The three last soldiers were sucked into the endless black.
Uhra leaned only a few steps away against the wall. At least what was left of her.
She was completely destroyed, huge cracks and holes ran through her.
Only the part he leaned on was still intact.
He set himself in motion and walked over the equally broken floor.
Every few meters there were holes.
Uhra raised her head.
The entire part of the house lay like that.
And everywhere lay severed body parts of attackers that had not been completely sucked in.
"I guess I overdid it a little," he murmured.
A grin split his lips
as he jumped through a hole in the floor into the ground floor.
He landed on his feet and stretched.
"I should look for Ruigh," he said contentedly.
Ruigh dodged a blade and staggered back. Three attackers circled him.
They had waited for him. And just as he had entered a new corridor, they had pounced on him.
One of the veiled ones,
a tall man, jumped at the wall and pushed himself off.
He shot at Ruigh, who leapt aside just in time.
The man crashed hard on the ground behind him.
From the side the second approached.
Smaller than the first.
He struck lightning-fast.
His blade approached Ruigh's throat.
Ruigh's eyes narrowed.
He performed a cutting movement with his right hand.
Slowly a cut drew itself over the attacker's upper body.
Then it tore.
Blood sprayed into Ruigh's face,
colored one half red.
With a grim look he regarded the torn one.
"I have no time for such things," he murmured.
A movement distracted him.
The tall man was back on his feet and attacked him.
Ruigh ducked and dodged the blade that glided over him.
He passed at the man's side,
turned around himself and broke his neck.
The corpse fell to the ground with a dull thud.
The third shot at him.
But he was struck down by black rays of light.
They pierced his body
and made him scream.
Ruigh turned away.
He had to move on.
Uhra walked along the dark corridor, hands buried in his pockets.
He stopped briefly and seemed to think, then nodded.
"I should notify them,"
he murmured.
Uhra grabbed the radio on his belt and spoke into it.
"Hello, don't come in, stay outside on standby, otherwise you'll just die away."
From the radio came crackling and someone said:
"Understood."
Uhra put the radio back on his belt while he casually walked on.
Then something stirred in the dark.
Out of the shadows before him slid a veiled figure.
He raised his blade and sprinted toward Uhra.
The attacker jumped and let his blade slash down on Uhra's head.
Uhra's hand shot forward.
He tore out his throat.
The soldier's gaze turned glassy.
And he fell.
Before he could land on the ground Uhra pierced through his chest.
The attacker screamed.
Then went limp.
Uhra pulled his hand out of the body.
Blood sprayed forth and the body fell to the ground.
Uhra smiled thoughtfully and stepped over the corpse.
"What a waste of time,"
he murmured.
Ruigh sprinted down the dark corridor.
His eyes scanned the shadows before him.
Suddenly he heard a scream.
He stopped, looked around.
"Where did that come from?" he murmured.
Then he nodded. "From there, I suppose."
He walked a few steps to a corner.
Uhra moved away from the corpse and headed straight toward the same corner.
He hummed softly.
Ruigh listened.
A humming.
Someone was humming.
He rolled his eyes.
"Uhra …" he murmured and stepped out from behind the corner.
Uhra raised his hand with a grin.
"Ah, how nice – you're still alive, boy."
"Too bad you still are," Ruigh growled.
Uhra laughed.
"Wow, Phantom, not so aggressive." He tilted his head. "Where's Ned?"
Ruigh crossed his arms.
"Dead. Where's Kenta?"
Uhra chuckled.
"Dead."
Ruigh sighed.
"We'll drink to them later."
Uhra raised an eyebrow.
"You drinking? You're fifteen."
"Who said anything about alcohol … ah, whatever. Just come. Let's search the rest of the house and get out of here."
Ruigh walked past him.
Uhra grinned broadly.
"All right then, I'll buy you a nice, big cola later, okay?" He looked at him with mock seriousness. "But only this once. Actually, it's already bedtime."
Aren wandered through the inside of the house.
Sweat ran down his forehead.
He pressed the backpack against him as if it were a newborn.
Again and again he stumbled, catching himself at the last moment.
So he dragged himself to the room Rero had told him about.
His hand trembled as he read the number on the door.
66.
He looked around hastily, his eyes jumping from shadow to shadow.
Then he opened the door.
It swung open slowly.
An empty room.
Only a table stood in the middle.
Aren staggered toward it, gasping, and leaned heavily on the edge.
His heart raced.
Full of terror, full of duty.
He had to do it.
For her.
With trembling fingers he placed the backpack on the table and opened the zipper.
Black and gleaming it appeared.
Large. Threatening.
A bomb.
Aren pressed the timer.
Hesitant. Almost as if he could still change his mind.
Then he stepped back.
The red blinking reflected in his dull eyes.
5 minutes.
Then it would be over.
He stumbled back, hit the wall.
His hand clutched his chest, where the heart beat.
His eyes twitched restlessly, almost mad.
"Their destruction is for her …" he whispered.
"Only for her."
Ruigh looked out of a door.
"Got anything?" he called to Uhra.
Uhra rummaged in the house opposite.
"No, nothing," he called.
"Only dust. You?"
Ruigh stepped into the hallway.
"Nothing here either."
Uhra laughed while loud clattering accompanied his voice.
"Didn't expect anything else."
Ruigh rolled his eyes and paused.
A sound distracted him.
Steps.
In the shadow before him, a figure hurried past, hunched over.
It staggered and leaned against the wall.
Ruigh's eyes widened.
He knew her.
"Aren," he breathed in surprise.
He took a step forward.
Then unrestrained heat broke over him.
Followed by the light.
It devoured everything.
Tore apart the stone.
Took it all in.