Sephira

The Outside World

"So Josh," started Neve, "why don't you tell us about yourself? We don't know anything other than your name."

A small smile found its way to his lips, his eyes closing a little when he did that. "Ask away, I'm an open book," he said with a shrug.

Neve squinted her eyes, conjuring questions in her mind. As if light finally shone on her thoughts, she smiled. "Do you have family back home?"

"Yes, I do. I live with my father and my half-brother. He's younger than me but likes to travel to nearby cities and photograph them. He's always loved photography but he started it so that the Binders in our village could know about the outside world from up close."

"Wow!" exclaimed Colette. "Don't you miss them? I know I miss my family..."

"Of course I do, but after I return I'll have tales of my own to tell them. Not everyone can boast about having survived an encounter with a Minotaur," he said with a grin.

"Do you have a lover waiting for your return?" Neve asked while sporting a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Seemed to be taken aback, Josh simply stared back at her. My intrigue irked when I saw his reaction yet I couldn't help but wonder what he would answer. His eyes found mine, our gazes locking together for a fraction of a second. He turned his attention to everyone else, his eyes lingering for mere seconds in everyone's curious face.

I watched every move he made not knowing how he was so intriguing and mesmerizing for me; maybe it was the way his maroon hair had droplets at the tips of it or the contrast his dark hair casted with his lilac eyes. Surprised by my own thoughts, I pushed them away and waited for his answer.

"Not really. There is someone that showers me with affection but she's not really my type."

"Then what is your type?" We turned to look at the owner's voice and met with Amyntha, followed by Felicity. "You don't seem to be one to fall for helpless, damsels in distress."

"A point well-observed Amyntha, seeing how he gets along very well with my pupil," teased Felicity.

Just as I was about to protest, a loud bang caused the caves to rumble. "What was that?" I asked, eyeing the shaking walls.

"Everyone, get to the lower tunnels! Evacuate the caves and bring only what's necessary!" Amyntha roared at everybody. She turned to Felicity and gave her instructions before she ran away, opposite to where we were.

"Follow me," Felicity ordered, leaving no room for discussion.

We hurried to put our clothes on and grab our armor, preparing for battle. As the others started layering their chests with their plates, I remember my mother's armor was still in the infirmary.

Making a quick decision, I slipped away while they were distracted with the uproar. I ran amongst the mass of small bodies as fast as I could. I would simply grab my belongings from the infirmary and meet them outside. Bodies scurried from all directions as I entered the center of the underground village.

I lost my balance as another rumble shook everything; everything was but a deafening noise, unrecognizable to the ear. Regaining my composure, I took off running. I missed the freedom to fly like I did back in Elswood, the small space in the tunnels and the flood of people rushing by made it impossible to even try.

The infirmary was completely abandoned, my things being the only decoration of the somber room. The mithril shone brightly where darkness stood, creating a small reflection compared to the other things in the opening. The armor was in my body in a matter of minutes and, as soon as I was sheathing my blade, I heard the echo of a pebble being hit.

Not wasting a second, I unsheathed my blade and jumped towards the entrance, grabbing the intruder by his neck.

A chuckle cut through the dim noise from afar. "Are we destined to always meet like this cupcake?"

"You startled me, Josh! You could have called out to me before sneaking up on me."

"It wouldn't be called sneaking if I gave you a warning, now would it?"

I gave an incredulous look and he cleared his throat, understanding it wasn't the time or place to crack up jokes.

"I forgot my mother's armor and I didn't want to be defenseless so I hurried back here for it." I explained. He gave me a small smile and nodded.

"We need to reach the others before-"

The smell of smoke cut him short from what he was saying. He took my hand in his and sprinted as fast as he could. The square was empty, the stalls in flames being the only sign that life had been there. Everything was being engulfed in a frenzy of flames.

Spreading my wings slowly, I took two large steps and took flight, my sole focus being the main exit of the caverns. The smoke was rising from below as a fit of coughs invaded my body. We wouldn't hold much if we searched for where the others escaped to. Josh understood my thinking and followed me wordlessly. We moved swiftly, prioritizing speed as much as we could.

A few meters from the main exit, I heard a heart-wrenching scream that made me halt abruptly, causing Josh to crash into me mid-flight. We started tumbling down and, because of the small distance to the floor, the only thing I could do was position my body where the impact would hurt less.

A pair of arms surrounded me in an instant and all light was blocked from my sight as Josh used his wings to protect us from the fire. He let out a groan as we came in contact with the ground.

Before I could ask him how his wings were another piercing scream demanded my attention. Still laying in the ground, I searched for the owner of such anguish. After a few seconds, I saw an indistinguishable figure surrounded by flames.

"Sephira!" The sound of my name broke me out of the trance and I shook my head. Josh took gave me a light push with an easygoing smile. "Get a headstart on me, see if you can fly faster than me."

"But what are you-" Josh ran into the flames before I could stop him, heading straight for the person. I understood why he did that. If he flew the smoke would limit his visibility but I still regretted not being able to do anything. With remorse hanging from me, I turned away from Josh and flew through the exit.

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I hope you have a wonderful day and live with a smile on that beautiful face, after all, real beauty comes from within.