The Run to the Murk

"The King...is..dead."

I rose with determination, my hand tightly gripping my dad's Witchcraft. The resolution in my eyes mirrored the glint of the blade.

"Umm..are you okay, Elea?" Marie asked.

"Marie, I have to go."

"Go where?"

"Inside the Murk."

...

The stare that came after that line was long.

...

We kept staring at each other for at least a minute. I was waiting for her to say something in response, but she just stood there with her hands inside the hoodie's pocket, completely expressionless.

I blink my eyes twice or three times but still have no reaction.

"Umm..Mari- " 

TAP*

As soon as I was about to call her name, she slapped my head.

"Ouch!" Why did she do that?

"Liste- "

TAP*

"I know, it sounds weir-"

TAP*

"Ouch! Stop, Marie, it hurts- "

TAP*

"Will you at least listen to me-"

TAP*

Now it's irritating me, but I looked down and took deep breaths to control my anger. I know I should expect her to get angry, as it makes no sense.

"The reason is-"

TAP*

"STOP IT!!" I said, grabbing her hand in mid-air and pushing her back.

After two steps, she grabbed my collar with her left hand and started pushing me.

"Have you lost the screw in your brain?" says Marie.

"No, I haven't."

"Let me hit it two more times. It might get fixed."

"What are you even saying, Marie?"

Soon, while grabbing and pushing each other, our bodies collided, and we fell down on top of each other.

"Are you an idiot or something? Those fucking demon-looking creatures came from there, and you want to go inside.?" Marie said.

She is choking me while pushing my collar.

Her weight is increasing on me. I placed my hand on her face and desperately moved my legs, kicking her on the stomach to push her away.

"I have a reason. Let me explain." I answered.

"No means no!" she replied.

And we kept rolling on the floor against each other. Sometimes she was on top, and sometimes I was. Silly me, I was thinking that children around us might be looking at us awkwardly, wondering what we are actually doing like this. Two adults behaving like kids, but NO! They are laughing and cheering on us.

"The one with the hoodie will win."

"No, the long girl will win."

"Elea, sis Win!" said Ron.

"Hoodie girl!"

What are these kids even saying? Even adults are watching now, wondering what's happening. Oh god, what is this situation?

.....

Huff*...Huff*...Pant*

*Sigh** and with that, we both sat down beside each other with our backs against the wall.

Huff*

"So you tired enough now? Is your brain functioning properly now? Good, then don't be stupid and drop the plan of going to the Murk." Marie said.

...Huff*

*Thup**I rested my shoulders on Marie's shoulders.

"Elyana...she killed dad." I said.

Marie huffing Gulps*

"And before passing away, dad gave me his Witchcraft and asked me to go inside the Murk."

Marie didn't say a word in response. "So please...Marie..." I said.

"I see."

"Hmm.."

"You should've said that in the beginning, only then."

"Chuckles*, Don't you dare say that now?"

I stood up on my feet and placed my hand in front of Marie for her to take support and stand. She was looking down for a moment, lost in thought.

"Well, then it can't be helped, I guess." Marie said, raising her face towards me.

"I'm coming with you."

Upon hearing that, I took back my hand. "Huhh!? What are you saying now?" I said.

"Give your hand. I want to stand." Marie said, ignoring my question.

I placed it in front of her; she grabbed it firmly and stood, pulling me close.

"Either I am coming with you or I am not letting you go. Now you decide, Elea." Marie said it with a serious glare in her eyes.

"We both can end up dying or might never return again."

"I know very well."

Suddenly, she seems bigger than me. The fact that I'll have Marie on this unknown journey as a companion eased my heart, as if some heaviness were off my chest.

"What about your parents.? They'll never allow." I said.

"I am not taking permission, and as for their protection, they have my brother with them. It'll be better if I go out there and do something about it all rather than waiting here for my death by some weird-looking creatures."

With tear-filled eyes. I looked at her. She is ready to go on a suicidal mission with me. How much does she have faith in me? I am blessed to have a great friend.

"Aww..Nothing pleases my heart more than seeing courageous girls." Knight Rose said as she walked towards us.

We smiled back at her.

"I see, so Arno asked you to go inside. Well, he won't say anything at random. especially if he is sending her own daughter into it. Hmmm...Hmm..." Rose seems to be in very deep thought. "Though I am angry at him for how he keeps hiding things from us, I don't think I should be worried about that...Hmm..." Rose seems angry too.

"Ok, Cool." Rose said it suddenly.

"Ahh?" I and Marie looked at her, confused.

"I cannot come; obviously I have to fulfil my duty here. Nor any other knight will go with you. So you two are alone in this. If you die there, you die with no hope of getting saved. You understand, right?" Rose asked.

"Yes."

"Yes."

I and Marie answered.

"Come, follow me. I'll tell you a different route to reach the gate. I hope the priest has kept his church gate open." Rose said as she led the way.

"Elea, sis.." Nina said. 

I stopped on my foot and looked at her and Ron. The kids from my locality, I escorted till here.

