'She's my wife now, right?' Lucian's lips spread into a smile at the thought. King Eon's head was thick as a rock. It should have been crushed from the blow he deliverd, but it was still attached to his neck.
Celine's shock wore off her face, her bow raising to aim at Lucian. He disappeared among the trees before she could fire, giving her only a blurry image of him.
"King Eon!" the southern soldiers shouted.
An arrow arrow whistled past Lucian's ear, and by the time he looked back at Celine, she was already gone.
A shackled beast jumped in front of him. Lucian grabbed a branch, pulling himself up. The beast missed him by a hair's breadth, smashing into the tree trunk instead.
Lucian swung to the other side of the tree, and let go, falling down to grab the beast's back. He propelled himself forward with his hands, landing on the beast's shoulder.
More and more of them were coming, surrounding him. They knew he was a threat.
He jumped from one to another, avoiding their fists, and going deeper to the north when he heard the soldiers' horn blow. It was the signal for retreat.
"We were betrayed!" one of the southern soldiers shouted, pointing his sword at the northern forces, "We will not forget this treachery!"
King Eon woke up, his head bleeding as they carried him away while fighting the shackled beasts, "What happened?"
"The Rochefort's woman lured those beasts!" a soldier answered, helping his king to his feet, "She planned this!"
"Who?" King Eon asked.
"The woman you were protecting, King Eon. She is the one who brought the monsters here!"
King Eon's face didn't show any sign of surprise, he seemed more confused than anything, as if the soldier was talking about a stranger, "...Name."
"...?"
"The traitor."
"Lady Celine Rochefort!" The soldier's voice boomed with rage. "She must have some connection to the shackled beasts!"
King Eon held his hand to the wound on his head, the blood seeping through his fingers, "...make sure she doesn't escape."
The southern hunters activated their tattoos, and ran after the shackled beasts, their telepathic coordination allowing them to act as one. They could sense each other's positions, and work together to take down the beasts.
Eventually, King Eon had to order his men to stop their pursuit of Celine, as she was too far ahead to be caught up to. Loosing an army to a shackled attack would not be good for either nation.
Celine regrouped with the army a distance away from the battlefield, retreating together with them. The shackled beasts were proving to be more intelligent than they thought, not following them into a less lead-filled area.
Lucian returned to his horses. There was no Jax. He used his third eye with the thermal vision to locate him in the forest.
"Boss..."
Lucian ran toward the east, eyes widening in horror at the sound of Jax's voice.
"Huhuhaha," the beasts laughed around, mocking Jax's escape. As if this was just a game to them, and they were letting him go for their own amusement before catching up to him again. He followed after Lucian and got separated from him because of it.
Lucian ran to Jax's, who was being carried on the back of a beast. The beast had its claws around Jax's waist, holding him like a rag doll, his head and limbs dangling lifelessly.
"Huhuhaha," the beast dangled Jax in front of Lucian, like it was teasing him with a treat, before tossing Jax to another beast.
The veins on Lucian's neck protruded as he watched Jax being thrown around like a ball between the beasts.
They formed a circle around Lucian, and continued to play with Jax's body. "Huhuha! Huhuhahah!"
There were thousands of them, all laughing at Lucian's frustration, their voices grating on his ears. Each throw made Lucian's heart clench harder.
The shackled beasts noticed his change, and their laugh grew louder, happier even, "Hahaha! Huhuhaha!"
Lucian stood in the middle of them, clenching and unclenching his fists. The air around him distorted, warping the astral plane. His energy spiraled outwards, creating a pressure dome.
The beasts threw Jax high in the air, their heads tilting back to follow his trajectory. Lucian's hand moved upward, grabbing the invisible strings connecting him to Jax, and yanked him back down.
Lucian caught Jax's limp body in his arms, the momentum making him stagger back. He carried him over his shoulder, and turned around to flee.
The beasts moved to block his path, their laughs turning into growls. They closed in on Lucian, a wall of fur that reached up to the sky, trying to trap him.
'They are shackled, and I'm Voice,' he thought, his vision turning gold, his astral plane expanding. His shackles manifested around his body in the plane, the chains clinking as they multiplied, 'They should listen to me.'
Lucian's chains spread like a spider's web, wrapping around the beasts, trying to find their shackles. The more he pushed, the more resistance he faced, until his chains snapped back to him, throwing him off balance.
The pressure dome around him disappeared with a pop, and Lucian coughed blood, his strength draining from his body.
He rose on one knee, his hand holding his side, as the beasts stared down at him, their laughs gone. The look in their eyes was hostile, as if he had insulted them by trying to control them.
"Away." Lucian forced himself to stand up, his legs shaking. He took a step.
The web of chains reformed around Lucian, moving with him, making him look like golden roots traveling through the forest and the beasts avoided them, treating them like poisonous thorns. "I said, MOVE!"
The beasts roared, their fury shaking the ground, but they stepped back, creating a path for Lucian to leave. He ran through it. That's what he knew. Run. Run. Run. Until his body gave up on him.
He ran as far as his legs could carry him, his lungs burning, his heart racing. Jax's body bumped against his back, weighing him down.
When he couldn't go any further, he collapsed on his knees, laying Jax on the ground. The beast's laughter no longer rang in his ears, the forest was eerily quiet.
Lucian's chest heaved with each breath. His hand shook as he touched Jax's neck, searching for a pulse. Blood was seeping through his shirt, his arm broken and his leg twisted in a weird angle. One attack was enough to render him useless.
"I'm dying... aren't I?" Jax coughed, spitting blood, his eyes looking up at the sky, "Truly a chosen...you are." He grinned, his teeth stained red. "I thought you...were going to die first."
He tried to chuckle, but the pain stopped him, making him wince instead.
Lucian removed his armor and ripped his shirt to make a bandage, wrapping it around Jax's head, where the blood was coming from. "Don't faint on me. We need to go."
Jax's eyes were losing focus.
"You promised to watch my back," Lucian took Jax's arm and wrapped it around his neck, pulling him to his feet. "Keep your word. Best buddies, remember?"
Jax tried to nod, "Let's go...best buddy," his words slurred.
They've both wished to have a friend, and the universe granted it. Despite not sharing any secrets and no common interests, they still liked the idea of being friends.
Lucian found a horse and helped Jax get on it, he kept his pulse in check to make sure he wasn't slipping away.
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Sorry for the slower updates.
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