2.2: Breaking out

How will I get out of this chaos? This man who kept saying that he was my onii kidnapped and tied me up in paralyzing vines starting from my arms down to my legs.

I was placed over his shoulder with my legs dangling on his front as he secured me with one of his arms.

I just woke up from the constant bounces from rough handling and I was presented with an immediate image of ippótes chasing us. I briefly thought that this was merely a dream but I was wrong.

I was definitely and undeniably wrong.

“Put me down baka (fool). Do you understand the consequences that you will face after this?” I questioned.

How foolish can this man get?

My eyes unwillingly feasted the view before me and the intense environment around us was easily noticed. It was my first time being able to get out of the palace let alone see other ancients residing in the Great Genshi tree.

Everything was very colorful...

Lucius hummed joyfully, his merriness was a grave threat to my emotionless perfection.

“I will show you the world and make you see how beautiful it is compared to your dull and fucked up life,” he replied while he was being busy dealing with the hundreds of ippótes chasing after us.

The ground trembled beneath us, this rampage was clearly gaining too much audience from every house we passed by.

The sound of the ground crumbling apart occurred from my blind spot. It was difficult for me to perceive what exactly was happening. Lucius leaped up and controlled the zephyrs to prevent us from interacting with slanted spikes that will ensure instant death.

My chest was doing something unfavorable.

“Troublesome…” Lucius sighed before turning around to see the swarm of ippótes getting ready to fly.

My eyes saw the rise of water surrounding the Kingdom which rose into separate divisions of hovering forms coming towards our direction. Whirls of winds were tossed towards us and I couldn’t help but hold on tight to Lucius and warn him of the results of his idiocy.

“Watch out!”

“Sloppy forms, weak execution of elements, and unguarded stances…Hiding did not do any good to your skills as Knights,”

Lucius spoke in an amused tone.

“Why do you continue to resist? If you want to perish then do not involve me in your stupid plans,” I told my rapitore (Kidnapper).

“Once you get arrested do not expect easy freedom,” I threatened him.

“You think I’ll get caught?” Lucius teased. “Think again,” he shouted out loud before extending his free arm out and letting the winds carrying us whirl us around to face the Knights.

The incoming winds and approaching waters were bent straight towards the soaring ippótes which wiped them out of vision. Lucius carried me into his arms and sparks of electricity cascaded down from his back.

Loud and irregular currents extended out and acted as his cape which scattered into different directions, attacking visible offenders as he stole me.

"Feeling excited yet?" Lucius asked me.

"¡Rápido no los dejes escapar! (Quickly, don't let them escape!)"

I watched the ippótes desperately struggle to dodge the electric currents that Lucius effortlessly released without even paying much attention. They were struck and left with the essence of electric currents on the ground.

My body trembled and I could feel something fluttering inside of my stomach. The farther Lucius took me from the palace the more he showed his skills in battle against the hundreds of ippótes chasing us.

Who was this man?

Lucius whistled; the piercing call of the wind broke through the ruckus going around. His lips curled into a wide smile when a four-legged creature emerged with us above. Its white feathery wings fluttered as it approached and it had two horns in which one was visibly broken.

The armored creature halted in front of us and Lucius got on its back. I let out an "oof!'" from having my bottom receive all the impact from being dropped on the back of the creature. I was seated sideways with my whole body beginning to numb from being wrapped like a cocoon.

A new set of ippótes were beginning to close their distance around us and I was speechless for the first time. I was being taken without a plausible reason and I had no power to struggle for I was never trained to fight.

Fighting brings out anger and pleasure so I was forbidden to engage in such activity.

Lucius clucked his tongue and shouted:

"Ejam (let's go) Argo!"

Argo neighed and darted towards the perfectly carved white doors that were heavily guarded by more ippótes who were very much aware of the situation now.

"You will lose, I am sure of it," I breathed out.

He will get captured and he will be punished by my father and the Higher-Order.

He grinned. "You still underestimate me, little brother? I was a general of our army in the past,” he boasted.

That was the past.

"So you aren't a general now? They must have forced you out of the position," I deadpanned.

I watched his expression twitch in annoyance from my statement.

"You are getting on my nerves chii. Have some pride for your brother," he gritted out.

"Why should I be proud of you being a general before? Your previous position does not mean that you'll win."

I just realized how incapable these ippótes were when it came to protecting the ancients. They were getting single-handedly taken down by this man.

I looked ahead and found that we were closer to the gates. This will be where he will get caught. It was a dead-end for him. The tree can withstand any powerful impact and that was the very reason why we survived.

"Argo, vlastós (shoot)," he barked out.

A blanket of light covered the horn of the creature we were riding on. The small growing light became a beam that stretched towards the doors. The rippling sound was deafening and I winced as the doors were blasted into useless debris, showing a wide expanse of green land.

Argo dropped down to the floor and galloped past the doors. Its wings fluttered once more and we soared to the skies.

"Return me," I demanded and showed a disapproving look.

Argo flew higher and higher and my heart kept on speeding up unimaginably. My sides were in loops of shifting and my feet and hands became cold as I leaned against Lucius's chest.

"Ho-hold me baka!" I shouted and shut my eyes close.

"Are you scared?" he laughed out.

"I fe-feel nothing..." I attempted to reply firmly but it came out shaky.

Lucius nuzzled his nose against the dip of my neck and chuckled.

"Your voice is shaky, you liar! This just proves that no one can stay emotionless. You hid behind those walls and you were hidden from the eyes of the world thus this made you even more fragile than anyone else. I can prove it."

Argo finally decided to stop with this height above the ground and it flew us through the smooth pathway of the skies. Cold winds latched to my skin and I shivered from having to be exposed to such temperature. My ears were infiltrated with whispers of the wind and my eyes got watery from such speed.

"I am-I-"I stuttered.

How can I say it? I didn't know how to. How will I express to him what I felt when I didn't even know how to describe it?

"You can't suppress your emotions. They did not do you a favor when they trained you to become a doll. They didn't save you from dying but instead, they prevented you from living.”

I shook my head with my eyes still close. "I refuse. I do not accept death," I retorted.

"Going out here doesn’t immediately equate to dying and being stuck behind the walls of Genshi doesn’t equalize living."

"Stultus (stupid), this is unnecessary," I spoke out.

I was getting restless and I didn't know what to do with myself and this situation. What can I do out here? How can I survive?

The vines around me started to unwrap and I leaned against him in exhaustion.

"You have...you have ruined everything."

After all these years and after everything I did, my efforts became meaningless. I was chosen to rule. I was to get knotted down but now I was exposed to impurities.

Lucius sealed my waist with his arm and pushed me against him.

"No, I'm just starting to piece you back together. If you end up being conceited after everything I will do for you, I will push you off of Argo,” he threatened.

My eyes snapped open and I looked at him with wide eyes. Lucius’ firm expression started to tremble when I continued to stare at him in disbelief. The man couldn't hold it in any longer and he blurted out his laughter.

“Scared you, didn’t I? Onii was just joking~.”