A woman stood with her long two split colored hair that reached her waist, fist atop of her hip, and a hand swiftly moving her hair to the side. A horrifying scar that appeared to be disfigured from the top of her left eye to her lip, curving a little to the right from the bottom.
She smiled so sweetly, her eyes never leaving Drew's face. She didn't even give a glance to the three in his arms. Noticing him slowly backing off, her smile turned into a grin making her hidden fangs go into full view.
"Oh my! What's the holdup? I'm sure we have all the time to ourselves, my sweet warrior~!"
Her remaining eye appeared to be crimson and instead of having normal circular pupils, her eye had a vertically slit pupil similar to a cat's. She softly hummed, stepping towards her in a relaxed manner.
Drew frowned. He didn't like that situation one bit. He was sure if he had to at least keep them in the evacuated space that is clearly hidden from any dedication whether by mana or aura, they would be safe until she comes back.
He suspects that they somehow knew or were involved with the strange mana rampage that attracted the duchess to leave her position to solve it in case of explosion. An explosion can lead to hundreds, no, thousands of lives being taken and towns and villages receiving the consequences of the destruction caused by it.
The twins' bodies trembled under the arms of Amanda's. Linda gritted her teeth as she finally gave a resolved look and looked up.
Before she could observe and strategize a plan, a rush of air was pushed on her face as her hair got tangled up and then was stopped but felt a huge gravity push against Drew.
"Lady Linda."
At her name being called, she stared back at him blankly as he gave her a serious look that she couldn't help but flinch back.
"Please move yourself and take Amanda and Edwin with you. Break a stone."
At first, she tilted her head in puzzlement. Then her eyebrows raised, shocked, nodding in understanding.
But then her eyes lit up and made a firm decision. He grinned at the strong determination that sparked in her eyes. Before he could put them down, a huge impact fell right at them.
Dust flew everywhere at the impact and it slowly revealed Drew who successfully dodged the attack, landing even further back from his previous position. A vicious grin grew even more, reaching her eyes, dangling her sword in her palm.
He went pale at the sight of her face growing unknown veins that slowly were turning indigo rather than her ordinary peach-colored skin.
"Awah! Why are you not looking at me~?"
She gazed at him pitifully still with her grin attached on her face. Drew struggled as he moved away and tightly embraced the three before finally letting go as he moved as fast as possible. But luck wasn't always on their side as the woman grinned manically, sprinting towards him with her hands raised.
A huge earthquake rumbled as her fist, free from her sword, slammed across the marble floor. The shockwave shook Amanda out of her shock as she quickly pulled the two children by hand.
She didn't even look back as thunder sounds were heard to be blowing up making her tremble in fear. Her heart raced making her breathing even more out of order than it already was.
'I need to reach the safe zone as soon as possible! We will be safe there with the citizens! We will wait there until Her Grace arrives!'
Amanda gritted her teeth and thought positively. She stopped trembling and pulled the two arms with whatever strength she had, she didn't even stop to think that her sudden pull would pull a muscle from the children's arms and hold them tightly into her arms.
The twins winced in pain but held tightly into her uniform so they wouldn't fall. Amanda's arms weren't as big as Drew so it was getting hard for her to run. But with a strong conviction in her head, she didn't care about what was going on.
Linda looked up and bit her lips anxiously. She gently rubbed the stones under her dress that was hanging on her necklace. Her necklace that Rebekah gave them to hold onto was still there.
She needs to continue with the plan she thought of before. She stared at the other side to see Edwin silently gaze at her. He wasn't smiling anymore. He just held onto Amanda without a word. She couldn't help but feel eerie. But to have the plan work, she needs to have her brother listen to her.
"Big bro..."
Linda reached her hand and grasped her brother's hand that was held out after her call. Right. He isn't her older brother anymore but a twin...
She didn't like this.
She didn't like this at all.
That's why even if people would give her strange looks at the title she gave him...
"Big bro. I have a way to lower the cause. And it's the power you discovered after playing with the mimic!"
She could feel Amanda flinch and nearly tripped over her feet. She stared down at the two in horror.
"What?!"
