Aika ran around the slimy monster and tried to dodge its rapid attacks. The only light source she had was Emiko's and Reina's glowing orbs and a few streetlights. From what she could make out the monster was an unusually small, slimy blob; and its attack was shooting hardening goo out its mouth. Aika readied her staff to attack, but the monster got her in advance. With no time to think, she threw herself on the ground; successfully avoiding the monster's attack, but scraping her knee on the asphalt.
"REINA!" Emiko yelled. Aika quickly turned to Reina; ignoring her burning knee. Reina and the top of her staff, the crystal she used to attack, were covered in the hardened goo. In a rage Emiko blindly attacked the slimy creature. Aika figured it would be best to help Emiko; or else she'd turn everyone against her again. Ever since Daisuke visited the restaurant she felt that everyone was watching her like a hawk.
Aika and Emiko's combined power pierced the monster and it fell defeated to the ground. Soon after the goo surrounding Reina slowly started to dissolve. After a minute, it was completely gone.
"Those damn aliens, I wish they never came here." Emiko muttered and started walking away. She and Reina removed their transform, but Aika didn't dare yet. For some reason, she felt like someone was watching her from the shadows; she hadn't been able to shake off this feeling through the whole fight. What if the cronians planned a sneak attack?
"Hurry up, Aika!" Emiko said impatiently. Aika stumbled after them and involuntarily removed her transform, but was ready to change back if necessary. After a while they split up and everyone went homeward. Not long after she heard something and tightly clutched her bracelet in anticipation.
"Aika." Aika startled; she recognized that voice. Kazu. Phew, that feeling earlier must have been him. She turned around, her heart pounding fast, and saw him stand a few meters in front of her. Her eyes brightened up and she ran towards him, ready to give him a hug. But she stopped herself right before; she remembered what Daisuke had told her. Before she managed to think anything else he hugged her tightly. She forgot all her worries from a moment ago and reciprocated it.
"Sorry I followed you, but I had to see you again... talk to you again." Kazu whispered in her ear. His warm breath sent chills down her spine and his strong embrace made her feel safe. Right now, she didn't care that they were enemies fighting against each other in a war of survival. And she was sure he felt the same way.
"I'm so happy to see you again." Aika hugged him even tighter and wished they could stay like this forever. A few minutes later they slowly let go of each other.
"Thanks for saving Takeshi and sorry for calling you parasite, I didn't mean what I said back then. You understand me better than anyone else and I don't want us to be enemies." Kazu admitted. His words made her feel happiness from the bottom of her heart; a feeling she had forgotten a long time ago. Though she was surprised at his sudden honesty, he must have changed quite a bit since last time they talked. She wondered what had made him so straightforward; either way she was pleasantly surprised.
"I've already forgiven you." Aika sat down on a bench nearby and Kazu sat down beside her. He looked like an angel in the soft and gentle streetlight. Every time she saw him she fell harder in love with him. He was the only one who truly cared about her and yet they were expected to kill each other. What a cruel world.
"By the way, you remember the guy who hurt Takeshi? His name is Daisuke and he is the same guy who saved me that night. He told us everything about you, Astra, Healing Astra, The Guardians and even Khaos' resurrection." Aika trusted him and wanted him to know everything. She didn't want to keep any secrets from him.
"That's strange, I thought you were working together long before he saved you. So, you didn't know any of this before that night?" Kazu looked at Aika and she shook her head in response.
"But there is one thing I didn't understand; why do you want to wipe out humanity? To me it doesn't make sense why a kind and compassionate cronian like Astra would wish for something like this."
"I don't know what the traitor told you, but Astra was human." Kazu casually responded. Wait, hold up a second! Aika was speechless; she couldn't remember the last time she felt so confused. Suddenly she realized how blindly she had trusted Daisuke. When did she let her guard down like that? He had put his sword to her throat and she hadn't even questioned it. His every move, every sentence was so carefully thought out and calculated no one would be able to see through it. But Kazu saw the world through different eyes; if anyone could expose Daisuke it was him.
