Where the two friends are really close on getting surrounded and caught, but an important lesson is awaiting to be taught, a small taste of what happens when somebody hurts Geno (what the f*ck is this long *ss complicated chapter description???😂).

No one's POV:

I t was just a two minute battle. I'm sure of it.

And yet it felt like ten minutes of intensive and agressive combat.

In the little time I've known Alter, I've never seen him getting hit or even touched in close combat. Talking about times some pirates wanted to be *ssholes to him and he would defend himself smoothly and quickly. The event with the cockroach doesn't count at all, it was almost a sneaky attack and from a tiny insect.

Also just today, with him defeating one soldier after the other. I myself hadn't been able to catch him off guard, whether trying to jumpscare him or surprise him. For the most part, I always thought he's untouchable.

Until today. Until that duel began. I swear, I've never seen him getting beaten up so much.

From the beginning, Tefra did the first attack. She teleported in front of Alter, who seemed to expect that to happen and stood on guard ready to defend himself. What he didn't expect was Tefra to pretend to jump, him ready to block and her the very next moment sharply moving her leg and swiping Alter off his feet, causing him to fall down.

But he didn't stay for long down as he masterfully managed to stand up again and walked a few steps away from the small goat. He clapped and nodded.

"Bravø prıncəsa. Møvıməntøs əxcələntəs." He congratulated. Flames appeared in Tefra's hands and she ran towards Alter, who started sending at her barriers of bones while stepping back, with her sharply dodging all of them.

On the last bone barrier she jumped on top of it and midair she send at Alter the two fireballs she had summoned. Alter stepped back again but the explosion of the fireballs striking the ground caused him to stumble.

Before he could find his balance again, Tefra landed a few steps away from him, jumped again and with a flying kick sended him many meters back almost flying(!). I could see Alter trying to stand up and holding his ribcage with a slightly pained expression. But he didn't loose his smile.

"Muıtø bəm. Muıtø łegał." He said calmly. He summoned a long bone in his hands like cane and held it. That time he went for an attack first and simply started swinging it fast in many ways towards Tefra. But she was dodging very well. Stepping to the left, right, backwards, jumping, Alter couldn't land a single hit on her!

"He definitely found his match in combat." I had think, worried as I was watching the fight. Eventually Tefra got bored of constant dodging and jumped further back. Two large floating goat skulls with glowing orange eyes appeared to her left and right, which roared and attacked Alter with opened mouths.

"Oøoh, dø thəy havə naməs?!" Alter asked as he ran, pressed the one tip of the bone to the ground, jumped and against the whatever laws there were, send himself above the goat skulls. Midair he summoned another bone and Tefra teleported behind him as he landed.

Alter predicted that she was behind him as it seemed and without looking, swung the bone he was holding horizontally. I swear, he had almost got her if she wasn't dodging by bending backwards. Alter stood up and unsummoned the bone grinning wider.

"You clearly don't seem in the mood to give up." Tefra commented and her eyes went empty. "I guəss I'm nœt gıvıng yœu ənœugh ınspırætıœn." And the degrees around the area rose like crazy.

"Lət's đancə, łıκə ın thə marrıagə thən!" Alter commented and clapped his hands like a little excited kid. That seemed to piss off Tefra even more and send at Alter a big wave of fire. Alter folded his arms above his ribcage and stood his ground. The fire surrounded him but didn't seem to cause him any harm, not even touching him.

"WATCH OUT!" I had screamed a little too late as Tefra had stopped firing at Alter, lashed at him and punched him hard in the face. He almost fell but quickly took a loud step forward causing a small earthquake and literal rocks popped off the ground. That stunned Tefra for a moment and yet, Alter didn't do anything to exploit that moment.

"Carəfuł nøw Sıgnørına." He chuckled.

"And may you explain wηγ didn't you get your chance to finally hit me?" Tefra asked.

"Nø rəał rəasøn whatsøəvər."

"This is ridiculous." Tefra spat calmly and threw at Alter a small wave of fire, which he actually caught and held in his hands for a few seconds before vanishing it. "You believe by sparing me I'll let you leave!"

"Maybə!" Alter commented as he vanished another fire attack.

