Escape (3)

"... No one is going anywhere, Dorothy."

The moment he said that, realization hit me.

'Ah... This is the hardest part of the plan.'

Without thinking of anything else, I knew that a conversation would be useless at the moment since he would not want to understand it either.

That's why I swiftly pulled out the sword that I stole from the Directive Knights then pointed directly towards him.

Azrael gazed at me with his head slightly throwback with his hands slowly clapping.

"Oh? Did you defeat one of the knights and take their swords?"

He asked amusingly with a relaxed smile, then continue,

"Of course you would. They're not humans and easy to defeat. But at the same time, they can also be quite dangerous if you're not careful."

While talking about the Directive Special Knights, he also swiftly drew his black sword from its sheath, then pointed it upwards.

The dappled sunlight from the hall windows begins speckling its blade.

It was like the world was siding with him.

"I'm also planning to destroy this Kingdom, Dorothy. But you beat me to it."

He slowly walks towards me.

I still stand on my feet as I can only defend myself with the sword I had in hand.

I wasn't fazed by the atmosphere he gave off and still pointed the sword to him while observing his movement and his expression.

His expressions are usual, it was his smile that looked so generous but at the same time, his eyes were dead as they didn't reflect the same meaning.

".... Dorothy, let's die together here."

My heart fell when I heard those words coming from his mouth.

The way he spoke was like he wasn't talking to me.

Not to mention, he was also pale and I could sense that something was off about him.

It didn't feel real.

Without a warning, Azrael lowered his sword from me while sending his energy to his sword.

Within a matter of seconds, he abruptly stabs the floor beneath us.

Not long after the action, the floor slowly moved apart.

The noise that it produced was like extended thunder.

It was only worse because the vibrations were coming from below.

Cracks begin to form from the end to the center of the ground beneath.

"What the-!"

It was like the very ground beneath me disappeared as I began to fall into the bottom room that I didn't think existed before.

When I opened my eyes and realized where I was, I quickly stood up and found myself facing something unexpected.

Beneath the Central Directive has truly shocked me,

"... A garden...? No... a field?"

I was stunned and surprised to see much more of the red flowers that they called Âme.

I couldn't believe that there was a wide field like this below the first floor.

'... How does this field exist below the Central Directive!?'

I was too busy at the red colour sight that I also didn't notice sooner that one of the ruins had already fallen on my head.

When I realized that, I could feel a liquid running warmly through my forehead.

It was strange that I couldn't feel the pain even the slightest.

"Where are you looking, Dorothy?"

Before Azrael could slash me with his sword from above, I unconsciously defended myself swiftly with my sword against it.

"Azra-!"

When our swords met, sparks soon appeared as they seemed to fly with each clang of the blades bouncing off each other.

I winced at the sudden act as I slightly backed up from him.

'It's like he's in front of my eyes but he's lost touch with reality!'

His attacks seemed almost too fast to be believable.

With his abnormal speed, I could barely attack and keep track of his movements.

I could only stumble backward pathetically then regain my balance over and over until who knows how long.

While regaining my balance, Azrael suddenly made another attack.

The attack he is using now is stronger than the others. It was strong as his sword seemed to shatter the air itself because of it.

I panicked at the sight and quickly dodged it by jumping clumsily towards the side.

My heartbeat began to beat faster than normal as I lost control of my balance and continued to fall on the grass.

I grunt when the sharp end of his blade slightly sliced my shoulder and later on warm blood begins to come out from it while trying to catch up with my breath.

'... Does he really want to kill me!?'

The force of the blow knocked Azrael sideways because of my sudden clumsy movements.

And this is where I took the chance.

I threw away my sword as I closed the distance between us and clenched my fists, smacking him in the face with an unexpected punch.

His head jerked back a little, a faint

frown crossing his face and a shocked expression was evident on his face.

"..."

He didn't say anything and didn't falter.

Taking this chance once again, I lifted my leg backward in a sudden kick while driving my foot into Azrael's wide open waist.

