Days become week as Tia tried to survive on her own. It was hard but she was thankful that Raven stay with her during those days. Tia thought that the town she's in is just another "unique town" since she had been experiencing weird things while going on a journey alone. She was lucky that she's still alive. When Tia arrived at the town, she feels at ease since it was so peaceful there.
"Everyone seems nice, don't you think so?"
Tia smiled to herself as she talks to Raven not minding an answer because Raven can't talk. Tia didn't stop trying to find the others but as days seem to pass without meeting anyone she knows; she is starting to lose hope. She decided that she should try finding her way to NīRVANA by herself. Everyone there seems weird as they're all wearing cloaks. Even mask to hide their faces. Tia finds that weird, but she decided to follow the rules there since the people seem too huge to be normal "human being" and worse, some even has horns.
Tia thought that at first, it was just a mask, but she was wrong. Tia noticed something, a human was revealed at first and all the people that wears a cloak become brutal as they attack the poor human and keep laughing like they just won in life. Witnessing that, Tia knows to never uncover her identify. The people seem to ignore her as she was walking with Raven. Tia don't exactly know why but she feels relieved. She bought a mask to hide her face as "human" and began her journey again hopefully wishing to get out of trouble. As Tia and Raven look around the place, the ground suddenly started to grumble and loads of creature began running to a place. Tia shudders in horror as she saw the remain of one body lying there lifeless with a blank look on their face. She was terrified.
After a while, Tia finally got a new vision. She saw Xian and the others. In the place she's in right now, she was happy. Excited to meet everyone and tell them she's alright.
"Finally, I found them."
Tia breathes as she began walking towards them and notice that they're also wearing a cloak to hide their identity. She wanted to call out for them, but she suddenly decided not too since they look happier...
"What if they don't want me there?"
Tia wondered as she stared at them from afar. She decided to just go since she doesn't want to cause trouble any longer. With sad looks in her eyes, Tia calls out Raven name wanting to get away from that place. Suddenly, a humongous creature stares into Tia so deeply that she was scared her cover was found out.
"Nìlsine"
it growled, and Tia was confused. She doesn't say anything and just walk past it. The creature still stares at her slowly beginning to follow her.
"What the hell."
Tia tries to hide herself from the creature as it keeps getting closer to her. And not to mention it's the end of the alley. Tia was holding her sword tightly, ready to fight if somehow the creature tries to attack her. But she noticed Raven is missing. She was worried and began to look for Raven before anything happens to her. Tia feels a pair of eyes was watching her every move. She was anxious.
Those pair of eyes seem dangerous and terrifying. She caught a glimpse of Raven on the corner looking at something. She followed Raven gaze and saw a huge clan of creature absurdly torturing "humans" in a black field. The creature looks are almost the same as Syüxa, but the only difference was, it has 4 arms. And even bigger built than the Syüxa. Tia decided that they should leave the place. Hurriedly, she told Raven to follow her but unfortunately, the creature from before was in front of her slouching it's back to look at Tia's face.
"Nìlsine"
It growled again but Tia just keeps her mouth shut. Body frozen not knowing why. The creature is not faceless as it has the scariest face Tia had ever seen, not to mention that it also has wings and horns so enormous one would be impressed but not in this kind of situation. The creature began to touch Tia mask as it was about to pull it off when suddenly the ground started to grumble again, and the creature stopped in its track. Tia sigh in relief but before she could do anything, her mask fell off revealing her face to the creature. The creature eyes darkened and growled in anger. Tia grabs her sword as fast as she could, but the creature is faster, throwing her sword away from reach. Tia was pushed to the ground.
"Let me go!"
She winches in pain. Now they're the center of attention. The creature was strong. Tia couldn't move at all, even Raven lost to the creature. She was thrown off to the ground after the creature smack her. The creature, IT was about to bit Tia head off but suddenly it arms came flying off. Tia was bathed in blood. Her eyes widening in horror, who could do such thing?
"The creature is enormous, how could one kill or even hurt it?"
