The Sealed Warrior

⇺19⇻

TW: fighting, suffocating, death

The temperature dropped below freezing as everything went still. The fighting ceased. Everything was quiet. Everyone was frozen in their last position, and they had released their last breath. All except two. Dahlia fell to the floor trying to catch her breath. She couldn't breath, she was suffocating. She was going to die. She knew she was.

A whimper escaped her mouth and her chest felt like it was going to collapse on her. All the friends she made. All of the people she hadn't met yet.

The Queen, Ethan, Sylva, Arnoux, Quicksilver, even Marai, she had failed them.

There were so many things she wanted to say to them all, but time wasn't on her side. Her eyes closed and her breathing stopped, her heart began to slow down. Her luck had finally run out.

Or so it seemed.

"Ehtaerb, Ailhad! You will not die on me! The fate of Ansone rests upon your pitifully small shoulders!"

Dahlia's eyes snapped open, and she gasped for air. She sat up holding her chest. She could breathe. She wasn't dead.

"Finally, you awake." Dahlia saw a familiar purple haired girl standing above her. Her small figure shivering from the effort of raising Dahlia from the brink of death.

"W-What-?"

"Do not speak, keep taking breaths. I do not know how long the spell will work. Time stopped. Kalabhiti escaped through the back. We must hurry. I will give you five minutes to catch your breath and prepare yourself. Then we have to follow him," Marai explained without room for comments, then added, "If you are not ready I will leave without you, and you will be frozen like the rest of them."

Dahlia struggled to stand as Marai walked toward a doorway and waited. Dahlia's legs felt like they were disappearing from underneath her. She glanced over at Sylva and slowly made her way over to her. She knew better than to go empty handed. Dahlia gently unhooked Sylva's knife scabbard and attached it to her waist, she then noticed the wound on her arm. Using Sylva's cloak, she bound the cloth to Sylva's arm for a makeshift wrap. Then she walked over to Ethan. Her fingers brushed Ethan's cheek and slid down to his neck, she checked for a pulse but felt nothing. For the moment, they were medically dead.

"You are ready? We shan't tarry," The little girl didn't hesitate as she strolled off down the hall.

"Where-?" Dahlia didn't finish when the moment the word left her lips she began to choke. All the air in her lungs vanished and she reached out for Marai, who struggled to catch her when she fell.

"Htaerb, Ailhad! You dolt! I told you not to talk. It will stop the spell! Now shut your blathering mouth! I will not tell you again," Marai sighed. As soon as the air touched her lips her lungs clung onto it and it actually took her a few minutes to calm herself down enough to take another breath.

"We have no time to waste! We must make haste!" Marai and Dahlia rushed to the treasury. Where Marai was certain Kalabhiti would be.

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"EZEERF!" Marai shouted in sync with Kalabhiti's, "Dniw Tsrub!"

Marai wasn't fast enough.

Dahlia resisted the urge to cry out when Marai was flung into the wall hitting her head on the unlit torch hanging there.

"So Dahlia," Kalabhiti whispered in her ear. Dahlia spun on her heel drawing Sylva's blade, but no one was there. Holding the knife with shaking hands, she turned in a slow circle trying to find him.

"Do you want to meet...Him?" She swung in the direction of the voice, but yet again, nothing was there. Dahlia jumped when he appeared in front of her, an evil grin on his face. Faster than she could react Kalabhiti wrapped his hands around her throat. She gasped for air as she tried to pry his hands from off her neck. It was already hard to breath in the first place but with his grip getting impossibly tighter she was already starting to lose consciousness.

Meanwhile Marai was fighting to gain consciousness. Her finger twitched and her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. A hazy purple fog glazed her body as she struggled to gain control of her body again. Her own spell was projected back at her when Kalabhiti's wind threw her back. And she watched helplessly as he slowly suffocated the Princess of the Ansone Kingdom. A flash of white caught Marai's attention. She managed to breath out a word before the hazy fog engulfed her.

Then Marai was nowhere to be found. In her place was a circlet. It was quite simple, a gold base with a small amethyst at the front. It would have blended in with all the other riches piled up if not for a certain keen eye watching.

"Sadly, I don't think you'll be able to see the arrival of our new king," Kalabhiti snarled when Dahlia's eyes slowly fluttered shut.

"I don't think you'll be able to see him either." A calm voice stated. His eyes widened and he threw his head to the side. Right as a sharp blow nailed him in the eye. Dahlia fell in a pile on the floor as Kalabhiti clutched his left eye.

"How dare-" His sentence stopped short and his glare turned into a look of surprise and a hint of fear. "You! Ezeerf-"

"Take a break, Dolion," the woman said, and with a flick of her wrist Kalabhiti fell to his knees. Dahlia winced at the sound of his landing and slowly stood up. Rubbing her bruising neck, and watched the woman with wide eyes.

The woman had pure white hair with strips of black. It went down to her waist and she had curtain bangs. Her pale skin didn't make her look sickly but almost glowing, and piercing blue eyes that struck fear into her foes. She wore a simple, but elegant, white dress with a flower belt. Her sleeves flowed down almost to the floor in an enchanting way.

"After 5,600 years, you're still looking to bring him back." The albino stated.

"How are you alive?" Kalabhiti choked out, but then as quick as a cat he was back on his feet. "Mrasid, Annaylil!"

The woman easily blocked his attack, which only fueled Kalabhiti's fire. Mercilessly sent attack after attack, but she continued to block him with ease. It was as if Kalabhiti was nothing more than a fly that flew annoyingly around her head.

"Dahlia! Take this," she called out, and with a snap of her wrist a circlet slid across the floor and hit Dahlia's leg. Dahlia gaped at the beautiful piece for a moment before gently picking it up. It was simple, but at the same time nothing like she had ever seen. She felt a wave of familiarity run through her and, like it was a practiced motion, placed it on her head.

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Spell after spell, Lilyanna kept blocking Kalabhiti's attack. Almost like it was instinct.

"How. Dniw! Are you even. Drazzilb! Alive?!" Kalabhiti inquired.

"I could ask you the same thing," the woman in question replied. Simply holding her hand up, "Dleihs." Right as she said that a barely visible force appeared in front of her body.

"EMALF!" Someone shouted, and Kalabhiti just barely managed to dodge the attack. Kalabhiti turned wide eyed at the new arrival.

She had light purple hair with white highlights at the front and eyes the color of spring grass. Atop her head rested a beautiful purple headdress. The metal was engraved to look like flowers with a purple diamond resting in the middle of each. A teal tunic graced her body.

"Took you long enough, Marai," Lilyanna said.

"I am here now, aren't I," Marai rolled her eyes.

"Are you serious?" Kalabhiti muttered a curse, and turned toward the throne. His eyes lit up with an idea. It was both a idiotic and a smart idea, if it worked. He quickly sprinted to the golden chair in the middle of the room taking both women by surprise. Sitting on top of it, his eyes glowed with malice.

Lilyanna's breath caught in her throat, "NO! Ezeerf!"

"Too late," Marai stated.

...

Unedited