ACT XXXIV: ALPTRรUME
Reality is never as bad as a nightmare, as the mental tortures we inflict on ourselves.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
PART 1
The first thing Liska Mitsel-eman saw when she opened her eyes was that she wasn't in the sleeping bag where she was staying in Akane Araki's tent, her human friend... or even in the latter's home to begin with...
-"Where am I?"-
And if that wasn't enough, she quickly realized that she was lying in what seemed to be a solid, dark-colored place, with no details to differentiate it from the rest of what was around her. That was the first thing Liska saw as she slowly rose from the ground: the only thing surrounding her was total darkness, as if she had woken up in a dark room, with no one else but the young female feline warrior in that place.
But there was something else she began to notice as well: Even though she was in a seemingly dark place, she was the only thing there in that shadowy space that seemed to have color, as if the sunlight only shone on her, and nothing and no one else...
-"Akane? Where are you? AKANE!"-
For more than obvious reasons, Liska called the name of her friend from Earth, with whom she had shared sleep in her home that night after both women saved the Highland tribe from being destroyed by the Romalian raiders.
But, to her misfortune, Akane never replied to her voice...
-"Akane? Mother Sanna? Pyndan?... Where is everybody?"-
Despite her calls, neither Akane nor any of Liska's acquaintances seemed to respond to her, as if they did not exist in that dark place, where there was no one else...
...save for that alien maiden, who was gradually growing increasingly alarmed at not seeing or hearing anyone else around her.
-"Akane?... Friends?... What's going on here?... Why don't I see anyone from the tribe here?!"-
When she started walking through that dark place, trying to look for her friends and the rest of the tribe members, Liska seemed to be walking for several minutes blindly, without seeming to find anything. Not a soul, not a single structure, not even a cloud, the sun or any of the two moons of that planet... there was absolutely NOTHING... not even she could sense air, wind or even if it was cold or hot... It was as if the girl was in a place devoid of any kind of life... except for her own presence; and if that wasn't enough, there was not a single sound to be heard around her. The only thing Liska could hear was her agitated panting, seeing that there was nothing and no one to interact with or talk to... and the beating of her heart.
-"I don't like this at all... Why is there nothing and nobody here?... What is this place?"-
When she received no answer to her pleas, the young girl began to lose her composure, believing that she could be somewhere she didn't know... or maybe somewhere much worse...
-"Oh, gods, gods, GODS!..."- Liska cried in despair. -"Where is EVERYONE?! Am I dead or what? PLEASE SOMEBODY ANSWER ME!... ANYBODY!... PLEASE!..."-
And then... without any warning...
๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ท๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐?
And for some reason, her cries were answered by a strange and apparently feminine voice, which sounded like it was coming from somewhere, but at the same time, Liska could not figure out where exactly it was coming from.
-"Huh?"-
Afterwards, the first thing she saw was that everything around her, which was completely dark, abruptly shifted, as if an intense light surrounded Liska...
PART 2
...and when the female warrior opened her eyes, she was now in a place completely unlike that shapeless, unlit place, totally devoid of anything else besides her.
But at the same time, Liska, at the sight of that place, she began to regret having asked that question...
-"What... the...?!"-
The first thing she saw the instant Liska opened her eyes was that she was in what looked like a very large city, like those she had heard from tales and stories that her family, acquaintances and people who had traveled to distant lands, starting with the neighboring nation of the Plains region, Hinowa, or the distant empire of Tianchao.
Except that there were three things that began to terrify her the moment she saw those huge towering constructions...
The first was that these buildings had such a look that she had never seen in her life, starting with the fact that they had dark and dirty colors, not to say that they had a complex and unfathomable sight for her, with many windows and doors in each of these "castles", as Liska thought they were, as if they had been built in another nation that she did not know... or possibly from another world.
The second was that many of these constructions were completely destroyed, even those that seemed, from the young maiden's point of view, that they could not be destroyed by the hands of a mortal, due to their size and shape that made them seem impossible to destroy at first sight. It was as if the wrath of the gods fell upon that city, and they had left nothing standing, starting with those structures.
And finally, the third, and most terrifying fact that Liska was witnessing with her own eyes, was that, at that moment, a full-scale battle was raging in that city.
-"Where the hell am I now?!... Did I end up in the middle of a war?"- The feline girl cried, while covering her ears at the infernal sound of the near warfare close to her.
The moment the young new Native-like warrior saw that alien-looking battlefield, she noticed that there were several things that were not at all normal for her. To begin with, the "warriors" fighting that battle did not use spears, swords, knives or axes, but weapons that looked like sticks that spit fire, which killed the people it touched immediately. Furthermore, those warriors or soldiers were clothed in elaborate garments, which covered their entire body, and some of them wore something that looked like hats made of steel on their heads.
At the same time, the weapons used in that battle were no less terrifying: Some of those men used it to look like a monster spitting out oval steel objects, which could destroy buildings as if they were made of wood or something of lesser durability.
And if that wasn't enough, she saw what appeared to be birds made of iron in the sky, which threw objects that fell to the ground and created massive explosions on impact, and several of these explosions destroyed more and more of these buildings, as well as the metal monsters that Liska spotted all over the place.
And the warrior quickly noticed that several of these "birds" began to throw these explosive elements at her.
-"OH, NO!"-
Liska quickly ran towards what seemed to be a building next to her to hide herself from what seemed to be a certain death at the mercy of those weapons falling from the sky, but the latter fell two steps away from her, prompting the young orange tabby feline girl *to scream in horror...
-"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"-
...while she tried to jump to safety, in a desperate but vain attempt to save her life...
BOOM!
...but a few seconds later...
-"Huh... what...?"-
...Liska realized, once the dust and smoke produced by those explosions had subsided, that, despite the fact that those weapons landed very nearby, and that logic dictated that she should already be dead as a result of the power of those blasts...
-"...what happened to me?!"-
...she was completely unharmed, as if the young stranger in the place was impervious to their effects.
-"Why... why didn't those explosions hurt me?"-
The feline girl tried frantically to figure out the reason why she didn't seem to have been killed or even injured in the slightest by those blasts. But there was one thing that was absolutely clear to her...
While the explosions did not injure her, the same could not be said of the place where the explosive weapons landed... The only thing that was left of that place was a giant crater, and everything in that place had been reduced to ashes and rubble.
And the precise moment Liska saw the hole created by those weapons, she could not help but be aghast at their power and their potential to destroy things at many steps away, including huge structures such as the one the young maiden was standing in at that moment.
-"No... no... no..."- The alien girl said, while still in shock at the sight of that enormous crater. -"This is... so... horrible... What kind of weapon are using these people to inflict all this destruction?"-
But before Liska could continue lamenting the dreadfulness of that nightmarish scene of widespread destruction she had before her eyes, she heard a voice coming from the other building in front of her...
-"That voice... where does that voice come from?"-
She tried to use her feline ears to pinpoint the origin of the voice coming from near the young warrior. The only thing she could learn was that the voice seemed to be that of a woman... or to be more exact, it sounded more like the voice of a little girl.
But there was one thing that disturbed Liska the most about that voice: The voice carried an evident hint of suffering, as if that person was in need of help.
-"That girl must be in danger... I need to go help her fast!"-
And so, the young maiden left to look for the girl who seemed to be in danger, knowing beforehand that the little creature could be in the other structure.
Once inside, Liska continued to listen to the cries of pain of that girl, which became more pronounced as she drew closer to the place where the imperiled child was. It was clear that she needed someone else's help, and and the Velite girl was the only person able to save her at that moment.
-"Heeeeeeey! Where are you?!"- The feline girl yelled at the girl. -"I came to save you, please hold on!"-
As the alien girl walked towards the place where the girl sounded like she needed her help, she heard the voice was coming from the next floor of the building, and she quickly made her way up what seemed to be a flight of stairs in front of her.
-"She must surely be on top of this place... I must aid her right away!"-
But there was one thing she noticed about that voice, although for Liska, that was the least of her worries: Although the warrior knew the voice was that of a child and that she needed help, that person spoke in a language the humanoid feline girl had never heard in her life.
-"That girl sounds like she's speaking in a strange language... did I happen to be in an unknown country?... Gods, I just hope that girl will resist as long as I can reach her..."-
Already on what seemed to be a second floor, Liska continued listening to the girl's moans of pain; she kept using her ears to try to track the girl's position, but even being she a feline it was very difficult for her to pinpoint where the girl could be, due to the intense noise caused by the fierce battle that was raging outside that place, causing her to wander inside that space, a place that seemed like a vast labyrinth with no exit, and without any clue of the whereabouts of the person she was looking for.
Until suddenly...
-"That must be where she is!"-
The warrior heard the girl's pain-filled voice coming from what seemed to be a room, which was closed with a door; as she tried to open it, Liska noticed that the door would not open despite her attempts.
-"Damn, I can't open this thing!"-
Knowing that a life could be in danger, the alien maiden saw that the only alternative to help the child was to break through the door one way or another...
-"If I can't enter that place by the easy way... I'll have to do it the hard way then!"-
And without thinking twice, Liska rammed the door with all her strength, trying to break it; unfortunately, the door was too sturdy for the Velite to smash it with a single shot...
-"Come on... come on... open up, damned door!"- The ginger-furred girl yelled while trying to break through that door. -"OPEN UP!"-
And after several attempts, she finally managed to violently break the door and enter that room, but not before crashing down to the floor as a result of the remaining inertia of the impact...
-"MEOW!"-
Once inside the room, and after raising herself from the floor after that stumble, Liska sought to look for the girl and try to help her immediately...
...but...
-"Oh... no..."- The feline girl gasped in horror at the sight of what she was witnessing in front of her eyes. -"...this can't be... no..."-
The first thing that the humanoid alien saw inside that place was that the room was not only completely destroyed, as if one of those explosive weapons striked on that precise place, but there were blood stains all over the scene, as a consequence of that weapon hitting the residents of that room.
But that did no match for what Liska beheld before her... for in front of her were two silhouettes that seemed to have a humanoid appearance, but the Velite could not figure out what they were or what they might have been in life...
...the only thing that was certain was that those two silhouettes were the corpses of two people who lost their lives in that place.
But there was one thing that horrified her the most: Although Liska would see that the corpses were clothed, she could not see any of their physical features. It was as if she could only see blue silhouettes, and she couldn't see what skin color (or fur, in the case of the alien girl) these people had, what their faces looked like, or anything that might indicate what they looked like physically.
In short, what Liska witnessed in front of her seemed more like broken dolls, whose pieces, such as arms and legs, were strewn all over the room. This had the benefit that the feline girl could not see the brutal gore-like damage that these people had suffered at the time of their deaths, but she could see blood splattered everywhere, which made the sight even more grotesque to behold...
It was more than evident that those two corpses probably belonged to the parents of the girl who was asking for help, and that both died on the spot when those explosive weapons fell on their room, which was probably their home. The alien girl could not help but grieve at the fact that the girl's parents were now dead...
...and Liska had her own reasons for do so, being also an orphan as well...
-"No... why did that child also have to lose her parents?... this is... this is... so... horrible..."-
And as for the aforementioned girl, the feline girl heard her cries of pain, which came from another room in front of her...
