'Oh shit..' his mind raced 'I'm done for..'
"Who are you and what are you doing trespassing here?" she asked him with warning in her tone.
"I um - Damn.. Don't have an excuse. Sorry about this." he said as he charged towards her, going to knock her out.
She caught his punch with ease, looking at him with a blank expression, being unimpressed and punching his chest with her palm. Axion fell on his back and was zapped by lightning for a few seconds.
That's when he realized.
She's an awakened.
Lightning quietly cackled on his body.
"You are not impressive. An average human." she said as if she was spitting down on him.
Axion kipped up and went to front kick her, yet she easily side stepped. He felt the power difference between the two of them.
His eyes widened as she kicked his other leg, dropping him back on the ground.
"Why would a bastard like you break into a house such as this?"
"Do you have no intellect or are you simply just dumb?"
"Will you or will you not speak?"
Her questions did make a good point.
Axion knew he can not beat an awakened, much less an awakened from a Noble House, Clan and with countless training facilities and lessons. It was basically impossible.
The halfway was quite dark as no light was turned on. The only thing illuminating anything was the moon's light blessing through the windows.
She stepped on his hand and pressed down, striking pain as he gritted his teeth and chose to speak.
"The Totem…"
"Huh? What totem?"
"Of Miiraana."
She stepped off his hand and picked him up by his shirt's collar. She was quite strong.
"What are you talking about?" the princess seemed confused
"..."
Axion headbutted her and sent her stumbling a few steps back before she regained her composure.
"Imbecile!" she exclaimed
'I can't beat her. No chance…'
He started to run for it but she quickly caught up, grabbed his arm and pulled him to the floor, stepping on his chest now.
"Why would you do that hm?" she asked him with an agrier tone, twisting his arm a bit going to break it.
"W-Wait…" he uttered "I'm Axion…"
"Leiana. Pleasure. Now speak before I actually start breaking your bones and then throw you in a cell to rot."
"Okay.. Okay.."
She assisted him up and hand lightning brewing around her hand, ready to discharge it.
Leiana Pistanyen… The King's daughter was clearly awakened with the Faint element of lightning. Seems decently high ranked too.
"You're surprisingly odd for doing things yourself." Axion commented, feeling the lingering stinging pain of her palm punch still.
"Yes, well I'm interested as this is the first time i've seen a homeless bastard break into a wealthy house."
"I'm here for something, princess, I don't intend to share that much."
"You mentioned a totem. I want to know about it."
He thought she was messing with him but realized that the way she speaks, she's either a good liar or genuinely doesn't know.
Axion doesn't trust her at all. Both of them heard a scream in the distance of a woman "Murderers!" and so Leiana turned back to Axion.
"Assumed you were good.. Not alone either and a murderer? Here you had me interested for a moment. Farewell forever now, Axion."
"Wait! I can expla-
She placed two fingers up at Axion's chest, blasting a miniature lightning bolt at him but he did his best to jump out the way. It hit and destroyed the wall at the end of the hall.
It opened the airway to outside.
"I have no intention of siding with murderers. You did make my night interesting, but now.. Well.." she started speaking, glaring at him whilst he got up.
"Listen.. Princess, I swear to you that I am a good guy. I just want stuff to get done, okay? I'm just trying to get by."
"That so? How many of you are here then?"
"Five. Including me."
"I see. And what does the Totem do?"
"..."
Axion didn't know.
The screaming loudness increased as the guards began to yell too.
'What has Bekker or Ragnar done…'
'To be exclaimed murderers… No way… Did Bekker kill someone…'
"Well?" she asked with an irritation in her tone.
The loudness of the guards running up the stairs increased.
"I don't know. But if you wanted me dead or to turn me over, you would've done so, right? So please, cut me loose right now."
She sighed and glanced over her shoulder, seeing the guards and immediately taking a stance.
"If your will to live is strong-" she whispered and had her mouth covered so the guards wouldn't see "Then you will survive and explain everything. If not… Well, another potential psychotic murderer down. And no, I care not about enforcing rules."
She placed two fingers up at Axion's chest again, blasting a miniature lightning bolt at him.
He went to raise his right arm but was just blasted in it.
His eyes widened from the sudden sharp pain as he was sent flying out the opening in the wall.
His eyes began closing automatically as he touched his wound, seeing blood on his fingertips, feeling a burning sensation.
'The pain… It's too much… I can feel my life slipping away from me… Damn…'
Axion wasn't angry. He was disappointed. Disappointed in the fact that he couldn't honor anything. Not this mission, not the promise he made to his mother. Not anything.
His eyelids felt heavy as he laid there on the street with people surrounding him.
A large thud occurred as he felt being picked up.
Between blinks, he saw Leiana standing and gazing down coldly from that crack in the wall.
Looking to see who was carrying him, it was Ragnar.
"I got you buddy."
He said as he ran
"Stay with me."
Not a few seconds later, Axion's eyes closed. They were too just too heavy.