Kirara’s breath came in shasps as she led the group across the war-torn fields, her eyes dartiween her virtual map and the distant horizon. The group of prisoners stumbled behind her, some leaning heavily on each other, their faces etched with exhaustion and fear. The ragged procession was a far cry from a well-coordinated escape, but they had no choice but to press on.
“What the hell is this?” Kirara muttered under her breath as her map flickered, its digital dispy showing a green marker just beyond the horizon. Her brow furrowed. “This doesn’t make sehere shouldn’t be anything there.”
The faint outline of a forest came into view as they crested a shallow hill. It loomed in the distance like a shadowy wall, its trees dense and t, their branches reag into the moonlit sky. Kirara slowed to a stop, her heart pounding for reasons she couldn’t quite expin.
“Wait,” she said, turning to the former vilgers who had been trailing closest to her. “That’s nht. Was there always a forest there?”
The prisoners exged uneasy gnces. An older man, his face lined with age and hardship, shook his head. “No, miss,” he said, his voice hoarse. “That was farmnd st we khere’s never been a forest there.”
Another prisoner, a younger woman clutg a child to her chest, nodded. “He’s right. We lived hese parts… That forest wasn’t there before.”
Kirara felt a chill run down her spine. Magic. There was no other expnation. But whose magid why?
“Great,” she muttered, gng back at the group. “Well, unless anyone’s got a better idea, that’s our way out. Keep moving!”
The group hesitated for a moment, but Kirara’s sharp tone spurred them forward. They trudged toward the forest, its shadow swallowing them bit by bit as they drew closer.
As they he treeline, Kirara couldn’t help but notice how unnatural the forest felt. The air was heavy, almost oppressive, as if the trees themselves were alive and watg. The underbrush rustled softly, though there was no wind. The paths ahead, if it could be called that, were all narrow and rown, f them to move in separate single files.
“This pce is givihe creeps,” Kirara muttered, her hand drifting toward the pulse grenades on her belt. “But it’s better thaing caught in the open.”
Suddenly, a sh out from behind them.
“They’re catg up!” one of the prisoners cried, his voice trembling.
Kirara spun around, her heart sinking as she saw the faint glow of torches in the distahe soldiers Folgen had sent were closing in, their silhouettes growing rger as they moved with grim determination.
“Damn it,” Kirara hissed, believing that they had resisted her skill somehow. “Alright, everyone, listen up! Into the trees, now! Spread out and stay quiet. If they ’t find us, they ’t catch us.”
The group surged forward, disappearing into the forest’s shadows. Kirara stayed at the rear, her eyes locked on the approag soldiers. She gritted her teeth, her mind rag. They wouldn’t be able to outrun them.
As the first of the soldiers broke into the clearing at the edge of the forest, Kirara pulled a pulse grenade from her belt, her firembling slightly. She activated it and hurled it toward the oning troops.
The greonated with a blinding fsh of light and a deafening crack, throwing the lead soldiers into disarray. They stumbled, clutg at their eyes and ears, their formation momentarily broken.
“Keep moving!” Kirara shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.
The prisoners scrambled deeper into the forest, their fear propelling them forward. Kirara lingered for a moment, her hand h over her st grenade. She could hear the soldiers rec, their shouts growing louder as they regrouped.
“Not yet,” she muttered, bag away slowly. “Not yet…”
Just as the soldiers began to advance again, a low rumble echoed through the forest. The grouh their feet trembled, and the trees seemed to shudder as if reag to some unseen force.
“What now?” Kirara muttered, her eyes darting around.
From deep within the forest, a faint light began to glow, its hue shiftiween green and gold. The oppressive air seemed to lift slightly, repced by a strange sense of calm. Kirara stared at the light, her instincts screaming at her to either run or iigate.
The soldiers hesitated as well, their movements faltering as they too noticed the light. One of them muttered something under his breath, his voice barely audible over the rustling leaves.
No one would ever find out though as a massive vine burst out of the forest, ripping through the ground as it passed, before smming in the group of guards.
The guards, in full panic, scattered, although two of them were too slow, wheack hit, leaving them as fttened metal in a splotch of blood.
From within the small forest, multiple slightly smaller vines burst out with blistering speed, skewering through the rest of the soldiers before they even do anything.
The vilgers were now panig, as they were within the killer forest. Kirara though, had a look of thought on her face. "That looks familiar. Acer is that you?!" She yelled at the forest.
The forest suddenly trembled as if it was shaken from a massive wind, suddenly every tree in sight parted, creating a path that all the vilgers and prisoook, te clearing in the middle of the forest.
Kirara was the first to ehe clearing, and she froze upoing there. "What the hell?" Because right in the middle of the clearing was a massive bck cargo pne. A tiny vine waved from the top of the pne, upon looking closer, the vine was ected to Acer.
---
With a fsh of light, Kaede appeared behind Kirara, who was standihe aircraft, her arms crossed and her expression a mix of fusion and irritation.
