What is my pneuma actually? (1)

Marina's heart skipped a beat every time they encountered a guard. She knew that even though Ariel is strong, his body was in a bad condition and he is holding more onto willpower than on his body's ability. Both of them were tortured for about a week and barely had anything to eat the previous week. Her neck felt warm and she could feel her own mind going jumbled.

As per the book, Ariel was lead to the nearest water source by his pneuma to heal and gather more vitality. So Marina was sure that he was heading to the lake mentioned in the book. That was the place where he plunged himself into and later on was rescued by a passing pleasure boat. Marina could smell water nearby all of sudden. A wave of relief passed through her. Soon enough the lake came into view.

But just when she was about to enjoy the new found relief, she heard a familiar hostile voice. She was still being carried like a rice bag, so she had a good view of what was happening behind. Drae had brought a team of security armed with batons to recapture them. Marina's heartbeat quickened.

"Bring me that girl! And kill that trash boy, he dared injure me. Kill him!"

She screamed at the guards. Marina saw that the maniac's right hand was missing. Seems like Ariel had done a pretty good number on her. If it was a normal day Marina would have taken time off to admire the maniac's dedication to work, maybe even write up a good reference letter for her. Being mutilated and still being in a mood to focus on finding her lab subjects rather than taking care of herself required insane amount of dedication.

The guards rushed towards them with their batons raised. Their eyes glared with murderous intent. Beneath her, she felt Ariel's body shudder. She knew that Ariel was approaching his limit. He turned around took one look and shot forward towards the lake. Marina called upon all the deities she knew, even the colleagues she hated when she worked at the "Universal Soul Assignment and Affairs Bureau". But no one heard her call. She then recalled why she was an atheist in her previous birth as a human being in Earth.

"Catch them quick! That boy is a water elemental, don't let them reach water."

The maniac screamed again. One of the guards chasing after them, threw his baton at Ariel's unsteady legs. The already stumbling youth stumbled and fell, throwing Marina onto the sandy shore as he fell. She fell on her bum in a sitting pose in front of him. He fell face down facing the earth. He raised his head and they came face to face with each other.

'So close, yet so far.'

Marina thought as she fell, just another 10 meters, and they would be in the lake. The lake could act as the unlimited source of vitality to Ariel. She still didn't have the energy to get up by herself.

Marina saw the youth's face flash a sign of relief when he saw that she was unharmed. She couldn't help but flash a small reassuring smile even in the given situation. His expression turned from that of relief to that of determined almost instantly. He stood up with great determination and turned to face the approaching guards. His haggard back making a pitiful view for her.

'Oh darn it! Is it the tear-jerking scene of sacrifice by Marina already?'

Marina recalled that in the original story, there was a flashback in which Ariel describes Marina's death. He recalled Marina's death as her sacrifice while trying to protect him, when he was surrounded by the guards and his pneuma started burning up his body. She completely used up her pneuma which was already of weak intensity, as her family never encouraged cultivating pneuma and preached that only brutish people needed to cultivate pneuma. They drilled into her head to pursue more feminine hobbies such as reading, practicing etiquette and shopping. She was encouraged to pursue science in a laboratory than cultivate.

'Too bad for you boy, I am not the original Marina. This is a hard won second chance at life for me and I don't intend to sacrifice it for a stranger I just met. Maybe the second hero will just have no chance this time.'

Marina thought that it was reasonable for her to be selfish. Afterall, it took her 50 golden universal years to be able to convince Clotho to let her be reborn into a decent family. Clotho had grudgingly let her transmigrate into a vacant body whose soul had already disappeared. She was moved by his actions, but not enough to sacrifice her life for him, and in her defense she didn't even know what Marina's pneuma was. She couldn't help him even if she wanted too.

"Sorry! I will do the right rituals to ensure a safe passage of your soul to rebirth."

Marina muttered in a low voice as she saw the guards were less than 10 meters from them. Ariel turned towards as if he heard her. Their eyes met for a brief moment, a phantom expression flashed across his face. A small smile lit up. In the fraction of a second, Marina's heart grew cold. She remember something, somebody's voice, "When one is about to die, it is said that one's soul can be seen directly through their eyes."

Through those eyes, she saw that one soul, the one she yearned for and searched for so long in the vastness of the space, and it was smiling at her.