The crackle of lightning spread through the room. A strong bolt crashed into the ground and smoke billowed out from the impact. Amidst the smoke a certain djinn began to make her way towards the door. Her mind raced as fights started to break out. She needed to escape before things got too intense, if they all got caught up in the dining room even if they won they'd still be surrounded. At least that was what she told herself, rationalizing her thoughts as she made a dash towards the door, but instead of being met with the two large doors she ran face first into a furred chest.
"And where do you think you're going?" Axel jeered with a smirk on his face.
Celene's body froze as she ran into the jackal. Her body broke out into a cold sweat and shivers ran through her entire body. Her throat closed up and her knees buckled, that same feeling returned within her. A feeling of helplessness, of fear, a feeling devoid of hope. Her legs went weak, she barely kept herself standing as her legs shakily took a step back. Her mind drug right back into the mind of that small girl she once was, her harsh past haunting every fiber of her being as she was face to face with one of the very jackals that had been hunting her kind down.
In her shaken and fearful stupor a clawed hand suddenly gripped her throat. With a grin plastered across his face Axel grabbed and lifted Celene into the air, his claws dug into her skin, blood trickled down her neck as pained whimper escaped from her lips and tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Oh? Where did all that snarky confidence go. Did it run out after seeing that blue haired brat get pummeled into the table?" He mocked with a slight hint of laughter in his voice.
Her feet dangled in the air, her hand scratched and punched at Axel's arm that held her suspended in the air. Her eyes grew wetter and wetter as she punched and kicked only to be met with more and more laughter as she was raised higher and the grip on her neck grew tighter and tighter. The building around her seemed to flash in and out of her vision, the flames of her past seemed to envelop the building, the memories of her past melded with the present. Her vision flashed with images of her past overlapped with her suspended view.
"Alright time to get you back to- shit!" As Axel spoke a sharp pain suddenly shot through his leg.
His grip on Celene's neck vanished, he dropped her to the ground the djinn fell onto her knees in front of him. Down on his calf Henry had latched on, his beak clamped down onto the jackal's leg as he bit him with enough force to draw a bit of blood.
As he looked down at his bitten leg Axel's brow furrowed in anger. He swung his leg and kicked Henry sending him crashing through the doors to the room before he slammed into the hallway wall. "Fucking duck! Where do you get off biting me!?"
As his voice echoed out Celene jumped a bit, she skittered and fumbled to her feet nearly tripping on herself as she bolted out of the room. She ran with a sudden strength in her legs as she was given an opportunity. She swiped Henry and carried him in her grip as she started to run down the halls of the Rastis estate. Her ragged breathing only increasing as she ran through the halls. The flashes of those flames plagued her vision. The pristine building flashed from what she saw to collapsed burning buildings, the screams and cries she heard that day echoed in her head once again as she ran and ran Henry clutched against her chest, her own body becoming stained in the duck's blood as she blindly ran.
As she ran Axel chuckled softly before he erupted into full on laughter. "I guess we'll be having a hunt tonight after all!" He cackled as he began to saunter after her.
Celene stumbled and crashed through the halls, she found herself rushing into a room and slamming the door closed behind her. She collapsed against the door, her back slid down the wooden frame her knees tucked towards her chest as she held a pained and wounded Henry close. Her body trembled as she looked down at Henry. His body curled into hers as his breathe strained him entirely. Her mind began to race even more, she fumbled with Henry and placed him in front of her as she attempted to help him. Her hands ran around his body pressed against his open wounds trying to slow down his bleeding when the door to the room was flung off of its hinges. Wood and debris were sent flying into the room along with Henry and Celene as they were catapulted to the other end of the room along with the door by the force of Axel's foot as he kicked down the door a large grin on his face.
"Found ya." He smirked as he lowered his leg.
His hands were hidden and tucked away in his pockets as he strolled into the room. He looked down at the trembling and battered Celene and licked his lips. He reached out towards her once more but was once more met with Henry's teeth. As his arm loomed towards Celene Henry jumped and lunged towards it and bit down on his forearm making the jackal wince as he swung his arm and flung Henry off of him making him crash into the furniture that lined the side wall of the room.
"I'm getting real fucking sick of you." Axel's voice shook with conceited anger.
His gaze had finally shifted away from Celene. Stomping towards Henry the duck had barely managed to recover from being flung into the wall as he waddled back onto his webbed feet and lunged at Axel once again. The jackal grinned as he swung his leg to kick Henry. As his foot planted itself Henry's chest a layer of sand seemed to form on him but it was immediately shattered as the jackal's foot crashed into it and sent the duck flying across the room once again. A pained quack rang out from Henry as he cratered the wall with his body after such a harsh kick, he fell to the ground his entire body bloody, his beak crooked from the constant assault and his feathers in tatters and yet as Henry stood up after his body bounced off the crater he dashed towards the jackal yet again while letting out a long strained quack.
As he saw Henry get back up and dash towards him again Axel's expression darkened "God, why won't you just die already! You're just a damn duck!" He exclaimed as he launched another kick at Henry.
Once again a thin barrier of sand seemed to form but it was useless, the sand collapsed as the jackal's foot shot into Henry and sent him ragdolling through the room. By all accounts a duck should have died from a single kick from a jackal such as Axel. But even after that last kick Henry continued to breathe, one of his eyes had swollen shut and he hobbled up only able to stand on one of his feet with other bent and tucked up.
Celene watched on as Henry was battered and beaten in defense of her. The feelings of her past, of the young girl she used to be flooded into her more and more. Once again those she cared about were being beaten and abused before her very eyes. Once again they were going to take her away from where she was happy to plunge her into a life of darkness.
