As Clive and Biast slowly walked through the city Clive couldn't help but wonder about the moment when time froze slowling down their fall. What surprised Clive the most was the fact that no one else besides his companions had survived the fall. Someone among them had used magick to save them all. The question that plagued Clive was, who was it that saved them ?
As he was thinking about it he turned to Biast, " Biast, how do you think we alone survived while everybody else died in that fall ? "
Biast's face which had a carefree look changed when Clive posed the question.
" I had never thought about that. Think again it is rather odd that we alone survived the fall " unlike the countless others who had plummeted with them, Clive and his companions were inexplicably unharmed.
Suddenly Clive's eyes widened. He just came to a realization.
"If the only ones who had survived where among our group then it means Amina would have survived !, and if i saw no one in the sky chariot using their powers during powers.." he thought to himself. He hadn't seen Amina use magic during the fall. But then again, she wasn't with him when the time slowed down.
They paused for a moment and Clive turned around staring at the lush forest behind them. Although the wall obscured the view, the mere sight of forest sent shivers down his spine.
" It was Amina...she must have used the powers. She was the only one who was not there " Clive muttered under his breath. He didn't dare to say it aloud. Clive was overcome with fear rather than relief for Amina's survival. The mere thought that Amina was somewhere out there in the depths of forest watching them like a predator would its prey made Clive uncomfortable.
" Are you alright ? " A voice startled Clive making him come out of his thoughts.
He shifted his gaze, Biast was shared him a worried glance.
Clive turned, offering a smile that never reached his eyes. "Just...clearing my head," he mumbled,
Although Biast didn't say it out aloud he knew Clive better than that. Something was on his mind. Biast wondered if it was about Amina. Although he hated her from the moment he learned that she had killed a mother and had wished death upon her but the sight of the person who was closest to a brother for him in a rather sad state made him change his mind. Clive saw something in Amina that Biast couldn't understand.
His thoughts were interrupted when a sharp pain shot through him again.
" Aghh ! " Biast winced in pain from the large laceration on his left thigh. The blood from it soaking into the garments under his armor.
Clive who had now noticed the laceration on Biast's thighs knew he had to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. He brought forth his hands and after a quick glance at Biast to make sure he was ready for the pain he pressed his hands against the wound and applied pressure. A low groan escaped his lips. Warm blood from the wound soaked Clive's hands but he ignored it and focused on applying as much force as he could on the wound.
Biast however was beginning to faint from the shear pain and blood loss
" Hold on Biast talk to me ! " Clive shouted desperately
"Every... thing's... spinning," he mumbled while gritting his teeth Biast was fighting the urge to surrender and close his eyes, He couldn't let himself close his eyes even for a minute but his efforts were in vain. His breaths were becoming more and more deep and he was slipping out of consciousness.
Clive's hadn't noticed it but when he was applying the pressure on the wound, he had unknowingly used a part his power he didn't even know he had, to heal the wound and stop the bleeding. The bleeding began to slow, a trickle at first, then stopping altogether.
Clive stared, dumbfounded, at Biast's thigh. Where a moment ago a gaping wound was bleeding profusely. now only a faint red line marred the pale flesh. The edges of the wound seemed to have knit themselves together, leaving behind just a thin red line. Biast, still catching his breath in ragged gasps, finally managed to pry his eyelids open. The haze of pain was receding, replaced by a dull ache and a chilling realization.
"What... what did you do?" he spoke in a weak voice. "I..." Clive stammered, his mind scrambling for an explanation. He looked down at his own hands. "I don't know," he admitted, a bewildered frustration creeping into his voice. "How...?" he breathed, his voice hoarse with disbelief. His hand hovered over the spot, phantom warmth lingering from the press of his palm. He flexed his fingers, a tremor running through them. Had he imagined the entire thing? The searing pain, the frantic pressure, the surge of warmth that had flowed from him into Biast? Neither of them had the time to ponder about this. They had to get to Tiamat quickly. Clive quickly tore off a piece of garment from his own armor and wrapped it around the wound tightly to close the wound.After a minute of resting Clive helped Biast stand up and use him as a support to walk. Despite the fact that the wound had healed, Biast was still unable to walk completely on his own as the wound still hurt him. And so they began walking in the direction Biast had pointed towards earlier.
