Chapter 8

Sighing in dismay, Nekane turned back to the boy. The poor child was trembling all over, and his eyes were even wider than before. The calamity’s timing really couldn’t have been worse. She kneeled down in front of him, looking into his eyes.

“Stay hidden, okay? Don’t do anything rash now.” He simply nodded, almost literally rooted to the spot, and she flashed him a wry smile before rising to her feet.

If silence was the greatest noise of all, then this situation would’ve been a very large void of nothingness in both sound and life. Nekane grimaced at the sight of the creature’s wake growing steadily closer. It’d only be a matter of time before it would reach this alleyway, and then the boy would be doomed.

She didn’t know why she was starting to get attached to people; with her goal came a nomadic-like lifestyle, and she’d never be able to stay long with those she’d come to bond with. But it didn’t matter to her. Her reality was one of duty; he was young and innocent, and she was the only thing shielding him from imminent death. And if such was to be her fate until the day she’d accomplish her task, then so be it.

Her eyes narrowed as a wave of panicky people tore past her, running only to save their very own lives. Among the rubble, fire and plumes of smoke, she managed to spot an omnipotent flash of black through the chaos.

‘If only Aylen and the rest of Hanai could see me now.’ she thought grimly, emerging from the alleyway despite the protesting of her senses.

In the process of stepping out, she drew her father’s blade. It was no longer radiating that brilliant light as it had before, but part of her didn’t even notice. She poised the blade’s sharpened tip at the calamity as it leaped and landed on the ground in front of her, and stiffened. Like every time it happened, time around her seemed to come to a standstill, and every time she’d feel a sense of familiarity she just couldn’t place.

All of these aspects of apathy disappeared as she broke eye contact and decisively thrust the weapon forward. The edge met nothing but hot and humid air. The creature disintegrated only to reappear behind her. She knew this trick by now, so she hastily whirled around in an attempt to fight back. Instead she felt something hard connect with her stomach, and she was sent flying into a brick wall.

She watched in a daze as the black figure neared, closing the distance between them swiftly yet patiently. It was like a predator prowling on its prey. Anyone with half a brain could easily discern who was what. As it slowly raised its black and distorted fist upward to finish the battle, she weakly brought up her weapon. She winced when the calamity seized her wrist with its other ‘hand’ (to her, it felt more like a claw) and pinned her sword hand down beside her.

Though, there was always something in life that was never to be underestimated: sheer, dumb luck.

“Hey!” She blinked as a stone pebble hit the monster on the side of its deformed head, and it stopped its preparation to shift its attention to the new victim. “Over here! Come and get me!” Another pebble.

The creature growled at this new challenge, and promptly turned away from Nekane to accept it. Her eyes widened as she followed its gaze, eyes resting on the boy she’d rescued earlier. As if coming out of a thick mist, she became aware of the situation and the emotions displayed along with it. The child’s eyes showed fear, but even more so determination. The monster made to lunge at him.

“No!”

Her cry came as swift as her movements. As soon as the calamity had become airborne, swooping down to kill the boy on the spot, she got to her feet and ran. Everything went so fast. She reached his side and assumed a defensive position in front of him, but was surprised when he eased her off to the side. Was she being subdued by a youth now? She couldn’t believe what she was doing, much less thinking, to simply not resist his fluid movements.

An instant later, the monster landed, cutting down the boy in the process of doing so. The impact of the landing sent Nekane off her feet again, into the dark. At the moment she hit the ground the world was lost to her, and her eyes closed.

“Do you remember?”

“Do I remember what?”

“Do you remember what happened?”

It was just another ordinary day in Hanai. Fluffy clouds sails by on the eternal sea of blue above, and the sun’s rays peeked through the window of the back room. A girl with disheveled brown hair was sitting up in a bed, her lower body still covered by the white cotton sheet. Sitting at her bedside was another female with silky blonde curls. Both were roughly the same age, in their teens. The brown-haired girl looked away, though not shyly.

“It’s all right, you can tell me.” the other cooed softly.

Judging from the garments the blonde-haired teen wore she was a cleric, or a cleric-in-training at the very least. The other teen, however, didn’t seem to be as calm and rational as the cleric was. Her clothes were slightly torn, and the visible parts of her body showed cuts and bruises here and there.

“I had a nightmare last night.” she began sadly. “I think the people in it were my parents…” There was a flicker of anxiety in the cleric’s eyes.

“And?” she inquired half-heartedly. There was a pause before the other continued.

