"The name's Lain Cairy."
Rghhh. It hurts, it hurts. It goddamn hurts!
"Well? Give me your name!"
"A-Akio.."
Grit grinds beneath my nails as I dug out a ragged chunk, my knuckles grinding against rocks buried deep. With a vicious flick, I showered his face with clouds of dirt. I dove backward, boots slid against the gravel. My left arm swaying around, motionless.
"Agh! You're a feisty one aren't ya!"
He scrubbed his eyes using his elbow, grip tightening on the bat as he regained focus.
The weight of my left arm dragging me down bugged me.
This wasn't good. There's more and more cultists, or, rell soldiers heading near Kai.
And I'm stuck here fighting this sicko captain that uses a baseball bat.
With unhealed wounds, bandaged.
With a broken arm.
And with no pain packer.
Although, it seemed at least some luck was coming my way.
"You should really be more polite with strangers you know, I think I might have to take your other arm after-"
FWOOSH.
An unexpected breeze snatched him up, flinging his body into the air as it spun him backward, a collision with a twisted oak draining his breath.
"Argh, damn it! What now??"
"Like I said. I don't talk with weaklings. You're gonna let me handle this now."
Or was it lucky at all?
"He caught me by surprise, relax. I can still use my right hand-"
"I said I'd handle it. Shut the hell up and sit down."
Still so full of himself.
I slumped my figure against the tree, as I caught my breath.
I guess I've got no choice.
"Good luck then."
"And who are you?"
"Zefir Liones. I'm gonna pummel you."
"Well isn't that great for you."
He rolled the bat over his knuckles, the steel tracing a wide arc through the air before he crouched down low.
"Let me show you a little somethin'."
Crackling blue-white sparks flew through the steel as he whirls the bat wildly. An intense ball of light launched off the end of the weapon as it screamed through the air like an ejected star.
"Ngh!" Zefir quickly rolled his head to the side.
But by then, Lain had closed the distance, bat firmly in his grip as he prepared for a swing.
A rising arc.
And collision.
Zefir's body flew upwards, only to be forced back down with a jolting crash of his body against the dirt.
"Rghh."
"Sure you're not all just talk?"
I pushed myself off against the tree, as crimson sparks ripple through my right arm.
"Guess you're not gonna do anything by yourself, huh, Zefir?"
He jolted himself off the ground, fist gathering a trail of wind as it slammed into Lain's face, his body tumbling over.
"I said, shut the hell up and watch!"
He flayed his arm toward me, a gust of wind pushing me back down.
"Hey-!"
"I don't need someone like you helping!"
Reason wouldn't reach him. What the hell. His ego's too high!
Zefir waved his arms open, and then clapped them back together. The sharp sound produced by the slap of Zefir's palms echoed; his concentrated gale flying at Lain at the very moment he steadied himself.
Lain lifted his bat, blue sparks clashing against the wind as he forced his way through.
"Great, great. Your charm's quite a hassle, ain't it?"
"It's skillful, of course, someone with a weapon as undignified as a metal bat wouldn't understand."
"Perhaps so."
Lain rushed across the tall grass as his bat swung a huge vertical line, Zefir moving away as the blurred steel grazed him.
I watched, breathless, as Lain's bat sliced horizontally, nearly taking Zefir's head off. He parried the steel aside with a gust, turning the opening into a sharp, bone-on-bone snap of his knuckles against Lain's ribs.
"Argh!"
Then, a full force push, sending ripples of winds through Lain's body as his palms connected.
Right now, Zefir was undoubtedly controlling the fight.
Or so I thought.
While he'd been deflecting some attacks and landing a few of his own. Lain hadn't taken any visible damage. This battle would be short-lived.
SLAM!
"GAGHH!!"
Blue and white sparks hissed and coiled around the steel barrel as it slammed into Zefir's side. The impact tore through the air with a sickening, splintering crack that echoed off the trees.
Damn it.
"You had a bit of spunk, Zefir. Now."
His eyes refocused to me.
"It's your turn."
I set my eyes behind him, watching several blurs of black dash across the trees.
Kai, I'm sorry. But, it looks like you'll need to hold down a whole lot of them.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"How long are we going to have to stay here, Kai?"
"I don't know. It'll only be a matter of time till some other cultists find us though."
"Say, why did you become a cadet?"
