The woman advanced with regal grace, each step exuding elegance yet underpinned by the unmistakable poise of a seasoned warrior. Her piercing eyes remained fixed on me, that penetrating stare rising the hairs on the back of my neck. Why was she studying me so intently, like prey being sized up by a lioness?
Then, her hawkish gaze slowly drifted down to my shoulder—my bloodied shoulder with crimson streaks flooding down my arm, the stark realization hit me like a sledgehammer to the gut. I was losing too much blood, and fast. My head swam as I fought to maintain my footing, the world tilting precariously around me.
In an instant, her expression morphed from icy detachment to one of urgent worry. She quickened her steps into a brisk stride, closing the distance between us. Without warning, she scooped me up with a surprising ease, cradling me in her arms as if I weighed nothing at all.
"That bastard Bashka should have faced far worse than a quick death," she seethed through gritted teeth, anger dripping from every venomous word.
The next thing I knew, the ground fell away beneath us as we suddenly took flight, soaring upwards with impossible ease. A startled scream tore from my lips as I instinctively tightened my arms around her, clinging for dear life.
My bloodied shoulder left crimson steaks across her pristine white armor, but did such trivial things even matter now? No, they most certainly did not. Not when my very existence hung by a thread, my life quite literally in her powerful hands.
Where was she taking me? Who—or what—was she? The questions swirled dizzily in my mind as the forest shrank beneath us.
What truly mattered at that moment was the inescapable fact that this unknown woman was crying me off to some unknown destination. A place shrouded in utter mystery, its purpose or peril impossible to discern.
Every instinct screamed at me to fight, to resist this woman's powerful embrace with every ounce of my being. To struggle and claw my way free before whatever dark fate awaited. But I could not. The searing pain and sheer exhaustion rendered me utterly powerless, a raggedy doll in her iron grip.
A cold dread gripped me as my vision worsened, the world around me smearing into abstract shapes and colors. I was losing too much blood, far too quickly. Consciousness was slipping through my fingers like grains of sand.
"Stay strong, Ruby."
Her voice, little more than a whisper, was the last thing I registered before the inky blackness swallowed me whole. What those three words could possibly portend, I hadn't the faintest idea. A plea? A promise? A threat, thinly veiled?
Darkness pressed in from all sides, an infinite void of nothingness. No sight, no sound, no sensation save my own hammering heartbeat. I was utterly alone, adrift in oblivion's cold embrace.
~~~
Reality flickered like a faulty lightbulb, flashes of disparate visions strobing through my mind. One moment, all was consumed by an impenetrable void, the next the three familiar spirits materialized before me. The disorienting flashes left me unsteady, grasping for purchase as I struggled to discern what was real. Was I trapped in a waking dream? Or had the very fabric of existence begun to unravel around me?
A cacophony of raised voices assaulted me, the three spirits berating the white warrior who'd brought me here. Anger and accusation lashed back and forth like whips, but their words blurred together, unintelligible. My head swam as I struggled to comprehend the unraveling situation. Fragments pierced the commotion, "reckless…danger…consequences."
Amidst the swirling maelstrom of shouts, the white warrior materialized beside me, her expression etched with worry. She turned those haunted eyes on me as her lips moved, but the cacophony drowned out whatever reassurance she tried to offer. All I caught was "… right," the words little more than a whisper in the raging storm surrounding us.
My heart pounded as I watched her arguing fiercely with the other three spirits, their faces contorted in fury. Pleas and accusations lashed through the air like arcing electricity. As I strained to make sense of the turmoil, it rained an indecipherable roar, a crashing wave of sensory overload threatening to sweep me away into the abyss of confusion.
'Alright'? The word rang hollow, a fragile reassurance drowned out by the pounding of my pulse. How could anything be alright after what I'd endured? The memory of that nightmarish creature's attack lanced through me like a white-hot blade. I could still the searing pain, the warm gush of blood seeping from the grievous wound.
My hand instinctively went to the injury, but there was nothing—just smooth, unblemished skin. Impossible…yet the weakness still gnawed at my core. Darkness crept in from the edges of my vision as a leaden heaviness dragged at my limbs. Surviving that hellish ordeal had pushed me to the brink, leaving me a husk hovering on the precipice. Would the spirits' arguing ultimately prove meaningless, my fate already sealed? I clung desperately to consciousness, terrified that surrendering to the encroaching blackness would be an inescapable surrender.
A bitter chuckle rattled in my throat as the darkness closed commotion. What an unlucky, cursed existence this had become.
