TBATE-ONESHOTS

A Promise to Keep 6

Explosions erupted all around her. The very ground shook from the battle of the four entities before her. Explosions of black and gold and clashes of black and blue fire erupted all around her. The pressure from the mana being exerted was suffocating, and neither of the figures backed down from their fight to the death.

The world around her was clear; it had never been clear before. She could see the figures as clear as day and recognized one of them immediately... Arthur. His jaw was clenched, and his expression was angry as he fought valiantly against his assailant, a boy his age with black hair and red eyes. But she recognized this boy... from a vision... in the Xyrus Academy cafeteria.

"Just go! Please!" A voice begged her. Arthur begged her. His voice was pleading, and the way he looked at her... He was desperate.

Everything sped up around her as Arthur quickly approached her and grabbed her by her waist, pulling her close to his warm, muscular, shaking body. They propelled themselves into the air away from the battle, and she clung onto him, feeling remorseful. The sky darkened around them, and the next thing she knew, she was leaning over another figure whose leg was missing.

"Stay with me!" Tessia yelled with dread. She couldn't help but feel like this was her fault. But she didn't know why.

"If I had not acted in the way that I did, the vessel would have escaped."

Vessel. The word from the sinister voice shook the world. Then Tessia remembered the vision of her standing before Arthur, with him looking at her with his golden eyes. She wasn't in control of her body then... another had taken her body over. She had been possessed, she was the vessel, as they called her.

The world around her changed, and she found herself standing in front of Arthur, taking his hand, and a concerned wave washed over her, seeing the blood rushing out of their nose.

"Art," Tessia said, her voice tight with concern, "your nose..."

The sinister voice spoke again, emanating from the horned being, as he smiled sinisterly at Arthur, "Your body is breaking down, isn't it, Lance?"

Tessia's body shook at the remark, and her grip on Arthur's hand tightened worriedly, "What? Is that true? How bad is it?"

Arthur shrugged her away, refusing to meet her eyes, "I'll be okay."

A part of her didn't believe him, and her heart sank.

Arthur said something to a young girl with wheat hair and golden eyes, the same golden eyes Arthur had in the vision.

Arthur looked back over his shoulder and spoke with the females beside Tessia, but she didn't hear him. She was too concerned by his appearance, seeing the blood leaking out of his nose.

"Elf Princess." Tessia's eyes flicked to the horned being, seeing them smirking at her. "If your dearly beloved stays in the form any longer, whether he wins or loses this battle, he'll die."

It felt like her heart had been stabbed. Tessia's eyes widened with dread, knowing she was right; something was wrong with Arthur... her beloved

Tessia quickly made her way to the golden-haired girl and desperately grabbed her wrist, wanting to be wrong and for the horned being to be lying. Tessia asked, "He's lying, right? Tell me he's lying, Sylvie!"

The girl's name shook the vision more violently, images of a black dragon flashing.

"I'll be fine, Tess," Arthur said behind her.

Tessia whirled around to face him, looking at him with a venomous, tear-filled glare, angry at this situation, angry at herself. "You always do this," Tessia snapped, her breath hitching. "You're always ready to give up your life to save me."