บท 5: Cora Kaijo
On his way back to the coliseum, Raijah saw a cloaked figure flitting between alleyways. The person seemed to be deliberately concealing their identity, but Raijah couldn't help but notice the ash-blonde hair peeking out from under their hood.
He slipped into the alley and followed after them.
"Thank you for saving me back there, Princess Cora!" he yelled down the alley.
She froze and slowly turned to face him. "How did you know?"
"Well, let's just say you're the only person I know with Crystal Prana," Raijah told her.
Nodding, Cora turned to continued walking.
"Wait!" Raijah's voice interrupted her stride. Perhaps he was being nosy, but he needed to know what she was doing hiding out in the streets.
She turned around; a sense of urgency in her eyes. "I have to go. Kaijo guards are searching everywhere for me."
Raijah raised a brow. "Why are they after you?"
"I decided to cut ties with the Kaijo family. I snuck away shortly after the Awakening Ceremony, and as expected, my father ordered the guards to find me. I just can't stand when royals mistreat others simply because they are lower ranked. King Hendrix was going to crush you just because he couldn't accept that someone he considered a peasant was possibly a god. The public view of us nobles is declining, and I refuse to be associated with it."
Raijah didn't know there were royals that felt this way. Till now, he thought they were all stuck up and conceited, but from the look on Cora's face, he could tell she genuinely wanted change.
"Where are you planning to go?" Raijah said, extending a helping hand. "I can help you get there. After all, I owe you one for saving me back at the restaurant."
Cora contemplated for a moment before answering.
"I don't have a definite plan yet. But the heir to the throne is determined by strength. I will surpass my brothers, claim the throne, and reshape the image of the royal families."
Their conversation was stopped by a young guard, who barged into the alley. Clad in heavy gold armor and armed with a long sword, he looked noble and dignified.
"There she is!" the guard shouted, prompting ten more guards to surround them. They brandished their weapons and encircled Raijah and Cora, backing them against a building.
Raijah's eyes shifted from the guards to Cora. He kicked her in the foot, nudging her to play along.
Raijah raised his arms in surrender.
"Damn it, you got me," he told the guards.
"What are you doing with the princess!" an older, angrier guard shouted.
Raijah shrugged. "I thought I could hold her for ransom. Someone of her status could get my family enough food to last a year."
Without a second thought, the older guard pierced his younger colleague with a commanding glare.
"Chop the boy's hands off. That'll teach him not to steal."
The younger guard's face darkened.
"Couldn't we just let him go? We found the princess already."
"I said cut his damn hands off!"
"But. . ."
"Shut your mouth! Peasants are not your friends. Understood? They aren't even human. Treat them like humans, and they'll start imagining things."
The young guard looked at Raijah, then lowered his head and lifted his blade.
Raijah shot Cora an assuring glance, but he could sense the worry in her expression. Thankfully for Raijah, she trusted him enough to play along.
She backed away as Raijah extended his hands.
"Go ahead," he told the young guard. "Put me out of my misery."
As the guard's blade descended, Raijah twisted his torso, grabbed the guard's head, and launched a knee strike, connecting squarely with the guard's face.
The force of the blow sent the guard reeling backward, and the shock on the other guards' faces bought him some time.
He seized the opportunity and scooped Cora into his arms, holding her securely against his chest. Raijah gripped the ledges of the wooden building. He propelled himself upward and effortlessly scaled the structure.
Raijah gently set Cora down on the rooftop.
"How many of them are Saints?" he asked.
Cora replied, "Just a fraction of them. But even then, escaping won't be easy."
Raijah took a deep breath.
"Alright, we'll head back to the coliseum. There's a mirror there that'll teleport us to Aziel's house. Once we're there, you can ask him to train you. But before we reach that point, we need to shake off these guards. We can't have them following us to Aziel's."
"Are you already training under Aziel?" Cora asked.
Raijah shook his head.
"After the ceremony, he offered to train me until I unlock my Divine Prana," Raijah explained. "And I have a feeling he won't mind taking you under his wing, especially since you have good intentions. He doesn't seem too fond of the current families."
