Bray Hyrian, Kivi B. [best summer reads txt] 📗

Chapter Six

A certain numbness overcame my finger and toetips.

Me an Anima wielder?

"...What?"

My expression was the embodiment of confuson itself. Nex and Jeik exchanged a worried look. The frustration began to take over my senses.

"Would someone tell me, what the heck happened?!"

Zhoe grabbed a field chair and sat on it, leaning her arms on the backrest of it. Jeik folded his arms and Xodin grunted. Nex took a step towards me and held out his index finger, pointing it at my face.

"I will show you."

His finger touched my forehead and my mind started whirling and turning. Many images and visions popped into my head and I lost my orientation completely.

 

I was back on the ground, still struck by the Warmaster's earlier movement impairment. I silently watched the fight unfold. Was this scene from before I lost consciousness?

Jeik slinged two of his lightning orbs towards Lynda, which were parried by her barehandedly. The projectiles hit the ground a few metres north of our positon. Bursts of explosions emitted from the impact, followed by the hissing of lightning. Zhoe unleashed a series of icicle spears at her opponent, which were burned by Lynda Corvus' blackish-green flames.

Staeger snarled and intensified the grip around his sword in anger. Zhoe seemed rather focused, as she didn't show any signs of nervousness.

Lightning bolts struck outwards from the Lieutenant's armor, as he charged the enemy Warmaster. His sword channeled more of the destructive element, as the surface glowed in its characteristic yellow. His speed was impressive. The blade, that came in a vertical upstroke, bounced off of her scythe and Staeger used the momentum to change his angle of attack. He spun his body around and struck anew in a diagonal upwards slash.

Lynda used her own blacksteel blade to parry his attack and locked his sword on the ground. She raised her free hand, as her vicious Anima surfaced around it, for a magical surprise attack. Jeik knew that pattern, perhaps from past battles. The lighting around the edge of his sword began focusing their wild energy and they shot at her.

Even the Warmaster was surprised by his cunning counterstrategy. The bolts struck home and forced her to retreat from him. Fume rose from her body, and her dress had multiple punctures. Though she did not have time to recover.

Tips of ice spikes bursted from the ground and extended towards her back, once again. My gaze shifted to Zhoe who had her hands raised, as she bended the Anima for this follow-up.

"Amusing", Lynda said.

Glowing lines appeared around her feet, forming a circle in their typical colours appeared around , as they elevated upwards. The icicle spears melted instantly, once they hit her barrier.

Two radiating, sizzling orbs flew towards her, also hitting her barrier. Her shield completely repelled her attacker's Anima.

Her giggle sounded twisted and eerie, as her energy cloak disippated.
"I hope you both are done entertaining me. Surely, you are more capable, than that."

She impaled the ground with the handle of her scythe and moved her hands towards each other. Her palms connected, as if she was praying.
"Unfortunately, play-time is over...
... Visolvo."

"Quick Zhoe get b~~"

An eruption from her body occured. The blackish-green Anima spreaded outwards in such a unbelievably strong shockwave. Both the Second and the Lieutenant were caught up in her energy release, suffering from the knockback.

Xodin, Bheskar and I both remained paralized and unable to aid. After the transformation subsided, I saw Lynda Corvus' form.

Her dress renewed itself, but it was much longer. A jagged collar in her black and red dress and her sleeves had black feathers all over them. Two large black-feathered wings emerged from her back with a span of several metres.

"Missucaligo", she softly said and smirked.

Jeik and Zhoe both recovered from the knockdown and stood up. Lynda suddenly appeared in front of the female Second Lieutenant. I recognized the technique. It was similar to Nex Buothor's Umbradior. Her hand grabbed her throat and lifted her into the air. Zhoe wheezed and coughed, struggeling to free herself from her grasp.

"Zhoe!" Jeik screamed and sprinted off to aid his companion.

Lynda Corvus effortlessly called forth black chains from the ground and thoroughly immobilized him. Jeik's Visolvo disengaged, and he dropped his sword as he was chained down.

Bheskar let out a scream of despair and Xodin's eyes were filled with horror as well.

"No" I whispered.

I watched both of them getting prepared to be executed by the Hraygnan Warmaster personally.

"No."

Lynda pulled out a dagger with her free hand and lunges out to stab Zhoe, whose throat was still in her grasp.

"I ... I won't let you kill them!" I suddenly bursted out loudly.

Both pinned down Sergeants suddenly gazed upon me with widened eyes.

A strong pulse emitted inside my body, as I heard my own heartbeat pound heavily. Such a strange sensation began to spread from the core of my being, outwards. The outlines of my body started to emit in a purplish light. I was building up an intense amount of energy. The Anima that was constricting my movements was vaporized by my own.

Bheskar's brows rose as he gazed upon my gleaming form.

"Bray...You...!"

I stood on my feet with the iron sword in my right hand. Lynda frowned and turned her head to me.

"Im- ... Impossible."

Zhoe gasped as suddenly the grip around her throat loosened and she fell onto her bottom. She gazed up and grunted in surprise.

My hand firmly grabbed Lynda's wrist and applied very strong pressure, nearly braking it. She yelped in bafflement and pain, before suddenly disappearing in her technique away from me.

