Oceans Call

Chapter 16: Falling

The guard was fighting with all their strength, but I knew it wouldn't be enough. As I passed by the soldiers, they seemed to fight a little bit harder, as if drawing strength from the sight of me.

Or maybe I was just imagining it.

I caught a glimpse of Connor fighting on the front lines and couldn't help noticing the jagged cuts along his skin. He caught my eye and winked.

I descended to the ocean floor and retrieved my sword, yanking it out of the dense sand. Then I shot back up and joined the battle. Medics rushed around, extracting bodies of fallen or injured men and women from the battle field. Sharks circled around, drawn to the smell of blood. A group of trainers in red suits were attempting to direct them away. Fewer than two hundred soldiers remained.

I raced forward, my stained skirt dragging through the water. Suddenly I was jerked backwards and slammed into the palace wall. I gasped in shock. Looking around for my assailant, I just spotted one of Ryu's claws sneaking away. He must've caught my dress on it and flung me into the wall. My back ached as I swam forward. I tied the loose ends of my dress in a knot to prevent them from snagging on anything again. 

Before I could return to the heat of the battle, another of Ryu's limbs was on top of me, sending shivers of cold across my skin. My sword was nearly knocked from my grip as the arm groped at me. I bared my teeth and flung my arm forward, my blade slicing clean through the Shadow's limb. It disappeared in a puff of black smoke, dissipating in the water. I continued my journey to the front line, this time reaching my destination without interruption. My sword arm protested as I raised it to strike. 

Come on Melody. Get back up. You're strong enough.

You're strong enough.

~*~*~*~

If I thought I was hurting an hour ago, I was dying then. About twenty soldiers remained to fight, exhaustion taking a serious toll on their performance. Ryu's mass had decreased significantly, but this didn't stop him from fighting us without tiring. He was a creature of vapor and didn't tire easily, didn't have to stop for sustenance or rest like us. 

Twenty more minutes later and our remaining forces had been cut in half. Several soldiers with minor wounds were once again on the battlefield, but they were just as tired and provided little help or improvement on our side.

This isn't working, I thought. I was about to find my father and suggest a different approach when I heard a cry behind me. Connor was bent over the middle, his sword held limply at his side while his free hand was pressed close to his abdomen, where a long cut seeped red and plumes into the surrounding seawater.

"No," I whispered, my fingers tightening around my sword hilt. I gazed around me. Eriladar was the only one within several feet of me, that's how stretched thin we were. And then Eriladar was gone too.

I was alone. The only people I had left, the only people I loved, were injured.

Ryu cackled. "I warned you... and you should've listened."

Pure lividness coursed through me, an emotion so pure and powerful that my body started to tremble. "Melody, no!" Eriladar cried out.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

And I let the ocean in.

~*~*~*~

A/N
Ahhhh! No don't do that Melody! But she does it anyway. Oh well, nothing frustrates readers more than a stupid protagonist, and a writers goal is to infuriate their reader. Just kidding, but I've read quite a few books where protagonists just plain annoying. ;) Anyways, this is a short chapter, but it seemed like a good, epic ending so I just cut it off here. As for the rest of the chapter... Let's just say there's definitely still room for improvement!!
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(579 words)
By the way, the word counts I do every chapter don't include the authors note, just the story.