Chapter 20: The World of Screams – Part 2
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-Hollow-

 

“To the left!”

 

 

 

 

I ordered Silvertine as I sparked to the right, clashing my blade at one of the enigmas. He brought forth a large ax that planted my feet in place. His strength was greater than I imagined.

“Ha!”

Sivertine followed my orders and confronted an assassin on the left. Her spear met with his long sword. Their weapons sparked a bright silver as they battled.

“Keep him at a distance, Silvertine! Understand the flow of his mana before attacking!”

I instructed as I forced the ax away and sped over to another demon. We were already outnumbered two to four but that wasn’t the only problem I faced. Silvertine isn’t skilled enough to even face one. I needed to juggle them towards me… But it’s not as if another thought hasn’t come to mind. I could easily allow her to die and take this fight into my own two hands…

“Rhhaa!”

The silver-haired cried as she pushed forward, clicking the demon back. She avoided another strike by his sword aimed her way.

“Ms. Hollow?!”

She’s awaiting my orders… Just like the council has trained her… To not do anything outside the authority of others…

As I caught blades with the third demon’s spear…my focus waned. Silvertine’s life is pitiful…it’s meaningless to me and having her here is a nuisance. But even so…I found myself speeding over, colliding with her sword-wielding assassin. Now I stood in front of her as the beast howled at me. It's chains raddled like coins in a glass jar as we measured each other's power.

“Silvertine! Now is when you must fight for your freedom or risk dying! I am not here to be your heroine!”

I gained mana in my blade as I sliced the figure away. They all circled the two of us now but Eve rushed back in and completed our broken triangle formation.

“However! I will be a beacon that guides you. But if you die that will not affect my goals. Do you hear me, Silvertine?”

“Yes! I understand Ms. Hollow!”

“Understand their mana and oppress them with your own! That is my last advice I will give you. Show this bird you are worth your freedom!”

That's when a figure rushed from behind me.

“Eve!”

At my command, Eve took to the sand and dived down as I sliced at the back of me, locking my sword with the ax wielder’s edge.

“Get out of here, Eve!”

“Right, right!”

She rushed into the mist in my direction.

The beast howled at me through its skull mask. Bright flashes of white sparked between us. Now two other demons took this chance and rushed in towards me. Silvertine clashed again with the long sword wielder leaving me with the other three. An ax, dagger, and spear wielder.

“Tsk.”

I spewed. The assassins have gauged the situation already. They know whose mana is stronger between Silvertine and I and won’t hesitate to strike any longer. The dagger and spear wielders attempted to take me from behind as I expected.

“Ms. Hollow!”

Silvertine cried in distress.

“Fight your own battle, Silvertine!”

I rebuked before allowing the two to stab me in the back. One with a spear, the other a dagger. The force pushed me forwards, pushing away the ax wielder I had in check. That’s when Wail's blessing eroded in me. The pain, the hate, the sorrow of that nasty bird tainted my body.

“Huh…She’s gaining mana? How is that possible?”

The greenhorn Ruiner caught weapons with the last remaining demon. She gasped in awe but then returned to her own battle.

“Three on one, what cowards… Are you ready then?”

Blood pushed out of my mouth but spurts of mana replaced it as I spun, cutting them all away from me. Now my focus was locked. I needed to get rid of the ax wielder first. So, I rushed over, clashing edges with him. My mana outweighed him now unlike before.

“He!”

I cried as I forced mana into him, unbalancing the beast. He stumbled back as I took my sword behind me and slashed forwards, but he leaned back and escaped into the shadowy mist.

That’s when a cold light enveloped around me. It was a spell, but I couldn’t see who it was coming from as my vision was minimal in this world.

“Hollow! Watch out!”

That’s when Eve’s voice echoed in. It came from the north…That indicated that she could see the attacker, meaning his spell would be coming from there. That’s when a gust of sharp wind caught my shoulder, slicing off my skin as it pierced by. Blood flew about from my wound adding more mana to my body.

“Where are you?”

A cold howl mirroring a wolf came from the south. So, I spun around, battling with the demon’s spear. It’s as if they could see in the mist…They knew were we were, but we could barely make out them.

I bit my lip as I pushed him back. He faded into the mist again, vanishing from my view.

“I get it…”

Vala’s men have the gift to see through the mist. That’s how they can engage us so clearly. This mist wasn’t going away anytime soon though. This is Vala’s world not…Eon anymore. So, I’ll have to manage because of it.

“Haa!”

Silvertine hollered in the distance. I could clearly hear her fight get fiercer. She was battling for her freedom with all her might…

“That’s it…”

I could hear them fight in the distance. I just need to focus, close off my vision, and feel their mana with my ears and senses…My eyes closed…The sharp sound of sand tattering across towards me could be heard. A howl echoed out, but it was distant…not matching up with the footsteps.

“Arrgg.”

A spear jabbed in my side. Not bracing the pain like before I jerked forward. Seems they predicted what I was thinking…so they’re manipulating the sounds around me. The edge lifted my body flung me to the ground creating more spurts of mana to fill my determination. He pulled out the spear and escaped in the mist again.

