A deep dark fog slipped out and embraced Nova. For a moment, the black veil covered her entirely. Nova raised her head and locked eyes with Number 1. He subconsciously took a step back as his spine shivered.
Her eyes were completely black and her smile was ominous.
Nova's broken limbs snapped back into place and her open wounds stopped bleeding. She slowly got up and began to stretch.
The soldiers stared the entire time. None of them knew why they couldn't move.
"Stop messing around girl I'm doing you a favor." Number 1 was the first to respond in a voice full of rage. Why wouldn't she stay down?
Nova looked around and found her wooden sword broken in half. She sighed and took a weaponless stance.
Number 1's rage exploded. "After I mess you up I am dragging your body to Sir Alden."
Nova stood calmly unprovoked at his words. Finally, Number 1 dashed forward at an incredible speed. His dagger aimed right for Nova's neck.
Nova took a step back while reaching toward his arms. She swept her foot underneath knocking him off balance. Finally, she forcefully rotated his arms and used his momentum to slam him into the ground.
The soldiers gasped. None of them could keep up with Nova's speed. They only witnessed Number 1 lying on the ground with his dagger stuck in his throat.
Nova slowly got back up. She pointed one dagger forward.
Everyone knew now that the girl in front of them was not the same. Her aura and movements matched an expert far beyond their level. But what scared them the most was she did not use an ounce of Est.
Number 2 was the first to respond. She threw several ice javelins at Nova. However, Nova dogged them with extreme ease.
"Final formation," Number 2 yelled. Her voice was hurried and tainted with anxiety. The remaining 10 soldiers formed a smaller ring around Nova. They wasted no expense to harass Nova with high-level long-distance attacks.
In this formation, the soldiers would take turns to infiltrate and attack the target at close range. However, in this situation, no one dared move first.
The error was costly as Nova quickly dashed at one of the soldiers who was reloading their attack. She easily slashed his throat in one motion. As she killed more of them, the rest became even more fearful to confront her. The vicious cycle continued.
The last soldier Number 2 stood blankly in the middle of her comrade's corpses. Nova stood across from her caked in blood. Her smile never faded.
"What are you," Number 2 asked in desperation and fear. Nova took a step forward silently.
Without another word, she sliced Number 2's head off.
Nova stood over the corpse and looked up at the sky. The sun drifted away behind the clouds and the air became slightly chilly.
"Till next time," Nova murmured out loud before slowly shutting her eyes. Her body collapsed helplessly.
***
(Nova's Point of View)
'Where am I? It's cold and dark.'
Nova curled herself up into a fetal position. In the vast darkness, she could only think of the warmth of her father. Instead, she remembered his back full of cuts and blood.
Images that were not hers, harassed her brain. She saw Alden's solider's bodies surrounded by pools of blood. She heard screams full of agony.
Her body violently shook and spasmed. She felt like her brain was splitting apart and her soul fracturing. Indescribable pain shot through her.
' I want to die!'
A life without her father meant she would never see him smile again. She would never hear his witty remarks anymore. She would never taste his cooking again. She would never hear his wisdom again.
"I can't see you again?"
Why would she want to live without him? She couldn't imagine the pain ever going away. Even if it did, she never wanted to forget him. She couldn't stand living again, so why would she?
A spark of electricity fired through her brain. A new thought form with a surge of dopamine and hope.
She could live forever with him in one place: her memories.
The thought was so ill-prepared and illogical, but she clasped onto it with all her hope.
The pain disappeared as she faded away into a dream no one could wake her up from.
Silently she fell into a deep sleep.