The Advent Of The End

Chapter 19: Regrets

"Why?" Ezekiel said, looking at the lady who was once their ally, betraying them immediately after she got to safety. Speechless and apalled by what's happening right in front of him. An cluster of different kinds of emotions stirred inside him, seeing that Miranna is unconscious and paralyzed in his arms. Trying to think of anything to say or to do. "Why did you betray us?" Is all he could say.

"I'm sorry" She fired her blowpipe, the dart faster than any normal person could see. "I'm bound within the contract, as so I cannot betray him" She looked down at the floor, filled with shame and anger on how she can't resist, even if she wanted too. She felt angry at herself for betraying a pure hearted, and kind boy. Ezekiel managed to slash the dart down through instincts, using his shortsword he summoned last time to block the dart, remembering the training he did so long ago.

"Never thought you were skilled enough to hit that dart" She answered, looking at him in a coldless stare, trying to mask her shame inside.

"I never thought so either" Ezekiel replied, putting down Miranna at the floor and stood up to face Castriel. Her black eyes staring at him, analyzing on any weakness and opening she could use to her advantage. He gripped the hilt of the sword much stronger, trying to hold the rage he has on his heart for his uselessness to protect anybody. "But, after that one punch k.o." He readied his sword at his front, putting up a stance with his right leg at the front for movement, and his left leg for strength while moving. "I trained myself for that one week on dodging a bit more faster" He smiled at her "Since I don't want to be a laughing stock by Evan again".

She also readied the shortsword she borrowed from him from her right hand, switching places with the blowpipe, which is in the left hand now. "Let's see if you've improved at all" She replied, charging forward to Ezekiel, their swords both clashing in the dark room, with only the little moonlight coming from the door, and the boarded windows. Ezekiel trying to withstood the blow he is sustaining using his shortsword, while Castriel proceeded in adding more strength at hilt.

"You know a secret from swords?" Ezekiel asked, his hands slowly aching in pain from gripping the sword, and also holding the weight of both the shortsword and Castriel.

"What?" She asked, putting in more strength and taking advantage of her early charge. Ezekiel raised his left hand and made a position as how he would grab the sword, but there are inches between him and it. His right hand slowly giving up because of the lost support coming from the left hand.

"Is that their masters" He unsummoned the shortsword she had, leaving a big opening in front of her. "Can unsummon the sword if they wanted to". He answered, charging at the now defenseless Castriel. If it wasn't for the blowpipe she had on her hand, she would've already lost the fight. She used it to block the sword, pushed him away, and distanced herself again.

"That was close" She said, gripping the blowpipe harder in her hand, feeling something at her shoulder, a wound. "What?" She said in shock, holding the wound as blood dripped down on the floor, groaning in pain.

"Never thought I could summon a knife do you?" He said, gripping his shortsword on his left, while summoning another knife on his right.

"How many swords can you summon!?" She complained in annoyance, as his skills with a sword isn't enough. He could summon different kinds without getting fatigued at all.

"Well, I don't know really" He replied, throwing another on at her but she missed it barely. He summoned another one and made it rotate around his hands. "Why don't we find out?" He said, throwing the knife this time with higher speed and targeted the head, but got dodged and only left a wound at right cheek.

"D*****, why he is cheat?" Castriel said, rotating around the room while Ezekiel threw more knives to her. She also shot at him when he got the chance, and he would dodge it barely. "So" She thought to herself "He still lacks the skill to dodge quickly". After knowing that, she shot a lot more darts, like how firing more and more as she got the chance, turning the tables around and making Ezekiel defend rather than attack. She rotated around the room, shooting much more faster than last time, while Ezekiel either dodged through moving side to side, doing a front or back flip, or simply slashing the darts he couldn't dodge.