Argent Eye III

51

I landed on the floor somewhere.

Somewhere familiar.

David's office.

I looked up to see Ronan kneeling next to me. Behind him was David and Irina- they looked worried, and even more so when they saw what state I was in. Ronan had propped me up against the wall, although it was only his hand on my shoulder that was stopping me from falling sideways.

I then peered down at my stomach, which was still hurting a lot. Still bleeding a lot.

"Ah, that's not good." I said, my voice shaky.

"Millie." Ronan said. "You have to fuse with the ice. It will heal you."

I swallowed. Oh yeah. Why didn't I think of that?

The ice was a little distant, but I put that down to the fact that my brain was finding it hard to focus on anything other than the five holes in my belly. But, I did manage to grab hold of it.

Just.

I let it flow through my body, but it was slow. I was finding it hard to muster enough energy to fuse. My vision was starting to blur and darken at the edges. I could hear my heart beating in my chest, but even that was beginning to slow down. Grabbing hold of the ice and breathing at the same time proved to be quite difficult. I could only focus on one at a time.

"Come on, Millie." Ronan said impatiently.

I looked at him, and nodded, although the movement sent waves of agony through me- for a moment, I felt sick. The truth was written in Ronan's eyes- if I couldn't fuse in the next few minutes, I would die.

That wasn't good.

I looked up at David and Irina, both of whom were pale and scared. It was very similar to last year, when I had no powers and they had to watch Doctor Geralds kill me whilst remaining completely useless. They wanted to help, but there was nothing they could do.

They knew I had to pull through. They were relying on me.

In fact, they weren't the only ones. Kate. Stella. Miss Jones. They'd all relied on me to stop Fujio from getting the stones, and yet I'd failed them. The least I could do was try and get the stones back.

The situation hit me like a brick. Fujio was out there. So was Adam. I mean, someone else could probably find a way to defeat them, but I would rather have liked to see it happen. Fujio had pissed me off.

So had Adam.

One last pulse of energy somehow made its way through me, and every atom of my body managed to grab hold of the ice. It was like jumping into a cold pool on a hot summer's day. It felt good. Refreshing.

I saw the ice coat my blood-soaked hands, crackling as it did, before everything sharpened. My sight. My hearing.

The pain in my belly went from excruciating, to a bearable throb, to virtually nothing.

I took a few deep breaths, each becoming easier than the last, and laughed. "Wow, that felt good." I said, and finally let go of the ice, returning back to my normal flesh and bone state.

Ronan helped me to my feet, although I didn't really need it. David and Irina came over.

"Are you okay?" Irina asked, her eyes still full of worry.

I nodded.

"Fucking hell, Millie." David muttered. "What happened?"

"Fujio." I said, still trying to get my breath back, and then peered down at my blood soaked hoodie. "God damn it, I liked this hoodie." I said.

Ronan laughed.

I looked at him, suddenly remembering what I was about to do before I got clobbered over the head. But, now wasn't a great time, so instead I just hugged him, pulling him tight. He returned the hug, and I struggled to convince myself to pull away.

But I did, knowing there were far more important matters to be dealing with right now.

"So, Adam is an arsehole." I said. "He was with Fujio this whole time."

"What?" Ronan said, wondering if he'd heard right. "Adam?"

"Yes." I said. "And so Fujio got all the stones."

"And the box?" Ronan asked.

I nodded.

"You mean, he opened it?" David asked.

I nodded again.

"And how did this happen?" Irina motioned to the huge bloodstain on my jumper.

"Fujio drank from the chalice that was in the box." I began. "It, like, fused his spirit element with him or something. He turned into this huge, muscular tiger man."

"Tiger man?" David asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. It was fucking terrifying."

"And what? He stabbed you?" Irina asked.

"With his claws." I said.

"I'm sorry." David said. "Did you say tiger man?"

"Yes." I said. "He's like this huge, muscular man with tiger claws and teeth. I'm pretty certain that he can change fully into a tiger, and he can also transition between his physical and spiritual state."

"Jesus." David muttered.

"My elements were useless against him." I added.

Everyone went silent.

"How are we supposed to defeat a guy like that?" Irina asked.

I shrugged. "Beats me." I said. I then wondered whether the Spirit Warriors at Akio's restaurant were with Fujio or not. I hadn't seen them in the restaurant when I'd been there.

"Millie!" I heard my name being called from outside.

My heart dropped. What were they doing here? I looked at everyone, who were sharing the same concerned look.

"Come on down here!" Fujio called, his voice deep and loud. I walked over to the window- it was dark outside, but I could see Fujio standing there clear as day. He was still in his super large state, and Adam was walking next to him.

"Fuck." I muttered, and turned back to look at the others. "I've gotta go down there."

"Millie, you don't have to do anything." Irina said, her face full of fear.

I looked at her. "It's me he wants."

"Yeah, and then what?" David asked. "He'll want everyone else."

"Exactly." I said. "I have to try and stop him."

"Well, I'm coming with you." Ronan said firmly. I knew there would be no arguing this, just as he knew there was no arguing with me. This was something I had to do.

I nodded.

"So are we." Irina said. "Let's go."

I smiled.

"You guys are the best." I said, and we walked outside.

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