Heartbeat after heartbeat felt heavy and fast. Amid the fog, Ascella's breaths grew thinner. Ascella's body fell still, her legs slowly bending. Both of her hands pressed against the floor, holding up the weight of her body.
I can't do this anymore. Every time I try to use an Anima technique. It feels like my heart is burning hotter. Why is this happening. It was never like this before. Why now...
Ascella's head felt heavier. Her vision slowly blurred. The veil of her Anima energy grew thinner.
I think... I'm starting to understand what he meant that day.
"WAKE UP!"
Someone's voice rang out near Ascella. Pulling back the awareness she had half lost.
"We have to fight, there's no time for regrets,"
Who?
Ascella turned toward the source of the voice, her eyes staring at someone. Beyond the fog, a dark silhouette formed. Ascella rose, her hands trembling. With slow steps she tried to walk toward the voice.
The pain inside her body was ignored. Ascella's mind was half empty right now. As if her body could collapse and faint at any moment.
"We need to hurry and help Sydeq and Yefk," the voice felt closer to Ascella now.
Footsteps no longer made loud sounds. Ascella stopped when the sound of her steps changed, like the splash of something thick. Ascella's body collapsed again, her palm supporting herself became stained with red blood.
"Are you okay!" A small boy with bruises on his face quickly approached Ascella.
Ascella did not answer, only stared blankly at the pool of blood on the floor.
The boy tried to support Ascella's shoulder. Slowly bringing her toward the place where someone had been crying all this time.
Fresh red blood.
A girl, one of the small boy's friends, could be seen sitting there. The girl let the cold corpse's head, already no longer recognizable, rest in her arms. Tears flowed down her cheeks and fell below.
"Hinsya! Help me." The small boy shouted, struggling to carry Ascella.
Hinsya only glanced briefly, not caring about her friend. Her thoughts were filled only with grief.
With great difficulty the small boy brought Ascella closer to Hinsya. Then slowly guided her to sit, leaning against Hinsya's back. Unexpectedly Ascella moved, trying to lay her head on the floor.
But swiftly the small boy held Ascella's body and sat her upright again.
"Are you okay, sorcerer girl?" The small boy's hand waved quickly in front of Ascella's eyes.
With a blank face, Ascella's eyes followed the movement of the hand.
"I'm fine...," Ascella said softly.
Suddenly the explosion of a cannon shot thundered loudly. Not far from them. Ascella only glanced at it, while Hinsya gave no reaction. Only the small boy immediately stood upright.
"Damn it! Hinsya watch over her. I'll help them." The small boy stepped away, and quickly the sound of his movement and body disappeared into the dark fog.
Hinsya's crying slowly stopped.
"Why. Is this really reality?" Hinsya muttered.
Even though her crying had stopped. Her tears flowed even more. Soaking the face she mourned in her arms. Even though red blood had stained her body, she did not care.
Ascella glanced behind her. Her eyes saw the back of Hinsya's head.
Her black hair was stained with blood. Amid the dark fog its color changed slightly. Looking brownish.
"Please... can this have never happened,"
The emptiness in Ascella's eyes slowly vanished. It was as if Ascella found something within her sight.
"Hansyi... can y-you see him," Hinsya said while sobbing.
"Are you meeting him now?"
Her tears kept falling endlessly.
"What does... our father's face look like?"
Ascella's eyes widened.
"S-sister?" a soft voice escaped her.
Ascella finally found a reason to stand again. No longer caring, even if it hurt her body.
The veil of Ascella's Anima energy surged violently once more.
Gunshots echoed from afar. The sound entered her ears, even through the thick fog. The strands of Ascella's hair resting on her shoulders slowly drifted backward.
Slowly the red Anima energy manifested. In Ascella's hand, a red bow made from her energy was tightly gripped.
Ascella's gaze focused in one direction. The direction where the gunshots came from.
Quickly Ascella manifested her technique. Her hand pulled the part shaped like an elastic string. Along with it a red arrow gradually manifested. On the shaft of the arrow a symbol "[|||+]" formed exactly in the center.
Her arm pulled back, the energy bow bending fully. Ascella's fingers held the tightened string near her cheek. Her arm trembled until the veins bulged out.
Ascella's eyes strained intensely. Veins appeared across her forehead. Her breathing seemed to stop for a moment. The arrow shot forward with a sound, like a sharp whistle splitting through the fog.
The red arrow flew swiftly. Heading toward where R'ogues stood. R'ogues sensed something from behind him, his expression changed.
His body spun quickly. His right hand raised his staff. Preparing to block the direct impact. His legs braced hard against the wooden floor.
But, it was not what he expected. Not the clash of metal or the collision of two Anima energy veils. But a shot of Anima energy in the shape of an arrow racing toward him.
By reflex he quickly raised his left hand. Trying to grip the end of the staff, strengthening his hold to block the attack.
The energy wires wrapped around it shattered. The red arrow struck directly against R'ogues's defense. The crimson attack was thrown aside from the collision. Yet its power still blasted his body far backward.
R'ogues's back scraped against the rough wooden floor. Even so R'ogues immediately tried to rise. Pain spread around his left arm. A huge tear was visible, red blood beginning to stain the floor.
"Looks like I underestimated a little kid too much." R'ogues tried moving his left arm, but even the slightest movement sent sharp pain through it.
His eyes searched for the direction where Ascella's attack came from. Even though he briefly glanced at Sydeq and Yefk escaping into the thick fog. R'ogues no longer cared.
"Let's find out what's hiding behind the fog." Anima energy compressed into his legs.