Linda cringed and turned back to her brother who widened his eyes in question. She pursed her lips nervously. She hates the look her brother is giving her. It feels so unfamiliar to her. More intelligent and cunning...
"Linda."
Linda slightly trembled at the name of this body being called coldly. She hates this.
"Don't hesitate and tell me what to do."
Linda felt her lips tremble and nodded. If it means saving Drew. If it means going against his wishes. If it means to protect their home...
She would do anything even if right now she didn't feel like she was in front of her warm big brother who would always smile at her and clumsily mess things up.
———
The top of a building's roof, Rebekah silently breathed out, wiping off the blood that was splattered on her face. She glared at the mages and knights' bodies that splatter in front of her and on the road.
"Those insolent ants!"
She gritted her teeth, glaring back at the duke she confronted after causing the mana explosion. That poor girl. She will find a way to try to convince her brother to have his elite guards investigate the duke who was famous for taking in talented mages under him.
"Seeing him to even have a dark mage under him...."
She couldn't help but feel her hands tremble. She silently gazed at her worn-out hands and went into a deep thought. It's been a while since she battled a strong mage. Ever since her parents unknowingly disappeared one day when they were still in the academy, all races including humans have been on a rampage.
She clenched her fist in frustration. She should have reported this to her brother as soon as possible about the recent demonic beast invading territories. If it were just magical beasts, she could've let it go, but demonic ones are a whole different story.
She readied her position and quickly gathered her remaining mana to speed through to the capital but an unsettling mana wave she sensed made her stop in her tracks. She quickly turned her head to the direction it was coming from. Her eyes narrowed in terror.
"No way..."
She's going to postpone what she was doing. She turned her heels and turned back to where she came from...
———
"Woah! Woah! Woah!"
Drew clenched onto his shoulder. This isn't good. This is not good.
A wave of strings that are so thin that without having a strong eyesight, you wouldn't notice. The strings are floating and dive in a chance to stick onto the woman and twirl tightly onto her. She couldn't help but give a bloodshot smile, so wide it reached from ear to ear.
"You are quite skilled despite your age! That isn't quite right... Isn't this blasphemous though?"
She tilted her head curiously. Edwin stood there with a blank face as he stretched his arms towards her and clenched his hands making the strings tighten even more onto her. Linda stood right behind him with her necklace noticeably hanging.
Drew watched them in a daze. His left pauldron from his light plate armor was loosening due to an impact and his injured shoulder was bleeding.
"Amanda..."
Seeing a stone missing from the young lady's necklace, he could guess it was used but how are they there? One side effect that the stone has is that it takes people from 3 meters of the range of the person who breaks the stone. But that isn't the only thing he is doubting what he is seeing.
He stared at the strings that were controlled by the young master. Drew gritted his teeth in shock but also in horror at what the consequences would fall upon them if it was discovered that one of the great hero's children was awakened without having a ceremony in front of a sacristan from Sainlam.
It's common knowledge all around the continent. So if they were to find out about Edwin... He can't even imagine! He needs to mention this to Rebekah once he meets her after this! He couldn't bring himself to stand anymore. He stared at her in a daze.
The woman he thought died in war... His fiancée...
Her once gentle and beautiful face is now twisted and disfigured. If it weren't for her unusual hair which split colors of brunette and ash blonde, he wouldn't have recognized the person he was facing was his fiancée, Aries.
Linda clenched her hands together and stared silently at Edwin.
'Why is he like this?'
She's been wondering ever since they did a sneak attack against her after seeing an opening when she nearly gave another futile blow to Drew. At first, she was panicking after seeing Drew in such a sorry state but she was stopped by Edwin.
He was the one who made her calm down! She was supposed to be the one who was light-headed! She bit her lower lip in frustration, tears welling up. She hasn't been feeling herself ever since that woman attacked the mansion.
Her emotions suddenly felt like they were going to explode and wanted to dash into action while her brother became blank and collected.
'It was just like that time!'
She suddenly remembered the times with a similar situation when they first came to this world and possessed these children's bodies. During the time when they met Maverick in the garden when she met Charlotte after colliding with her brother, and the time when she gained memories that obviously didn't belong to her.
She watched her brother who was playing with the strings and finally had her trapped. Edwin turned his head and titled his head.