“Something killed them.” was the vague reply.

The girl’s eyes showed little comprehension of her surroundings. It was clear that she wasn’t thinking straight. Light persisted on filtering in through the window on one side of the room, while the door was closed on the other.

The cleric was silent for several moments, eyes cast downward, but then her head suddenly snapped up. The foreigner was looking at her. It was scary for someone of her age to see the intense rage that was being displayed in those eyes.

“Where are they?” she questioned monotonously, desperation already starting to flee from her voice. The cleric’s own eyes widened, and she backed away towards the door.

“Um, Father…” she called hesitantly, watching as the foreigner stood from the bed and walked over to her.

“Everyone will get killed…” she whispered venomously. “Unlike death, no human’s life is eternal.” They were mere inches apart at that moment and the cleric shrieked in fear, hastily running out of the room.

“Father!” The newcomer glared after her.

“No one can escape.”

Nekane jolted awake, only to feel the unpleasant sense of her headache returning to her. She groaned, blood rushing to her head as she sat up. The air around her was thick and heavy, and she coughed. For a few seconds she wondered why her surroundings were what they were, but at the moment she inhaled the scent of fresh smoke her eyes widened.

Her hand had held her weapon in a death-like grip, and she hastily sheathed it while getting up. After she had ceased her clumsy actions, she desperately looked around for the boy. Surely enough, he was located rather easily.

She grimaced at the sight of the wide, long gashes on his chest. They had torn clothing, tissue and muscle asunder as though it were paper. His eyes were closed, and had he not been so pale one might’ve thought he had simply passed out from the smoke. Nekane sank to her knees, leaning forward and leaning on her hands. Her fingers dug into her palms as a single tear escaped her eye. She didn’t bother to wipe it away.

Suddenly, she was startled by a cry of shock, and momentarily stopped mourning the boy’s death to look up to the face of a young woman. Her skin had been drained of all colour it seemed, and Nekane couldn’t help noticing the resemblance between the boy and the woman. Her grief increased as she backed away to give the adult some room.

Then, she looked over her shoulder to see a man limping up towards the scene. He looked a few years older than the woman, and was limping due to shards of glass embedded deep into his ankle. He was in the same state as the other adult after witnessing the sight. But unlike the woman, he didn’t hunch over the body to cry his heart out.

Instead, Nekane cried out in surprise as he tightly grabbed her shoulders, anger flaring in his eyes. He glanced at her sword for only a few moments before he released her…and promptly delivered her a punch to the abdomen. She groaned, falling to her knees again and gasping for air. His voice was filled with seething anger as he spoke.

“How could you murder someone like him?” he roared. Nekane blinked, looking up again.

“Excuse me?” He motioned towards her weapon, and her eyes widened at the accusation. “I didn’t do this!” Swiftly she received a kick in the side, sending her tumbling to the ground.

“You can deny it all you want, but I will make sure you get what you deserve!”

She yelped, rolling over to the side as he attempted to kick her again. This man was raving mad! She shakily rose to her feet after that, bringing up her hands to make it clear to him that she bore no ill will. But alas, that left her defenses open and she just barely managed to duck under a kick aimed at the side of her head, grabbing hold of his leg while doing so.

“The calamity killed him.” she explained half-heartedly, stomach twisting at the full realization. “I…tried to save him. I really did.” He glared at her in hate despite of her alibi and she sighed, releasing his leg.

“He died!”

A pang of hurt struck her heart as she glanced at the boy’s still form one last time, to then turn away. She couldn’t say another word about it; these were the only things she knew at the time. She took off down the alleyway, making sure that he didn’t follow her as she ran. The fire that illuminated the city reflected in her eyes as another tear made its way down her cheek. The boy’s eyes had shown his feelings, acceptance of his fate. He saved her with the one thing she was trying to change in this world.

The nightmare that had shaken her awake never occurred to her then, instead she weaved through the streets and the flames reaching out to her. But they never reached her. One moment she felt like the fire; desperate and unable to do what she wanted to. And then she felt like the sky, eternally polluted by one event.

By the looks of this town, she was certain a lot of people had died today. She couldn’t help feeling guilty for still being alive, at the expense of so many others. They were another list of people that she’d need to avenge.

Coming to a standstill outside the village, she was greeted by the black stallion that she had named Aira. And as she mounted the animal without knowing why or questioning his presence, she wondered if she’d still have something to return to after she had accomplished her task…