The Heart of Naya

Chapter 002 - Jade

"Run!" Aian screams.

"To the cave, two o'clock!" I scream and hope that no one will be confused about where their two o'clock is.

Migo and I are the first to the cave, followed by Aian. Then Renz and Cielo come in while holding hands. I frown at it, and instead of saying anything, I put my attention somewhere else. I step closer to the entrance, wondering where that creature goes after my two hated people enter the cave. Then, suddenly, it appears, which almost makes me lose my footing. It is a green scaly creature with teeth like that of a piranha, which it bears and is trying to reach us. Thankfully, its huge head cannot fit at the small opening of the cave.

Probably frustrated, it growls like a lion, which is strange because sea creatures usually do not growl, or rather there shouldn't be a sea creature prowling at the shore or a beast large enough that its head cannot fit the mouth of the cave. Yet, the creature's inability to devour us did not stop it from salivating as it smelled its prey.

It gives another push towards us. Then, finally, the mouth of the cave starts to yield. The stones are cracking on either side. If I extend my hand, I can touch its nostril, which is dripping wet. I hear whimpers from my left and realize Cielo is tightly holding on to Renz, which is supposed to be my place.

I take a deep breath and look around the small cave. There is a glint on my right, only a few meters from the entrance, where the creature is trying to reach us. I hope it is what I think it is. From my excitement, I hurried to it. But, unfortunately, it is a stupid move because I see the creature's tongue reaching for me from my peripheral vision moments later. At that instant, I see myself being killed, my body cut in half by its enormous teeth. Gratefully though, someone pulls me away from the grasping tongue and sees that it's Migo.

"Damn it, Jade! Stop acting like a scatterbrain!" he scolds.

I smile sheepishly at him because it's true. That's a mistake that almost cost me my life. "Sorry," I say, then point at the thing that caught my attention.

He immediately understood my meaning. That instant, I want to pat his head and say a job-well-done. However, between us, there's no need. Migo and I always have this connection that allows us to understand each other easily. Sometimes, I feel like we are born in the same womb and at the same time. We are always together, and truth be told, I spend more time with him than I will ever spend time with Renz.

Migo winds his arms around my waist as I try to pull that thing from the small hole. Grasping it, I know what it is despite its size. So Migo and I both pull. It seems minutes or an eternity passes before both of us stumble backward and hit Renz.

I exclaim triumphantly as I look at what I unearth from the tiny hole. It's a weapon that looks like a sword. It has a hilt but no crossguard, which conveniently makes it easier to extricate. Yes, it's unusual, a weapon that will hurt the wielder as much as it will damage the target. But as I am inspecting it, it feels right in my hand.

"Feels perfect," I deduce.

"Let me use it instead," Migo offers and tries to take the sword away from me.

I pout at him. "No! You're supposed to be the bait!"

"Me? A bait?" Migo asks in confusion.

"You're fast and I think you'll survive running away from that," I answer and point at the monster, which is inch by inch getting closer to us.

"Let me do it instead," Aian interjects. "I'm always in trouble so I can stick that with--"

"No!" Somehow, I feel an attachment to the strange weapon already. "You are to think of ways to survive when my plan fails," I answer. "You're my deputy," I add and smile at him.