Back To The Mainland (5)

Shawn POV

As I held on tight to the railing of the rescue boat, my knuckles turning white with the strain, I couldn't help but marvel at the power and speed beneath me.

Finally, we had finally managed to get on a vessel that could help us escape the relentless pursuit of the hundreds of angels. The deafening roar of the magic being cast and the shouts of the rescue team drowned out the air, drowning out the sound of my racing heart, as we raced against time to leave Hokkaido behind.

My companions, their faces a mix of exhaustion and determination, braced themselves against the relentless wind, their eyes fixed on the horizon ahead.

Looking back, I saw the swarm of angels, they were swift, closing in on us with an otherworldly speed, they were very determined to end our lives, and so far, the only abandoned vessel was the one we took, the 3 rescue boats are not splitting and having one left behind to sacrifice themselves, which was good.

The boat surged forward, cutting through the choppy waters, as I gripped the railing, my mind became a battleground of emotions. Fear clutched at my heart, threatening to overpower me, but I pushed it aside, at least for now, I want to get back home.

The pursuit continued relentlessly, the swarm of angels refusing to let us slip from their grasp. And we used every tool at our disposal to outmaneuver them. The boat twisted and turned, navigating the treacherous waters with precision, seeking refuge in the safety of distance.

The rescue team was casting so many spells that the angels were finally lessening in numbers for once, I then overheard someone shouting to release a boat.

The sacrifice.

I turned to see one boat slowed down and turned before going full speed in the other direction, but before I could say anything, I can see...angels?

Angels were flying out of the boat and fighting the other angels.

"It's the mechanical angels, the fake ones used for our test." Perseus said as he looked through the binoculars.

"Yeah, the academies agreed to use them in order to not have any human sacrifice," Sterling responded, "It's a lot of money, but not as much as you think, besides wait till the best part."

I then heard a super loud explosion, when I turned in the direction of the chasing swarm of angels, every time they destroy the fake angels, those guys exploded and took down several angels with them.

And after a while, the relentless pursuit of the angels had finally come to an unexpected halt. We had reached a point where they decided to no longer chase after us, their bright and shiny armor slowly becoming smaller and smaller as they were fading into the distance.

Breathing a collective sigh of relief, we took a moment to catch our breaths and assess our surroundings. The air hung heavy with a mixture of tension and gratitude. We had managed to outmaneuver our celestial adversaries, at least for now.

We made it, we're safe, we're no longer stranded.

I...can go to school again, I can get a comfortable sleep, a proper shower...

Whispers of relief and cautious optimism circulated among us. We knew that our escape was temporary.

The angels, beings of unimaginable power and fury, are still in charge of that island, and it won't be a long while till we can return to reclaim it, and there's the powerful angel general somewhere on that island surrounded by more powerful angel captains.

For now, I think we should just cling to the glimmer of hope that we had carved out for ourselves. We escaped one nightmare scenario, reclaiming Hokkaido can wait for another day.

It wasn't long, but I can finally see the shadows of the mainland, and I can see many military vessels traveling in the waters, preparing to intercept any angels on our way back.

I couldn't care less if I wasn't prioritized in the rescue, I made it back, and that's all that mattered.

"Guys, any of you got a blindfold?" Perseus asked while looking around to which he received only one response.

"That's your concern?" Sterling questioned.

"Just give me one, everything is brighter than I thought. Ahh, stop flashing me."

"Phrasing!" Sterling retorted before turning off his headlamp.

After a couple of minutes, someone just gave him a spare headband to use as a blindfold, which he took and I can see him breathing a sigh of relief, he still prefers having a blindfold on, and he can still see the ghost or hallucination with it off.

As the boat glided towards the mainland, anticipation coursed through our veins. The shoreline loomed closer, and as it was gradually growing clearer, a mixture of relief and excitement washed over me, I think I teared up a little because holding my fear, it was just a horrible experience.

I got stranded and was told that I'm not even technically real...it was an experience, that's for sure.

"Man, don't cry, we made it." Perseus said as he handed me a snack bar, "It took very long, but we made it regardless. Just east, you're probably really tired."

"Man, nothing gets to you, huh?"

"Nah, not nothing, but fortunately, this isn't one of those moments."

"Dad's definitely gonna cry when he sees us."

"Oh, he definitely would, I'm surprised that he stood strong when we called him the first time. With everything that has happened in his life, he definitely earned the right to cry every once in a while."

"Yeah, but he's a great guy, we're like the luckiest brothers in the world, as a certain dog said, we won the orphan lottery."

When we landed, there were medics and a lot of local authorities waiting to receive us and check us for injuries, it was a miracle, no one died in the rescue attempt, and the stranded survivors all returned in one piece.

After a quick check-up, we were allowed to meet our dad, who definitely cried as he hugged the both of us.

"Don't scare me like that again." he said while holding us tightly.

"I love you too."