Escaping the Sky Prison

Chapter 31: Escaping the Sky Prison

Mister Vacio was standing on the floor beyond the room Doll was tied up to. The passage to that chamber was left open, as he eyed the helpless Doll laying on the floor full of ashes. He was leaving her already.

Doll stared at him as if wondering. The things that he said… What was that? CorpseBoy? What the actual crap was happening? What was Vacio planning?

"Wait!" she exclaimed, thus making Vacio look over her.

She had thought of a plan to break free. Now that the chair wasn't intacted anymore with the floor, she can walk over but she has to keep it with herself. She knew this Vacio had some boneheadedness in him. If she performs her plan the way she yearned it to be, things will come off well.

"I want to leave. Please release me," she ordered with a calm voice as if making Vacio soft with her pleading. "I have to go to the bathroom."

She made her eyes somehow like a puppy, and begged again, gawking at Mister Vacio.

Vacio stared at him in nonchalance. "I know your plan. Have some shame," he replied, as he thought those gimmicks were ludicrous, so he decided to go with the flow. He strolled towards her again and turned on playing along with her.

"Please—" Doll insisted, glimmering in front of Mister Vacio now. "I'm about to pee. Can you even let me pee here?"

She acted as if she was controlling hard not to pee already, and lamented from time to time, making her acting realistic. This man should believe her this time. Her acting was spotless!

She saw on Mister Vacio's face that he was about to give up, but instead of releasing her, he gave her a bucket as a toilet alternative, shocking her.

"A BUCKET?" Doll comically shouted.

Crap. Her strategies weren't working. What will she do with this? As he stared at the bucket that was now in front of her, she thought that she can use that for her other plan. This Vacio looked like he was undervaluing her. Now, let's see what will happen to him.

She stood near the bucket with her hands restrained still and pretended to strip there, ready to pee, much to Mister Vacio's resentment.

He was startled that Doll was truly about to do what she was saying, so she gave her some space. "Fine. But I am not a slimeball, so I will turn. You can pee right now, but be quick."

He turned around, giving Doll the spot to execute her plan. She tiptoed towards the unaware Vacio, and hit him in the crotch; that abrupt assault took off Mister Vacio; he was incapacitated in an instant!

As he shouted in pain with that sneak attack, he fell on the floor absent-mindedly, and later passed out from the immense misery it caused him.

"You, sucking old man!" Doll shouted in enthusiasm, as she sought to leave. She walked with difficulty towards the opening she saw earlier, thinking that there should be a way out when she was outside. Once arrived, she gazed at the opened door but found out mountain after mountain and a sky full of clouds. It looked like she was in the middle of a forest.

The wind blew once again. Doll almost panicked after seeing where she was currently standing; she was being kept in a sky prison! The room she was in was a section of a tall building. She looked down and saw that there were multiple floors before the platform she was stepping on.

Her eyes dilated as the wind blew her face and hair thrice. So that's why it was humid and windy in here? How can she escape?

Moon… Lucas… They should be here in this forest already.

The Southern Forest.

That was etched on the mossy gate located in the forest behind the White Day High. Lucas stared at this gate, as well as the whole surroundings, and it was familiar to him. It was the trail they roamed on when they were going through Doll's hometown. So it was the place where she was held imprisoned?

"We've arrived." Winter heaved a sigh, as she stood before the gate along with Moon and Ghaile. She carried a sharp sword and was determined to save Doll almost like Lucas.

This place they were in was a huge forest, and it was uncanny in here. The massive gate before them was covered in moss that looked like it cannot be opened easily, with or without a key. Lucas examined the gate.

As he touched the mosses on the fences, he felt that Doll was indeed kept here. His guts were telling him that they should simply barge in and their goal will be fulfilled. Suddenly, the gate opened on its own, shocking the four that didn't know why it happened.

"It opened!" Lucas moved back, as the creaking noise after the gate's opening was heard. He gazed at his cousin.

"Why would the kidnapper let us enter this forest?" Moon pointedly raised a question. His eyes were perplexed and were gaping if they should enter or not.

Everyone wondered the same query but agreed on moving forward instead, as of Lucas' lead.

He ran in slapdash and tried to search for Doll. "DOLL! DOLL!" he screeched and rode towards the interior of the forest. "WHERE ARE YOU, ARMOR AND BLADE BASTARDS—"

"Lucas," Winter intervened by covering up his mouth, hindering him with his outcries. "There should be a deeper meaning for the kidnappers to let us in."

Lucas laid his back on the tree beside him, as Winter shoved him more, scanning the surroundings.

