Chapter 2 – The escape

They sat in silence as Lucina meditated to accelerate the process of regenerating her mana. She had always liked to compare it to catching your breath after a long run. She concentrated on absorbing ambient mana in the atmosphere, in a similar manner to how you take in oxygen when breathing. It was a technique her brother had taught her for training her mana core.

"Will you fight?" Eri asked breaking the silence.

"Most likely" Lucina stated, "As soon as I can, I'll break us out and we'll fly to Elysi". Eri stared at her, the hope in her eyes growing by the second. However, she then turned to Lucina confused.

"What about your brother?"

"Don't worry about him let's just get you to safety" Lucina stated. Despite what she told Eri, she had no idea what her brother would be doing whether he was madly searching for them or trying to figure out where they were back at the orphanage, if him and Kate worked together it probably wouldn't take them long. All she knew is she had to get this girl out of here, before she was transported again.

She relaxed for a little longer, Eri sitting patiently beside her until she finally positioned herself up right. She let mana flow from her core into her muscles enhancing her physicality. With one swift motion, she snapped the chains imprisoning her, causing an earth-shattering sound to echo around the room, Eri's eyes darted between a stretching Lucina and the door, with a worried and scared impression.

"Don't worry, I sensed it once I got my mana back" Lucina stated while pointing to the golden sigil, that she'd seen Kate form many times before, above the door "that sigil up their sound-proofs the room. I'm Assuming it's to stop anyone's screams down here reaching outside".

"You can sense it?" Eri asked almost shocked.

"I can" Lucina responded with a grin. Her and her brother both had an unusually high ability to sense mana.

She grabbed Eri's hand and led her up the stairs stopping at the door.

"Alright once I open this door, the room won't be sound proofed anymore, so we have to be silent" Lucina explained and Eri nodded. She slightly opened the door just enough to break the sigils effect. She placed her ear on the door and listened to any noises coming from outside.

"We've lost contact with the patrol unit outside, everyone but you two with me" she heard a man voice exclaim followed by the sound of many people sprinting past the door. She then heard one person stand in front of the door, Lucina then peaked through the small slit in the doorway, outside was a large corridor with no windows. There were two people, a man, and a woman, dressed in a black uniform and wearing black masks around their lower face.

"Go call him" a woman spoke her voice coming from the other side of the door, which was then followed by footsteps travelling further away from them. Once she could no longer hear the footsteps, Lucina wasted no time, she slammed open the door into the guard's back sending her tumbling to the ground. Once again, she Infused mana into her body, Lucina pinned the guard to the ground and quickly threw 3 precise, enhanced hammer fists into her nose, shattering it, before grabbing her head and slamming it into the ground. Leaving the guards unconscious body behind, Lucina quickly gestured to Eri stay still, before she raced off in the direction of the other guard, as she spun the corner, she could see him in the hallway. She dashed forward covering the distance between them in an instant. Before he could even register what had happened, she leapt into the air, her momentum carrying her forward, and struck his face with her knee, after a gruesome crunch he fell to the ground unconscious. Instantly, she rushed back towards Eri who was, hiding partially behind the door. Lucina offered out her hand to Eri, who took it without hesitation, and then led her through what seemed to be some rustic, countryside cabin. She followed the direction she had heard the others go, in hopes that it would lead her outside. She ended up in what seemed to be a living room. It had three doors, all on opposite walls.

"Three doors and no windows…damn" she mumbled while analysing the room. She glanced down at the carpets placed around the room and noticed the ones towards to the left were all crumpled, unlike the others.

She dragged Eri towards the door, they ended up in another corridor with a door at the end. Running into the next room their journey had finally came to an end. They ended up in them a room with windows and two doors, one leading outside and another leading elsewhere, Lucina didn't care where it went.

She pushed the door outwards revealing an Elysian, star filled night and what seemed to be the beginning of a forest with trees that melded in with the nights darkness as far as her eyes could see. As she turned around, she could see she'd been held in a cabin which leaked no light allowing it to blend in with the darkness.

"Alright let's get out of –" she was suddenly cut off when something was sent crashing through the cabin wall on their left. She quickly picked up Eri and began backing away, after the dust cleared, she could see that it was one of her captors that had been sent crashing into the cabin. Suddenly voices arose from the woods, she quickly rushed with Eri to take cover in the shadow of the nearest tree.

"One way to make an entrance" a girl's voice called out jokingly.

"They're definitely in that cabin right or have I just broken somebody's home?" a boy's voice responded concerned.

"Yes, they're definitely in there" the girl defended herself "Are all guards around not a giveaway".

"Just asking" the boy grumbled. A massive grin formed on Lucina's face.

