Paragon

Remnants of the Great War [33]

PARAGON

Remnants of the Great War Arc [33]

Chapter 42 : Fury

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Kalos Region - Beneath Geosenge Town

The heat from the crystal spire was scorching, and Zinnia felt like she could barely breathe without burning her throat. Her broken side throbbed in agony where that kid had punched her, and she sucked in air through gritted teeth. Just in front of her, N had the bastard held down, and she pulled herself toward him, through the maelstrom of winds that gusted out from the gaping hole in the ceiling. At first, she'd thought her vision was poor because of the sudden flood of daylight, but as the seconds passed, it became clear that the blinding light from above was not simply due to the sun.

The spire was pumping power into the sky, each burst releasing an eerie whine as it shook the earth around them. Gravel and dirt alike fell from above, and white smoke began to curl around them, drifting from the spire.

After what seemed like ages, the light above finally started to fade, and the machinery beneath the spire began to stop, its glow fading.

Zinnia panted on the ground, her knuckles red from pressing against the stone floor so hard. She hadn't realized before, but she was covered in a sheen of sweat, and a draft of wind from above almost made her shiver.

Behind her, Salamence spit the Klefki out of his mouth, and it hit the ground with a metallic thud. He snorted furiously, unable to believe he'd been subjected to such humiliation.

Ever diligent, N had kept the boy firmly beneath him the entire him, but he looked nearly as out of it as she did. As N lifted himself off of him, his eyes seemed glazed over as he stared vacantly at the sky, and his lips quivered as he took quick breaths.

Seeing her having trouble, N walked over and offered a hand, which Zinnia gladly took, hiding her wince as best she could. Then, together, the two of them stared down at the boy.

His eyes slid between them, but he didn't react.

"What did you just do?" N said in a low voice.

It was rare...well, actually, Zinnia had never heard N use a tone this threatening. She didn't even know he was capable of such a thing, compassionate and aloof as he usually was. It gave her pause, and she glanced between the two reservedly.

The boy coughed, and moved a dirtied hand up to his neck. Sweat matted his brown hair to his dirt-stained face, messy and disheveled now. He swallowed, and fixed N with a flat gaze. He said nothing.

"You're not gonna talk, right?" Zinnia asked.

The boy smirked, though laying on the ground, with dirty sweat glistening on his face, it looked a little pathetic. He shook his head.

Zinnia's foot slammed down on his skull, and almost immediately afterward, she cried out and fell to her knees, clutching at her injured side.

"Zinnia!" N knelt beside her and grabbed her shoulders before she could tip over. He glanced at the boy, then back at her.

"Broken ribs. And that's exactly where he got me," Zinnia bit out, motioning as best she could with her hand on the same side. "Don't get mad, he had it coming."

N looked down at her injured torso with furrowed brows. "I won't get mad. It's my fault. I pointed it out to him." He glanced over at the boy, and the gray and red footprint on his forehead where Zinnia had kicked him. "But please don't exert yourself in this state." He helped her up again, though this time, she stayed slightly hunched over in pain. "I don't mean to be dismissive, but we need to figure out what he did, and fast."