Dust fell from the sky as Alice walked through the ruined streets of Sea Fallen, holding the small coin that bore the emblem of a crab on it.
Once I get to the coast, I can find a boat to escape on…
The young girl had no meaningful connection with the city as her parents abandoned her when she was only four to venture out to become hunters.
They had left her with her grandparents, and for three years, everything had seemed fine with Alice being the top of her class and postcards appearing every year on her birthday from her parents.
However, on her seventh birthday, as she reached into the tiny mailbox to pull out the letter, a package from the Guild was the only thing lodged inside.
She had unwrapped it carefully with enthusiasm, hoping it was a gift from her parents celebrating one of their quests being complete, yet what was inside crushed her beyond all that she could've expected.
One piece of paper lay at the bottom of the box with small writing that her grandparents read out between tears to Alice, who tilted her head in confusion.
"During a routine bodyguard mission taken out by the pair in the Sea of Mystery, an unmarked warship launched an assault on their client with experimental chemical weapons."
"Within moments, they sent counterfire against the invaders attempting to protect the research vessel; however, during the fray, an unexpected variable took effect."
"An unheard-of encounter occurred as a high-tier sea terror dove from the depths, emerging and decimating the ship in seconds, killing every person aboard instantly."
"In the chaos, the attacking warship failed to capture the researchers, allowing them to reach the Bay of Thorn safely delivering vital medical data that eradicated the one-thousand-year plague that swept the world three decades prior."
Alice stared at her sobbing grandparents, who could barely stutter out the last line of the note, waiting for the remaining words.
"Mr and Mrs. Styx died heroes and will be remembered in memorial at the Oakly research center in the Sea of Wishes forever."
Each word stuck deeply within the small girl's head, forming the principles that would stick with her until the day Sea Fallen collapsed.
"If only we had real heroes."
These memories rushed through Alice's head as she came to the top of the largest hill in the city, which overlooked the Great Sea Wall.
The scene that she saw reflected in her green eyes was that of destruction and ash cascading down from the sky above.
Flames raced through the town, destroying whatever was in their way, burning buildings, animals, and people all the same.
T-The wall is gone…
Complete shock ran through her mind as the indomitable image of the Great Sea Wall vanished, only to be replaced by massive waves that crashed over the coastline, washing away the land.
With the wall gone, is there anywhere safe to go anymore? Could anyone even survive this disaster?
Thoughts that no nine-year-old should deal with wedged their way deep within her subconscious, weeding away at the only thing she had left, sanity.
Out of the corner of her eye, a patch of calm blue water appeared through the hazy smog that covered the city.
"The port!"
Without wasting a second, she bolted down the steep slope of the hill towards the familiar harbor that she visited each day to get rations from the kind priestess who supplied her food.
A short pang of worry coursed through her as she realized that the only place that she had felt peace after her parents' death, the church, was directly in the direction of the fire.
I hope she and the other nuns are okay…
…
At the same time, on the surface near the Cathedral of Dreams, a brilliant blast of pink light exploded from the ground, leaving tiny particles floating in the air.
Inside the building itself, one of these orbs made contact with a frozen nun who stood above the passageway into the Mausoleum below.
For a moment, nothing happened; however, beneath her skin, pustules of colorful light bloomed and grew to the size of a ball within seconds.
And then, they popped.
Blood ricocheted throughout the entire space, splattering against the other nuns, whose bodies began to experience the same symptoms as the first before eventually meeting the same fate.
After five minutes, not a single living being remained inside the Cathedral, leaving the building quiet and dark without a soul in sight.
…
"Hrk!"
Aaron's throat felt as dry as dirt as he inhaled as much air as he could, trying to catch his breath before falling backwards against the stone in relief.
On his head, he felt the small Mr. Crab stir slightly; however, he quickly resumed his nap as if his captain hadn't entered into a dream world.
Ouch… But wait… What the hell was that? Did that winged guy see me?
He tried to turn his body in the direction of the man whose dream he had entered, but quickly noticed something soft lying next to him.
"Huh? What's this…"
His eyes widened in horror as he stared at the lifeless Eleanor, whose skin was as pale as snow and whose breath was unmoving and silent.
"E-Eleanor…?"
Aaron's voice was shaky as he leaned over, putting his ear close to her mouth, trying to listen for the sound of her breathing.
N-Nothing?
The boy nearly fell back in shock; however, he regained his composure, remembering what the dock workers had told him about a dead man.
C-Check the pulse.
Stumbling over himself, he placed his right hand against her neck, trying to feel for a pulse.
Her body was still warm, which reassured him slightly; however, what he realized next froze him in place.
N-No pulse…
Every thought in his head vanished in an instant, with everything he had ever learned being thrown out at once.
Memories of the short time he spent with the blonde-haired priestess pushed their way to the surface of his mind as tears began to gather in his eyes.
"I-It can't be…"
He reached over her, beginning to try to resuscitate her, yet a sudden noise behind him caused him to spin around, immediately dodging a thick black blade that would've decapitated him instantly.
"You're fast."
The voice that spoke was a husky, masculine voice that he had heard before from inside his memory.
Aaron rolled himself across the cold tiles, dodging strike after strike from the winged man, eventually jumping to his feet and facing the man.
"Why the hell are you doing this!?"
His words were laced with confusion and fear, yet Adam simply laughed at them without a hint of pity.
"Why do you ask? Weren't you the one digging through my head? You should know better than anyone."
With that, he spat at Aaron's shoes, holding his blade at his side in a stance that betrayed hints of caution.
He's cautious of me? Why would he…
A sudden burst of realization coursed through the blonde-haired boy's head as he held his hands out in front of him.
I somehow infiltrated his mind, and he doesn't know how I did it. It's only logical that he would be wary of someone with that power. Though the only problem is, I didn't do that…
Thinking carefully, Aaron responded to the man's jests, adding slight hints of confidence to his voice, not revealing the pure terror running through him.
"For the betterment of the world, right? I guess killing me wouldn't hurt you too much with all the kids you've killed in the past…"
His words were cut off as Adam's blade rushed at his head without delay, only dodging his skull by a few centimeters.
"Your childish remarks mean nothing to me. I know what I've done and I'll pay a price for it, but I will not be humiliated by a weakling."
Aaron backed up while laughing at himself inwardly for thinking that he could deceive the arrogant monster he faced.
Dammit…
With each step he took backwards, Adam took another step forward, forcing him farther and farther to the edge of the chamber where his fate would be sealed.
His eyes darted through the room, checking for anything that could be of use, eventually coming across a chipped axe that lay near the red-haired woman.
If only I had a distraction, I could put up a fight against this guy…
Aaron suddenly widened his eyes as he remembered the last card he had in his sleeve.
Sorry about this, Mr. Crab.
In one quick motion as Adam readied his blade, he reached up to his mop of blonde hair, grabbed the blue crab by his pegleg, jolting him awake, and throwing him at the Dark Angel ahead of him.
The whoosh of the air as he flew was silent; however, as he hit the man, the sound of claws snapping together echoed throughout the chamber.
"AHHHHH!"
Bloody holes appeared on the side of Adam's face as Mr. Crab's legs dug into his skin, only spreading as the extremely startled crab ran around his body.
Taking this chance, Aaron dove from the wall towards the axe that rested in the dead girl's hand, easily ripping it from her grip and regaining his balance.
Alright, now I just need to…
His thought was caught off guard as he stared with utter confusion at the scene unfolding before him.
The mass murderer, Adam, the Dark Angel, was screaming in anger while chasing the very frightened crab through the chamber without any regard for Aaron, who watched from a distance.
"Ah… Sorry, Mr. Crab…"