The first throne staggered back at that word. It was always a weak point, a characteristic of his that most people would say he definitely had: trust. He was often too distrusting of others initially, but after some time and a good amount of likability between both parties, he could be considered to be like a dog of sorts. Honestly, Ace preferred the idea of being a cat more, considering they were agile and just more like him. However, trust was an interesting concept.
And against his better judgement, only because somebody was questioning his trust in them, when it was clear that he would die just for them, he obliged her request for him to run first. However, he was going to do this the way he knew how to, which was to use his situation to help her somewhat. His fingers pulled a particular card from the air, one with a yellow glow and for a moment, he appeared to be running towards the Heartless. Just as abruptly, he stopped, though, and with a jump of a step backwards, threw his weapon before, in a rather flashy and unnecessary, but habitual movement, he flipped himself backwards and out the window, braced for the remaining glass to shatter or cut at him as he did.
Despite the deep laceration on his forearm and the disoriented landing, though, he was fine. His brain racked at his lungs, commanding them to actually breathe now that they could, but otherwise he was just waiting. He knew against standing in one spot. Sora and he had watched the pools form from seemingly nothing, and still come with the same tenacity as those that had been feeding on the unprepared for a while. But with her still inside, he wasn’t going to risk anything, and he needed just a few moments to try and stop the blood from dripping down his arms.
But just a look at the red ooze told him that even if it was stabilized, it would be infected. His usually pale skin had been dusted a fair shade of grey from the soot and ash that had been mixing into the smoke, and it was hard to say the last time that window had been washed. He could always heal it shut, but with no potions to help recover and boost his magic’s regain, it was hard to say if that was smart. Either way, he was a sitting chocobo, waiting upon his princess’ return so that they could actually move to a safe place, wherever that would be. He had to think back, back into the last time this had happened, and analyze the possible routes from outside the dormitories to that location, but only one place came to mind with access back in: the cemetery.
However, he knew that place would be filled with heartless.
And the time it would take to unlock the gate to the classroom’s backyard from the outside would be too costly.
Could they actually survive this or would they be swallowed whole?
Darkness had always called his name.Maybe he should heed it.
╳—!! You can’t give up! You’ll survive!Temptation remained, but sandy crown raised as he bit it back. There were plenty of reasons to be stubborn, to fight until his last breath, which would never be to these creatures, and one of the most important resided in that room. He jerked his body forward, dragging bloodied appendage behind him as he bared teeth and hissed at the pain just briefly. This was his world, the one he’d promised to protect, and the one he was meant to become a messiah for. Even if that world was on fire, in despair, and smothered in the darkness— If darkness becomes the only thing I know…! Even if it costs me everything, I won’t let Orience fall here, or when the next apocalypse comes, or ever after that! Everybody’s lives, memories, and happiness are too precious for that…! “Naminé! Hurry up!”
Don’t… you go away, too…
Relief flooded her, so potent that it was nearly dizzying, when Ace finally, finally got out of the room—even if he had given her a scare when he appeared to run towards the Heartless. In those moments her chest had constricted so tightly that she feared something inside of her was about to burst, but when he threw his card and flipped in the air and out the window, shattering more of the glass on his way out, it felt as if something had given away inside of her. Something that had nearly been holding her up, whether it had been adrenaline or fear for him, that she had nearly fallen over and onto her knees when his presence in the room was gone.
Between herself and the Heartless there were far more than them, and they were multiplying with a swiftness that would be concerning but she couldn’t focus on that. Instinctively she knew that Ace would not get much further away from the building unless she was with him and she glanced back at the window, knowing that she had to jump out of it. The prospect was not particularly nice, considering that if she did land on her feet she would likely get hurt in one way or another, but there was no other way. Not with Heartless swarming the room, as much as they had been deterred by the flash of light and the essence of magic in the air, and the darkness that she could feel lingering in the hall.
Jump it was.
Backing up and away from the window she stared at the broken shards of glass that still stubbornly clung to the frame and took a deep breath, readying herself to run through it. Climbing atop the sill and jumping would only make her second guess herself, and this run and jump had to count for something. Otherwise she was not going to make it out of that room, lack of a heart aside, and she braced herself to run—
Claws dug into her thigh and she jerked in pain, teeth gritting as she tried not to make a noise, though she knew that she had made one anyways. Outside she could hear her friend calling for her, and she knew that she had to get out there. Slowly she could feel darkness seeping into the wound and making it sting and burn and her leg flailed, hands reaching out to bat at the Heartless who seemed intent to tear all of the muscles and skin off of her right leg, kicking and clawing it off. Not sparing a second thought to it as it fell to the ground and melted into a puddle, not defeated but slinking away, she took off into a run.
The jump she attempted was unsteady and shaky and her hands touched down on the sill and she could feel that a small piece of glass had cut her palm, but she didn’t care and was already falling. Landing wasn’t exactly her issue at the moment, because she had already known well that she would not be falling and landing on her feet with grace, and she was unsurprised when her shoulder made contact with the ground and she was rolling. Certainly her shoulder hurt, but not enough that she was concerned that she had broken or dislocated something, just enough that she feared that it would hinder them.
Making her way to her feet and swaying—blood was dripping down her leg she could feel it, sluggish and slow but she knew that it was bright red and jarring in that fact—she staggered towards her friend and eyed the way that the blood was dripping own his arm with a measure of concern that she did not, could not, hold for herself. ”Ace you’re hurt—“ what a silly statement, surely he knew that already.
Behind them, in that room, she could tell that darkness was seeping further and further into it and she glanced back at it, seeing Heartless scramble for the window, claws appearing over the sill and her mouth set into a hard line and she grabbed onto the hand attacked to Ace’s good arm and tugged at it. They had to get somewhere safe, or at least safer, and face.
”Where should we go?”
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