[Third-Person Point of View]
"Do you think they'll fall for it?" Stephen's voice was tight, thin with anxiety. He couldn't stop pacing, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
His brother, Marco, watched him with an unsettling calm. "Yes," he replied, without any reassurance. "But that doesn't mean they'll win."
The air crackled with a new tension as Athena appeared behind Marco, her hand a fierce weight on his shoulder. "Hey, Marco," she said, her voice strained with a barely contained fury. "If something happens to Sari, if she gets hurt because of your plan, I swear—"
Marco flinched but didn't turn around. "She made her choice, Athena," he said, his voice flat and empty. "I told her exactly what the risks were. I told her that if she pushed past her limits and it killed her, it would be her own fault for being an idiot. It's her decision, her game to play. So don't blame me." He spoke with a cold detachment. A frantic voice inside him was screaming, replaying every moment of his conversation with Sari. He knew her kind of bravery wasn't reckless; it was selfless. And he was terrified he might've just sent her to her grave, all for a plan he wasn't even sure would work.
—
The two teams moved like silent shadows, a deadly ballet of converging forces. The Holy Knights, led by the charismatic Raphael and the stoic Michael, moved with the confidence of seasoned veterans. Their intelligence had indicated a full squadron, but when they emerged into the clearing, their confident strides faltered.
There, standing alone, was a frail-looking teenage girl. A flicker of surprise, followed by a wave of derisive amusement, spread across the Holy Knights' faces.
Raphael smirked, his voice dripping with condescension. "How brave of you, little girl, facing the Holy Knights all alone."
The girl's eyes narrowed, and she grumbled under her breath, "I'm not little."
Michael stepped forward, a faint, mocking smile on his lips. "Were you underestimating us, or are you the only one brave enough to face us? Either way, it's a foolish choice."
"We'll see if you still think that way after you start attacking me," she challenged, her stance relaxed yet guarded.
Michael's smile widened. He gestured to Raphael, his voice dropping to a low growl. "Raphael, let's test her resolve. Let's see what she's made of."
Raphael's grin returned, his hands already glowing with a soft, ethereal light. "Cloud Magic: One Hundred Compressed Cloud Canon!" he roared. A hundred miniature, condensed clouds shot out from his hands, each one crackling with destructive energy. His companion, the third Holy Knight, Samael, was the key to his power. Samael's magic could make the clouds follow the victim relentlessly, a homing attack that would chase her down at incredible speeds, hitting her instantly no matter where she ran. He was confident of victory.
Sari, however, watched as the clouds flew toward her, a weird expression of anticipation on her face. "Ohh..." she whispered, a sudden flicker of light in her eyes. Time pause.
With a thought, the world around freezes. In this stilled reality, she moved with impossible speed, a blur of motion. Her cousin, Clydelle, a clairvoyant, pinpointed the location of Samael, the third Holy Knight.
In one fluid, brutal motion, Sari was on his back, her arm snaking around his head. Her other hand locked onto her own wrist, cinching a figure-four grip around his skull. Time snapped back into motion for Samael, and with a deliberate, agonizing pressure, she quickly pulled down and twisted his head, leveraging the full weight of her body into the hold.
The single drop of sweat continued its descent, and Samael lost consciousness; his body fell on his knees just as the first drop of sweat hit the ground. It was a swift, savage takedown, a quick, brutal measure. She knew she didn't have time to be gentle.
Without wasting more time, she grabbed Raphael and Michael. Their bodies were deadweights, but thanks to the rigorous strength and endurance training she'd put her and her family through during their daily missions, it was easy for her to drag them directly into the path of the swirling, raging clouds suspended in mid-air.
"That's it," she said, rubbing dirt from her hand, smiling at the man who had cast the cloud cannon after she quickly climbed onto a nearby tree branch to watch. Sari silently laughed at the reaction of the two conscious Holy Knights as she played with the time.
Then, with just a thought, time resumed.
Michael and Raphael stared in disbelief, then horror when they realized the cloud cannon was about to hit them, as the devastating beams of pure energy slammed into them. A searing, blinding white light erupted, followed by a deafening, booming sound. The force of the explosion was strong, sending one of them flying backward like a doll.
Michael reacted quickly, jumping away and staying next to Raphael, who cast the spell. They were surprised when they realized that Samael was already unconscious, which is why he was struck by his powerful magic, instantly sending him to the safe zone.
"What happened?!" Michael blurted out in shock at what had happened.
"I have no idea," he admitted, his voice a low, strangled whisper. A cold, heavy guilt settled in his gut as he replayed the moment his own power had snuffed out his comrade's life. Little did he know that Sari played a big role.
"What's next?" The question echoed in Sari's mind. Her eyes, sharp and calculating, swept over the chaotic battlefield. Her mind raced, sifting through strategies and weaknesses.
