「Broken Compass」The Soterice Trials 「Trial I」

"The Blade Of Thieves" -Part III-

Chapter 30

A cascade of white embers disperse from Hoku's body, briefly illuminating the surroundings.

"Juno" scowled, conjuring twin branches from beneath to ensnare Hoku's throat.

However, they clashed against a translucent shield that materialized in his grasp, repelling the assault.

The force hurled him from the platform, plunging him into the water below.

Juno's ruthless attacks intensified, each strike probing the limits of Hoku's defense. He ducked low, his shield absorbing another direct blow.

The view above grew distorted as he struggled to orient himself. 

Overhead, the stars glimmered through the surface, their light fracturing into wavering shards.

Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface before vanishing, the stars resonating with a deep hum reminiscent of the moment he had shattered the droplets.

Panicked questions flooded Hoku's thoughts: 'What purpose did they serve? Were they aiding him or just observing? Is that why they reacted when he was attacked or hurt?'

Suddenly, he realized: 'They're responding to me.'

Hoku tightened his grip on the shield as Juno lunged forward, her crimson fan snapping sharply. 

Suddenly, black branches with red buds erupted, through the water's surface, writhing toward him like serpents. 

His instincts flared; he twisted sideways, narrowly evading their grasp.

More erupted from the water and swirled violent currents around him.

Juno commanded several of the branches, twisting them together with swift precision.

She landed on the raft and lunged, with her fan raised over her shoulder before sweeping it toward Hoku's throat.

Hoku drew back in time. The fan's edge skimmed his cheek, leaving a shallow cut.

Yet, as he glided over the water's surface, agony flared from his arms.

Beneath his skin, a familiar decay spread, eliciting a wince. 'Alright. It's becoming clearer... I think. I need to keep reverting to the foundation for recovery.' Darkness crept at the edges of his periphery. 

Hoku resisted the urge to stumble, narrowing his eyes with resolve. 

His shield weakened, cracks spreading under the strain as he braced against it. Gritting his teeth, Hoku's gaze locked onto the foundation. 

He began to sidestep toward it cautiously. 

Suddenly, two black branches protruded from the shield's sides.

Hoku gasped as his grip faltered, the shield wrenching free from his hands with a resounding CRACK!

She had split it in half!

The shattered remnants dissolved into water, cascading through his fingers. 

Without glancing back, Hoku sprinted toward the foundation. 

Juno smirked, releasing five white vines from her fan. 

They surged forward, wrapping tightly around his left leg.

"Wait!" Hoku's panicked shout went unheeded as Juno jerked her fan, dragging him face-first into the water. 

Desperately, he stretched his arms toward the foundation, but she effortlessly hauled him back.

"Damn it!"

As she reeled him in, a submerged stone's sharp edge sliced upward from his abdomen to his collarbone. 

Hoku couldn't suppress a pained cry as the jagged rock carved a path through his flesh.

He endured searing pain, grasping for an anchor beneath the water as sharp rocks lacerated his hands.

An overwhelming terror enveloped him: 'I might not survive this.' 

As if mocking his despair, the vines constricting his ankles abruptly released their hold.

Without a word, Juno kicked him over, submerging his back beneath the surface.

Contrary to Hoku's expectations, she displayed no satisfaction after subduing him effortlessly; her face remained an emotionless mask. 

She stared at him intently, while Hoku, clutching the submerged rocks, breathed shallowly. 

He blinked slowly, dread growing as he pondered her method of execution.

His gaze fell upon her fan, noting her finger pausing on a distinct ridge.

Instinctively, he rolled aside with a pained grunt as a massive branch burst from the water, piercing the spot he'd just vacated. 

Her eyes widened in surprise, but before she could attempt another assault, Hoku summoned his remaining strength, driving his legs into her leg. 

A crunch reverberated and she collapsed into the water beside him.

"Shit!" The monster's voice bellowed, a twisted amalgamation of feminine cadence distorted by guttural snarls.

"You little brat!"

Pain exploded through Hoku as he scrambled to his feet, sloshing water in violent arcs. 

His limbs were leaden, flesh sloughing off his arms like damp parchment. 

A pained groan tore from his throat as he fought to lift his legs higher, forcing himself upright. 

His body sagged forward, shoulders buckling, but he lurched onward, limping toward the foundation with uneven steps.

His face was ghostly pale, eyes unfocused.

Lamb, who had remained a silent observer amid the chaos, suddenly spoke, her tone unusually grave.

Though her words seemed directed more at the monster than at him. "Oliverou. He's escaping. Are you really going to grovel over a broken bone when he managed to get up with such grievous injuries?"

