The Light of a Broken Destiny:
Uneasy Alliances
"WHOA!" Akari screamed, ducking a swing from a sword. "Can't you guys give me a second to get my pants on?"
The scout ignored the girl's pleas, thrusting his sword down. Akari rolled to the right and got onto her back, pushing her pants into the air. She jabbed her legs into her pants and jumped to her feet. The Japanese girl barely had time to fix her leg wear as the scout she was fighting came at her, sword in one hand and spell circle in another.
Akari sighed and nonchalantly unrolled her shirt. She began putting it on as the scout was nearly on her. The scout didn't even raise an eyebrow at his opponent's behavior; he just placed the spell circle on the blade of his sword.
The scout's sword hummed and glowed as the magic reinforced the blade. It grew by four inches, and the blade sharpened. He swung at the girl, and Akari suddenly disappeared in a blur of motion.
The scout suddenly grunted and dropped to the ground. Akari had gotten behind the scout and taken him out with a chop to the neck. She let out a quick breath and searched for her shoes. She went over to them and quickly put them on before she looked at the battlefield.
The Japanese girl frowned as she looked at Willow. The plat witch had removed her cloak so she could fight better, and Akari could see the girl clearly for the first time.
Willow was older than Akari expected; the plant witch was close to eighteen, and her hair was cut short. She wore black and green sports shorts, a yellow jersey over an orange shirt with the letters "EE" on it, brown finger gloves, gold bracelets, and brown elbow guards.
Willow wore green sneakers, with her right sock exposed, and a spiked knee guard. Akari noticed a large crack on the left lens of Willow's glasses, a mere hair from covering her left eye.
Akari couldn't help but blush slightly when she saw how toned the plant witch had become.
Unfortunately, a scout noticed that Akari was distracted and sneaked up on her. He raised his sword but grunted when Akari elbowed him in the gut. He dropped his sword and held his gut as he stumbled backward.
Akari looked at the scout nonchalantly and, in a blur of motion, got behind him. She took down the scout with a chop to the neck and watched as he groaned and dropped to the ground.
"Just because my attention is elsewhere doesn't mean I'm distracted," Akari told the scout.
The Japanese girl suddenly felt the ground rumble and jumped into the air as stone spikes burst from where she stood a second ago. She landed on one of the spikes, balancing on the tip of her right foot, and looked around.
She narrowed her eyes when she noticed something to her right. She jumped off the spike and held out her right hand, index and middle finger pressed together. Her thumb was under the fingers with a gap between the digits. Tan energy sparked between the opened space of the digits and traveled to the tip. The energy then formed into a small ball.
"Celestial Fire!"
A bullet of energy launched from the Japanese girl's finger and soared through the air. The attack hit something, and a scout appeared a second later, groaning and holding his left shoulder.
Akari landed and dashed to the scout before he could gather himself. She unleashed a fury of punches with such speed that the scout couldn't counter. With a final cry, Akari delivered the final blow and sent the scout flying off his feet.
The Japanese girl watched as the scout hit the ground with a faint thud and didn't get up. Still, she kept her guard up as she watched the prone scout for a minute. Akari relaxed when she saw that her opponent was indeed unconscious.
She looked over at Willow and saw the plant witch was finishing off the last of her foes. The young athlete had a scout in a bear hug. With a scream, Willow bent her back and slammed the scout into the ground head-first, causing Akari to wince.
Willow straightened up, huffed a sigh, and looked around the Japanese girl. She saw that the scouts that Akari was fighting were all down, then turned her attention back to the human.
Quicker than Akari expected, Willow made a spell circle, and vines shot up from the ground. The swordswoman couldn't react fast enough, and her arms were quickly tied.
"Oh, come on, Willow," Akari groaned, "We just fought side by side! How can you think I'm still not on your side?"
Willow glared at the human girl as she retrieved her cloak and slipped over her shoulder. She then walked up to Akari, still glaring.
"You think I would trust you because of fighting some scouts together?" Willow asked accusingly.
