The air around him seemed to ripple and distort, as if the very fabric of reality was bending to accommodate his fury. Aria's face remained impassive, her pale skin seeming to glow in the flickering light of the flames. Her voice, like ice, dripped with disdain, "Will you now? I will be looking forward to it. "With a snarl, Cyan hurled Aris's sword at Aria, the blade flashing in the firelight like a silver streak. Aria deflected it with the same finger that had blocked the first attack, her movements economical, almost bored. The sound of metal on metal was like a death knell, echoing through the desolate landscape as the sword flew back to Cyan's hand, its surface gleaming with a faint, malevolent light.
Aria's words dripped with condescension, "You still don't get, huh?" She spoke, her voice like a cold breeze on a winter's night, sending shivers down Cyan's spine. "You still don't get how unmatched you are. Take a look at where your sword landed," she added, her tone dripping with disdain, like a scientist examining a specimen.
Cyan's gaze followed her finger, and his eyes widened as he realized his blade was pressing against her finger, the sparks of energy dancing between the two like fireflies on a summer night. The sound of sizzling metal and the smell of ozone filled the air, a stark reminder of the vast difference in their power. He hadn't even noticed she'd blocked the blow with her bare finger, the force of the impact sending shock Waves through the ground. Aria's finger alone was stronger than iron, a fact that sent a shiver down Cyan's spine. Her smirk was a twisted, cruel thing, a demon's grin that seemed to split her face in two.
"This is the reality of just how weak you are," she spoke, her voice like a knife to Cyan's heart, making him feel small and insignificant. With a speed that belied her slender form, Aria retaliated, her fist crashing into Cyan's stomach like a sledgehammer, sending him flying across the air like a ragdoll. The sound of his body hitting the wall was like a thunderclap, making Aris's heart skip a beat. Before he could even process what was happening, Aria was on him, her fists raining down like a hail of meteors, each blow landing with precision and deadly force.
She moved with a fluidity, her steps a blur as she intercepted him, her eyes flashing with a malevolent glean. The air was filled with the sound of flesh on flesh, the stench of sweat and blood hanging heavy in the air.The world was a blur as Cyan's vision distorted, his body hurtling through the air like a projectile, his senses overwhelmed by the sheer force of Aria's attack.
Time seemed to slow as he flew towards Aris, his body crashing into the wall with a deafening crash, the sound echoing through the desolate landscape like a death knell. As he slid to the ground, his vision blurred, his eyes struggling to focus on Aria's approaching form. The world was a haze of pain and confusion, his body wretched with agony. He saw Aris, beaten and bleeding, crawling towards him, her eyes filled with a desperate determination. The sound of her labored breathing was like a mantra, a prayer for his survival.
Aria's footsteps echoed through the room, her approach a cold, calculated march towards her final goal. The air seemed to vibrate with her malevolent energy, the very atmosphere thickening with her darkness. "After ten years of searching... It finally ends," she spoke, her voice dripping with an unspeakable evil, making the hairs on the back of Cyan's neck stand on end.
A sword of earth and lightning coalesced in her hand, its presence seeming to darken the very air around her. The energy emanating from it was like a palpable force, making Cyan's skin crawl. As she took her final steps towards the siblings, a beam of magnificent blue light descended from the sky, illuminating the carnage like a celestial spotlight. 500 transparent circles materialized between Aria and the siblings, ancient markings glowing with an otherworldly energy.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of ozone and the sound of whispering voices, a soft, soothing melody that seemed to calm the very fabric of reality. A voice spoke, its echo palpable throughout the desolate landscape, like a gentle breeze on a summer's day...
Ninrir: "Begone, demon." The voice spoke in a pissed-off tune, but still somehow felt warm, like a gentle breeze on a summer's day.
The sound was like a soft hum, vibrating through the air, making Aria's skin prickle with unease.
ARIA: "Well, well, well. The goddess comes out to play." Her voice was l laced with amusement, her sword pulsing with a deep red aura, like a heartbeat in the darkness.
Ninrir: "Rejoice for now, but you know not of what you have awakened." The voice was like a whisper, sending shivers down Aria's spine.
ARIA: "A new Archon, am I right. You know, I have been wondering, why someone on your caliber would be so interested in a human?" She spoke, her voice amused, her eyes gl gleaming with excitement. Ninrir responded with silence, her eyes burning with an inner fire.
ARIA: "No answer, sigh, That's just exactly the fun of it, nothing is more fun than toying with a newborn Archon. Don't think so too, Mother of light?" She spoke, her tone taunting, like a child poking a wild animal with a stick.
Ninrir: "You have some nerve to walk under me like that. The next time you go around my back, I will completely Annihilate you like the insect you, and not even your father will be able to stop me." Her voice was like a crack of thunder, making Aria's smile falter.
