Alric POV
For as long as I could remember, the word parents had meant nothing to me, or to Elina, or to any of the kids in the facility.
The facility had made sure of that.
"Your parents have left you behind, thrown you away without second thoughts, for the greater good," the doctors would say in their cold voices. "Now it's your turn to serve, to do your part for the greater good."
The words had been drilled into us from the start, reinforced as we grew old enough to think for ourselves, and I had come to accept them.
But now, Liora's words had put a dent in their statement.
"That can't be." Elina's voice cut through my thoughts. My eyes shifted to her, only to realize my grip on her hand had loosened, her face lost in confusion, and her steps faltering for a moment.
Her reaction was only normal after all, Liora's words were like a revelation, one that was hard to take in.
"I… don't understand," Elina continued. "They—the people from the facility—told us we were discarded by our parents. That's why we were there in the first place."
Liora, who was already a few paces ahead, turned back to look at us—at Elina. "Not everything is as it seems, Elina," Liora remarked, with a firm voice. "I'm aware of most things—the lies—that the facility has fed everyone of you, but there's more to this story. One that I'll make sure to tell you, but for now…"
Liora's voice intensified as she stared ahead, her gaze fixed somewhere behind us. Her face hardened, and her expression became serious.
"…we need to get away from whoever's trailing us." Her words came with an edge of urgency, her tone sharper now.
Elina and I turned our heads in unison, trying to make sense of what Liora had just said. We went silent, and for a brief moment, we heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
Liora turned to face the cave's exit. "Let's go," she whispered.
We hurriedly made our way towards the exit, the sound of our footsteps echoing in the cave growing louder. We emerged from the cave into a forest, the ground beneath us soft and wet from rain. The air was heavy with damp air, while the leaves above dripped steadily. The soft glow of the moon struggled to shine through the thick storm clouds, above the forest, shrouding it in darkness. As we ran, each step created splashes in the puddles formed by water flowing down the tree trunks.
As we turned the corner around a tree, someone emerged from the darkness blocking our way forward.
A woman.
She had golden yellow hair, damp from the rain, clinging to her face and shoulders. Her black clothes were soaked, sticking to her frame. She looked simple, but what stood out the most about her outfit was the purple armband wrapped around her upper arm.
"To think they would send a general," Liora said, almost to herself. "They must have wanted to keep it under wraps as tightly as possible."
There was a brief moment of silence, broken only by the sound of rain and thunder rumbling, until our pursuer finally spoke.
"You're no ordinary woman," she said, her eyes on Liora.
Then something about her changed. She exuded an intense pressure with a visible light blue aura spiralling around her. For a second, her gaze shifted to Elina and I.
Fear. That's what I felt at the moment. Almost like falling into an endless pit. I struggled to keep myself upright, my gaze landing on Elina. She looked way worse than I did. Terrified.
Reacting on instinct, I moved in front of her to protect her from whatever monstrosity lay in front of us.
"Alric, Elina, I told you before, didn't I?" Liora's voice was calm and reassuring, followed by a gentle smile. "I'll protect you two, no matter what."
Then, suddenly, Liora vanished and was just inches in front of our pursuer.
Liora took the lead by conjuring flames with a snap of her fingers aimed at the woman ahead of her. The woman raised her arm as lethal metal emerged from the ground, forming a shield in time to deflect the fire attack. The clash between the two opposing forces created sparks, with the fire dancing on the metal shield but unable to breach it.
Liora continued without hesitation and advanced with determination. She unleashed a series of fireballs rapidly in her opponent's path. Her opponent reacted swiftly with calculated movements; skillfully shaping the metal around her into forms such as blades and spikes. A sudden strike aimed towards Liora's side brushed against her left shoulder, causing a graze that drew blood, but she didn't pause.
She snapped her fingers and flames in the form of whips burst from her hands. Her opponent pushed back a step in surprise. Liora attacked as she lashed her opponent's way. Despite Liora's attack, the woman displayed agility and skill akin to a practitioner. She swiftly moved to evade an onslaught of lashes. She then retaliated by launching a shower of sharp projectiles directly towards Liora, who had to quickly retreat.
Liora reacted by summoning a fire large enough to be a wall to block the incoming projectiles, but a few metal shards got through and grazed her side. Liora's body suddenly emitted white flames before she vanished again, this time faster.
She was suddenly in front of her opponent, her fists swirling with white flames. Her opponent tried to react by forming a barrier of metal, but Liora was faster, and her punch got through her opponent's chest.
Liora didn't stop there; she continued with a barrage of punches, completely overwhelming her opponent, with the final punch sending her flying.
Liora knelt on one knee. Exhaustion brimming on her face. It was clear that whatever power boost the white flame gave her, it came at the expense of exhausting her energy.
Her opponent was already getting back on her feet when Liora launched a blast of white flames. The woman quickly raised another wall of metal, but this time, the flames ate through it, burning the walls with unyielding heat.
Before her opponent could react, Liora appeared behind her in a flash. A sharp spear of flame formed in her hand. With one precise strike, Liora drove the spear through her back.
Liora pulled back, watching the woman collapse to the ground, defeated.