"Astra's story is told to all cronians; her story is the one of our origins. 5000 years ago Astra of Tellus created Healing Astra to help the human race. But Tellus' natural disasters terrified her and she feared doomsday would come. So, Astra and her chosen successors, The Guardians of then, helped them flee to a planet later named Cronos." Kazu explained. It terrified Aika how Daisuke's fake version sounded more believable than the real.
"How did they flee from a planet?" Aika leaned her head on Kazu's shoulder. She let herself relax and listened to the story with interest.
"You know we have magical powers, right? Astra and the Guardians opened a portal and got as many people as they could to Cronos. But she and her successors weren't strong enough to keep the portal open for too long and it ended up taking their life. The strongest were the priority and a lot of the weaker people got left behind. This divide is still a problem among us; even in these desperate times."
"So, you're trying to tell me... we are just the weak cronians who got left behind all those years ago?" Aika could barely comprehend it all. How could something huge like this be forgotten with time? Astra's story wasn't just the one of the cronians; it was the one of the humans too. They were two sides of the same coin.
"Powerless cronians; seems your magic disappeared with the generations. Though you could also turn that sentence around and say we are the strong humans who got away." Did that mean that Aika's and the other girls' powers were connected to Cronos? "But it turned out Cronos only got worse and worse as centuries passed; at this point in time it is nearly destroyed." Poor Astra, Aika thought. She died thinking she saved them, but she actually sent them to their doom. A knot tied in Aika's stomach; she almost didn't want to believe it. How could she fight them now that she knew how miserable they were? Earth wasn't chosen by chance... they were just going back home.
"We get that what we are doing isn't right, but what other choice do we have? As next in line to Astra's successors, it is our duty to ensure the safety of our people; like Astra once did. But I truly don't want you to die and I wish there was another way." Aika saw the pain and sadness in Kazu's eyes.
"I... I don't know what to think anymore..." Admitting it broke Aika's heart. Kazu took her hand and held it in his. "Daisuke may be horrible, but he did save me after all."
"I understand, but I think you should know that he is also one of Astra's successors. He is tricking all of us and he has The Guardians wrapped around his finger. Whatever he is planning, it's working. Please be careful, you and Takeshi are the only ones I have." Kazu looked pretty upset talking about it. No wonder, Daisuke almost took them both away from Kazu in the blink of an eye. If only Emiko and the others knew how dangerous he was; but she couldn't tell them because of the way she acquired the information.
"I have to leave, it is not safe for us to be together like this for too long." Kazu said as he stood up from the bench. Aika panicked; she didn't want him to leave yet. She knew they had to go their separate ways, but there was one last thing she wanted to do.
Aika ran up to Kazu and he turned around. He looked confused at her, but before he managed to say anything she kissed him on the lips.
***
Aika kept walking, happier than ever. Maybe her life would finally take a turn for the better. Then a thought struck her; by being with Kazu she is betraying her team. If Emiko and the others found out who knows what they would do. She didn't dare think about it. Then something else caught her attention; a sense that someone was keeping an eye on her. It still hadn't disappeared; wasn't it Kazu? Who else? She glanced all around her, but spotted no-one. Then she switched her gaze to the rooftops. She froze in place.
On a rooftop to her right lurked a female figure. Her long hair tied up in a ponytail blew sinisterly in the cold, night wind. She held what appeared to be a scythe and for a second, Aika met her glowing red eyes. A cronian? She had never seen a person with that eye-color before. Suddenly the figure jumped away and disappeared. If it weren't for her hurt knee, Aika would've transformed and chased her.
But something told Aika this wouldn't be the last she saw of the mysterious girl.
YOU ARE READING
Khaos Wars
General Fiction16 years ago, the people of planet Cronos fought a terrible war against a merciless foe; the cronians survived, but their home was left in ruins. To this day the consecuenses of the war are still tormenting the people of Cronos. And if nothing chang...