"Sari? Hey, Sari?" Clydelle's voice cut through the noise, a mix of urgency and concern.
Sari snapped back to the present. "What?" she replied, her tone sharp.
"Beware of the guy wearing a huge bead necklace; his magic is an enormous invisible palm that could easily stomp you," Clydelle warned.
Sari's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Don't worry, I've got a plan." The words were full of confidence, but that was only to mask her fear so her family wouldn't worry about her as much.
"Alright, be careful!"
Raphael's bellow ripped through the air, full of arrogance and bluster. "Hey! Little girl! Are you done playing with us?" The other knight, Michael, sneered, "Perhaps you're scared now that you've seen Raphael's magic?"
Sari's eyes narrowed. "Do they really think I'll be easily provoked?" she muttered to herself, a flicker of disdain in her gaze. She was there to prove herself, not a hot-headed child. The insults were just noise, a distraction she would not fall for. Her focus was on the forest around her. She was mapping the terrain, the trees.
For the next few minutes, the knights' mocking continued, a barrage of taunts and insults as they carelessly tore through the surrounding trees. The sound of splintering wood and rustling leaves filled the air, a testament to their brute force and lack of finesse.
"Come on, give up already; I can't just harm such a delicate girl as you," Raphael cooed, a sickly sweet tone in his voice.
"Yeah, right, and don't use our power to destroy us. That's awful."
Raphael laughed, the sound like grinding stones. "He can't do it, brother; her only ability is to hide."
"Just keep hiding, it will only prove that you're still a delicate flower who can't fight guys like us," Michael taunted, a cruel grin spreading across his face. Their plan, a clumsy attempt at psychological warfare, seemed to work as Sari emerged from the shadows.
"Looking for me?" she asked, her voice calm and steady, one arm cocked confidently on her hip.
"Yeah, what the—?!" Raphael's sneer vanished, replaced by a look of sheer disbelief as thick, gnarled tree vines, like living serpents, wrapped around them both, immobilizing them in an instant.
"You're lucky I only find Atmicus vines, which are one of the strongest vines here in Zeraschia," she said, a hint of professional detachment in her voice, "...but not as strong as Raven vines, which contain poison..." she mumbled. She had found this information not through some grand adventure, but during long, quiet hours in a library, sorting through ancient texts.
She came across a thick, sturdy branch—perfect.
The world froze in a silent, suspended moment. Sari moved toward the two Holy Knights, her gaze unwavering. "Why do Zeraschians have to be so attractive?" she mumbled. She slapped herself lightly, shaking her head at her own foolishness. There was no time for distractions.
A pang of guilt struck her. "Smashing their heads might be a bit harsh," she whispered to herself. The thought of inflicting serious harm on them made her stomach churn. They were Holy Knights; they could take it, but even so, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Still, the victory she craved was within her grasp. "You need to win, Sari," she reminded herself, her grip tightening on the branch.
A voice in her head, the voice of her conscience, pleaded, "But I can't just hit them that way." Frustration mounted. "How can I win if I'm hesitating?!" she silently screamed.
She looked at the two frozen knights, and a different kind of smile crept across her face. Her hesitation melted away, replaced by a much better plan.
"WHAT IS SHE DOING?" Marco bellowed, his eyes wide as he realized what Sari was capable of. He had watched her, poised and ready to strike, the branch a deadly extension of her will. 'She could have hit them with the branch she's got!' he thought, but the true nature of her moral struggle was lost on him. He couldn't comprehend why she would hesitate.
Time play.
"Why did you let us go?" one of the knights, Raphael, demanded.
Sari stammered, caught off guard. "Uhh... Well, I— I just can't finish you off without letting you know. I-it's rude, right?" She stared at them, bewildered by her own decision, a shiver of fear running down her spine. She had wasted her only chance to win easily, and regret gnawed at her.
Raphael laughed, a cruel, cold sound. "Such a naive little girl. We're on a battlefield, sweetheart. You can't just show kindness to your enemy."
His companion, Michael, sighed in exasperation. "What a complete idiot you are." His voice was laced with disbelief. "And we can't afford to let this opportunity slide."
"I'm sorry, sweetie... You already wasted our time; we're done playing games with you."
The air crackled with power as they began to cast their finishing blows. "Cloud Magic: Cloudy Day—Acid Rain!"
"Palm Magic: Thousand Palms!"
Sari smiled. "Here it comes..." she whispered, her act of naivete coming to a close.
She stopped time.
The world went silent again as she moved with impossible speed, grabbing the Holy Knights and repositioning them precisely where their own spells would land. Sari used the ropes she collected earlier, swiftly binding the knights.
Time play, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
The two Holy Knights stared in disbelief as their own destructive spells rained down upon them.
[Michael and Raphael are transferred to the safe zone!]
"Phew!" she exclaimed as she awaited the arrival of their opponent's Queen to carry out the next plan.