She's about to do it.
Without a second thought, I leapt out of my seat.
"Master Rin..."
I brushed past the seating students, stumbling on a few occasions, but finally I made it to the front row.
Emulating the dexterity of a fox, I leapt over the barrier at the top of the walls surrounding the battle area, landing on all fours. Not wasting a moment, I charged straight for Si Ya.
"Oh oh..." Sasha announced, "Someone just jumped into the battleground... It's Rin Stormborn!"
The noise alerted Si Ya, and she quickly concealed her knife beneath her blazer. Then she turned to me, a sharp smile appearing on her face, cold and ruthless.
What a bitch.
In one single move, she lifted Lucy onto her shoulders and took off in the opposite direction.
"Rin appears to be chasing Si Ya, who just took off with Lucy on her back. What the hell is happening?"
Si Ya dashed through the arena door, and I quickly followed in pursuit. Somewhere behind me, I could hear another chasing after us. Probably Theo.
Despite the weight on her shoulder, Si Ya ran fast – faster than I could keep up with. The more we ran, the larger the gap between us grew.
Come on, Rin. You're faster than this.
Si Ya headed towards the male nobles' dorm, where the stone fence around the school was shortest. Like a cheetah, she sprang over the fence and disappeared into the forest within.
Fuck!
I paused at the fence and turned around.
Theo was nowhere in sight.
I didn't like the idea of going after Si Ya alone, but Lucy's life was depending on me. So, I heaved a deep sigh and jumped over the fence.
I charged through the trees, following the faint glimpse of orange in the distance ahead of me. It was broad daylight, but the wide leaves above blocked out most of the sun, leaving the forest dimly lit with scattered thin rays of light.
After minutes of running through weeds and grasses, I lost sight of Si Ya's orange blazer.
I immediately stopped, focusing on my ears to catch the faintest sound. For a moment, all I could hear was the birds singing in the trees. Eventually, I heard a twig crack in the distance to my left.
"Lucy!" I yelled at the top of my voice, running in the direction of the sound.
I ran for what seemed like hours. My chest burned intensely, and my breath grew shorter and shorter. But I could hear more footsteps just ahead of me, so I kept running.
I was on the verge of collapse when I stumbled upon a female body sprawled out unconscious on the floor.
"Lucy!" I gasped, dropping to my knees. I placed my right hand gently between her breasts, and my ear above her face.
Although her heartbeat was slow, she was still breathing.
I quickly examined her for any cuts, stabs, or burns. Finding none, I closed my eyes and sighed in relief. Then I opened them again and stared at Lucy.
Despite the slight cut on her lip, her face looked so perfect and innocent. It was almost impossible to believe that she would one day become the Shadow Queen.
As I sat beside Lucy, ruminating in my thoughts, I felt a cold blade across my neck.
"If I were you, I'd stay very still," A voice whispered behind me, grim, low, feminine.
Just like the assassin's.
"I don't want to fight you, Si Ya."
"Good... 'cause you're definitely going to lose."
She placed her free hand on my shoulder and pulled me up.
"Talk to me," I said. "Why are you doing this?"
She completely ignored me. Instead, she pushed the dagger closer to my neck.
"Kill me if you want, but spare her life," I pleaded.
"No... Can't do that."
"Yes, you can. I'm the one you want."
Si Ya let out a short, muffled laugh.
"What's funny?" I asked.
"Don't flatter yourself. You were never the target."
"But... You tried to kill me twice."
"No... I tried to stop you from interfering with my actual mission. If I really wanted you dead, you would be."
"So what's your actual mission?"
"You're looking at her."
My eyes darted to Lucy, her pale body sprawled helplessly on the ground.
"Why?" I asked.
"My mission is none of your concern."
"You made it my concern when you tried to kill my best friend."
Si Ya laughed. A cold, horrid laugh.
"Your best friend?" She scoffed. "No, Belford. She's the girl who killed you, remember?"