With a rather nonchalant smile, Akari shrugged. Willow didn't like this and continued to glare at the Japanese girl as she sized her up.
"Look," Akari said, trying to sound casual, "I know you have no reason to trust me, but I'm not with them."
Willow scowled and got close to Akari, to the point their chest nearly touched.
"And don't think I haven't heard that before," the plant witch spat. "Odalia tried that after we started the People Against the Thorne!"
Akari cocked an eyebrow as she realized the anagram spelled out pat with two Ts. Willow saw this gesture and let out an irritated sigh.
"Look," Akari said, "I know how everything looks; my sensai and I appeared out of the blue where you were being chased, and I jumped in to help."
Willow scoffed at this and took a few steps back. "Again, that's something Odalia pulled before," she said scornfully. "She even brainwashed a poor child from the human realm to try and play on Eda's sympathy."
Akari's eyes suddenly widened at this information, and she clenched her jaw in anger. The Japanese girl began to shake with rage, and Willow cocked an eyebrow at this.
"What? Why would Odalia do that?" she asked angrily.
"Like you don't know," Willow scoffed.
"I DON'T!" Akari screamed, thrusting her arms apart and breaking free from the vines.
Willow's eyes widened when she saw tan energy jump from the human, and she jumped back, making spell circles. Akari realized what she had done and sighed. With pleading eyes, Akari held out her hands to Willow. The plant witch sighed and just shook her head.
"...If you could break thick vines without trying, I don't think even stones could hold you," Willow asked calmly.
Akari was slightly surprised by this action and blinked as she stared at the witch.
"So, does that mean you believe me now?" she asked hopefully.
Willow sighed and turned around. She looked around quickly and then hurried off in a random direction. Akari was quick to follow after the witch.
"I don't know what to believe at this point," Willow replied coldly. "I just know that you have powers like Odalia, and that leech would never give that sort of thing away."
Akari frowned as she examined the witch's face. She noticed how much hatred shone in Willow's eyes, which got the Japanese girl thinking.
Something wasn't right about this whole Empress Odalia thing. But what it was, she couldn't figure it out. So, like her sensei always told her, she decided to get as much information as possible to fight an enemy.
"What's the deal with this whole Empress Odalia thing?" Akari said seriously. "I get this feeling that this woman isn't well-liked."
Suddenly, Akari found herself on the ground, Willow on top of her, pressing her arm against the Japanese girl's neck. Akari could only stare in horror at the rage in the plant witch's eyes.
"Don't ever say that name to me," Willow growled in such a way that Akari thought she might just wet herself. "Is that clear?"
Akari couldn't get her mouth to work, so she simply nodded. Willow glared at the Japanese girl with such hatred that it felt like it could melt reinforced steel. After a tense minute, the witch sighed and got off Akari.
Akari watched as Willow stood up, fixed her shirt, and began walking again. Sighing, she jumped to her feet and caught up to the plant witch.
"I'm sorry I made you mad," the swordswoman apologized generously. "But I'm just trying to get information to be better prepared."
Akari couldn't help but flinch when Willow gave her a side glare. The young witch looked forward and, for a while, didn't say anything. Tension quickly filled the air, and Akari couldn't help but feel the witch's mood flowing off her.
"...No one knows how she did it," Willow said bitterly after a second, "But one day, Odalia showed up at the University of Wild Magic and just destroyed it."
Akari frowned as she considered this new information. She didn't miss the bitterness and anger in the plant witch's voice. The Japanese girl couldn't stop the pit from forming in her stomach, as she didn't like where things were going.
"How did she do that?" Akari asked, trying to keep the dread out of her voice.
Willow sighed and stopped. She looked around to determine her location and then went in another random direction. Akari also looked around, trying to see if more surprises awaited them. She hurried after Willow once she was sure the coast was clear.
"Like I said, we don't know," Willow replied, the bitterness in her voice giving completely away to anger. "She just showed up, declared herself empress, and destroyed the school so she could take the place where Belos's castle once stood. And I've been thinking she's why I lost my two best friends."
