World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 50: Her Dark Side

Chapter 50: Her Dark Side

Serian watched the small child run after his ball. A genuine laugh bubbled up from him, and the sound felt completely out of place in this new world. She leaned back on the bench, letting the sun warm her face a little. ’This world has some good things in it, I guess.’ She was starting to relax, just a little bit.

"Excuse me, miss? Are you lost?"

The voice came from directly behind her, and it made her whole body jolt. She spun around, her hand instinctively going to the sword hidden under her jacket. Two girls stood there, one with black hair and a serious look, the other with pink hair and a bored expression.

’How did they get so close?’ she thought, her mind racing. She hadn’t felt them coming at all, not a single sound or shift in the air. Her senses had never failed her like this before. ’Is this world dulling my senses or is there something else?’ The thought was a cold spike of fear.

The small child with the ball was only a few feet away, and his mother was watching from a nearby bench.

She couldn’t fight here.

Leila, spoke again, her voice low and calm. "We don’t want to make a scene, princess. Just come with us quietly, and no one gets hurt."

Rura sighed dramatically and kicked at the dirt. "Can we just hurry up? This place is boring and I want to go back to my game."

Serian stood up slowly, her hand still near her sword. "I don’t know who you are, but you have mistaken me for someone else." She tried to keep her voice even, hoping they would just leave her alone. The mother of the small child was starting to look over at them now, a curious frown on her face.

Leila just shook her head with a small, tired smile. "Nice try, but Gorok wants you back. So let’s go." She took a single, deliberate step forward.

Serian knew talking was over right then. She had to get them away from these people, away from the kids. "If you want me, you will have to follow," she said, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

She turned and sprinted away, heading for a narrow alley between two buildings. ’I have to lead them away from here before anyone gets hurt.’

Rura giggled, a high-pitched, childish sound. "Ooh, a chase! This is more fun!" She took off after Serian, moving with a surprising quickness.

Leila cursed under her breath and followed, her hand already on the hilt of her katana. "Rura, wait! Stick to the plan!"

She led them into the alley and tried to kick Rura. She used the wall to propel herself forward, but Rura just giggled as the kick went right through her. It felt like kicking at smoke. Serian almost lost her balance.

’What was that?’ she thought, her eyes wide with surprise.

She had no time to think about it because Leila came at her with the sword. She was fast, her blade cutting through the air with a sharp sound. Serian did a quick series of backflips to make some distance between them. The moves put her at the very end of the narrow alley.

’That was a bad idea, now I’m trapped.’

Leila stopped, her katana held ready. "You’re quick, princess, I’ll give you that." She took a slow step forward, her eyes never leaving her. "But you’re out of room to run."

Rura sighed from the alley entrance. "Can I hit her now, Leila? This is taking forever and you’re not even having fun."

"Just stay put, Rura, and don’t interfere," she said without looking back. "She’s mine."

Serian’s mood suddenly shifted, and the air in the alley felt different. She smirked, her mouth slightly open, and took on a cocky attitude. With no one to interfere, she had no reason to hold back. She wasn’t trapped here with them, they were trapped in here with her.

Leila watched her, her eyes narrowing. ’What’s with this act? Is she bluffing?’ She tightened her grip on her katana. "You’re done running, princess."

"Oh, I think I am," she said, her voice losing its formal edge. It sounded almost playful now. "This is much better. No people around to get in the way." She took a step forward, not back, and the tip of her own sword scraped lightly on the ground.

The ground around Leila’s feet began to move. Thick, thorny vines erupted from the cracks in the ground, shooting up to wrap around her legs.

"What the hell?" She yelled, stumbling as the vines pulled her off balance. She tried to cut them with her sword, but they were tough, and more just kept growing, snaking up her body.

Rura just giggled. "Ooh, plant magic. That’s a new one." She didn’t seem worried at all, just interested.

Serian ignored her and walked toward Leila, who was now being squeezed by the thorny vines. "You came all this way for me," she said, her voice devoid of any warmth. "You should have come better prepared."

She flicked her wrist, and the vines tightened their grip. Leila cried out in pain as dozens of sharp thorns dug deep into her. "You’re... you’re not what they said," she gasped out, struggling against the plants.

"People are often wrong," she said, stopping just a few feet from her.

Rura sighed, a bored sound. "My turn now, I guess." She walked towards Serian, her hands in her pockets. "I’m Rura. Can we be done with this soon? I’m getting hungry."

Serian turned to face her, leaving Leila to struggle. "You’re an odd one." She swung her sword at Rura, a fast, clean arc meant to cut her in two. Just like before, the blade passed right through her, like she was made of smoke.

’It happened again,’ she thought, her cold focus wavering for just a second. ’What kind of power is that?’

Rura smiled. "That tickles." Then her hand shot out, and it wasn’t smoky at all. It was solid, and it slammed into Serian’s stomach with a force that knocked the wind out of her.

She stumbled back, gasping for air. The hit was real, and it was strong. ’She can choose when she’s solid? That’s... a problem.’

Leila used the moment to finally cut through the last of the vines around her, freeing herself. She stood up, breathing hard, with several bleeding puncture wounds on her arms and legs. "Rura, I told you to wait!" she snapped, but she looked a little relieved too.

"You were taking too long," she said with a shrug. "Now it’s a real fight." She and Leila stood side-by-side, both facing Serian, who was still trying to get her breath back.