“Annoying bastards.”

I scorned. My process wasn’t flawless, but it isn’t wrong either. I just have to gauge and distinguish the sounds from one another. Focus Hollow…

I shut my eyes again, shutting off all light to the world. There in the darkness, I could hear the screams of the dead around me. The tattering of boots on sand…the howl of the assassins…that didn’t match each other. The howls flew in all directions, but the tattering of the feet drew closer.

“Left!”

I screamed as I caught the spear aimed at me. My mana oppressed him now because of my pains. Our levels were vastly different now. I caught the fear in his pure black eyes as I drew my blade back. But I wasn’t aiming towards him…other footsteps were coming closer despite the howls being distant. So, I kicked him away and spun back to my main target.

“He!”

I sparked edges with the fearsome ax. His beet black eyes coldly waned as I pushed forwards with a black shockwave, cutting him down instantly. His blood sprayed in the misty world. With a sharp cry, his body sprawled onto the foggy sand. The demons head lied, mutilated disgracefully.

“Only three to go…”

I confirmed.

The other two approached in similar tactic. That was the key, the distinction between the hollow howls and somber footsteps. It’s not as though they aren’t masking them… no, my senses had increased with my mana channeling in me.

Now the fight was three on two. More manageable than before. That’s if Silvertine hasn’t died yet of course. I wasn’t worried about Eve because of obvious reasons. So, I settled my eyes again. I could feel a pulsating of mana stronger than before from a distance. Indicating a stronger spell was aimed my way.

“Here it comes…”

That’s when a whirlwind caught underneath my feet. The force of nature swung me around higher into the sky before a sharp burst of wind brought me to the ground. I crashed onto my chest and stomach, causing my body to tremble in pain. 

“Ahhhggg!”

My body cracked as blood spat from my mouth. But then the mana flow began again giving me the determination to go on. Seems they’ve changed tactics. They weren’t going to approach me and be killed like their comrade.

“No, you don’t!”

My body was grabbed as we rolled about on the sand, the whirlwind rushed to the side of me, barely missing us now. If it wasn’t for her I would have been caught up a second time.

“Eve?”

She gazed at me as our eyes connected.

“How did you…?”

“Wind Mana. I have a stronger affinity to them so I can easily tell when they’re using it.”

Could that mean… Eve could be my eyes in this thick mist? Could she show me the path to find them? We stood up now and faced the bright mist. We looked at one another as if reading the other’s mind.

“Eve?”

 

 

“To the far east right in front of us. The other one is staying nearby but more to the west!”

As my guide ordered, I rushed blindly in but with all confidence. The whirlwind blasted where I stood…likely taking Eve up in the storm. But of course, it didn’t matter for her. She would be fine no matter what happened to her. My targets were in front of me as they came into view. He tried to avoid my strike but my speed was fiercer than before. I drew to the side slightly out of his range of view when...

“Ha!”

I jabbed, stabbing into the unsuspecting dagger wielder. Our eyes connected as my sword went through his neck. He cackled eerily before wasting away as blood poured into the disgusting sand.

“Filth.”

I mocked.

Now that I was closer I could sense the other’s mana. The assassin tried to flee but I pursued him with vigor. A blast of wind mana came my way but with every cut on me my mana burst ever stronger. Now my horrid wings were developing, my mana was streaming out of control.

“Come here you little rat!”

I screeched as I brought out my claws. My arm reached as the demon cried. He couldn't escape now as this was Vala's world.  I clawed into his back causing my mana to rage wildly as I ripped his body open from behind. Blood wasted away on my arm as the assassin lied on the sand. I could feel it...the true Forbidden Bird begging to come out...I had to hold that side of me in though. The true fight was soon and I couldn't let my real cards escape too early.

“Rhhaaa!”

 

 

The spark of Silvertine’s rage came about. I raced towards the voices. There she was, still fighting the sword assassin. Blood was trickling down her cheek, but she held her own. Spores created a circle around their battlefield. Likely a strategy for the assassin to not escape into the mist. I had no intention to interrupt them. If she wanted freedom, Silvertine would need to not wait for a hero to save her.

She’s accurately gauged the level of her opponent's mana. She’s assessed the situation of the battle and now she must oppress him with her will.

That’s when the mist around them froze. The assassin now caught in her frost mana, she jumped back and speared through his stomach, casting blood into the crystalized battlefield. Out of breath, Silvertine fell to the ground along with the body she made.

“Ahh…ahh…Ms. Hollow…I think I won!”

She cried, bloodied but victorious. I rushed over but then a large silhouette came into view…

“Silvertine!”

I screamed.

Its body was massive and the cry coming from it was low tone but could make a mountain tremble in fear. Silvertine now sat as a prey, legs trembling.

 

“Vala! Please wait! Please! Please!”

 

 

 

Silvertine wailed in agony as Vala's hammer bashed down on her.

Her childish dream to live in a destroyed world...

 

Was all but a dream now.

 

 

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