Eternal Skies [Dr. Stone]

Chapter Three: A Risky Flight

"It was you who killed that scientist, wasn't it..?"

He stopped, surprised at how quickly she was able to figure that out. He looked away for a moment and sighed, "...yes, I am. He was a brilliant man. However, he loved science more than his life."

"What was his name..?"

"...Senku"

Aria's eyes widened in recognition, that was not what she expected. No, she was expecting a completely different name, but she was met with a name she hasn't heard since middle school. And though it did bring her some relief it wasn't Toshiro, a soft, almost solemn smile still graced her lips, her eyes softening.

"Well, I'll be. That idiot..."  

━━━─── • ───━━━

Tsukasa reached for his sword, casually bringing it to his side. "Sounds like you know him. Then I hope you won't mind joining him in the afterlife." He began to raise his arm with the weapon, "Please don't make this harder than it needs to be. I will make it painless."

Aria smirked, "Tch. Of course, I mind -" Tsukasa then swung the butt of his hilt towards her neck, to which she ducked, the blade trimming the ends of her brunette braid. Tsukasa's eyes widened- 'Such quick reflexes.'

Aria jumped back as far as she could. 'That was close. If I hadn't seen it coming, I would have definitely been dead.' Beads of cold sweat ran down her forehead, her hands shaking a little from the close call. She turned her eyes towards the brunette man, her orbs filled with uneasiness. "There's no way I'm keeping that idiot company in hell."

"G-Get her!" One of the men who were on night watch had seen Tsukasa's attack on the girl and was quick to understand the situation. He and another readied their weapons, moving to surround her. Aria took this as her cue to run, making a dash for the cliff she arrived on.

"Don't let her escape," Tsukasa commanded to the men who nodded and pursued the girl. With two guys and Tsukasa hot on her tail, she noticed a man had been posted by her hang glider. He seemed rather surprised to see the girl with Tsukasa and his men running straight toward him. He froze up for a moment before taking out his spear, attempting to swipe at her. The tip nicking her cheek before she managed to fall into a slide, going right under and between his legs.

Aria rolled to a stance, grabbing the safety rope and wrapping it around her waist before gripping her handle and picking up the hang glider. Suddenly, she heard a loud whoosh next to her ear. Her eyes widened, seeing the arrow that had missed her fly off the cliff. Turning around, she was met with Tsukasa's sword coming straight for her harness. Aria stumbled forward in a messy attempt to dodge it, losing her footing in front. The sight of her disappeared for Tsukasa as he watched the girl slip off the cliff. Tsukasa and his men reached the edge, looking over to see nothing. Then, a shadow flew past their faces as Aria caught lift from her fall, now gliding through the night sky.

Aria could hear her heart racing, chuckling slightly, "That was close! Hah hah, I really just -" However, a chill that ran down her spine made her freeze up. Whistling was heard to her left. With a quick reaction, she jolted the handles to the right, the scream of an arrow flew past and barely avoided her hang glider. The next thing she knew, she had to jolt Sparrow left and right, attempting to dodge the arrows shooting towards her. However, she wasn't so lucky this time... A few had pierced through the leather, creating holes in the fabric, and then a sudden pinch in her side made her almost lose her grip. The hang glider wobbled slightly, Aria needing to tighten her hold on the handle and control of Sparrow.

The rain of arrows had stopped, and looking back, she was now a safe distance from the Tsukasa Empire. However, Aria wasn't in the clear just yet. Looking down at where she felt the sting, her eyes widened at the sight. An arrow was lodged into her side, blood slowly dripping from the wound. At first glance, it didn't look that deep, which was good. If it weren't for her maneuvering, she guaranteed it would've been way worse. Thankfully, at the moment, the adrenaline was easing the pain, numbing it temporarily.