Stand Up and Walk

It Goes Far Deeper

"Beckoned now by the snow-white backdrop, I go into a yet unseen world. Lost as I traveled under a gray sky, with a different map each day, so many dreams ran together. I wonder if someday, even with my modest stride, I'll be able to get beyond those clouds. Falling raindrops provide a persistent diffuse reflection, as though able to see into my heart, wounded for acting tough. Beams of light crisscross and shoot on forever without announcing where they're headed; faint afterimages burn into my eyes. Wherever I am under this sky, I should still arrive at a yet unseen world."

—Nico Touches the Walls, Hologram

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Lan Fan cries out in pain, her mask shattering off her face in the force of the man's attack. She is knocked back, and Ling watches in horror as she sails head first onto the pavement below. She skids when she hits the rooftop, and she leaves a bloody trail in her path. He calls out her name as her attacker looks down at the broken sword in his hand, scoffing in annoyance.

On a rooftop behind the the man in the military uniform, the fat one leans forward eagerly. "Can I eat her now?!" he asks.

The dark haired man sighs. "Just make it quick," he obliges, and the fat homunculus licks his lips excitedly before leaping forward toward the girl.

Ling is surprised by how quickly the fat beast is able to launch himself through the air, but he knows he is faster. In a flash—before the monster even reaches his bodyguard—he has already struck, his short, curved sword flashing in a deadly arc. There is a splash of blood, and then the top of the creature's skull along with his upraised hands both slide neatly from the rest of his body.

He lands neatly on the roof near his fallen companion's crumpled body, the fat homunculus crashing down loudly nearby. "Lan Fan!" he shouts at her, watching as she twists in pain on the ground. "Please, stay with me!"

She attempts to lift herself up off the ground, but she collapses back down again with an agonized whimper. Gritting his teeth, Ling crouches before her. He slings her over his shoulder as gently as he can, holding his sword in his other hand as the man in blue appears before them, raising his remaining thin sword at them menacingly.

"If you thought you could escape from me that easily," the man warns, "I'm afraid that you'll find that you're sorely mistaken!" Upon his last word, he launches himself at the Xingese teen, who is able to leap away just in time. He hears Lan Fan moan in pain at the sharp movement, and he clenches his jaw.

He and the older man exchange fast, rapid sword strikes, a dance of blows and blocks. Sparks fly from their blades. "Hmph," the one-eyed man remarks, taking a moment to examine his foe. "I see you're no stranger to combat!"

Ling does not respond—he can't, because he's too busy trying to keep both himself and Lan Fan away from the man's sword. The attacks are relentless, a cascade of steel. E very time he dodges a blow, he dodges toward the left, fighting in circles around the man, trying to keep himself within his one-eyed enemy's blind spot.

"Gluttony!" the man shouts out suddenly, and the fat homunculus launches himself toward the teen before he can respond, slamming both fists together into Ling's stomach like he is swinging a baseball bat.

Ling can feel bile spew from his mouth with the force of the blow as he and Lan Fan go flying through the air, landing with an explosion of dust and debris straight through the window of the building behind him.

The impact had knocked the wind out of him. Ling fights for breath as he readjusts the girl on his shoulder, struggling to stand. Broken glass rains down from his clothes, and he can feel blood trickling down his back and shoulders.