Vastarael's heart pounded against his chest as he glanced around. The streets were eerily silent. Buildings burned but there were no screams, shouts or signs of the upper city's inhabitants. It was just him, Adelasta and the creatures.
Shadows shifted in the corner of his vision. Their glowing, hollow eyes locked onto him as they snarled in unison. They were three meters tall. They had extremely long limbs, grayish skin and a very skeletal appearance. They looked like they were under starvation for decades. Their hollow eyes and wide jaws made him shiver. They were definitely ugly creatures and very fast too.
Vastarael's grip on Adelasta tightened. Her body was limp. Her normally fierce gaze was dull as her labored breaths got faint. There was no time. He had to move.
The first creature lunged at them.
Vastarael zigzagged through the flaming wreckage of the street as he raced past crumbling buildings. His mind flashed to his mother's relentless training and he silently thanked her as he jumped over debris with ease. Behind him, the monsters gave chase. Their claws scraped against stone and metal as they pursued him.
An explosion erupted to his left, sending shards of glass and metal hurtling toward him. Vastarael twisted mid air leading to the heat of the blast scorching his back as he narrowly avoided the shrapnel. He landed softly and surged forward again. Another explosion appeared, this time directly ahead. Vastarael skidded to a halt. Without hesitating, he spun on his heel, kicking off a piece of broken pavement and running into a narrow alleyway. The walls were close but he adjusted his strides as he maneuvered through.
The creatures were relentless. One leapt onto the rooftop above and leapt down. Vastarael ducked the beast's claws by centimeters. He didn't stop. His legs burned, his lungs screamed for air but he pushed on. Flames roared around him as another blast shook the ground. Vastarael leapt onto a fallen beam, using it as a springboard to launch himself across a wide gap in the street. He landed with a roll, cradling Adelasta carefully to avoid jostling her injuries.
Ahead, the path was blocked by a toppled building. Its rubble created an impassable wall. Vastarael didn't hesitate. He adjusted his hold on Adelasta, tightening his grip and ran across the debris with ease. At the top, he paused briefly, scanning the chaotic landscape below.
Vastarael took a deep breath and jumped.
The ground rushed toward him but he landed in a crouch, causing a spider web like crack on the asphalt. Another blast erupted behind him but the shockwave propelling him forward. He stumbled slightly but regained his footing instantly.
The creatures were closing in. Vastarael's golden eyes narrowed. He wasn't going to let them win. Not today.
"Stop resisting, Prince of Anqerise! No one can help you! They have all been teleported out of this place and are at the shelters! You're the only one left now."
'Fuck. I forgot about the shelters!'
Rise was a very advanced city, even in emergency situations. Whenever an attack occurred, all the civilians would be forcefully teleported into underground shelters that were impenetrable. However, Vastarael and Adelasta were not citizens of Rise. They were from the palace and now, his family was defending it from... whatever their name was.
His parents were out of the continent and judging from Opera's tone, they were dealing with dangerous beings, perhaps Deities like them. The palace was not safe. Compared to the city, it was even far worse. And... he could feel a very powerful barrier cast across the Business Hub.
He couldn't escape. In fact, no one could come in or out at this point. All he had to do was wait until morning. Vastarael gritted his teeth as a powerful fire blast roared toward him. He instinctively held Adelasta closer, shielding her with his body as he dropped to the asphalt. His feet dug in, carving a deep trench through the broken street as the blast's impact propelled him backward. Sparks flew as his boots ground against the surface.
A mocking laugh echoed through the flames.
"Running like a scared little pup, are we? And here I thought the so-called Prince of Richinaria was supposed to be something special!"
Vastarael's golden eyes looked around, searching for the source of the voice. Whoever—or whatever—it belonged to wasn't just hunting him. It was playing with him.
"Pathetic. You think you can hide? You think you can survive the night? Your little tricks won't save you."
Vastarael's breath came in quick bursts. Whoever this was, they were powerful and they knew the city was locked down. There was no escaping the barrier; he could feel an oppressive weight pressing against his essence. Even teleportation was out of the question. He needed to think. Fast.
