21 Till the last Breath

I let out a sigh of relief and nodded at Kayn, grateful for his timely arrival. He did have a knack for coming at just the right moment.

"So what's the plan?" Kayn asked, looking around. "At the rate things progress, they will overwhelm us eventually."

"I'm sure you have already noticed that all these strings originate from their class leader, Elara," I explained, gesturing toward where she stood. "Help me take her out and this fight will be a breeze."

Kayn nodded, his eyes focused on her. "Anything else to know?" he said, tightening his grip on his sword.

"Just ignore everything she says if she tries to talk to you." I replied, taking advantage of the brief pause to wipe some of the blood from my face. Although it hurt like hell, there was no helping it.

Elara continued to stand motionlessly, observing us. She seemed utterly unconcerned by our conversation as if she already knew what we were going to do anyway.

Without another word, Kayn and I charged toward Elara, determined to take her down. Her minions moved to block our path, forming an impenetrable wall between Elara and us.

Kayn and I exchanged a quick glance before charging forward, swords drawn. The sound of clashing metal echoed through the air as we fought our way through the horde of her classmates.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I dodged and weaved through their attacks. Kayn was a swift and agile force beside me, his sword cutting through the air with deadly precision.

Keeping up with him proved difficult but I don't need to be the one to defeat Elara anyways. Giving him a little help should be sufficient enough.

His claymore swung wildly in every direction, slicing open several of her classmates who happened to get in its way.

Occasionally, I had to step in lest he will get injured but it hardly mattered. We both knew how to handle ourselves well enough.

As the fight progressed, the strings started growing increasingly irritated. Not only did they assist her classmates, but also wrapped around our weapons and bodies to slow us down.

Like snakes, they crawled over us, slithering along our limbs and legs, biting and clawing at anything that got in their way. It became harder and harder to move freely.

Despite the hindrance, we continued to push forward, our determination to take down Elara fueling our every move.

But it didn't take long for my arms to grow tired. The exertion made my muscles ache horribly, threatening to tear apart at any minute.

A rush of adrenaline coursed through my veins as I pressed onward. Taking the aggression of her classmates head-on, I paved the way for Kayn straight toward Elara.

Kayn reached her side in mere seconds, swinging his blade down at her.

A few threads flew off into oblivion as she deflected his attack easily. A shower of sparks erupted but I didn't have time to witness their fight.

I was too busy fending off the remaining classmates, their attacks coming faster and stronger than before. Erratic strings shot forth, trying desperately to stop me dead in my tracks.

I could hear Kayn grunting as he clashed with Elara, the sword and strings ringing out in a fierce symphony. But neither of them showed signs of relenting.

"I'm impressed. You know, I have done my research on every single student in the Academy, including you Kayn." Elara spoke calmly, never losing her composure or focus.

"A child of unknown origin, raised in the very colosseum we are fighting in. There is much about you that I would love to learn." She added, her tone filled with admiration.

As I heard her chatter in the back of my mind, I inwardly prayed that Kayn would just ignore her. I don't have the leisure to deal with Kayn as well.

"But Kayn you know, whilst researching your background I found something odd. The first tracks of your existence were only found when you were already 10 years old." Elara continued, "It's almost as if you entirely disappeared from the surface until then."

"Come to think of it, there is only one place in this city where such a thing can happen. The Underhive." Elara said aloud, sure of her deduction.

"Do you know how desperate these people are? Toss a few coins at them and they'll tell you anything." She laughed lightly.

"Poor, poor Kayn. A lonely outcast even in the place where you are supposed to belong. And if that wasn't enough, the one person you care about most has been taken away from you by the Abysmal Ones." She went on.

"You know nothing about me!" Kayn spat, his voice sounded strained, but still strong nonetheless.

"Kayn please don't misunderstand. I don't want to anger you. On the contrary, I can help you. I can make things better." Elara offered, her voice sounding sincere. "I know where the one you lost truly is. I know where your mother is."

As I warded off another barrage of attacks, I noticed the eerie silence between Kayn and Elara.

No weapons colliding, no stringy appendages flying through the air, not even a whisper of their voices. They stood perfectly still, like statues carved out of marble.

"What the fuck is he doing!" I muttered under my breath, too focused on the incoming onslaught to even turn my head.

"Come on Kayn. I can give you the answer you seek. Just drop your weapon and surrender. I will tell you after this is all over or do you perhaps want to never see her again?" Elara asked with a sly smile.

"Stop... Shut up! I have seen it before my very eyes. She is... she is dead!" Kayn shouted, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Have you? Have you really?" Elara whispered, sowing doubt within him.

With Kayn currently not in the right state of mind, he didn't notice the tiny thread that slithered across the ground, carefully crawling onto him.

As I watched it unfold from the corner of my eyes, I couldn't help but curse him in my mind. This is exactly what I told him to be wary of.

The threads slowly curled their way around his face, threatening to attack vulnerable areas in a matter of moments. His ignorance forced my hand as I had to turn my back to Elara's minions to save him.

Time slowed down as I overstrained my body to reach Kayn. The threads were already shooting toward his eyes, permanently blinding him should I fail to act fast enough.

My fingers wrapped themselves tightly around the hilt of my sword as I drew closer to Kayn.

Although there are possibilities of even fixing his eyes once destroyed, I doubt the academy would waste its resources for something like that.

I lunged forward, my legs propelling me with all the force they could muster. My sword flashed through the air as I swung downward, slicing the strings cleanly in two just before it was too late.

Bewildered at the sudden attack, Kayn finally regained his senses. Shock was painted over him as he realized what could have just happened to him. He looked upon me, his gaze filled with gratitude.

"Thank you..."He mumbled quietly.

However, I simply ignored his thanks as we had bigger problems right now.

Without hesitation, I threw my remaining, almost broken weapons at Elara whilst dashing into her. Defending the weapons bought me enough time to tackle Elara to the floor.

Threads sank deep into my flesh, tearing through muscle and bone alike. Pain shot throughout my entire frame as I struggled to maintain my hold above Elara.

Her once stoic expression shifted to one of panic, her hands clawing at my wrists. Her nails dug deeper and further than any normal human's, leaving red streaks along my arms as she tried to get me off of her.

With no other weapon at hand, I pummeled Elara repeatedly with both fists. Occasionally, I landed a devastating elbow blow, tainting her beautiful face with blood.

Elara's screams grew louder with each impact, her grip loosening ever so slightly as her strength began to fade.

Frantic strings desperately sought to wrap themselves around my neck, trying to strangle me.

It was a brutal and barbaric display of violence.

Meanwhile, Kayn overtook my previous role and fended off her classmates who deliriously tried to swarm us. As he did so, his own wounds festered as well.

A sense of numbness crept up my limbs, stealing away sensation until all I felt was pain.

Through my blurry vision, I bashed Elara mercilessly against the ground, landing more blows whenever possible.

Strength was sapped from me with every passing second. By now, darkness completely engulfed me, rendering my sight useless.

Monotonously, I continued my thrashing whilst listening to the irregular thuds of my heart beating. It penetrated deeply into my consciousness, reminding me that I'm still alive.

But sadly, the luxury of feeling at least one of your senses was soon taken from me.

Blackness swallowed me whole as I collapsed on top of Elara.

Silence reigned supreme, devouring even the faintest breathing emitted by me.