[Completed] Legend of the Five Knights I: Rise of a Guardian Angel

Episode 22: Spirit of Flame

Roa stepped back as the light from Reno's angel tool filled the cavern. The sheer light itself already told him that the kid had more power than he had anticipated.

"You alright?" Reno asked, chuckling as he swung the katana in his hands over his shoulders.

His sister blinked. "Reno, how about next time you give some prior warning, huh? At least when we're inside a freaking cavern with bad lighting!"

Reno eyed Rosalba, who was rubbing her eyes and smirked. "Lucky me," he muttered as she dashed forward.

Roa stepped in front of Rosa even though his eyes hadn't recovered from the light grenade either.

"Out of my way!" Reno slashed Roa's arm, causing dark red blood to splash in all directions.

The young rebel grinned as he lowered his eyes to his katana. His smirk soon vanished, replaced by agape mouth. The dark red 'blood' that had poured out of Roa's side had morphed into tendrils.

"What in the world?" Reno asked as he swung his sword. The strange liquid wouldn't come off. In fact, it was more of a gelatinous solid than a liquid.

The golden-eyed, raven-haired boy chuckled as Reno desperately tried to the sword out of the ruby tendrils. He wouldn't let him escape. The root-like tendrils advanced slowly, almost mockingly so, toward the golden and red hilt of the sword.

"Wh-what are you?" Reno asked, his voice shaking with hints of fear.

"Huh?" Rosa said, still unable to see.

"I am an angel, like yourselves—one with powers greater than most, but an angel nonetheless. Now, how about you stop cowering? Or was that light show all you have to offer? It rose my expectations, but it seems that I was mistaken. Or do you have something else to offer?"

Reno gritted his teeth as he regained his composure. "Roar, Alabaster!" Red flames rose from the hilt of the blade and made their way toward the tip, burning away the shadows as if they were paper. Roa let go of the sword edge and stepped back.

"Get behind me, Princess!" the dark-haired teen yelled as he brandished his bronze sword.

Rosa rubbed her eyes again and stepped back and put a hand against the wall. "Oh, hear my call and shield us!" she chanted, causing the tunnel to tremble.

Despite his still blurry vision, Roa could make out the outline of a wall where there wasn't one before. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"We can't waste our time here," Rosa said, turning around. "We need to find an alternate way to where the rebel leader is."

Roa sighed. "You really are more trouble than you're worth. Don't you think it's risky to even be here? They are after you."

Rosa's lips quivered as she ran her hand through the cavern walls to guide her as her vision recovered. "True, it is risky. However, I cannot sit by while someone needs my help. I am one of the Seven-Hill Knights after all. I have a duty to protect the people."

"Isn't it the fault of your predecessors that this is all going on?" Roa asked as he sheathed his sword and followed after her.

She blinked as she tried to see if her eyesight had returned to normal. Things were still hazy, but luckily the earth mana of the cavern was guiding her. "It appears so, though I have no idea what my mother and her generation did to anger these people. Neither Father nor the history books had spoken about anything like this. It feels strange to be in the dark like this."

Roa scoffed. "It appears this part of Zionia has a dark history. So much for this world being 'heaven'."

Rosa smiled slightly. "This isn't heaven, yet it isn't hell either. The real heaven lies elsewhere. As for claiming it's all of Zionia, it's not. This is actually the most violent continent and nation in the entire realm. However, it pales in comparison to your home universe, does it not?"