To my surprise, he effortlessly caught my leg then proceeded to throw me at the side, making my back winch in pain after hitting one of the ruins.

I realize that if I stay here any longer, then either he or the ruins will actually kill me.

I lifted my head upwards with my eyes catching the sight at the Central Directive Hall above me.

'... If I just jump out from this field to the surface that is right in front of me, I can go to the top of the Central Directive...!'

Before I could even move a finger, a familiar black sword appears with its peak pointed towards me.

I lower my head back to be greeted by Azrael's alluring crimson eyes.

"A-Azrael..."

"..."

I didn't understand what his reason was for him being silent.

"... Why do you want to kill me?"

Azrael looked at me nonchalantly with the peak of his sword slowly went closer to my sight.

"It's better if we die here. Look at us, desperately trying to find a way to go outside... No. Look at yourself."

I sighed tiredly when I heard his response while looking at him that is standing in front of me.

"Actually... When did everything turn wrong to the point you wanted to kill me this badly?"

"Does a demon have to give their reason before killing someone?"

He didn't answer my question and returns my answer with another question while I just stare at him stunned.

It was as if I was a stranger that he was looking at me with cold eyes.

When I looked at them longer, I widened my eyes and subconsciously accuse myself that I should have realized this sooner.

'Ah... I have my own plan... And he has his own. So this is his plan... '

I come to understand the situation and silently laughs because I came to understand his stupid and risky plan that is similar to mine.

That is to destroy this Kingdom.

He raises his brow in confusion at my sudden change of expression.

"Azrael..."

I form a gentle smile while gazing at him pitifully.

"You sure likes to give up sooner than I expected."

I exclaimed truthfully as I look at him in the eyes.

Even though his eyes were dead, I could see the sadness inside it that made my heart clench in pain.

However, an unexpected thing happened.

His hands trembled as if someone is suffocating him and the black sword start to falter.

"... I want to go back..."

Azrael exclaimed desperately as I could hear his sharp breaths.

He looked like he was panicking and the complex expression filled his face.

I lured my hand towards him with a worried expression.

"Azrael-"

"LIKE I SAID--!"

He shouted which actually made me quite taken aback by his sudden burst of emotions that I didn't expect.

I stayed silent afterward with my eyes still focusing on him.

"... Why are you here in the first place!?"

I raised my brow in confusion because of his sudden question that didn't make any sense to me.

"What do you-"

"It's been more than a hundred years already!!!"

He suddenly shouts something that I am unable to understand with an angry tone.

Listening to it felt like he was in pain as I try my best to understand his sudden change of attitude.

"... Dorothy... every time I see you..."

A single tear slid down from his warm, crimson eyes, followed by another one.

Until soon, a steady stream of tears flowed its way down his cheek that is slowly falling one drop by another to the green grass beneath us.

It was like he is releasing the sadness and sorrow as if it had been held inside of him for all this time.

His crying was both ferocious and desperate.

When he cried, there was a rawness to it.

Like the pain was still an open wound.

'... Why is he suddenly crying?'

The sobs were stifled at first as he attempted to hide his grief, then overcome by the wave of his emotions he would break down entirely that he held for a long time.

He has the face of one who had suffered before and I understand that better than anyone.

I understand that his emotion walled off behind a mask of coping.

He would just wear it forever, he didn't know another way because he doesn't know how.

'... He's..'

"I'm sorry..."

He whimpered quietly and cover his face with both of his hands as if he was ashamed of something.

"I am... one of the reasons that Directive Order exists.."

After hearing that, I felt a stinging in my nose and my throat started to tighten.

I opened my mouth to let in a small breath as tears welled in my eyes.

I was affected by his shocking sentence and his actions because I would never expect that he was one of the reasons why the Directive Order has to exist.

It was too much to handle.

I fought with everything I had to keep my tears from falling, but when he looked at me with his crimson eyes that held tons of sadness and guilt, I couldn't control it as tears rapidly streamed down my cheek.

'Ah... so, he's one of the reason that... Directive Order exists.'

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