"For another reason you're really holding back on me. The other soldiers were beaten up like sacks, so what's wrong here?" She asked and threw another wave of fire, which Alter controlled smoothly in his hands and vanished it too.

"Amøngst my many lıəs, I hađ shøwn sømə truths. I reałły dø rəspəct yøu Signorina. I rəspəct ałł mønstərs. Anđ whılə I hølđ nø hatrəđ før thə human kınđ, đəsρıτə τηəγ'və τæƙən qυıτə ª łœτ frœm mə, thəır crıməs anđ thəır auđacity tø støp mə anđ thə prıncə-! Hæη! Øœøη, thəy rəæłłγ thınk that τηəγ can sτœÞ mə! Thə mømənt thəy arə a thrəat tø my prıncə, I cæπ'τ ałłøw thəm tø apprøach hım. I cæπ'τ gıvə up frøm prøtəctıng hım as I was assıgnəđ tø. £ør thø œπłγ rəasøn I wøułd əvər gıvə mysəłf up, ıt wøułđ bə ıf I knəw my prıncə was safə æπđ søunđ. Anđ əvən thən, ιτ wœυłðπ'τ ɓə τo τηem." He said as he held and vanished more of Tefra's fire attacks.

Then he jumped back, inhaled loudly and when he exhaled, thick smoke started coming out of his mouth, soon a big cloud of it surrounding him. I couldn't see him anymore. But at times normal and blue bones would come out of the smoke, which Tefra would dodge at the very last moment.

But on that move of Alter's, her eyes went black, soon with orange orbs in them and seemed to stare into the smoke carefully. After dodging about 8 attacks, she suddenly send a fireball into the grey cloud and I saw Alter flying back. The smoke slowly cleared as he rolled a few times and fell prone groaning quietly. Well sh*t, that wasn't good.

"Tch." Tefra did as she walked towards Alter, who was slowly standing up. "What's this all about anyway? The prince?" She started asking. "You being some kind of guardian for him? Something going on in the depths?" Alter there laughed cheerfully and sarcastically(?!).

"₩ηγ ďøn't yøu cømə cłøsər? I mıgητ təłł yøu ønə thıng ør twø abøut ıt!"

"What the heck, why is he having so much sass and audacity?!" Geno thought, who didn't like how Tefra was becoming more and more angry.

"Thən yøu gıvə mə πø gøøđ rəasøn tø łət yøu bøth ləavə." She said and sended a long wave of flames. Alter started moving his hands and the wave started surrounding him like a big ring. He was controlling it instead of vanishing it. "I ałsø həarđ abøut yøur 'gift'. I see it here. Yøu havə good control over the flames, but nøt ønce yøu'və usəd thəm agaınst mə ør anyønə. Whərə ıs ıt?"

"Yøu'đ rathər πœτ səə that Signorina. Thərə arə a fəw rəstrıctıøns I'və øbsərvəđ tø mysəłf før havıng such pøwər."

"And what are these restrictions that won't allow you to perhaps end this fight faster?"

"Øh, yøu səə, thə mørə I usə my gıft, thə mørə I łøøsə cøntrøł øf my currənt səłf." Huh. "Anđ ıf that happəns, | mıgητ đœ sœməτηιπg I wœπ'τ łιƙə łatər." Alter got serious. "Tefra, at łəast ałłøw thə prıncə tø ləavə. Nœ mœrə jœƙəs, yøu ənđangər yøursəłf anđ τηə wηœłə Łısbøn by ınsıstıng øn fıghtıng mə." I start shivering, having a bad feeling.

I would have listened. But Tefra doesn't. She throws at Alter a larger fire wave, which he doesn't prevent to catch, flies back and gets slammed against a house! I could see him groaning and holding his injured wrist.

"NOOO!" I find myself yelling. Alter however doesn't fall down and insists on standing. Tefra sends another fire wave and he starts controlling it, but with only one hand. He steps away from the house and walks to the middle of the area we are, still blocking her attacks.

"OVER HERE!"

Oh our f*cking luck.

Rough manly voices are coming to our direction. Still kinda far away, but I hear their quick footsteps. I ran to the direction of the voices, dodge a stray fireball (thank the whatever God is out there!) and see soldiers running from the street me, Alter and assumingly Tefra too passed through. They must not pass too, they will only make things more difficult for me and Alter.

