The wind roared past us as we fell, my stomach twisting violently as the ground rushed closer. "VENNESA—!!"
"Stay still!"
Her voice cut through everything. Calming me down.
Wind gathered beneath us, swirling, cushioning our fall—and then we landed smoothly .
But there was nothing smooth about what waited below.
I scanned my surrounding only to see blood bath.
After the blast, Only after a few minute must've passed.
The palace grounds had turned into a battlefield. Guards clashed in brutal combat, steel colliding with steel, magic exploding across the air. The soldiers of Zeryn fought desperately against the red-armored forces. Bodies lay scattered across the ground, unmoving.
And then I saw the armours of the enemy forces
"...They...they are from ashrahan...how can they do that?" i asked myself.
I saw our gaurds dying in front of us. The gaurds were loosing their lives because of us.
"…No…"
"Don't look," Vennesa said, her voice low.
But I couldn't do anything. I was only a kid who can't even use magic properly.
Everything was falling apart.
Mother was alone against the red-knight.
"Hold on," she muttered—and ran.
Faster than I had ever seen her moving.
Vannesa's feet stomp on the ground causing the ground to break.
The world blurred as she moved, weaving through chaos that was unbearable, dodging attacks, slipping past clashing blades like a ghost.
Screams echoed behind us, magic lit up the sky, and yet she didn't stop—not once.
Two soldiers of ashrahan tried to stop her. But vannesa jumped into the air using her wind magic. "wind blade!!!." She chanted.
Wind formed beneath her foot and took a shape of a blade.
The wind blade slashed both ashrahan soldiers in the same attack and gave us a room to flee.
We land on the ground and started running against to the gates.
I looked at ciel in the other hand of of vennesa. She was terrified. Her expression was unradable, eyes closed and mouth shut. As if she doesn't wanted to be here.
We reached the gates.Or what was left of them.
Beyond them few hundred metres— the town.
Where everything was ruined stores on fire, houses crumbled. citizens were slashed, died and some heavily wounded.
The gaurds were died too and there was no one coming to save the injured.
"Please don't... don't look prince alex" vennasa requested while carrying tears in her eyes.
Our home was destroyed.
Our people died.
Father was missing.
Mother was against the red-knight and his soldiers, while on mother's side—were only a handful of soldiers.
Why everything is going this way? why we are being attacked? My heart ached.
Vannesa looked at me and then stopped running.
She put us down and said "prince and princess you don't have to worry."
Her gentle voice filled with emotions calmed me.
I held my sister's hand and then we both hugged vannesa.
"Everything will be fine. Her majesty will take care of all things you are scared of." she consoled us.
"Will we be able to go back home?" i asked like a child who is asking his mother to allow them to play more.
"It will be able to go back soon, once her majesty has completed her work." she replied "Utill then you two have be safe."
Ciel's eyes filled with tears as if she knows what will happen next.
Vannesa held hand of each of us and started to run towards the forest. "now, let's go to britannia."
We nod and ran with her.
And we entered the forest.
The forest.
The border.
A chance to escape.
She crossed into it without hesitation.
For a moment, everything went quiet.
Then—
Thwip.
Her body jerked.
"…!"
I turned my head.
An arrow had pierced her shoulder.
Dark-green. Coated in something unnatural.
"…Poison," she muttered under her breath.
Her veins—slowly turning green.
"VENNESA!!"
"I'm fine," she said, even as her grip tightened painfully.
She kept running.
Even as her breathing grew heavier.
Even as her body began to tremble.
"Why are you still running?!" I shouted, my voice shaking.
"Because… you must live."
Her voice was weaker now.
But unwavering. Filled with love
Then they appeared.
Seven knights stepped out from the shadows ahead, blocking the path completely.
Vennesa stopped.
Slowly… she set our hands free.
"…Listen carefully," she said, her voice strained yet steady. "According to their movements they're mostly B-ranked."
She drew her sword.
One that was uncovered in blood yet.
"I'm A-ranked. I can handle them."
"No—don't!" Ciel grabbed her arm, tears streaming down her face.
"You need to run," Vennesa said, pointing in the direction where we were going. Behind the ashrahan soldiers. "That direction leads to Britannia."
"I'm not leaving you!" I shouted.
She looked at me.
Softly. Eyes filled with confidence. Like she was confident that she can carve a way for us.
"Prince Alex…princess ciel... please."
That word…
It broke something inside me.
She moved first.
A blur of motion.
Her blade cut through two knights instantly, their bodies collapsing before they could react.
The way for us was opened.
Ciel grabbed my hand and dragged me pass through way that has just been opened because of vennesa. "let's go we have to live!" Ciel commanded.
We after reaching a safe distance we looked back for vannesa and what we saw was a fight to the death.
Vennesa had already taken down another two of the ashrahan soldiers.
She slashed another one of them who's blood splashed all over her.
She spun, deflecting another attack, countering with precision—but—
Slash.
A blade struck her from behind.
Her body froze.
Then fell.
"VENNESA!!!"
Ciel screamed, her voice breaking. "SISTER VANNESA!!!"
The knights stepped forward slowly, weapons raised.
My body wouldn't move.
We couldn't move
Fear rooted us in place.
"…Get up…" I whispered. "…please… get up…"
But she didn't.
Then—
A voice.
Faint.
"…How could you target children?..."
The air shifted.
The knights froze.
"…Who's there?" one of them demanded.
No answer.
Only silence.
Then—
A presence.
Something heavy.
Oppressive.
Like darkness.
The air itself seemed to bend—
And then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
A violent blast tore through the area, sending dust, smoke, and debris everywhere. The ground cracked under the force, trees bending violently as the shockwave spread outward.
The knights—Gone. Dead.
Silence followed.
Thick.
Unsettling.
Through the rising smoke, A figure stood.
A man.
Barely visible in black smoke.
Unclear.
I couldn't see his face.
Only a glimpse.
Staring.
analyzing. Trying to know the faces.
My breath caught.
"…Who…?" Ciel asked fearfully.
He didn't answer.
He just stood there.
Hidden within the smoke.
"I'm william...William smith." the mysterious man said.
He came out of the smoke.
And all I saw was a man with black hair and brown eyes.
He was tall really tall and carried a big sword almost long as his height.
His was carrying a claymore.
Suddenly he walked to vannesa's fallen body.
He leaned and hold her wrist.
"She's dead." he stated.
Ciel fell on the ground her tears streaming down.
My lips curved up, i teard up too.
William walked to us and pat ciel's head.
"Come with me I'll take care of you two in britannia." he offered us.
We didn't had any other safe option.
Ciel gave him a nod while wiping her tears with her hands.
He looked back.
"They're coming...more of them." He told "we don't have any option we have to leave your knight and run."
He carried Ciel on his hand and me on his other hand.
"Hold on tight" he commanded.
William roared and jumped on a branch and then on another.
At the evening where everything seemed calm birds were sited of branches.
We reached the fence.
The border of zeryn kingdom and britannia kingdom.
And we crossed the border we were safe for now atleast.
To be continued...