Artis took a moment to register what Alice just said as he was completely engulfed in fear, not able to think of anything.
"Hey…" Alice whispered, her voice breaking through his haze. "Artis… you listening to me?"
Before he could respond, the cold, detached voice of the woman interrupted them.
"That boy is overwhelmed right now. I was wondering how he managed to stand up to my Skill for long enough, but it seems only 5 minutes is his limit for now. Pretty good for him considering his age." chimed the lady in a cold tone as she continued to stare at the siblings.
Alice looked up, hatred visible in her eyes as her eyes turned red. Without a word, she reached out and covered Artis's ears. Then, she let out a deafening, bone-chilling roar.
The entire room vibrated as an unearthly sound tore through the air, its intensity ripping into the metallic creatures. One by one, they sparked and collapsed, their bodies crumpling like discarded toys.
The woman flinched, momentarily caught off guard. But instead of anger, a solid grin was plastered on her face.
"[Dragon's Roar], Eh? Didn't expect someone to learn this skill...But?"
The lady removed her sunglasses as her deep violet eyes turned red and took a step forward.
The room instantly filled with crushing pressure, heavier than before, suffocating and unrelenting. Alice's body buckled under the weight, forcing her to her knees. Blood dripped from her nose and eyes, pooling at her feet as her hands trembled.
"…[Dragon's Might]," Alice whispered, her voice cracking with despair. "A… Grandmaster-tier skill?"
"Heh, it seems you know it's pointless to fight me. Now, are you finally willing to listen to us?"
Alice...consumed by despair couldn't even respond properly and could only whisper, "Why?"
"Why are you doing this... Why did you attack this ship? What do you want?"
"Hmm? If you really want to know?" answered the lady in a sincere tone, "Well, we are only doing this because of you."
"What?" replied Alice shock visible on her face, "Because of me?"
"That is correct. It's only because we want something from you. The ship attack was just a casualty we wanted to avoid but it will benefit us in the long run. Well, you know the phrase right?
"'Kill two birds with one stone.' Simply, it was perhaps the best opportunity we could get."
Alice continued to listen, her thoughts scrambled as she gritted her teeth in anger and frustration glaring angrily at the lady while holding Artis, "Then why did you attack the ship now? Weren't there more opportunities before?"
"...It's simply because we entered Aurosia. That's the only reason and answer you'll get from me."
Alice continued to struggle, her eyes turning blue as her bleeding stopped and whispered, "Solaro...Lunara...get ready...."
"What are you trying to do?" asked the lady skeptically, "Anything you do is pointless here. There is no hope for you."
"...You are right." agreed Alice, "Perhaps there is no hope for this ship anymore," she then looked at Artis who was still scared, and smiled sincerely.
"But I'll create it. If hope doesn't exist, I'll make it, even if it's just for one person I love. Even if it costs me everything… Even if it's just a glimmer of it...I'll make it."
Alice took a shaky breath and began to stand, her legs quivering under the immense pressure that seemed determined to crush her. Every movement sent sharp pain coursing through her body, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through.
"Solaro…" she whispered, glancing toward the air as if someone invisible stood beside her. "Thank you… for everything you've done for me. Lunaro…" She looked down at Artis, tears brimming in her eyes. "Take him. Protect him."
At that very moment, a bright light filled the entire room blinding every person present there and Artis was snatched away from Alice's arms as his consciousness was back and the light disappeared clearing everything in the room.
The woman's voice broke the silence, sharp with confusion. "What… just happened? What did you do?"
Alice stood tall, the exhaustion and pain etched into her face replaced with fierce determination. Her lips curled into a smug grin as she met the woman's stunned gaze.
"Hope," she said simply, her voice brimming with defiance. "Thanks to Solaro's sacrifice, his Skill activated—every effect, every oppressive force in this room has been erased!"
The woman's eyes widened, her composure breaking.
Alice laughed, a wild and victorious sound. "There it is! That's the expression I wanted to see! Fear. Not your cold, calculating smirk, but real, human fear. Hahahaha!"
She then turned back and looked at Artis with a warm smile, "Artis, you have to run away no matter what. Please, it's my final request for you....escape from here."
"What? No! I can't!" shouted Artis, "I can't leave you behind! No matter what you say to me!"
"But you have to run Artis...." she replied clenching her shoulders, "I can't go on anymore...So please, let me do one good thing for you..."
Artis realized shockingly what Alice meant. Because she was grazed by the paralyzing bullet, she still isn't able to move.
'But that shouldn't be possible! Didn't Alice say that the skill she used reset all the effects on the field...This shouldn't be possible, unless....