"Maybe someone is following all of our movements," she continued and started unsheathing her sword. "Maybe they opened the gate as the trapdoor for us to barge in on purpose."

"Right!" Ghaile agreed as she stared at the tall trees surrounding them. "Let's search as quiet as possible, and let us find Miss Doll without any noise."

Lucas continued to walk on the mossy forest with the rest, cleaning the way of vines with their hands. It took then minutes, but there weren't any momentous things happening. Unexpected to them, a pile of ashes emerged and quickly consumed the area in aggression as if storming.

Lucas squinted, as he tried to spot who that intruder was. "What's this?" The wind aggressively blew all of them. "This thing smelled different from ash!"

"It smells strange…" Winter spoke as she squinted, and shook her head full of that ash-like thing. "It smells like—"

"CORPSES!"

That strange voice wiped out all of the ashes, thus freeing the team from it. The leaves of the trees within the area were falling after that storm; Lucas inspected the surroundings. Who was that? As he looked back, he witnessed an unfamiliar man.

Dressed in form-fitting robes with a high collar, that man floated midair at the middle of the vicinity, with his supposed feet were ashes instead. The robe he wore had a checkered pattern, and covered a collared shirt and tie that he wore beneath. Around his face and on his head was an ornate headpiece, covering his jaw and fanning out over his head almost like a crown.

"That little particles weren't ashes, but the powdered form of corpses…" the man spoke. "Your Doll was in the middle of this forest, but CorpseBoy won't let you pass through."

The anger can be seen on Lucas' face, closing their fists in the motion as he stared at this strange man. Most notably though, this man didn't have any human face. Instead, his body seemed to be that of a skeleton, with him possessing no nose, eyes, or skin. What on Earth was he?

As all of them guarded their grounds as they stared at this upcoming intruder, a sudden attack from him shocked them all.

"Everyone, evade!" Winter shouted as they all jumped away from the attack. The attack looked like a beam of ashes that went straight to the ground, and after making contact, burned the area around, causing smokes.

As Lucas crouched down, he looked at this skeleton in contempt. Luckily, as he checked his teammates, none of them were hurt. He looked over the area that the skeleton attacked, now burning. "You can burn, too…" he whispered, feeling a bizarre recollection within him.

This skeleton, for some reason, has the same fundamental powers as him. It would be a perfect match for him to test his powers again. He stared at him; like the other intruders that kidnapped Doll, this man looked like an avaricious individual as well. Lucas didn't know what kind of attitude he was now seeing from this skeleton.

Was he confident? No, this man looked like he has an arrogant disposition, as he looked down on them. Was he the de facto leader of those kidnappers? If he was that piles of ashes that teleported Doll and his comrades, he seemed to impose his decisions no matter what others think. He appeared dangerous!

"Let Doll escape!"

Lucas heard Moon shout. Was… was Moon crying? He looked over him and he saw that his eyes were blubbering already, as he kneeled on the ground.

"Free her! Free her now!"

The skeleton looked at Moon as if he had said something funny. "CorpseBoy never got scared for the entirety of his life. All of you should remember tha—"

"Remember, your ass!" Lucas came and unexpectedly punched the skeleton on the right side of his skull with his left hand. "Let's battle it out if you can!"

Lucas saw his opponent backing up after that attack. A grimace appeared on the skeleton's face, as he prepared to battle him for Doll's sake. As the assailant raised his hand, Lucas saw piles of ashes being utilized in a gradual amount. He ordered for his team to back up in pronto for a while. He didn't want them to be hurt.

Multiple piles of ashes soon popped out in front of Lucas, that he didn't evade. It pushed him towards a nearby tree, making him wince in pain. He fell on his knees but soon regained his balance. He looked at his arm that made contact with those ashes; it left some burns on his body.

"Your power is useless!" Lucas said as he stood straighter, panting in scarce. Heat attacks like that didn't give him any damage, as if he was immune to the same power as him. Now, he enveloped his hands with fire and fired a massive Fiery Tornado towards his opponent.

His attack unexpectedly came into a void, as the skeleton converted it to ashes himself, shocking him. Those ashes fell onto the ground and burnt wherever they made contact.

"CorpseBoy's magic has never been useless." the opponent said as if loathing him.

Lucas fired another attack, but as the skeleton pointed his hands at that, it fell on the ground as ashes. How did he do that? It was cheating! How can he attack if his fires become ashes in an instant?

But he has to try again! The battle of voidings continued as Lucas and CorpseBoy oftentimes attacked each other, without harming them in any means. Lucas' fire can't even harm CorpseBoy, and CorpseBoy's ashes cannot injure Lucas. They shared multiple attacks, but all of those were useless, and it just tired Lucas.