" Just a bit more " Clive muttered, providing more support to Biast now.
They looked around them. The alley way was in fact larger than they had assumed and was dark due to taller buildings casting their shadows and blocking the sunlight.. They were mostly shops on either side which were either closed or left open a with no items on display to be sold. It appeared that the owners of the shops had just left what ever they were doing and had abandoned their shops suddenly.
" I guess the Ironblood must have moved the people away from the city " Biast spoke while gripping his sword and glancing around themselves.
" Yes...it is rather thoughtful of them to do so "
Together, they stumbled through the underbrush, the sounds of the forest night surrounding them. Clive could feel Biast's wait bearing down on. Biast was growing weak by the second and they had to act fast and they had act now.
After several more minutes they stood at the end of the alleyway which opened into a vast, deserted expanse, a once lively market square now eerily still. The circular space stretched out before them, surrounded by rows of abandoned stalls. These stalls, unlike the closed and shuttered shops of the alleyway, were brimming with a colorful array of goods ranging from jewellery to decadent food. Half-eaten pastries lay abandoned on chipped ceramic plates. Gleaming bolts of silk, the colors of sapphires and emeralds, spilled from overturned baskets.
Clive's attention was shifted to the far side of the Market square from which Tiamat and Aevis waved at them. As Clive and Biast and slowly walked towards Clive wondered what his sergeant would say at the sight of seeing him alive.
" would he at least regret leaving me for dead ? "
By the they they had walked over to Tiamat, he had his back against them. Tiamat and Aevis sat crouched upon a railing beyond which the the river ran.
From here they had a clear view of the Hartan, the fortress were Shiva's dominant was being held captive.
As their footsteps crunched on the gravel, Tiamat finally turned, his voice devoid of warmth when he spoke. "I see you've been… busy surviving,"
Clive boiled with anger as he tightened his wrist he controlled himself. " Yes... but Biast is wounded, we need to find a healer immediately for Biast"
Tiamat had took one look at Biast and realized he would only slow them. " How the hell Wyvern Survive ? i thought him dead when i saw him." Tiamat thought to himself.
Tiamat had one look at Biast's limp and made up his mind that he would just be dead weight. It would be fool's errand to look for a healer, especially so during a battle
Tiamat and Aevis got up grabbed their swords from the ground.
Tiamat announced, " All right then. Now that we are all here its time to move to the fortress." He turned to Clive, " Wyvern we'll leave Biast here for now and come back for him when we are done with -"
" No" Clive shouted cutting him off.
Aevis raised his sword and began walking towards Clive " What did you just say !"
Clive didn't even bother looking at Aevis
" You left me there to die and I am not letting you do the same thing to Biast ! " Clive roared fuming with anger.
Tiamat looked at him, not because he was angry, but rather shocked, for this was the first time Clive had spoken up against him.
" Fine.." He muttered while gritting his teeth and they began walking in the direction of the Fortress
Not even a few minutes later, a loud shriek pierced the air. Clive immediately put his hands at his ears, covering and shielding him from the sound. He looked up at the sky towards the source of the sound and his widened. It was a dragon. Its was white and didn't even look like it was flesh. Its skin resembled armor plates more than skin and its eyes had a deep blue hue to them. Its head was adorned with what appeared to a small crown like object which was made of the same material as its skin.
" This...this is not a dragon...this is an Eikon ! " Clive shouted. He could just feel it. Normal dragons did not channel this much amount of Aether from the air into their body. Only Eikons could this.
" Its.... That's not possible ! " Clive thought to himself. That's when it hit him. Ifrit, who had caused the tragedy at Phoenix gate several years ago was also an abnormality, a second dominant of wire.
" What if...what if he is Ifrit's dominant ? "
The idea seemed stupid, yet it was the only logical conclusion He could think off.