The Betrayal of the Guardians

~ (24) A Familiar Foe (Part II) ~

"Wait, Nina!"

Bastian immediately followed her.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Thelma.

As Bastian couldn't reach Nina and disappeared around the curve of the path, Thelma went after them. Arisa watched the girl in the red and yellow fighting suit disappear in the twisted road.

"So I wasn't overthinking, after all," said Train by her side. 

Arisa looked at him, noticing dust covering his cloak.

"There's something weird about that girl."

"I'm sure there is a reason she's going there," replied Arisa.

Although she had noticed differences in her friend's behavior, she wanted to believe that Nina had grown stronger.

"You're so trusting," said Train. "Having a bit of suspicion of people you've just met can sometimes be helpful."

"I'm sure you guys are good people. Why would you want to hurt me?"

"Maybe to survive," he replied. "Like taking your friends to where the Guardian might be and expecting him to spare you since you betrayed them."

Arisa stared at him, her forehead wrinkling. She knew he disliked Nina, but to suspect that an innocent girl like her would sell her friends in order to survive, that didn't sound like Nina at all.

"We should go after them," she suggested, taking the same path as the others.

Train followed her.

Arisa's armored boots clanked against the dry ground as she ran on it. As they kept running, she was surprised to see that her comrades had gone so far. After they passed the curved path, a new scene unfolded before them.

The pathway ended in a vast dry land, where the hot sun shone brightly without giving any shadow. Nina was crying as she talked to Bastian and Thelma.

What caught Arisa's attention was the view behind them. It looked like a graveyard of rocky monsters, with signs of destruction in their soft bodies and rocky shells. Some creatures seemed to have their bodies eroded with water. Others had wounds piercing the soft skin where their rocky shell didn't protect them.

"Nina, what happened?" asked Arisa, approaching them.

"I'm sorry," she replied in between sobs. "I thought that maybe some surviving members would be here. I thought I could help them. I didn't feel comfortable leaving this place, knowing that there was a possibility of someone being here."

Arisa touched Nina's shoulder, feeling the heavy weight leave her heart. So she was trying to help. 

She smiled as she saw herself in Nina.

"Really?" asked Train. "That doesn't seem like something you would do."

Nina dared to glance at him as she cried.

"Train, please," said Thelma, displaying a look that warned him not to start his daily scolding.

Train sighed. He then examined the area. "So, did you find anyone?"

"No," replied Bastian. "We didn't see anyone besides these monsters. They seem to have the same injuries as our fellow candidates."

Arisa examined the scene behind Nina. The monsters that were scattered around varied from regular size creatures to giant-sized beings.

"Shows how powerful those bastards are." Train crossed his arms.

"Thank you for your compliment," an arrogant voice echoed behind one of the fallen monsters.