In a familiar forest, Kiara wakes up again inside her nightmare. She turns her head in a snappy motion to see the shadowy figure from her nightmares. His clothes and body resemble more of a person with tattered faded clothes but his face is still distorted.
It's the same nightmare she had her entire weekend. Her surroundings felt both foreign and familiar yet slightly different every time. The air is filled with an eerie silence only broken by the distant rustling of the trees above her. The figure steps forward, and his footfalls reverberate in the air. There is something powerful yet ancient exuding from the man as the force of his steps rang in Kiara's ear. He shrugs his shoulders, clearly unamused with her as if she is nothing more of a nuisance.
It didn't feel like a dream yet blurring the lines between reality and a nightmare.
"Well if we are going to get along for now," the figure's voice felt clear yet ancient. His facial features were sketched and distorted, unable to be seen. "My name is…."
Kiara wakes up in a cold sweat. Her ceiling fan brings a cold contrast to the fiery heat in her body. She holds her head in her hands, her breath ragged and her heart beats as if it is going crazy on caffeine. She is free from the nightmare yet her limbs felt heavy and trapped. Each pulse felt like a hammer on her head.
She felt her eyes tearing up., an overwhelming sense of fear and exhaustion. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Kiara decides to clear her mind. Wearing her streetwear clothing, Kiara climbs down the steps quietly trying not to alert her grandfather. She makes sure not to make any loud noises as she closes the front door.
Walking through the busy city streets as her eyes gaze upon the sparkling night sky above her. She looked briefly at the pedestrians walking near her to make sure the coast was clear. For the first time in this whole week- Kiara felt so disconnected from the chaos, and especially the relentless echo of her thoughts. As soon as nobody was near, she quickly jumped and bounced off the brick walls of the alleyway. She quickly lays her back on the cool surface of the building's rooftop.
The busy city streets hum below her- just distant voices and street lights. The chill of the night air felt refreshing against her skin. She is alone on the rooftop with only the memories of the events of that happened earlier that day.
Kiara's hands clutch into fists, the knuckles turning into pure white. The council member's words stung deeply but what hurts the most for Kiara is that it had a semblance of truth buried within them. Does she even have the strength to prove them wrong?
Am I really just prey- someone who can easily be manipulated? Kiara thinks somberly to herself, How could they set up a person to fail like that?
Kiara's hands almost bleed as her fingers dig deeply into each other. Her eyes narrowed with frustration and anger.
"I'll show them. I won't let them break me down," Kiara calmly mutters to herself, a low yet resolute promise to herself.
Before Kiara can continue her thoughts, a loud gust of wind is heard a couple areas away from her. She quickly turns her head to see a cloaked figure appearing from a large smoke cloud, the air and area around it distorted from its presence.
Kiara lowers her head to make sure that the cloaked figure doesn't see her. She watches as he quickly leaps dashes off and jumps off many rooftops to his location. The air felt unsettling and crackly like something bad is about to happen.
"I shouldn't get involved," Kiara mutters to herself. I don't even know if he is even a warden?
Kiara closes her eyes trying to pick between two hard decisions. She unclenches her fists and swiftly moves them into a hand sign. She couldn't ignore this, not when something felt wrong.
In a quick second, Kiara's clothes are engulfed in a black mist as her street clothes are replaced with her warden uniform. Her katana sheath is next to her side.
"This is so stupid," Kiara mutters to herself dripping with sarcasm.
Kiara makes chase towards the cloaked figure as she quickly jumps off many rooftops to bridge the distance between them. She pushes herself forward, each leap more sharper and more calculated. Her feet felt airborne before landing with a precise ease landing on the edge of the rooftops. The thrill of the chase fuels her adrenaline as well as the sound of her shoes easing in with a rhythmic beat.
She sees up ahead that the man stopped on a rooftop eyeing the Crimson PineGlade in the distance ahead. He raises his hand in the air forming a hand sign. The air around him starts to distort like a mini black hole. The wind starts to swirl around him like a mini tornado with leaves and dirt spiraling out of control as the air whips and cracks.
"Alright Mr. Cloak and daggers, let's see if your skills are as sharp as your fashion sense," Kiara playfully quips before dramatically swinging her katana down at the figure. The man turns his head confused at seeing Kiara's presence, but before Kiara can strike, a loud deafening noise rings in her ear.