“Kaede,” Kirara began, the moment she saw the fsh of light, her voice sharp, “what is this? I thought you were sending a carriage or something, not… whatever this is!”
Kaede raised an eyebrow, stifling a ugh. “Oh, e on, Kirara. You’ve been summoo another world, and you’re surprised by a pne? I thought you’d appreciate the venience.”
Kirara huffed, her golden eyes narrowing. “venience, huh? Do you even know how to fly this thing?”
Kaede smirked, holding up a small trol device. "One word. Autopilot."
As if ohe Spirit Drone hovered closer, its visor flickering as it sed the pne. Kirara eyes wideaking a step back. "Holy... It's Eve!"
Kaede turo the trembling girl. "Huh? What's an Eve?"
Kirara suddenly had a rge smile. "It's actually Eve! You know, Eve! From that one movie, Wall-E. Where two robots fall in love, it was so romantic. It was a very popur movie like a year before I was summoned, so three years ago."
Kaede shrugged. "Huh. That's a spirit I actally got from Razen. If it looks like a robot from a movie, I wouldn't know, I'm not a movie person. Besides three years ago for you, huh. That means the movie was released in year 2009, that's fifteen years ago for me, I was just four years old back then."
Kirara still smiled though. "Still, I'm telling you, that's Eve right there."
The spirit drone hovered, in a bobbing motion, as if pleased with the attention.
Kirara squealed. "See it likes the name. Don't you?"
The spirit drone bobbed again. Kaede suddenly had a bad feeling. "Hey Kirara you shouldn't try to na..."
Kirara wasn't listening though. "Yep, your name is Eve!"
The spirit drone suddenly shoh a golden light that brightened up the entire forest. Kaede groaned. "Is this how Shifu felt, when I did the exact same thing?"
Kirara suddenly groaned as she staggered. "Whoa, I feel dizzy. Spinning, everything is spinning." She was also glowing a golden light as she fell down in her butt, before losing sciousness.
The spirit drone, or Eve, finally stopped glowing. It looked rgely the same pared to before, only it was much smaller than before being the same height as Kaede now, it also had a golden semi circle like insignia on its chest where its core used to be.
The same insignia, also appeared under Kirara's right eye, although nobody was aware of that just yet.
"Artificia, what just happened?" Kaede asked.
Kaede groaned, running a hand through her hair. “Great. Just what we needed. And what do you mean by ‘e’? Is this going to cause problems?”
Kaede gnced down at Kirara, who y sprawled on the ground, faintly glowing. “Yeah, she looks really enhanced right now,” she muttered sarcastically. “What am I supposed to do with her like this?”
Eve, or rather the newly evolved Automara, floated closer to Kirara, emitting a series of soft, melodic hums. Its golden insignia glowed faintly, and the surrounding air seemed to grow warmer and more serene. Kaede’s irritation gave way to a mix of curiosity and as she k beside Kirara.
She gently picked up the unscious girl, carrying her in a princess hold, f down the blush on her face. "Let's go, Artificia opech."
The hatch of the rge pne came down with a hiss, and Acer started leading people inside, with Kaede headed straight for the pilot .
The interior of the was surprisingly sleek, with cushioned seats and a faint blue glow emanating from the trol panel. Kaede settled into a seat , while pg Kirara on the seat beside her.
As the pne’s engines roared to life, She tapped the unication orb, her tone light. “Shifu, status update. You better not be making me wait.”
The lowed faintly before Shifu’s voice came through, his tone ced with amusement. #I’m almost there. Don’t get your hair in a twist. Ran into a bit of resistance, but nothing I couldn’t handle.#
Kaede rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a grin. “Good. We’re leaving as soon as you get here. Don’t take too long.”
#Wouldn’t dream of it,# Shifu replied, the e cutting off with a faint crackle.
Kaede leaned ba her seat, her arms crossed as she waited "So I just decred war on a kingdom. It's like I never left. I already imagihe looks on each of their faces. Sally would go "I took my eyes off you for one sed and you do this." e and Iz would just ugh, saying. "At least she's on our side." The twins would cheer for me. Kasumi would smile. And Kanade would just keep reading his weird puzzles."
A word from Shifu, firmed that he was aboard the pne, and she gave Artificia the green light. From within the pne, Acer parted the forest again, creating a runway for the pne.
The pne asded into the night sky, leaving the capital behind when the sky suddenly lit up with thousands of runes and lines, as a circle spanning miles appeared above the pne.
"Artificia,” Kaede muttered, her brow furrowing as she analyzed the magical signature. “This doesn’t look like a standard circle.”
---
In Falmuth’s capital, hundreds of sorcerers had gathered in a massive circle. Their ting resohrough the stone walls, filling the air with a strange, unnatural rhythm. Razen, on one k the ter of the circle, his arms raised high, was the ductor of this are symphony.