"Took you long enough" Lucina burst around from the tree, dragging a stunned Eri with her. The voices belonged to a girl in a long white coat, she had blonde hair in a ponytail and contrasting with her blue eyes. Behind her was a boy with a muscular, athletic frame who had messy brown hair with golden eyes and was dressed in all black, blending in with the night.

"Lucina … you've escape" the girl stated slightly surprised.

"Of course," she responded proudly "I even broke a mana suppression seal".

"Ahh well isn't this all a bit anti-climactic" the girl mumbled.

"Why are you annoyed?" the boy at the back questioned while scanning the surroundings "Never mind, time to go now, we are already going to be in so much shit already".

"Is this her?" the girl asked, completely ignoring him, while glancing at Eri.

"Really, we're doing this now" the boy mumbled to himself baffled.

"Yeah, she was locked up with me her names Eri" Lucina explained also ignoring him.

"Hi Eri, I'm Kate and this is Arthur" Kate said gesturing to the boy behind her who gave Eri a wave.

".. Hi" she said hiding behind Lucina's legs.

"How did you even find me?" Lucina asked.

"Tracker" Kate stated bluntly.

"You put a tracker on me!" Lucina stated annoyed.

"Lewis told me too".

"Of course, he did" Lucina grumbled.

"Let's just get moving, we still aren't safe here" Arthur pointed out.

"Yeah" Lucina responded, "we should definitely get out of here especially before he shows up".

"Who?" Arthur asked concerned.

"I believe she means me" a deep voice emerged from the darkness.

"God's sake" Arthur mumbled.

They all turned towards the woods to see a huge knight clad in black armour emerge from the shadows. Arthur quickly moved to guard the others, and Kate pulled out a silenced pistol from her coat.

"What did you say girl we'd have a round 2 if you escaped. Well deals a deal" he stated quietly. Smoke began leaking from his armour and he dashed forward and in the blink of an eye he was in front of Lucina with his first readied. Arthur quickly spun around grabbing their attacker's arm and with inhuman strength, threw him over his shoulder, sending him flying into the woods, crashing through trees far away from a stunned Lucina.

"Get out of here now!" Arthur ordered.

"No one is leaving!" a deep voice echoed from the woods. Before anyone could react, the knight was in front of him his armoured fist dug into his abdomen. Arthur quickly grabbed onto the gauntlet to avoid been sent flying back and pulled his attacker forward off balance before thrusting his elbow into the base of the helmet. Instantly Arthur thrusted his knee forward however, an armoured hand caught his attack, and another grabbed onto to his shirt and raised Arthur into the air. The world then came crashing down around him as he was slammed down shattering the earth. Arthur attempted to jump up however, the black knight just stomped him further into the ground. Grunting Arthur grabbed his ankle and launched him into the cabin, sending him crashing through its walls. Lucina then watched him leap from the ground and through the newly made hole in the cabin wall.

"Arthur wait!" Lucina called out, but it was too late he'd already disappeared into the cabin.

"Who is this guy?" Kate asked.

"I don't know, just some guy who captured me earlier" Lucina stated. She channelled mana and instantly the shadows around her began to conjugate and coalesce to form an 8-foot bird like figure. The shadows then dissolved off the figure to reveal crystalline, black feathers that almost seemed to reflect the stars in the night sky. A raven shaped mask carved out of white marble covered the creatures face except its eyes that glowed violet.

Lucina was a summoner and using magic could summon many magical creatures such as this one she had named Cali.

"Everyone get on – "She was interrupted by an eruption of mana which generated a force that ripped apart the cabin like a hurricane sending debris flying in all directions. As she went to shield Eri she noticed Arthur flying out like a piece of debris into the forest.

"I said no one is leaving" a deep voice growled, in an instant he was upon Cali his fist raised and imbued with mana, black smoke flowing from his armour.

"Cali dodge!" Lucina commanded but he was too fast, his fist struck the bird sending it crashing through trees. Kate pulled the trigger of her pistol sending a golden bullet flying into his chest-plate however, the bullet just dispersed against his mana coated armour.

"Your accent is Aitian, what are you doing here?" Kate asked while putting away her firearm.

"What does it matter to you?".

"It doesn't I was just buying time" Kate explained.

