The Betrayal of the Guardians

~ (23) Aftermath ~

The flowered blue hairpin looked stunning in between the thick silver patterns of that same item.

Arisa looked more closely at her item, wondering what kind of magic was used for that special accessory to summon such a powerful field. She guessed that the strange symbol in the middle of the flower might be the heart of that charmed item.

She drank a bit more of Thelma's special drink to recover her energy. As she swallowed the bittersweet juice, she couldn't help but glance at Zen's present once more.

You have a special ability to attract trouble.

Her heart skipped as she remembered him. She quickly shook her head, reminding her soft heart that she couldn't let those feelings awaken. Not now. Not ever.

She took a deep breath, attempting to calm her heart. When she finally calmed down, her thoughts went back to the hairpin.

She wondered where he bought that special item. If there were more items like this around the worlds, the worlds would have fewer casualties if each citizen had an enchanted item that protected them.

"Are you okay?"

Bastian's voice pulled Arisa away from her thoughts. She gazed at the people on the other side of the two lanterns fighting to illuminate the area. She saw Nina, who stared at her small device with no idea what to do.

"Erm," said Nina, her voice quiet.

"You've used that device before; is there a problem?" asked Bastian, his tone worried.

Nina started to sob. "I'm sorry. It's because I've been through a lot. My mind is not here."

"It's okay," said Thelma, patting Nina's back. "We'll show you how it works."

Thelma grabbed Nina's device and switched it on. Nina inched closer to Thelma in order to see what she was doing. As her friends showed their fellow member how her device worked, Arisa remembered the last event they went through.

She remembered fighting against her trembling body, forcing herself to reach the area where Nina somehow survived her fate. Even though she struggled to reach the impacted zone, she was able to join her friends, who witnessed a Nina covered in blood from her head to parts of her white suit. Nina kept crying with her eyes gazing at the fallen monster.

In between her hiccups, she told them she didn't know what really happened. When the creature was about to kill her, she closed her eyes accepting her fate. But out of nowhere, the monster collapsed.

When Nina once again tried to make them understand what really happened, Arisa looked at the fallen threat. From its size, it looked like a fallen building. She spotted multiple stab wounds on its silvery-blue scaly skin. Stabs that were able to penetrate from one side to another as if the blade traveled through its target's flesh.

She also saw fresh wounds caused by the forcible removal of the creature's sharp ice that protected its body. Its white eyes were no longer glowing and its mouth was barely open, displaying threatening razor sharp teeth.

Who could have mercilessly killed a monster of that size? 

For a moment Libra came into her mind. She then shook that theory away. Although she never saw his weapon, she was sure that his companion wasn't a sword or a dagger. She was told that each Guardian had a different weapon.

After everything calmed down, the team ended up risking spending the night in the cavern. During their stay, Arisa wondered what really happened to that creature. Nina was still shocked when Thelma tried to clean the blood on her hair and face, with a warm damp cloth.