-"That girl must be there... I must find her right away!"-
Quick as a flash, the Velite girl entered the room where the girl might be; Liska was lucky that the room had lost its door during the attack, so she had no problem walking into it, unlike how she entered the girl's home at first.
Finally, the young warrior managed to find the whereabouts of the girl who was asking for her help... unfortunately, the reason why the child begged for help was much more grievous than it seemed...
That girl was already on the floor, while what seemed to be a wall had fallen on her back, leaving her unable to move from there... and now she was screaming for help with all her strength, being Liska the only person who could rescue her.
-"Please hang in there, dear! I'm coming to save you now!"-
Immediately, the warrior rushed to the girl's aid, bending down quickly in order to pull that poor soul out of the debris she had on her back.
But...
-"What?!"-
As Liska tried to pull the girl out of that mountain of rubble flattening her, the feline girl quickly saw that, as she tried to touch the girl, who, by the way, she could not see her physical features either, as was the case with her dead parents, the alien maiden felt that her arms went through her body, as if there was no one in that place whom she could touch...
-"What's... going... on... HERE!?"-
The young alien girl frantically tried to grab the girl in order to help her, but there was no way that her hands could make contact with the body of that little person who urgently needed her aid, no matter how hard she tried...
In short, it was as if that girl, or Liska herself, were ethereal spirits. The scenario was exacerbated by the fact that the girl could neither hear nor see the person who was saving her, as if Liska did not exist for her.
-"WHY I CANNOT TOUCH THIS GIRL, DAMMIT?!"-
The Velite girl yelled in utter shock and despair, as she saw herself impotent to save the life of that little girl, dying at any moment if she did not pull her out of the wreckage that was weighing her down.
Ironically, the answer to her pleas came in the most unexpected way... and at the same time, in the worst possible one...
๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐ท๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐.
Upon hearing that resounding voice, the warrior quickly turned her head, in order to find out where the voice was coming from...
-"WHO'S THERE?!"-
But no matter how much she looked everywhere, Liska did not seem to sense or detect the presence of anyone in that place, except for herself and that girl.
But then again, the mysterious voice was heard once more, and the maiden was the only person who could hear it...
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐...
Obviously, Liska had no idea what that male voice, which also had a certain effeminate tone, was trying to explain to her, since she did not grasp any of what she was witnessing, especially all the destruction that was ravaging the town and its people, and above all, the scene with the little girl asking for help... and she was not at all happy to hear all that.
-"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"- The orange tabby girl furiously yelled at that mysterious voice talking to her. -"EXPLAIN YOURSELF NOW AND SHOW YOUR FACE!"-
In response to the ostensible defiance issued by the warrior from another world, the mysterious voice answered her with the same tone with which they had presented themselves from the start.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐? ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐...
Suddenly, Liska heard footsteps coming closer to the room where the feline warrior and the girl in danger were. They sounded heavier and more noticeable, as if the person walking sounded as if he were carrying heavy loads on his back.
And in the act, she saw that inside the room had entered what seemed to be one more of those strange silhouettes, which appeared to be that of a man, judging by his physical form and the tone of his voice, as the man began to speak to the girl the moment he walked into the room.
But the young alien girl, as in the case of the shadow girl, did not understand a single word of what those two characters were saying, although she could notice that the tone of the man's voice was somewhat neutral, and surely emotionless, as if the sight of that wounded and endangered girl did not trigger any feeling in him.
But on the other hand, Liska sensed straight away that the tone of the girl's voice changed from one of pain at first to one of sheer panic; the presence of that man appeared to be unwelcome to that little soul, and her voice indicated it, something that the outsider noticed immediately.
-"What's going on...?"-
The man, who was dressed in heavy-looking clothes, as if he was protected for something, walked about three steps closer to the girl who was being crushed by that pile of rubble on her back, and stopped in that place, while Liska was standing next to him. That man did not seem to notice her presence, and only seemed to notice that of the little girl, and no one else.
Afterwards, the man drew a strange object from his pocket, pointing it directly at the girl's head. The girl, in turn, cried out something in her own language, and then...
BANG!
The warrior meowed in surprise, at the same time her fur ruffled as she heard the sound that sounded like a lightning striking on the ground. Then, the first thing the young feline girl realized was that the silhouette standing for the girl stopped moving on the spot, and the man, immediately after, swiftly walked out of the room, without saying anything else.
As Liska looked at the place where the girl was, she promptly realized that there was a pool of blood on the floor underneath the girl's head.
The young feline warrior, completely silent and frozen in front of that gruesome and terrible sight she was facing, even without being able to see the physical details of the person in front of her, quickly grasped, to her own personal horror, what had transpired at that moment.
That man, in a most cowardly manner, had murdered that little girl.
-"No... this can't be happening..."- Liska clasped her hands to her mouth at the sight of the limp body of the girl she tried to save, only to see her killed before her eyes. -"No... please... that... little... girl... is..."-
Seeing that she could no longer do anything to save the little girl, the warrior rose from the spot as quickly as she could, and her face turned from one of pain and sorrow to one of sheer wrath.
Liska was not going to let that man who took the life of that child to leave the murder scene alive, even if it would cost her own life.
With no more time or anything else to lose, the young and fledgling warrior woman left the room, in order to find the murderer and make that man pay for his crime with his own life, and she would be the person to handle the task, even with her own hands if she had to.
-"Don't worry, little one... your death will not go unpunished..."-
She noticed that the killer had gone downstairs, and headed out of the premises, where another person was waiting for him outside. That person acted as if nothing of what happened inside that place concerned him in the least; the moment the girl's murderer saw that other person, who was probably his friend, the former seemed to say something, and the latter took out of his pocket a small box, from which the murderer took a small cylinder and put it in his mouth.
It was plain to see that the man was smoking something from that cylinder, which the murderer's friend was also doing as well, while both were chatting with each other, oblivious to what was going on around them... or to the fact that there was another person nearby.
And that person was Liska, who upon seeing the girl's murderer and his friend and probable associate, smoking as if nothing had happened, let out the most powerful shriek she could muster, as she hissed like an angry cat...
-"YOU MURDEROUS BASTARD!"-
And with all her strength, the feline warrior threw herself furiously on the man who killed the girl, using her claws in order to tear him to pieces with her own hands and avenge the death of that poor soul...
But...
-"WHAT?!"-
Liska's body only went through the assassin's as she jumped over him, as if he was just an untouchable specter that she could not touch, causing her, not foreseeing that, to violently hit the ground.
-"MEOW!"-
Meanwhile, both the girl's killer and his comrade continued conversing with each other, unmindful that someone was trying to assault them both right now, while the former continued to smoke leisurely as he leaned against what looked like a metal pillar.
When Liska saw with disbelief and fury that those two people were untouchable for her, just as had been the case with the girl whom one of those men had murdered, the feline woman remained frozen in the ground, unable to fathom what was transpiring at that point...
-"What... what... WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"- The alien warrior cried in sheer despair. -"WHY I CAN'T TOUCH ANYONE, EVEN THAT MONSTER WHO KILLED THAT LITTLE GIRL? WHY?!"-
๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ท๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐.
The young warrior heard again the same effeminate voice that seemed to take a certain pleasure, by the tone of his voice, to torture her with those words, noticing Liska's helplessness to do something about saving the girl who died and avenge her death.
Only there was one main difference this time: The voice sounded like it was coming from behind her, just a few steps away...
-"WHO ARE YOU?"-
...
...
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ด? ๐ด ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐?
Liska was in no mood for riddles and cryptic answers, and she went straight to the point with her tormentor.
-"SHOW YOUR FACE, WHOEVER YOU ARE, YOU ROTTEN COWARD!"- The tabby girl said with the angriest and deadpan voice she could muster in that moment, while also clenching her fists as well against that voice.
...
...
๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐...
Seeing that the mysterious voice was ready to introduce itself in person, Liska turned her head back to see who was behind her and give a reckoning to the voice that seemed to be hounding her since she was in that war-torn settlement.
What she saw before her eyes was something that was completely different from the untouchable, formless silhouettes she had seen up to that point. Before her stood what appeared to be a child, or possibly a person of short stature, dressed in clothes she had never seen in her life, including what resembled a thick-looking robe, blue pants, and something that looked like moccasins, except that they were much thicker.
But what intrigued and unsettled the Native-like warrior the most was that the face of that person was hidden by the hood of the gray coat he was wearing, at the same time that he was placing his hands inside the pockets of his pants, completely indifferent to what was going on around him... or to his interlocutor.
The mere presence of that mysterious person, with a soft but unwavering voice, and who had been playing games with her for several minutes with his voice alone, was so alien and so out of place in relation to where Liska and the childlike person were standing in that place, that nothing seemed to make sense to the former anymore.
And she had many questions to ask him, and she wanted answers now...
-"Who... the... hell... are... YOU?"- Liska said at the young-looking, strangely-dressed man in front of her, while still in visible shock.
And, at the question asked by the alien, who was staring at him in a threatening manner, the shadowy character replied with the same nonchalant and disdainful demeanor as usual.
๐ผ๐? ๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข...
The bizarre response provided by that person only managed to infuriate the blonde feline girl, who did not understand any of what was taking place around her, and the meaning of showing her all those horrible scenes of destruction, blood and death that surrounded her, especially the death of that little girl at the hands of that man, for starters.
-"Help me... you say?"- She furiously retorted. -"YOU CALL THIS YOUR HELP? WHAT'S THE MEANING OF SHOWING ME ALL THIS?"-
Silence...
๐ฐ๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ , ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐.
And then...
๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐... ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐.
And the boy-like being added the following.
๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐... ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
Even with those revelations, Liska didn't understand the significance of showing her something that felt like it happened in a distant past, not to mention that she didn't grasp what kind of past, or whatever it was, was what she was experiencing to begin with...
-"I still don't understand what all this means, and what kind of place we are in..."- The humanoid girl angrily asked the boy again. -"What do you mean by showing me this?"-
He quickly replied her, in the same defiant tone.
๐ณ๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ ?
Knowing that he intended to continue toying with her, the warrior woman made him know that she had had enough of it..
-"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR GAMES; TELL ME WHO YOU ARE, AND WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PLACE!"-
At such question, the boy-like being responded her.
๐ธ๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข, ๐ธ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐... ๐๐๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐...
...
...
And then.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐.
The answer offered by that strangely dressed figure caused the young warrior to remain motionless, completely dumbfounded to know that she was in another world... and in the bloody past of planet Earth, Akane's home world, at that.
But at the same time, for more than obvious reasons, Liska knew that the person hiding under that hood could be toying with her, in order to taunt her.
-"Akane's... world?"-
๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐, ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐ฑ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข, ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
-"One of their... wars... you say?"- The feline girl asked the young-looking man in front of her. -"So this is... or rather, was, a war?"-
Seeing Liska's face of stupefaction at the violence of the conflict unfolding before her eyes, being her concept of war being very different from that of humans, and much more so compared to the humans who lived at that time, the hooded boy answered that question for her.
๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐'๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐ข๐๐?
And then, the boy continued with his explanation, with another, more dire one...