The voice boomed again, "Go on, boy. Run. Delay the inevitable. It'll make your fall that much sweeter!"
Vastarael's eyes flickered to a damaged spire a few hundred meters ahead. Its once-pristine white surface was now blackened and cracked, leaning precariously over the street. It looked ready to collapse at the slightest touch. A plan began to form in his mind.
He adjusted his grip on Adelasta.
"Hold on just a little longer, alright?"
With a burst of energy, Vastarael surged forward. His legs carried him at blinding speed as he raced toward the crumbling spire. Fire blasts rained down around him. Each impact sent shockwaves that nearly knocked him off balance. One blast scorched the ground close to his feet but he didn't stop.
"Run, little prince!"
Vastarael ignored it. A powerful blast roared past his ear, missing him by a hair's breadth. The force of the explosion sent shards of stone flying through the air. Finally, he reached the base of the spire. Vastarael skidded to a halt. He shifted Adelasta in his arms, securing her as best as he could before summoning his strength. Another blast whistled through the air, heading straight for him. This time, he didn't dodge. He dodged to the side at the last possible moment, letting the fiery projectile slam into the spire's base.
The ground trembled beneath him as the weakened structure groaned. Vastarael didn't hesitate. He kicked off the ground, sprinting down the street just as the spire began to collapse. The sound was deafening. The spire came crashing down, smashing into the street with an earth-shaking impact. Rubble and dust covered his body. Vastarael glanced over his shoulder, watching as the pursuing creatures were caught in the destruction.
The shockwave hit him a second later, propelling him forward. He shielded Adelasta with his body as they crashed onto a pile of rubble. Dust and ash filled his lungs but he coughed it out, forcing himself to his feet. Vastarael's legs trembled but he stood up.
'That should buy me a few minutes. Now to go all out!'
He was glad that using Essence on his body didn't cost as much as using it in Runes and summoning Mystic Circles. He had a lot left but he couldn't fight, not with Adelasta's life on the line. The voice, however, wasn't gone. From somewhere beyond the rubble, it called out, mocking yet again.
"You think you've won, boy? This isn't over. Not by a long shot. You will be dead by morning! Hahahaha!"
He adjusted his hold on her and took off again, disappearing into the burning ruins of the city.
°°°°°°°
Adelasta's eyelids fluttered weakly as she emerged from unconsciousness. The first thing she heard was a steady, calm, and reassuring voice.
'Prince Vastarael?'
"Don't worry, Leon, Leones. I'm fine. Just make sure you listen to Anamorsia until morning, okay? Stay together."
A smaller voice chimed in, trembling slightly. "But what about you? You're not hurt, right?"
"I'm fine, really. You know me. I'll figure things out. Just be good and stay where it's safe."
Adelasta's body ached with every movement. Her arm throbbed but something felt different. She forced her eyes open as she took in the scene before her. Vastarael sat a few paces away with his back to her. A soft blue glow of a hologram shimmered in front of him. She could just make out the silhouettes of children—his siblings, she realized—on the display. They seemed worried.
For them, they were inside a collapsed spire.
"I'll check in again tomorrow morning. You'll be okay. I promise."
With a wave of his hand, the hologram blinked out of existence, leaving the area in dim, flickering light from the fires outside. Vastarael turned to her as if he'd sensed her awakening.
"Oh. You're awake."
Adelasta noticed floating Runes circling her, each one glowing faintly with Vastarael's distinct sapphire blue Essence. They rotated slowly, casting a soft, calming light. Beneath her, a mystic circle glimmered on the ground.
"What is this?"
Vastarael knelt beside her, adjusting the sapphire cast he created around her arm earlier.
"A healing array my father taught me. It's stabilizing your injuries and keeping you safe. You were in bad shape after the collapse, Adelasta."
Adelasta's gaze lingered on him. She wanted to respond, but the effort felt monumental. She was about to fall back to the floor again but Vastarael caught her just in time.
"Easy there. It took me hours to get rid of the poison. Believe me, it did a good number on your soul. If you didn't have a divine soul, you would have died."