"... What ?"
The strange revelation of Celia didn't made any sense for Asaki. If they, indeed, got attacked by some creatures, which she described as unstoppable. Then... How come that they were alive ?
And... It just felt so confusing ! Were there really some creatures out there ?? Why ? How ???
Asaki's consciousness had now, finally returned, the young man grabbing his head with the palm of his hand to think again about the situation.
"I'll explain it to you, but first..."
Started Celia, slowly walking toward Asaki with a firm, and decided stance.
"Could you tell me, what's your name ? And follow me to the nearest house ? If we stay here..."
Celia looked once again around them, with a worried and scared attitude, which only reinforced the sensation of unrealism already filling the poor man's heart.
"... I don't think we'll make it long enough to continue our conversation."
What did she mean ? Were there really monsters ?? Nah, it wasn't possible, right ?
'But how would Kaoru and the others play such a prank on me...'
Plus, Asaki never saw that girl in his life before, and so, even though he knew everyone at his school. After all, he was the treasurer and so needed to check everybody's payments toward the school.
"Why would I follow you ?"
Asaki was scared, genuinely scared, he didn't know where he was, nor what was happening. And just a few minutes ago, he met a girl whom apparently saved his life and traveled with his unconscious body throughout an apocalypse.
He really had reasons of being doubtful toward her. The lack of lie didn't mean the presence of truth.
And strangely... It didn't even seem to bother Celia, who stepped in even closer, and looked deep into Asaki's eyes. The golden reflections, hiding behind her orange sparking pupils, only growing bigger, as her hand...
Slowly grabbed Asaki's shoulder again.
"Because there's no turning back now ! I saved you, and won't let you die any soon now ! Plus, you're the only one I managed to find alive since... Since..."
Facing the sudden and unexpected gesture, Asaki could only do one thing. Backing away, as he looked with a mix of fear and surprise to the girl. Was she crazy ? Telling him that everyone was dead, and that they even got attacked ! Asaki didn't have any more time to play such games, and just wanted to go home now !
But as his feet stepped backward...
... His upper body didn't move, not by even an inch.
"Wha..."
Luckily, Celia's other hand grabbed Asaki in time to avoid him losing balance, and have his legs floating around as she'd still hold him by the shoulder.
'How can she...'
How could this be possible ?
'How can she be so strong ??'
Even Kaoru, who easily lifted Asaki for multiple times, wouldn't be able to hold him so easily while having his arm totally stretched out. It was like... Impossible.
Noticing the afraid look on Asaki's face, Celia immediately released him as he fully regained his balance, a bit of guiltiness, and shame, filling the two sparking suns.
"Ple... Please don't be afraid, I just panicked a bit when I sensed that you were about to back away, so... I don't want to mean any harm !"
Asaki didn't dare trying to flee away, as the woman was looking at the ground with even more shame, her hands visibly shaking from wrath and regret.
"How are you so..."
This time, Celia didn't even let him finish his sentence, already answering with something that the young man didn't think he'd ever heard in his life.
"Have you heard about the Aurora ?"
°°°
From the sky, above a destroyed and burning city, could be seen two unusual forms walking through the debris. As a hundred of gigantic, horrific, and dreadful ones only gave even more destruction and fear to the poor city.
Soon, the two humanoids forms entered inside of a house, the nearest from their previous localization. The red-haired girl entered first, precariously looking around her before, as the young man then followed her, in a reluctant, but decided, way.
Once the door was close, the sky once again got blinded from their sight, now only the roof being able to tell what was going on there.
Sitting on the ground while trying to not produce any noise, Asaki was the first one to speak, visibly calmed compared to a dozen minute ago.
In front of him, was sitting Celia, also relieved from the trembling and shame which had invaded her before.
Yet, both didn't forget the reason of their arrival here.
"So, Celia. Is it what you're saying, the truth...?"
The Aurora instantly nodded, a scared smile unconsciously forming across her pink and soft lips.
"As you saw by yourself, everything's destroyed here. A lot of people... died.... And... Even as an Aurora, I couldn't do anything for them..."
Once she said earlier that she was an Aurora, everything immediately made sense inside of Asaki's head. How was the girl able to carry him so easily, walk around for hours with a wheelbarrow, and... How hasn't they died, yet.
"But... Why ? Where do these things come from ??"
Sadly, even someone like Celia didn't have the answer. She wasn't part o royalty after all, nor was she from any nobless.
"I wish I knew..."
To think that Asaki would have the chance to talk to an Aurora from so close, without being harmed by an army of fans... He felt genuinely bad that it was in such a situation, his heart unable to violently hurt because of the fear invading it.
'Usually, an Aurora train for her whole life in order to win the Zenith Games, taking place each 9 years... The last time, Archigrad one by almost nothing, due to the sword dual game...'
"Celia. Since the game between the three kingdoms were about to start in March, you didn't got introduced as an Aurora yet, right ?"
The girl nodded, indeed, she hadn't being presented for the games from this year, to the next nine years, as the others 59 participants would have.
"Yeah... As one of the 20 participants of Aldeus, I was supposed to compete against the other country's participants during the Zenith's trials..."
And so it explained why she was so strong, even for a girl of her age... Since kids, the Aurora families, or just the rich ones, trained their kids in order to make them pass the selection's trial. And then participate during the Zenith Games, which intended to create a pacific competition during multiple weeks between the three kingdoms.
It was absolutely the most famous sport, and competition which ever existed, and at the end of each Zenith an Aurora was sure to stay famous for at least twenty years, as how these persons were rare and precious...
After all... Before his eyes stood one of the 60th most powerful person of his generation, as much in influence than pure skill, a true elite.
"Celia... Sorry but... What happened to us, while I was unconscious ?"