Pov. - Aline Valentini
Beep!
[Energy ?????]]
"This notification won't stop showing up... What is this energy? And why is it everywhere?"
Suddenly, her hand touched nothing. right when it had been resting on Oliver's shoulder. Her heart slammed against her chest as she realized it. He vanished right before her eyes, and he wasn't the only one. When she looked around, everyone had disappeared.
"This energy has something to do with this? It has to... But the Scanner only reads living beings... Or maybe not?"
Gripping her spear with both hands, she started scanning the area. Only the shadowy forest and sunbeams remained in sight. But it didn't last long...
Three men appeared out of nowhere, weapons drawn. Their faces were hidden under hoods, dressed in dark cloaks. Two with spears, one with an axe.
"Who are they? The one with the axe... is he missing his left arm?"
Her instincts screamed that something was off, but fear was quickly taking over.
Without a word, the two spear-wielders attacked. Their moves were fast, but far from precise. Eventually, her dodges failed and one of the attacks came down on her.
She raised her spear in a desperate attempt to block, but the blow's strength sent her flying several meters back. Her hands trembled, numb.
"So strong! I knew they were stronger, but this is beyond normal. I need to act."
Aline recovered just in time to dodge the axe swinging down at her. It missed by inches. Her heart was pounding, and her breathing grew heavy.
"I can't fall this easily! Oliver was wrecked by that viper and still stayed on his feet. I won't fall to two and a half guys!"
Beep!
"The Scanner..."
[Nature Energy] [Energy ?????]
"It's close... just a few dozen meters from here? Maybe I can use it to distract them..."
She quickly mapped out a plan in her head and started moving deeper into the forest, heading straight for the source of the Nature Energy and the unknown one.
With luck, it could be one of the other students.
Almost like they read her mind, the attacks got stronger and more frequent. She couldn't block them all, only dodging a few. Cuts started slicing through her skin, blood dripping, but she kept her footing.
"I can't die here... Oliver, David, Lucas, Gael... I can't be the only one to die here!"
The damage piled up, and the spear began slipping from her grip, but she held on, defending against constant attacks and moving closer to the energy.
Beep!
She didn't even need to check the alert, she knew she was close. Channeling all her strength into her arms, she counterattacked with a full-force horizontal arc, forcing the three men to retreat several meters.
It wasn't without cost. Her strength was gone. Even so, she took a deep breath and ran. Her vision was blinded by sunlight, and when she opened her eyes, she saw...
Nothing!
Only a small clearing with fallen leaves scattered everywhere.
"Shit! Where the hell is the energy? It's here! I'm sure of it... I mean... The Angel wouldn't mess with me now, right?"
Zim!
The air warped right behind her, and with a reflex she never knew she had, she threw herself into the sea of brown leaves.
Boom!
The impact launched thousands of leaves into the air. A scene that would've been mystical and almost romantic unfolded before her eyes. The leaves floated and danced, falling gently over the clearing like rain.
Under any other circumstance, Aline might have been in awe, entranced, but now? All she felt was fear, exhaustion, and adrenaline rushing through her veins.
The three hooded men appeared at the forest's edge. Even without seeing their faces, a terrifying aura radiated from them.
The last one with a spear charged straight at her, while the other two seemed to be flanking from the sides.
Bronze met bronze, and with her strength nearly gone, all she could manage was to deflect the spear to the side. The impact hit the ground, sending another wave of leaves into the air, forming a perfect curtain.
Seizing the moment, she threw herself backward, just in time to dodge the axe that would've decapitated her had she stayed.
"The leaves!"
Her brain acted fast, not giving the man any chance to regain his weapon. She ran toward him, but instead of thrusting her spear, she swept it horizontally across the leaves on the ground, creating a wave.
The leaves were the perfect distraction, giving her the opening she needed to stab toward the terrifying man's chest. Blood spilled through the shower of leaves, but the bastard managed to twist just enough that her strike only caught his thigh.
"Damn it!"
Two attacks came from behind. She managed to turn and block one, but the cursed spear twisted through her guard like a sly serpent and struck her right in the shoulder.
Pain clouded her thoughts, the burning sensation overwhelmed her muscles.
None of them were trained fighters. None were used to pain. Even if the stab was shallow, it was enough to break her focus.
She barely noticed when the spear slipped from her hands and her body collapsed against the roots.
"Roots?"
The three men were only meters away, surrounding her. Leaves fell from the sky like golden-brown rain. Her body rested against the roots and the muddy ground.
Her mind sparked with a sudden realization, it had to be right. The Scanner still read the energy nearby. Only one place left.
She waited, heart pounding, for the moment the three men struck. Then, she rolled to the side. The kinetic force of their combined blows cracked the ground and shattered the roots.
They jumped back, but she didn't.
She felt gravity pull her down as the earth collapsed beneath her.
The light of the clearing faded.
And everything became darkness.