Chapter #5The lost land by: Arnsley   Corrin had rejected the most difficult choice of his life, standing against both of his families. His resolution had left him with few allies and sent him on a journey to a mysterious land. It was when he was here that an enemy ambush had separated him from the others, sending him off the edge of a cliff. As he hit the ground, he lost consciousness.
What he saw when he came round could only be described as alien. Islands floated in a bright sky, the green grass and ruins upon them making for an oddly beautiful sight. Groaning, he sat up, a hand to his head.
"Ah, you're awake."
Corrin looked to the left to see Azura kneeling beside him. It was this mysterious princess that had led the way on his quest so far.
"Azura, how are you here?" he asked.
"I saw you getting attacked." Azura explained. "I tried to help, but I suppose I ended up falling with you."
"I see... I guess I dragged us both down, huh..." Corrin mused.
"Don't say that." Azura said. She looked away, towards a noise in the distance.
"Where are we?" Corrin asked. Azura seemed to know everything about this strange place.
Her answer was disappointing. "I don't know. I've never been here before... But we seem to be the only ones here."
"I guess we should look around then." Corrin stood up, Azura joining him.
"We need to be careful." Azura warned. "We're not safe here."
As if on cue, mysterious foes appeared before them. They were human in shape, though their faces revealed they were anything but. One readied a sword, pouncing towards the prince. Corrin dodged easily, retaliating with the Yato. His sword felled the enemy in a single hit. His second attacker didn't last long against him either. He looked towards Azura, seeing her having similar success in battle.
"That seems to be the last of them." Azura said as she vanquished the last foe.
"Let's get out of here, then!" Corrin said.
Azura nodded. The two of them hurried away, only for more enemies to appear from thin air.
"How are they doing that?" Corrin questioned as he prepared for another fight.
"I don't know. But we have to keep pressing forward as we fight if we're to escape them." Azura answered.
The two royals attacked at the same time, cutting down their foes. Their movements flowed like a stream, moving from one enemy to the next. Though neither of them were particularly experienced in battle, their foes were weak, so they had no trouble dealing with them. However, even more enemies appeared before them.
"We can't do this forever!" Corrin told Azura over the clanging of steel.
"I know. I can sense something up ahead, just keep going!" she shouted back.
The battle brought them to some ruins. The rubble strewn about gave the fighters cover as they battled, but it also meant that attackers could ambush them more easily. Though they were not in any real trouble yet, Corrin was anxious to escape before they were worn down.
"Have you found it yet, Azura?"
"I think so, just... Here." Corrin glanced over to see the blue-haired dancer standing in a circle of rocks. "There's a dragon vein just here, please protect me while I activate it."
"Of course!" Corrin fought harder, believing the end to be in sight. The battle wasn't too difficult, despite the doubled number of enemies he had to fight. Strangely, they did not leave bodies behind, merely fading away as if they had never existed in the first place.
Azura felt power welling up inside her, using her royal blood to activate the dragon vein. These mysterious features in the land could transform their surroundings. Hopefully this one would give them an escape route. Something felt off about this one, however. It was taking longer than usual, Azura straining to activate it.
Corrin used the ruins to his advantage, funneling the enemies into an easily defensible choke point. He was close enough to feel the power of the dragon vein now too, the ground rumbling as Azura successfully activated it. Behind him a stone bridge formed, leading to another island. The remaining attackers suddenly vanished, as if deactivated somehow.
"You did it, Azura!" Corrin cheered, rushing to his only friend. His expression turned to worry when he saw her holding her head, seeming to be slightly out of breath.
"Azura...?" he asked.
"Corrin, I'm... fine." she answered. "It was just a bit of a strain to activate that dragon vein, that's all."
"Well, at least we're safe now. Shall we get going?" Corrin suggested.
"Yes, let's..." Azura gasped when she felt a very strange feeling, stumbling.
"Azura!" Corrin grabbed his friend's shoulders.
What was this feeling? Feedback from the dragon vein? Azura didn't have long to think about what was happening before...  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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