๐ฑ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข, ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐...
Obviously, the alien maiden had no idea what he meant by that, and the meaning that figure was trying to imply by showing her that brutal scene before her eyes, something she wanted an answer to and she was going to obtain it one way or another...
-"What the hell do you mean there were more brutal battles than this one?"- Liska yelled at the boy. -"And what do you pretend to do with showing all this to me, huh?"-
After a brief moment of silence, outside the sounds of war that surrounded those both characters, the boy with the hood finally answered the question raised by the Native-like warrior.
๐ป๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐.
-"A... warning...?"- The alien girl said with a shocked expression painted in her face. -"For... me?"-
๐๐๐.
After remaining silent for a few moments, she wanted to know what he meant thereby.
-"I want to know what do you mean by showing me all this... past... war... as you say... and what you pretend to do with that, whoever you are..."-
...
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐.
That answer struck Liska like a lightning, who did not expected someone to raise the idea of returning to her original home and forgetting everything she had lived through up to that point...
-"Go back to my tribe and forget everything... you say?"-
Then, the hooded boy's tone became more ominous, as he added the following.
๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฟ๐ข๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...
The boy then stressed this last point.
...๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐.
After a moment of hesitation, the warrior, who was still immobile before the request made by that mysterious being with the appearance of a hooded boy, who spoke to her with a certainly effeminate style of voice, could only repeat what he had told her.
-"Leaving behind Mother Sanna, Pyndan, Rial... and also Akane..."-
...
And then...
๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ธ'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...
Once Liska was able to regain her composure, she asked another question to that mysterious creature standing before her halfway down that road.
-"Why are you asking me to do this? What do you mean by asking me to forget everything I have done?"-
Then, the boy replied her, with the same tone as before.
๐ฐ๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐, ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐... ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐.
The boy's response made the alien woman even more disturbed, for those prophetic and cryptic warnings were only testing her nerves.
-"Help me?"-
๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐... ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐...
And he also added a last remark.
...๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐.
Liska zigzagged between surprise and fury at what the mysterious boy was saying to her. On the one hand, that strange being in even more bizarre clothes was trying to warn her about something that could happen to her in the near future, and those nightmarish images of death and havoc that surrounded her, including the frightening murder of the girl who was in that destroyed structure, was a very visual, but effective way for that creature to make his point crystal clear to her.
But on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel that the boy seemed to revel in her misery as he watched her reaction to her surroundings and the events that had transpired up to that point...
๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ข? ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐?...
...
...๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐... ๐ข๐๐'๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐!... ๐๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐'๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ...
That cruel and racist mockery of her by the person who was obviously behind it all was definitely the last straw for Liska, who was no longer able to listen to how that boy was taking pleasure in her plight.
-"Playing with my head sounds very funny to you, doesn't it?"- The feline girl said with lower, but very angry tone at the hooded creature in front of her.
The hooded boy replied with a touch of hilarity.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐.
-"No, of course not..."- Liska, still angry, retorted at the hooded person. -"and I don't think you should be amused."-
Noticing that the alien girl was raising the tone of her voice against him, the hooded character, sensing that the situation was beginning to take a more menacing course, did not hesitate to also begin to address her in a more threatening tenor.
๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐, ๐๐๐?!
Liska heard that the boy, rather than calling her by her name, addressed her by calling her "cat", in order to belittle her and make her feel that he was the one in control, and she was not going to feel empowered to challenge him.
๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ธ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐... ๐๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐?
He should not have said that...
-"I am NOT a FILTHY SLAVE CAT!"- She finally snapped and Liska yelled with her might at the boy who mocked her. -"I am a WARRIOR! AND I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU OR ANYONE ELSE TO TAKE THAT RIGHT AWAY FROM ME!"-
And then, she added the following to that hooded being...
-"And if you think I'm going to run away from my friends and loved ones, especially Rial and Akane, you're completely WRONG!"-
...
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐?
-"WHAT?!"- Liska replied him back, still enraged.
Hearing the defiant and menacing words uttered by that woman, the hooded being, who had kept his head down until that point, only raising it for a few moments, while he had his hands in his pockets, took them out from them, at the same time that he rose his head, in order to direct his gaze towards the feline maiden.
He was clearly no longer going to play with her any further...
And after a brief moment of silence, that boy dressed in strange clothes and whose face was covered with a hood raised the tone of his voice, which had a more dominating ring to it than the one he had used up to that point.
๐ธ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐.
-"HUH?"- The girl said aloud.
The boy raised his left arm upward, and then, he snapped his fingers...
Suddenly and fortuitously, that town that was being ravaged by a war abruptly vanished, like if it was all by magic, being Liska and the boy the only things that remained in that dark background, where they were the only things having light on them. Obviously, the warrior was stunned and aghast at what that seemingly omnipotent individual had done to the place where the two of them had been a few minutes before.
-"What... what... WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DID?"- The ginger-furred girl screamed at the entity in front of her.
๐พ๐, ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐? ๐ฐ๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐, ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐.
Liska was unwilling to accept that what she had saw was some kind of past event, and that all that was the brainchild of a malevolent being who was trying to cause her some harm merely to amuse himself at her expense.
-"What do you mean by all that, whoever you are?"- The feline warrior angrily said at the boy. -"Are you some kind of demon, a monster, or something?"-
The boy quickly retorted at the orange tabby girl.
๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐? ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐? ๐ฝ๐... ๐ธ'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐...
The alien warrior was on the verge of despair as she saw that the boy was still monkeying with her and her head.
-"And who the hell are you then?!"-
...
...
The boy snapped his fingers again in the same way he did minutes before, which caused all that dark place to suddenly flash, and then...
PART 3
When Liska opened her eyes shortly after the dark place she was in with the shadowy hooded boy began to flash, the first thing she noticed was that the feline warrior was in a completely different spot than the one she was in at first.
-"WHAT...?"-
She quickly noticed that she was standing on what appeared to be a bridge made of stone... or at least that was what it looked like; the humanoid girl had seen similar bridges before, but the slabs of the bridge she was standing on were a lot more square and smooth than she had seen before.
And that bridge was the least bizarre thing about what she was seeing before her eyes at that moment.
At the other end of the bridge was a medium-sized town, which was very different from the town that was in the middle of a bloody battle. The town seemed to be in complete peace, and there were people who were living their lives serenely, unlike the first destroyed town where Liska and the cloaked creature were a few minutes ago.
-"What... what is... this place?"- The girl furiously questioned the mysterious boy, who seemed to take pleasure in showing everything to the person who had neither the context nor the slightest idea of what he was witnessing.
And then, the young man replied; he used a different tone of voice this time, but it was more serious and aggressive than before...
๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ... ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ?
The creature was absolutely justified in asking that question. Liska saw that the settlement was at the same time unfamiliar and completely alien to her... but at the same time, there were things she was bizarrely familiar with, due to her experiences learned from people who had been in similar places.
But the new warrior was not going to fall twice in the same game, and she immediately chided him.
-"What the hell do you mean by showing me all this?!"- Liska yelled again at the boy. -"What kind of place are we in now?"-
The cowled child began to chuckle slyly, as if that particular question was something amusing to hear in his ears; Liska, on the other hand, didn't take that as something to laugh at... at all.
-"WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT THIS TO YOU, BASTARD?"-
The strange creature who was having fun with her suffering finally answered her question when he saw the angry face of his female interlocutor.
๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ: ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐'๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐? ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ .
Since the apparently wicked being was trying to avoid answering her questions, she shouted at him again.
-"STOP CHANGING THE SUBJECT!"-
Seeing that Liska wanted a quick answer to her original question, the boy was willing to answer her...
๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ฑ๐ญ... ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ.
The boy mentioned Akane, implying that the latter was the person who could answer that question concerning the place where both characters were standing at that moment.
But the young Native-like feline warrior had no idea what the hooded boy was alluding to about something that would happen next...
-"What the hell do you mean by that, huh?"- The ginger-furred girl angrily wanted a non-cryptic answer at her questions, -"And what does Akane have to do with this place?"-
Immediately after, the boy aimed the finger of his left hand upward...
๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ฒ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ.
The Native-like maiden was intrigued by the question asked by that cowled being to ask her to look up at the sky...
-"Look up at the sky?"-
Liska did exactly what the kid asked her to do. The first thing she noticed when she looked up at the sky was that a strange object, shaped like a bird made of steel, was flying above her at that moment. The female warrior had already seen those birds when she was in the other city, but Liska noticed something was wrong this time.
The metallic bird seemed to be alone and was not traveling with anyone else.
And suddenly, the metallic bird threw from its belly what seemed to be an enormous metallic sphere, which fell slowly from the sky. The sphere resembled the explosive ones she had seen in the other city before and that destroyed whatever they hit on the ground. However, there was one main difference: far from throwing several spheres, the "bird" dropped only one.
๐๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ฒ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ.
-"WHAT?"- Liska asked the boy when she heard his warning.
At that moment, the metallic sphere falling slowly from the sky drifted closer to what seemed to be a dome-shaped structure...
And then...
BOOM!
The first thing the feline maiden saw was how the metallic sphere exploded in the sky, turning into a gigantic ball of fire so bright that it had the brightness of her planet's sun, if not even more intense. Concurrently, the explosion was so powerful that it destroyed everything in its path: structures, trees, roads, and above all, people, who were consumed by the fireball as if they were burning branches of trees being struck by lightning...
Liska cried out in horror at the tragedy unfolding before her eyes, while the hooded boy who stood with her remained motionless, as if nothing that was happening seemed to affect him. Meanwhile, she felt a powerful gale, a product of the blast wave caused by the aerial explosion, surrounding her body; however, even though both she and the boy clad in a hood were basically near ground zero of the actual detonation, the explosion itself did not seem to have any ill effect on either of them, other than feeling an intense wind, with no sensation of either temperature or power in the wind itself.
Once the blast died down and the wind stopped, the blonde feline girl slowly opened her eyes, which she kept shut due to the intense burst of light that shone around her at the moment of the explosion.
-"What... what happened?!"-
What she saw next would be something that would scar her for the rest of her life.
-"No... please... it cannot be!... no..."-
Liska stared in horror as everything around her went up in flames, at the same time that powerful destruction demolished buildings that seemed to be solid enough to withstand more powerful battering; the majority of those buildings around the feline-like humanoid girl were left in ruins, with only a few exceptions, such as the dome-shaped building the explosive sphere had exploded near.
But, compared to the screams and cries of pain of the victims, which filled the surrounding air, the destruction around Liska was nothing. It was enough to make her fur bristle from the horror she already felt, at the same time she saw hundreds of silhouettes lying on the ground, completely inert. Even if the alien maiden was unable to see their faces, just as had happened in the other unknown town, she quickly noticed that there were blood stains surrounding them and that some of the silhouettes seemed to be missing their arms, legs and even their heads, as if they were broken toys.
And to make matters worse, she also saw the silhouette of what appeared to be a man, who was frantically running down the street while his body was bursting into flames from the explosion.
In addition to everything else, her fear was also compounded by the fact that, unlike in the previous settlement where she was, she could understand what the people were saying around her, even if those people were unable to sense her or see her.