"Well, if you haven't started training, how are you so strong?"
"I'll explain later. Do you understand the plan?" Raijah asked, watching their surroundings for any nearby guards.
Cora nodded just as a guard leaped onto the roof, attempting to slash Raijah. Raijah intercepted the attack and punched him in the gut, sending the guard crashing to the ground below.
Raijah didn't waste time. He grabbed Cora's hand, and together they leaped off the roof, sprinting towards the coliseum with the guards in hot pursuit.
They slipped into a narrow alley, and Cora spun around before the guards could turn the corner.
She threw her arms out, channeling her Prana.
"Crystal Prana: Crystal Shield!"
Glistening pink crystals erupted from the ground, blocking the guards' path toward them.
"You can already use techniques?" Raijah asked as they continued their sprint.
"I only know how to use basic techniques right now," she replied, shouting over the loud thumps of their footsteps.
Raijah glanced back, spotting a beam of light piercing through the crystal wall. He dodged by tilting his head, and the beam continued traveling, obliterating an empty storage building ahead.
"What the hell was that?" Raijah asked.
"Those are the light-speed beams emitted by the royal guards' swords. All guards possess one, but only Saints can use the beam. Watch out for them."
"Do you know how to use them?" Raijah said.
"Channel your raw Prana into the sword. . ." Cora said between breaths. ". . .and the beam will shoot out the tip of the blade."
"My Prana is still locked."
Cora grasped his hand, infusing his palm with a portion of her Prana.
"It's not much, but if you manage to get a hold of one of their swords, you'll be able to utilize the beam."
A Raijah glanced up and noticed a guard soaring through the air, closing in on them. He slashed his blade downward.
"Wind Prana: Wind Blade!"
An invisible torrent of wind rocketed towards Raijah.
Feeling the increased wind speeds, Raijah rolled to the side and pulled Cora along, barely avoiding the attack as it sliced a chasm through the street. Unfazed, the guard began picking up speed, closing in on Raijah and Cora.
Raijah had expected the guards to take it easy as to prevent causing collateral damage, but then again, the Kaijo family was rich enough to repair it all.
"These guys are a nuisance," he said to Cora. "Keep running in this direction. The coliseum should be just ahead. I'll hold them off."
Raijah leaped straight into the air, soaring above the guardsman. He extended his leg and came down with authority. The combined momentum and gravity increased the impact, resulting in a downward kick that pulverized the guard's back, sending him hurtling into a pack of fellow guards down the street.
Raijah landed on his feet and immediately took a fighting stance. They had done a good job of shaking the others, but the remaining five guards surrounded him with their swords raised.
"I'm not sure I can handle them alone," Raijah pondered. "It wouldn't be a problem if there weren't Saints among them. But I can at least hold them off while Cora makes her escape."
The five guards fired beams from their swords, indicating to Raijah that they were all Saints.
He had to end things before they could use Prana.
Raijah skillfully weaved his body around their beams, closing in on a nearby guard. He slammed a roundhouse kick into the man's temple, causing the guard to drop his weapon as he fell unconscious.
Raijah rushed to pick up the fallen sword but was interrupted by another guard's forceful kick to his stomach.
Raijah rolled onto his back, and his face contorted with pain. The man's kick wasn't much on its own, but his thick armor amplified its damage.
It was the old, angry guard from earlier. He chuckled, followed by the laughter of his three remaining comrades.
"So many of us were defeated by a mere peasant. It's disgraceful!" he taunted, attempting to stab Raijah's chest.
Raijah rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal attack. He snatched the fallen sword and aimed it at the guard.
A smirk formed on Raijah's lips.
"You talk too much."
Utilizing a fraction of the Prana Cora had lent him, he activated the sword's beam, and an immense blast pierced through all the guards in its path. Their armor prevented the damage from being fatal, but they were rendered unconscious nonetheless.
