Ignatius-Valdis: Book 0# [Heaven's Curse]

Chapter 16

Leviathan and Leon dodged the hard spray of water, while Persephone could not avoid it. Swiftly, she flew into the nearby shrubs before hitting her head hard on a low-hanging branch. Gothalia regarded the water serpent when Leon doused it in fire.

The monster screeched in pain while fire balls landed on its scaly skin. Gothalia ran to Persephone, eyeing her closely. She traced her fingers over where Persephone had struck her head. Gothalia relaxed. Until her attention returned to the serpent. Water sprayed around the bank as it hosed Leviathan and Leon before Leviathan slipped out of its attack fired an arrow at the serpent's eye.

The serpent's sharp piercing scream wailed throughout the area, and everyone covered their ears before it pulled away from them and dived into the water, disappearing. Everyone watched the water, searching for the serpent, tense with apprehension.

Persephone's groan caught Gothalia's attention. "Are you alright?" She asked, moving to her.

Persephone opened her eyes and Gothalia helped her slowly sit. "What was that?"

"A serpent." Gothalia replied.

"A serpent?" Persephone queried. Her concentration lagged as her head throbbed but didn't mention it. Gothalia watched her.

"Yes, a serpent." She remarked, before climbing to her feet. "Stay here."

"What are you going to do?" Persephone asked.

"Take it out. Once I find. It might have a flag," Gothalia said.

"Um. . . not to be disrespectful or anything . . . but isn't that above your weight class?" Persephone enquired worried. Gothalia regarded her with a raised brow. "What? I'm just saying. And besides, do you even have any abilities? Unless you do what, you did before."

"I don't think I can do that again," Gothalia admitted, facing the serpent. Fear prickled beneath her skin.

"Then stay here. I'll deal with it." Persephone remarked, climbing to her feet.

"It kicked your butt before." Gothalia reminded.

"I wasn't expecting it to attack so quickly. I won't make that mistake a second time." Persephone marched towards the water serpent with a sudden confidence that unnerved her. Gothalia's jaw dropped at her casualness. Don't let it see you, she thought frightfully. Her eyes darted between Persephone and the serpent.

However, it was too late. The serpent's blue eyes locked onto Persephone and hosed her. It had happened so fast Gothalia at first hadn't seen it until she noticed it did not move Persephone. Instead, she held up her hand, and deflected the spray of water in all directions, grounding her feet.

Immediately, Leon threw fireballs at it while Leviathan fired water coated steel arrows. The serpent screeched. "No way," Gothalia gasped in disbelief. "They're actually hurting it." Before she knew it, the serpent vanished into ordinal fragments, before leaving a flag behind.

Persephone ran towards the water. She skated over the surface and the walked over it, capturing the flag. She glanced at back at Gothalia on the bank and vanished into the forest. "Persephone!" Gothalia yelled after her. Had she just abandoned her? Leviathan and Leon turned their attention to her. Quickly, Gothalia retreated into the forest behind her and ran.

Once she was far enough, she glanced over her shoulder. Making sure they didn't follow her. She continued to run and turned her eyes ahead. Abruptly, she stopped in time once she reached the cliff side.

Gothalia regarded the artificial forest stretched out before her. She was safe. For now.

Her mind returned to the incident with the water serpent. She did not know that Persephone was a powerful water utiliser. The more she thought about it, the more everyone around her had an element or some amazing ability. What was she doing here? She couldn't do anything exciting like the other Excelians and what she did somehow managed, she doubted she could ever do again. It didn't come naturally, like to everyone she'd known.