To her personal horror, the language those ill-fated individuals were speaking, outside the fact that they were using a different dialect, was very similar to the language spoken by the people of the Hinowa Empire...
...and also by Akane.
Unable to bear the images of blood, death and destruction before her eyes, Liska fell to her knees, pressed her hands to her muzzle and she began to throw up, unwilling to continue watching all that spectacle of unfolding tragedy taking place in front of her. Meanwhile, the boy wearing the hood, who was standing right next to her, seemed to look at her with a hint of amusement, as if he was completely indifferent to the distress of the young woman or what was transpiring around them.
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ... ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐? ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐, ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ. ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ๐ข๐, ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐...
And while Liska kept throwing up, the boy paced all around her, while taunting her in a mocking and abusive tone, while seeming to be entertained by her ordeal.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ? ๐๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ซ, ๐ ๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐.
Then, the young boy looked around, while he stretched out his arms like a cross, gesturing to his surroundings.
๐๐ง๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐: ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐'๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ. ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐.
Afterwards...
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ณ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐, ๐'๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ญ ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฒ: ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ, ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ.
Having said this, the mysterious being spoke again to the young warrior, who was still on her knees, as she had just ceased to vomit.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ, ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ค๐? ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ, ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ?
The young warrior was on her knees, devastated and sickened beyond belief by the scenes of utter destruction and death before her, and with tears in her eyes, she struggled to stomach all that the hooded boy was showing her in order to dissuade her from continuing to be a warrior.
But despite everything she was seeing, Liska's retort to him was clear and resounding.
-"Do you think you're going to change my mind with this, you monster?!"-
When the boy heard the feline woman's powerful voice, he felt a sense of displeasure, which was the opposite of what he expected...
๐๐ก, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐! ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ง'๐ญ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ... ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐๐๐ซ?
It was clear that the boy was mocking her and her misery with that last sentence, with the intention of pushing her to the limit and breaking her resolve.
However, whatever his intention may have been, he only ended up achieving the opposite result. Liska, who was crying, as well as throwing up, until that point, became even more furious than she had ever been in her life. She clenched her fists and her voice changed from a hissing, cat-like tone to one of fury. She was determined not to be deterred by that child-like creature, no matter what the cost.
-"If you think you're going to scare me and destroy my head with that..."-
And suddenly, she screamed at the top of her lungs at the child.
-"...you'll never be able to do it... is that clear to you, YOU SICK BASTARD?!"-
The hooded boy, hearing the furious response from his interlocutor, who he intended to play with her mind, took a step back. Despite the fact that it was not possible to see his face, that being noticed, judging by his body language, that breaking Liska's determination was not going to be an easy task, even after showing him all those scenes of misery and destruction that surrounded them both.
Even so, he was not going to give up either; the boy still had some aces up his sleeve, which he had reserved for a situation like the one he was facing with the Velite girl.
๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค, ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง... ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ, ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐จ.
And then, his head pointed towards Liska, who was still glaring at the hooded boy with fury, as she bared her teeth at him in the same way.
...๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐!
The wicked being raised his left hand, and he snapped his fingers again. And then...
PART 4
Within the blink of an eye, Liska and the hooded boy found themselves in another town, this one smaller than the two large towns where they had been before. Unlike what happened when they arrived in the town that was destroyed by the powerful explosive weapon, their arrival was completely sudden, without any flashing lights or other strange effects.
And like the other two villages, this one was also completely different, starting with the fact that, judging by the buildings and the way several of its inhabitants dressed, the village seemed to be built in the middle of a desert. Furthermore, the structures were much smaller, no bigger than two or three stories, and there didn't seem to be many people walking along its roads at that moment. In contrast, the young female warrior and the malevolent being stood in what seemed to be a very large communal area.
Meanwhile, Liska, who was still mad at the shadowy entity that was toying with her, was trying to process the reality that she was in a different area, and not to mention that this place seemed even more distinct, as it was evident that there were many things in this town that seemed more up to date than what she had seen in the two previous towns. She quickly challenged the creature about the place where she was.
-"Where the hell are we now and what do you want by sending me to some other place, whoever you are?!"-
The boy, who was seemingly calm in the face of his interlocutor's threatening attitude, noticeable by his body language, in which he kept his hands in the pockets of his clothes, quickly pointed the finger of his left hand at the sky; Liska, more than obviously, knew that he was still playing with her head.
-"What does that mean, huh?!"-
In the face of that angry inquiry, the boy, whose face was still covered with a hood, showed no qualms about telling the feline girl what he meant...
...except that on this occasion, the tone of his voice became even more sinister, abandoning the sultry tone he had used in the beginning, for a voice with an almost guttural and equally sinister, almost diabolical, undertone.
๐๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐จ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ, ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ...
-"WHAT?!"-
Before she could say anything else, the first thing she saw was an intense and blinding ball of fire, followed by the deafening noise of what seemed to be a powerful blast. Immediately thereafter, that town, with all its inhabitants living in it, was covered by what seemed to be an explosion.
Liska quickly closed her eyes and shrieked in complete horror at what was happening at that moment, believing that she was going to die on the spot. She ignored the fact that, like what had happened in the other two towns where she had been minutes before, nothing of what was happening seemed to have a physical effect on her. It was as if she, as well as the child, did not exist there.
Minutes later, once the explosion had stopped and the wind from the blast wave had ceased, the young alien was able to slowly open her eyes and see what had happened after that terrible incident that hit the town amidst the desert.
-"No..."-
What she saw next was very similar to what Liska witnessed in the other village destroyed by the explosive weapon that fell on it, but this time, the aftermath was much, MUCH worse.
All structures in the town, without exception, had been razed to the ground, leaving nothing standing; even the stones had been reduced to dust, and in some cases, they had melted as if they were grease in a furnace. Similarly, the surrounding trees and palm trees had been uprooted, and those that were still standing were incinerated as if they were burned dry tree branches. But those scenes of mass destruction were not enough to convey what had happened to the inhabitants of that village.
Compared to what had happened in the other city, where at least some people had survived, Liska did not see anyone alive around her: only what seemed to be hundreds of shapeless silhouettes... or what was left of these. It was evident that these outlines represented the corpses of the victims from the destruction of that village, and the power of that weapon was so brutal that it even left several corpses undoubtedly maimed.
But if there was something that filled the woman with even more horror, considering the magnitude of the tragedy that engulfed her, it was what seemed to be a smaller silhouette, which was crawling towards her on the ground, like a worm. Her revulsion was further heightened by the fact that the silhouette began to scream in pain, and even though she could not understand its language, she knew that the voice belonged to a male child.
Despite knowing that there was nothing she could do, Liska rushed to the boy's aid with the intention of doing something, however small and futile that might have been. The boy's body was engulfed in flames and, as he crawled, a huge bloody stain was behind him, as a result of his wounds and burns caused by the explosion. It seemed that the boy was crying and asking for help from his family, unaware that there were two invisible people in front of him.
As she was about to touch the boy whose body was burning, he raised his hand in a futile attempt to ask for help, not knowing that there was someone in front of him...
...Unfortunately for the feline girl, that child breathed his last before her very eyes, as his body burned like an overcooked loaf of bread.
-"No... NO!"-
Like the little girl who was killed by a soldier in the other town where she was at the beginning of her whole experience, Liska was unable to save that child's life, as she was unable to save his. And if that wasn't enough, the young Native-like warrior looked at the magnitude of the destruction that surrounded her, finding it impossible to grasp why someone or something would be capable of destroying an entire settlement and all its residents in the most brutal and bloody way imaginable, as if the attackers' aim was to wipe them out and erase them from the face of the universe.
While she was crying on the soil, the hooded boy stood beside her, ignoring her suffering and continuing his mockery of her.
๐๐ค ๐ข๐ช๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ง๐... ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ ๐ฃ๐ค๐จ๐.
Liska did not respond to the words of that malevolent being who seemed to take a perverse pleasure in mocking her and delighting in her suffering; she only continued crying while she saw that everything around her had been destroyed and the people of that village were killed, possibly incinerated by that weapon of mass destruction. To make matters worse, the mysterious child added a few words to give context to the situation.
๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ค ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐จ, ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ค ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ค ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐จ๐ฉ. ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ, ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐จ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐ก๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ ๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ง๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ค๐ง๐จ ๐จ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ง. ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ฉ, ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐ข๐๐ฃ'๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐'๐จ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ก๐... ๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐ก๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐ค๐ฃ๐, ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ, ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฌ.
And then, he added one last crack directed to Liska.
๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช, ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ก๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง. ๐ผ๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ฉ, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ฉ... ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐จ.
The feline warrior was unable to contain her rage when she heard the mocking tone with which he referred to people who died in that town, and indirectly, to the child who died in front of her. She let him know it, in a deadpan tone of voice, but that clearly showed the repressed anger she felt against that creature.
-"You called this child who died a thankless bastard?!"-
Upon hearing Liska's violent and hissing voice, the hooded boy correctly concluded that, for all his attempts to break the young woman's will, the only thing he had accomplished was to make her angrier than she had been up to that point. Therefore, the being of unknown origin decided to resort to other methods.
๐ฝ๐ค๐ฎ, ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ค๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช'๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐ค ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐จ ๐จ๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐จ.
The young new warrior was already tired of the mind games and taunts coming from that wicked fellow. That last insult was the straw that broke the camel's back, and she stood up from the ground, her fists clenched, and faced him directly, no matter how young he was.
But seeing that the cat-like humanoid woman intended to attack him, the boy still had other means to torture her even more...
๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฎ, ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก. ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฏ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ค ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ข๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐จ๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐.
But seeing that Liska did not intend to continue to be intimidated by that creature, and that she was ready to fight back, he took an even more drastic solution in order to destroy her mind.
๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช, ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ญ๐ฉ, ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง.
Immediately afterwards, the boy snapped his fingers again...
PART 5
When the boy snapped his fingers, both Liska and the cloaked being returned to the mysterious blank zone where there was absolutely nothing, the same one where the young alien maiden had initially awoken.
But this time, the mood was dramatically different from the last two times. From his attitude, body language, when he no longer kept his hands in his pockets, and especially, his tone of voice which sounded even more sinister and distorted than even before, it seemed like the evil being been going to stop trying to break Liska's spirit by showing her scenes from the past of Earth, Akane's home world, like he did before.
The hooded boy now aimed to take on the feline girl with everything he had at his disposal.
-"Why did you take me back to this place, kid?"- The ginger-furred girl, now really angry, yelled at the mysterious being. -"Where do you intend to take me now?"-
The boy, with a defiant attitude, responded to his opponent, who seemed unwilling to give up her attempts to become a full-fledged warrior, despite the hooded being's efforts to the contrary.
