A Shipwreck ~ A Aphmau Ship-Based book!

Chapter 3

Aphmau's POV

Aphmau remembered talking to Zane, and then darkness. It was as though she was suspended in space, for a long moment. She saw nothing, heard nothing, and could feel nothing. It was... strange. Dizzying. Aph couldn't tell which way was which or whether she could wander without losing her way.

Then all at once, she could see. Zane, to her left, and to her right, a figure that Aph couldn't make out right away. What she could make out was the longsword in the figure's hands and how they were running towards Zane with a clear intent to kill.

Aph reacted on instinct, lunging forward and taking out her own sword. As she clashed blades with the figure, she was finally close enough to make out more of her opponent, and what she saw made Aph's stomach drop. It was a little hard to see past the shadows that glittered and warped and moved like a desert mirage, but Aph could still see his features. His squinty eyes, his clenched jaw, and the hostile look that danced across his face. He'd grown a lot, but he was still unmistakable.

"I know what you did last time," Aph growled, glaring at her adversary. "I won't let you near him again."

He grinned, sickeningly, and it sent tingles down Aph's spine. "What would you know? You're the one that hurt him first, remember."

Aphmau shoved forward, throwing her weight onto the sword, and her opponent stumbled backwards. Aph's heart hammered in her chest. She had missed this, the adrenaline. But this wasn't like some session of make-believe, where nothing bad would happen. This was for real.

  "Zane. Are you okay?" Aph called over her shoulder without looking away from her adversary.

  "Yeah," Zane replied. His voice sounded stiff and uneasy. "How did he get out?"

  "No idea. But I think we should put him back in his place."

The shadows flickered and grew, like a fire suddenly given fresh wood to devour. "I am not going back there."

Aph gripped her sword tighter. "I'll make you."

She charged forward and swung her sword, but his opponent back tracked, parried, and otherwise voided the hits. Occasionally Aphmau would receive a swing or two, but she was able to dodge and continue pressing forward, driving him back.

It was still dark and Aph's heart was beating madly in her ears, blood pumping loudly. She still wasn't entirely sure where she was, but she couldn't let up fighting for an instant. Even focusing on that gave her opponent the opportunity to cut across her arm. It wasn't much, but it tore her clothing and stained it with a little red. Aph focused again on fighting. She couldn't afford any missteps.

She couldn't afford to let Zane get hurt again.

Metal clashed on metal and they grated and screeched in Aph's ears. An anxious energy hung in the air, making Aph's hands shake and her grip falter. She ducked out of the way of another swing as her hand didn't listen to her fast enough to parry.

   "Zane, stop it!" Aph barked.

  "What am I doing?!" Zane replied. He hadn't moved since Aph started fighting. Couldn't he help out a little? Defending him wasn't exactly easy.

Aph let out a loud grunt as she clashed blades again. Her strength was fading as the blade inched closer to her face. "This energy! This anxiety! It's exhausting!"

  "This isn't me!"

Aph's opponent backed off and gave them both another sickening grin. "I believe that's my doing, Kitty."

Aph stared with wide eyes. "You...You didn't have this power before."

  "It's amazing what time will do to you. For me, I've gotten stronger but you... you've only gotten weaker. The both of you have."

Aph heard Zane shift behind him and Aph's heart skipped a beat, whether out of fear or anger, she couldn't tell. "We should have destroyed you when we had the chance.

  "Destroy me?" He paused. Grinned. "I would like to see you try."

Just like that, the single challenge reinvigorated Aph. She dashed forward, sword drawn high above her head. It wasn't a great technique, not even a good one. This wasn't a massive two-handed sword like they used in anime. This was a sword to be used with proper technique. Her work was sloppy, and this whole approach was madness. But Aph was passionate, and this was definitely giving it her all.

Of course, when she swung down, her opponent simply stepped to the side. It probably wouldn't have been bad. Aphmau wouldn't have been too upset. It would have been fine...Except that her sword still hit something.

It was dark, and she couldn't have been able to tell. It didn't look like anything. She didn't even think that she traveled this far. How she was moved to the back of the mind so quickly, Aph didn't know. But her sword still landed against the wall, and it shattered before her, landing in tiny pieces.

Aphmau gasped and scrambled backwards, lost her footing, and fell to the ground. For a moment, she forgot about the threat of her opponent, primarily because she now knew there was none.

  "You're not..." Aph whispered.

He received a laugh in response. Cold. Gloating. Aph slowly turned to look at him, only to be met with a gleaming smile behind hazy shadows. "Thank you for breaking down the wall."

  "You weren't out yet."

  "No, and yet even this hallucination nearly beat you. I had to hold back." Another laugh. Aph felt like she was being submerged in ice. "It wouldn't do if I incapacitated you before you could break the wall.

Aph's hands shook and she held them close to her chest to steady them. This couldn't be happening. She had just...but it was only one wall. There were three. Surely the others hadn't let theirs down as well...

  "You look ill, Kitty. Perhaps I should assist you."

  "Stay away," Aph said before he—the hallucination?—could take another step. It had been so real. When could he have made things that felt so real...? Aph's stomach rumbled and she tasted bile at the back of her throat. "You can't...You couldn't have..."

The low laugh sounded deeper, more demonic. Aph felt cold water underneath her, like the floor was being flooded. "But I did. And it feels so great, doesn't it? Haven't you missed me? I'm sure Zane has."

He turned towards Zane and Aph's heart picked up in speed. Why hadn't Zane run yet? Why was he still here? Why hadn't he moved?! He was only closer to Zane now, and still, Zane stared without notice, like he was frozen. No. No.

  "Zane, run!" Aph yelled. Zane didn't react. It was as though he didn't even hear her.

  "Have you grown fond of him?" The shadows figure turned back to look at Aph. His eyes were clear as day through the shadows, black where the whites were supposed to be, haunting and dark. "How cute. It's almost touching."

Without looking, he thrust his sword back, straight through Zane's middle. Aph screamed so loudly, for a moment his ears rang. Zane's eyes crossed and he fell to his knees. Red bloomed against his shirt, horrifically bright on the black fabric. Above him, he only grinned through the shadows. When he looked back at Aphmau, everything went dark, and she slipped away, the water soaking her purple dress. The last thing she saw was Zane crumple to the ground and give way to shadows.