Cyan in Avalon

Avalonic Fault ch.18

*

Cyan wiped at her eyes incessantly as her tears rushed down. Her bottom lip quivered and she fought to keep it still.

"Cyan...really, it's okay."

"N-No it's not!" She cried.

Nel ruffled her hair, glancing at Zethan, and smiling down at the red faced girl. Zethan crossed his arms, wearing his usual frown that appeared when Cyan cried.

Nel's arms were bandaged up from palm to elbow with a thin white fabric. He promised that it wouldn't scar him, although the burns worked almost exactly like real burns.

*

Night arrived, and Zethan laid awake. Tucked in his chest was Cyan, coming so close he could forget she was there. He stared out into the dark room from above her head.

"Lucianne" had been the name of the Signum that had decieved him into thinking Omena was standing before him. That was cruel, he thought. And yet, how was he so easily tricked?

It was just my mind, he thought to himself, I wanted to believe it...and it happened so suddenly...

He shut his eyes, sighing as a surge of emotion swelled in his chest.

*

The towering Avalonic trees that faded into the dark of the sky flew by them as they ran. Usually the stars would've lit their way, aided by the immense number of mushrooms and glowing flowers. But then again, they usually wouldn't be running for their lives.

They sprinted through the dark, gasping in exhaustion and fear as the silhouettes behind them followed close.

It was the Nighters--monsters with the body of a thin tall man with arms of a dragon, the head of a demon, eyes of an owl, fangs of a saber, and legs of a goat. It was covered in red bloody muscle--like a skinned human. They had only appeared after the White Fire, and they appeared with a thirst for killing anything that moved.

Now Zethan sped through the forest, pushing Omena ahead of him, and feeling panick wrap its hands round his neck. As Omena stumbled he swung her up into his arms, feeling her body shake in fear. He could feel the Nighters' claws scrape at his back.

"Zethan!!" She cried as she glanced back with her teary blue wide eyes.
Zethan pushed himself faster and faster--tearing up at the panick in her shrill voice. But all of a sudden she tensed, clutching fast onto his vest---

---and Zethan was caught by a claw.
It hooked into the skin on his back--jerking him backwards. Zethan frantically flung Omena away, watching her tumble onto the ground and spin around.

"Run!!!" He yelled in agony.

Omena's eyes widened as Zethan was dragged back---starting to fade into the dark Nighter's arms. She burst into yelling in terror, clutching the sides of her head and shrieking.

Suddenly a force of warm light and wind whooshed from behind her---

"Go away!!!" Rine's furious voice boomed.

The Nighter screeched in pain and threw Zethan away as patterns of burns crawled up its arms. It yowled and scrambled away.