"Are you going somewhere?" Nina asked.

I calmly sat down in front of her and Ron and held their hands gently.

"Ron..Nina.." I said

"Hmm?"

"I am going on a long journey."

"When'll you be back?"

"It'll take a long time, probably, but I promise. I'll be back."

They kept staring at me. Probably they are wondering where I am going.

"You guys too. Promise me. You'll be strong, kids."

"Hmm"

"Ron take care of your sister. You two have each other only."

"Yes" Ron said.

"Shed tears as much as you want, but do not let them kill your hope. Okay?"

What am I even saying to the kids? They probably don't even know what I am saying. *Sigh**

"Yes. We will become strong. Elea sis." Nina said.

I smiled at her and hugged them both tightly. They'll be facing it too. Their parents are dead, and they don't even know what's happening to the world.

"Take care. I'll be back."

"You too, Elea, sis."

In the quiet surrender of release, I let go of Ron and Nina.

Marie and I walked towards the backend of the compound, following the Elite Knight Rose.

We packed our bags with all the necessary utilities, like food and water, to at least survive for a week on them and hung them on our shoulders.

"Well then, Eleanor j'Arc...Marie Florakis." said Rose as she looked at us with a sheer glare on her face and a warm smile before departing us at the back door of the compound.

"Be careful on your journey. I pray that you return safe and sound."

We bowed at her and nodded with our resolution.

—

Knight Rose had beckoned us towards the path, a guide to the quickest journey to the gate. We ran as our course started by reaching within the sacred walls of the church, weaving through the silent corners of the back alley, and sprinting alongside, straight from the protective embrace of fences, far from the houses and open eyes.

In our relentless pursuit, we came across a few of those otherworldly creatures. I was aware of their strong sense of smell and hearing, so this time I managed to remain stealthy with Marie by my side. It was a constant threat. We remained hidden until they vanished from sight and area. At times, we heard the distant cries of people, as if their voices begging for mercy and asking for help reached our ears. Marie and I looked at each other, triggering a shared moment of pity and shame. At times I was about to jump in, but Marie held me back, saying it's pointless and we'll be writing our deaths.

Putting a stone on our hearts, we run..with the unspoken weight, we run..with the determination we run...

—WE'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY FOR IT!

We ran...until we reached the open path of a grassy field, the same place where I and Elyana used to come in our childhood days to play and to collect tiny white flowers called yarrow.

In front of the field lies an 80-metre-tall metal bar with its gate completely open and the seal emblem hanging on top, completely shattered. Behind it is a Murk, the mysterious dense fog, a place where we need to run.

*Huff**We halted on our toes, catching our breaths.

"We're finally here." Says Marie.

Gulps*

"Yeah," I replied. "Let's go."

We started running straight but Marie while running picked up something from behind, charging at us at a very fast pace.

"Elea, behind us!! They are coming at us." Said Marie.

In a frantic sprint towards the gate, I looked over my shoulder to see what was coming at us. A slight surge of anxiousness gripped me—but we are not stopping after reaching this close.

"Keep running; don't stop!" I said.

Igniting a surge of determination, we ran forward, refusing to halt our pace. We charged even faster. but regardless of that, we cannot outrun them. They are legit beasts.

"Elea.. They are closing the gap at a very fast pace. We'll be dead before we reach the gate." Marie said.

In that moment, sensing their proximity and the do-or-die situation in front of us, memories of my father's powerful swing that he made in the house and the way he moved those chains flooded my mind. —I can do this. So what if the Infusion ritual isn't done yet? All these years, I wasn't practicing waiting for everything to fall before me on the silver plate.

Summoning courage, I relinquished the chains, seizing them with a newfound resolve. As those creatures closed in behind us, I let go of the chains in my hands, and with a formidable spin on my toes, I made a full arm swing in the air. The chains shinks* and with the flow of it, for an instant, a black lightning sparks on the knife. A smooth symphony of the chains cutting through the air severs both of the creatures in one go.

Huhh? What was that? Those black lightnings?

"Elea. Run! More are coming." said Marie, pulling me.

She is right; I can think about all these later and with that we ran inside the gate. 

There's at least 50 metres more before the dense fog starts that'll blur our vision.

"Stay close, Marie."

"Yes, I will."

—Just then, as we step inside the Murk, we hear recognisable loud, sparkling noises from behind us, and the sky for a moment turns a bright yellow.

We turned our heads above our shoulders while running to catch a glimpse of the source of light, and what we saw were countless arrows showering into the royal capital.

"Isn't that..." said Marie with a shocked face.

"Sir Rain's Cosmic Dive..." I replied.

I remember Madam Jaleh's words when she said, Sir Rain cannot use that move more than once in a day. —What in the world is happening at the royal capital?

And with that, as we sprinted inside the Murk, the image of our kingdom faded right before our eyes. Through the thick veil of fog, we ran amidst the towering trees, their forms distorted in the haze covering our vision, but still we kept on running and running and running....