Death Before Defeat

Chapter 5

Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been busy trying to graduate high school, I'll know on the 14th do I'm very nervous XD

Anyways enjoy the chapter! (:

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“Where do we start?” Elias asked cheerfully, feeling energized despite the few hours of sleep he’d gotten.

“I think our best chance would be finding a village. Let’s hope we’re near one.” Aza said, looking around as if one would appear out of nowhere.

They had moved out of the forest and were walking through fields of grass, occasionally spotting a grazing cow. It was sunny, but not too hot, with a gentle breeze blowing through their hair.

And not a village in sight.

Xavier hadn’t talked since they had left and Aza was too busy anticipating what dangers lie ahead, so Elias was left alone with his thoughts.

Not for the first time they drifted towards his family. He could remember almost every detail of his childhood, but after he met Cyrus the memories seemed to get foggy. Why could he remember his family, but not his friend?

What was so special about him? Was he overthinking this? Veri had said the loss of his memories had been an accident. There was no reason for this to be so dam complicated.

Though even being in a room with the God for a little while was enough to know that Veri loved being extra.

He was so deep in thought he failed to notice Xavier coming to a halt in front of him, causing Elias to walk through him. It felt even weirder than moving through an inanimate object.

In the split second he was phasing through Xavier, he could see how everything worked in his body. He felt the blood pumping through his veins, his nerves sending signals to his brain, he could see the way the cells worked-

Xavier shuddered and glared at him. “What was that for?”

Elias blinked and shrugged sheepishly, shaking his head. “Sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention.”

The shapeshifter raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Quit it, why did we stop?” Aza hissed, intervening before they started arguing.

“I think we’re being followed by something large.” Xavier said, furrowing his eyebrows and looking around.

Knives appeared in Aza’s hands and Xavier took on a fighting stance, slightly crouched. Elias stayed behind them, not quite knowing what to do. He raised his hands awkwardly.

A shadow appeared in the sky, which grew bigger and bigger with each passing second. They heard powerful wings beating. The thing started descending. And fast.

“Well, that’s definitely large.” Elias joked, though it fell a bit flat.

The three stepped closer together, hoping to have a bigger chance at winning if they combined their efforts. The thing roared, a screeching sound echoing through the field, and landed right in front of them. It was as big as a small van, with five hawk-like heads, and as it hissed their beaks revealed razor sharp teeth. It had the body of a lion, complete with four sets of talons on each paw. The tail and neck were more that of a snake, brownish green scales lining the twisting limbs. The feathers on its head were a greenish color, while its fur was a muddy color. To top it all off, two bat-like wings were placed on its back, spreading out behind it. Pitch black, beady eyes pierced right through them.

“What the actual fuck is that?” Elias asked, staring at the thing in horror.

Aza and Xavier both took a step backwards. “That’s a Gifra, they usually only exist in Ferrum and are only used in times of war.” Aza frowned, adjusting the grip on her knife. “What’s one doing here?”