AGL: Okay, I kind of left the last chapter off with a cliff hanger and I bet you are asking so many questions so we will skip the formalities and head onto Chapter 13! Enjoy! :D
"This is going to be the living hell for me," Maria mumbled as she stood on the deck of the ship. "I can't believe I have to do this and for what to get rid of that curse slot."
Maria started pacing the ship. "I have to go look into that realm and stuff. Find the other Chosen Ones but no. I had to be caught an assassin from the Oracle Knights. And being caught by her is the least of my problems! I now have to prove to Sync that I am not a traitor….and agh! This is so frustrating!"
Maria kicked the railing so hard that it literally almost broke her foot.
(A/N: Maria: I kind of wished I broke my foot.
AGL: Why is that?
Maria: So I could be out of commission for two weeks!
((Sorry I so wanted to add that in.))
"I see you are a little frustrated. You don't plan to turn on us do you?" asked a mocking voice behind her.
"Go away!" she yelled without turning to face her mocker. Her mocker just kept walking closer to her. Maria sensed him/her coming closer.
"I said go away!" Maria extended her arm in the air and was about to do an arte, but her mocker grabbed her hand and kept her from doing it.
"You really know how to feed the fire don't you?" Maria asked.
"Well I do perform wind artes after all."
"You're a Chosen One as well aren't you?"
"Yes, I am sorry about early and just now as well."
"I forgive you." Maria turned to face Sophie. Sophie pulled up her left sleeve of her crop top. On her elbow was a daisy surrounded by green lines that looked like wind.
The assassin covered up her mark and made her blade appear in her left hand in twister of wind. Her sword had a blade of green and her handle was white.
Maria pulled out her book and looked through it to find the list of blades.
"It seems you are my second in command. You wield the Blade of Light Wind," Maria stated.
"That Marcus kid, what blade does he have?"
"He has the third one, the Blade of Icy Light. And I wouldn't call him a kid he is older than us."
"Who old is he?"
"Fourteen I think, why?"
"Is he in a relationship with anyone?"
"Not that I know of….Wait I minute, you like him don't you?"
Sophie started to blush. "That's absurd."
"Ha, some assassin, you have a crush on someone you don't even know," Maria commented as she put her book away.
"It's not what you think! An assassin should learn more about their enemy and their weak point."
"I think that goes for everybody. Any other excuses?" Maria teased.
"S-shut up!"
"Looks like I struck a nerve."
"You act just like the Necromancer. I can totally see how you are related."
"Shut up! Don't compare me to that bastard!"
"Looks like I struck a nerve."
"…"
"Fiery Tri-Force!"
"Fang Blade!"
Maria and Asch were sparing on the deck to pass the time. Apparently Asch appeared to be winning.
"Blazing Fire!" Maria tossed both of her boomerangs at him. Asch dodged them without a problem. They quickly came back to Maria before Asch did Explosion.
Maria dodged it by doing a back flip.
As Maria was fighting Asch she was hoping that the voice would give her a new arte. The old ones weren't really working.
Suddenly, she got her wish. She charged her fonons quickly and shouted, "Lightning Tri-Force!"
I triangle of lightning came from the sky and attacked Asch. Asch jumped out of the way but lost a piece of his crimson hair.
"Let me guess, it happened again."
Maria gave a small smirk. "Well on the upside I got a brand new arte."
"Upside?! You almost killed me!"
"Opps, my bad."
"My bad?! That's all you can say?! You could almost be the living hell with that arte!"
"Are we going to finish our spar or what?"
"Oh we'll finish it. Icicle Rain!"
"Oh crap!" Icicles fell from the sky. Maria dodged all but one. The icicle cut her arm. Maria kneeled on the ground holding her arm.
"Damn it, Asch!"
Sophie came over and healed Maria's wound. All the Oracle Knights on the boat watched the spar and clapped at Asch's victory.
"You fought really well," Asch said as he helped Maria up. Maria gave him a small smile.
"Thanks."
"Okay she may have stood in the ring long enough with Asch, but let's see if she can stand long enough with me."
Everyone was on the edge of their seats as Sync and Maria got ready to fight.
"Begin!" Largo shouted.
Sync's hands were full of electricity as he charged at Maria. Sync charged at her shoulder but Maria created a force field and blocked the attack.
"Blazing Fire!" Maria threw one of her boomerangs. Sync dodged it and threw a knife as Maria's boomerang was coming back.
Maria drew her other boomerang and blocked the knife and caught her other one.
10 minutes later… (Sorry but I was getting writers block for artes)
"You're lasting longer than I thought," Sync said. Maria was out of breath and had bruises on her arms from Sync's electric shocks.
"Let's see if you can last long now! Turbulence!"
Maria jumped out of the way, but this gave Sync a chance to do a mystic arte.
"Now you die! Akashic Torment!"
Maria, being exhausted, fell on her knees in defeat. Sophie came over and healed her. All the knights cheered at Sync's victory, but also on how long Maria managed to stay in the ring for so long for an apprentice.
"Man that was awesome!" Sophie shouted as she helped Maria up. "You stayed up for 10 minutes! How on earth did you do that?"
"Well, I have one heck of an instructor," Maria answered with a sly smirk. Her smirk disappeared as Sync walked passed her whispering in her ear, "Don't think you're off the hook after playing these games."