I ฦษพฮนาฝิ ฦฯ ฦิฮฑษณษ าฝ แงฯฯ ษพ ษฑฮนษณิ ฮนษณ ฮฑ ษ ฯฯิ ษฏฮฑแง, Lฮนสฦฮฑ Mฮนฦสาฝส -าฝษฑฮฑษณ... แฆฯ ฦ I ฦิฮนษณฦ ฦิฮฑฦ, าฝสาฝษณ ฦิฯฯ ษ ิ แงฯฯ ส ฯฯฦ ส ฮนฦาฝ ฮฑ ษ ฮนษพส ษฏฮนฦิ ฮฑ ษฏาฝฮฑฦ ฮฑษณิ ฯส ฮนษฑสแง ษณฮฑฦฯ ษพาฝ, แงฯฯ ษพ ษฏฮนส ส ฯฯษฏาฝษพ ฮนส ษฑฯษพาฝ ษพาฝสฮนส ฮนาฝษณฦ ฦิฮฑษณ I ฦิฯฯ ษ ิฦ ฮนฦ ษฏฯฯ ส ิ แฆาฝ. I ษฑฯ สฦ ฦฯษฑษฑาฝษณิ แงฯฯ ฯฯษพ ฦิฮฑฦ, ฦฯ แฆาฝ ฦฯษฑฯส าฝฦาฝส แง ิฯษณาฝสฦ ษฏฮนฦิ แงฯฯ .
Liska was not going to be fooled by the boy's words; she knew that he was trying to trick her and playing more games with her, and she also had enough of the mental torture that he was subjecting her to.
-"STOP PLAYING WITH MY HEAD AND BRING ME BACK TO MY HOME RIGHT NOW, YOU MONSTER!"-
Faced with the threat made by the newly crowned warrior, the boy told her what he now planned to do, where he was also going to drop the methods he had used on the two previous occasions and use a completely different one.
วสส สษจษขษฆศถ, ำษจศถศถส... ษฎสศถ สึ ส ีกึ ีผ'ศถ ีกวสำ วีกวส สสึ ส ษฆษสษ ีกษจศถษฆึ สศถ ีกวศถฦษฆษจีผษข ึึ สษ สษจศถศถสษ ศถษฆษจีผษขึ ศถษฆวศถ ษจ ีกวีผศถ สึ ส ศถึ ึษษ...
And the moment he said that, the boy snapped his fingers on his left hand again...
-"WHAT?"-
Liska realized that, unlike the previous two occasions when she was sent to a different town, what then flashed before her eyes was something completely unforeseen. What she saw before her eyes was a gigantic, transparent, white sphere that surrounded her completely, as if it were a huge ball that covered her completely.
For obvious reasons, the humanoid girl was unaware of what she was facing, fearing that the hooded being intended to finally eliminate her with some kind of weapon or magic.
-"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO ME WITH THIS, YOU BASTARD?"-
ีผึ ศถษฆษจีผษข... ึ ีผสส ศถษฆษจึ ศถษจสษ, ษจ'ส ษขึ ษจีผษข ศถึ ึศถึ ึ ึสวสษจีผษข ึษจสสส ษขวสษึ ีกษจศถษฆ สึ ส, วีผษ ีผึ ีก ษจ'ส สวำษจีผษข ึสสษ สึ ส ึสสสษส สษจำษ สึ ส'สษ ีผษสษส สษสศถ ษฎษสึ สษ ษจีผ สึ สส สษจสษ, สษจึำว.
-"Are you trying to kill me or what?!"-
The mysterious being in the form of a hooded child answered that question, with the same sinister and changing tone of voice that he had.
Uษณฯฯษพฦฯ ษณฮฑฦาฝส แง ฯฯษพ ษฑาฝ, I ฦฮฑษณษณฯฦ ิฯ ฦิฮฑฦ ิาฝษพาฝ... Hฯษฏาฝสาฝษพ, I ฦฮฑษณ ิาฝสฦษพฯแง แงฯฯ ษพ ิาฝสฮนษพาฝ ฦฯ แฆาฝ ฮฑ ษฏฮฑษพษพฮนฯษพ ษฏฮนฦิ THIS!
And, in that same act, the sphere of light shone brightly, such that suddenly it began to appear on the walls within the sphere what seemed to be a sequence of several changing images, which were displayed one after the other.
Liska would have been better described as being forced to watch several giant high-definition screens around her, all of which began to simultaneously broadcast different shows. There was a main difference to that kind of experience, however...
-"What... what's the meaning of THIS?!"- The orange-furred maiden said, quite scared after being surrounded by that giant sphere -"What do you plan to do to me with this sphere?"-
The cloaked evil being responded her in a mocking tone.
สษศถ'ึ ึวส ศถษฆวศถ ีกษฆวศถ สึ ส วสษ วษฎึ สศถ ศถึ ึษษ ษจึ ึึ สษศถษฆษจีผษข ศถษฆวศถ ษฆวึึษีผษษ ษจีผ ศถษฆษ ึวึศถ, สสึศถ สษจำษ ีกษฆวศถ สึ ส ึวีก ษจีผ ศถษฆึ ึษ ศถีกึ สษจสสวษขษึ...
Indeed, what Liska saw in a forced manner were moving images of events that also occurred in Earth's past, without the extraterrestrial inhabitant from another world having the slightest context of their meaning, beyond the content that appeared on the walls of the sphere.
But it was clear, even without any context, that what the feline warrior was seeing before her eyes were incredibly graphic images of terrible events in Earth's history, showing the worst moments perpetrated by the denizens of Akane's home world, which included, succinctly:
A pile of heaped up, skeletal-looking corpses, as if they had died of starvation or disease, lay in what appeared to be a mass grave, and seemed to have been dumped there as if they were garbage.
A man, using a weapon like the one Akane used to kill one of the Romalian invaders who intended to kidnap her to cover his escape during the raid on the tribe, appeared to use it to execute another person in front of him, while shooting him in the head at point-blank range.
The image of what appeared to be an oven, but, instead of being used to cook bread or food, showed what appeared to be the remains of a person who was introduced there against their will while still alive, and incinerated inside as if it were firewood or dry leaves.
Several people were beating another person on the ground, while wearing blue clothes. Even though Liska was unable to discern the physical appearance of the person being beaten, she was aware that the person was being attacked in a cowardly and premeditated manner.
-"What is... all this..."-
The young maiden could only continue to observe all those macabre scenes of death, destruction and limitless cruelty that were forced upon her, which were meant to remind her of how cruel life can be.
Meanwhile, the hooded boy seemed to be enjoying watching Liska struggle to understand what she was being forced to see, while still making fun of her.
ษฆึ ีก ษึ สึ ส สษษส วษฎึ สศถ วสส ศถษฆษจึ, สษจึำว ษษวส? วีผษ สึ ส ึศถษจสส ีกวีผศถ ศถึ ษฎษ ว ีกวสสษจึ ส วสศถษส ึษษษจีผษข ษฆึ ีก ฦสสษส ศถษฆษ ำษจีผษ ึ ส สษจสษ สึ ส ีกวีผศถ ศถึ สษจสษ ฦวีผ ษฎษ?
The scenes of brutality that the Velite girl was seeing from the sphere seemed to be having an effect on her psyche, and she could bear to watch no longer.
-"Stop it..."-
The sinister creature listened to Liska's cries, because she was no longer able to bear witness to all the brutal scenes she saw from the sphere without being able to evade them in any way. Whenever she tried to escape from the sphere, it followed her wherever she went...
ึ ษฆ, ึึ สสส, ษษวส, ีกษฆวศถ ษษจษ สึ ส ึวส?
Seeing that he was reaching his goal, the malevolent boy snapped his fingers again, which caused the images inside the sphere where Liska was inside to advance faster, while showing even more violent and gorier scenes, in which they showed torn up corpses, children killed during wars, rapes, destroyed cities...
Essentially, what the alien warrior was witnessing was the greatest evils' humanity was capable of inflicting, even upon their own kind.
-"Please... stop all this..."-
ึ ษฆ, สึ ส ีกวีผศถ สษ ศถึ ึศถึ ึ, สึ ส สษจษขษฆศถส ีกวสสษจึ ส?
Seeing her start to call for help, the boy flicked his fingers again, causing the images displayed on the sphere to speed up even more dramatically, while the intensity and the sheer brutality of the images was doubled even more.
And, as if this were not enough, now the images had voices, which came from nowhere: more precisely, those were the cries of pain, death, and help of the people appearing in those scenes. The young girl heard horrors beyond any kind of belief: the screams of people dying in the most brutal ways possible, scenes of executions, and sounds so horrible that she tried frantically to avoid hearing them anymore.
-"Stop all this, please..."
Unfortunately for her, no matter how hard she tried, the screams and other disturbing sounds increased in intensity, as if they were entering her head through her ears like water, and she could do nothing to avoid hearing them.
And, in order to cause even more pain to Liska, the hooded being snapped his fingers once again, pushing the images forward even faster, while the sounds became even more intense, and their respective screams, cries, and scenes of pain and demise became even more intense and nauseating.
-"Stop it..."-
The boy, far from stopping, while the warrior was on her knees, trying by all means to avoid hearing and seeing all those appalling visuals that surrounded her, continued to torture her even more by speeding up the images even more and increasing the sounds, turning all this into a whirlpool of graphic images that showed the brutality that human beings were capable of exercising on others...
-"Stop it... Stop it... Stop it... Stop it... Stop it.. Stop it..."-
Liska's cries for help became almost a mantra of madness, as her mind could no longer stand the sight of all the senseless brutality before her eyes, wishing it would stop as soon as possible.
ีผึ ีก ษึ สึ ส ีกวีผศถ สษ ศถึ ึศถึ ึ, สส สษจศถศถสษ ำษจศถศถส?
And, for the final blow, the boy increased the strength of the images as well as their sounds. At this point, Liska was already beyond her limits...
-"Stop it... Stop it... Stop it... Stop it... Stop it.. Stop it... STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"-
Given that desperate cry, her mind no longer being able to cope with all those brutal images, at the same time as all those screams and cries of pain, destruction and death, and while she was crying helplessly on the ground, incapable of doing anything else, the evil being realized that he had succeeded in his task.
วึ สึ ส ีกษจึษฆ, ำษจศถศถส.
The hooded boy again snapped his fingers; the sphere, which had showed such brutal and graphic imagery, vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving Liska lying immobile on the ground, sobbing incessantly. While he walked over to her, he continued his taunts.
ีกษฆวศถ ว ึษจศถส... สึ ส ฦวสส สึ สสึษสส ว ีกวสสษจึ ส วีผษ สึ ส ฦวีผ'ศถ ษฆวีผษสษ ว สษีก สษจึ สษีผศถ ึฦษีผษึ? ษษจษ สึ ส สษวสสส ษำผึษฦศถ ศถึ ึสสสษจสษ ษจีผ ศถษฆษจึ ีกึ สสษ ฦสสษจีผษข สษจำษ ว สษจศถศถสษ ษขษจสส วีผษ ษฆึ ึษจีผษข ศถษฆวศถ สึ สสส วีผษ ษวษษส ีกษจสส ฦึ สษ ศถึ ึวสษ สึ สส ษฆษจษษ?
While the young Velite woman continued to weep, the vicious boy continued to mock her mercilessly, in order to break her resolve even more.
