Aefia watched as the woman fell to her knees, the blade piercing her organs in a way that made her recall the way Ms. Avry died months ago. "Why the heck did you just do that?!" She shouted as she clenched the snow and looked down, facing away from the flowing blood. "I don't understand this world... I don't understand anyone!"
"It's because they don't understand your mind and your internal battles." The woman spoke while pulling the blade out of herself. "I am saving you energy to fight back for your cousin... I feel bad for a kid like you... So I wanted to help you keep your loved ones..." Blood spilled from her mouth as she coughed.
"I wanted to help you from losing your everything in this world. Go behind her before the Gaurdian of Silence thinks the girl has stayed alive for too long." She added while collapsing onto the snow carpet with her head tilted to the side. "Run... Before the time runs out... Don't make me regret this decision... I have had enough of them in my life."
Her face turned soft for a moment as she saw the struggling woman, then gritted her teeth and stood up with a backward glance to the fallen woman. "Thank you..." She whispered while taking off in a run towards the direction the woman was faced. As she moved, her boots scrapped up white powder and her lungs burning.
A satisfaction crawled up the woman's face as she shut her eyes for a final time and watched the girl start to frantically look back and forth, between alleys. "Just... A few more steps... And you will meet your cousin. I wish you... Best of luck... With your life..." She whispered with her last breathe escaping her lungs in the form of a mist.
***
A few seconds ago, it was heavy blizzard that covered his vision, and then the snowing stopped and he was back at the bazaar. "What the heck?!" He panicked while looking back and forth, but there was no sight of the abandoned buildings or the street monsters who were at an attempt of gnawing at him. For some reasons, unlike how Aefia had said it, he never had to attack any beast, because they never came to attack him in the first place.
He let out a sigh, in a disappointed way. "I have so many unanswered questions and so many things to discuss with her... But looks like it would have to wait until we meet again out of coincidence... That is if she survives." He whispered to himself while letting his gaze travel to the wet grounds of the marketplace. His hands flew to the pockets of his bomber jacket, but where usually they would remain empty, a metallic and rectangular body was felt at his fingertips.
He immediately took it out to take a closer look.
"Isn't this her phone?!" A panic rose to his face as he flicked on the screen. There was an application already open, a simple note written into the all white screen. "I have Nada. Come and take her back tomorrow at ..."
It had a location written down, where only prestigious noble families could stay during a vacation, and he felt a wave of relief go through his mind.
"Alright... Tomorrow it is..." He whispered while walking back to the park the remaining of the participants were at. His steps felt worrisome the more he stepped away, worried that the only person who knows the truth behind the competition, and the only person who can explain Ms. Avry's death, would die due to her injuries in the middle of it all.
***
Aefia started to breath in and out heavily as she came to a stop and bent down to hold her knees. The frost that settled onto he head all fell down as she wiped more of them off her eyelashes. I still don't understand what is up with people in this world... I ordered an execution over her father, was involved in the murder of her younger sister, and am the reason behind why Lady Elanor had ordered me to kill her. She straightened up with her face expressionless and facing the sky.
I wonder why my life story seems to have blood splattered against the pages from when I have turned eight and until now. Now there are people killing themselves because of me... How pathetic... She thought to herself as she forced her face down and wiped away more of the snowflakes off her lashes. Nevermind... Thanks to her... I can go ahead and save Nada if I can successfully make it in time.
Her breath left her mouth in the form of mist, and rose towards the air around her before turning invisible. Her boots dragged against the snow as she continued to walk in search of the single person she had gotten here for. I have a question in mind... If Ms. Avry had been gone for ten days... Why did neither Nada nor Helio inform me? Neither did Puppet... Was it just fate? Or were they truly behind her death to begin with?
She thought to herself when suddenly, she came to a stop. There were sounds of rustling behind her, as if something was following her, many at once and waiting to pounce onto her at her weakest time.
What if this is my fate for killing those I have killed back then... So now I am losing my loved ones?
No... That can't be... I am just... Trying to stay alive and survive while protecting those around me.
Then, just as a smile fell onto her face, the air shifted behind her, with the sound of growling.
"Pity... That I still have to kill to survive."
She whispered to herself, and then spun on her heels while slicing off the throat of a large headed monster. The blood drenched her bomber jacket's sleeves in the process, as the head thumbled to the side and rolled away.
The remaining body slammed down on the cold snow with a sickening thud, that she had already long grown used to. How many... Have I murdered until now? I killed more then a hundred within seven years of my life... Almost eight if I considered my life in this world. Her mind echoed into itself as if a full gone insane person were talking to themselves to revisit their gruesome past and see if they should return to their innocent days.
Then, another rushed towards her, causing her to abruptly move her head to face the monster, but because there was a sensible difference now. Alright maybe I have bragged too early? Because this just doesn't seem like the monsters I faced back during the time I followed the watchman and killed the maniac. She thought to herself as her smile vanished, leaving her to only look at the group of more confident monsters.
She tried to use her strength as much as she could, and trying to summon her items from the inventory that didn't buldge now.
No sh*t! What the heck do I do now?! My sword is stuck there! I can't use this rusted weapon for the rest of my battle... And these... These monsters are embedded with magic this time! I just need to stay precautious that they don't learn to use their skills! She gritted her teeth and sliced the approaching one, still trying to use her system. Luckily they are slender built with no muscles!