This sent a chill down Maria's spine.
"Hey you okay?" Sophie asked.
"Huh? Oh, um, yeah."
"Are you sure? You look a little pale."
"I am fine!" Maria assured with a blush.
"Maybe you should go get some rest," Asch said noticing Maria's paleness.
"Yeah, maybe I should." Maria walked down to her room and lay down on her bed.
"Just one more hour and we'll be at Daath. Sync, will pay for all that he is putting me through." Maria closed her eyes and fell asleep.
*Maria's Dream*
"Move faster!" Maria yelled as she pulled Sophie and Marcus.
"We're moving as fast as we can!" Sophie yelled back.
The three Chosen Ones screeched to a halt as Sync appeared in front of them.
"Did you think you could escape us?" Sync asked in a mocking tone. His hands started to glow with electricity as Maria and her crew made their blades appear.
Sync attacked Maria as Sophie started to cast a healing arte. Marcus started to gather fonons as Maria blocked Sync's fists.
Sync punched Maria in the stomach making her fall to the ground.
"You are a pathetic weakling," Sync mocked.
"Shut up!" Maria yelled. Sophie came and attacked Sync but Sync stopped her with turbulence. Marcus was next but Sync blocked him with Absolute.
Sync knelt down to the hurt Maria. Maria was on the verge of tears.
"You are weak. You are about to cry like a baby."
"Shut up!"
*End Dream*
Maria sat up. She felt herself sweat and was surprised to see Asch at her bed side.
"Are you ok?" Asch asked.
"Yeah."
Asch felt Maria's head and frowned.
"You feel hot."
"So what."
"So what? So what?! That's all you can say?! What the hell is wrong with you?! First you keep secrets from me, then you almost betray, now you don't care about your health! You are going to get yourself killed someday if you keep acting like an idiot instead of a smart soldier!"
"Well you know what, I rather be dead than spend the rest of my life having to worry about my parents and my life! Since day one I wish I never got roped into this! I would rather be dead than carry this burden for the rest of my damn, pathetic life! And that's a fact Jack!"
Tears started to flow down her eyes. Tears of anger and pain. Maria was in the need of a good cry.
Sophie suddenly came into the room saying, "Asch we are nearing the port."
"I'll be right there," Asch replied. Sophie left the room leaving Maria and Asch alone in the room again.
"Will you be fine?" Asch asked.
"Yeah. I just need some time alone when we get to the cathedral." Maria got out of bed and followed Asch down the halls to the deck. Maria smiled as she saw Daath in their sight. They pulled up to the port and exited the ship.
As they were about to exit the dock, they heard someone call Maria's name.
"Maria!" Maria turned to see her parents. Maria wore a surprised angry look. Maria's mom came and hugged her.
"Maria we missed you so much," Maria's mom said. Maria pushed her mother away.
"Missed me, my foot!"
"Maria what's wrong?"
"Oh don't play that crap with me! I heard what you said about me! I was at Grand Chokmah when you said you were so happy I wasn't at home with you!"
"Maria, I-"
"You what?! You're sorry?!"
"Maria, calm down and hear her out," Maria's dad said.
"I don't hear any crap from this sick woman!"
"Marianna Curtiss!" Maria's eyes were angry.
"You know what I think? I think you guys are the biggest bitches I ever met! I hope you die!" And with that, Maria ran off.
"Maria, wait!" Asch called but Maria didn't stop. She kept running. Tears again streamed down her face. She ran so fast she tripped. She cut her knee on a piece of glass on the ground. Maria couldn't hold it back anymore. Maria was on her knees in an alleyway crying.
Maria cried and cried until she couldn't any more.
"I can't take this anymore! I have to quit the Oracle Knights somehow!" Maria screamed in her head.
"Maria!" She heard Sophie call her name. Maria kept into the darkest part of the alley hoping she wouldn't be seen. She suddenly felt someone touch her. She turned to see who it was and saw a thief grabbing hold of her.
"Let me go you son of a bitch! Asch! Anybody! Help me!" Maria called.
"Shut up you stupid girl!" The man had her fists held tight. She couldn't cast an arte and make her blade appear even if she tried.
"Help!"
"I said shut up!" The man was about to hit her stomach when someone jumped down and attacked the man. The thief let her go as she turned to see her father with his sword in his hand.
"Run!" He yelled. Maria got up and ran down the alleyway. She stopped when she heard another person attack the thief. She turned to see her mother with her spear in her hand.
The thief had a gun in his hand and shot bullets at her parents. Suddenly, the hands of fate made ended two lives. The thief shot her mother and father to the ground.
"Mom! Dad!" Maria screamed. Oracle Knights showed up and surrounded the thief. Oracle Knights passed her dragging away the man. Maria ran to her parents' half dead bodies.
"Mom! Dad! Hold still and will try to stop the bleeding," Maria ordered.
"Maria, it's too late for us. You have to live a long life. Don't make us feel like we wasted our lives to save yours," Maria's father told her.
"Please don't cry Maria," Maria's mother said as she lifted her hands on Maria's face.
"Mom and Dad please forgive me."
"No Maria, forgive us for giving you so much pain." Maria's mother's hands fell to the ground as her parents' breathed their last breath.
AGL: I ended the chapter with sadness. Shame on me! L Anyway, look forward to the next chapter.