A Promise of Death

Battling.

It's been two years. Two full years. I was 22 years old now. An adult. Arachne, the woman who I saw as a mother, had taught my sister, Riella, and I how to fight. To protect. While Riella's appearance had barely changed in these two, amazing years, I had shifted dramatically. After having real food, a real life, I had grown to my full potential. As a test subject, I had been thin and weak. Now, muscles rippled down my arms and I grew above six feet. I completely towered over my younger sibling.

Instead of the white clothing we were forced to wear in the Laboratory, I had been allowed to go through Arachne's clothes and pick out things I enjoyed the most. Yes. That's right, I wear women's clothing. She wears surprisingly big sizes. But Arachne said that it would be too suspicious if she went out to the near town to buy men's clothes.

Speaking of Arachne, she was our idol. She showed us the world-- a world without pain and suffering. She told us stories of great heroes, tales of what the world was like when we were stuck in the Lab. She taught us how to read, she taught us colors, she showed us different animals, different plants.

One day, Arachne told us of a presence she had felt. She said it wasn't safe anymore. She told us to travel; and travel we did. She gave us money, a map, and the knowledge of the world we were about to explore. We took her advice and left.

We came into the world, hoping for a wonderful place to live. But we were wrong. This world had become corrupted after many battles. War had blazed through the continents, causing destruction in its path. It seemed as if the world had gone back in time, to the Dark Ages. Wealthy landowners ruled the cities, with poor people begging for mercy. It was horrific. It must be changed.

Heading through the forest to one of these towns led us to our current conundrum-- bandits. Ones who thought bowing to the rulers would do nothing. They took their lives into their own hands, by robbing the other brainwashed beggars.The one we happened to stumbleupon through our foolish antics were a very feared group. They were smart, cunning. They knew what they were doing. And they'd kill.

"Hand over the woman," An angry, deep voice growled, his eyes shadowed by the hood over his face. He held a short dagger in his right hand, and I grin was plastered onto his face. A gold tooth shone brightly in the dying sun.

"No can do, mister," Riella spat, and swung her own knife towards the man, landing the blow in his neck. A dark gurgle rose from his throat, and blood welled up, pouring out of his lips. I looked away as he fell to the sandy ground, and I instead thrusted my elbow into a man's face, knocking him out cold. I swung my throwing knife in my hand, my eyes darting back and forth as more men ran at me. I shifted my gaze slightly to see how Riella was holding up, and I gasped. "Riella!"

A large, muscular man was right behind her, a knife gripped in his hands. Riella spun around in the knick of time, yelling out as she stabbed him. I turned around to attack another bandit, his spear flying as I kicked his stomach. Chucking one of the throwing knives, it landed right into the middle of his forehead. Bullseye. Arachne taught me well.

"I'm good for now," my adopted sister panted, and I watched her get grazed by a blade swing on her cheek.

"Riella? You alright?" I called, backing up next to her as more bandits started to gather around the two siblings.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she shouts, her black ears twitching from the sound of movement and spinning around to slice another man's leg open.

"Watch out!" Another voice calls, and Rienna obeys the command. I look around to see who said the warning, but I couldn't spot anyone who had a concerned look on their face.

"What do they need?" Riella sighs, backing closer to me, her presence a welcoming feeling as I was bombarded by more men.

"I have no clue," I answer. "They just started attacking us." I thought of how we had purposely tried to go around the camp, but they spotted us anyways.

"Should we use the blade?" Riella asks, leaning backwards to dodge a swing.

"If you want," I mutter, shrugging, "It'll be quicker to deal with the bandits."

"Gotcha!" Riella yells, sliding her half of the blade from a pouch in her back. I repeat the action, and we stood, in battle positions, ready to put them together. Riella and I had crafted these magnificent blades when being taught how to fight by our adoptive mother. We used them for battles we felt we would lose. They worked the best when we were together, the two halves connected.

"You ready bro?" Rienna asked as I dodged ongoing attacks.

"Yeah, you?" I ask, turning my head quickly to give her a sly wink.

"Always," she replies, a determined. grin on her face.

We pushed the two blades together, creating a large pair of scissors. Metal gears entwined, and it clicked. Ready for action. I pulled my half up as Rienna pushed hers down. We quickly shifted positions, back to our standing position, and it had cut a bandit right in half. I looked to the ground as his guts spilt into the sand. New men were still appearing, ready to fight. I let out a loud sigh. How many bandits are there? We can't keep doing this for much longer. Just as I thought of giving up defeat, I was caught off guard.

A bandit had gone straight to my side, slashing into my forearm. I let out a screech, the edges of my vision darkening. It had hit a large vein, and the crimson liquid dripped down my arm, pooling below.

"Felix?!" I barely heard the scream from my sister as I slumped to the ground. I had turned into my caracal form, and I lay, panting. I tried to get up, to help my sister, but the pain was too much to bare. It's just on my arm... why does it hurt so bad? Then I realized. Poison. Riella had shifted into a gray and black cat, hissing furiously. I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my lip so I wouldn't yell out in pain.

"Halt!" a loud, booming voice sounded. It held power. The clashing of blades had stopped.

"But, Kai," a man with a gruff voice growled next to him, "We almost have them."

"I want them alive," the man named Kai snaps at him, then sweeps his eyes over the rest of the bandits. "I want them to join us, not hate us, you dimwits."

"Why did you want them to join us again?" A sweet voice, as smooth as honey, whisked through the camp.

My eyes cracked open, and I watched as my sister was beaten to the ground. I lift my head up, struggling to stand up. "Riella!" I shout, but a loud thump echoed through my ears as my head slumped to the ground. I was out. But my mind wasn't. I wasn't prepared for what it was about to show me.

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