Act 4: Fallen Heaven - Chapter 638: Escape To Zeret

Act 4: Fallen Heaven - Chapter 638: Escape To Zeret

"Erden...." Avril tried to settle down the wild Erden. His legs kicked everywhere wildly as if he was drowning and desperately trying to swim. A hoof slammed into the fireplace, breaking the pile of burning coals. She gripped his hooves, her strength enough to hold down Erden, quite telling of his current state. Careful not to aggravate his wound, Avril slowly wrapped him in vines, his breathing growing calmer under her pollen spell. Blood seeped into the surface of the thick bandages. Avril ripped off the bandages, already dripping with blood underneath, and redid fresh ones.

"Master, can you inform Maia that we are heading for the Lands of Zeret? She's still in your senses, isn't she?" Avril asked. Remulus grunted under his mask, keeping his mouth shut, cautious of Oscar's reaction, and nodded, departing out the window in the silent night. As a family, Maia had the right to know where they went. She stroked Erden's fur. The former soft fur was now prickly and rough, but it was Erden, and that was enough. The vines retracted, and Erden breathed normally. Avril lifted Erden's large head and met his gaze, "She's so happy to see you, Erden. So many years had passed, and she stayed here, believing in you two."

"I tried to tell Demon to go sooner, but he refused until now. But don't trust him too much. He only wants to take you back to keep you locked up where no one can harm you. In his own twisted way, he believes this is best for Oscar." Erden said, trying to stand up, but Avril stopped him.

"Why?" Avril asked.

"Because you're not safe anywhere. Oscar has suffered greatly. Losing you may be it for him." Erden coughed out blood and leaned closer as his weak voice diminished to a whisper. "Never trust him. We have to leave now. Go to the Lands of Zeret. We'll be protected there. Too many enemies lurking around. Run."

He went mute, his eyes closing in a deep sleep, fainting again. His uneasy, spluttering snores filled the room. The kicked-over charcoals started to lose their flare, the reddish light breaking away, and a mixed pair of darkness and moonlight spread. A sudden chill descended, and Avril wrapped herself in a fur blanket, her breath white. Avril tied a piece of cloth over Oscar's eyes, hiding the world from his gaze, and plugged his ears. She couldn't let him see or hear others during the trip, or his outbreak could occur again.

'They're so heavy....' Avril carried them on her shoulders, buckling her knees from the weight. Wanting to smack herself, she realized she was an idiot and summoned vines to carry them; luckily, no one was around to see that. Around the corner and down the stairs, Renn and Gloria waited by the exit, all their belongings presumably in their space pockets. She told them of their destination and new home, and they tensed up at the potential danger Erden spoke of. A few minutes later, Remulus opened the exit and gestured for them to hurry outside.

Due to the fires that burst from the sky, the entire city was on full alert, with more guards patrolling the streets than on an ordinary night. No street had less than two groups of patrols, five in each, and not a single spot was undisturbed by the metallic clicking of the guards' stampeding. They also spread in a net around the air, not even a bird able to enter or exit without them seeing it. Thankfully, Remulus hid them well, his Ein undetectable to the lowly guards. Passing by the wall, Avril and the others exhaled in relief; the first hurdle dealt with.

A considerable distance away from the city, Remulus pulled out a small airship, the size of a small boat, around ten feet tall. Avril gently placed Oscar and Erden in the middle and sat in the back with Renn and Gloria, leaving Remulus to direct the ship from the front. She wiped a bead of sweat off her brow and entered meditation, holding her staff armament at the ready. There was no telling what enemy, if any, awaited them on their journey. The airship rose above the forests of birchwood, the red, yellow, brown, and orange colors of fall scattering in the leaves that fell from the gusts formed by the airship's ascent. Hidden in the clouds, they rode toward the Lands of Zeret.

Half a day later, Erden finally regained consciousness and seemed to fare better today. He rubbed his head against the airship rail and managed to stand up. "Where are we?"

"On the airship. Heading toward the Lands of Zeret." Remulus answered before she could. Somehow, she knew that he was giving Erden a wry smile under that mask.