Why I became a cadet?
"I... I want to make amends."
"Amends?"
"That's right. I did something, and..."
"..."
"I want to make up for it."
"So you became a cadet? How's that supposed to make up for it?"
"It's not about being a cadet."
It's something much more.
"It's about being able to reach out."
To anyone.
"To save people."
"You want to save people?"
"Yeah... and myself."
"...I see."
"What about you, Diana?"
"Huh-!"
"Why'd you become a cadet?"
A lump swam down her throat.
"Because I want to do something..."
"Do something?"
"Sitting on an empty throne, pretending I'm above others when I don't do anything."
...
"It's just so stupid. Royalty doesn't mean you just boss the people around. It means you do something for them. There has to be some sort of contribution."
"And you want to contribute through the cadets."
"Yes. I became a cadet so I could fight. But..."
"But?"
"I...I can't."
"You can't what?"
"I can't fight. I always.. I always run away."
Run away, huh.
"ALL YOU DID WAS WATCH!!"
"I..."
"WHY DID YOU RUN!? KAI!!"
So it's the same for you...
"It's okay to run."
"Wha-"
"But, if you do run. Then don't let your feet stop."
Her eyes drift across my face.
"No matter where they take you. If you run, then keep moving."
"..."
"You mustn't stop."
If you stop. Then all that's left behind is regret.
So keep running, even if it's cowardly. Even if it's inhumane.
As long as you can find a reason to move, then it's not a mistake.
My face grew grim as my nails scraped against the stone floor.
It's not a mistake.
It isn't.
FWOO.
"Tch!"
Just then, the cave was inundated with a horde of cultists, they rushed towards us as their sparks crackled amidst the air.
How did this many get here? There's at least twenty of them! Did Akio and the rest fail, or did they sneak past.
STREEK.
My katana formed once more, the hilt smashing the first cultist from the side,
"KILL HIM AND GET THE KEY!"
"Kai-!"
"It's fine, I can hold these guys off."
I soared through the cave, my sword leaving a blazing path of orange. The heat severs the air, illuminating the stone walls.
[Flaming Dominion]
FOOM.
My blade hisses as waves of flames gush throughout the cavern, seizing the cultists within its radius as smoke filled my vision.
"Y-you can use flames!?"
"Yeah. Picked it up quite recently."
The smoke began clearing up.
Ngh. What!?
As the grey smoke left the cave, another horde of cultists found their way in, sparks surrounding their body as they prepared for battle.
They just keep coming-!
Akio, someone, hold them off!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CRASH!
"What's wrong! Akio!?"
Lain's bat swung down I shifted, the heavy metal biting into the dirt and throwing up a spray of grit.
"Grgh!"
"Not a nice feeling, is it!?"
Sparks encompassed the steel as he smashes the bat against my stomach, sending my figure crashing through the trees.
"GAGHH!"
A tang filled my mouth as I spit, crimson staining the ground.
Urghh.
He's gonna kill me. He's gonna kill me!
"Surprised you're still conscious, least you can endure more than the other kid."
He raised his bat over his head, eyes glaring down at me.
"Got anythin' to say?"
Buy time.
"R-Ruhen.."
"Huh!? What, kid, you know Ruhen?"
"I...I killed him."
"You!? You, killed Ruhen!!"
He burst into a fit of laughter.
"What!? Did you catch him by surprise!?"
"I fought him, fair..and square."
My breathing grew heavier by the second.
"I see. So? Why're you tellin' me about Ruhen?"
"He's... the one that told me, about your grand.. primordial resurrection."
"Well, that certainly is trouble. A noisy one, he was."
He pulled my face closer to his as he grabbed me by the collar and crouched down.
"But I'm sure you already know. That there's a little someone in the cadets, that's been a massive help to rell!"
The mole...
"If I'm gonna die anyway, just tell me. Who the hell is it!?"
He pushed me against the tree again as he stood back up, bat swung around.
"Nice try, Akio."
Motion.
I'm sorry, guys.
"Say goodbye!"
I couldn't keep my promise.
Crimson sparks showered the ground as my black and red gloves grabbed hold of the bat. I glare up, my eyes locking onto his through the haze.
"What the hell-!?"
I jerk the bat away and snap my hand back to aim right at his chest. A flash of red light shot out, exploding against his chest.
But, this is a last resort.