In a sudden burst, it felt like the world was spinning around and spiraling out of control. Her arms and legs turn gelatinous as her body feels like it is pulling apart. She swirls around like what feels like a whirlwind as her body rolls at a dizzying speed and multiple neutral gray colors fly by her at an intense velocity.
Kiara tries to scream but no sound escapes through her lips. Before she can react, her landscapes start to form a mysterious forest. The moon shined brightly like a spotlight on where Kiara and the cloaked man teleported. Their bodies bathed in the pure white glistening light casting long deep shadows on their presence.
The air is thick with an earthy scent of damp moss, with the only sound being the rustling leaves. The tree branches sway under the breeze. Multiple Elusives in the area start traveling toward their location, alerted by the noise.
Kiara's eyes open as she sees she has appeared in a forest area similar to that of her recent dreams but before Kiara can react to her new surroundings, the cloaked individual kicks her at her side and she rolls off into an unknown area.
Quickly getting up, Kiara's head spins violently as her visions blurs. Her body screamed for relief but there was no time to rest. Swinging her arm, a black mist rematerializes her katana as she locks the blade with her unknown enemy. As the man swings his blade in a rapid succession of attacks, Kiara quickly remembers her earlier training and tries to use Sentinel form to block the sword swings.
Kiara blocks the attacks with a quick succession of blocks but a few slices from her enemy momentarily slip through. Her arms were taking a heavier toll on her body as each swing took more effort than the last. The Hero steps back creating a large distance between him and Kiara. He cautiously steps around Kiara almost as if his mind is elsewhere.
"How about you say something, Mr. Edgelord," Kiara says with a cocky grin, "What's the matter, lost for words?"
She gives off a defiant wink, trying to keep her cool but her thoughts scream in panic.
Holy hell He's going to cut me in half, Kiara screams to herself, Why am I doing this? I should go back to being the quiet weak Kiara, not the sassy defiant idiot. He's going to kill me.
She forces herself to stand tall but her grip around her katana starts to waver. She could feel her hands sweaty profusely as the cloaked man raised his blade high in the air.
Kiara's body trembles as she tries to stand tall. The cloaked enemy starts moving toward Kiara, his footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves on the forest floor as he slowly builds up momentum. He approaches like a storm about to crash into a cardboard house and Kiara is that cardboard house.
Oh yeah, he's serious. Kiara's eyes widened taking a step back, Even though I hated being so docile and weak, at least I didn't go past my comfort zone. Why did I think I could change?
It is like a whirlwind of self-doubt swirling in her head but she manages to defiantly stand tall against her adversary.
The enemy swings his blade in an arc, narrowly missing Kiara by an inch. The sound created is deafening as the force ripples through the Crimson PineGlade. Her eyes widen as she senses the power radiating off his weapon. The pressure is like standing next to a moving bullet train.
Kiara rolls out of the way, her body tumbling around the forest floor. She had to keep moving no matter how much her body is on the edge of breaking. The man turns his head in a cracking motion clearly signaling Kiara to run away. He moves his body in an unnatural motion, throwing his blade in a stabbing motion but Kiara thinks quickly on her feet.
"I'm running away," Kiara screams out to herself, as she kicks herself off the ground and runs away from the danger. The cloaked figure stands there tall and confused but he quickly makes chase against Kiara.
Okay. How do I plan this? He's moving way too fast for this stupid plan to work, Kiara's mind races trying to calm herself down. Think! Use that ancestral mindset!
The man's cloak sways in the wind as his steps feel like firecrackers on the ground. He turns with chilling precision like a predator eyeing its prey as he smoothly watches her scramble to her feet.
Kiara's eyes dart to a nearby tree ahead, knowing she can't outrun him. As her instincts kick in, she rolls herself to the covers of the tree preparing to sneak attack behind him.
She keeps her body low, as well as keeping her breath steady. She knows this is the dumbest thing she has ever done, probably more so than using her phone in broad daylight for a school test. Still, she moves behind the tree, keeping her eyes locked on the man chasing her.
The man walks towards the area Kiara is in, his head turning with an unnerving sharp movement. His hand unsheathes his blade- his blade rises in the air, ready to strike.
With a swift fluid motion, the blade slices through many trees, gleaming in the moonlight. The tree tops slowly fall down and crash onto the ground. Kiara holds her breath waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
This is it. She has to make her move before it's too late. Her pulse thickens as the sound of the trees falling reverberates across the forest around her.
With a burst of speed, Kiara jumps out like a coil spring behind the man as she rushes towards him. The man's head snaps around, turning his attention towards Kiara.
Don't think. Aim for the face, Kiara swings her katana in a powerful arc, its razor-sharp edge aiming towards the man's masked face. His blade crashes against Kiara's katana, the momentum feels like it is crushing the air in her lungs.
Don't aim for the face- aim for the side, Kiara pivots around the man, her footsteps moving like she is in dance class, aiming at his side with a deadly focus. The attempt fails again as the man shifts his body, clashing his blade against Kiara's, protecting himself.
Maybe I should do the other side, Kiara nonchalantly thinks to herself before feeling a cold smack to her face. Her body falls and rolls violently across the floor before slowly coming to a sudden stop.
The ringing in Kiara's ears slowly dulls as the chaos settles. She felt something stuck in the back of her throat, spitting to the side- yep, blood.
Her body twitches slightly as she tries to move. Her eyes darted to see something unnecessary to her situation- Elusives. Their beast-like presence stares down Kiara and the cloaked man, their forms pitch black, their forms shifting from solid to liquid. Their eyes are pure white like the moon shining above them.
Oh come on, Kiara annoyingly thinks to herself, rolling her eyes. Not now. I'm about to be annihilated by this guy and now I have to deal with these things.
She's not sure what's worse- the pain of the smack or the unnerving presence of these creatures. She felt a chill run up her spine with every instinct in her body telling her to run but there is nowhere to run.
One of the creatures opens its mouth, its gaping jaw too wide and grotesquely distorted. The spirits edge closer, their presence suffocating as Kiara's adrenaline kicks.
The Hero worryingly clutches his blade, noticing the curse spirits above Kiara. His eyes squint, narrowing behind the lenses of his goggles. The glare begins to fade, something shimmering in the reflection.
He senses an unusual amount of spiritual energy in the distance, with the amount of Elusives quickly scurrying to their location. The man slowly walks forward to the source of the unusual energy.
The Elusives pounce in a sudden burst of raw silence with claws extended and their bodies streamlined midair. Reacting quickly, Kiara dodges out of the way as the Elusives crash into the ground. With a grunt, Kiara pushes herself up, forcing her body to respond despite the pain.
She isn't going down without a fight.
Kiara's eyes darted to see the cloaked man walking away. Just like that. Before Kiara can scream out, the two Elusives scurry towards Kiara, their forms pulsing like liquid shadows, seeping in and out of themselves.
"Hey! Get back here," Kiara shouts out as she frantically swings her katana, "I hope you're walking off to your grave."
The man turns his head slightly for a second before completely ignoring Kiara. His footsteps felt heavy as they faintly crunched on the soft muddy surface. Each step stretched the silence thinner until the sound itself was holding its breath.
Kiara's quip falters as she gags on the Elusive's stench- suffocating, metallic oil-slick rot exuding from their pulsating forms. The smell clings to the back of her throat like tar.
With a quick flick of his wrists, the man slices through the many Elusives in his way, cutting through the air with a hiss. The Elusive's forms bubbles and hiss before exploding like a popped balloon.
The dark spiritual energy transfers to the man's blade- glowing dark purple with an ominous power. Kiara's eyes narrow as she sees the Elusives pounce on her with their claws extended and their bodies streaking in the air.
Jumping back, Kiara dodges the second attempt on her life. Swinging her katana, the blade's weight swings down through in a wide arc. The sound of the cut air precedes the impact of Kiara slicing the Elusive in the shoulder.
The Elusive reacts violently, its body distorting and morphing unnaturally like a piece of jello. The other Elusive scurries towards Kiara, its slime-like body dragging itself across the floor. With a quick draw, Kiara slices the Elusive with a sharp thunk before a hidden tentacle slams her onto her side.
Clenching her jaw, she holds her ground. Pivoting around the creature, Kiara slices the Elusive in its core- instantly causing it to rupture in a deafening pop. Stumbling to her feet, she turns her head to see Elusive's jaws bouncing near her face.
Reacting quickly, she slides on her feet, causing herself to fall back first onto the ground. As the Elusive crashes into the ground, its form pulsates and shifts from solid to liquid goo. Kiara's body twitches as she forces herself to move.