Akari suddenly came to a dead stop, her eyes wide. Willow saw the human girl suddenly stop and looked over her shoulder. The witch frowned as she noticed Akari's body starting to tremble. She couldn't help but become curious and walked up to her.
"What's wrong with you?" Willow asked in a somewhat cold manner.
Akari didn't reply; she was too busy flashing back to the worst moment of her life.
Akari was suddenly in a cave, the area covered in both blood and mud of some kind. But none of that mattered; all that mattered to the human girl was the five bodies in front of her. These bodies have been mangled nearly beyond recognition, and thick splats of mud cover their faces.
Akari walked up to one of the bodies, a female, and dropped to her knees. She took the body gingerly into her arms and stared at the broken pendant on the girl's chest. The human began breathing hard, eyes filling with tears as she looked at the girl's face.
"I'm sorry," Akaria whispered, holding the girl's body close. "I'M SOOOOORRRRRRY!"
Willow didn't know what was happening with the human girl, but she didn't expect her to fall to her knees and scream. The sudden cry took her by surprise, and she jumped back.
Willow looked around, concerned the human's scream might have drawn unwanted attention. So, she did the only thing she could think of: She made a spell circle and cast a sleeping spell on Akari.
The spell hit Akari, and she fell to the ground asleep a second later. Willow sighed and looked at the Japanese girl. She frowned as she noticed for the first time that Akari, from a certain angle, remained her of someone.
Willow heard a noise and looked over her shoulder, body tensing. She made a spell circle as she readied for another fight. She didn't relax when a small creature jumped into view. The beast, a mix of a dog and an elk blinked owlishly, then hurried off.
Willow sighed, dropped her circle, and was about to take her leave. She stopped when an image of her best friend, Luz Noceda, popped into her mind, frowning in disapproval and pointing at Akari. Willow tried to ignore it and hurried off. Butt she kept seeing Luz's disapproving face, and she soon groaned in frustration.
"Even now, Luz, you still find a way to get to me," Willow mumbled, smiling emptily as she drew a spell circle.
A vine bed rose under Akari and began following Willow as she hurried out of the area.
(SC)
"So," Darius asked his group, "What do we do with this human?"
Darius, Raine Whispers, Eberwolf, and Eda Clawthorne were in a small forest with the human they knocked just a few minutes, tied up beside them. Raine looked at the human and then at the sword they were carrying. They then looked at Darius, confusion all over their face.
"Can't we just leave him?" Raine asked. "It didn't look like he was working for Odalia."
Darius gave the bard a glare, and Raine held their ground. They stared at the abomination witch for nearly a few minutes before a voice caught both witches' attention.
"Let's just burn him and get going," Eda said coldly.
Raine and Eberwolf looked at the ex-wild witch in surprise; even Darius was slightly taken aback by this statement. Eda, however, was just staring into the distance, an emptiness in her eyes that worried her partner.
"Eda…" Raine said, getting close to their girlfriend. "I know what Odalia pulled with that brainwashed human left a bitter taste in your mouth, but you can't let that make you numb to the world."
Raine reached out to wrap their girlfriend in a one-arm hug, but Eda knocked their hand away with their abomination-powered robot hand and got to her feet. She got in front of the group and gave their captive a quick glare.
"I could give two rat-worms' asses about that lame stunt Obalia pulled," Eda spat venomously. "What I care about is how that piece of trash found our base…. AGAIN!"
Raine frowned as they saw the tears under their girlfriend's eyes. They understood what was really bothering Eda and stood up. They placed the sword on the ground and walked up to Eda. Raine then tried to hug her. The ex-wild witch tried to pull away, but Raine wasn't going to let their girlfriend get away. The bard put their girlfriend in a tender embrace, and Eda just sighed tiredly and rested their head on Raine's shoulder.
"Don't worry," Raine assured their girlfriend. "We made sure everyone was out before the raiders came. I'm sure everyone's fine…I'm sure she's fine."