Raijah stumbled to his feet, sword in hand. He couldn't shake the feeling that the beam he had unleashed was far more powerful than the guards'. Perhaps Cora had some latent potential of her own.
He began sprinting toward the coliseum, hoping that Cora had evaded the remaining guards in pursuit.
***
Cora could see the Great Coliseum looming up ahead. However, a cluster of guards were still hot on her heels.
As she closed in on the coliseum, she ditched her cloak to lighten her weight, revealing her long, light-colored dress that exposed her collar bones.
Now that she had awakened her Prana, she was much more physically capable than before. With one measured leap, Cora ascended to the top of the coliseum, clinging to its walls for support.
The guards fired their beams. Cora was about to dodge when she realized they weren't aiming for her. Their objective wasn't to harm her but to return her to Kaijo Palace.
They were trying to bring down the building and capture her.
Losing her grip, Cora began to fall, but she caught sight of Raijah in the distance. Cora tried to regain he grip on the coliseum wall, but she was plummeting too fast to get a good grip.
Down below, the guards were scrambling to get in position to catch her.
Hoping Raijah would understand what she was planning, Cora focused her Prana, and pink crystals protruded from the ground, piercing the feet of the remaining guards and immobilizing them.
Raijah unleashed what was left of Cora's Prana. Although smaller than the last one, the beam struck the guards and the ground below them gave in, forcing them into a small crater.
Just as Cora was about to hit the ground, Raijah caught her in his arms. The princess clung to him tightly, and he could feel the fear in her heartbeat.
Once inside the coliseum, he gently placed her down.
Cora felt an aching pain in her overstrung limbs, and her sweat stung her eyes.
"Thank you so much," she said, struggling to catch her breath. "But how did you do all that? And why aren't you tired?"
Raijah shrugged. "There's this old man I train with at the martial arts dojo. He puts me through much worse."
Raijah scanned the arena, and thankfully the mirror was still in the center.
"This mirror will take us to Aziel's home," he said.
Cora took a moment to catch her breath. A few seconds later, Raijah added:
"You can ask him to train you, but regardless of his answer, I want you to know that you shouldn't give up on that dream of yours. As you can tell, I'm not fond of the royals myself, so your goal benefits both of us. If you ever need help, I'll always be willing to give you a hand—"
Cora pulled Raijah into a tight, tender hug. She whispered in his ear, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
Raijah, taken aback at first, returned Cora's embrace. They hugged long enough to hear each other's breathing—until Cora eventually pulled back.
"Come on!" she said as she stepped through the mirror.
***
Upon arriving in Aziel's living room, the mirror vanished, and Val rushed to their aid.
"What happened?" she asked as she noticed bruises on Raijah, where the old guard had kicked him. "And Princess Cora. . .why are you here? Raijah, you were just accepted as Aziel's student, and you're already causing trouble."
Raijah sighed internally. "It's a long story."
"Where's Master Aziel?" Raijah asked as he helped Cora to her feet.
"Right here," Aziel walked into the room. He froze when he saw the princess of the Kaijo family.
"Princess Cora? What are you doing here?"
Cora knelt before Aziel and bowed her head. "Please take me under your wing, Saint Aziel. I must surpass my brothers and become the strongest among the Fangs and Kaijos. In that position, I will obtain the throne and reshape the royal family. I swear to eliminate the days of classism once and for all."
Cora looked up and noticed Aziel's warm smile.
"Very well," Aziel responded calmly. "I've already accepted one student today, so I suppose a second wouldn't hurt. But do not underestimate the challenges you will face in surpassing your brothers. Koji's Signature Prana is exceptional. And as for Sergio, although he doesn't take Sainthood seriously, he is an exceptional fighter with endless potential."
"I understand," Cora bowed her head once more. "I will do whatever it takes to surpass them!"
Aziel smiled again. "From now on, you are both students of Saint Aziel. Raijah, I will train you in honing your godly powers, and Cora, I will train you to surpass both the Fangs and Kaijos in order for you to remodel the royal families."
Raijah joined Cora in taking a knee.
"We will not disappoint!" they said in sync.
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