—" Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about" murmured the girl with pigtails, she was hanging from a rope, although she bled from it, it didn't affect her.
—" Impressive, I keep wondering how stars like you can't take damage if you concentrate the card in a specific area" The apparent emissary of the blue flames kept leaving his silhouette under the shadows, he wasn't visible to the human eye.
—" Old man... it's not like I decided to have this card either, my family discarded me as a monster, will you leave me alone?" The girl moved her feet forward and back constantly, as she raised her gaze slightly, she could see the destroyed buildings, full of grime everywhere, abandoned a long time ago.
—" Girl, once again, would you give me the location of the walker?" His tone was deep, however, he forced himself to take a more relaxed sound, trying to seem harmless.
—" Once again, I don't know who you're talking about, besides... my partner is lurking" —" Ah, yes, I noticed"
From the cloudy sky, a totally gray card emerged, destroying itself to let a body out. A thin and tall body, a white hood covering his totally red dress clothes, partly showing his white skin, and a gaze full of rage, narrowed with a frown, his golden eyes.
—" She's a girl! Let's fight man to man, will you?!" His voice held some aggression, a voice cracked in his descent to the ground, his gray hair waving in the wind.
Summoning a card in his thin fingers, he destroyed it against the ground, smashing it into pieces that were directed toward the emissary.
He himself didn't even bother to dodge the attack, his body formed over years didn't worry, with something that could be considered invisible, the pieces vanished in a single cut.
The hanging girl let out a sigh of disappointment. —" Predictable attacks, Vladimir..." —" Shut up, I'm trying to help you, Ria!"
The emissary seemed interested in the slight exchange, using a tone full of controlled curiosity. —" So your names are Ria and Vladimir, right?"
The two shuddered at such a slip, Ria, without any specific movement, cut the rope that held her from that pillar, taking her knife from the floor, she got ready to fight...
—" Now, Ria!" The emissary turned his gaze to Ria, who was approaching from behind him, Vladimir came to think that the two of them could get close... the emissary clenched his right fist, quickly thin threads full of fire made of Ether surrounded Ria and Vladimir.
—" Wonderful... the stars obey the emissaries, behave yourselves, okay?"
Ria fell to the ground, surrounded by the threads, the fire seemed not to hurt them, she narrowed her eyes, looking at the emissary.
—"I'm telling you..." she let out a sigh of a pain she didn't understand —"we're not stars because we want to..."
Vladimir, for his part, was different, his shuddering was more aggressive, to the point that his hands wrapped around his neck, to end the suffering that way, he let out choked screams and his body shook on the ground.
The emissary noticed it, with a slight movement of his right hand, he summoned another thread on Vladimir's neck, controlling it so his hands wouldn't continue. —" These kids and their suicidal thoughts..."
The emissary came out of the shadows, long black hair full of particles of fire made of Ether, a face full of burn marks in some non-visible parts, a marked and white face, with eyes flaming red.
—"Come with me to the capital of Ritharion, we're less than 2 days from arriving if we steal a boat..." The emissary began to walk, with his back to them, Ria and Vladimir had tense and defiant gazes, they had no choice.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
—"I'm telling you Kaede took the books, you should look for her" said Calius, his hands hidden at the edge of his back, a calm and carefree look in front of Shiro, who looked a little embarrassed.
—"It's just that in this mansion I get lost easily..." After a while, Calius began to walk down the hallway, each step an echo through the wide hallway.
Shiro, without trying to talk, followed his steps at a considerable distance.
When they reached a split in the hallways, Calius pointed the opposite way from where he chose as his destination. —"It's the room at the back, I suppose you can identify which one you slept in yesterday" —" Are you going to sleep too?" —" Ah, yes, my sister is waiting for me"
Calius continued on his way. —" Those two... what relationship does Selina have with Calius...?"
Shiro simply advanced slowly, through the windows, he identified small buildings in the distance. —"Ritharion... we haven't left the mansion, maybe Kaede will cheer up if I ask her to go out"
Shiro took the handle and opened the door, he could identify the noises Kaede used to have fun, she was moving around on the bed, trying to read a book.
—" Ah... Shiro! Come, this book talks about Yuzuki's family!" —"Was her last name Kamiri?" —"No, silly, it's Kaminari!"
Shiro entered the room, next to the messy double-size bed, there was a desk with mirrors, decorated with hundreds of face products.
In the end, Shiro lay down next to Kaede, trying to identify what she was reading. —"Kaede, do you want to go out tomorrow to see Ritharion?"
Kaede closed the book hard out of excitement. —" You're finally asking me on a date?!"