"When you summon a bone barrier, the key to make it strong and stable depends from your stance and the type of ground. The more stably you keep your feet motionless on solid ground and they don't slip, the better your bone barrier will hold on against someone who might be attacking you. Depends also how well you've practiced your magic of course."

It was brought back to my memories an old teaching of my dad when he was telling about magic in theory before actual practice for me and my brothers. I might was not remembering these for a long time, but if they come in such moments as right now, they are helpful to me.

I take a deep breath and exhale, standing as stably as possible, facing the street the soldiers are coming. I strech my arms forward, then sharply lift them up in the air. A tall barrier of bones rises and blocks the way of the soldiers, who immediately start yelling and commanding to break it. I smile satisfied, I bought us some time.

"Nice thinking and stance prince!" Alter praises as he blocks another fireball from Tefra. I just nod even though he might not have seen that and I keep my focus on the bone barrier, as I feel it slowly breaking apart, but not much. I start pushing it also, pushing back the soldiers too.

No one's POV:

That somewhat neutral situation wouldn't last for long.

As Geno was focusing on blocking off the soldiers, Alter had to face Tefra. He was injured and in pain. Yet somehow, a great force inside him was allowing him to keep going, for the prince's sake. Because of that, he was almost ignoring the pain. At the same time, though he hadn't show it once, he was terrified.

Terrified because of feeling slipping off any control he had in him. Terrified because the voice that was telling him to keep going for the prince's sake was the same cursed voice that was getting to him even on most of his not so instensive emotional changes and was fighting to ignore from the time he had gotten the Siren Symbol.

Alter was terrified, yes, that perhaps it was only a matter of time until he was forgetting to grasp control and prevent himself from doing unthinkable things. The fatique was clenching his soul and an evergrowing desire to just let himself loose and finish the fight he was in once and for all, were causing him to be more unstable on his moves.

He was mostly blocking at this point, barely attacking Tefra, his smile gone and fat drops of sweat going down his forehead. He didn't want to attack her, but at the same time she wasn't stopping being a threat to Geno. How long until the choice was taken away from him?

"She's stronger than I anticipated."

It only needed a dodge.

One single dodge almost cost everything.

Alter evaded to the left another of Tefra's fire attacks instead of blocking.

But for a fleeing moment he had lost his focus and almost too late realised where the attack was going to.

"GENO!"

Rather who.

The small skeleton saw the fireball coming at him and his instant reflexes caused him to create another bone barrier to stop the attack.

But he didn't stand his ground firmly.

As in slow motion, Alter saw the fireball breaking the bone barrier and sending Geno flying and colliding with a house. A weak gasp was barely heard as he was falling on the ground prone and staying motionless. Tefra immediately stopped attacking and covered her mouth.

Alter raised his hand in the air and summoned another tall bone barrier the moment the soldiers had managed to break through Geno's. Questionable if it was going to last for long. He ran towards the smaller skeleton and kneeled near him, shaking him lightly.

His eyesockets were wide open, his teeth clenched, his hands and his whole body were shaking uncontrollably as he was trying to find any sign that Geno was going to stay awake and not start dusting.

Intensive cobalt blue tears were running down his cheeks as he flipped the small skeleton on his back and started slapping gently his cheeks trying to awaken him. His eyesockets were scanning his whole body. He started healing him. Geno wasn't responding.

Limb. Motionless. Like a human corpse. Tefra immediately felt bad. She completely forgot the fact she had a few meters away from her two pirates. The scene playing in front of her was no act to fool her. She didn't mean at all to aim at Geno.

Now seeing the tall skeleton shedding tears for the smaller was causing her emotions to get all messed up. She couldn't say anything. She just stood there and watched shocked. It almost seemed like Alter had completely forgotten about her.

But when the small goat put her hands down, the taller skeleton snapped his head to her direction, he turned and faced her. He stood up and while tears were still falling, his eyesockets were filled with a fury ready at any second to spill and flood anything and anyone.

"Gui-"

Ø

υ

τ

Tefra stepped back hearing Alter's voice. She stood on guard. Seeing her not leaving, Alter's eyesockets went completely empty.

"Just a little longer men and we'll pass through!" A soldier's voice was heard.