Kiara charges towards the Elusive, stabbing the polymorphous creature in its core. The creature screams violently as it tries to launch Kiara away like a bull trying to launch a bull rider off its saddle. Holding tightly, Kiara manages to insert the katana straight into the Elusive, causing it to burst violently.
Kiara falls onto the ground with a violent thud. Both of the Elusives' dark spiritual energy transfers itself to her katana, glowing a bright neutral color.
"Shabam," Kiara says weakly, trying to see where the cloaked man went, "I really needed that XP boost."
Turning her head in multiple directions, Kiara hears the sounds of many Elusive's death cries in the distance. Not wasting a second, Kiara pursues the noise, her feet pounding against the earth as her surroundings start to blur. Her breaths became ragged as each inhale felt desperate.
Kiara sees the man slicing down many Elusives in his path, absorbing their spiritual energy as he goes. Kiara pounces like a spring, launching herself towards her enemy. Turning his head violently, the man blocks Kiara's strike with a loud clash. Kiara sees the surprise in the man's eye as she looks through his goggles.
"You think you can just walk you whenever you want," Kiara defiantly smirks, her voice cracking with personality. "I'm still here, and I'm not running away anytime soon. "
The man's weight on his blade starts to slowly overpower Kiara. She feels like gravity is slowly pushing her down onto the floor. The force reverberates through her joints causing it to scream in pain. Tightening her grip, Kiara holds on to her katana as she looks directly at the man. The ground feels heavier as the force of the man pushes Kiara down.
"I don't know what you're planning but you exude evil energy," Kiara jokes to herself, trying to maintain control of the fight. Her thoughts tell a different story- I have to get out of this. I can't hold on much longer.
Noticing that the man is intently focused, Kiara's gaze looks down at the man's shin. With a flick of her foot, she kicks straight with a sharp, bone-jarring crack. An instant pain shoots out through the man's leg, and his muscles lock with a reflexive spasm.
The man's eyes widen through his goggles with a low grunt escaping through his mask. Kiara stares dumbfounded at what she just did.
Did I just…Kiara thinks momentarily stunned by her success. Did she just get lucky? Is this a sign she's more capable than she thought? I need to keep this momentum going, grasping her katana, Kiara swings her katana with a silent strike.
Reacting to this, the man leaps back dodging her strike, pain searing through his foot. As he lands, he raises his blade prepared to strike, his eyes circling her like a wolf eyeing a little rabbit.
For a long second, no one makes a move. The starry night radiates deep indigo, with an orchestra of white and pale blue diamonds shimmering brightly. The wind stirs softly between the two as they both tightly grasp their weapons.
I've got one shot at this. Kiara breathes heavily her chest rising up and down. At Least I'll go out with style but I have to take him out as well. Sorry Grandpa if I don't make it out alive.
With a kick of her foot, Kiara rushes towards her enemy, her katana clashing with the man's blade. Each strike moves them into more uncharted territory in the Crimson PineGlade as they keep striking against each other and stepping back to create distance between each other.
The man's blade suddenly glows with a surge of spiritual energy. Reacting quickly Kiara dodges the attack as the man swings his blade cutting down many nearby trees in the process.
As Kiara appears out of the smoke cloud, the man reacts with quick motions instantly immobilizing Kiara with hand-to-hand combat. Caught off guard, Kiara tries to fight back by swinging her katana but the man pivots around her and smacks her on the neck.
Kiara collapses onto the ground as the pain reverberates around her body from the earlier attacks. The Hero tilts his head before his gaze is met with something unique in the distance.
A small totem is revealed out of the smoke cloud instantly catching both Kiara and the cloaked man off guard. Kiara's eyes widen as she remembers more of her dream. A forest area at night and a broken talisman. Is her dream becoming a reality?
"Talk about luck." the man softly mutters to himself sheathing his blade, "Guess some things do fall into place."
Kiara watches as the cloaked man walks closer to the talisman, her vision becoming blurry from exhaustion. Her fist grasps tightly on her katana.
Am I supposed to stop whatever is about to happen in my nightmare, Kiara worryingly thinks to herself as she slowly gets up, This is just like the dream. The forest…the talisman….Is this really happening right now?
Her hands tighten around her katana. I have to try. I have to do something.
