The vines engulfed. Images flashed through my head; Alice, my mom, Kao, Chase, my fights with Team Starlight, and my father's death. I struggled, but the vines just seemed to tighten their grip on me. I could hear Alice's faint scream, being muffled by vines. I tried to summon my sword, but I dropped it as I was being cocooned to try to release the vine from my neck; wasn't my best idea.
Kao's cocoon stopped at his head; giving him air and sight. He stared at the woman who'd just spoken to him. She walked towards him in an appealing manner. Kao closed his eyes tightly, as she continued her way to him. Vines curled around her fingers, into her hand forming a vine whip; it was covered in thorns up and down.
"Wha…what do you want?" Kao muttered out bravely, still closing his eyes.
"Nothing with you", she said in sweet raspy voice. Her hair was red crimson and she had a sleek dark green, floor length dress on. She walked away from Kao heading into the woods in our direction.
"Get back here; I'm not done with you!" Kao yelled, "You capture me and then just leave me. What kind of person does that? Come back and fight!" The woman walked back and cracked her whip against Kao's face; it was at that moment Kao realized what he'd said forgetting he was bound. Blood dripped down Kao's face.
"Respect your elders, child", she said tightening his cocoon.
I was wiggling and struggling and the vines rapidly tightened on me; I could feel my pulse travel through my entire body, my circulation being cut off.
"Awe, there you are", I heard a woman say as I also heard vines from another cocoon loosen and release. I heard something drop to the ground with a thud; Alice.
"Chase!" Kao yelled opening his eyes, "Don't struggle. Just give me a minute, I have an idea."
"Mhhmhmhhhmmhm (That's never good)", Chase tried to mumble. He regrettably listened to Kao finding it true.
"Fire Akurei Tsume", Kao yelled! His spear plunged from the sky, landing directly in front of Kao. Kao stared at his staff, then he glared, and finally he sighed. "Okay, that didn't go as planned." He was trying to make it cut through his cocoon, but no such luck.
"AWE, screw it!" Kao yelled igniting his hands on fire. His cocoon dissolved away in a moment; it just so happened that in that same moment the fire had ignited onto several trees. "Chase!"
"Mhmmmhhm (I'm over here)", Chase tried to mumble.
"Hang on (like he has a choice)", Kao said disintegrating Chase's cocoon. Chase Gasped for air, then he felt his wing as he landed on the ground.
"Hey it's healed!" Chase proclaimed in amazement.
"What?" Kao asked.
"My wing is healed", Chase said as he took flight. The fire was spreading quickly. "Yeah, I'm not ordinary anymore!" Kao and Chase swapped blank stares.
"You were never ordinary; what kid eats 50 packets of sugar a day?" Kao remarked. The fire was spreading quickly. Cinder and ashes were floating in the air, penetrating the fresh scent of the lake. "Let's go; you find Garret and I'll find Alice."
"Thank you so much for your help, but I think I'll take over from here", a man's spoke out.
"What are you doing here; this is my kill, so leave or I'll kill you", the woman's growled angrily.
"I beg to differ", the man chuckled out. I summoned my sword; it came flying up splitting open my cocoon. I gasped for air, grasping my sword. "This is my kill." The man said smiling.
"Don't tempt me, Splinter", the woman with red crimson hair said.
"Is that a challenge", the man, who apparently was Splinter asked?
The woman strung out her vine whips and charged Splinter. As she charged, she suddenly dropped to the floor with little strength left in her. Her body coated itself in blood. I stared in awe. Splinter suddenly turned to my direction and then to Alice's. He picked her up and started to walk away, like I would be a waste of his time; Alice was unconscious.
I ran to the woman who now lay on the floor of the woods; she was dead. I didn't understand how she'd died, so suddenly. I immediately got up and ran after Alice. I ran and ran until I caught up. I still had my sword out.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll turn around and walk the other way", Splinter said.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll hand Alice over to us", I challenged him.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into here, last chance; leave, now!" Splinter yelled calmly.
"Over your dead body", I yelled.
"Suit yourself", he said setting Alice down against a tree. The fire was still going, but it hadn't made its way to this part of the woods. He held out his arms, putting his body in the shape of a cross and yelled, "SILVER SPLINTER." I charged, raising my sword. Suddenly I was swooped up by something. As I looked I saw tiny, little silver splinters pierce their way through the air where I was standing. I looked up to see who my rescuer was; it was Chase.
"Chase!" I said in surprise.
"Yep, that's me! Now let's go get Alice back!" He said swooping back down.
"So you weren't joking when you said us. Well more for me to kill", Splinter said out of his grin as Chase set me down and landed. I quiver of silver splinters soared my way; I formed my sword into a shield blocking them. I ran to Splinter as fast I could manage to move my legs. As I approached him, I leaped into the air and slashed my sword down; but as it hit him, it formed around his body. He shot fleet of silver slivers on me; they carried me too a tree, slamming me against it, and bent around my body. My body ached.
"Is that all you got?" I yelled in anger as I slashed at him again, but once more my sword bent around him; leaving him unharmed. He grinned as he shoved his fist into my gut. I fell to my knees holding, my gut.
"You're not the only one with control over silver", Splinter said as he kicked me, or tried. As he went to kick me, I quickly got up and tackled him. I brought down my fist and elbow on his face repeatedly, until he shoved me off with a force of silver slivers. None of them pierced my body.
"Give up kid, you can't beat me. Your powers are useless against me and you can't win in a fist fight", He persuaded me.
"Fine, you win", I smiled and chuckled out. The fire was creeping its way across the woods, nearing us. Flames grew closer and closer, so close they started to lick and singe our clothes and faces. We started to circle each other.
"So is this your little plan? Sit here till we both get burnt to death? Well I'm tired of waiting; I have a mission to complete and I'm not about to let Syulee down", Splinter yelled as he charged at me!
"And I'm tired of waiting too!" Kao yelled back shoving a fist of fire into Splinters jaw as he jumped down from a tree. Splinter wobbled his way to the ground. Splinter got up and sent a fleet of silver splinters at Kao. I ran in front Kao and commanded them to stop with one swift movement of my hand. At that Kao ran around me. He summoned a great force of fire into his hand and Fire Blasted splinter. The flames around us, burning the woods down, flowed into Kao's beam of fire. The fire, burning the woods, was completely gone.
Splinter lay there, burnt and beat, but he still managed to get up. His burns were harsh and he had deep wounds, from what? I don't know, but he was. Blood rushed down out of his wounds, as he moved slowly towards us. I wanted to stab him with my sword, but I couldn't and there was no need at this point.
"What's going on", Alice asked as she saw Splinter fall to the ground in front of her? Kao ran to her and gave her a giant bear hug. It was like my mother says all the time; a hug can tell a lot about how much a person loves you.
"6 Assassins were hired to capture Alice; two of which are already defeated. Remi and I are the least of the 2. Good work kid, nice team you got there", Splinter groaned out to me. I turned and gave Alice a smile of gratitude since she'd really set up the team.
"2 down, 4 to go; bring it!" Kao yelled in happiness over his victory.
Suddenly my sword jumped in the air out of my hand, shifted back into a necklace, and hovered away into the woods. Morning was approaching right on time as it did every morning. I ran after my sword and apparently no one else saw it because they ran after me yelling, "Now what?"
As I chased it, we neared a house. It was creepy, yet somehow familiar. My necklace dropped on the floor, right in front of the house. I grabbed my necklace and put it on my neck. I looked up to see a silhouette of my grandfather, he was mouthing words but I couldn't read or understand them. Finally I caught a break, and understood these simple words as my grandfather's silhouette faded away…
Six Trials.