His grip loosened as soon as he was pulled up to the skies like a rag doll. I got up and ran my hand around my neck, "That left a mark."
The little kid turned to me and immediately, his smile died down. He found himself on his butt, his mouth hanging open.
"So, where were we?"
The other mage awkwardly crawled her way to that little kid.
"Get back!" she tried to warn me.
"Oh, so you're bonding with him now?"
"You're ominous."
"Oh, am I? You don't even need augury to know that I'm not the evil one here."
Just then someone fell hard on the ground. The little kid twitched and looked in that direction. I being quick, kneeled and let the ground creep over me, this is getting a bit easier for me. I grabbed the nearest fallen light post and swung it hard on whoever's fallen. I didn't even care. It's an achievement if I kill one of them, whoever it was.
"Ken!" that little kid immediately stood up and waved his arms around as that annoying guy carried the Princess to the ground.
So, there they are, in a crowd, these four mages. So this means...
A sudden force restrained my arms around my back and heavy hands enclosed my neck to a choke.
"Fools!" she let out a rage. Propping me up by the neck, she found her comfortable stance, standing unwavering in front of her target. She let go of my neck and somehow managed to retract her scythe. She was stern and quite strong to be able to hold me in place with just one hand.
"I'm surprised you're a mage, boy. You were a worthless Ignus when I caught you years ago. Your people put up a weak resistance. Not even worth the time I spent as a Royal guard."
Does she know me?
I tried to wriggle off but to no avail.
"Oh, I wouldn't try anything funny if you want this mage to live." she was warning those guys, like what? They don't even care about me!
"Let him go." that Ken guy was the first to break their silence.
"Shut up." what is he trying to do?
"What is this? Do you intend to fight us with this dysfunctional army, Princess?"
"I believe in all of us."
"Yes, try to convince yourself" she knew the Princess was acting coy.
"We're the prophecy! We'll succeed!"
"Oh give it a rest, Princess! What do you have? A useless kid that did nothing but drag everyone down; An oracle with no real fighting abilities; A psychokinetic so physically and mentally weak he can't even fight properly; And you, the princess, who thinks she's so important that you neglect everyone around you. Did you even realize that your soldiers are in no way capable of being in combat? You'll all be dead before the battle even starts! Ha! Tell me, is this your plan? You're hopeless!"
The princess was hit with a wave of realization. Her lips twitched, searching for things to say, but there was nothing. All she got was a consoling look from Ken.
"Oh and most interesting of all, a transmuter, who can't even properly do the only thing he's capable of. Changing your body with what your holding won't exactly give you a battle advantage, I can exploit all your weaknesses, what are you? You're an easy target. Know what, let me start with you. Let me hear that wail of yours when I slit this very same scythe I used to kill your Father."
It hit me.
"Misa! Stop!" the Princess screamed.
Misa Inoue, that Assassin. I can't believe it didn't occur to me earlier but this mage, this bitch right here, slaughtered my family, my friends, and most of the people from our village. She was the one who captured us and brought us to the dungeon. My family,...she killed my parents!....
I felt the ground under my feet, my whole body started to harden even more, and just as the blade slid across my neck, the earth has already covered me up fully. I drove my elbow to her chest surprising her.
Getting away, she held her weapon in between all of us and herself, "I have a score to settle with you," I remarked as I felt the groove in my neck closing up, "Misa Inoue, I will be the one killing you."
"I'm kind of surprised myself that I remembered you. You were so young then, but I guess you're still useless, oh, that should have given me a clue. You just sat there in one corner, whining, crying, as I killed everyone trying to escape right before your eyes – just like how it will be today!"
"I wouldn't be so confident." I kneeled to touch the rock on the ground. I felt the numbness again as it crept up, an armor of something harder than the ground I had earlier.
Before I knew it, a sharp blow threw me off. She was behind me just then, but now, he's head to head with that Ken guy.
I pulled myself up and ran towards them. I used my body to ram against Misa, which seemed to work. "Stand back, mage, this is my fight," I warned him.
"I'm helping!"
"Stand back or it's your head I'm crushing."
No response.
I was sent skidding across concrete... again.
The Princess was up now, warding off the repeated slashes thrown at them. The other two were just shaking behind her, such useless loads.
"Get up! Come on!" Ken ran up to me, urging me to get up.
"Don't order me around!" I got up and pushed him away. Without wasting a second, I charged towards Misa. All my hatred, anger, frustrations... I'll end her with a single blow.
"Look out!" The Princess screamed as she waved her hand towards me.
Misa.
She was over me.
Towering.
Her scythe's blade was behind her, ready for a full swing, and with a menacing grin, she drove her scythe in.
The sun was almost breaking in the sky.
For the first time in days, I finally let myself get dragged to the ground.
Is this okay?
Am I okay?
Blood painted the pavement.
I feel.... cold.
The clash of metal tingled in my ears. The Princess was on one knee, fending off Misa's further assaults. The Princess was almost done in if it wasn't for Ken. They are almost in sync, well, almost, Ken flew too close to Misa and gets slapped, hitting Yuuri, sending them both in a dog pile.
