*The battle should have lasted longer. Why isn't he back yet? *

She paced back and forth while counting the seconds in her mind.

*It's been three hours, he should have been back by now...*

"Should I go look for him?

No, he told me to stay right here and wait for his signal. "

She muttered as she continued to pace thinking back to their conversation that morning.

⏰¬

"It's too risky, are you sure this is the only way?"

"Of course, do you think I would do this if I had a choice? You're not that special ya know." he said with a wink.

He had been acting strange all week. Sure he's always smiling and making passes at random females on the street or buying drinks for everyone at the local bar, but this week was a whole new level of weird.

He was making passes at HER, and buying her presents that weren't weapons or secret maps to underground tunnels or hidden airways.

If that wasn't enough to make her extremely suspicious, he actually suggested this crazy and completely idiotic plan and somehow convinced her to go along with it.

"But, You'll make it back right? Promise me you won't die."

"I promise. Why are you getting so serious all of a sudden? You were fine when I suggested it. "

"That was before you mentioned using your energy source! This is stupid, you could die and no one would even know what happened? What did I let you talk me into facing off with them alone?"

"Okay, breath. No one is dying. I'm just going to have a little sparring match with one of the most dangerous ENER groups in the world, no biggie. You can wait right here for my signal. "

he'd said it with such certainty that it made my heart constrict and all the lame excuses I'd prepared wouldn't come out.

⏰¬

Just as the clock struck for the fourth hour a deafening explosion came from the arena. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, cursing her inability to energize, and made her way to the third floor. All around her corpses littered the floor, but she kept going.

*He has to be alive. He promised. *

She blinked back tears as she ran down the hall to the battle room. As she crashed through the door she saw him lying on his back with Angar's leader standing over him.

Their eyes made contact, and he silently begged her to run. She glared stubbornly at him silently telling him that she wouldn't leave him. The building shook as she unsheathed her sword and lunged for the leader's back.

"No!" he yelled as a whistling sound started up in his chest. She realized too late what it meant. The last thing she saw was the fear in his eyes as the world around the exploded.

🌬️

~chirp, chirp~

She woke up with to the sound of birds and the sun shining in her face. She's surrounded by lush greenery and the smell of damp earth and ash.

*How did I get here? *

She looks around.

*where am I? *

The sounds around her mix together as she scans her surroundings trying to piece together the fragments of what she remembers.

*I'm in a forest*

She tries to sit up and immediately falls back down. She lays there in the bushes with her head spinning and confusion clouding her mind like a thick fog.

*why do I feel so dizzy? Where am I? *

The pressure in her brain increased as she desperately racked her brain for answers. As she watched the smoke slowly fade, her muscles tensed as a flash of recognition passed through her mind. Slowly her eyes drifted shut as sleep claimed her once more.

*Mas...*

Age woke up again in total darkness. The sound if crickets was soothing as she tried to sort through her muddled thoughts. After some time she stood up and started walking, careful not to trip on anything. The darkness seemed endless as she slowly made her way through the forest.

A light flickered in the distance, and she heard the sound of what she assumed to be a village.

*Good I can finally get some food*, she looked down at herself and face-palmed. A dizzy wave hit and she stumbled before regaining her balance.

* Why am I so stupid, did I really intend to walk right into a village while *****? *

With a sigh she decided to walk around the village, making sure to stay in the shadows where no one could see her. The village did not seem big and while there were many people gathered in the little square they did not seem to lack much. Everyone was well-dressed and had a huge smile on their face.

She couldn't help but wonder if she and her master could have been just as happy if they had lived in a place like this. This thought stayed in her head until she reached a wall a few miles from the village. I was huge and made of iron.

*whoever built this must've been really strong.*

Just as she stepped back to inspect the wall for any doors a group of men walked by at the top of the wall, their heavy metal boots making quite a lot of noise on the heavy metal wall.

* Now why would a village as small and happy as this one need so many armored and probably armed guards? *

She sat crouched down in the bushes until they disappeared from view before once again checking for a way over or through the wall. A small handle caught her eye and she walked quietly towards it while keeping an eye out for guards.

She pulled the handle, revealing a hidden door. The door was heavy and took a lot of her already depleting energy to push open. With a final push her legs gave out, and she tumbled through the door, and it slammed shut behind her.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight in front of her. Small homes that looked like they would crumble if the smallest breeze came their way. Starving people who looked so thin that they might be blown into the sky by said wind. However, worst of all were the carcasses that littered the floor, human and monster alike. Bile rose to her throat as she slowly made her way through the bodies, trying to ignore the images of what was clearly a fierce and bloody battle from her head.

* No. If Master and I live here, this is where we would end up. Either dead or dying. *

The thought made her shiver and she clutched her sides. The noises of an ongoing battle could be heard in the distance. She felt vulnerable, hopeless and utterly alone. She found a small opening in the ground and decided to wait there for the night. As she closed her eyes, tears ran down her cheeks.

*Master... *