ีกษสส, ษจ ษขึ ศถ ึึ สษ ษฎวษ ีผษีกึ สึ ส สึ ส, วีผษ สึ ส'ษ ษฎษศถศถษส สษจึศถษีผ ศถึ ษจศถ สึ ส สึ สส ึวำษ, สษจึำว สษจศถึษส-ษสวีผ: ีกษฆวศถ สึ ส สสึศถ ึวีก ษจึ ศถษฆษ ึวษ สษวสษจศถส ึ ส ีกษฆวศถ สึ ส'สส ึษษ ศถษฆสึ สษขษฆึ สศถ สึ สส สษจสษ ษจส สึ ส ำษษึ ศถสสษจีผษข ศถึ ึสวส ีกวสสษจึ ส, วสึ ีผษข ีกษจศถษฆ สึ สส สษจศถศถสษ สสษจษีผษ วำวีผษ. วีผษ ีกษฆวศถ ษจ ึษฆึ ีกษษ สึ ส ษจึ ึ ีผสส สสึ ส ีกษฆวศถ ษฆวึึษีผษษ ษจีผ ศถษฆษ ึวึศถ ึ ส วำวีผษ'ึ ีกึ สสษ. ษจส สึ ส ษขึ ึ ีผ ีกษจศถษฆ ศถษฆวศถ ึศถสึษจษ ึวศถษฆ ึ ส สึ สสึ, ีกษฆวศถ สึ ส ีกษจสส ษีผษสสษ ีกษจสส ษฎษ สสฦษฆ ีกึ สึษ ศถษฆวีผ ศถษฆวศถ...
And if that wasn't enough, he added a few words about Akane, of whom he had his own opinion about the human woman from Earth.
วีผษ สษษขวสษษจีผษข ศถษฆวศถ วำวีผษ ษขษจสส... สึ สส ษฆสสวีผ สสษจษีผษ ษฆวึ สวีผส ึษฦสษศถึ ศถษฆวศถ ีผษษจศถษฆษส สึ ส ีผึ ส สึ สส ศถสษจษฎษ ำีผึ ีก ษจีผ ศถษฆษ สษวึศถ, ษึึษฦษจวสสส วษฎึ สศถ ษฆษส ึวึศถ, วีผษ วษฎึ สศถ ศถษฆษ ีกึ สสษ ีกษฆษสษ ึษฆษ ฦึ สษึ สสึ ส... วีผษ ษจ ศถษฆษจีผำ สึ ส ีกึ ีผ'ศถ สษจีผษ ษจศถ สษสส สสีผีผส ีกษฆษีผ สึ ส ำีผึ ีก ศถษฆษ ีกษฆึ สษ ศถสสศถษฆ วษฎึ สศถ ษฆษส วีผษ ษสษสสศถษฆษจีผษข ศถษฆวศถ ึสสสึ สีผษึ ษฆษส, ศถึ ึสศถ ษจศถ ษจีผ ว ีกวส...
And then, he ended his taunting tirade against Liska with the following:
รฑรฐw lรฏยงโ รชรฑ โ รฐ mรช, kรฏโ โ รชรฑ: รฑร รรฑร WรLL รรMร โ ร ยงรVร ยฅรร. รฑรชรฏโ hรชr ยฅรฐยตr รรชรฅr รkรฅรฑรช, รฑรฐr Rรฏรฅl, รพยฅรฑรรฅรฑ, รฑรฐr ยฅรฐยตr ยฃรฐrmรชr mรฏยงโ rรชยงยง... รฑรรรรยฅ! รยฃ ยฅรฐยต ยขรฐรฑโ รฏรฑยตรช โ rยฅรฏรฑg โ รฐ รรช รฅ wรฅrrรฏรฐr, โ hรช รฐรฑlยฅ โ hรฏรฑg โ hรฅโ รฅwรฅรฏโ ยง ยฅรฐยต รฅโ โ hรช รชรฑร รฏยง รรรโ H.
Meanwhile, the victim of all those insults was still lying on the floor, crying at the sight of all those violent images and sounds that disturbed her mind. Despite all her attempts to resist the mental onslaught of the hooded being, her psyche could no longer handle it, and she could only cry, unable to comprehend the logic of all the cruelty inflicted upon others that she had witnessed up to that point.
ีผึ ีก ีกษฆวศถ ษึ สึ ส ึวส, ษฆสษฆ? ษึ สึ ส ีกวีผศถ ศถึ ษขษจสษ สึ วีผษ ึศถึ ึ ึสวสษจีผษข ีกวสสษจึ ส, วีผษ ษขึ ษฎวฦำ ศถึ สึ สส ษฆึ สษ ศถสษจษฎษ, สษวสษจีผษข ษสษสสศถษฆษจีผษข สึ ส'สษ ึษษีผ ษฎษษฆษจีผษ? ึสสษสส ศถษฆวศถ ีกษจสส ษวึษ สึ สส ึวษจีผ... วีผษ สึ ส ีกึ ีผ'ศถ ษฆวสษ ศถึ ึษษ ศถษฆษจึ ึ ส วีผส สึ สษ ศถษสสษจษฎสษ ศถษฆษจีผษขึ ศถษฆวศถ ีกษจสส ษฆวึึษีผ ศถึ สึ ส ษจส สึ ส ฦึ ีผศถษจีผสษ ีกษจศถษฆ สึ สส สษจษษจฦสสึ สึ สษจศถศถสษ ษขวสษ ึ ส วฦศถษจีผษข สษจำษ ว ษฆษสึ ษจีผษ.
He then moved towards Liska and continued talking, this time in front of her, while he went down on his knees...
ษฎสศถ สษศถ สษ สสึศถ ีกวสีผ สึ ส ึ ีผษ สวึศถ ศถษฆษจีผษข ษฎษสึ สษ ษจ ษีผษ ศถษฆษจึ ึศถสึษจษ สษจศถศถสษ ฦษฆวสวษษ: ษจส สึ ส ษษฦษจษษ ศถึ ีฆสษจศถ, สึ ส ฦวีผ สึ สษขษศถ วษฎึ สศถ ฦึ สษจีผษข ษฎวฦำ ศถึ ศถษฆษ ษฆษจษขษฆสวีผษ ศถสษจษฎษ ษสษส วษขวษจีผ ษจีผ สึ สส สษจสษ; สึ ส ฦวีผ สึ สษขษศถ วษฎึ สศถ ึษษษจีผษข สษจวส, ึสีผษวีผ, สึ สส ษำผ-สษจึศถสษึึ วีผษ วษฎึ สษ วสส, ศถษฆวศถ ษฆสสวีผ ีผวสษษ วำวีผษ. สึ ส ษฆวสษ ศถษฆษ ฦษฆวีผฦษ ศถึ สษษึ สึ สส สษจสษ วีผษ สึ สษขษศถ ษสษสสศถษฆษจีผษข สึ ส ษฆวสษ ึษษีผ ึึ สวส.
And then...
ษจ ฦวีผ ึษษ ศถษฆวศถ สึ ส วสษ สษสส ีกษจสสษจีผษข ศถึ สษจีผวสสส สษจึศถษีผ ศถึ สษ, ษจส สึ ส ำีผึ ีก ีกษฆวศถ ษจึ ษขึ ึ ษ สึ ส สึ ส... ษจีผ ศถษฆวศถ ฦวึษ... ษึ ีกษ ษฆวสษ ว ษษวส, สษจึำว ึีกษษศถษจษ? ีกษจสส สึ ส ษขึ ษฎวฦำ ศถึ สึ สส ษฆึ สษ ษจีผ ศถษฆษ สึ ีกสวีผษึ?
What the evil being who hid his face behind a hood never saw coming was that Liska had a surprise in store for him that he never foresaw nor took into account at any moment.
-"sob... sob... who are... you?"-
At that seemingly simple question, the boy, who up to that point had the young maiden metaphorically under his feet, was surprised to hear that...
ฯะฝฯ ฮฑะผ ฮน? ฯะฝ... ฯัโโ... ฮน gฯ ััั ฮนั ฯฯฮท'ั โฯ ะผั ฮฑฮทั ะฝฮฑัะผ ัฯ ััฮฝัฮฑโ ะผั ฮนโัฮทัฮนัั... ฮน ฮฑะผ...
-"Who... are... YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!?"-
And in a completely unforeseen event for the victimizer, Liska unleashed the claws of her hands, and as if she were an enraged wild cat, she jumped up from the ground, and with a fierce swipe, the feline warrior violently assaulted the hooded boy, in a desperate attempt, driven by the emotional trauma of having seen all those images of death and destruction, to put an end once and for all to that evil creature.
ฯะฝฮฑั ัะฝั ะฝัโโ?!
The boy was completely frozen when Liska suddenly attacked him, as she used her claws to tear his face; unlike the other instances where she could not touch other people she saw, on that opportunity the young warrior girl managed to strike against the evil being, causing him to lose his hood unexpectedly.
But the moment she, just as she touched the ground after that surprise attack, and stood up to confront her tormentor, Liska realized one thing as she tried to see the face of that shadowy entity that was trying to destroy her mind at any cost...
When she pulled back the hood that was covering the face of the hooded boy who was tormenting her, she was confronted with something more simple, yet sinister, than she had ever seen in her life: The head was nothing more than a dark sphere attached to a neck that went straight to the rest of his body, which, in turn, had no features, such as a nose, a mouth, ears, or anything that could infer that he was a normal being.
But as disturbing as the revelation about that creature that seemed to have come from out of hell itself, Liska was not going to be cowed any longer by that boy and his efforts to stop her from being a warrior, never mind the consequences. She glared at him with a glint of wrath, as she hissed violently, poised to strike back at him if necessary.
However, the boy did not seem to respond in any particular way to what had happened to him, remaining silent and motionless despite the attack perpetrated against him by the alien woman. His only reaction to what happened was to turn around and look back at his aggressor, at which point he put his hands back in his pockets and resumed speaking, this time in a more defiant tone.
ีกษสส, ษจ สสึศถ วษสษจศถ ษจ สษวสสส สีผษษสษึศถษจสวศถษษ สึ สส ษษศถษสสษจีผวศถษจึ ีผ ศถึ ษฎษ ว ีกวสสษจึ ส, ำษจศถศถษีผ. วีผสึ ีผษ ษสึษ ีกึ สสษ ษฆวสษ ษขึ ีผษ ษจีผึวีผษ วสศถษส ีกวศถฦษฆษจีผษข ึึ สวีผส ษฎสสศถวส ษจสวษขษึ ึ ส ษษวศถษฆึ, ษำผษฦสศถษจึ ีผึ, ษษึึวษจส วีผษ ษขึ สษ ษสษสสีกษฆษสษ, ษฎสศถ สึ ส ึษษส ศถึ ษฎษ สษสส ษษจสสษสษีผศถ ษจีผ ศถษฆวศถ สษึึษฦศถ.
The young feline girl was aware that those words of praise were as empty as the creature's dark soul, so she responded to him with all her might in verbal form.
-"You think you're going to impress me or scare me any more with your words and cheap tricks, don't you, huh?"- Liska replied him, while loudly hissing to him, as well to showing her fangs.
Faced with his opponent's intimidating voice, as well as her face, the hooded figure replied without changing his tone of voice significantly.
