I've always believed that courage is more powerful than fear. It's been my shield against life's cruelty and my weapon to survive every tough day.
But now, faced with danger, four enemies surrounding me, I realize that the courage I carry isn't enough. In this moment, it feels like my emblem of bravery is melting away, overwhelmed by intense fear.
I don't know which direction to run. I know Tigrani and Brugour's capabilities. They're formidable opponents. There's a 50-50 chance of survival if I go their way. And I have no idea what Princess Lanuza is capable of—she might be even worse.
I glance at Lanuza. Her jaws are clenched in anger, and her fists are so tightly balled that her knuckles are turning white. She hates me. Obviously, her first impression of me was a facade.
My gaze shifts to the masked man in front of me. His jaws clench as our eyes meet. I try to read his reaction—each glance, the tension of his jaw, the movement of his arms and shoulders.
His body language tells me otherwise. He steps back, shifting his weight to his leading foot. His right shoulder retracts, as if inviting me to pass and showing me an escape route. He wants to help me escape. What is he doing? What's his motive?
I seize the opportunity. Energy flows swiftly from the gauntlet to my feet. In less than two seconds, I feel my feet propelling me in Killan's direction.
Wire grasses sweep past me as I sprint. I'm fast, or so I thought, but Tigrani's hair makes my escape harder. Her hair lunges towards me like swift-moving serpents, aiming to capture and prevent my escape. I can see the tendrils of her hair, giant serpents slithering on the ground, closing in on me.
"You can't escape!"
I push myself harder. Tigrani's hair is right behind me, determined to catch me before I break free. I notice the grass moving from Brugour's direction. I see sparks from where he's standing.
He's about to attack!
Before he finishes speaking, I feel a surge of electricity in the air. The rocks he's enveloped in electricity are hurled toward me. I estimate that the massive rock will land a few meters ahead of me.
My body senses the danger of impact. The electric current that's surrounding the rocks could unleash upon impact with the ground. I crouch to absorb the impact and then push off, spinning and circling back towards the blazing circle of fire Killan created. I grasp the thick grass and use it to swing my body around.
I sprint back in the direction I came from. In mere seconds, the massive rock explodes in the area I was headed. Once again, I search for an escape route. My feet never stop running as I observe every movement of my enemies. Every joint in my body burns with exertion.
"Groar!"
Brugour follows suit with another boulder. Fortunately, I sense the electric energy of the rocks, allowing me to predict their trajectory. I leap to my left as I notice the rocks whizzing towards me. I deliberately jump higher to avoid the electrified tendrils encasing the rock.
Lanuza stands calmly in her spot at the left corner. She's probably waiting for me to come closer, giving her ample distance to attack. She just needs that distance, because she already has a compelling reason to kill me.
I attempt to return to Killan's direction. I pivot swiftly with the agility I've trained. My plan is to sprint towards Killan, then throw a spear towards Tigrani's direction to distract her.
I notice every movement of her hair, as if it's following her mental commands. A small distraction might create an opening to escape.
Killan's demeanor remains unchanged as I rush towards him. I quickly form a large spear in my hands, wasting no time. I dive to the ground to pivot and assess the direction of the hair woman. I take a few quick steps, then leap high in the air, gauging the actions of the woman with the hair. I sprint a few steps and jump high in the air as I try to gauge the movements of the hair woman, who's still determinedly pursuing me. I take a few steps before leaping high in the air to gauge the hair woman's reaction. I take a few steps before leaping high in the air, timing it to coincide with the hair woman's relentless pursuit.
I hurl the spear with all my might, aiming for her head. The woman is taken aback by my action. I notice her momentary panic as the weapon hurtles towards her. Her thick hair seems to be disconnected from her mind momentarily, halting its pursuit.
It's my chance to head towards Tigrani's direction. Surely, her hair's distraction would create an opening!
To further bewilder my enemies, I follow the spear with two more quickly materialized daggers, all of them aimed at Tigrani's direction, to keep her at bay and disrupt her concentration.
"You little-" the woman's words are cut off as she quickly evades the oncoming spear and two daggers.
I veered away from her, quickly forming four more daggers in my hands and consecutively throwing them in her direction. I need to keep her busy avoiding my projectiles so I can make my escape. It's working!
Tigrani's hair seems confused, unsure of whether to attack me or shield her from my thrown weapons. Her distraction provides me the opening I've been waiting for.
Seizing the moment, I sprint through the small gap between Tigrani and Lanuza, only to be startled by a sight in my path—small pink balls floating in the air. They might seem innocent, but their scent tells me they're dangerous. They're Lanuza's magic, and I'm not entirely sure what they're capable of. Knowing your enemy is half the battle. Unfortunately, all I know about her is her name.
I stop in my tracks and instinctively step back as the small balls approach. My hand automatically forms a katana for defense. I notice Tigrani's hair returning to its normal state, seemingly under her command again as she attempts to attack me.
My grip on the sword tightens.
Just as Tigrani's hair is about to envelop me from the left, I pivot and forcefully swing my sword, aiming to sever the strands of hair. However, I accidentally swat away a red ball in the process. The small ball explodes in a burst of red smoke that I involuntarily inhale. The acrid taste of the smoke fills my throat, almost causing me to choke and stumble.
The bitterness of the smoke nearly makes me retch and fall to the ground. I lose my balance, feeling Tigrani's hair tightly entwining around my arms and legs. I try to summon a weapon from my gauntlet, but the tight grip of the hair restricts my movement.
"She probably thinks she can outwit us!" Tigrani exclaims triumphantly, increasing the pressure of her hair's grip on me.
Agonizing pain courses through my arms and legs as Tigrani's hair constricts around me. It's suffocating me, and she's making sure to make it as painful as possible. I fight back, struggling against the tightening grip, feeling my breath growing shallower.
"Tigrani, stop! You're killing her!" Killan's voice shouts from behind.
"Isn't that the reason we're here? To kill this little gauntlet?" The hair woman snarls with rage.
"The Miss wants her to be eaten alive by the dominus," Lanuza chimes in. She walks closer to the hair woman, her stance suggesting she's pleased to see me on my knees in front of them. "The Miss will be very disappointed if we don't follow her orders."
Brugour roars ferociously.
"What's taking so long?" Another female voice interjects. It sounds familiar, but I can't place it.
A tense silence falls over the scene. A figure emerges, exuding an aura of danger. I notice Tigrani bowing slightly in deference as the newcomer approaches. Anxiety and fear grip my chest, and I struggle to catch my breath, waiting for their next move. My mind races, wondering who this figure could be.
"We have her, Miss," the hair woman says calmly.
"Take her to the dominus. Make sure not a trace of her remains."
The tone, pitch, accent, and sheer anger in her voice strike me. Why does it feel like I know who they're addressing as "Miss," even though I'm facing away from her?
The Miss is here to eliminate me. To destroy the gauntlet I possess. A strong suspicion tells me she's responsible for the former queen's death. She couldn't erase the power of the gauntlet from the deceased queen of House Calore, and now she's in Mors with the same objective: kill me and eliminate the gauntlet.
The hiems. Enhance the hiems and find the others...
Whoever orchestrated the assassination of the gauntlet bearers has plans to conquer the ten kingdoms of Springgan. Kenru's story comes back to me—the four queens: Winter, Vernal, Autumn, and Fall once ruled the kingdom, but a mysterious group caused their disappearance.
The Miss is part of that very council that eliminated the queens.
But who is she?