced, and the more advanced a magic is, the more constraints there are to its use. I embedded a seed into your shoulder earlier, it fed off the ether you needed to conjure that powerful weapon of yours."
"Get it out! Get this disgusting thing out of me!" Leanne shamelessly demanded with tears running down her face.
Elisia stood and raised the golden staff towards the wounded Lightbringer. "Darkroot Magic, Explosive Spore!"
The lump in her shoulder burst into multiple spikes. Leanne cried out in pain as she fell back and writhed on the ground. 'Wo- woah...' Jack was shocked at the strength of the two. 'They are using Spirit Arts so easily...' Laris heard his sister's screams and ran to her aid. However, upon taking his first step, the headless knight stepped in front of him and planted his gauntlet into Laris's stomach.
"Agh!" Laris fell to his knees.
Reygar raised his blade up and slashed down, but before it could connect, he looked up toward a blue light in the sky.
"Light Magic, Shimmering Ray!"
A beam shot out from the blue light in the sky towards Reygar and Elisia. They both dodged out of the way and jumped back as the beam struck the dirt and spread dust around the field. Jack's brow raised as he watched a man in a blue robe land in the courtyard. Behind him, were two floating blue circles, one big, one small.
"Oh no..." Jack thought.
"Is that..." Franklin uttered nervously.
The angel had a blue cloak around him, and a white shirt with the golden insignia of the Lightbringers on his chest. He had short black hair, his face covered by his collar, and piercing blue eyes. He swung the blue scepter down, the blue crystal orb at its head. The blue circles behind him vanished. His eyes changed to a yellow hue as he looked around and took in the situation.
"Arid Lightbringer..." Jack uttered.