Chapter 7
Time froze. My ears rang violently as I glanced at my surroundings, but my view was blocked by heavy armour.
"Kai….?"
He didn't respond. His body was lying limp and lifeless on top of mine. I quickly pressed my hand against his nose and a warm air pierced my skin, at the very least he was still breathing. I heaved his body off of me and splashed water on his face.
"Gah!! Where is the enemy?" He shrieked.
For a second there I thought he was dead.
Before I could answer, a sudden burst of fire erupted from further in the village. Kai and I both turned our attention towards the blaze wondering if the flames and the earlier roar have any connection.
"Stay here, Water God. I'll go see what's going on!"
Kai leapt towards the blaze with great haste, leaving me behind. Carelessness is the enemy of all children, myself included, but a grown man leaving a vulnerable child alone is a bit...well.
I got up off my feet then dusted off my clothes that were now covered in mud. My instincts argued against going deeper into the village, more specifically towards the fire, but my feet refused to cooperate. Instead they pulled me towards the fire, sooner rather than later I found myself running.
When I arrived at the scene all I could see were several bodies lined up side by side.
"What the hell happened here…."
My question was answered by the sight of an abomination so nightmarish I'd be having sleepless nights for months at least. It had scales covering it's body from head to toe, each of them were glistening in a golden black colour that shimmered in the firelight. A crown like structure was mounted on it's head.
A distinct finning ran on it's back like an exterior spinal cord that reached all the way to it's tailbone. It's eyes glowed in a burning yellow, the same colour as the sun but without any of it's warmth and radiance. One look at it's eyes and I could tell it screamed malice.
"What is that...!?"
"That's what I'd like to know as well."
"Ginevra?"
Her showing up right beside me freaked me out more than the monster. I didn't even hear her coming, though I guess that was to be expected from the commander of the Knight Order. The other knights were lying down numb and immobilized but she was standing here without a scratch on her.
Her gaze turned serious as she looked at me. "I asked you to stay put. What are you doing here?"
"Well, I got worried after Kai left so...."
"He left you unsupervised?!"
Pretty much.
"No he was only going to check on the situation."
That was a blatant lie. At least I hoped deep down that I wasn't lying.
"No matter. Go find someplace to hide, I'll take care of this."
Ginevra stepped forward with all the confidence in the world, each step oozed with pride and valour. She drew her sword and pointed it at the creature, whatever it was.
"Rest in peace now."
With a single motion, she raised her sword high above her head and swung it down with incredible speed. A single flash of light blinded me from seeing the next course of events, only the aftermath of the battle. When I opened my eyes I could see the creature's left half standing independently of it's right half.
The beast had been split it two by Ginevra, and easily no less.
"Phew….." she heaved a sigh.
She returned her sword to it's sheath and with a final "Clink" she turned to her comrades lying on the ground. My hairs stood on end when I caught sight of what was happening. The creature's halves didn't topple over, they remained standing in place with a single thread, a string really, holding them in place.
Another string formed connecting the two halves, and another, and one more. The creature's eyes glowed back to life as it's severed halves connected and became whole again.
"Ginevra!!"
Sadly I'd called out to her too late. The creature swung it's massive hand to Ginevra's side, swatting her away like a common fly. She slammed against the ground with a violent cough of blood before losing consciousness.
The beast started sauntering towards Ginevra but was stopped short by a splash of water hitting it on the side of it's head. The creature turned it's head in the direction the water came from and locked it's eyes on the source. I followed it's line of sight and realised just how badly I'd screwed up.
My left hand was pointed at the creature. I subconsciously launched a Water Ball at it and managed to get it's full attention.
Instinct took over, letting years upon years of practice guide my actions.
I fired another Water Ball to aggravate the beast, prompting it to give chase if I ran away, and I did. The creature followed. I used the puddles of water from my earlier spell to create platforms of ice on the ground.
The beast came at me with a raging fury only to end up slipping on the ice to fall over itself. I took the opportunity to focus my breathing, letting all of my mana flow towards my palms.