Before Shiro could speak, Kaede began to jump on the bed excitedly, her black pajama clothes moving along with her, she looked very comfortable, as always.
He couldn't stop looking at her with affection, her red eyes left him captivated, without looking away.
"I stayed for you, and I'll fight for you, until I become stronger and can protect you"
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[5 hours later]
Vladimir let out tired sighs while walking through the night, the desert totally empty and cold, he only tried to complain the whole time.
—"Seriously... are you the emissary of the flames? You could help warm me up a little" Vladimir had a loaded backpack on his back, despite the cold he was sweating a little, his chest was frozen.
Ahead of him, the emissary advanced with nothing on him, he only seemed to want to project the greatest possible power.
—" My flames would kill you before you could try to warm up, better to keep ourselves in check between ´companions', right?"
Next to Vladimir, Ria advanced with a backpack that seemed even more loaded. —"Vladimir, I told you to concentrate the card on the two points of your shoulders, the backpack wouldn't fee-" —"I can't, I keep my card in one of my vital organs just in case"
The emissary walking in front of them let out a slight laugh. —" You distrust me that much? I wouldn't hurt you, after all..." the Ether around the emissary became tense —" I've had hundreds of opportunities to kill you so far"
[...]
—" Is that an excuse to make us carry your little magic stones?!" said Vladimir in an irritated tone.
Ria turned her gaze to her side, a crystallized a deformed being trying to get out of the reddish sand.
Without much effort, Vladimir summoned his gray card, it turning into a ring that fired a slight shockwave of wind, destroying the crystallized one with a loud sound of wind.
—"While we're at it, we have to protect it..." murmured Ria before continuing to advance.
The emissary advanced across the desert plain calmly, but something caught his attention.
—" Vladimir, did you use a maho card before your duty was granted to you?"
—"Yes... now I can only use 50% of my potential in wind magic because of the stupid gray card I have..."
—"It's not a gray card, we could call it a star card" said Ria
—"Call it whatever you want!"
The emissary laughed naturally at that slight interaction, but narrowed his eyes calmly as he kept walking.
—" I hope they're waiting for me at the dock, Ryouji and Amaya Kaminari..."
-------
-------
—"My feet hurt, seriously..." murmured Vladimir, complaining again
Vladimir looked up with weariness, he finally decided to leave his organs without the care of his card, putting the protection on his shoulders, sighing with relief
—" Mr. Emissary" murmured Ria
He kept walking, but was able to divert his attention slightly
—" What do you... need us for?"
He became a little pensive, looking for the right words
—" For my benefit, the two of you could be considered my main bodyguards"
—"Being bodyguards of the strongest emissary and maybe being able to die if you try to protect him in a fight, how exciting..." murmured Vladimir, in a somewhat pensive tone
The emissary laughed slightly
—" There are fights that can't be won just by being the strongest... although of course, there are some exceptions"
—" In Althera do we have such people?" murmured Ria
The emissary, somewhat cheered that his stars were starting to talk more with him, deigned to answer
—"Yes, especially two people"
—" Let me guess, the mother of the wind abyss or the dreamer of the star reef" murmured Vladimir
—"Where do you know those legends from? They're from the time when Pandora still reigned, you know about Pandora, right?"
—"...Vladimir was one of those who read books to appear intellectual " murmured Ria
—" Oh god... shut up!"
—" Anyway, anyway... the answer to my question could be... the younger Hinokami, I think not even I can beat him in direct combat, his strength is overwhelming by nature, if he mastered his card, probably all of us who consider ourselves bad for the people of this side of the sea, would stop acting"
—"This side of the sea..." murmured Ria
Vladimir watched his surroundings for a moment, something he had gotten used to
—" What, would he rise up against Pandora?" he said sarcastically while finishing checking
—"Vladimir, be quiet a little, you say irrelevant things"
Vladimir tried to say something, but from his expressions, it could be perceived that nothing came to his mind, and in the end, Ria spoke with the emissary again
—" Who's the other one?"
