Brynhildr Aria

Chapter Eight: Golden Kamui

Chapter Eight: Golden Kamui

Across Cardiff we ran, leaving the restaurant behind and taking off into the streets. A suffocating, oppressive feeling pressed down on me like a lead weight. All this time, since our last encounter with Amamiko, I hadn't sensed anything strange until now. I had never seen the Hellhounds before, but from Elijah's description of them, they seemed like something I did not want to come across.

Right now, though, there was nothing in sight. "Why would the Hellhounds be coming after us now?!" I shouted. "You said they only came once a month, right!?"

"Do I look like I know?!" Elijah snapped. "If I did, I'd be telling you!"

"It must be the Kamui," Seishirou shot back. "They're probably taking one last stand against us. Now...it could be the time that changes everything."

Just then, a piercing howl broke the seaside air. It wasn't like a typical dog's howl, though. It sounded less organic and more artificial, like microphone feedback. Next came the rapid clatter of metal. It was hard to pinpoint exactly where it originated from, since it seemed to be coming in all directions. The clattering was loud and fast, like the hooves of stampeding horses...or a pack of charging wolves.

An icy chill bristled down my spine. I turned to Elijah. For the first time I had ever seen, he had a distinct look of fear on his face. A primal, paralyzing fear, like the kind of terror that struck me during Seishirou's rampage. "We have to get out of here," he sputtered. "He's right," Kuina chimed in. "If the Hellhounds attack here in town, people will be in danger. We should hide in the forest."

The clattering of unseen steel paws grew ever closer. I didn't need to hear anything more. I took off alongside the others, where we raced to the edge of town. On the outskirts of Cardiff, traces of civilization began to thin out, giving way to wild countryside and dense forests.

We rushed into the forest one by one, vanishing behind the treeline. In the woods, the howls of the wolves became more distant, until they faded out entirely. But that brief silence was neither calming, nor did it convince us to slow down. We kept running as fast as our feet would carry us. Despite ten straight minutes of running, I didn't feel tired at all. Not only that, but I seemed to be moving faster than usual. Must have been another one of a Brynhildr's perks.

But Elijah, being the only non-alien in our group, was growing exhausted and falling behind, so we came to a stop at the entrance of what looked like the ruins of an old fort or small castle. The weathered blocks of stone were crumbling and cracked, allowing blankets of ivy to sprout out from between the gaps. The roots of a massive tree had already smashed through some sections. At a guess, it had to have been at least over a hundred years old, and it didn't look like anyone- human or alien- had been here for a very, very long time. "Whoa...what is this place?"

"Even at this age, it looks a bit too crude for someplace once owned by royalty," Seishirou replied. "I'd imagine it was some kind of fort or military barracks. Must be a few hundred years old, at a glance. I'm not sensing the Hellhounds in the area right now. We should rest here for a time."

We entered the remains of the crumbling castle and plopped ourselves down, lying amongst the eroded brick. "Are you alright, Elijah?" I asked. The blonde slowly nodded. "Just wonderful.

Ya know, I don't know why I even bother running away. I'll probably never get this damn collar off my neck."

"Don't talk like that," I scolded. "We're going to help you live. We'll get that collar off you, I promise." He scoffed. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." He unzipped his bright orange jacket and pulled out parts of a rifle from the pockets in the interior. So that was where he'd been hiding it. He snapped the weapon together piece by piece and locked in the clip.