ARIA: "My father has nothing to do with this, bitch." She spoke, her face twisting into a snarl, her eyes blazing with anger and malice.
The air was charged with tension, like the moment before a storm breaks.
Ninrir: "I don't care... Just piss off." Her tone was annoyed, the 500 transparent circles glowing brighter, like tiny suns about to explode.
Aria: "Tch, this is not the end. One day, you will reap what you sowed, Goddess of light." She spoke, disappearing in a puff of smoke, her voice fading into the distance, like a ghostly whisper.
The moment she disappeared, the pillar of light and the transparent circles vanished, and Aris felt a sense of relief as she struggled to turn onto her back. The sound of her labored breathing was like a mantra, a prayer for survival.
Ninrir: "Thank you, child, and I am sorry." She showed gratitude towards Aris, followed by an apology, her voice like a gentle rain, soothing the savage beast.
A wide, faint smile crossed Aris's lips as she stared at the night sky, the stars glowing even in the smoke that rose from the scorched houses and trees. Ninrir's light faded away, leaving the light of the moon, the wind softly brushing through her hair. The sound of crickets and the distant rumble of thunder filled the air, a symphony of sounds that seemed to wash away the horror of the battle. Suddenly, it started raining, as if the rain was the tears of the 2
1,837 innocent people who had lost their lives in the carnage. The first drop woke Cyan up, his eyes slowly opening, revealing his red, ruby eyes. He forcefully dragged his body up, walking slowly towards Aris, his vision blurry but his will un-matched. The smell of wet soil filled his nostrils, a pungent, earthy scent that seemed to ground him.
As he reached her, he forced his body to sit, placing his hand on her damaged mail covering her chest. His hand started glowing a faint blue hue of aura, attempting to heal her. The light was like a gentle warmth, spreading through Aris's body, soothing her wounds.
ORION: "_Wound's un-healable, adding the damage on your body, your odds dropped by sixty-nine percent_" The voice spoke in his head in a detached echo, a cold, calculating tone that sent a shiver down Cyan's spine. Aris's vision was blurry, but she could make out Cyan's face, wet from the rain, his eyes red-rimmed from crying. He didn't even notice his own grave wounds, his focus solely on her.
The sound of the rain was like a dirge, a mournful melody that seemed to underscore the desperation of the scene.
Aris forced her right hand, scorched and covered in blood and mud, to lift and hold Cyan's hands. "C-..yan...." she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, a fragile thread of sound in the midst of the storm. Cyan just cried, his body shaking with sobs, his tears mixing with the rain. The gloomy rain in the night seemed to truly poignant the scene, the sound of splattering rain echoing through their ears, and some hitting the iron of Aris's chest mail piece of her armor.
Aris: "Listen to me... I don't have enough time, promise me you will live on with pride." Her voice was weak, but her eyes burned with a fierce intensity, a last-ditch effort to impart her will to Cyan.
Cyan: "No, shut up... Shut up and let me heal you!" he yelled, his voice cracking with emotion, as he increased the level of aura flowing into Aris's body. His tears flowed down his face, mixing with the rain, as he poured all his energy into saving her.
The air was filled with the scent of ozone and the sound of his ragged breathing, a desperate attempt to defy the inevitable. Aris's grip on Cyan's hands tightened, her fingers like a vice despite the damage they had suffered, the rough texture of her skin a testament to the brutal battle they had fought. "Cyan...promise me," she whispered, her voice growing weaker, a mere whisper of its former self, the words barely audible over the pounding of the rain. The rain seemed to intensify, as if the heavens themselves were crying for her, the sound a deafening roar that threatened to consume them whole, the droplets hitting the ground like a thousand tiny drums, each one echoing the beat of Cyan's shattered heart. Cyan's face contorted in anguish, his eyes red and puffy from crying, the tears streaming down his face like a river, mixing with the rain and the dirt, creating a muddy mess that seemed to cling to his skin like a shroud.
He shook his head, his body shaking with sobs, the sound of his despair echoing through the desolate landscape like a wounded animal's cry. "No, I won't...I won't let you go," he choked out, his voice barely intelligible, a broken, shattered thing, the words torn from his lips like a scream.
Aris's eyes locked onto his, her gaze burning with a fierce intensity, a last, desperate attempt to impart her will to him, the spark of life within her refusing to be extinguished. "I don't have any more time, please relay my words to mom and Randell as well," she whispered, her voice fading, a dying ember flickering out, the words barely audible over the pounding of the rain. Her chest heaved with a labored breath, the effort of speaking almost too much for her fragile body, the sound of her breathing like a death rattle, a grim reminder of the fragility of life.
Cyan's body shook with a fresh wave of sobs, his eyes welling up with tears as he realized she was slipping away, the pain in his chest like a physical blow, a crushing weight that threatened to suffocate him. He felt a searing pain in his chest, as if his heart was being torn apart, the agony so intense it threatened to consume him whole, as Aris relayed her letter, her words a whispered farewell that seemed to echo through the desolate landscape like a scream.