Misa is the one injured. Blood flowed out from where the Princess successfully landed a blow but she seemed unfazed.
"Ken!" that stupid kid, is he trying to get killed?
"As for you...." she turned to me. They tried to run towards us but she just flung me away from them like a rag doll. I almost let out a scream in pain but my neck was almost at crushing point, I couldn't make a sound.
I saw the Princess rise on a mound of dirt and the Ken guy launch himself up towards us. It was futile. She was right, it's hopeless. She simply swung her scythe and a strong gust of wind slammed both of them to the ground in an instant.
Again with one hand, she grabbed me by the neck. Picking me up without effort, she then pushed her body up and before I knew it, we were high above them.
"Rock on rock. You're dead."
Suddenly, we were plummeting down at unimaginable speed. Yep, she will be smashing my head and here I am unable to do anything.
BAM!
Smoke filled the air.
I laid motionless for a moment, I couldn't breathe. I know for a fact that there is now a heap of dirt on my chest. My cavity was cracked, if I wasn't in stone, I would have been dead.
"Let me see if you'll survive that! You're good as dead."
She then let out a grunt.
"Please stop!" Hyuk threw a stone at her, he was crying. The Oracle tried pulling him away but he wasn't budging.
"Fool! You're next!" she charged without further thought. Scythe ready, she swung at the little kid.
"No!" Ken wailed in desperation.
"Let me go!" Misa yelled back.
Ken must be doing something because Misa seemed immobilized.
I tried to pick myself up. I know there still something wrong with me and the healing does not seem to work as well but this woman, this murderer, I wanted to be the one to kill her.
The Princess stood up and forcefully pushed the oracle and that kid away, and just when they thought they were safe, Misa broke free charging at the Princess.
As if on cue, I stood up, I knew I'm still cracked in a lot of places but I just charged anyway, tackling her to the ground.
"Just stop!" I yelled at her.
She kicked me in the gut, sending me off once more. She shot up, homing on and for the last time today, I again faced certain death.
I closed my eyes.
I didn't want to concede. If I died, at least I died trying to fight back.
"Ack." Ken let out a cry of pain.
I opened my eyes, seeing him fall helplessly to the ground.
"Why?" My hands were shaking as I tried to shake him to consciousness. Lying beside me now, he looked defeated, blood was gushing out of the wound on the shoulder and he's not opening his eyes!
"Ken! No!" The Princess didn't even care about those two anymore. She blindly charged towards Misa, sword in hand, dragging jagged rocks along with her feet.
Misa gave me a look before lifting her hand, trying to retrieve the scythe that wounded Ken. I immediately grabbed it and held it firmly.
You're not getting away with this!
I let the cold metal run across my arms while she was trying to yank it away from me. I could see the Princess approaching, you're dead meat, Misa!
As the Princess swung, she had no choice but to dodge. Without a weapon in hand, she tried to fend off the Princess's sword with wind magic. It was going well for her until I slashed her own scythe across her chest.
The Princess wasn't done though. She kept sending rock javelins at Misa, with her hardly deflecting them and getting impaled for the most of it. She was torn and bleeding almost beyond recognition and as the Princess came close, she raised her sword, swinging down swiftly with a dark expression on her face.
"No!" I pushed her off right before she hits Misa sending her to the other side of the road, with the other two mages quickly coming to her side.
"Ha!" I knew it was hard for her to speak but she still managed to let out that wretched laugh, "Can't do it? Killing me is this easy now and yet you back down? You're weak! Useless! Pathetic!"
I am not weak.
I survived all those years of torture, I am strong enough.
I am not useless.
I know I have a purpose, I am avenging all my people.
A wave of sadness flooded within me. My family, friends, all of them, dead. I was not able to do anything. I watched them die, I couldn't help but just cry while I was dragged away looking at my mother's blank stare. I just screamed like crazy watching them behead my father in front of the Grand Mage.
I looked back at Ken, he has nothing to do with me yet he took the blow for me. He might be dead now and it's my fault, again. I know I should be glad, I eliminated yet another one of them but why do I feel guilty? I shouldn't be, they're evil. They made me into this, I should have no remorse.
Why?
What is wrong with me?
"Watch out!" that oracle snapped me back into reality in time for me to dodge Misa's scythe as she retracted it to her hands.
Beaten to death but still fighting back.
I didn't give her that chance.
Still in my metallic coat, I kicked the scythe out of her hand.
"You're never winning this. You'll fail and the merge will begin." She wailed.
"That's funny, coming from somebody who just lost."
I didn't wait for a reply.
I walked over her and without thinking, I stepped on her head, crushing her skull and finally silencing her.
The oracle even let out a scream but I didn't care about it. Misa's dead now, I know I gave justice to my parents and all of the people they murdered like nothing. I won, for everyone.
Her body immediately turned rigid and crumbled to dust.
This time, I didn't feel the guilt.
I was....just.....empty.
SEVEN
Book 2
"Transmutation"
@AmplifiedDreamer
May 2018
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