Epiphany Of The Weak 94 A Forgotten Family

"Tch. You're annoying." Ivar looked at Ulii. "And you too, old woman. Get out of my sight." His wings took the shape of crescent blades and it descended at Ulii.

Caesar knocked one of the wings to the side, and Ulii dodged the other one.

"Pseudo?" muttered Ivar. "Hmm, you're interesting, old woman. Though . . ." He narrowed his eyes at Caesar. "I want to kill that guy first actually. That mask he has rubs me the wrong way."

Caesar formed a bow and an arrow from his palms. "So sorry for that, Ivar."

"Hmm?" Ivar grinned. "You know what, just shoot me if you want. I will not do anything with my Aegis crystals."

He made his point by folding his Aegis wings back to his shoulders. Still, without it flapping, he could still float in the air.

Caesar pulled the bowstring as his yellow arrow pointed at Ivar. A moment later, he released it and that yellow arrow darted at Ivar.

"Stupid." Ivar's wings blocked his attack without even having to move. Then, it halted in mid-air and darted back at Caesar.

"What?" He tried to dodge it, but his yellow bow had changed its shape into yellow strings. It tied his body and tighten. He couldn't move. "What in the world--"

Caesar's arrow struck him in the chest and he stumbled.

"Caesar!" I cried.

Ulii took a few steps towards him but Ivar's wings blocked her path.

"Urgh." Caesar was unable to move as the strings bound him tighter.

"How do you like it? My present," said Ivar from up in the sky. "Oh wait, I'm not done yet." He motioned with his right hand.

The yellow arrow piercing Caesar changed into tendrils and skewered Caesar. "Arrgh!"

"No!" I tried to move my legs, but it was no use. I was paralyzed from my neck to my feet.

Ivar glared at Ulii. "You're next, old woman." His wings batted at Ulii, and she got thrown back to our side.

"Argh." Ulii grimaced from the pain when Tuya approached her. "No, don't worry about me. Your baby . . . Take care of that baby first."

Tuya touched her bulging stomach and looked at Ulii with drooping eyes.

"Hah! Pathetic!" said Ivar. "This kind of performance doesn't deserve me going all-out. And here I am hoping for a good warm-up. The People's Light in other cities didn't even put up a fight."

He looked at me and smiled. "Don't worry, Big Sis. You're not weak. I, for one, would be quite happy to have you back with us."

'They're talking nonsense again,' I thought.

I looked around, and surely, there wasn't one of us that could fight. Lily and Caesar were in a bad shape. Hope, on the other hand, was occupied with protecting us from the crystals underneath the ground.

"I can't do . . . Anything," I mumbled.

'Is this the end?' I thought.

No matter how I looked at it, there was no way out of that situation. No one could stand up against Ivar. He seemed to be capable of manipulating the other Users' crystals, and that alone put us in a great disadvantage.

He used that ability against Lily, and also against Caesar.

"I must do something . . ." I said.

Qara and Khenbish were being wary of what Ivar would do next. Their rifles were aimed at him, but I knew that they wouldn't shoot. Doing so would put the group in danger.

"Ava," said my Aegis. "Her wound has healed completely."

I smiled. "Really? Then, Odval's safe right?"

"For now. There's that Aegis User we have to worry about. He said something about him being a Pillar. Though, I have no information about it," said my Aegis.

Ivar raised his right hand slowly. "I'll get rid of those people around you, Big Sis. You don't have to worry about them anymore."

I scowled at him. "What's wrong with you people?"

Ivar's eyes widened.

I gritted my teeth and glared at him. "You came here and killed all of them! And then you said all this nonsense stuff about Big Sis here, Big Sis that. I don't understand anymore. Leave us alone!"

Ivar's mouth curved downwards. He put his right hand down and bowed slightly in my direction. "My apologies, Big Sis. It appears she's right after all. Those wretched people of C.U had wiped out your memories."

I was about to yell at him for muttering 'Big Sis' again but stopped. Footsteps from the group's rear caught my attention.

"Vladimir?!" said Hope.

That Vladimir guy was drenched in blood, as his wounds slowly healed. He was panting, overwhelmed with exhaustion.

It appeared to me that Lily didn't finish him off completely.

"Ava . . . You . . ." Vladimir then looked up at Ivar. "You're one of them, aren't you?"

Ivar grinned. "You've done your research, weakling. We, Pillars, despise your People's Light or whatever. It's a group that serves only as a nuisance to us."

Vladimir gritted his teeth."Ama . . . If you're here then--"

One of Ivar's wings darted at him, cutting off his right arm. "Argh!"

Ivar glared at him. "Do not call the very first Aegis User by that name. Only us, Pillars, can call her that, you fool." He glanced at me. "But Big Sis is different. She can call The First anyhow she wants to. It's her right. After all, she's the True Pillar."

I was confused. Their words didn't make sense to me.

"The First? Ama? True Pillar?" I mumbled.

Ivar sighed. "Even so, you know too much about us. I fear that you have to die now, really. The People's Light stands in the way of The Pillars after all."

He waved his right hand and his wings struck Vladimir. It then proceeded to wrap his body in its crystallized feathers. With another wave of Ivar's hand, peach blades sprout out from the wings and it cut Vladimir into different pieces.

"There, all done," Ivar said casually.

"No . . ." Hope punched the ground with his fist. "d.a.m.n it!"

"Well, well, you're in a hurry to die too, I suppose," said Ivar. "Don't worry, I'll kill you too."

He raised his left hand and a small peach dome-like structure popped up from the ground. It opened up to reveal Mara's regenerating body. My flames were still engulfing it, refusing to let go of her flesh.

Ivar looked at Mara for a few moments. "It seems like Big Sis's flames are preventing her from regenerating. She'll die at this rate." His wings wrapped itself around Mara and Ivar then carried her in his arm, with the flames still burning.

He stared at me. "I must bring her back now, Big Sis. After all, both of us came here because we want to meet you. Though we also have unfinished business with Mongolia itself, it's all well and done."

"Me?" I repeated.

He flashed a genuine smile at me. "Until next time, Big Sis. I'll take you back to where you belong when the time comes. Back to our family . . . Everyone's waiting for you."

His Aegis wings flapped one last time before he flew away from the area.

"Family . . ." I mumbled. "I have a family?"

"Ava," called Hope.

I looked at him.

He pointed at Odval and I s.h.i.+fted my gaze to her. She was looking at me with a warm smile.

"Thank you . . . Ava," she said.

"Huh?" My vision went blurry.

"You saved us."

"Eh? Not really . . . I failed . . . To save them. Those people--"

Before I could say another word, darkness embraced me, as I succ.u.mbed into a deep sleep.