ษจ ษขสษึึ ีผึ ศถ... ษจีผ สวฦศถ, ษจ'ส ึสสึสษจึษษ ศถษฆวศถ สึ ส ีกษสษ วษฎสษ ศถึ ษีผษสสษ วสส ศถษฆึ ึษ ษษจึศถสสษฎษจีผษข สษจึสวสึ วีผษ ษฆึ สสษจสษจฦ ึึ สีผษึ ศถษฆวศถ ีกึ สสษ ษฆวสษ สวษษ ึึ สษึ ีผษ ษสึษ สษฦึ ีผึษจษษส ษจีผ สษึึษส ฦษจสฦสสึศถวีผฦษึ...
But Liska already had enough of hearing that evil entity, and now she was going to take control over the situation, no matter what.
-"ENOUGH OF YOUR GAMES, YOU DAMN MONSTER! You're going to tell me who you are, NOW!"-
Seeing that Liska demanded an explanation about his existence and his purpose with her, the hooded boy finally answered.
ีกษสส... ษจ ีกษจสส วีผึีกษส สึ ส ีฆสษึศถษจึ ีผ, วึ สึ ส ีกษจึษฆ...
And then...
โัั'ั ัฮฑั ฮน ฮฑะผ... ฮฑ ฦัฮนัฮทโ... ฮนฮท ฮฑ ฮทฯ ััะฝัโโ... ฮฑฮทโ ะผั ะผฮฑฮนฮท ยขฯฮทยขััฮท ฮนั ัฯ ะฝัโฯ ัฯฯ ...
The answer of that being that had been tantalizing her for several hours left the feline girl completely bewildered due to the unexpectedness of the answer he gave.
-"A... friend?"- The ginger-furred girl said, still in shock.
ศถษฆวศถ'ึ สษจษขษฆศถ... ศถษฆษ ึ ีผสส ศถษฆษจีผษข ษจ ีกวีผศถ ษจึ ศถึ ศถสส ศถึ ษฆษสึ สึ ส... วีผษ สวำษ สึ ส สษฦึ ีผึษจษษส สึ สส ษจษษว ึ ส ษฎษษจีผษข ว ีกวสสษจึ ส, ึึ สึ ส ฦวีผ ษฆวสษ ว ีฆสษจษศถ วีผษ ฦวสษสสษษ สษจสษ... วีผษ ีกษจศถษฆึ สศถ สึ ส, ษฎษษจีผษข ึสฦษฆ ว ษฎษวสศถษจสสส ษขษจสส, ษฆวสษจีผษข ศถึ ึษษ สึ สษ ษฎสึ ึ ษ วีผษ ษษวศถษฆ ศถษฆวีผ สึ ส ษำผึษสษจษีผฦษษ สวึศถ ษวส...
Seeing Liska's surprised face at the creature's revelation of his true intentions in showing her all that graphic, violent and bloody imagery, he provided a more detailed explanation.
ฮน ะฒัั ะฒั ฮทฯฯ ัฯฯ 'ัั ฯัฯะฒฮฑะฒโั ฯฯฮทโััฮนฮทg ฯะฝััะฝัั ัะฝฮนั ฮนั ื ฯ ัั ฯฮทั ฯฦ ะผั ััฮนยขะบั... ฮฑฮทโ ฮน โฯฮท'ั ะฒโฮฑะผั ัฯฯ ฦฯั ัะฝฮฑั, โฮนััโั ะบฮนัััฮท...
And then...
รยตโ ยตรฑยฃรฐrโ ยตรฑรฅโ รชlยฅ, ร hรฅร รฑรฐ ยขhรฐรฏยขรช รยตโ โ รฐ ยงhรฐw ยฅรฐยต รฅll โ hรฏยง, รฅรฑร โ รฐ รรชmรฐรฑยงโ rรฅโ รช whรฅโ ยขรฐยตlร รฅwรฅรฏโ ยฅรฐยต รฏยฃ ยฅรฐยต wรฐยตlร ยขรฐรฑโ รฏรฑยตรช รฐรฑ โ hรช รพรฅโ h ยฅรฐยต hรฅvรช ยขhรฐยงรชรฑ, รชvรชรฑ รฏยฃ รฏโ mรชรฅรฑโ hรฅvรฏรฑg โ รฐ รrรชรฅk ยฅรฐยตr mรฏรฑร รฅlรฐรฑg โ hรช wรฅยฅ.
At the hooded boy's explanation, the young alien maiden had a question to ask him.
-"What does Akane and her world, especially what happened in its past, have to do with me?"- Liska questioned, still unhappy with him.
After a brief pause, the evil being kindly gave an answer to that question.
โ hรฅโ 'ยง รฅ gรฐรฐร qยตรชยงโ รฏรฐรฑ, kรฏโ โ ยฅ... ร jยตยงโ รฑรฐโ รฏยขรชร โ hรฅโ รkรฅรฑรช รrรฅkรฏ รฏยง ยขรฅยงโ รฏรฑg รฅ vรชrยฅ รฑรชgรฅโ รฏvรช รฏmรพรฅยขโ รฐรฑ ยฅรฐยต... ยงรฐmรชโ hรฏรฑg ยฅรฐยต'rรช รฑรฐโ rรชรฅlรฏzรฏรฑg rรฏghโ รฑรฐw...
The mention of Akane, the human soldier from planet Earth, and her influence on Liska left the latter incredulous.
-"A very negative impact on me... you say?"-
ษจีผษษษษ... ษสษีผ ษฎษสึ สษ สึ ส ษฆษสึษษ วำวีผษ สษจษขษฆศถ ศถษฆษ สึ สวสษจวีผ ษฎวีผษษจศถึ สษึศถษสษวส, ษจ ฦึ สสษ ศถษสส ศถษฆวศถ สึ ส ษฆวษ ษฎษษีผ สษจำผวศถษจีผษข ึ ีผ ษฆษส สึ ส ึษสษสวส ษวสึ, ึศถวสศถษจีผษข ีกษจศถษฆ ศถษฆษ สวฦศถ ศถษฆวศถ ึษฆษ ษฎษสึ ีผษขึ ศถึ ว ษษจสสษสษีผศถ ึึษฦษจษึ ศถษฆวีผ สึ ส, ศถษฆษ สวฦศถ ศถษฆวศถ ษฆษส ฦสสศถสสษ วีผษ วศถศถษจศถสษษ วสษ ษษจสสษสษีผศถ สสึ ส ศถษฆษ ษจีผษฆวษฎษจศถวีผศถึ ึ ส สึ สส ีกึ สสษ, วีผษ ีผึ ศถ ศถึ สษีผศถษจึ ีผ ศถษฆวศถ ึษฆษ ษจึ สษสส สึ ีผษ ึ ส สึ ส, ษฎษฦวสึษ สึ ส ีกษสษ ว ึสวสษ.
Then, the boy added the following about the black woman.
ศบีฒีช... ฤฏ รงฤ ีฒ ฤ ำสึ ีงาฝำำ ีงีฐฤ ีง ีพึ ีด ฦาฝาฝำ ฦึ ษพ ศบาฤ ีฒาฝ สึ ษพาฝ ีงีฐฤ ีฒ สีดสีง สาฝษพาฝ... ฤ ีชสรฌษพฤ ีงรฌึ ีฒ...
Liska, upon hearing that the boy seemed to know an intimate secret about her, violently railed against the sinister creature in a hissing manner.
-"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, YOU ROTTEN DEMON!"-
For his part, the hooded evil being, seeing that he had succeeded in triggering her, replied in the same derisive tone as always.
ร ยขรฅรฑ ยงรชรช ยฃrรฐm ยฅรฐยตr rรชรฅยขโ รฏรฐรฑ โ hรฅโ ร'm rรฏghโ , ยขรฅรฑ'โ ร?
However, Liska was already at the end of her rope and was thinking of putting an end to her suffering for good...
-"I am not going to take any more of your taunts, you monster!"-
Then, the feline girl threatened him, while unsheating her claws at the same time.
-"...now, I want you to take me back to my world right now before I make you regret what you have done to me WITH MY OWN CLAWS!"-
Seeing that Liska aimed to truly target him and that she was no longer going to be frightened by him, even after her face had been uncovered after that last attack, the sinister being began to shake his head, visually showing his frustration at his enemy's reaction, especially after he had revealed his intentions to "help" her...
...or at least that was what he had intended to do at first.
ษจ ษำผึษฦศถษษ สึ ส ศถึ ษฎษ สึ สษ สีผษษสึศถวีผษษจีผษข วีผษ ีกึ สสษ ีฆสษจฦำสส ษขสวึึ สส ึึ ษจีผศถ วสศถษส ษจ ึษฆึ ีกษษ สึ ส วสส ศถษฆษจึ...
-"AND YOU THINK I'M GOING TO BELIEVE YOU AFTER ALL YOU'VE SHOWN AND SAID AGAINST ME, YOU DEGENERATE FIEND?!"- The girl furiously countered back.
The boy with the sinister voice realized that the young novice warrior was not going to be persuaded...
ษจีผ ศถษฆวศถ ฦวึษ, ษจ ีกษจสส ษฎษ ษฎสษจษส ีกษจศถษฆ สึ ส, ษจส สึ ส ีกวีผศถ ศถึ ึสวส ีกวสสษจึ ส ีกษจศถษฆ สษ, ษษวส ำษจศถศถส:
...so he gave her an ultimatum...
สึ ส ฦวีผ สษวสษ ษฎษษฆษจีผษ ศถษฆษ ษฆษจษขษฆสวีผษ ศถสษจษฎษ วีผษ สษศถสสีผ ศถึ สึ สส ึ สษจษขษจีผวส ษฆึ สษ ึ ีผษ... วีผษ ศถษฆวศถ ษจีผฦสสษษึ สษวสษจีผษข ษฎษษฆษจีผษ วสส ศถษฆษ ึษึ ึสษ สึ ส ษฆวสษ ษฎษสสษจษีผษษษ ึึ สวส... ษจีผฦสสษษจีผษข ศถษฆวศถ ษฆสสวีผ ีผวสษษ วำวีผษ วสวำษจ.
However, Liska's response was only to become even more angered by the boy's threat...
-"NEVER!"- The Velite girl violently hissed at the eldritch humanoid creature in front of her. -"I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN LEAVE BEHIND THE PEOPLE I LOVE THE MOST, AND I WILL NOT BE DETERRED BY A FILTHY, COWARDLY CREATURE LIKE YOU!"-
The hooded boy, seeing that Liska's antagonism towards him had reached the point of no return, still had an ace up his sleeve to ram his message through to his opponent's head...
...even if he had to make Liska suffer the worst to achieve it.
เบฤll thฤเบ, เธฏเปเธ lฤเธเธฤ เนฤ เบเป ยขhเปiยขฤ เนเธt tเป rฤลเปrt...
Immediately after, the malevolent child raised his left hand, and then, he snapped his fingers again.
...tเป thiล.
FINAL PART
When the creature that had been mentally tormenting Liska Mitsel-eman all that time snapped his fingers, she saw how the boy suddenly vanished from her sight, leaving her alone in that dark place. Naturally, she was both enraged and astonished at the event, believing that the hooded boy fled, leaving the warrior behind.