"Mom... thank you for bringing me into this world and raising me," she spoke, her voice low and calm, the words a gentle breeze on a summer's day, a stark contrast to the storm raging around them. "These might be my last words addressed to you, but...," she paused, taking a breath, the effort of speaking almost too much for her fragile body, the sound of her breathing like a death rattle, a grim reminder of the fragility of life.
Her eyes locked onto Cyan's, her gaze burning with a fierce intensity, a last, desperate attempt to impart her will to him, the spark of life within her refusing to be extinguished. Aris's voice was a whisper, a gentle caress that seemed to soothe Cyan's shattered heart, the words a balm that seemed to heal the wounds of his soul. "If I had another chance, I would like to see you one more time... Just one more time, I would really like to give you a hug," she spoke, her voice filled with a deep longing, the words a prayer that seemed to echo through the desolate landscape like a scream, a desperate plea to the universe to grant her one last wish.
A moment of silence followed, the only sound the pounding of the rain, the droplets hitting the ground like a thousand tiny drums, each one echoing the beat of Cyan's shattered heart. Aris's chest heaved with a labored breath, the effort of speaking almost too much for her fragile body, the sound of her breathing like a death rattle, a grim reminder of the fragility of life.
"One that I haven't given you in a very long time.... Ther... There is nothing in this world..., that would make me more proud than to see you smiling right now," she spoke, her voice filled with a deep sadness, the words a whispered farewell that seemed to echo through the desolate landscape like a scream, a last, desperate attempt to impart her will to Cyan, to leave him with a memory that would sustain him through the dark days ahead.
Cyan's heart fell deeper and deeper with each word she spoke, his body shaking with sobs, the sound of his despair echoing through the desolate landscape like a wounded animal's cry, the pain in his chest like a physical blow, a crushing weight that threatened to suffocate him. He tried his best to maintain the sound of his sobs, giving his sister her final moments, his hand still glowing as he desperately tried his best to heal her, the light of his aura a faint, flickering flame that seemed to dance in the darkness like a beacon of hope, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always a glimmer of light to hold onto.
Aris: "And... To... my dear brother Randell," she took a breath, her voice low and calm, the words barely audible over the pounding of the rain.
The sound of her breathing was like a gentle whisper, a soft sigh that seemed to carry on the wind. "I know I have been hard on you from the very first day of training, but seeing you to have grow up so much is the greatest joy of my life," she spoke, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes shining with tears. The rain pounded against her face, droplets clinging to her eyelashes like tiny diamonds, and Cyan could see the pain in her eyes, the regret and the longing.
"I just wish I could have seen you grow up a little longer and fall in love," she spoke, her voice filled with a deep sadness, the words a whispered prayer to the universe.
She gasped, struggling to catch her breath, her body shaking with a faint cough. The sound of her cough was like a crack in the earth, a sudden fissure that seemed to split the ground open. Cyan's vision blurred with tears as he listened to his sister's words, his heart aching with grief. He felt like he was drowning in his own sorrow, the pain in his chest like a physical blow, a crushing weight that threatened to suffocate him. He bit his lip, the pain almost too much to bear, his teeth piercing his skin, the blood flowing down his chin like a dark, crimson tear. Aris's eyes seemed lifeless as she spoke, her voice low and calm, the words barely audible over the pounding of the rain. The sound of her voice was like a gentle stream, a soothing melody that seemed to calm the storm raging within Cyan.
Aris: "I Wonder what having a sister in law feels like?... I wish I could see you right now... Brother but I am afraid even that is impossible," she spoke, her voice filled with a deep longing, the words a whispered prayer to the universe.
Her eyes seemed to cloud over, her gaze drifting away, lost in a sea of memories.Cyan's tears only increased as he poured his aura into Aris, his body shaking with sobs, his heart aching with grief. He felt like he was losing her, like she was slipping away from him, and he was powerless to stop it.
Aris: "Please take care of your self, mom and Cyan," she spoke, her voice barely audible, the words a faint whisper on the wind.
And finally, she turned to Cyan, her eyes locking onto his, her gaze burning with a fierce intensity. The sound of her voice was like a gentle breeze, a soft sigh that seemed to carry on the wind.
Aris: "And finally cyan... My overly talented little brother, I still remember the first day I held you in my arms, The day was windy and the coach brutal but that day was special," she spoke, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes shining with tears. The memory seemed to flood her senses, the smell of the wind, the feel of the coach's rough fabric, the sound of Cyan's tiny cries. Cyan's heart ached with grief as he listened to his sister's words, his body shaking with sobs, his tears mixing with the rain.
He felt like he was drowning in his own sorrow, the pain in his chest like a physical blow, a crushing weight that threatened to suffocate him.
END OF CHAPTER 12