The Hero gently pushes aside the moss and vines covering the talisman. He examines the artifact before starting to dismantle the 6000-layer defense system. Surrounding his hand with spiritual energy, the talisman surrounds itself with a layer of defense. A kaleidoscope of blue and purple barrier enshrouding the talisman glimmers brightly like pure ice.
"Noxium," the man mutters beneath his mask, the barrier shines brightly, nearly blinding the man with its kaleidoscope of bright shades of blue and purple. A single crack forms on the barrier like glass shattering. One by one, the barriers around the talisman start to shatter and whither away, the force sending a large shockwave across the forest. The leaves rustle violently and the earth below rumbles like a mini earthquake.
The shockwave felt like a physical blow on Kiara with her lungs shaking violently and vibrations reverberating across her body.
If that's a talisman containing an Ascendant then that means ... .Kiara's thoughts collide against each other with no time to breathe. "I'm not allowing that to happen," Kiara declares, charging with her katana towards the man.
As Kiara is trying to stop the man from messing with the talisman, the master continues his speech with the congregation. The air felt thick with anticipation, as the sounds of shoes echo in the room.
"The Hero will bring peace to the world as we proclaim," the master shouts out, his voice barely muffled through his mask. His arms move gracefully like a performer on stage. "The power that would be enough to bring calamity is right next to us and we fail to see it."
The master's voice seems to echo in the city as it transitions to the outskirts of the city in an abandoned factory. Hirano stares off into the distance, his black coat swaying left and right in the cold night air. Lilith gracefully floats over placing a blanket over Hirano's shoulder.
"What are you looking at?" Lilith questions, her ravens slowly perch themselves on her shoulders.
"Something is going on," Hirano says calmly, taking one of his hands out of his pockets, "Something is going on in the Crimson PineGlade."
"I sense an increased amount of negative spiritual energy in a certain area," Hirano explains, his tone low and cracked. "It has appeared in the last 30 minutes. That's not normal."
A loud spark reverberates loudly as they fly out in multiple directions. Kiara locks her katana against the man. One of his arms grasps tightly on his blade while the other is busy breaking through the defense system.
"Why are you freeing an Ascendant?" Kiara angrily questions, trying to inquire answers from the man. The man swings his blade high in the air, and the swing crashes into Kiara's katana. The weight causes Kiara to lose her balance.
"Imagine the power we had if we could harness the strength of powerful deities that can effortlessly take over a large country without breaking a sweat," the master narrates. The followers murmur between each other, broken only by the rising voice of the master.
"Maybe that can lead us to the talisman," Hirano protests, his tired scornful eyes glaring at the forest area, "It's about time the Ascendants find one another after centuries separated."
"It's very late Hirano," Lilith quietly murmurs, placing her hand on her face, "Maybe you can look into it tomorrow."
"It's exactly what he wants–what our so-called father wants," Hirano angrily shouts back, "He wants us to stay in the shadows, not interfere yet he also wants us to free our brethren, our sisters from their prisons."
"These beings are known as Ascendants my followers," the master palms face outwards towards his followers. He takes precisely measured steps around the stage walking around in a circle. "These beings are harbingers of evil itself, forces that will show no mercy to humanity. Potentially bringing it to their knees."
"I know you're upset Hirano but rushing into things will only make things worse," Lilith brushes a stray lock of hair from Hirano's forehead, "We've been separated for so long from everyone else but you still have me, Kawata, and our father. A few more hours won't change things. Rest tonight and we'll work things out tomorrow."
"Yeah, listen to your big sister," Kawata calls through the window, her cheek lazily resting against her arm.
"You ruined the moment," Hirano annoyingly mutters his breath, his words sharp before turning back into the building. Lilith gently floats inside, closing the door with a quiet, graceful motion.
"In this very moment, the Hero himself will give us a gift straight from the gods themselves," the master proclaims loudly, his voice echoing with anticipation. Everyone in the room starts clapping in unison, their claps unnervingly synchronized. "If he is successful right now, imagine the power we'll have at our disposal. Imagine all your wildest dreams coming true, the possibilities at our fingertips."
Simultaneously, the Hero launches Kiara back with a devastating kick sending her crashing into a nearby tree. Tightening his grip on the talisman, the barriers start shattering one by one with increasing speed instead of cracking like ice. After a couple seconds, the talisman's defense system collapses completely.
"This is the world we live in. This is the world of the supernatural. This is our reality," The man shouts with fiery passion to the people in front. "The world you know has been flipped upside down. Our time is now."
