Half-Bloods R • 1: Fallen World

C • 3 : Burn every Living, Bury all Dead

Demi flew high above the city, recalling the horrible battle that she and her squadron experienced. Half her team was dead, the other half were currently fighting for their lives in the hospital. How could she have been so careless? She hated it, Vaelan never had moments like that, did he? She shook her head as she gently landed in front of the office and made her way through the lobby and back up to the fifth floor. She strode over to Arva's office but slowed when she heard Arva speaking angrily to someone.

"I understand that agent, but you failed the mission that I gave you. You were meant to kill the whole squadron and the Elite Warmage, not just half her squadron and some leave the others with wounds!"

Demi held her breath as she leaned against the wall, her heart beating fast with anger and fear of being caught.

Arva remained silent for a few moments before continuing.

"No, you don't get any information until you eliminate at least one Elite Warmage. You knew our deal, and you failed when you had six agents. And against the weakest warmage at that!"

Demi placed her hand at her heart. Why did everyone call her weak? She was just as fast as Vaelan in flight and quicker than Villin on the ground. She could outmatch even the strongest elites in the army. So what made her so weak?

Demi quietly patted and slapped her face and turned her attention back to the conversation.

Arva remained silent before speaking again. "You've already captured Christopher, look, one more chance is all you get, I'll figure out a way to get her to you. But Vaelan, you'll just have to figure out a way to have every agent attack him at once. We'll settle this later, I have a meeting I have to get to," the sound of Arva's chair rolling back and footsteps sent Demi to sneak around and find a place to hide, a dark spot beneath a table, hidden by chairs.

Arva eventually passed her and Demi lingered for a moment to make sure she had gone completely before waltzing out from beneath the table and into the room. She noticed her earring on the floor and picked it off the tile. She then searched the room for anything that Arva could talk through but found nothing, uttering an anthraahlan curse under her breath as she walked out and into the stairwell, not daring to take the elevator.

She took her time wandering down the steps, leaving herself to her thoughts once more.

"Vaelan knows I'm strong, even Villin's said it a couple times. Why does everyone call me weak? Is it because I'm thin and small-bodied? It's not my fault all my strength went into my magic," she crossed her arms and huffed, "Is it because people think pretty girls can't be strong? Does that old stereotype still even exist?"

Demi hated it when people called her pretty, or beautiful, or even cute. It was those people, excluding Vaelan and a certain few friends, who didn't recognize her strength. They didn't respect her and she despised those kinds of people.

Arva was one of those people, and now Demi knew that she was apparently worse than she originally thought.

Demi summoned a golden spear out of a burst of flame in her palm and punched the nearest wall on her right. A few tears streamed down her face and her legs began to tremble. She had always gotten like this when she was sad, ever since she was young, whenever she was miserable or downtrodden, her legs would simply give out no matter what.

She stood for a few moments and finally, collapsed to the floor. For the past few days, ever since the mission, she'd find herself slumped over crying by herself.

She spent the next few minutes in tears before wiping them away. She'd lost her team, and it wasn't because of her. Arva had set them up and now, her watery tears were turning into steam as she made her way down the seemingly endless stairs.