One movement of his foot filled with strength. His stiff jacket scraped loudly. R'ogues ran swiftly, charging into the fog. R'ogues was certain the direction he headed was correct before he sensed that same feeling again. A red arrow appeared from his blind spot.
But this time, slower.
R'ogues twisted his body around and with swift reflexes swung his right arm. The arrow shattered the moment it collided with R'ogues's hard staff.
Within the dark fog R'ogues sensed Ascella's Anima energy from somewhere.
Long-range attacks required high focus and a great amount of Anima energy. Her Anima energy was surging wildly again. It felt obvious, but she kept changing positions. Being inside this fog felt like becoming blind and deaf.
"Damn it!"
An extremely loud explosion echoed. The sound felt familiar to R'ogues. An artillery cannon positioned on the side deck of the ship.
An iron ball covered in tiny spikes tore through the fog. Racing straight toward R'ogues. R'ogues spun his body swiftly. This time he knew and was ready. Easily dodging the shot.
The iron ball vanished into the fog. R'ogues's breathing began to shorten. His limit was approaching.
How are they able to know my position?
His Anima energy veil began to flare again. A swift step came from within the fog. R'ogues smiled and immediately compressed energy into his staff before swinging it rapidly.
Their eyes met.
"Too slow!" R'ogues shouted with a grin.
The distance created by R'ogues's staff prevented Ascella from attacking first. Ascella's feet stopped abruptly and braced firmly against the floor. Swiftly raising both her hands.
The Anima energy compression that had perfectly gathered in Ascella's hands. Directly she mixed that compression with raw Anima Eugenes. The compressed energy became unstable and created a distortion technique.
R'ogues's staff swung directly toward Ascella's face blocked by her arms. Striking Ascella and instantly throwing her backward.
"This isn't over yet!" R'ogues's arm swiftly swung once more. Ascella's body still airborne was threatened.
Ascella's eyes stared at the attack heading toward her body. But no reaction appeared from her. Only her body drifting backward with her back facing the floor.
"Goodbye...," Ascella whispered softly.
R'ogues's eyes caught the movement of a crimson glint approaching. An Anima energy attack neared. It came exactly from behind Ascella. A red arrow marked with "[||+]". With only a narrow gap it shot past Ascella's face.
R'ogues twisted his wrist and tried changing the direction of his swing. With agile movement, the staff immediately destroyed the surprise attack.
But exactly then, at the same moment.
There were no ripples in his Anima energy veil. Even so R'ogues was certain something was coming. His heart felt squeezed. His breathing choked.
Another red arrow shot from his side. His eyes seemed empty. His mind raced through countless possibilities. In the end his movement halted midway.
Luring R'ogues into the desired position. When the prepared surprise attack appeared. Ascella immobilized R'ogues with the first arrow marked "[|||+]" which had not vanished and was circling around the deck.
R'ogues's staff destroyed the "[||+]" arrow.
But the arrow shattered—into tiny fragments that instantly pierced his body.
Pain spread violently. Then from the blind spot he had been wary of, the "[|||+]" arrow struck R'ogues's body as well. The arrow changed form, wrapping around his body. In an instant R'ogues was lifted and carried away by the arrow. The dark fog swallowed his body whole.
A harsh impact struck the deck floor. Ascella's body crashed down roughly. Her Anima energy slowly faded and disappeared. Her breathing grew shorter. Bluish bruises were clearly visible on her forearms.
Ascella lay on her back with no energy left to move.
Footsteps approached, strangely clear against the deck floor. A black-haired young man came closer. A firearm was held in his hand. While over his shoulder rested his injured friend.
Yfek and Sydeq stood before the weakly staring Ascella.
"Are you okay, sorcerer girl?" Yfek lowered Sydeq's arm from his shoulder. Then extended his hand toward Ascella.
Ascella slowly raised her uninjured left hand. Her body was pulled upright once more.
"Thank you for the help," Ascella replied while holding her right arm.
Ascella's eyes glanced at Sydeq covered in blood and wounds. Sydeq noticed it.
"Me? I'm fine, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that much," he said to Ascella while smiling.
Moonlight slowly illuminated them. The wounds became clearer, Ascella realized something.
"You need special treatment—"
Suddenly Ascella felt something. The surrounding fog did not disappear, but faded. The air felt more humid. The ship's hull trembled and the vibration reached the deck. An unfamiliar roar echoed loudly like a thunderstorm. Shaking the surrounding air.
Bodies trembled as the sound entered their ears. A cold feeling crawled along each of their necks.
"W-what," Ascella muttered in disbelief.
From the ship's side a fierce gust swept away the fog. Slightly in the distance, part of a creature's head emerged from below. Its wet scales. Its breath exhaled like fog. Ascella froze upon seeing a single strand of its hair as thick as her own arm.
"So huge." Sydeq muttered.
"A water dragon...," Yfek said while standing guard.
The dragon's head continued rising into the night sky. Its neck slowly emerged from the water.
"W-we're... dead?"
"Relax, water dragons usually won't attack," Yfek tried calming the silently frightened Ascella.
"Usually cannon fire drives them away... But, this is the biggest water dragon I've ever seen," Sydeq said. His head tilted upward following the dragon's head climbing ever higher.
Amid that phenomenon. The cabin door slammed open violently against the wall. The sound was drowned out, but the movement from an unwanted place made everyone instinctively turn.
Its silhouette could be seen there. Standing calmly from within the cabin.
Its Anima energy radiated like the color of its eyes. Even though it showed no hostility, it was not smiling. Only a calm gaze that felt confusing.
-When I Open My Eyes My Journey Begins-
Next chapter 11