𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 ⸻ 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 [ on hiatus ! ]

ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀɪɴꜰᴜʟ

❝𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐨?❞

❝𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧.❞

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

       “YOU’RE STILL WEAK,” Eris heard Cassian mock her as she was swept off her feet. With a loud thud hitting the cavern ground, she cursed under her breath as she saw the other champion hover above her, his gasp around the knife tightening. She glared at him, her anger rising fast before she grinned.

       “And you’re still arrogant,” She responded, landing a sudden kick against the older boy’s stomach and sending him backwards. She pushed herself up and tackled him as if he was one of the village boys she saved Lina from, pressing her forearm onto his neck. Cassian’s eyes held murderous intent as he struggled against the limb blocking his airway. Eris pressed on—she would not lose to him. She would rather die than lose to him.

       “Yield, you rat,” Eris said right before she felt the Zhang boy’s other hand wrap around her own neck. She held a restrained gasp, trying to stay up as she felt the grasp increase. Cassian was stronger than her in every aspect, but by the gods above, she knew she had to let go at some point.

       “Let go…or I’ll stab you.” The boy promised.

       “Do it.” 

       Within the next five seconds, Eris finally pulled her elbow back, allowing the boy to gasp for air. His hand drew away from her throat and she was pushed to the side where Nari was tending to a snake-looking creature made of stone. There were emeralds in place of the eyes, resting and shining in the light slowly starting to dim with the setting sun. The waters of the cave remained at the same dark blue it always was, though there were times when they glowed bright purple, almost electrified in a way, but the girl was too afraid to find out for herself.

       Nari giggled as she softly touched one of the jagged stone fragments protruding from the creature’s body. “Humans are very odd.”

       Eris sat up on the ground, leaning on her propped up elbows resting behind her. “What do you mean by that?”

       The forest spirit smiled, admiring her friend made of rocks. “Humanity has always been so aggressive, so competitive with one another. Skrael once lured an apprentice into unleashing dark magic against their own mentor and now, the apprentice’s soul walks all over the land, haunted by their defeat.”

       The girl’s eyes slightly widened but she remained in her position. She knew that the spirit could detect any rise in emotion, which terrified her. If Nari looked into her eyes, she was afraid that the spirit could see into her very soul. She tried not to hold long conversations with her to avoid such an occurrence. In an attempt to change the subject, the girl focused on the creature, who had its body coiling around the Arcane Order member. “What exactly is that thing?”