A purplish plume was left behind where I last stood. Did I disappear and reappear in the same manner, as Nex and Lynda? I wasn't sure, but all I knew was that my body moved on its own.

Lynda grimaced and shook her wrist from the pain.

"How is this possible? You should not be able to move a single muscle, except your vocal chords, lips and eyes?"

My body didn't respond to her, as my stare simply fixated the ground in front of her feet. Taking a few steps towards her, I led the danger away from my injured comrades. Lynda Corvus groaned in dismay and raised her scythe.

"Very well, then. You shall perish personally through my power."

Two black ravens, covered in green flames, surfaced from her scythe. They were as large as two Xodin's stacked onto each other. Both of them creaked before they came down towards me in a powerful dive.

I lifted my left hand slowly, before my aura illumiated around it. A purplish translucent dome appeared over my body. Again, I didn't command myself to do this. The imitations of ravens were completely absorbed by my dome of Anima. It filled my body with even more power, as the brightness of my visible Anima increased.

The eyes of my self-acting body now raised to peer at the Warmaster, who was shocked by the nullification of her attack.

"You imbecile... I will~~"

Appearing behind her, using my unexplainable skill, my right hand grabbed her shoulder, before my left hand pressed the tip of its index finger onto her her upper back.

"Aestemo."

The words I spoke were soft but clear.

All the energy I took in from her was released in a straight, destructive and purplish beam of Anima. It burned a hole into her shoulder about as wide as my fist. She must've dodged a fatal blow, at the last possible instant.

She disappeared, leaving floating black feathers behind and reappeared in the hole, which Xodin caused with his punch through the gate earlier.

"Nngh! I have gravely understimated your abilities, young Bray. It seems the Arbiters were quite reasonable about your execution."

Her palm covered the gap in her shoulder. Blood poured down in a stream.

"Do not let my retreat give you any kind of hope, Ysoldian fools. I will wipe you out all, next time. And by the way. You need to ponder upon this. Who is this Bray, and why did the Arbiters want him dead? He is not Ysoldian, this much I will tell."

Lynda laughed maniaclly before the wings of her Visolvo covered her body. She disappeared in a flash.

The Anima slowly left my body, as soon as no threat was detected. I collapsed.

 

My eyes opened and I found myself back in the tent, chained onto the medical bed. I was panting and sweat pearls started to take shape on my forehead.

"What the...", I suddenly said after a long silence.

"Yeah, that's what everyone in here said, too", Zhoe said and a soft giggle escaped her.

I ignored everyone else. My eyes only fixated the Head Captain. My hands clenched into fists.

"You knew, didn't cha."

Everyone went silent and their gazes wandered over to their superior. Nex Buothor grunted grimly and folded his arms.

"You are wrong, Bray. I did not know, at all. I merely gambled."
"You what?"
"I was not sure, if you held such powers. So I wanted see for myself, if your execution was reasoned by the your level of skill. Basing my instinct on it, I wanted to see how dangerous you were."

Now all of them faced me. Their expressions showed a wide variety of emotions.

"But why risk your officers and non commissioned officers to see if I was powerful?"

Jeik silently agreed with a faint nod, as he peered back at his Head Captain. Nex raised a finger at Staeger and the others.

"To be fair, I did not expect Warmaster Corvus to be at the outpost. It was not my intention to jeopardize my officers. I betted on your revelation to be caused by mere footsoldiers of Hraygna. As I said. It was a gamble."

"Hardly any leadership qualities, if you 'gamble' your people's lives", my tone was filled with utmost contempt.

A slap struck my face. I peered at Zhoe who was fuming.

"How dare you speak to the Head Captain in such a manner", she said with a shaking voice.

I grunted at her and the humiliation stung my pride like a dagger to the chest.

"Now, now, Second Lieutenant. There is no need for this."
"But, sire~"
"Enough."

She stood up and stomped out of the medical tent, bumping Jeik and her brother out of the way. Jeik sighed but remained silent in words.

Nex stared at me for a moment.
"You will be taken to Ysoldia. We will be investigating your background, before we can allow you to roam around freely."
"So, now I'm your prisoner, huh."
"Until we get a clear picture of who you are, yes."

Now I sighed and shook my head in disbelief.

The Head Captain instructed Jeik to break off Camp Dubach and prepare for the homecoming, before all of them left the tent. Except Jeik.

"Do not think that I will forgive you for showing such disrespectful manners around our Head Captain, Bray."

I didn't bother even looking at him as he spoke.

"But thank you for saving Zhoe."

He was already out of my sight, before I was able to respond. I blinked, not expecting those words from someone like Jeik Staeger.

A few hours passed before a team of robed figures entered the medical tent. They released the restraints around my body, but not around my wrists. My usage of Anima was still out of the question.

They forced me onto my feets and led me outside, where a carriage and a strange capsule was prepared on it. Shoving me into the bubble, I felt how the strange object drained me. I took a seat inside the capsule and just waited for our departure.

I was still able to see out of my imprisonment. Soldiers gathered around the carriage and spoke to each other, though I wasn't able to hear them.

The camp was completely packed. No