Starry Eyed Fighters

Chapter 7: The Library

Storming through the dark, labyrinthine alleys of Rehij Square, Rex moved like a bat out of hell, his grip firm on Belle's wrist as he led her through a zigzagging path to confuse their pursuer. The narrow alleyways, draped in shadows, echoed with the pounding of their footsteps, while Belle struggled to keep pace, still full from their recent meal.

"What... are we runnin' from, lad?" Belle panted between breaths, her body protesting from the sudden exertion. Rex didn't respond, his silence adding to her growing frustration.

"Oi, I'm talkin' to ye!" she huffed, her voice strained. "Let go o' me wrist, ye're hurtin' me... and ye're goin' way too bloody fast!"  She stumbled over her words, struggling to keep up with Rex's blistering speed. But he didn't slow, nor did he answer.

Finally, they reached a long, icy bridge suspended high above the city. The cold, slick surface glittered under the pale moonlight, and beyond it stood the dark silhouette of a jagged ice tower that loomed over the city like a menacing sentinel. Its icy peaks seemed to tear into the darkened sky, as if trying to escape the twisted dimension that had swallowed Rehij City.

Rex skidded to a sudden stop in the middle of the bridge, glancing around with intense focus. Belle, still breathless, took in their surroundings. Her eyes widened as she peered over the side of the bridge—151 feet down, a deadly drop awaited them. The cold wind whipped at her hair and clothes, making her shiver both from the chill and the realization of their precarious situation.

"Oi, Rex," she snapped, waving her free hand in front of his face. "Would it kill ye to take two seconds to respond? What the hell are ye—"

Before she could finish, Rex, still gripping her wrist, suddenly leaped off the bridge, dragging her with him. "Are ye bleedin' mad!" Belle screamed, her heart plummeting as they free-fell into the icy abyss below. Panicking, she began to summon a spell with her free hand, preparing to stop their deadly descent.

Rex, however, calmly placed a finger to his lips, shushing her mid-air. With a sharp nod, he bumped his wristwatch against his forehead. A small burst of blue electricity sparked from the device, and within moments, it transformed into a sleek, electric paraglider. It was smaller than most gliders, half the size and half as noisy, but it caught the wind effortlessly. They floated down silently, gliding toward the soft snow beneath the bridge.

Once they landed, Belle ripped her hand away from Rex's grip, her body trembling with both adrenaline and anger. "Yer on thin ice, Rex!" she hissed in a whisper, her voice barely containing her frustration. "What are we runnin' from, and how in the name o' hell did ye pull that off?"

Rex remained silent for a moment, his expression still focused and unreadable. As Belle glared at him, the paraglider he had conjured from his watch vanished, disappearing into thin air as if it had never existed.

Without a word, Rex motioned for Belle to follow him. Despite her irritation, she complied, her curiosity piqued, though the tension between them was palpable.

As they approached the towering ice mountain in the distance, the atmosphere shifted. The air grew colder, more oppressive, and an ancient, forbidden aura seemed to emanate from the structure. Belle felt a shiver of dread crawl down her spine, her instincts warning her of the dangers that lay ahead. The mountain itself, with its jagged white spikes of ice, felt otherworldly—alien and ancient in a way that made her skin crawl.

The closer they got, the more unsettling the path became. Sharp, icy formations lined the trail like teeth, making it feel as though they were walking into the jaws of a great beast. Finally, they arrived at an old wooden door, its French-style design in stark contrast to the icy fortress around it. Unlike the rest of the forbidding mountain, the door exuded a warmth, a strange sense of familiarity that almost comforted Belle.