—" One of the last two walkers, Ryouji, although we call him the last necromancer"
—" Being a necromancer and a walker at the same time...? What special people..." murmured Vladimir
In the end, the emissary stopped suddenly, because of that, Vladimir and Ria did the same instinctively
At the far end of the desert, near the sea of souls, his black jacket protected him from the cold, beside him, the swordswoman held him carefully, supporting him by his wounds
The swordswoman of the maho card, Amaya Kaminari, and the last necromancer, Ryouji
—"You didn't fulfill your role, you caused me to have to act myself now"
Said the emissary in a direct and strong tone
In the background, Ryouji was about to walk, but he was too injured internally to do it, he just sat on the sand, for her part, Amaya did take a step forward, taking another would mark the start of something more
—" What do you intend to do with us?" Amaya asked directly, her purple hair waving with the wind
The emissary began to walk again
—"I can't return you to your world, so you have no choice but to stay here" the emissary's steps became slower, trying to delay in some way what would happen
—" I know you'll be angry, but... I allow you to vent by fighting for 5 minutes with this little one"
—"Uh... huh?" the emissary was referring to Ria, who felt it was sudden, but Vladimir was already taking her backpack off Ria so she could fight
—" Go ahead, they won't kill you for putting on 5 minutes of show"
Ria advanced without further ado, backing down here was the same as dying, anyway
Amaya, for her part, felt frustrated that he would send a girl to fight her, but... she realized instantly
"That girl isn't normal, I must take it seriously"
Ria tightened her knife, gripping it hard, Amaya, for her part, her card taking presence to summon her sword
The emissary approached Vladimir, spoke to him in a soft whisper
—" When I give you the signal, interfere, that woman doesn't listen if she fights seriously, besides... she's surely planning to kill me here"
Vladimir was slightly surprised, but for the well-being of his companion, he nodded
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
—" Wait a second... why are you sending one of your stars to fight?
Said Amaya
The emissary laughed in an ironic way, returning to a more serious tone
—" What if my goal were to kill you...?"
Around him, some red portals began to appear, inside them emanating the very abyss
Vladimir, surprised, turned his gaze around, seeing the immensity that surrounded him, feeling... protected, for some reason
Amaya, upon hearing the emissary's threat, didn't hesitate and raised her sword, shining with sparks of Ether, from the sky a purple lightning bolt descended
However, Ria stayed still, when the lightning bolt charged with Ether was about to crush her... she didn't move either The most surprised by this action was Amaya, but... it was clear this would be complicated
—" Too slow" murmured Ria, she advanced with speed across the sand, giving a jump and raising her knife toward Amaya, who deflected it without subtlety with her katana
Thus a constant clash began, Amaya was fatigued, having fought a few days ago, she still needed to recover strength, but Ria, for her part, is in top form
And so, Amaya moved away from Ria, raising her purple card and splitting it into multiple cards around the little one
The cards began to fire lightning at Ria quickly, she dodging with subtle movements, and rising across the sand toward Amaya
Ria jumped, she couldn't use her physical strength, only her knife, and so... she was about to hit Amaya's eye... a thin katana made of shadows got in the way
The most surprised this time was Ria, who didn't hesitate to step back
—"Vladimir, now." said the emissary, a direct order
When Ria stepped back, she could feel another powerful presence emerging behind her, a tall, formed shadow, a shield emanating a green fire about to crush her, Gorath, one of the shadows summoned by Ryouji would show no mercy
Vladimir leapt into the cool air of the night in a desert, summoning his card, multiple totally gray rings emerged, each one unleashing a powerful gust of wind
From the shadows, an empty cape of shadows placed itself between the gusts, from the fabric emerged the shadow of the flaming greatsword, Ignis, deflecting each gust without mercy
Amaya felt surprised, she turned her attention completely toward Ryouji, lying down, he was using his necromancer power, at this moment summoning a somber kimono, from which the swordsman Haru emerged
—"No... don't overexert yourself...!" said Amaya worriedly, however, Ryouji paid her no attention, his 3 shadows gathered, planted themselves a few meters in front of the emissary, surrounded by reddish portals
—"Ignis, the knight of fire, Gorath, the protector of the green flames, and Haru, the swordsman feared in the beyond... you have interesting shadows"
From the portals, flames began to emerge that stood still before their advance, they seemed to be made of Ether
—" To tell the truth, it's humiliating that 3 shadows can defeat me, but it's a reality..." his tone became stricter and graver,
—"I won't hold back, come at me, the so-called personal guard of the necromancer Ryouji, huh?"
And so, the 3 shadows with their own consciousness advanced
For his part, Vladimir was lifted into the air, Amaya held him by the neck with indifference, and Ria had her knife near Amaya's neck, she herself sighing
—" It seems we're in a dead end... that's what you thought, right?"
Ria was surprised at her confidence, from the sky, a lightning bolt began to fall toward the 3 of them, Ria couldn't repel it, only dodge it easily
Vladimir, with little strength from the choking, summoned a tornado above them, trying to devour the tornado, loud sounds of it dominating the environment, Ria didn't hesitate and pushed herself into Vladimir's body, moving him away from Amaya
—"I won't hold back even if you're stars, so die..."
Amaya advanced toward the two and the combat reached its midpoint