The bird soared through the air, its wings slicing through the wind as it veered straight toward Titus. Just as it reached him, it loosened its grip, sending me plummeting toward the ground. My breath caught in my throat. But before I could hit the earth, Titus lunged forward, seizing my legs in a vice-like grip.
"Did you really think you could escape my wrath? Escape fate?" His voice was like steel, cold and unforgiving. "Once I'm done with you, I'll take care of that traitor, Xanthe. Looks like your meeting with Rhea will be sooner than you expected."
The last thing I saw was the gleam of his blade before it sliced clean through my neck. My head tumbled through the air, yet somehow, I could still see. I watched in horror as Titus strode toward Xanthe's direction.
"XANTHE, NO!"
I bolted upright, gasping for air, my body drenched in sweat. My chest heaved as I frantically glanced around. It was dark, nighttime. Raindrops pattered against the entrance of a small cave, the only source of light filtering in from outside. I was alone. Xanthe's bird was nowhere to be seen, but my battle axe lay beside me. Oddly, it had shrunk, now the perfect size to wield.
How is this possible? I stared at the axe, confusion gripping me.
My entire body was wrapped in rough, uneven bandages, even in places I hadn't been injured. I looked like a mummy, the work of someone unskilled in the art of healing. Beneath me was a makeshift bed of grass and leaves. Whoever had tended to me was long gone.
I had to leave before the Colossal who saved me returned.
I tried to stand, but pain lashed through my body, paralyzing me. My limbs refused to move. My vision blurred, and the last thing I remembered was my eyes slipping shut.
Then, sizzling. The sound of something cooking.
When I woke, daylight poured through the cave entrance. Blinking against the brightness, I turned my head and froze. A little girl stood near a bubbling pot, and behind her, a phantom floated, its translucent form radiating an eerie glow. Flames flickered from its hand, feeding the fire beneath the pot.
And Xanthe's bird, engulfed in flames, stood beside them, smaller than before. Once a towering nine feet, it had shrunk to barely two.
I rubbed my eyes, certain I was hallucinating. But the scene remained unchanged. My breath hitched.
"WOAH, who are you?!" I scrambled back in fear.
At my outburst, the bird's flames vanished. It let out a delighted screech and soared toward me, wings flapping wildly.
The phantom disappeared, and the girl stepped closer.
I snatched up my axe. "Stay back, or I'll use this."
Instantly, the phantom reappeared, a rotating ball of fire forming in its grasp. I knew without a doubt, if I made a move against the girl, the spirit would retaliate.
Pain shot through my body as my wounds reopened.
"Stop it!" The girl's voice was firm yet calm. "He's not a threat." Then she turned to me, her expression softening. "Are you okay?"
I hesitated, my grip on the axe tightening.
I had always believed I was the smallest Colossal in existence. But looking at her, I wasn't so sure anymore. She couldn't have been more than 3'6", just a few inches shorter than me. Her lavender hair was a tangled mess, tied into a ponytail, and her striking green eyes held a mischievous spark. She wore a tattered dress, but even in her ragged state, there was something striking about her. Given time, she could grow into a beauty that might even surpass Caitriona.
"Hello! My name is Novalie Aragón IV, but you can call me Novi," she said, grinning. "Actually, I'm kidding, nobody calls me that. Only my dad. I'm nine years old,turning ten soon! Maybe we could be best friends! Oh! I coul—"
"Okay, okay, I get it," I interrupted before she could continue her endless chatter. "Just tell me, where am I? And where are the other Colossals?"
Her expression turned serious. "Miss Phoenix led me to you. I followed her and found you lying unconscious. You were all alone, so I dragged you here, to my secret base. You have to keep this place a secret, okay?"
Apparently, she often came here to play by herself. She had treated my wounds, claiming I had been unconscious for an entire week.
A week?
I exhaled sharply, my mind reeling.
Who exactly was this girl?
And more importantly, what had happened to me?