13 Bonds

Eli and the group followed Leo into a field of flowers. Leo was looking around unaware that the others were calling him, when he suddenly collapsed.

"Leo!" All of them shouted and darted toward the place Leo collapsed. Eli was the first to reach Leo and was shocked at what she saw. Leo's body the one she was holding in her arms was fading. The others saw the same thing. All of them were startled and couldn't move at the scene, Eli was the first to regain her senses.

She tightly hugged Leo's body, upon contact Eli got frightened because Leo's body was getting cold. "Leo! What's happening to you? Wake up Leo!" She shook him but there was no response.

Tenri approached and held Leo's hand. "Hahaha... This is a joke right? You're trying to trick us right Leo? Hey we haven't had our fun yet... The future that I couldn't see you were going to show it to me right?..."

"What are you guys doing? One of you cast a healing spell!" Rex started ordering the group. Rika sat on the spot lifelessly her eyes showed emptiness. The group couldn't cast any healing spells because none of them knew how.

Only the upper portions of Leo's body remained, yet that too started to fade. "Leo! This can't be right! Who told you, you could fade! You haven't fulfilled your promise yet! Weren't you going to find a place I could call home?" Eli's voice was trembling as she was trying to hold back her tears.

Rika suddenly stood up. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!? AREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO LOVED TO BATTLE!? THEN FIGHT THIS!.. Everyone here needs you." It was Arika who shouted but at the end, her resolute voice started to crack showing her anxiety. Every one of them was on the verge of breaking, when Leo's body faded into nothingness. Eli, Rika, Tenri, and Rex couldn't comprehend what had happened. When their hearts were about to break into despair, they heard a voice.

"To the companions of Leonard, do not despair for your friend is still alive. He was just sent to another place to fulfill an important role that could change fate itself. When he finishes he will return. So do not despair and wait for his return." They didn't understand where the voice came from, nor did they know if it was male or female. The only thing they understood was Leo was still alive.

†

A month has passed still Leo had not return. The group was still waiting for him. Even though they had only known Leo for a short time. Every one of them was attached to him. They all shared a bond that transcended friendship and Leo was the center. While waiting they would joke about Leo. Sometimes they would share their ideas as to why Leo was so slow in returning.

None of them believed that Leo couldn't finish what he was sent to do and couldn't come back. They all believed Leo was simply enjoying the moment and didn't care about how they felt. "When he comes back, we need to punish him." Eli suggested Rika and Tenri agreed. On the other hand Rex simply felt sorry for Leo.

†

A month and three days have passed since Leo faded into nothingness. The group was eating their breakfast when Tenri felt something approaching. After a while everyone felt it too. It was an enormous pressure, neither killing intent nor hostility, it was simply the pressure of its existence. Eli summoned her scythe, Rika positioned herself atop a tree and readied her bow, Tenri summoned her armor and hammer, Rex on the other hand didn't know what was happening.

†

A girl with vermillion hair approached. In her hand was something ominous, Tenri started shaking violently. "You... That weapon... That's the Edilion!" Tenri pointed at the spear the girl was holding.

"Edilion the spear that can strike the supreme dragon." Eli mumbled to herself. The girl didn't pay attention to any of the girls and looked at Rex.

"It's not you... Where is he? I sense him, he is here yet he is not, where did you hide him?" The girl in front of them showed no emotion and was talking in monotone, she was like a doll that learned how to speak.

"Where is he?" She kept on repeating the same question.

"Who is it you're looking for?" Eli was finally able to speak to the girl, it was hard to do since the pressure she was emitting made it hard to even talk to her. "The one who will grant me emotions."

"Who is that? Sorry we don't know anyone like that." Eli answered.

"Liar, you hide him from me. If you're not going to tell me you might as well die." There was no hostility or anger in her voice, she simply stated a fact. She lifted her spear but before she could do anything Tenri charged at her. Tenri's hammer smashed the ground creating a crater. Yet even with her speed and strength she missed her target? No, the girl didn't even evade she redirected Tenri's full on assault. A rain of arrows imbued with spell words of wind was coming toward the vermillion haired girl. Yet even with that. she simply twirled her spear overhead and deflected all the arrows. "Rex run now!" Eli screamed at Rex. "I-I can't leave you guys."

"No Rex! Leave now if you stay you'll only get in our way." Eli glared at Rex. Hearing what Eli said, Rex bit his mouth and started running. "Good boy, may fate favor you... Now then." Eli looked at her opponent who was evading Tenri and deflecting Rika's arrows with ease. "There is no time to hesitate."

Eli gathered every bit of her energy and started chanting spell words. "O spirit king of never ending snow and chilling ice. Abide by the contract formed with thee. Grant all thy power unto me, and let all thy foes shiver upon thy might." Clouds covered the sun and hail rained from the sky.

"Hear me spirits under the rule of ice by the name of thy king hear my command, and form a torrent of eternal ice. ABSOLUTE ZERO!" A beam of ice headed toward the vermillion haired girl. Tenri moved away from the line of fire. The girl seeing the incoming attack intercepted with her spear but was still frozen over, as her whole body was slowly freezing, but she showed no sign of anxiety.

"How? Absolute zero is supposed to freeze everything instantly." Eli expressed her shock at the failure of her spell. Seeing as that didn't finish the girl, Rika and Tenri started chanting their own spell words. "Silent and serene forest hear my pleas. Your daughter asks for your assistance to save her from the approaching doom. Show the enemy thy wrath." As Rika's spell words ended the ground where the girl stood turned into quicksand and was pulling her in, as she was sinking all the surrounding branches extended and were about to pierce the vermillion haired girl.

But before the branches could reach the girl she escaped from the absolute zero spell and slashed at the branches cutting them down. With no effort whatsoever she walked away from the quicksand as if it didn't even exist. Eli charged forward trying to buy some time for Tenri to finish her spell. Her scythe was caught barehanded by the girl and a moment later before Eli could even react she was pierced in her belly by the spear Edilion.

Eli grabbed Edilion not letting it go from her belly. Blood was dripping from the spear and her mouth. Seeing that this chance Rika provided cover fire with her arrows but the vermillion hair girl caught them all with her left hand.

"Eli move out!" Eli heard Tenri's shout and removed Edilion from her belly slightly pushing the vermillion hair girl aside. Eli's wound was slowly closing thanks to the great regenerative power of the vampire clan. Yet that took almost all the energy she had to simply close the wound.

The girl started walking toward their direction. "Take this, METEOR!" Tenri was able to finish chanting her spell words. A giant rock was hurling down from the sky. It's size was the size of a small village.

Still unfazed the vermillion haired girl raised Edilion and did a waving motion as if slicing through something. Out of everyone's surprise the giant rock above them, which was still far away from them was cut in half.

After that the vermillion haired girl danced with her spear raised upward. A few moments later the giant rock turned into dust, which came falling like raindrops. She then pierced her spear into the ground. Eli, Rika, and Tenri felt heavier and started kneeling.

They couldn't stand up, they couldn't move a muscle. "Now that's over are you going to tell me where he is?" The vermillion haired girl still with the same monotonous voice asked the same question again. There was a moment of silence, none of them could answer the girl and even if they could they were unable to speak due to the pressure.

"So you won't tell me? Alright then, please regret your silence in the underworld." Still with no hostility or any other emotion the girl spoke in a matter of fact way. She raised her spear, it looked like Eli, Rika, and Tenri were facing their end.