He stopped for a while, panting on exhaustion, as this CorpseBoy just floated midair. "Hmph, so you were strong, huh?" He smiled in ecstatic, as he complimented his enemy. It was a fun way of having an adrenaline rush. It excited him thinking how can he defeat this skull.

Suddenly, CorpseBoy felt someone's presence on his back, which was Winter, that slashed him with the unsheathed sword she was holding earlier. By that sneak attack, CorpseBoy vanished, much to Winter's satisfaction.

"Everyone, escape and find Doll!" Winter shouted as she landed on the ground. She looked at sediments of ashes that were vanishing into thin air after her attack. Ghaile and Moon started walking.

Lucas remained in his place and stared at Winter in shock. Did she deteriorate the skeleton with just one attack? Was she this strong? Suddenly, he felt some danger again! What was that and where? He inspected the area.

He saw that the ash particles that fell on the ground at a slow pace moved on their own and collided back into each other to form CorpseBoy again; right now, without any harm. The skeleton smirked as if irritating them, as he proclaimed, "No one can harm CorpseBoy!" His image hasn't changed.

It looked like he wasn't hurt at all, or he was immune to all of the attacks. How can they defeat him? He can form himself back with those ashes he possessed. They couldn't defeat him, so they has to escape already. That will made them save Doll without this skull hindering them.

Winter was taken aback by that revelation and looked like she has gotten scared at CorpseBoy's strength. Lucas remained quiet, as Moon and Ghaile prevented themselves from shivering, looking anticipated. The skeleton suddenly took his leave, as he started turning into piles of ashes and vanished into thin air. Lucas was relieved, as he heaved a sigh. He stood and faced Winter.

"We better keep going," Lucas whispered, as the team abruptly turned mute; a deafening silence covered the whole area for a minute until Winter sheathed her sword back.

"Yeah. Let's find Doll!" she said and led them by walking first.

The rest of them followed, with Lucas thinking why did the skeleton flee the scene. There should be a reason for him leaving without giving them another hindrance. Perhaps, there was something else at the place they put Doll. That skull was so confident that even he fled, there should be no way they can find her.

Doll…

Doll was at the Sky Prison right now, hesitant to leave this elevated place, but she was sure that her friends will help her. She presumed that Lucas and Moon reported what happened to her, and her father should create a search party for her. She wasn't doomed, she was certain.

"Don't leave!" Mister Vacio shrieked in pain, as he laid down on the floor from Doll's sneak onslaught from before. She peered over him and realized that he was standing after she had kicked him in the crotch.

She has no other choice! She knew that Mister Vacio will get her back, and she will be doomed if she remained in captivity. It was futile to stay standing; she has to do something in defense! But her mana powers were sealed by her knuckles.

But, she felt him. He was coming to save her!

Trusting her life into his hands, and confident that he will come at the perfect time to help her, she jumped off the cell, falling from the soaring building located at the center of the forest.

Mister Vacio gasped.

"I trust you…" Doll mumbled as she fell down the elevated prison. Her clothes and hairs were blown by the air pressure, as she glimpsed upwards to her feet, still falling off the building.

She can sense that he was coming. His reckless character that she knew, his shouts, his fire; those traits abode on her mind, intacted deeply that she can feel that he was coming.

"Lucas…" she murmured.

She closed her eyes. She was ready to face the consequences of her action. She felt her body was being blown by the wind. But her trust remained. Their camaraderie was so strong that Doll actually felt someone was approaching already, and it was indeed Lucas, running to catch her before she fell onto the ground.

"DOLL!" Lucas shouted in eagerness, as he ran through her, spreading his arms. But he staggered when he reached a boulder, losing his balance as a result, but still tried his best to stand up again.

"You came…" Doll whimpered in tears, as Lucas caught her with his hands on time. She felt the pressure of that sudden contact, as they rolled on the grassy ground.

Lucas felt his heart was beating fast, as he was uncertain if she can reach for her in time, but felt better now that she was safe. He laid his back on the ground with Doll, as they look into the sky, with tree leaves covering some portion of it. The lights coming from the sun were tranquil.

Lucas felt the rest of his group running towards them; they hurried to accompany Doll and were ecstatic to see her after learning that she was saved.

Lucas and Doll snickered as they sought, and got up from the ground. He started removing her knuckles and freed her from the sealing of her magic, as the group reached to check her condition.

Moon walked further to ask Doll, but a familiar voice from above stopped him with his attempt.

"Here you go, Blaze Harper…"