Three ex-husbands and a marriage

Crash

The whole carriage shook and spun at a ferocious pace. It was on the edge of escaping Man Chiu's complete control despite his desperate attempts at wrestling against the opposing projectile forces.

He cursed inwardly, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and soaked his back. His left hand gripped the railing, sending waves of energy into the structure, reinforcing and healing the punctures to stabilise the carriage and prevent it from free falling. His right hand stretched to her clinging on her waist and pulling her back towards him. Without his desperate exertion she would have surely been flung off the carriage.

He saw her delicate face ashen and felt the minuscule vibrations from her body, shivering, while suspended in midair. He swallowed and concentrated his power to thicken the barrier around the vessel. He ignored the spine piercing pain as his body absorb each volley that is directed at them.

Just as her feet touched the ground, he continued to draw his powers rapidly and finally managed to straighten the carriage. His mind rapidly calculated how much power he has remaining in reserve and how much he needs to move the carriage away from the firing range and towards safety.

He sighed heavily, this one will be a close call. Suddenly a volley of projectiles shot straight at the woven bag in quick succession from another location. He cursed silently, not wanting to further alarm her. The number of powerful projectiles launched from incredibly long distances requires extremely powerful machinery and operators.

It seems like his enemies have fully prepared and possibly have joined forces. Damn these sisters, once he gets back they will be forced to regret this day. He gnashed his teeth and let out a loud laugh filled with rage.

"Man Chiu?"

The soft voice pulled him back from his spiralling rage and he looked down at the lovely hand that held onto him. Her round eyes filled with worry and lips quivering.

He frowned, her panicked expression stabbed at his heart. At that moment he felt she looked like a little puppy, helpless, dependent and cute. It felt good to have her cling onto him for dear life but he had to resist the desire to pinch her cheeks.

"It seems like someone has taken advantage of this to attack me. Didn't I tell you that I have a constant sword hanging over my head?" he laughed bitterly as his body weakens with every passing breathe.

"Oh my...you must have spies in your mist. Man Chiu, what can we do now? Man Chiu? Man Chiu??...."

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breathe to concentrate the remaining powers to his core. Even though he desperately wants to comfort her but at that this moment he cannot afford to spend anymore energy to speak. He must prioritise getting them to safety otherwise they will become fish food.

Just when he felt full control of the aircraft he sighed with relief and gathered his remaining energy to comfort her.

"Mingling...everything will be okay," he whispered softly, barely audible and weak.

His vision started to blur and his surrounding darkened.

"No...oh my god, Man Chiu, wake up...wake up!"

He tried to smile reassuringly before slipping into unconsciousness.

....

I held onto the ashen face man as he slowly collapsed to the ground. The violent motion within the carriage had suddenly calmed down and we continued to float downwards. I looked up at the many holes in the woven bag above us but the balloon continued to float as if it is has been patched up by an invisible force.

The weight of the man in my arms grew heavier and heavier as he drifted into deeper unconsciousnesses. I lowered him to the ground gently and stood up to see the full situation. The volleys of missiles continued to fly at us, but as soon as it hit an invisible barrier it dissolved and completely disappeared.