Eda scowled bitterly as she buried her face in their partner's shoulder. Raine frowned as they felt their girlfriend shook ever so slightly and knew she was trying her hardest not to cry. So, they rubbed Eda's back in a comforting manner.
Darius watched this unfold and scowled as he looked at the sky. His scowl deepened when he realized the night was fast approaching, and soon, the barrier would be visible.
"So," Hiro asked casually, "Care to fill me in here? What exactly is going on with this Odalia chick?"
Darius sighed and looked away from the sky.
"If you must know," he replied exasperatedly, "Six months earlier, Odalia Blight had somehow gained magic far exceeding the former Emperor and took over. She destroyed everything that didn't fit her view of how an empire should be run. As an extra insult, she placed a barrier around the Isle so…"
Darius trailed off as he realized who had just spoken. He and Eberwolf slowly turned their heads toward the human. Raine and Eda also heard the human's question, separated, and looked at him.
Hiro sat casually against a tree, hands behind his head. The rope used to tie his arms and legs was by his left side. The human looked at the group and smiled casually.
"Hi," Hiro greeted casually and then rolled to the right when several hardened abomination knives were thrown at him. Hiro jumped to his feet and held up his hands. "Whoa, slow down, everyone. I'm not trying to fight. I just want to-AHH!"
Hiro jumped to his left when Eberwolf lunged at him and took a swing with his claws. He brought up his arms in a defense pose when Eda, in her harpy form, rushed him and punched him with her robot arm.
The swordsman grunted, gritted his teeth, and took the blow. He pushed Eda off and tried to run for it but heard a noise. Hiro looked around and found Rain trying to play a song.
"Not this time," Hiro declared, body glowing green.
Hiro moved at near superspeed and grabbed his sword. He then turned his attention to Raine and rushed them. Hiro used his sheathed sword to hit the bard upside the head. Raine fell to the ground with a small grunt, unconscious.
Hiro unsheathed his sword and stepped over to the unconscious bard, the sword's tip mere inches from Raine's head. The witches understood and stopped dead in their tracks.
"Now that I have your attention," Hiro said calmly, "I'm not looking for a fight. All I want is to find my apprentice and then blow this stand."
Hiro suddenly gasped and looked over his shoulder. Eda wasn't going to waste this opening and rushed the human. Before Eda could reach the human, Hiro spun around and thrust his sword into the ground. Everyone could only gawk as two walls of thick vines burst through the ground in front of them.
"EVERYONE, DOWN!" Hiro screamed, grabbing Eda by the arm.
The swordsman pulled Eda with him as he dropped to the ground and covered Raine's head. Darius was a little confused by all this until he heard a sizzling sound and looked at the wall. His eyes widened when he saw the wall heated up, and he dove to the ground just as a blast of red-hot abomination fire blasted through the walls.
"Well, well, well," a familiar voice said smugly, "The Empress was right again. Nearly all the rebel forces' leaders were in one place. I am going to enjoy this a lot."
Hiro pulled his sword from the ground and looked through what remained of the vine walls. Darius also looked at the newcomer and growled when he realized who it was.
"Kikimora…"
The small demon was riding her Abomatron with a squad of scouts flanking her. Kikimora wore a sadistic grin as she looked at the group. She saw the human and cocked an eyebrow.
"Human?" she asked suspiciously, "How did you get here? The Great Empress didn't summon anyone from that pathetic realm."
Hiro didn't reply to the demon; he stood up and held out his sword. It didn't take long for Eda to join him, and he gave her a sideways glance. He noticed the anger in the harpy woman's eyes and had a good feeling about the reason behind that anger.
"I know this means you don't trust me yet," Hiro said calmly. "But I get this feeling you went to pound this imp even closer to the ground, and I will be more than happy to help with that."
Eda didn't reply; she just got low, flexed her left arm, and gave her wings a quick beat. As Hiro charged straight at the Empress's forces, Eda growled and took to the air.
(G Corner)
Another reason I didn't describe Willow's outfit is because I was still debating where to set this story. So, now this story takes place six months after the series finale.