His leather bag was strapped to his right arm as he darted across the hall. The Skywalker above sent another volley of wind arrows that rained on Arthur.
He managed to avoid them by hiding behind a pillar. Once they died down, Arthur bolted in the direction that he came from. The Skywalker passed from above him in the opposite direction, alluded that Arthur would run away from them.
The Skywalker flapped their wings and circled a pillar to follow after Arthur. Feeling the changing wind, Arthur slid from beneath the giant statue that has just fallen and bolted toward the giant door in the distance.
As he ran away, he grabbed the leather bag tightly. The leaf within it made sure to wash away any fatigue he had with its magical properties. He managed to avoid another volley of attacks by rolling as soon as he heard the wind whistles.
However, a wind arrow still managed to strike his back, sending him flying through the giant door. He rolled on the ground as his back burned badly. As his head was growing dizzy, he heard the flaps of wings again.
'This persistence will be my doom.' Arthur coughed as he tried to stand up without bending his back. 'It hurts.' He pushed the hard ground as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the surrounding.
The raging whirlwind arrived to remind Arthur of his pursuer. He turned to see the Skywalker heading directly toward him. Arthur wanted to start running but the pain in his back spread to his legs.
Moments before the Skywalker's hand reached Arthur's bag, a giant bat descended from the ceiling and attacked it. The two winged creatures struggled for supremacy as Arthur stood up and began limping away.
He glanced back and saw the Skywalker impale the bat with a giant wind blade, cutting one of its wings off. It then flew higher and came after Arthur.
'Damn it, is there anything I can do?' Arthur grabbed the leaf more tightly as he tried to think of something. He snapped his eyes open as he decided to use his Art of Creation. He knew it would send his recovery back to zero, but there was no other choice.
He bared his teeth as he recited the Art in his mind. The mana swirled within him as it has never abandoned him. It felt like someone has injected acid through his veins as soon as his mana came in contact with the mana paths.
'I'll die.' Arthur closed his eyes because of the extreme pain. 'I can't handle this.' His body felt like it was breaking down a bit by bit.
The giant wind blade that the Skywalkers wielded cut across the air and toward Arthur's heart. He was about to destroy to pull into existence to stop the blade but someone appeared in front of him.
With a long black robe and a hood, the newcomer wielded a great sword made of ice. They cut across the air and through the wind blade. When the great sword was directly aiming toward the Skywalker, it left Arthur's savior's hand and its momentum carried it like an arrow.
The Skywalker dodged but the ice aura around the sword froze half of its wing, leaving them to fall toward the ground. They tried to lift themselves with a single wing but it was futile.
The great sword of ice made a U-turn and returned to the newcomer's hand, landing straight into his grasp. They turned toward the Skywalker and allowed Arthur to see their side profile hidden beneath half a mask.
"Ho..." They let out a cold breath that made Arthur's body shiver. Without any hesitation, they bolted toward the Skywalker while allowing their great sword to cut across the ground behind them.
Ice exploded from the tip of the great sword that propelled it upward. The swordsman used that momentum to slash the Skywalker who was still trying to defrost their wing.
The greatsword slashed the Skywalker from the shoulder to their side, leaving a gruesome wound on their abdomen. The Skywalker let out a scream as he fell to the ground, slowly turning to ice.
Arthur looked at the newcomer panting as the great sword disappeared into their body. His vision was getting blurry as his back felt warm and wet. He was bleeding. Arthur saw the newcomer walk toward him before he lost consciousness.
'I'm so pathetic.'
This was the last thought he had before he went into a deep slumber. In his sleep, he kept reliving being chased and injured without being able to do anything. It all ended when cold mana seeped into him, calming his mind and allowing him to sleep.
***
"You're awake." A monotonic and genderless voice spoke to him as soon as he started sensing his surroundings. His eyes trembled as he opened them slowly.
He was lying on his back, which didn't hurt so much anymore. In front of him was a brick ceiling that was filled with cobwebs. There was a torch on the wall that sent a shadow over his body. The owner of that shadow, as Arthur turned to look at them, was none other than the person who saved him.
"..." Arthur took a few moments to remember where he was before he opened his mouth. "Thank you for saving me."
"Heh," The masked-swordsman gave a smile. "No need." That was all they said before leaning against the wall. Arthur couldn't determine their age, gender, or even tone from their voice. As if a filter worked to neutralize anything that would give away their identity.
"Where are we?" Arthur looked around. It was a small room with shelves in it. There were also a few rugs on the ground. It looked like a prayer chamber but he wasn't sure.
"Still in the Domain." They answered without opening their eyes. "We should wait until we're kicked out, there's an hour left before that."
"Were you sent by Bao?" Arthur asked but received no answer. The masked person ignored him and kept resting. Arthur noticed that their half-mask didn't cover their mouth and chin. Some frostings were spreading on their chin.
Arthur closed his eyes again to rest, but he didn't dare sleep. His back felt alright, cooled by the masked person's mana. It must be healing. His stomach made a rambling noise that made both of them wake up.
"...Are you hungry?" They asked and Arthur nodded with embarrassment. He had food in his subspace, but he couldn't use it in front of strangers.
The masked person seemed troubled, opening their mouth and closing it. Suddenly, they turned to the bag beside Arthur that contained the leaf.
"Don't you have food there?" They pointed with their chin.
"No," Arthur grabbed the bag tightly. "I think you know what's in it since you're here already."
"I do," They smiled. "I've looked inside when you were asleep. This herb loves you, as it didn't allow me to touch it."
"Dependance is different from love," Arthur said as he looked at the leather bag. "I'm the only one who can make it live, that's all."
"But you're also the person who's going to kill it." The masked person smiled in irony. "It clings to you not knowing that you're the only person who can kill it."
"That's the case with the people we trust." Arthur closed his eyes. "You don't get betrayed by strangers."
"You see it as a betrayal?" Weirdly, the masked person didn't stop talking. "Maybe you're clung to it as much as it's clung to you."
"It's my lifeline." Arthur's tone was flat. "I thought you would give me some food."
"Hah," The masked person chuckled. "You're a shameless fellow." Arthur struggled to sit up with his arm but the robbed person pushed him down. "Save your strength, One-Armed Seika. The struggle ahead is far more difficult than this one."
The masked person took a bowl out of nowhere and started feeding Arthur as he recovered. The rest of the time was spent in silence.
Space began breaking apart. Their body began fading from the room as the masked person warned Arthur before they disappeared.
"Be careful, Seika. For the world of nobles is far scarier than you would think. Trust no one in Freya, as everyone seeks their own benefits."
Arthur's body was teleported out of the 'Domain' and reappeared in their camp. Bao and the guards appeared beside it, tired and some were injured. Once Bao saw Arthur well and in possession of the herb, he sighed in relief.
They decided to cancel their camping plans and travel at night even if it was dangerous. Reinforcements were bound to arrive before they could reach Freya if they decided to stay in the wilderness.
They followed a relentless pace and the unicorns were growing tired. Bao fed them a part of his mana just to keep them going. With their pace, they managed to see the high walls of Freya by dawn.