I shut my eyes tightly and knelt down, expecting the massive wave to eat me alive. Two seconds pass, three,four, five , nothing. I slowly opened my eyes, and immediately, they grew wider.
"N-no Dermis....."
He embraced me, forming a shield between me and the wave.
His arms that were tightly connected with me fell to the ground.
My ears started buzzing, and I started panicking. I couldn't breathe. The red liquid from his body managed to cover my whole face. He didn't speak, nor did he move. Tremious and Kyoko weren't here. It was a matter of time when the next wave to come. Tears streamed down my face, and my life started flashing before my eyes. My chest felt like it was caving in as I sat beside his motionless body.
I pressed my hand against his wounds as a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. It won't stop. Please stop! Please! I began you!
"Dermis! Please stay with me!! PLEASE!!" I cried out, and my voice cracked. I couldn't think straight - every second felt like an eternity, every breath he took felt like the last. The world was tilting for me. His silence was unbearable.
[Aniel.....get up...]
( [tomb]!!! Help me!!)
[Get up immediately!! Don't waste your life with his!!]
I looked up and saw that women approaching me. Her complexion didn't change. She was least bothered. My panicked breathing grew larger, and that's the only noise ringing in my head.
My adrenaline for the last time went into madness. The anger, sadness, guilt, had turn to a massive commitment for revenge. I was determined to skin her alive.
[The agility stones]
With [tomb's] instructions, I used the remaining two agility stones. I got up and glanced at his face for the last time. Complex emotions surged within me. Every muscle in my body started acting up due to the agility stones. It was as if an electric current flew inside my nerves.
I glared at her dead in the eye and gritted my teeth. [Starlight's tomb] vibrating crazily in my grip.
***
With a dashing speed, Aniel ran towards the demon. She got prepared herself and summoned her demonic energy. Again, a massive wave was incoming. However, this time, it didn't work. Aniel bent her knees and tightened her torso. She slid right past the demon in a vush. The ground shattered with every step she took. She ducked, and sparks erupted as her spear clashed into her scale . The demon tilted to a bow and a little taken aback, causing her to take a stance and aim mercilessly at Aniel.
Aniel's boots ripped due to her fast movements. Her sweat didn't have enough time to drip from her face. Her hair stuck to various parts of her face, and her eyes stung with the salty sweat.
The demon lunched again, this time five massive waves of demonic energy, but Aniel was faster this time. Her agility stones wirked tirelessly for her. She spun her heel, thrusting her spear right at her face where the scales weren't present. She slid her spear sharp for the last and final time, slicing her head off in two parts. Her two horns fell to the ground, and her body was left standing.
Even in such a situation, the demon gave her final attack. A large bulk of demonic energy from above that engulfed Aniel and made her fall to the ground. It was the least expected attack.
Yet the demon was dead, Aniel was left on the shattered pieces of ground. Dermis is also not moving. She struggled her face to the right to take a glance at him. He was facing the opposite side. She couldn't see his face. Nevertheless, she knew. If he had looked her way, his thin lips would curve, and he would look at her ever so purely. That was the only thing she wanted to see right now.
Her body gave up, she couldn't feel anything in her axial, and appendicular parts felt nothing. Her brain was foggy, and she began closing her eyes slowly.
A thin lingering voice came from a place, she didn't know who's voice it was.
"Aniel! Aniel! Quick take her to the medics!!,. Yes, take Dermis there!!"
Her consciousness was fading. She could only see and hear a fragment of things.
And at last, she prayed a small prayer under her breath.
(Please save him)
***
I slowly lifted up my eyelids and narrowed my eyes to clear my vision. A brick wall? I was lying on a bed, with my hands covered with stitches and bandages. A neck brace covered my neck, and I couldn't feel my legs under the blanket.
Instantly, a flood of memories rushed back to me. My victory against the blue demon. Tremious, Kyoko, Ororon, and Dermis. Dermis? Dermis?!?!
I tried to get up, but my body wouldn't budge. I struggled to move an inch of my body, but it felt like I was paralysed.
"Aniel? Are you awake? Aniel!!! Oh my Goodness!! Are you okay. I was so worried!!" Kyoko cried out while embracing me tightly.
I tried to speak. However, my mouth was dry, and my tongue was asleep. I shuffled my tongue for some water.
"Oh,! Yes, yes! Here, drink this"
"K-kyoko..." My voice cracked
"Yes..." she frowned and looked at me anxiously.
"D-dermis...?"
Suddenly, her face turned gloomy and dark. My eyes grew twice the size, and I started fidgeting again to get up, this time helplessly.
"Don't worry!! His alive!! He's just not in a good condition...."
I stopped and signalled Kyoko to continue.
"Don't worry, Tremious is managing that side. He found some ways to help him. It's gonna be alright. "
I gave a sigh of relief. And the corner of my eyes detected another entity coming towards me.
"Aniel!!" A small boy cried out while hugging me.
His little voice was so faint. He must've been so scared.
I forced a smile on my face to reassure the little boy as much as possible.
"S-sorry....it's because of me Dermis and you are like this" he sniffled and his voice was unclear.
To think that he would blame himself. I shook my head and caressed his hair.
"Not your fault. Nobody's fault"
"Where?" I talked as little as possible since my throat was burning.
"The village we saved took us in and is providing us with the necessity that we need."
"Oh,"
"You don't need to meddle with these things. Just focus on your recovery. I will check up on Dermis again. "
Kyoko left carrying something, and I needed to know if someone else was doing okay.
( [tomb] can you hear me?)
No reply came. I searched for her in the room and saw her being hanged near a desk.
"O-ororon, give spear."
He looked for it in a hurry and struggled to carry it towards me. I held her close and pondered again.
( [tomb]? )
[H________m___.....]
Her voice was faint and was in fragments, my mana wasn't stable enough to understand her words.
(Are you okay?)
[Y__________s]
(Good... please wait a little for me, I will talk to you soon. I will keep my promise)
[....._____]
After one week of sticking to the bed, I was finally able to make movements. Immediately, with the help of Kyoko, I went to see Dermis.
I covered my mouth in shock. He was lying there so motionlessly. I frowned and asked Kyoko.
"Has he still not regained his consciousness?"
"No...not yet. He will take a little longer apparently"
"What are you two doing here?" A familiar voice came from behind.
"Tremious" I smiled looking at him.
"Oh, you are back"
"She should be in bed now"
"Aaa, I just wanted to see him"
"You are a patient yourself, not a visitor. Get out, go recover first."
I frowned and smiled at him with guilt.
"Thank you Tremious, again you were given the task to save our lives"
"Tsk, you all are annoying me so much. What were you knuckle heads even thinking??" He was extremely frustrated now.
"Sorry....we had to save those people"
"...hmm.... look he is waking up"
"!!!!!"
His eyes slowly started to open and we three watched him anxiously. He slowly tilted his face towards us and we all smiled at him happily.
"Dermis!!"