[WARNING: Element not found. Invalid user detected.]
The world blurred, her breath got compressed inside her lungs, and her mind rang. "What..." The word left her mouth as she stayed staring at the screen with a disbelief and feeling alien, as if in a dream. What do you mean... Element not found? Where the heck is my remaining magic energy?! Where did it all go?!
[WARNING: Once a magic energy reservoir has been reached, skills may turn dark and become a part of negative energy that are dangerous to use for the owner. In order to keep the owner from dying, it will be forced to shut down any sort of primary skills. Shut down skill 'Phase Three: System'?]
No! I don't want to shut it down just yet! I need more information! She screamed into her mind as her sleeves turned drenched and slick with blood. Why the heck was I so prideful over my killing instincts? And how the heck has my magic energy gone to that low?! To enter the reservoir state?!
She kicked a monster's knees, causing it to fall to the ground before sticking the knife into it's skull and pulling it out. I don't know what to do next. But I think I have got what it has to do with my element not found. Because I have reached reservoir... I am practically using my own energy now. But thanks to the fact that I am not using any magic related skills, I am just using my strength. Which must mean... These monsters have stolen my magic energy.
In other words... Me using my system as a skill... Is the other thing that is causing me to turn exhausted over the time. Should I shut it off? And just trust my instinct? She went through her mind trying to find a real solution that would be permanent and useful. Her fist around her knife tightened as she finally surrendered to the finalty of her skills, due to another annoying message.
"SHUT IT DOWN!" She shouted.
[WARNING: Once the skill is shut down under the unidentified user's orders, it won't restart unless it has reached the end of the cool down timer. Confirm?]
"Confirm." She muttered as one of the monsters aimed for her neck with their own bone made weapons.
[Shutting down...]
Finally, a little bit of her strength returned, but she kept the way she used her strength the same way, and only focusing on consistency over the force. By now, her face was turning redish as she continued to pile up on the bodies. I just have a little bit more... She spoke into her mind, while trying to keep her grip on the knife steady despite the blood causing her to slip sometimes.
Her jacket caused her movements problems, and her vision only obscured by the mist that left her mouth. What kind of training is this? To keep me from suffering more the next try?
Finally, only one remained, one single monster who was backing away on the snow, despite it being pretty far from her. Although the suspicion had hit her almost instantly, she still stopped to catch her breath, bending forward and grabbing her knees and looking down at the blood stained snow.
I am screwed... I am out of energy... I have managed to get this far thanks to the training with Lady Elanor. Maybe this is why the Countess killed herself... To save me from the early exhaustion mid-fight.
She lifted her head, and straightened her back, but didn't walk just yet. Then, the air shifted behind her, too fast to detect and too slow to leave her out of guard. She turned around in time, but too late from preventing the monster's blade from piercing through her coat and landing on her flesh underneath. But she didn't stop to take the blade out, and plunged the rusted knife at her hand into the side of its head, knocking its grip off the handle of the dagger.
Blood spilt from the side of her mouth as she pulled out the sharp instrument, and turned to face the shriek from behind her. The last standing monster plunged towards her, showing the obvious reasons to why it would back up like that before hand.
The blade covered with her blood, struck the monsters neck and she watched as both the body and the head rolled to the side.
That should be enough to trigger some sort of reaction from the dungeons and summon me into a boss fight like the last time. She thought it herself while glancing down at her own hand staining her bomber jacket dark. Was it that bad? I didn't sense too much of a pain when I pulled the blade. And the bomber jacket helped to keep the blade from reaching into my ribs and shattering it. Maybe I should take a time to rest and recover before moving onto the next level of the dungeon. But I also need to know where Nada is kept captive.
Finally, she walked to a clear landing and sat down on the snow, hugging her knees while shutting her eyes and pressing her left hand and onto her wound. The weapon stayed at her right hand, as a defense. I just hope nothing bad happens next... And I am definitely not going to brag about my strength at this age... Without knowing more about myself...
As soon as she thought she was in a safe zone now, the ground below her seemed to vanish, and a push at her back that sent her plummeting with no mercy from gravity. Ws she opened her eyes to see the situation, she found herself falling into some sort of rabbit hole. Her concerns and shock caused her voice to get strangled inside her vocal cords, with the air around her turning more room temperature-like.
Within a few seconds, her head hit rock hard ground, and her scalp split to allow blood to flow down the back of her head. Her vision blurred for a few seconds, but a familiar type of warmth kept her awake and fighting to stand up, at least on her knees. The boss fight... I am finally there...
She squinted her eyes, gritted her teeth, and stood up with shaking legs, adrenaline keeping her from collapsing back down again.
"Oh... You have finally thought about showing up! What took you so long?!"
A feminine voice echoed from behind her, the voice of one of her enemies. Aefia turned her head to look at the woman, golden hues and footsteps that left a holographic glow as she walked... It was unmistakably the Guardian of Silence.
With a swift movement, Silence lifted her up with the collar, and muttered right to her face with a smile.
"Well... You have worked so hard up there... That I thought I should present you with a gift." She spoke, while turning the girl's head to face the horror. "Happy Advanced Birthday..."