"Geez, Erden. Hold on. Hold on. I'm not here for a fight yet. We can still come to an understanding." Sirsi clapped her hands together. "Ahem, Avril, I don't intend to steal Oscar away from you. I only want the Volten savior from him, and the two of you can live as you wish, so long as he will come to protect the child in a time of need. I mean, geez, are a few nights spent with me that bad? It's not like I'm asking him to marry me or leave you. I tried to tell him, but he was stubborn and hardheaded."

Every word that came from Sirsi's mouth was infuriating to hear until the last part. Avril tilted her head up, looking down on Siris with a victorious smile, and Sirsi twitched slightly, clearly offended. Avril raised the staff, melded her scroll anima, and pointed it at her, the scroll head unfurling as the paper spiraled into a swirl, ignoring the winds. Her stance was clear. She rejected her in one word, "Scram."

"I thought you'd be smarter than that. Geez. At first, I wanted to take it slowly, but present circumstances have forced my hand. I'm taking him with me." Sirsi said, stepping forward. "Soon, the great tide will wash over the world, and I need the Volten savior."

A cold wind blew, washing over Avril, and she knew from a glance that Sirsi was not an easy opponent. She stood little chance, but she could not retreat. Looking at Oscar behind her, Avril reaffirmed her determination and took a bold step forward, surprising Sirsi, who grinned as if acknowledging that resolve. The first attack came not from her or Sirsi but from Remulus. A cage of time formed around Sirsi, trapping her in a single moment, doomed to be stuck. Or at least, that was how it should have been. A feral roar erupted, sending immense shockwaves that distorted the cage of time, and it shattered like a mirror, thousands of fragments flying out, showing an unharmed Sirsi.

A human figure leaped out from the airship, transforming into a large beast with three heads. Reaching the size of a whale, the beast had four legs where great claws scraped against each other on the end, a coat of black fur that carried black flames that blazed along its spine down to the enormous fire on its tail. Molten magma drooled from its three mouths, making the ocean below boil. She had read about them in a book once, The Beast with Three Heads, the Mythical Cerberus. Remulus clashed against the beast, their powers dead even, not a good sign for her since Sirsi started to charge in.

Avril used one of her spells sealed in the scroll and doubled it with a follow-up. A flower bloomed, scattering pollen that flew out and stuck to Sirsi's body, dragging her movements down. Her second spell formed four large vines, and she slapped them on Sirsi from four directions. They broke the air in a loud smack and coiled together to imprison Sirsi. Avril knew that Sirsi was a Middle Marshal Exalt like her and a Volten, a master of Reis. Her disadvantages were clear as day, and so she screamed to the children, "Take your father away. I'll hold her off."

"Mom!" Renn and Gloria shouted, not following her instructions. Why now, of all times, did they decide to be disobedient? She didn't suffer that during their growing period.

"Just go!" Avril shouted. Sharp water cut through her vines, rapid torrential blades that severed them into tiny pieces, and Sirsi, shielded in a bubble of jelly-like water, smirked and bolted forward, her violet eyes glaring ahead. The only method of countering her was to use Reis, but her limits were only in the realm of Knight Exalts. Using Reis now may have severe consequences. However, she couldn't allow her to take Oscar and readied to flow Reis into her body.

As Sirsi was about to swing her right fist, coated in Pseudoguise and a water vortex, she halted and guarded herself with her left arm. Flames engulfed her, turning into a large fiery serpent that gnawed on the shield of water and tossed Sirsi away, creating a safe distance for Avril to calm down. She could never mistake the feeling of those flames and turned to the white-haired woman she called sister, the pair of crimson eyes piercing at Sirsi.

"Maia!" Avril exclaimed, surprised to see her friend so soon. She coughed and clutched her chest, out of breath already. Her heart raced from the pre-step to using Reis. Thankfully, she didn't need to use it now.

"Is this why you dragged me along, old Pavilion Master?" Maia sighed, flames surging, fanned by her breath. "I wanted to stay away. Nothing is more insulting than to protect him, but...I have to protect them."