"She will be here soon."
"Huh?"
Linda stared at him in confusion. He pointed at the roof that had been busted by that woman's arrival. An enormous bloodshot aura was getting closer and closer. She couldn't help but feel her legs go weak. Edwin quickly went by her side and caught her.
"That was a bad idea~"
Aries grinned, moving her arms around along with her legs as she broke through the tight, then, sharp strings that held her down. Edwin let out a wince and screamed in pain, collapsing along with Linda onto the floor.
Blood gushed out of his mouth and nose. He choked while coughing onto his blood.
"Big bro!"
He blankly blinked before light shone onto his eyes. He groaned in confusion, looking up to see Linda crying out for him.
"Elisa..?"
Linda crumbled and held onto him tight into her arms. She pulled out her necklace and tried to go near Drew but couldn't move her brother's body who was the same weight as she was. She panicked and her already weak legs dropped again. She looked up to find Drew silently rising up onto his feet, he looked towards her and gave her a firm nod and a smile of reassurance.
She clenched onto her already unconscious brother. She hesitated but finally broke a stone. A wave of mana slowly formed around her and Edwin and seeped through them. Feeling the unfamiliar sensation that was going through her body, she felt drowsy and passed out.
———
"Young master! Young lady!"
Amanda panicked when she was transported into the safe zone that was created in case of emergency. She was surrounded by anxious and fearful citizens of the dukedom.
Tears started welling up in her eyes. She never felt this dreadful since the time her family had to join the war. She wasn't able to control herself when Linda gave her the stone. She felt her body out of control when she distanced herself from the twins who were silently gazing at her until she broke the stone.
"Miss!"
She quickly turns to see Juliet holding onto the sleepy girl that the duchess is planning to adopt into the family. Juliet cried in relief but then halted in her steps as she looked around in confusion.
"Wait, where..."
Amanda hurriedly embraced Juliet, who widened her eyes in surprise. Her body shook in shock at Amanda's action that wasn't normally bestowed.
"Oh! Juliet... I'm so glad you're alright! What about Mira? The rest of the workers? Have they all arrived safely here? Have the knights checked through the citizens?"
"Woah, woah! Please, I'm holding Lady Ramona! And don't worry, everything is still in progress so I can't confidently say whether the citizens are checked through or not. Mira and the others are gathered together though."
Juliet gently escaped from Amanda's embrace who hastily gave an apology.
Another mana flow appeared as it descended from particles into forms. She turned her head and inwardly prayed and hoped that it was the children. She wouldn't know how to face her uncle and the duchess if it weren't for them.
Forms turned into two small children. Their unusual blonde that fades to silver was immediately recognizable as she ran towards them. She quickly embraced the shocked girl and sleepy boy tightly.
"Oh... Oh, oh... I'm so glad..."
Amanda sobbed hard. She couldn't control her emotions as the proper butler anymore. Later she wouldn't be able to face Nadia if she were to see her in this state.
"Y-young lady, young m-master... I-I'm so glad you are alive... Agh..."
"A-amanda..."
"Ugh, you wouldn't know how scared I was to lose you both... I wouldn't know how to face my uncle!"
Linda was perplexed. She couldn't help but feel horrible to have Amanda in that state. She freed her hand and gently rubbed her arm in comfort. To prove to her that they are alive. Safe.
She looked up to find a sweaty Mira in front of her. She smiled and bowed her head in respect. She quickly turns to Amanda and gently has her calm down and let them go.
After Amanda calmed down and wiped her tears off. She apologized and helped Linda with Edwin who passed out. Surprisingly she didn't ask what happened as she wiped Edwin's blood. She found out the reason after a few seconds...
Nadia stood behind her with a scary expression...
AKS
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Sorry for the short chapter!
I just thought I had to end it here and it's been months since the last chapter. So here I am.
I'm starting college so it will be hard to type out my stories and I've noticed I've lost and forgotten what's going on and I need to reread while editing them in my current narration and the way my characters address each other. Don't worry, I have the plot written now and decided the ending of the story but it's just the events in chapter after chapter being made as I type is mentally draining...
Thanks for continuing to read my story and I hope you share your feedback on it and vote if you enjoy it ^^