Arthur's fist struck across his helmet snapping his head to the right. Before he could even recover, Arthur threw a left hook into his side causing him to keel forwards allowing a follow-up uppercut to knock him back. The two charged at each other and began trading blows causing air and ground to quake at every impact. The knight ducked under one of Arthurs attacks and summoned a black long-shield, yellow sparks dissolving in the air around it as it came into existence. Swinging his arm wide the shield struck Arthur's chest, causing him to fly back. He then turned and charged at Kate like a bull however, Arthur quickly intercepted him at a speed Lucina could barely register. He shoulder barged the shield, however, black knight pulled back, hauling Arthur off balance. He gripped Arthur by the neck and sent him crashing into the ground. Immediately he raised his shield with both hands and slammed it down onto Arthur chest however, Arthur quickly caught it. The knight Enhanced his strength and pushed down on the shield, with a force that fractured to ground around them. Arthur pushed back against the shield but ended up only pushed himself further into the ground, unable to force the shield back.

"Cali!" Lucina shouted.

'KRAA!'

A black blur rocketed out of the shadows crashing into the black knight forcing him off Arthur.

"Pests" The knight growled as he stood back up. He flexed his hand, and his shield flew to his arm and a black great-sword was appeared in his right hand, some sort of sigils could be seen engraved on the blade. The sigils on the sword and the shield began to glow a bright yellow, as he infused mana into them. The knight dashed forward towards Lucina however was intercepted by the summon. A blade came swinging down onto the bird, but it spread its wing and feathers spread out through the air forming a hexagon. Tendrils of violet lightning began flowing between feathers forming a shield, the blade impacted the shield, and sparks flew into the air as the sword stained against it. The shield pulsed and the lightning began to grow unstable suddenly exploding repelling the knight. Cali fired feathers into his chest plate which instantly began to glow violet before exploding launching him further back. The black knight dug his feet into the earth forcing himself to a halt, he then swung his blade through air producing an arc of yellow light that flew towards Cali. The raven attempted to form another shield however, the arc struck the bird's wing causing it to recoil back, the knight continued to swing his blade resulting in more yellow arcs striking the summon. Cali suddenly screeched and a violet glow spread through the air dissipating any income attacks, the raven then charged forward its body coated in lightning. The black knight readied his shield and they collided, sparks flew, and the air shook as they attempted to overpower one another. The sigils on the knight's shield began to glow brighter and then even brighter and then suddenly a yellow light erupted from the shield slamming into the summon with such force it was launched back. Lucina dashed forward however, with incredible speed his image blurred, and he was upon Cali. He swung his blade down at the creature's neck however, his arm was suddenly restrained by golden strands.

"Round 2" a voice echoed from behind him. The knight turned to see Arthur, the golden strands in his hand.

"What is this?" the knight growled.

"My web" Arthur stated bluntly. Arthur then wrenched the knight off his feet towards him and threw his elbow into his enemy's helmet cracking the base. He then quickly ducked under a shield strike before grabbing hold of the knight's chest plate.

"This will sting a bit" he smirked. A golden glow, a similar colour to his eyes, shot along the veins in his arm, as it reached his palms there was a discharge of electrical energy into the knight was sent recoiling backwards. The knights body began to tense up almost like he was struggling to control his own muscles. Lucina sensed the knight infuse himself and his weapons with more mana, causing his blade to be coated in yellow light. He charged, Arthur stepped back avoiding a shield plummeting towards his head, he then ducked under a yellow slash aiming to split him in two, before spinning on the ball of his foot and round house kicking the knight's torso. The knight ignored the kick and continued his onslaught unleashing a chain of attacks. Arthur continued to avoid and block the incoming attacks, countering whenever his enemy over extended. Lucina watched wide eyed at the brawl which made the ground and air tremble, they seemed to be on equal footing however, she noticed every time Arthur seemed to be getting the upper hand the knight increased his power to match him. The knight is holding back only increasing his strength when he needs to. 'Why?' she thought 'maybe he is too prideful and doesn't want to go all out on us'.

"You need to go" Kate stated, snapping Lucina out of her daze.

"Kate, Arthur won't be able to win like this" Lucina stated, worried.

"Don't worry It'll be fine, now take Eri and go!" Kate commanded "that knight isn't going to let anyone escape without being distracted". Noticing her serious demeanour, Lucina quickly grabbed Eri and climbed upon Cali.

"Let's go" Lucina commanded. With a strong stroke of its wings, the summon rose into the air. They soared higher into the sky until they were almost touching the clouds.

"No!" the knight roared. Lucina turned to see him launch his sword like a spear with such force the air shuddered, however, it was quickly stopped in its tracks by strands of golden web. Suddenly the sword was flung back towards the knight striking him with such force the blade implanted itself into his chest plate. Wasting no time, Lucina flew through the sky travelling further and higher with each stroke of Cali's wings. She glanced back towards the knight. He ripped the weapon from his chest and attempted to attack them again, but it was too late. They were already too far away.