We See You

Keone Springs Arc - Part Eight

The cold steel of his sword dripped with oil as Alex pulled it out of the nearby soldier, he wiped the sweat from his forehead as he exhaled, turning to look over at Mari and Kira. The three had been ambushed in the woods and were now doing their best to defend themselves. The robots had continued to build up, a never-ending swarm that just kept attacking. Mari had jumped into battle immediately, frying the robot's systems, her lightning attacking their circuit boards as they stumbled around, leading to an easy opening for Kira and Alex as they finished the golden machines off.

"You girls okay?" Alex said, resting his aching body against a nearby tree and trying to catch his breath. The swarm of bots had eased a little, giving them time to breathe, if only for a moment. Mari nodded to Alex, her robes dishevelled and drenched in black oil, "We are fine Alex." She mumbled, turning to face him. "Mhm, mew, we're... doing okay." Kira said, agreeing. She had a lot more scratches and bruising than Alex and seemed to be struggling to stand. Breathing a sigh of relief, Alex pushed himself back up, continuing to take deep breaths and clutching his side. "Are... you okay Alex? You took a lot of damage earlier... and the wounds could reopen, mew." Kira stumbled forwards, her eyes scanning Alex's body.

"I'll live, don't go worrying about me," Alex winced as he shifted his weight, "I'm barely injured anyway." He laughed, although his tone lacked confidence. Kira sighed softly, shaking her head as she wobbled over and cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I don't believe you, mew, I did treat you y'know." Her voice tinged with worry as she looked at his injuries.

"We need to go." Mari said, speaking up, "We do not have long until the soldiers return." Alex nodded, pulling his head away from Kira's grasp. "Exactly, we're almost there anyway, no time to waste." He added, sheathing his sword away. The others nodded, as the group resumed their journey through the dense woods.

Without warning, the winds around them picked up, causing leaves to be ripped from the trees nearby. The sudden woosh of wind startled Kira, who shrieked and knocked Alex back into the bush behind them. "Get down! Mew!" Kira hissed, her eyes falling onto Mari as the Seemrada backed away into the shadows. Mari looked up, trying to spot whatever had frightened the cat-girl, "What is wrong?" she whispered, her voice lowered to avoid being heard by the threat.

Before Kira could respond, she gasped and ducked as a large blue object landed between them. With Kira on one side of the clearing, and Mari on the other, it was only a matter of time until they were seen by-

"Mother..." Mari whispered under her breath. The blue Seemrada between the trio was pacing back and forth, mumbling incoherently under her breath. The light in the centre of her head flickering rapidly as she burst into hysterical laughter, causing Mari's whole body to tense up in fear of what was coming next.

"Those children of mine... always running off... not listening to their mother." Dari said, holding her hand out in front of her and blasting a tree away, sending it tumbling through the forest. "I did all of this for them, and they repay me by making friends with the enemy?!" her voice grew progressively louder and more distorted as her anger boiled further. Kira and Mari watched in disbelief as Dari destroyed the surrounding area, the shockwaves from her attack rumbling the ground and creating deep cracks in its surface. Dari paused, looking up at the sky and shutting off her eye. "Havard... speak to me... what do I need to do?" she whispered, the words almost inaudible to Kira and Mari.

Immediately after the words left her mouth, a bright flash of light burst down into the clearing, causing the group and Dari to cover their eyes. A deep echo rumbled through the space, as a voice returned Dari's call. "Kill them, dear. Kill them both." The words rung in the air as the light slowly faded away. Kira's eyes widened in shock as Alex's head poked out of the top of the bush, the two locking eyes for a brief second, before turning their gaze back to Dari. Mari's hands slowly began to shake as she stared at her mother, she knew that she had wanted Bari dead but... knowing she would die too made her chest ache.