The spirits' frantic arguing faded into a dull roar, their voices muffled as if I was sinking beneath murky waters. My eyelids grew impossibly heavy as the inky blackness encroached. I struggled against it, thrashing weakly, but the riptide was too strong. With a resigned sigh, I surrendered to the unrelenting pull and let the darkness take me under once more. Bitterness and frustration were my last companions as consciousness slipped away, the chaos reading into silence broken only by the thrum of my faltering heartbeat.
~~~
Not yet.
Not yet.
Not yet.
NOT YET!
~~~
A ragged gasp tore from my lips as my eyes snapped open. My body jolted upright, nerves firing on high alert. Where…? This place was utterly foreign—dim shadows danced across unfamiliar walls boxing me in. Panic gripped me as I wheezed for air, head whipping around to take in my strange surroundings.
Then they caught my eye—the spirits, huddled in the corner regarding me with inscrutable stares. All four of them standing side by side.
My muscles tensed instinctively as movement flickered in the corner. But it was only Glacia breaking from the quartet, her luminous blue eyes fixing on me with relief. The gloomy pall clouding her lovely features lifted as she hurried over, raven locks trailing behind her ethereal form.
Before I could react, her slender arms were enveloping me in an achingly gentle embrace. I stiffened at first, but then melted into the hug, her caring grip avoiding any undue pressure on my battered shoulder.
Glacia's words tumbled out in a tremulous rush, her voice thick with remorse. "Oh, Ruby! Thank goodness you've awoken." Wet droplets pattered lightly against my skin as she clung to me, body quivering with repressed sobs. "We were so worried. I'm so sorry we failed you, again and again. We're supposed to protect you but…"
Her apology trailed off into a choked sound of anguish. I could only gape at her, bewildered by the depth of feeling she was exhibiting. Tears? For me? An ache blossomed in my chest as I watched her crystal tears fall. Why was she so distraught over failing me? And what did she mean by protecting me.
Despite my whirling confusion, the simple act of being held close of feeling the soothing warmth of her embrace unlocked something long-denied within me. A desperate yearning I hadn't even realized I harbored until this moment. This tenderness, this care…I'd been stared of it for so long.
But who was she to me? What were any of these enigmatic spirits? Guardians? Companions? The questions ricocheted through my mind, clamoring for answers that remained tantalizingly out of reach.
"Glacia, let her go now. You might reopen her wound," Gaia's gentle voice cut through the emotionally charged moment. She placed a steadying hand on Glacia's shoulder, and reluctantly, Glacia released me from her fierce embrace. She drew back, swiping at the tear tracks staining her cheeks as she struggled to regain her composure.
Gaia's warm gaze settled on me then, her expression a mix of relief and lingering worry. "I am glad you have awoken, Ruby," she murmured, the depth of her concern palpable.
"How long—" I started to ask, my voice rasping slightly from disuse, but Fenix cut me off before I could finish.
"Throughout the whole night you were unconscious," he stated bluntly, his expression was coolly impassive as ever. And yet, as my gaze met his, I detected a glimmer of something in those flinty eyes—worry, perhaps? Concern?
It seemed no matter how aloof Fenix attempted to appear, the depth of emotion displayed so rawly by Glacia and Gaia had cracked his ice veneer as well.
I winced as I cautiously touched my injured shoulder, the pain serving a stark reminder of the horrific incident that unfolded last night. Bashka, that was the name of the creature that haunted my thoughts, its intentions still baffling mystery to me.
The fragmented visions of last night's terrifying encounter continued to assault my mind, each flicker more vivid and haunting than the last. But then, a gentle pressure on my shoulder pulled me back to the present.
I looked up to see the white warrior, her expression grave yet reassuring. Though I didn't know her name, her presence along was a balm against the turmoil raging within me.
"Don't forget what happened to you," he said, his voice low and measured. "But don't let it haunt you either. Use that memory of last night as a lesson the next time you face a Bashka again, Ruby. You now know its weakness, use that to your advantage the net time." Her words washed over me, grounding me in a way I hadn't expected.
Her words hung heavy in the air, their weight amplifying the confusion swirling within me. More encounters with those wretched Bashka creatures? The very notion sent a shudder down my spine. But before I could voice my trepidation, an unexpected sigh unfolded before my eyes.
Glacia, Gaia, Fenix, and the white warrior—the four spirits knelt as one before me. My brow furrowed as the white warrior continued, her tone solemn yet reassuring.
"It is also going to be different this time," she declared her words ringing with conviction. "All four of us, your spirits guardians, will help you from her onwards."
I blinked owlishly, struggling to process this sudden turn of events. Spirits guardians? The revelation only deepened the well of questions within me.