"Gəτ œυτ œf mγ sιgητ. R ι η g τ. τ η ι s. ι π s τ æ π τ" Alter warned again. But not three seconds later, two little dark blue orbs appeared in his eyesockets, ready to pierce through Tefra. And he suddenly took a step forward.

G ə τ

Œ

Œ

Œ

U

T

He swiped his arms and a huge wave of blue aura attacked everything around him. It cut any near houses in half. The first soldiers who stepped in the area were soon thrown back by the aura. Alter let out a scream able to freeze your blood and streched his hands towards Tefra.

And there, in front of the small female's shocked eyes, she saw a wave of blue flames coming towards her. She put her hands in front in an attempt to block the attack. It was a resistance of only three seconds however, as the flames threw her back gasping in pain.

She fell on the ground prone and felt her hands stinging badly. She looked at them and her eyes went dark empty. They were burned. In all her life, she had never felt the sensation of a burn. Until now.

Atalanta was right. This skeleton's fire could burn everything. But Alter wasn't done. He raised his hands in the air and walls of blue flames surrounded the whole area, making it impossible for anyone to cross it.

"SISTEEER!" Pyros could be heard yelling from the other side. On the fleeing moment Tefra looked at the direction she heard her brother's voice, Alter moved his arm and threw the small female with blue magic, slamming her against a wall.

Then screaming again, he waved his arms and sended another flame attack but smaller. Before the female goat could stand up well enough, the wave of blue flames surrounded her and tied her like a rope. She fell on her knees as she let a scream of pain out of her mouth.

She saw Alter walking towards her but upon her panic she did nothing but keep staring at him terrified. Only when he stood above her and raised his hand ready to deal a final blow as it seemed, she found the strength to speak, suddenly calm, accepting what would most likely come next.

"I didn't do it on purpose." She lowered head and exhaled.

"A-Al..."

Alter turned sharply to look behind him. Geno had managed to lift his head and look at the taller surprised and with a pained expression. He looked around him at the flames and his eyesocket widened up even more. Seeing Geno awake, it immediately broke Alter off his mad momentum. His vision that had been blinded by the rage suddenly let him see who he was about to... to...

The moment he saw Geno falling uncoscious, he felt loosing all connection with reality. Everything went blurry. Nothing was clearly visible. Except the souls of humans behind the fire walls he had raised, a few monster souls and the one monster's soul that had harmed his prince.

No Tefra. There was no identity all of a sudden. Just the monster who had harmed his prince. And in that moment of pure rage, he was really going to end the one who did that, senseless.

Without hesitation. But seeing the prince still alive, slapped Alter back to reality. His vision cleared and he stopped just seeing the soul. He saw her again. Waiting with lowered head for the fatal blow. That broke Alter even more.

He kneeled in front of Tefra and the moment the flames that had her tied dissapeared, he trapped her with his embrace. The small goat looked at him surprised but did nothing to break free, shocked as she was. She just heard him sobbing and talking.

"þłəαsə. §τæγ αwæy frøm mə. §τæy æwαγ frœm us. Jυsτ đøn'τ..." He sobbed while shaking. He let go of her and stepped back. Geno saw him moving his hands to his neck and taking out assumingly something like a neckalce. He threw it at the small female's feet.

Tefra had her arms freed and really, she could have taken the chance to attempt an attack. But she just stood there. It wasn't just her burned hands that weren't allowing her to throw fire. She really felt that it would be pointless at this point of time to insist on persuading the skeletons. She was loosing her chance from capturing them and having Guido answer her some questions, but...

"Can you walk?"

"Y-Yeah..."

As Tefra was picking up the necklace, she watched as the two skeletons walked towards the large horse, as the taller was climbing and sitting on the saddle, then helping Geno sit in front of him and soon taking off and dissapearing from her view. 10 seconds later the fire walls that were blocking the soldiers fell down allowing them to enter the area.

She stayed silent even as the soldiers were blaming her for letting the pirates run away and as her brother was asking her if she was alright as he healed her hands. She looked thoughtful at her pocket which contained the golden necklace the tall skeleton had thrown.

"He was part of the League of Asters... Assumingly he became a pirate after their Leader died... Interesting."

3330 words. hope you enjoyed the chapter. *pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat*