Soul Chains

Chapter 20: A Long Way to Ascension

As we travel through the city in the Summer Sector, I keep throwing occasional glances between Melantha and Reine. I still don't know what prompted Melantha to feel like she had to warn me about Reine, but I have a bad feeling about it.

"After we finish here in Seikara, we should train the...new recruits... more," Dimitri says as we walk through the streets, "I'm assuming you showed them some things while I was away, at least."

"Yes," Reine nods, "we did."

"Seikara?" Nathan asks.

"Seikara is the name of the capital of the Summer Sector. It's the city we're in now," Reine explains.

"Where were we in Spring then?" Nathan asks.

"Rinebeck," Dimitri answers, "not the capital by any means, but I still love it anyway considering Reine and I were born there. Winter is probably my least favorite."

"What were the frontlines like in Winter, Dimitri?" Ayette asks, her deep brown eyes focused on him carefully.

"Uh, well," Dimitri rubs the back of his neck, his expression somewhat pained, "they weren't fun. I guess that's the best way to put it. One day, you could become best friends with someone just to watch them die the next and not be able to do anything about it. You had to survive out there and help your comrades survive as well, but you could only do so much. Coralyinn stirred up the season there and made everything ten times as terrible as it normally would be. The only good thing to come of it was probably meeting Aislinn."

"You met Aislinn on the frontlines?" Melantha's eyes widen.

"Uh, yeah," Dimitri chuckles, "I met her one day on the field. I was bunkered down behind a pile of snowy rocks with some of my comrades when I saw her walk through the snowstorm like it was no problem and take out multiple enemies with swift, effortless strikes from her longsword. I decided, hell, if she can do that, then why can't I? I nearly got hypothermia after a few hours and she was perfectly fine. That was when I learned she was a native to Winter and we quickly became allies. I brought her home with me one day to meet Reine because Aislinn didn't have a home anymore. She met Reine and Ciana, and the three of them never left each other's sides."

"That's so cool!" Melantha's gasps.

My eyes flicker over to Melantha to see her smiling brightly at Dimitri and I roll my eyes. So, you're not about Reine because you think she's bad for me, but you're all about her brother who still somewhat has it out for me? Yeah, that makes total sense, Melantha.

"Hey guys, look," Nathan suddenly points out and raises a hand to point at one of the rooftops of the nearby wooden buildings.

A figure with a black jacket that has the hood up, dark grey cargo pants, and black combat boots is running along the rooftops and leaping around from building to building. In the moonlight, I can see the shiny glint of a weapon in their right hand and I narrow my eyes in suspicion.

"I got it!" Melantha calls out and summons her silver chain that glows bright blue, taking off in a run.

"Melantha, wait!" Reine calls after her, but she keeps running.

"Dammit," Dimitri sighs under his breath and runs off after her, summoning his broadsword in the process, the rest of us following suit.

"What does she think she's doing?" Nathan sighs as he runs next to me, "we have barely any training."

"I don't know," I shake my head in disbelief as we continue running.

The hooded stranger glances down to see Melantha matching their pace on the ground as she dodges pedestrians and multiple obstacles in her way. As they come up to the next jump, the stranger leaps through the air and turns around as they do so, throwing a silver dagger that's nearly invisible, only completely reappearing when it strikes into the ground by Melantha's feet. Melantha stops in her tracks and the rest of us catch up to her, noticing the stranger has landed multiple feet in front of Melantha and is standing there.