'Unless that bullet was a higher level than Alice....'
Heart engulfed in despair, Artis choked as he began running forward but was blocked by an invisible barrier that stood between him and Alice.
Alice continued, tears and fear visible on her face as she continued to smile, "You have to keep on running. Even if it's a closed vessel, keep on running and escape from this hell. And after you manage to escape, don't let your heart drown in despair. Travel like you are meant to do, and continue making people smile with your magic.
"Make new friends out there. Travel with them, find love, eat well, and always remember...Remember that there will be always one person who'll support you no matter what choice you make in the future!
"And always remember...I love you, my stupid little brother...Lunaro...run away!"
"ALICE NO!" screamed Artis as he was pushed back by the White Wolf Lunaro the entire room was filled with explosions blocking Artis's eyesight with the smoke blocking the entrance to the room.
Artis, tears filled in his eyes ran away from the room as the wolf running alongside him disappeared.
Multiple thoughts filled in his head as he continued to run not looking back a single time.
Just as he reached the main deck, a metallic beast appeared before him causing Artis to stop in his tracks.
As the tentacles shot out, a grand piano came from the top crushing the metallic beast completely.
"Keep running, Magician!" whispered the Piano lady, "Escape from this place, because it seems....my time is up."
As another metallic beast appeared behind her and shot out the tentacles aiming at her back.
Artis, struggling to walk and coughing from the heat arrived at the pool area as he saw the entire ocean and weather covered with storms, as if the weather itself was mocking him.
Just at that moment, the lady with purple hair appeared before him landing swiftly in a succession making Artis feel even more despair.
"Your sister certainly gave me trouble," she said, brushing imaginary dust off her coat. "I'll give her credit, truly a Master of Inloen, she had guts and gave quite the speech about hope and escape.
"But kid," her smirk widened, and her voice dripped with disdain, "Don't take any of this personally. This isn't about you, really. But since you're here, let me teach you a life lesson, one you'll never forget."
She raised a finger, wagging it as if lecturing a child.
"The world isn't sunshine and rainbows. This is real life. So go ahead, throw away whatever scraps of hope you have left. No one's coming for you. No help is on the way."
"Don't blame yourself for being powerless..."
"Don't blame yourself for being weak..."
"Don't blame yourself for making any difference back there..."
"You really couldn't have done anything back there!"
"The only thing you should blame....is your fate"
"The only thing you should blame...is your bad luck!"
Artis took a step back, his heart filled with rage and anger as the lady pulled out her gun aiming at Artis. He took another step back but was soon pushed in the front by a huge force from behind shocking him.
Looking back, a bronze-skinned man with a scar on his left eye was looking at him, pity visible in his eyes.
"Peeeeoooowwww!"
A piercing cry echoed through the storm, cutting through the tension. From the sky, a massive creature descended a beast with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle, its enormous wings slicing through the air.
Before Artis could react, the creature swooped down, its talons closing around him with a surprising gentleness. In an instant, the beast lifted him off the deck and soared into the chaotic sky, the wind roaring in his ears.
"What the?!" The violet-haired woman froze, her eyes wide as the beast vanished into the storm.
The scarred man crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "Vaneria… what just happened?"
Vaneria continued to stare at the beast as she rubbed her temples, "Yeah, this is the real world alright? Anything unfortunate can happen at any point in life..."
...
Tranquill Haven Pier, Aurosia, 10:00 PM
A lady with light skin and wavy brown hair riding her motorboat followed her beast in the ocean as she landed near the harbor ejecting out of the boat in a hurry.
"Hey! Are you alright, kid!" she called out, her voice filled with concern as she approached Artis.
But Artis didn't respond. He sat on the ground, staring blankly at the cobblestone street ahead. His clothes were ripped and burned, his skin smeared with ash and blood. His shoulders shook uncontrollably, his breath shallow and ragged.
The only thing that he was alright was the Bracelet that Alice had made for him back in Inloen. But even that was damaged because of the visible burn marks all over the bracelet.
'Why?'
This was the only thought Artis had in his mind.
'How come I managed to escape?'
'Why did this have to happen?'
'Why am I so weak...If only I was stronger...would Alice let me fight by her side...Why did she do it? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?'
Tears continued to flow out from his eyes as he let out a painful choke, just crying uncontrollably at his current situation.
The woman crouched down beside him, her expression softening. "You're safe now," she whispered, though her words felt hollow against the weight of his grief.
The fateful journey from Inloen to Aurosia has finally reached its final destination.