“Activate the sigils!” Razen gasped, his voice weary and tired. Around him, the other sorcerers began to weave their own spells, their hands glowing with raw power. Sardyood off to the side, her eyes focused on the magic circle above, her expression one of solemn.
“This will be your final lesson, Kaede,” Razen muttered under his breath. “A remihat no matter how much power you have, you ot escape fate.”
Sardyne gave a quiet, her lips curling into a thin, frown. "Five me my friend. But this is the only way to save you. Colluding with monsters shows that your heart has been corrupted."
The ritual was nearly plete. The circle above began to pulse with a violent light, the runes flickering as they reached their cresdo.
---
Outside, the sky was a swirling mass of energy as the spell s peak. Kaede's eyes flicked to the shimmering circle, and she felt a chill run through her. Through a s on the trols, she could see the capital and the gathering of sorcerers, with Razen in the middle. "Dammit! Is this what I get for letting you live. ime, I swear Razeime I'll fug kill you!"
Among them, Kaede could just make out the faint silhouettes of Sardyne and her holy temprs, their arms crossed in prayer, preparing for the final intation.
“Shit,” Kaede muttered. She khis wasn’t just an ordinary attack. Razen and the sorcerers, with the help of Sardyne aemprs, were going to obliterate them in one fell swoop.
“We o get out of here, now,” Kaede hissed, turning her mind to Artificia. “Activate evasive protocols! Full speed! Do something!”
The pne’s engines roared to life with renewed iy as it veered sharply to the side, climbing rapidly. But the spell was already log onto its trajectory, the vast circle above them beginning to tighten.
The circle overhead began to pulse, its energy building to an impossible iy. The runes flickered in rapid succession, castiic shadows over the ground below as the air seemed to hum with the force of the impending disiion spell.
“We don’t have time,” Kaede said, her voice tight with frustration. She g Kirara’s unscious form, feeling the weight of responsibility press down ohe pressure of the magi the air had the pne slow to a crawl, gravity frozen in pce.
The spell was reag its peak.
Kaede’s heart raced, and she looked out the window at the glowing mass of runes above. She knew she had only seds left before the spell unched.
With a curse, Kaede gripped her shield before vanishing. Kaede reappeared on top of the pne, her shield raised and her eyes locked on the seething mass of energy overhead. The magic circle pulsated violently, a looming harbinger of annihition.
[Martyr’s Devotion] she whispered, activating the skill without hesitation.
---
Ba the capital, the ting ceased as Razen grinned a victorious grin, as he yelled. {Disiion!}
This was the spell {Disiion} used by the followers of the Luminous faith.
In a bid to destroy the summoner of the demons attag the capital, Sardyne had instructed the sorcerers on how to perform the spell.
---
The moment the spell unched, it desded like a beam of divine wrath. The air around it ed, and the very fabric of reality seemed to scream us weight. As it struck the phe world exploded into light a, but the damage never reached it.
Instead, Kaede bore the full brunt of the attabsp;
Her body ignited with searing pain as the energy tore through her, bypassing all defenses. Skin bed, muscles burned, and her vision blurred, but the shield remaieady in her hands. Every moment stretched iernity, each sed an unbearable torment as she held on.
Her knees buckled. Blood poured from her mouth, her nose, her ears even as they evaporated, but she didn’t let go.
'Not yet…' she thought. 'Just a little longer…'
But the pain was too much. Her grip faltered, and her sciousness slipped away as the spell tinued. Her body colpsed onto the pne.
As Kaede’s eyes shut, a soft golden glow flickered in her core.
Artificia’s voice echoed softly in the back of her mind.
Kaede’s body twitched ohen stilled. A moment ter, her eyes snapped open, glowing faintly with an, uhly red light.
“Primary objective: secure safety of the vessel and allies,” Artificia’s calm, meical voice stated through Kaede’s lips, devoid of emotion.
{Zone freeze}
---
Deep within a cave in a se of the forest of Jura, trapped within a barrier known as [Unlimited Impriso] Veldora also known as the storm dragon, raised his head as he felt the world around him cease moving.
?A time stop??
---
At the far east of Jura forest, in the tihat held the eastern empire, within the heaven star pace. A beautiful woman with a veil on her head turo the west. "Hmmmm?"
---
"Oh? That's iing." A red haired figure sipped from a gss of wihe figure was strikingly beautiful almost androgynous.
He turo his panion, a white haired beauty who id on a couch. "What do you think Velzard? Is it worth iigating?"
---
Ba the pne, Artificia eyes shohin the bd white world of stopped time. "eg the ||Merciful King, Guanyin|| to the ||Lord of Maes, Artificia||. Activating marker. Creating new skill. [Mass Teleport]"
In a fsh of white, Artificia and the pne vanished.
The world regained colour, and the spell ended.
---
Ba the capital of Falmuth, Razen grinned as he watched the massive struct disie into nothingness, leaving not even ashes behind.
---
On that day, for three seds, time stopped.
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