Hoku stumbled forward. 

Lamb's voice had barely dissipated when a sudden splash erupted behind him. 

He turned briskly, eyes widening in startled disbelief.

Juno rose unsteadily, water streaming from her face, her eyes locking onto him with palpable malice. 

She advanced, her limp barely hindering her quickening pace. 

Hoku pivoted, clenching his teeth against the searing pain. 

His breaths were rapid and shallow; warm blood seeped from multiple cuts, especially the deep gash across his abdomen. 

The hairs on his neck stood on end as a sharp crack echoed behind him.

He lunged forward, leaping a foot and a half from the foundation into the water. 

Simultaneously, two branches thrust out, crossing into an 'X' where he had stood, then swiftly retracted. 

His fingertips grazed the foundation's step, a cool sensation washing over him with immense relief. 

Strength surged back into his limbs, enabling him to haul himself up the remaining steps. 

Just as he pulled his legs clear, a barrage of vines slashed into the water, narrowly missing him.

His heart pounded in his ears as he glanced up to spot Juno now merely a foot and a half from the foundation. 

Her fan swept low, and petals spiraled around her before branches erupted from all sides of the foundation, twisting toward him. 

Hoku dove aside, rolling just as they slammed down, leaving craters and splashing water across his face. 

Before he had a chance to regain himself, a more distorted mimicry of Juno's branches appeared.

The vines resembled branches but were thinner, curling into numerous thorn-laden offshoots. 

An enormous thorn bush coalesced, unleashing chaotic waves in all directions. 

Hoku sprang up, narrowly evading a vine that sliced through the ground with blinding speed.

A sudden constriction around his ankle choked off his breath as another branch coiled tightly, dragging him back into the water. 

The impact sent a jolt up his spine; pain seared through his leg as the vine tightened, its thorns embedding deeper into his flesh.

Hoku clawed at the vine, his nails cracking under the strain as he fought to break free. 

The vine only tightened its grip, pulling him deeper. 

His chest burned; as he surfaced for air, another vine coiled around his waist, its thorns biting into his side, twisting until his ribs creaked. 

Blood billowed around him, curling through the water in delicate tendrils. 

His body convulsed, and desperately, his hand groped through the murky water.

Then, his fingers brushed against the foundation once more.

Another hum resonated before the same surge of energy responding to his touch. 

His fingers tensed around the stone, and a sharp jolt ran through his body, colder than the water around him. 

A distant voice surfaced from the depths of his memory, fragmented as if heard through water:

"You will only receive one more opportunity... If you die from circumstances beyond my control, there is nothing more I can do. Our deal will have been fulfilled. Are you sure you want to proceed?"

Hoku's heart skipped. The voice was achingly familiar, yet its owner eluded him.

A face, shrouded in darkness, hovered on the edge of recollection. Then, clearer than the voice, his own reply emerged:

"I am sure."

The memory splintered, scattering like droplets on the surface, and Hoku's grip slipped from the foundation.

Confusion clouded his mind, followed swiftly by a surge of energy.

The water around him began to trickle outward as if repelled by an unseen force.

He twisted his body violently, fighting feverishly against the elixir's force. 

The vines snapped taut as he struggled, their branches resisting. 

Overwhelming their grip, Hoku began to pull them apart, pressing his restrained arm against them from within the trap while his free hand pulled from the other side.

Summoning his final reserves of strength, he tore himself loose, his blood diffusing into the water.

The excruciating pain only galvanized his resolve. 

His body contorted upward, and suddenly the water collapsed away from him in spiraling torrents, revealing the jagged rocks below.

Juno's eyes widened; she winced, falling back on her injured leg. 

She swung her fan, petals cascading downward.

Hoku remained unfazed.

His silhouette blurred. With newfound agility, he deftly navigated through the lethal petals, twisting his form to dodge each assault.

A petal skimmed his cheek, slicing skin and releasing a spray of blood, yet he showed no sign of pain. 

He alighted back at the heart of the foundation, poised above the star mechanism. 

The constellation web flared in a dazzling burst.

'I can't keep dodging. I need more than a shield.' 

Overhead, the lattice mirrored his heartbeat's rhythm, each beat accompanied by a familiar chime that gradually became more pronounced.

Then, a cold gust swept across the platform, carrying the scent of metal as an invisible force erupted from the center, hurling Juno backward.

Emerging from the distortion, shadows crawled and intertwined, like sentient vines.

They swiftly merged, materializing into a pistol that seamlessly appeared in his grasp.

'This—a gun?'

To be continued…