Love In A Sinking Realm ⊰BTS⊱ Steampunk

CHAPTER 10 ✑ Airborne Part 1

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The music does not belong to me, nor the video, or the YouTube channel. Please credit the composers and sources themselves.

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She drew a deep diaphragmatic breath and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"HEADS UP!!!"

She lifted her arm above her head and threw the magic marble on the ground, shuttering it. A mighty stentorian explosion was unleash, nebulous smoke filled the air. The blast sent a powerful shockwave that sawed the air like an invisible dagger.

Anything human that stood within its explosion radius was thrusted backwards and frozen mid air. Any building, the Hotel Ronald included, was demolished in a million wooden shards, also petrified in time and space, as if someone hit the pause button on a remote. The sounds of the environment were swallowed by the time babble that stopped every functioning clock from ticking. The world distorted. Trapped in a glass sphere.

Twenty-six seconds.

That's how long the security measure, hidden inside the golden spherical necklace, lasted. Twenty-six seconds did the time explosion buy for those that wore the necklace. A brief, but crucial margin of a head start over any dangerous situation.

Everything just stopped. From the drops of rain before hitting the earth, to the birds flying frenzily to reach shelter. And while the earth held its breath, the young companions looked around awed.

Selenya leaped towards Hosea and pulled him on his feet. Took a handkerchief from the pocket of her trousers and pressed it on his nose. Then addressed the others.

"What the hell are you all waiting for?! RUN!" she yelled and pointed west.

With a bewildered expression marked on their faces, they stormed automatically without looking back. Hosea holding his bloody nose with one hand and Selenya with the other, ran somewhat wobbly, but tried his best to keep up.

"I know what you did!!!" he shouted after crossing the street, "I should've thought of that before!!!"

He delved in his shirt and mimicked her steps. He retrieved the little purple magic marble from his necklace, recited the incantation and held it in his fist, ready for use.

Meanwhile, after twenty-six seconds, the earth exhaled. The feathery rain fell. The gravel started cracking under their footsteps. The previously paused explosion smashed against the wind, bombarding the atmosphere. Among the ruckus they heard Jones' furious commands.

"WHERE ARE WE GOING, SELENYA?!" screamed Jihmm above the commotion.

"Namjuniel left us instructions about his airship in case we needed to escape!! Keep heading west!!" she replied.

They scampered hurriedly, passing by the deserted wooden houses, shops and stables. They came across a plague victim or two on the way, rotting on the side of the road. When finally arriving at the edge of the city and going though the lane of two buildings standing close to each other, a vast flat paved valley spread before their eyes. On it there were 5 airships of the Royal Secret Services, flat, metal and aerodynamic, their wings folded on the sides, and a heavily armored military aircraft a few meters away.