Fractured Worlds (Worlds Away #1)

Brela Chapter 17: The Girl

The streets were oddly empty when Justin and I arrived on World 4. It was even odder when we walked down the roads and rarely saw another person. A few cars drove past, but a vast majority of them were parked alongside the roads. I didn't know why, but something didn't sit right with me. Judging by Justin's body language, he felt the same way I did.

"Where is everyone?" I finally asked.

"Hayward said there were half-eternals in the area, so he would have evacuated everyone," Justin said.

"But?" I pressed.

"Something is different. Normally, when it's just the scouting party, no one else comes, and if they do it is not one or two; it's an army."

"So, these guys probably aren't a part of the eternal and half-eternal alliance?"

"Probably not."

"So, they could be on our side?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes, but don't get your hopes up; they just might not be friendly towards us either."

"Understood."

It didn't take long before we found an officer and asked him where Hayward was. After receiving directions, we jogged off towards the captain's position. A crowd grew as we approached Hayward's location. The civilians stood packed together, the energy about them eager as they watched something beyond. Phones were out, recording whatever had everyone's attention.

"Please, you need to leave this area; it's not safe," an officer pleaded. He stood on the opposite side of the barricade than the crowd. A few other officers stood with him, blocking the crowd from getting any closer, all of them asking the gathered people to leave.

"You need to leave," I said to a woman and her children. I laid a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at me. "Now." At my hard tone, she listened, ushering her children away despite their complaints.

Justin pushed through the crowd, and I followed. The both of us received foul looks, but we continued. We urged people to leave, our voices stern and commanding. A few listened but the vast majority didn't. Either way, we were trying, and that was all that we could do. My trainer and I made it to the front of the crowd, showing the officer our jumper gems—they acted as badges. He gave us a nod and stepped aside.

"Some people are just too attracted to the fights they should be running from," I muttered as Justin and I moved around the barrier. We finally got a good look at what had captured the crowd's attention.

Downhill, there were four people, three who were fighting—half-eternals. The fourth individual was a young girl. She hid behind one of the half-eternals, cowering in undeniable fear. One half-eternal, who was protecting her, had an unusual sword, not one of eternal style. It had a narrow slit down the centre, almost all the way to the guard, and looked to be more for defensive purposes rather than offence. More than likely he wasn't allied with the eternals or half-eternals, a loner possibly.

The two half-eternals seemed desperate to get the girl, and with each attack directed at him, the defender was getting more tired. His movements were getting slow and sluggish, all the while his enemies' attacks were becoming bold and more vicious. This fight was not going to last much longer.

"How long has this been going on?" Justin asked as we approached Captain Hayward. The captain looked over to us, leaning against a patrol car with his arms crossed.

"A couple minutes now," Hayward said, turning back to the fight below. "That demi has been protecting that girl non-stop; we couldn't even get close when we first found them. My guess, he's either her parent or her guardian."

"The half-eternal and the girl were here first?" I asked.

Hayward nodded. "I had the civilians evacuated when we first spotted the two. They didn't look like they would cause a problem, but they were skittish around us, so I issued the order to be on the safe side. Looks like it was a good call."

I had to agree. Getting the civilians out of the area was the best choice to make, seeing what was transpiring down there. It had been a rushed evacuation, judging by the cars parked in the middle of the road, which also explained the large crowd.

"When did the other two show up?" Justin asked.

"Shortly after we cleared the area. The half-eternal protecting the girl didn't have a warning before the other two arrived and kicked him down. They almost got the girl after that, had one of my men not stepped in. The half-eternal was able to get the girl back, and they've been at this ever since. I had my men fall back; we figured that it would be safer to let them finish their fight before we step in. As long as the public doesn't get hurt, they can continue."

"Agreed." Justin nodded. "This is from Mae," Justin pulled out the letter. Hayward took it and ripped open the paper and started to read the handwritten note. I turned to look at the fight.

I wanted to step in. I wanted to stop this fight, but I didn't want to help the eternals by accident. I didn't know what exactly had started this fight in the first place, and I didn't know how to stop it permanently. The only real concern on my mind was the girl.
Who was she? And why were the two trying to get to her? Was she safe? Would she be safe by the end of this?

Cries and gasps from the gathered crowd snapped me from my concern. I felt Justin stiffen beside me and Captain Hayward straighten as we all beheld what had happened.

The half-eternal protecting the girl stood in front of her, sword through his chest. The distance did nothing to disguise the fact that the killer was grinning. There was no hesitation as he pulled his sword back, his adversary collapsing to the ground in a limp heap.
Through it all, the people kept on watching, enthralled by the fight. A few quickly turned and left, but most of them stayed, eager for more action. It was almost sickening how many people wanted more.

A cry of anguish filled the air. The young girl collapsed to her knees before crawling over to her dead companion. I averted my eyes as she wept and tried to shake him awake. My heart throbbed; I understood her pain.

The two half-eternals circled closer, no sympathy for the grief-stricken girl. The girl threw her head to the sky as another cry filled the air. It was different this time, filled with rage, not grief. A wave of power erupted from the girl, throwing the half-eternals off their feet. They struck a nearby building in a heap, sliding down in a daze.

The wave of power roared towards us. I was unable to react before it reached the crowd, sending every staggering back at the force. Murmurs filled the air, and Justin and I shared a look. What was this power?

And that was when the sky cracked.