-"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO, YOU MONSTER?!"-
She received no answer; only a tomb-like emptiness could be heard in that dark place, while Liska only wanted to sink her claws into the face of that evil creature that had been terrorizing her for several hours.
-"ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!"-
A few moments later, the dark place suddenly changed color from dark to white, causing the feline maiden to suddenly become horrified at what might happen to her at that moment, believing that possibly that seemingly evil creature was planning to make her pay.
-"What the...?!"-
And suddenly, Liska realized that she was no longer in that dark place; now, she was in a completely contrasting spot, and from what she could quickly infer, the ginger-furred girl could notice that the place where she was currently standing was remotely familiar to her...
-"What... what is... this place?"-
After a few seconds of uncertainty, the young warrior saw that she was no longer in the past of Akane's world, but now seemed to be back in her own, something that was very evident, for she was in what seemed to be an open field, in the middle of the night, and she could see the two moons that normally orbited her world, indicating in all obviousness that she was back in her place of origin.
But when everything seemed to be calm at that moment, Liska immediately felt an intense heat sensation circling her body, as if someone had lit a big fire or something was burning very close to her, and at the same time, she smelled an intense charred odor all around her.
-"What is that burning sensation I feel right now?"- The Velite maiden said in a low voice to herself.
Faced with the possibility that she had ended up in a place on fire, the young woman gradually turned in the direction of the place where she felt the burning heat that surrounded her, in order to find out where she had wound up at the hands of the hooded boy.
The moment she caught sight of where she was, Liska swiftly learned, much to her personal horror, that the place was all too familiar to her... for all the wrong reasons.
-"No..."-
The place looked like some sort of medium-sized village, while the young novice warrior stood in what appeared to be the center of it. At the same time, she began to hear cries of weeping and pain everywhere, while all the surrounding area of the village was ablaze with flames.
It was obvious that the village where she was standing was a village of her own world, and above all, located in the Plains region, since the buildings of that place were made of adobe, straw and wood, unlike the complex constructions she had seen in the previous villages where the feline warrior had been hours ago, no thanks to that evil child who had been torturing her all that time.
-"No... please... gods... why?!... I don't want to see this... no... "-
But what Liska was witnessing was a moment in her own life that she wanted to leave behind and never want to remember again... something that always brought back extremely painful memories... and that only Rial, her mate, and Mother Sanna, her former mistress, knew that painfully intimate secret of her own past.
And now, the Velite girl was back in that place again, undergoing that traumatic event in the flesh all over again, but this time as an adult...
-"No... No... No... No... No... No... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"-
In a frantic effort, while Liska was gripped by panic and distress at the tragedy she was experiencing, she ran to any place that would allow her to escape from that cursed village by any means necessary.
But when she tried to flee the place, the first road that allowed her to leave the village from the north was immediately closed by a wall of fire that prevented her from leaving; she tried to do the same with another road that was to the west, but another burning wall did exactly the same. After several attempts, Liska tried to find a way out of that hell, but all her exits were blocked, leaving the feline maiden completely in tears and with no hope of escaping that place alive.
-"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"- The girl yelled in despair. -"WHY CAN'T I ESCAPE FROM HERE?"-
And suddenly, she noticed one thing that was all over her body, and that only Liska became aware when she looked at her hands...
-"Bl... Blood...? That's... my own blood?"-
The young woman realized that she had blood, not only on her hands, but the moment she touched her face, her arms, and looked at the rest of her body, the young warrior realized that she was smeared with blood from head to toe.
But that was not what horrified her the most: Since she was not injured, nor had she suffered from previous wounds during her entire harrowing journey, there was only one possible explanation for the existence of that blood on her body...
...that blood belonged to someone else... and she knew who that blood belonged to.
At that realization, Liska fell to her knees and burst into tears; that scene and that place was the last thing in her life that she wanted to be in again, and that evil young-looking being, who had transported her to different places so far, was making her relive that painful event from her past to continue his torture on her.
And regarding that character, the ominous and yet childish voice of that young boy echoed through the scene, with the only difference being that he was absent in the flesh; Liska could only hear his voice, sounding as if it were coming from nowhere.
๐๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐จ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ช ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค ๐ฅ๐ , ๐๐ ๐'๐ฅ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ?
Meanwhile, the young warrior was still on the ground on her knees, looking stunned and sobbing non-stop at the sight of all that blood all over her body, as the voice of that infernal being continued in his attempt to destroy the resolve of that young alien woman.
๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ค ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐, ๐๐ ๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐, ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ค๐ ๐๐ฅ'๐ค ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ช ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ... ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐'๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ช๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ค๐ฅ๐ ๐ก ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐'๐ฅ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ช...
And then, he continued taunting Liska...
๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ช ๐๐ ๐ฃ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ...
๐ธ๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐, ๐๐ฃ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ช ๐๐ ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ค ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
๐ป๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ โ๐๐๐, ๐ธ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ง๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐?
๐ป๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ช ๐๐๐๐๐ช ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ช ๐ ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ, ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ช ๐๐๐ค ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ช ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ?
๐ป๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐?
๐๐ ๐ค๐ , ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐'๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ช ๐ ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ค, ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐: ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ค... ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ, ๐ค๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...
...๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ค๐, ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐... ๐ ๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐... ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ช ๐๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐, ๐๐ฃ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ค... ๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐...
๐๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ? ๐๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐จ ๐ ๐, ๐๐๐ค๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค๐๐-๐๐๐๐?
Meanwhile, the young warrior remained immobile in the same place, continuing with her crying, powerless before those painful memories that came to her mind, and that the diabolical being of childish voice, whose speech was at the same time everywhere, but also nowhere, was tantalizing her mind and soul, and thus putting an end once and for all to her desires of being a warrior.
Seeing that Liska did not answer his questions, he executed the last part of his plan with which he intended to put an end to all that...-
๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ฅ'๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐...
Immediately after, the flames that were burning the village spread to the place where Liska was down on the ground, impeding any kind of escape that she could attempt at that point; this caused the young feline girl to scream in panic at what seemed like a certain death as the fire seemed to be moving more and more closer to her.
But, despite the flame's ability to reach the warrior unhindered, they stopped only a few steps away from her, as if for some reason the fire had a life of its own and was only bidding its master, the hooded boy, to attack its victim. Noticing all this, Liska quickly realized that the boy was still wanting to toy with her as if he were a wild animal playing with his prey, which was helpless in that place, while the flames surrounded her, waiting for the exact moment to reduce his victim to ashes.
Knowing that things could only get worse if she kept crying without taking action, the young Velite maiden stood up from the soil, wiped her tears, and with the loudest voice she could muster, she yelled at her tormentor, wherever he was to be found, basking in her misery.
-"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO BY SCARING ME WITH THIS FIRE, HUH? DO YOU STILL WANT TO KEEP TORTURING ME WITH YOUR GAMES?"-
Seeing that his prey still had intentions of challenging him, the boy replied, with the same tone of contempt towards her, seeing that she was not going to die without a fight first.
Even if Liska did not know that the true motives of that creature were very different from what she had expected...
๐๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐'๐ฅ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐จ ๐๐ ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ก ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐ค๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐, ๐๐ฆ๐?
Those words only caused Liska to grow even more enraged, and she too was willing to put an end to the wicked tricks from that evil monster at any cost.
-"I' VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR GAMES! EITHER YOU LET ME OUT OF HERE, OR I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU REGRET EVER MEETING ME!"- The orange tabby girl threatened the etherious being. -""DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR TO YOU, MONSTER?*"-
Faced with the woman's potential warning, the boy said nothing for a few instants, and then, he finally responded...
๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ, ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ช? ๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ค๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐, ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐ค๐ .
-"HUH?"- The girl uttered this when she heard that her tormentor seem to had other plans for her.
And then...
๐น๐ฆ๐ฅ... ๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐'๐ฅ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐... ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐ค๐... ๐ฅ๐๐๐ค...
Just as the boy referred to his secret weapon with which he intended to put an end to his opponent's defiance, a dark shadow, humanoid in appearance, slowly crept towards Liska in a threatening and frightening motion, apparently impervious to the effect from the flames that surrounded the young woman.
The aforementioned protagonist, upon seeing that dark entity walking towards her, recognized that being was someone that she knew perfectly well...
...for reasons that she would never wanted to recall again in her lifetime...
-"No... please... no... no... stop it... please... stop it..."-
Seeing and feeling Liska's fear towards that monstrous figure, which only had the shape of a physical silhouette that the young feline girl knew who it was, the boy, who had now adopted a completely ethereal form, continued twisting her mind, aware that he was close to his goal...
๐๐๐๐ฅ'๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ, ๐๐๐ค๐๐? ๐ป๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐ค๐๐จ ๐๐ช ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ฆ๐?
Meanwhile, that humanoid phantasm was steadily creeping close to Liska, crossing the wall of fire that surrounded her, while the creature was only less than five steps away from the young woman. Meanwhile, she tried to find a way to escape from that entity, but all her exits, including the one behind her back, were blocked completely by fire, leaving the young protagonist with no way out, and at the mercy of that monstrous figure.
๐น๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ, ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ช ๐ ๐๐๐จ ๐จ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ:
๐๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐ก๐๐ค๐ฅ, ๐๐๐ค๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค๐๐-๐๐๐๐... ๐๐ ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฃ...
๐ธ๐๐... ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ช ๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ช ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ค...
๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ, ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ช... โ๐ธโ๐ธโ๐ธโ๐ธโ๐ธโ๐ธโ๐ธ!
With the most diabolical laugh he could utter, these were the last words the hooded boy said to Liska, before fading away completely, leaving the Velite girl at the complete whim of that dark being.
-"WAIT, DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE! NOOOOOOOO!"- The former slave cried out in her despair at him, even though there was nothing she could do to stop what was coming her way.
As for the latter, she saw that the dark creature he had supposedly summoned in front of her was only three steps away from her. Although Liska was unable to see the features of the being's face or its physical details, she knew perfectly well who it was, for it was a very dark part of her past that had been tormenting her since she was a kitten girl, and that now she had in front of her, being unable to do anything to defend herself from that monstrosity nor could she escape by any means...
-"No... please... stay away from me... I beg you..."-
The shadowy being was a creature about the same height as Akane, next to the feline warrior, who barely reached his chest height, causing Liska to feel that she was facing a giant. Moreover, the behemoth seemed to be watching the helpless girl with an absolute evil gaze, which caused in her an utterly visceral and indescribable dread, as if the alien girl knew what the lumbering creature could do to her...
Then, that ominous creature removed something from his pocket, which appeared to be an equally dark and obtuse object to the naked eye. The creature then proceeded to point that object towards the warrior with the obvious intention of attacking her.
Liska knew what the object was for, even though she didn't know what it looked like: It was a weapon, like the one Akane used to kill the Romalian warrior who tried to kidnap her during the attack on the tribe.
And now, the monster wanted to used that weapon against her.
-"No... please... don't... no... no..."-
And before the creature could use that dreaded weapon, Liska heard a voice coming from that being...
๐ธ๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐...
...๐๐๐๐๐...
-"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"-
And then...
BANG!
END OF ACT XXXIV