ONE SHOT COLLECTION

Project Avantheim

"Haah…” The mist I created from my breath slowly drift away and disappear, I walk slowly through a thin layer of snow for a mission, an assassination mission.

-1 week ago.-


“I heard that you asked to be decommissioned? Why?” My commander, Major Earl ask me while puffed another smoke from his cigar.
“Yes, this war for me now is meaningless and I don’t want to use the power that god gave me to kill one another.” “Even though you’ve killed so many?”
He’s as blunt as ever. Many beneath his command hated the man because the way he criticized people.
“God give you this power and yet you used it like this, you have many other choice rather than joining the army and here you are, killing others to defend your country and you believe to be the right cause.” He’s right, I didn’t have a choice, I want to protect my country, my hometown from invader, instead the royal army took me in and force me to expand their land by conquering other’s.
“This is your last mission, if you complete the mission, I will decommission you from my regime.” He grab a file case and throw it onto the table, I took the file and read it.
To my surprise I was tasked to kill the cold wind, one of the highest priority target to kill.
“A-are you sure? Why not one of the Keys took this mission?” Keys are the elite squad of the kingdom I served. “Because only you could kill her, if you manage to kill her or get rid of her, you are officially decommissioned.” “But sir I ca-“ he immediately cut me off and stare at me. “You have no choice. You’ve been given one week to prepare by the higher ups. Don’t disappoint me.” And without anymore word I walked out of his room and wonder to myself.

Am I powerful enough to do this?

For three days I asked many people for strategy when they’re facing a stronger opponent, many answer, but non of them stick to me as fitting to use against The Cold Wind, she’s been a threat for our sector specifically because her efficiency with wind casting, unfortunately for us, when we arrived here its already winter, between the howling winds and the piercing cold, her wind blade would strike from within the blinding blizzard, decapitating troops one by one. Hence her name, ‘The Cold Wind'.

For the next three days I check, double check and even triple check my equipment everyday to make sure that all in good condition. My weapon has a special traits to it, if my weapon make contact, it immediately begin freezing whatever it made contact with. For the sixth day, I focus myself into training, forgetting all of my wellbeing, but that day it was different. Lia was there to watch me train.

“Yo! Even in this cold I can still feel the heat of your training, but why though?” Our base is kinda surrounded by thick trees so she jumping down from a tree always startle me, but she seems used to it and pay no attention to it…
“I’m just training, sharpen my skill.” I sheathed my double blade and lean against the wall of the base. “God… I haven’t been training this much… haah…”
She skips happily towards me and bring my head to her chest and gently brush my hair. “You’re bad at lying to me you know that?” Hearing her voice calms me down and I just sigh again. “As your girlfriend I know that you’re lying to me, so!” She grabs my cheek and bring my head closer to hers. “i'm here if you want to talk.” Her smile soothed my tense muscle, I grab her hand and tell everything from the past week.

“Hmmm, is that so? Are you doing this for me by any chance?” She rest her head on my shoulder. “Of course I am! I want us to life a happy life, not fighting each other like this…” She’s a soldier from the opposing parties, but for some reason I rarely see her on the battlefield. I mean… we all wear mask on the battlefield, but one time I spot her fighting my troops, but instead of fighting, we chat a lot and realize our love.

“Thank you.”

Her voice break my train of thought, and when I turn to see her face, she kisses me.
After a while we break from our kiss and stare deep into each others eyes.
“You should rest, its tomorrow right? You should be in your prime to fight such an opponent.” I clench my fist, but she holds my hand and says. “You can do it, I know that you’re ice casting is better that her wind casting. I believe in you. You are the stronger one.”
“Thanks…” I force a smile, but she didn’t buy it, she kisses me again but this time it was shorter.
“Its my time to go, see you when I see you!” Without letting me say another word she disappeared into the forest.


“Haah…” The mist I created from my breath slowly drift away from my mask and disappear, I walk slowly through a thin layer of snow for a mission, an assassination mission.

“Lia…” At least before I died I want to see her one more time.
I stop to drink and warm my hands, but my attention immediately shift when I felt a presence behind me, I quickly turn around and draw my blades. There she is wearing a white robe and a round mask with two slits for eyeholes. My target!

When I feel the direction of the air is changed I failed to notice that she’s already attacked me, my right shoulder has a cut in it. I immediately runs toward her and sending hail of blades at her direction, but she quickly dodges by jumping from trees to trees.
Shit! I don’t now if I’m being lured into a trap or not, but this is for Lia!
One of my ice blade breaks a branch that she was about to step on and she fell to the ground but stick the landing and dashes at me. He swiftness caught me off guard her blade scratch my mask and almost send it flying upwards.
We trade blows after blows, dodging and blocking each other’s attacks while thinking the next move to take.
And finally my blade hit something… It was her mask, she dodges my attack so that it only graze her mask.
She created a burst of wind and make this ocean of white more blinding than it should be and I know that she uses that to change her location and attack me from beyond the mist.

As the wind strike cut the mist, I dodges them, thankfully because of the mist that she creates, her wind strike became more visible now. Because her amazing capability using wind magic and thanks to her efficiency with it, she can launch as many strike as she wants, and she make a mistake by attacking only from one direction.
“I know your position!”
I rush towards where the strike coming from and spotted her, crouching on top of a branch. When she spots me, she jump down from the tree and charge at me.
I don’t care! I’ll end this here! And I will live with Lia!
Consumed by the heat of the battle, when we clash she cut my right arm off but that open her for my other blade that I drive through her chest.
We both kneel down, and I release my grip on the blade and quickly freezes my bleeding right arm. The searing cold spike up my brain with immense pain.
“I did it for you Lia… We can live together now.” I whisper to myself.
“I always know that you’re he stronger one…”

The soft voice that always calms me down… I quickly open her mask and reveal Lia' face.
“NO! NO! NO! NO!!!”
I tried to undo my weapon effect on her wound, but her hand stopped me.
“You know that youre weapon is amazing… its okay.” Her voice is weak, here eyes begin to drift away of its life and her grip on my hand is loosening.
“No! Lia! Stay with me darling! No!”
With every inch of strength she had, she raise her arm and gently put it on my cheek and smile.
“Now you’re free.” As her hand drop so is her smile and the life on her eyes.

I screamed to the world, but the howling blizzard wind swallow it and silenced it.
When I inspect her gear I noticed that she’s carrying a letter, inside is a paper that  stating the same exact reason why I’m ere in the first place, she wants to resign as well. But in order to to that she has to kill me, the ice fang, as they called me there. And the I noticed that there’s another paper inside the letter.

‘
I hope that you didn’t read this, I prefer you not to. I want to resign and lived a happy live with you, but our power is a curse that lay waste in everything that we touch. So an extermination order was ordered, at first I thought that I would face against one of the Keys but… when I saw your name on the order I couldn’t do anything, you know that I am powerless without my weapon, so, I had no other choice but to fight you or running for the rest of our life and abandoning the dream of a peaceful life. So I choose to gave my blade and my life to you.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone in this world.
Love you,
Lia.
‘
I want to burn the letter right there but my heart can’t make it anymore, so I folded the paper and put it in my pocket. I encapsulate her in an ice coffin and bury her here.

Consumed by rage and grief, I vowed to kill the man that gave me and Lia this order.
“I will have my revenge!”