Weirdos IV: The Emerald Heart

Chapter 53: Dead End

Ezekiel closed his eyes and finally accepted defeat. His entire body was hurting like there's no tomorrow, and his powers have failed. Knowing that he's moments away from the end, the youngest Evanesca just remembered how his own sister never feared death. The memory comforted him a little bit, and a faint smile curved across his face.

To his surprise, the end didn't come. Instead, he heard the sound of someone grunting. Ezekiel opened his bleary eyes and saw Jaeron frozen on his spot, his arms raised in above him and ready to strike. However, invisible strings seemed to be holding him back. Thinking that it was Ike's doing, Ezekiel lifted his body and looked around him.

In an instant, his heart nearly jumped into his mouth.

The person wasn't Ike. It was a little girl with a colorful seashell clamped on her long, blown hair. Her arms were raised in front of her while doing her best to hold back Jaeron. Ezekiel snapped back to his senses so quickly that his head seemed to pulse in pain.

"Emi. . ." Ezekiel said, his faint voice shaking with fear. "No. . . Emi turn back. . ."

For some strange reason, young Emi has found a way to follow her seniors from the island. She must've arrived with the others earlier, and no one just noticed due to all the tension and commotion prior to the onslaught of the battle.

Despite his weakened body and trembling legs, Ezekiel was able to scramble away from Jaeron towards Emi. He has only covered half the distance when Jaeron suddenly grunted loudly and finally freed himself from the young girl's undeveloped Telekinesis.

"You little brat. . ."

Ezekiel looked back only to see Jaeron pointing his sword at them.

"NO!"

Everything that happened next came in a confused, chaotic blur. Ezekiel felt himself being propelled into the air along with all the debris and dust. He then crashed badly against a fallen statue, but the youngest Evanesca ignored the sudden pain and the ringing in his ears. Half-blinded by dust, Ezekiel felt his way through the hazy surroundings and searched for young Emi. He didn't even care anymore about the pain brought by the damaging attacks of Jaeron from earlier. At that moment, he only wanted to see a particular someone safe and unhurt.

What remained of Ezekiel's strength nearly evaporated away upon seeing a small body lying motionless amidst all the debris. The guy in black nearly dived towards her before cradling the young girl in his arms. The young girl was gasping for her breath, and blood was almost dripping from her body.

"Emi. . ." Ezekiel said as tears dripped down his face. "It's okay. I'm here. Everything will be alright."

He extracted all the dirt and dust from the young girl's wounds. Her dripping blood also flowed back to her body. Still, the young girl didn't look any better. Ezekiel just wiped away all the dust and dirt from Emi's face before looking around the hazy surroundings in desperation.

"HELP!" Ezekiel shouted, his voice cracking. "Someone help us! Please. . ."

Receiving no response, Ezekiel stood up and tried to find his way through the haze while carrying Emi in his arms. Ignoring the fact that he's currently fighting someone, ignoring the fact that his own life is in danger, the guy in black limped and stumbled and fell as he searched for help that seemed miles away.

"Ezekiel. . ."

The youngest Evanesca knelt before holding Emi's hand. "It's okay. Just hang on. Someone will help us. You'll be alright."

Young Emi smiled. "Are you sure you're not saying that to yourself?" she asked. The little girl looked totally calm despite being on the verge of death, her lips curved into a faint grin.