How could I forget? It was the same vision that haunted me every single day.
"You know about the apocalypse?"
"Know?... We prophesied it."
"We?"
That moment, I recalled Theo's words, from the night we arrived in Viridale.
The House of Daevalia will destroy the world.
I smiled."The Seers of Xindao. They're the ones who hired you."
"You're a smart one, but not smart enough."
She moved her lips closer to my ears and whispered her next words right into my ears.
"I don't work for the Seers. I am a Seer."
My jaw dropped. Suddenly, the last missing piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
"Well," she continued. "I hope you understand why I can't let her live."
"You think killing her will stop the apocalypse?"
"I don't think... I know it. And you know it too. You failed to stop her yourself."
"How much did you see?"
"Enough to know you don't belong here... Enough to make sure you don't ruin the future again."
"You're okay with murdering an innocent girl to save the future?"
"Innocent. This girl is anything but innocent. You saw what she did to the Freya girl."
For a moment, I believed Si Ya was right.
"This isn't murder," She said. "It's mercy. Way better than sacrificing the future for one girl."
I sighed. Si Ya was determined to kill Lucy no matter what I said to dissuade her.
"It's not personal," she uttered with a tone of finality. "I'm just trying to save millions from the monster she'll become."
"Me too."
I swiftly rose to my feet, grabbing her arm before she could slice my throat. At the same time, I pulled her weight forward and slammed her on the ground in front of me.
She didn't wince or moan. Instead, she reached for my right leg and sliced it with her dagger.
I fell back to my knees, grunting in pain. Reacting to her attack, I pulled a dagger from my sleeve and lunged at her.
Right before I could get close, she leaned on her back and kicked the blade out of my hand. Then, she performed a kickstand and got back on her feet.
Her movements were fast, like a cat. Way faster than our first fight. Before I realised what was happening, she performed a drop kick to my chest and knocked me straight to the ground.
I slightly groaned as my head struck the earth.
"Didn't go as you imagined now, did it?" She teased.
I could feel the stinging pain from the cut on my foot, and the blood oozing out, but I was determined not to stay down.
I picked up my dagger again and forced myself to my feet, then I charged for her once again.
"Time Affinity: Freeze."
A bright orange light struck me in the chest, and my body immediately froze. I was aware of myself, but every part of me seemed to be stuck in time.
Si Ya walked over to me and pulled the dagger from my hand.
"I do not understand," she said. "You... all-powerful Grand Mage, failed to stop her from destroying the world. Yet here you are... fighting for her, despite the atrocious deeds she's destined to commit."
I tried to respond, but my body failed to move. Nothing worked, not even my breathing.
"I'll do you one favour," Si Ya said, walking toward Lucy's body. "As a reward for your devotion, I'm going to let you watch her die. Then I'll kill you afterwards, so you can be with her in the afterlife."
Playfully, she tossed the dagger in the air, catching it right before it dropped on Lucy.
"Where do I stab first?"
Stop!!!
I screamed in my mind, praying that she'd hear me, hoping that she'd spare Lucy.
Then I watched in horror as Si Ya plunged the knife straight into her stomach.
Lucy gasped. Even though she was unconscious, she could feel the dagger piercing through her.
My heart ached terribly. She was going to die, and I couldn't stop it.
I was supposed to be her protector... Her best friend.
But I had failed her. Again.
Just like I had failed the world.
No... I wasn't going to let it happen. I wasn't going to let myself fail again
For the first time in my life, I chose to put my faith in someone other than myself.
I wasn't going to let her die. Not today.
The edges of my vision blurred, and my blood began to boil with rage.
In that moment, I felt something snap within me.
My entire body was frozen in time, but I could feel it. Deep within my chest, was a spark... A new drive, waiting to be unleashed.
I closed my eyes and wished for something... anything... to happen.
Then, in the distance, I heard a clap of thunder...