* Stephen – Crossfire (KC Audio Remix) *

***

“Holy f*CK! what was that?” Joey hadn’t realised there was something, or rather someone, targeting him.

If not for Draven, he’d be dead meat now.

Draven only pointed at the sky.

Looking up, Joey couldn’t help but open his mouth in surprise.

What they were looking at was something similar to the creatures they were dealing with, but rather than sickles, it had long bony fingers.

Looking closely, he realised that the creature was clenching one of its fists, holding a small purple crystal, while the other was opened and pointing at them.

Joey could feel a shiver down his spine from that glowing purple crystal.

“That thing first negated your attack, then threw some kind of energy orb at you” Draven said, grabbing Joey’s shoulder and startling him in the process.

“How strong is your sword, by the way? And where the hell did you get it from? Don’t tell me you always have a sword up your… pants,” Draven raised an eyebrow, as his grip around Joey’s shoulder tightened while they both dodged several other deadly energy orbs.

Dimensional items weren’t a secret, they’re basically items that were made by some people’s abilities, or technology, so that they can contain more space that their actual body does. But he couldn’t identity such items on Joey.

“Ah, hahaha, the sword isn’t that strong, but I am, I’m a B ranker” he said, scratching the bridge of his nose proudly. “As for where it came from, that would be my ability actually. Your- *cough*” he regained his composure and avoided addressing him as the prince, since he had be sure he’s the right person.

“You have a dimensional based ability?”

“No… it’s a rather weird one,” he said as he dodged another orb, “we can discuss that once we’re safe”.

“Ah sure, our friends here are multiplying like frogs anyway, we have to start cutting their numbers down” Draven said while pointing up again.

The previously lone creature was joined by others of the same kind.

“No wonder the orbs increased in numbers and strength, damn it”

“Uhm” Draven nodded, “If I had to guess, I’d say those things on the ground are the scouts. Up there are the mages, and that new swarm is a knights squad”, he said looking at the newly emerging unit, with swords and armours.

“Well, sh*t just got real!” Joey said while slashing at some scouts.

Hearing a girl’s scream near them, Draven flinched before dashing forward and striking the scout multiple times with his gloved fist.

‘Damn it, I thought that was one of the girls. I hope they’re alright, with more than half of the creatures targeting me, and with their enchanted weapons, they should be fine’

The dead scout splashed blood and brain matter all over the ground.

“Oi, you good?” he asked while helping the young girl up to her feet.

“Um, thanks to you” she nodded as she turned beet red and clung onto him his arm.

Draven was surprised the girl didn’t just run away, so surprised that he didn’t know what to say.

Looking at the girl he realised that she was wearing his school uniform.

With her pale olive skin tone, light brown hair and matching eyes, many would consider her stunning.

The girl herself was hugging his arm while looking up at his face, unaware of the danger around her and seemly just captivated by his eyes.

“SOME HELP PLEASE!?” Joey yelled for help as his force field was about to crack from the pressure the explosive orbs exerted.

‘How many skills does he have?’ Draven thought as he grabbed onto Joey’s shoulder and started running.

‘Ah not this again’ Joey thought as Draven’s grabs weren’t the most gentle, since he didn’t want him to slip by accident.

With both the girl and Joey’s weights he wasn’t as fast, but it still was enough to run away from the angry mob.

“Hey Joey boy, I don’t know what your plan is but I doubt we can fend all of them off, one of these is at least a B rank, and if it wasn’t for my speed, we’d already be dead”, Draven wasn’t joking around, if it wasn’t for his energy control, he wouldn’t have been able to get this fast or strong.

‘If I haven’t infused my body with energy, I wouldn’t have lasted a minute here since I have no actual weapon. Plus, as a I’m just D ranker, I’m almost out of juice’ he thought to himself. ‘Damm I wish I could use my swords!’

But he knew better, if anyone saw a sword that would just obliterate a monster in one strike, leaving literally nothing behind, not even blood.. well, questions were bound to be asked, and he had no intentions of answering any.

“My plan? I was just following you around, so anything goes for me” Joey shrugged.

Draven couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at his response, “Wait! So we’re just fighting those super beasts for fun?” He said as he dropped both dead weights on the ground and slammed the incoming scout a few times.

Joey only shrugged since he didn’t know what to say. After his team had evacuated with the others, he saw the ‘prince’ fighting and so he didn’t thinking for a second to leave him alone.

Although he felt bad that he was useless here, if it wasn’t for Draven, he’d already be dead many times over.

Draven face-palmed as he couldn’t imagine how dumb his ‘friend’ here was, yet he smiled at his sincerity, “Well, I’d say we better bail off for now”

Looking at the girl getting up and dusting herself, he couldn’t help but feel bad, ‘well it was either I drop her and deal with that sickle psycho, or she saying goodbye to her a*s’ he sighed tiredly.

‘I should meet up with the girls!’ he couldn’t help but feel restless, ‘they might have firepower, but if they get swarmed it would get messy. Heck, I’m even having trouble here!’

Seeing that they were mostly clear at their spot, since not monsters were left around, he looked back at the soccer field.

“Is someone else fighting the monsters?”

“Yea, I saw a young lady, probably a mage, with some orbs behind her shooting them down like flies. She must be a high ranker since she made it look too easy” Joey shrugged his shoulders.

“Y- yes, I saw her too…” followed the girl hesitantly while looking up at both boys.

“Uhm,” Draven nodded, “Well, of that’s the case, let’s he-!!!!!!!!” A sudden terrifying feeling struck Draven’s heart like a cursed spear piercing his very soul.

His sudden chilly and terrifyingly tense aura flared with a red glow, shaking the very earth he was standing on, and his companions.

Even though the killing intent wasn’t directed at them, the girl still fainted, and Joey kneeled heavily, feeling his body weighing a ton.

A red flash was all he could observe before realising Draven had vanished.

Then- BOOooOOMMM!!

The big bang that followed spread wide cracks in the ground, almost as if scarring it.

‘Hooooolllyyyy F**ckkk-‘ Joey could do nothing to stop the point blank sonic explosion from invading his brain, or lungs.

He grit his teeth at the horrible headache he got, as blood rushed down his ears.

———————–

‘NOOOOOO!!!!!!

‘It’s all me, it’s my f*cking fault!!

‘DON’T YOU DARE DIE ON ME!! MARIAAA!! MAYAAA!!!

‘I shouldn’t have left them alone! F*CK me, f*ck my life, f*CK those b*stards! I’ll destroy every last one of you!’

It took him a moment to realize that the horrible feeling that has invaded his senses was generated by the curse, or rather the bond, between him and Maria.

If anything was ever to happen to her, he was bound to know.

And right now, he knew the situation was dire.