"Rapid River!!"
For the second time today, vast amounts of water flew from my palms but this time it was to subdue the creature rather than to douse flames. The title wave collided with the beast, forcing it back with an incredible amount of force. The thing found itself forced against a wall. I'd trapped it between a concrete wall and a raging river.
It let out violent loud screams of resistance but I wouldn't let up on my attack. With a deep breath I cleared my entire consciousness, focusing my mind on a single thought; ice. The water froze starting from my palms all the way to the creature. It's movements slowly lost momentum until the creature eventually stopped moving entirely. My hands and knees sank to the ground, all the tension in my body hit me all at once.
My heart was pounding out of my chest, a single mistake and it would jump out, never to return again. I took one final look at the creature to confirm if it was indeed frozen. It was a rush job so needless to say it lacked any beauty or elegance but it severed it's purpose in restraining the thing so for today, I decided to call it my win.
My mind immediately raced with a number of questions. What the creature was- it's origins, remained a mystery to me and judging by Ginevra's earlier statement I'm not the only one who's completely in the dark on this thing.
How the hell was it able to regenerate!?
Creatures that are split from the middle typically die and stay dead. Not this one though, this monster pulled itself together like it was sowing torn pieces of clothing back together. How- why, it was able to do that seemed unfathomable. There are some spells that are capable of reattaching lost limbs, but none of which are capable of bringing the dead back to life.
At least none I knew of. Drops of water started falling to the ground, I looked up wondering if it was starting to rain. The sky was as clear as ever. It was then that I realised that I was sweating. With the adrenaline gone my body finally started processing what had just happened to me.
"That was so terrifying."
A similar feeling struck me seven years ago, a certain incident shook me to my core. I never thought I'd be met with the same powerless sensation as I did before.
"Crack."
A hair line fracture formed on the shell of ice I used to incarcerate the creature. More cracks formed around the shell of ice.
Crap. Come on body, move! MOVE DAMN YOU!!
My eleven year old body refused to listen to me. I stayed in place completely limb as I watched the ice break apart, the creature shattering the ice to break free.
Several memories flashed before my eyes, some good, others bad, most of which I couldn't recognise but all in all each and everyone of those memories were mine. I shut my eyes bracing myself for death.
A sudden ringing snapped my eyes wide open, revealing a brown haired girl hacking and slashing away at the creature, making mince meat of it's massive body. The beast's remains flew in different directions all around me.
"Now burn." She chanted.
All the pieces instantly caught flame, becoming fuel for the embers that engulfed them. Finally the beast was defeated.
"Eden! Are you alright!?"
I couldn't hear or see anything anymore. My mind and body had given up on absorbing anymore, instead opting to shut down completely. My consciousness faded and I fell to the ground.
***
Eden struggled severely in his battle against the mysterious creature that nearly ended his life. A child his age would've normally given up and bawl their eyes out had they faced such a predicament but through sheer instinct and a bit of divine intervention, the boy survived.
While he fought for dear life on the village of Plaas, a lone woman sat at a table in a restaurant too fancy for a commoner to even think about. Her rosary pink hair, long enough to reach her shoulder, was tied up into a neat bun. A crimson dress adorned her exceptional figure.
Her lips, which are a natural peach pink, were glossed in red lipstick. Her emerald eyes downcast at the sight of her reflection, which was clearly visible from the glass she held in hand.
She felt slightly surprised by how much effort she put into her appearance, especially considering just how much attention she was getting just by sitting alone quietly. What was more surprising than that however, was why she decided to put so much effort into it, who she was trying to put effort into her appearance for.
Her lips curled into a thin smile when she thought about him and the quirks that he possessed. His overconfidence, his sarcastic attitude, his ability to make her laugh even when she didn't was to.
Physically he was a child but his mind worked in ways that always found new ways to surprise her.
Honestly...him of all people?
Reiya Watterson thought to herself, and wondered just what it was that made her agree to meeting with Eden Connor on a date. On this particular day of all days.