Will Of The Fates

33.

Her voice was soft. I barely heard it, but I felt the words land heavily in my gut. My heart skipped a beat, and it felt like it died in my chest as a hollowness took over me.

This is it. This is what I'd been waiting for.

My body reacted before my mind could fully comprehend what was about to happen. "HANNA!" My yell echoed across the halls. Fear filled my voice as I turned to the room across me.

I heard a box break before she poked her head out of the room beside me. She looked irritated at being interrupted but the moment her eyes met mine, she knew.

Her eyes widened like mine, the same fear filled hers. "Get Pyr!" Her body turned away from me. "I'll catch up!"

I nodded and broke away to run towards Pyr. She was still frozen in the same spot. As I got closer, I noticed her eyes were blank like they were focused elsewhere. They started to come back into focus as they met mine. My body hurtled towards her as fear finally took over her. She turned and started to run as well.

Pyr was slow. Her stick-like legs pushed her into an inefficient gait she didn't know how to keep. I heard feet begin to run behind me as I caught up to Pyr. My hand wrapped around her arm as I started to drag her with me. Forced her to run at a speed she couldn't keep up with.

My heart thudded in my chest. My jaw clenched as the beat of our hurried feet against the stone matched my heartbeats. I could only see about as far as the lightstone would let me. Pyr kept up for now. But she'd be start to wheeze even before the Basin steps.

"Come on!" I pulled her harder as my legs pushed me faster. She stumbled once as she struggled to keep up.

My head swivelled from side to side as we ran. the ground under my feet was stable, the air around me still. I couldn't feel anything. No rumbling, no mana, no shaking. Not even a single sound. There was nothing happening around us. No sign of what Pyr said was happening. We'd have been...

My thoughts trailed off as the Basin came into view. Pyr's breaths were laboured. Hanna sounded closer.

"ELIKAI!" I yelled as we emerged into the Basin. "RUN!" My voice echoed down the hall. My warning repeated over and over and over down all the hallways the dip led to. My fear filled my voice and my thoughts. I forgot I had Pyr with me.

My feet pushed me off the ledge of the Basin. The moment my feet left the ground, my eyes widened in remembrance. But it was too late. My body was jerked back harshly as I didn't let go of my tight grip on Pyr. She yelled in surprise, suddenly pulled forward and off her feet. My feet hit the stairs that led down awkwardly, I stumbled but managed to hold my ground. My body twisted to wrap around Pyr, but her body slammed into me first.

Her small form knocked the wind out of me. I felt her head slam into the chest of my twisted body and knock me off the stairs. My feet were suddenly airborne once more. Until my body hit the stairs. A choked sound escaped me as I hit the stairs sideways with Pyr's full weight on me. My arms moved despite the momentum and wrapped around her.

The dark world twisted around me a few more time. My back finally hit the floor hard and knocked the breath out of me. My body curled around her even as I was hit over and over.

My elbow hit the floor hard. It sent a wave of pain down my entire arm that made it open up. My teeth clenched tight, my body arched right as I hit the flat ground and rolled away.

Fear fueled me, and training kicked in as I rolled onto my knees. My vision swam, and I could no longer breathe. But my eyes immediately went to a groaning Pyr. She'd flown out of my grip.

I stumbled as I crawled over to her. Her dazed eyes met my wide ones. I didn't have time. We didn't have time.

My hand found hers in the darkness and wrapped around it. I got onto my feet and pulled her up with me. Her body shot up with my strength, but she immediately crumbled with a gasp of pain.