The GATE Academy

Escape

A faint click could be heard. A total of eight clicks to be exact. My body felt heavy as I tried to open my eyes. I felt myself fall, but I didn't feel the chilled, stone ground. Instead I felt warm arms.

   My eyes shot open as another loud crash could be heard. I looked at my surroundings before returning my gaze to the floor. I was still restrained, and I was not being held in a warm embrace. The loud noises reminded me that there was a battle going on above Calla and I. I lifted my head towards the ceiling and I just stared. Thoughts of how long I was out and what was all happening floated around in my exhausted mind. I wanted to sleep, but I knew I couldn't. I forced my eyes to stay open. Calla was already unconscious, and there was nothing I could do to help.

  A clear substance seeped under the single door in the room and down the staircase. It was water. A steady drip could be heard as the thin stream of water flowed down the steps. What exactly was he doing up there? The floor was quickly under a thin layer of water. If it continued, the room would be flooded eventually.

My eyes continued closing and reopening. What felt like several seconds was probably several minutes. The clicking that I previously imagined started up again. Eight clicks to be exact, like before. Although, it felt more like reality this time. Like before, I felt myself fall into warm arms. Although, this felt more real too.

  It was. My tired, red gaze met the azure gaze of my boyfriend. I watched him stare at me. He lifted his hand and placed it on my damaged face. His eyes traveled down my body and then over to where my tail normally would be. "What have they done.." He whispered. A mixture of many emotions was present on his face and in his tone of voice.

I saw Calla's body being carried by someone. It was Shizuo. Next to him was Opal. She stared down at me, a worried look was present on her face. I felt myself being handed over to Opal. I felt her struggle to hold me a bit, but she managed. "There's one more..." I whispered weakly.

Mizu must have already known because I noticed he was facing away from me and instead looking at the stairs. I heard faint footsteps approach. The figure slowly came into view, stopping halfway down the staircase. It was Ark. "You two protect them. I'm slaying this demon." Mizu said as he approached Ark. His tone of voice and overall vibe had changed from when he had first seen me chained up in the cell.

I blinked a couple of times, watching the two make their way up the steps and out of the room. I felt myself being lifted and brought to the same door Mizu and Ark had just went through. "Just in case something happens Opal and I need to be where Mizu is." Shizuo said, pushing open the door. The upper floor was clean and luxurious, like a millionaire's mansion. Shizuo and Opal had moved to a corner in the decorated, open room. Hopefully no one would get pulled into the battle from here.

   I closed my eyes for a second as if I was blinking, but it wasn't really for a second. Instead, my red eyes opened to see the battle already happening. Giant shard of ice lined parts of the high ceiling, tiled floor, and classy walls. Both Mizu and Ark were covered in cuts, so I made the assumption that I had been out for awhile. I focused on Mizu fighting. His attacks were full of explosive anger, which is something I had never seen before. As he attacked with the shards of ice that engulfed the room, he attacked with water as well. Ark used his sword to block the ice attacks. It was amazing how he didn't even have to put force into a swing. The sword shredded Mizu's ice. Mizu's attacks sped up,  increasing in quantity and quality as they did. I felt my eyes growing heavy again. I did my best to resist closing them, knowing i'd probably be out cold again. It was no use. I felt my eyes slowly shut. I couldn't fight it.

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  "You messed with the wrong human.." I heard the faint whisper of Mizu's voice. My eyes fluttered open and everything in my field of vision was a blur. I tried focusing, but I guess I was too fatigued and injured to do anything well at the moment. I could see Mizu standing over Ark, who he had surrounded with black water. Mizu's words were the last thing Ark heard before he died. The eerie black water disappeared, but Mizu's cold, vengeful expression remained.

  As soon as I thought that i'd be able to wake more the feeling of sleep returned. "Mizu, want to carry her? We need to get back quick so nothing anymore critical happens to Falen and this girl." Shizuo said, handing me to Mizu after. I then heard Opal's voice. "The girl's name is Calla."

  Shizuo and Opal's small talk slowing became unclear. My eyes were open, but I was becoming less and less conscious by the second. Mizu's captivating azure eyes were the last thing my gaze met before I lost consciousness.

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"Life is a waterfall, we're one in the river and one again after the fall.
Swimming through the void
we hear the word, we lose ourselves but we find it all..."

My ears twitched as the song Aerials by System Of A Down played softly beside me. When I was able to keep my eyes opened, I shifted my gaze over to the source of the deep song I enjoyed. A portable speaker was on a wooden table beside me, and plugged into it was Mizu's phone. I shifted focus from the speaker to the wall, cabinets, and shelves behind it. The walls were white while the shelves and cabinets were an oak brown. I observed the way the room was set up. I even glanced down to see an intravenous injection in my arm. I could confirm it now. I'm in the infirmary of my home, The GATE Academy.

   I slowly turned my head, looking from the right to my left. My eyes laid on my awkwardly positioned boyfriend who was sound asleep on the single recliner in the room. I relaxed a little, not wanting to bother him. He had to be exhausted too.

Tears emerged from my eyes as the thoughts of what I went through for a week returned to my mind. I quickly used my free hand to wipe my eyes. Shizuo and Opal were approaching the door to my room. There was a small click and the door was slid open. The Akiro siblings entered the room after. Opal had a small container of sushi in her hands, a food I enjoy greatly. She placed it on the wooden table where the stereo was and then sat down in a wooden chair along with Shizuo.

  "Glad to see you're awake now." Shizuo said with a grin as he looked at me from the chair. I nodded, looking at him. "How long was I out?"

   "It's only been a day." Opal said, answering my question with a small smile.

   A day isn't long, but I didn't expect to be asleep for that long. I nodded at her response, thinking to myself as I did. Opal then pointed at the sushi she had placed on the table beside me. "Want some? I got it from that restaurant you enjoy."

   I slowly shook my head. "No...I have no appetite right now, but thank you. I'll eat it later." Opal nodded, understanding how I felt. Before she could say something, I did. "How long has Mizu been here?"

  "I think he has been here for all of today so far.." Opal said, kind of unsure about it. She looked to Shizuo to see if he had an answer of his own.

  "That sounds about right. I know he was here for most of the day that we arrived here. We didn't get to talk to him though. He's been a little...distant?" Shizuo's hazel oculars travelled over to Mizu who was still sleeping in the recliner. I looked at him too. His white hair hung over his face a bit more than usual due to the position he was in. After several seconds I looked back at my friends.

  "So, how are you feeling now?" Opal said, hoping to start a new conversation. I looked down at my body, noticing that the slashes, bruises, stab marks, and burns were all gone. It was almost as if they never existed in the first place. My ears flicked up ad I ran my hand down the area where my tail would be. To my surprise, it was there. It was just like Thorne never sliced through it with that sword he had.

  "A healing potion was used, so now you are completely healed." Shizuo said with a smile, clearly seeing that I had been observing the former locations of each injury I had.

  I let out a tired sigh, looking up at Opal and Shizuo. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Mizu had just woke up and was now focused on my temporarily bedridden self.  "As much as I would like to agree, I can't.." I said in a low tone, my gaze traveling to my feet.

  "W-why do you say that, Falen??" Opal asked, taken aback a bit considering I no longer had any injuries on my body.

   I looked up at her and Shizuo, my eyes bearing a look of pain. "Physical abuse will heal to some degree, but mental abuse is an everlasting anchor that your mind is chained to."