THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"Can't you stop moving around already?!! You are not a damn rat, are you?!"

You are just bad as aiming, Anriette. Still, where are we? Everything is so dark aside from the place they were holding me and the place where I saw Claire's armor. Also, now that I think about it, I can feel crystals in Anriette's body. How since I can't use my draconic power? THis si becoming more and more intriguing. If only I knew what they have done to me.

"This is really weird."

"I got you." Anriette grabs my foot and slams me to the ceiling. Thankfully, my body lands right near a stalagmite or she almost made my shoulder into a skewer.

I kick her face but she doesn't let go and throw me to the ground, this time, right on a stalactite. I grab it and as it breaks, I launch it at her while rotating then continue..

"Argh!! Dammit!" Yep, looks like it got her. This time, I smell the odor of fresh grass and trees. let's follow it.

I use lightning Angas while I fly and accelerate. Soon enough, I see a light and finally, the opening of the cave. But right as I am about to get out.

"Took you long enough." I hear Tatiana's voice right as I pass through the entrance. Was that all a trap then? Oh shit!! I am in huge trouble.

"Sphere!!!" I deploy Sphere right as I exit but nothing comes. I stumble upon a forest. It's the middle of the day. Birds are singing. And a deer even runs away as it sees me coming out of the cave. Where are we?

"Fucking hell!!! Come back here!!" Soon after, Anriette comes through the entrance as well and her voice alone resounds like a powerful force.

"You have really turned into something ugly."

I finally get to you what you exactly look like and it is not good.

***

"Orah! Orah! Orah!"

Dodging Anriette's attack isn't too hard but I can't continue just dodging. Let's give her something to calm down.

"Ahh!" After I dodge her and she cuts down a tree, I place my hand on the ribs' side of her stomach then gives her a lightning fist.

"Argh!"

Anriette goes flying, knocking into several trees before crashing into the ground.

"Fuu…At least, I can hit you properly for now."

"Ahhh!!" Immediately after that, her aura explodes and all the trees around her turn to ashes. "You arrogant shitty murderer!"

She jumps to me and restarts her attacks with more power but less precision. You're strong, I am sure, but not experienced enough.

I dodge another attack then bombard her with three crescent bullets.

"Uagh!!!"

I must admit…It hurts. Doing this to her, it isn't easy. But she is…She is too far gone.

"Why are you hesitating?"

Suddenly, I hear Tatiana's voice behind me. But right as I turn around, I am kicked to the ground so hard I barely managed to activate Sphere in time to cushion my fall.

"You!!!"

Tatiana lends in front of me. Her face now fully revealed. She hasn't changed at all. Not even one bit. Just colors have changed. Her eyes are now grey, or more like silver. Her hair have that slightly emerald shine to them when the sun is hitting them.

"You are way too hesitant. I don't like it."

"Shut up!!"

I send a crescent bullet to her but just like me, a sphere appears around her. But it is a dark translucid sphere.

"Calm down. I am not here to fight you today. Killing you now would be no fun."

"I said-"

"Krieekk!!!!"

From the spot I bombarded Anriette earlier, a Longinus' scream resounds. So ominous, so loud it should have been heard kilometers away. What is happening now?!!

Turning everything to ashes in her path, Anriette almost flies to me with even more of that black aura surrounding her. Now, her eyes have turned completely black as well, just like that Longinus when we met him in the cave while rescuing Rose. Even her teeth look more like K'nor now.

"And this blockhead lost it in the end."

"Krieekkkk!!"

Synchronized with Tatiana's remark, Anriette's first attack hits the ground before me as I jump back. The whole area around where she did just turn to ashes. The very ground itself has turned into complete grey ashes. This cannot be good.

"Krieekkk!!"

I fly up way above the forest then as I look back. She is looking at me, or more like aiming at me. A black dot appears in front of her mouth and then turns into a ball the size of a head. Then it grows and grows until it reaches the size of a carriage.

"Cissa!!! Now would be a very good time to wake up!!"

"…"

"Cissa!!"

"Krieekk!!"

"Fuck it!!" I send ten bullets right as she fires whatever she created was and dodge to the side.

Still, it was enough as a black column passes right near me.

"Shit." That was too close.

"Krieekk!"

"Wha-"

Before I can turn my head to look at the scream coming from behind me, I am hit on the head and buried in the ground. This time, I couldn't evade it at all.

She used her previous attack to distract me and hit me. It is really simple but effective.

I jump from the rubbles quickly but one of eyes is…Closed? I touch it and it is still there but I don't see with it anymore. Why?

"Krieekkk!!"

Yeah, I don't have time to think about this. I must defeat her first. I turn my head and way too conveniently, my raizen is right there, planted on a tree, like it was waiting for me all this time. I can guess who just did that but why? Is she helping me? There is no way. Tatiana only ever wished for my demise, my suffering. She would never help me. Or else she has an ulterior motive. That must be it. Which means that this is a tra-"

"Krieek!"

Anriette punches but I dodge at the last moment. Her claw still passes right above my head. It was too close for a dodge.

"You hate me, right?!!"

"Krieekkk!!!" I dodge another punch.

"You despise me, correct?!!"

"Kriekk!!"

"Then that makes it two of us! Lightning fist!"

"Krieekk!!"

She flies out to the entrance of the cave and I hear a loud noise as she crashes inside. The only problem is that when I look at my hand, the skin is cracking and bleeding on it. So I got hurt by her aura even though my hand was fully imbued in Angas.

I should be more careful. If that aura has the same effect as those black flames from back then, I really need to hurry before I am powerless. Worst case, I will have to flee in a hurry. It is too bad for Claire and Frank if they are alive but I won't be able to fight Tatiana if I am weakened.

"Whether it is a trap or not, I will kill you, Tatiana!!" I go and grab my raizen but feel nothing.

Nothing is out of the ordinary and I don't feel any particular pain. Maybe she has put poison on it. Since I am wounded already, she must have anticipated it. Still, I have a weapon now. My chances of surviving are higher.

In fact, let's just run away now. There is no reason to…

"Krieekk!!"

Can I really leave her in that state? What about Claire and Frank? If they really are inside, should I not save them? They did get involved because of us, because of me.

"Ok, let's do this then."

***

"She isn't coming out?" I have waited for a couple of minutes for Anriette to come out but she is still staying in the cave.

Did she calm down? Or maybe Tatiana told her to wait out for the poison to take effect? In that case, I can't waste any more time here! It's do or die!!

I run to the cave and enter the dark place. Too bad for you Tatiana, I received training from an assassin of your mother. Darkness isn't a weakness for me as you would think.

It is faint but I can hear them, sounds of something moving. Its speed is great but not enough for me. Suddenly, a blade of sorts appears, cutting two stalactites. I block it and the spark created by the clash of our weapons reveals her face. A crying face. Crying that black liquid that has apparently melted a part of her cheeks.

"Krieekk!!" We start a small contest of strength but I get the upper hand and break one of her claws.

Anriette disappears back into the darkness and then I hear her footsteps leaving.

"You are not going anywhere."

I cannot let her be. I don't know what she will do if she is left like that. And I still have to check on Claire and Frank's condition.