A 'long' Conversation

Kai POV

I could feel my head being torn apart by it's strings. Pushing my body up with my hands, I found it to be bruised as skin peeled off from the impact. 

The loud noise from the explosion rang in my ears like a reoccurring scream. It buzzed through my head.

Instinctively as if I'm driven by an unknown force, I looked around for Claude. He must be stuck under the rubble and concrete somewhere.

I forced myself up and felt my knees being scraped against the rough ground. I moved on and started lifting up the bigger concrete bits in search of Claude.

Claude didn't seem to have been prepared for that bomb. Neither was I, but I definitely caught the better wind of it. 

After a while, I could see Claude's brown shirt sticking out from beneath the concrete wall. His groaning was inaudible from far.

But I could hear him whispering my name. It was disturbing to say the least.

I could hear my breathing all too well. It was getting heavier. And so was the tip tap sound of leather shoes coming up behind me.

In a last ditch attempt, I lifted the brick wall up and tried to pull Claude up but I flinched back.

Almost immediately, I felt a strong object struck my back as an immeasurable pain seeped through my whole abdomen. Crashing into the wall, I could hear myself gasping for air.

I looked back and saw a whole group of those wearing the cape staring straight at me as if they had found something interesting.

"Isn't that Victoria's child? Wasn't she looking for him and issued a small order for us too?" A Knight questioned, putting down his leg.

"Should be. She ordered us to kill him on sight." 

"But that's not our objective. And why should I do her dirty work?" One complained, looking down and noticing Claude.

"An order is an order. She's our collaborator. So kill him and move on." He pulled out a sword and walked with swift steps. He rushed out suddenly and struck out his sword.

Moving to the right as quickly as possible, somehow, I was still left injured by that person's weapon.

"What's wrong now? Just kill him already, we don't have all day." 

The man stopped. "Give me a moment. And get Valentino over here." 

"Why? Itching for another scolding?" 

"This kid just might be useful." The knight stared down at me as if I was a cat wandering on the streets.

I glanced over and looked at Claude. This wasn't going well, and I didn't know why. But these people had a different aura to them.

The knights before in the forest..I could sense and tell what their magic core was as we were on a similar level. Yellow Core.

 But these people were on a whole different dimension compared to me. To them, I was almost like a pebble they couldn't even bear to spend time walking on.

And it didn't help that they had mentioned Victoria's name. Collaborator? What did that mean? Collaborate with what? This mess that they had set to a vital part of the continent?

Slowly, I began to stand up but once I passed a certain height, I could feel a glare shooting at me.

It wasn't a situation where I could win at all. No odds were in my favour. I was left absolutely stranded.

Just then, a man with a black cape that glinted with a mystifying hue approached the group. His strides were large and wide while his pale yet dark black eyes looked straight forward.

"That's it?" The man said. He looked at me up and down as if scanning for faults. "He looks exactly like the description. Is he though?"

"That kid under there called him Kai." One said immediately, smiling. He had a black beauty mark right under his eye. 

The man who was supposedly 'Valentino' paused for a while. He seemed to be deep in thoughts as he tapped his finger at a peculiar rhythm on his thigh.

Everyone was looking at him, he was at the centre of all the attention. They were all relying on him as if he was their leader. He probably was.

Valentino's eyebrow twitched with certainty as he gestured to the others. He looked at me and squinted. "Tell me, are you Kai Whitlock?"

I felt as if that man had gone insane. Who in their right would admit their identity in this situation?

But he knew exactly where it hurt. The man twisted his leg towards the direction of Claude where his hands laid.

"If so, are you going to kill me?"

"I don't like ambiguous answers. It's a yes or a no, child."

I gritted my teeth. 

"I won't kill you. If you prove useful. My master has been waiting for someone like you." 

"Like me? Don't lie. You can find a million people like me on the streets." 

"I don't like long conversations."

"Neither do I."

The man seemed to be calm on the outside but I could hear a slight anger in his body language. He snapped his fingers and the immediate second after, they all started rushing at me as if they were out for blood.

I cursed my carelessness in not being prepared. I should've held on to the sword. The only thing I had in my pocket was 'that'. I had meant to get one more but the time wasn't sufficient.

I hated this feeling of being driven into a corner. And yet my first instinct was to think of someone else's well being. I should've gone by myself in the first place.

Why had I taken on the duty to bring him along? Was it out of pity..or? 

The mana in my core started pouring out and the scroll in my pocket started absorbing all of it. Now, I just need time.

I couldn't attack even if I wanted to. I was dodging and yet being struck. In a few more seconds, I would be down on my knees and defeated.

Thankfully, I felt a heat brushed by my hand. I held onto the scroll and rubbed it to ashes, whispering beneath my breath the location and the desired target.

Was it the capital? Where was it again?

I need it to be somewhere safe.

And soon after, a blast and heatwave shock the air. 

I could tell the attackers around me had stopped their pursuit as they watched me stand still as if I had completely given up.

They were fast at analysing. I can give them that. 

I could hear one clearly scoffing at me. 

"A teleportation scroll?" One asked.

"Is this kid sane?" 

"Oh he's crazy alright."

"Why is he still here though? Did it fail or.."

That was the last thing I heard before I blacked out. I could feel blood dripping down my hands like an endless waterfall and those pale black eyes staring right at me.