"I'm getting real sick of your shit." Axel grumbled.
As Henry struggled to stand once again Axel didn't approach instead he raised his hand up, sand began to swirl around her shoulder. It rained and swirled down his arm, the sand met in the palm of his hand and raised into the air. It hardened and bonded together and slowly took form until a massive broadsword made of sand had manifested in the air above his hand.
"Now die!" Axel shouted as he threw the massive sword.
He swung his arm the massive sword sliced through the air, it barreled towards Henry as the duck let out a rallying quack as it launched itself towards the sword in defiance and retaliation. The two forced careened towards each other when a shimmering streak of light suddenly shot through the sword. A hole in the shape of a star appeared in the blade before the sand broke apart and fell to the floor. Having raised from her position on the floor Celene trembled softly as he extended hand fizzled with the pink shimmer of her magic. Her finger twirled as the large star swirled around the room before it returned to her and she panted softly.
"T-think again jackass." She muttered out in defiance as she tried to steel herself.
Celene's body trembled with the fear of her past and yet she stood tall. Her ragged breathing slowed, her body caught a steady tempo as she faced the jackal. With the star bursting through his blade Axel fumed.
"Finally grew some backbone huh you djinn bitch." He growled as his gaze returned to her. "I'm sick of this, Tyet is gonna have to deal with a few missing limbs."
Axel 's expression grew dark as he raised his hand and an entire armory's worth of sand swords appeared in the air around him. He threw his hand down and sent a rain of swords down on Celene, her eyes went wide as she started to dash around the room. Two of her fingers pointed and traced the air, her star responded to each flick and swish of her fingers. It shot from sword to sword, it burst through and destroyed them one by one with blistering speed. But the barrage was endless, sword after sword sliced through the air faster than the star could catch, they narrowly missed Celene time and time again. They cut and slash at her face, her arms and her legs, gashes and cuts burst open from each narrow dodge of the swords as she clenched her teeth through the pain. As if she was constrained and forced into a dance, she had no time to stop moving, her feet danced through the room as she frantically dodged the hail of swords while she kept her star moving. Her struggle to dodge every blade was only met with a cackling laughter.
"That's right! Dance for me! This is all you're good for! It's all you'll ever be! Why don't you light up for me to you damn lamp!" Axel laughed maniacally as his barrage of swords increased.
Celene grimaced as his words cut through her. As the barrage of swords intensified her focus splintered. She struggled to dodge and command her star at the same time, her hurried movements failed her as a sword stabbed into her idle shoulder. A pained scream came from her and she tumbled to the ground as her movements came to a sudden halt from the sword that pierced her arm. Her breathe grew labored as she tumbled onto the ground, she tried to push herself up but a sharp pain ran through her stabbed arm as she tried to leave the ground.
Axel chuckled as Celene groveled on the ground, he sauntered towards her and crouched down and grabbed her neck. He made her look up at him with a smirk on his face. "Now, which limb to take. Can't have you lashing out again." He licked his lips as another blade formed behind him.
Celene's heart beat out of her chest, the sound rang over and over again in her own head. Once again she was helpless, not only could she not protect herself someone else had fought for her and she couldn't even help. Nothing had changed, she was still the same helpless girl that was surrounded by an unending sea of flames. Her mind raced, her blood boiled, and those repressed memories flooded her mind over and over again. A repeat of her past, she had finally gotten away and she was about to be dragged back.
"No..... not again..." She muttered to herself.
Her heartbeat quickened, the mana in her body started to swirl and crash back and forth inside her body. Her mana core fizzled and bubbled as something inside her swirled. Her vision caught glimpse of the beaten and battered Henry. Images of her beaten mother flashed in her head, the little girl who could only cry and plead helplessly as she was torn away from her home. She had steeled herself before she went into that dining room, she wasn't the same little girl anymore, a life of chains wasn't for her, she was free and she'd rather die than be bound once again. Her body swirled and surged with mana as she grabbed Axel's wrist and gripped, her body began to glow and shimmer.
"Oh there it is, give me a light show you-"
Axel's taunt was cut short as a surge of powerful mana burst forth from Celene. A starry energy shot through the room sent him flying through the room and crashing through the wall back into the hallway. Celene's body shimmered and sparkled, her skin seemed to be subtly flowing as if the starry night sky itself found residence upon her skin.
"You beasts won't take me again." She stated as she stood up once again.
As he got flung out of the room Axel's body got covered in debris and scratches as he pulled himself out of the rubble of the walls. A loud growl echoed from him as he brushed the debris off of him. "You fucking bitch, I'll kill you!"
A large sword formed in front of Axel, he gripped the handle and lunged back at Celene, his sword barreled down towards Celene from above his head as he slashed down at her. Celene flicked her fingers and her star swooped underneath her and carried her into the air. She stood atop her star as she glared down at the jackal and the night sky formed behind her.
"Starfall." Her voice echoed
On her command the stars that were suspended in the air around her fell out of orbit and crashed down into the ground. A sea of stars slammed into the floor, the entire room took the attack. Walls, chairs, all assortment of furniture destroyed as stars crashed down into them. An entire section of the Rastis estate came crumbling down as the barrage eventually came to an end. Dust and debris covered the area as Celene stood atop her star hovering over the scene, her chest heaved with her labored breathing.
"Serves him right. Now where's-"
A sharp pain suddenly shot through Celene's side, a cold chill started to run down her body. As her gaze turned down towards her own body a large gash had appeared on her stomach. The cold blood ran down her side as she coughed and a trail of blood trickled down her chin. The star she hovered on wobbled and wavered as the silhouette of the jackal hung in the air behind her.
"Blistering Armory: Arid Knight."