At the same time, the Hero looks down at the talisman in his hands, his eyes narrowing on the artifact. He remembers the master's advice- The Eternal wheel activates when it detects a threat. Breaking the 6000 seal defense doesn't trigger it but activates the final spell. Absorb the Ascendant's power but don't present yourself as a threat to the talisman.
"Siphonare," the Hero mutters to himself, the talisman levitates slightly in the air as the energy flows into a tiny orb. Kiara watches in horror as the bright purple and neon colors surge from the talisman. The wind felt even more violent than when the barriers were being broken. It felt like a pure hurricane- a Category 5 storm. The trees ripped violently off their roots crashing into others.
The Ascendant will likely die in the talisman due to his power being absorbed fully, the Hero remembers the master's final words before partaking in this mission. He felt his foot slipping as the winds became more extreme and dangerous. He remembers his final warning: Do not fail.
Many civilians in the city pull out their phones recording the violent shaking and winds coming directly from the Crimson PineGlade. The congregation feels a violent shaking in the room mirroring the one in the forest.
I can't let him free an Ascendant, Kiara's mind races against the clock. She remembers Adam's words: "They might no longer be the deities that once tried to destroy the world but they are likely stronger than most wardens."
Kiara rushes herself against the cloaked man, swinging her katana in a powerful arc. The Hero, distracted by the absorption process, is caught off guard by Kiara's attack. He accidentally swings the talisman in Kiara's trajectory- too late. Both of their eyes widen as Kiara strikes the talisman with a sharp resounding crack.
For a second nothing happens as they both stare- not knowing what's next. Kiara's katana stops halfway through the talisman, the surface cracked as a kaleidoscope of colors leaks through. Suddenly in a violent explosion, an intricate pattern of colors explodes right in front of Kiara. The force sends both Kiara and the man in different directions.
In Kiara's head, she sees a multitude of colors transmitting in her head at high speeds. She felt like her head was about to pop due to the amount of information her brain was absorbing.
A silver thread spirals and weaves into a shape that pulses like a heartbeat reaching across the void of two distant souls. Kiara's soul feels anchored to something- something ancient and powerful. Distant screams followed behind her, echoing the silence in her ears.
The master bows down to his followers. Everyone claps in a rhythm, creating a rhythmic percussive orchestra.
"This is no longer a world of lies. We will never yield to the ancient forces condemning our world," the master proclaims, his voice rising like a symphony, his palms facing the crowd, "Change can be difficult, yes. But it's inevitable. It's time we stop cowering in fear but embrace it."
Opening her eyes, Kiara's vision blurs as she sees a person standing over the destroyed talisman in the background. The Hero stands up, his stance wobbly as he sees the Ascendant freed from his prison. He takes a step back terrified at seeing the ancient being in front of him.
Kiara raises her katana high, preparing for the inevitable. The Ascendant's hair is shaggy and messy and his clothes are ancient and faded. Kiara could tell that this being was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Many Elusives in the outskirts of the forest start howling with an intense pain sensing something powerful in the air. Their forms shift out of control as their jaws widen grotesquely.
"What do I do?" Kiara breathes heavily, sweat dripping off her face. The air feels suffocating in the area she is in. Her fingers grip heavily on her katana but her battle stance trembles. Her opponent stands before her, engulfed in a whirlwind of spiritual energy.
She is deep in the forest, alone, facing someone far much stronger than her. She only has her skills and blade to rely on. The talisman behind him lies in ruins. The energy he is emitting slowly crushes the air from Kiara's lungs. He slowly steps forward towards Kiara, his footsteps slow and deliberate, his presence overwhelming.
The Hero stares at the Ascendant standing before him, not wanting to fight– this is way beyond him. The very air around him felt oppressive as the wind howled like a storm. He looks over the pulsating orb of absorbed spiritual energy. Not wasting a second, he rushes out of the scene, the chaos around him blurred as he sprints away.
Kiara's eyes darted to see the coward running away. It is all his fault- he is the one who pursued to free the Ascendant. Why is he running away?
"Thank you for releasing me. "His voice is cold, husky. With a flick of his wrist, a blade materializes in his outstretched hands, "It's been a while since I've been in a battle. Prepare yourself, girl." His voice is shallow and quiet.
Fear taking control of her.
There was only one way out of this.
Only one way out of this situation.