Tia wondered still surprised. Suddenly, a pair of hands pulled Tia off the ground and carry her while running away from that place. "Raven" Tia look at her and thankfully, Raven is ALSO being saved. She wanted to ask who helped her but since they're being chased by creatures, she decided to stay silent.
They, Tia, and the person manage to escape from the creature and now they're in the middle of nowhere. Tia just realized the person who save her was Xian. Tia was about to say something but stopped when she noticed Xian face looking pissed.
"Why did you do that?"
He asks as his eyes darkened. Tia stared at him in confusion.
"What?"
She responded as Xian sighs.
"I saw you. Why didn't you approach us? We were so worried about you, thought you're already dead. And now you're here, looking... So alive. Just what the heck happened?" Xian said as he's trying to catch a breath.
"Sorry, I just thought that is the best thing to do."
Tia explains only to receive a glare from Xian.
"I seriously don't understand what's going on inside your head."
He muttered as he told Tia to take a seat next to him. Tia awkwardly do as he told her to since she still feels weird how Xian treats her so differently from before. "We'll have to camp out here tonight... It's getting dark. We will meet up with the others tomorrow. It should be best to wait until dawn to make sure Takka doesn't come for us."
He shudders as he mentions the last word. Tia wanted to argue but decided not too since she doesn't want to talk to him any longer, but she was curious about the last thing he said.
"What's Takka?"
Tia asks as Xian stared at her.
"That thing, Huge bods with horns and wings. That is Takka. King of Tartarus. The place we at earlier. But what did you do to make him lose control? It's scary just by thinking about it."
Xian furrowed his eyes and Tia wondered too. What the king of Tartarus wants from her.
"It called me Nìlsine. What is that?"
Tia asks only to see a surprised look plastered in Xian face. "Nìlsine is the first ever woman warrior to ever kill a Takka. To compare you with her, that Takka sure did lost its mind."
Xian explain as he slightly chuckle "But you know, Nìlsine too has a panther partner. Where did you find it? That's kind of impressive." He added as he smiled.
Tia told him about Raven as they began exchanging stories when they're gone. Xian mostly just listened as Tia told him about what happened to her in The Norm. Meeting Aiden and his friends. Serina, everything that she's done. The Syüxa town. Everything.
Tia was surprised to see Xian listening to her story as he keeps on staring at her with unexplainable expression.
"When we go back to the laboratory, it was already destroyed. Chester was devastated that he didn't get to help you. We really thought you have died...."
Xian trailed off as he was silent for a minute. Tia was confused since his eyes look so empty.
"I used to have a sister. She was the most brilliant and wonderful person I've ever met. She was happy. But she was taken by The Norm."
Xian said as Tia was shocked to hear his story.
"Her sad eyes still haunts me till today. It's painful to see them. It's suffocating. No matter how hard I tried, it was hard to forget that she was burned alive for not being the right "test subject". I feel so horrible that I live another day knowing that she died in my place."
Xian spoke in a low voice as if he was trying to hold his tears. Tia remembered the vision she saw before. The girl who got burned alive; it was his sister.
"What's worst is, your eyes are the same as hers when you were begging to be saved. I just can't forget it."
He mentioned as he stares at Tia with a blank expression. Tia doesn't know how to answer him when he said it like that.
"I'm sorry... She did her best trying to stay alive, but nobody helped her." Tia trailed off as Xian had a confused look in his face.
"How do you know that?"
"I saw her. In my vision when they did the same thing to me."
Tia smiled weakly as Xian stares at her in disbelief. He sighs
"Just what the hell are you?"
He groaned as he covers his eyes with his palm. Tia could only comfort him by staying close with him. They don't speak to each other for a while, it was a peaceful silence.
"I'm glad that you're alive. Really, thank you."
Xian broke the silence as he stood up brushing the dirt off his pants. Handing his hand out for Tia's to take. Although Tia doesn't understand what he really meant. She just feels relieved now that Xian doesn't hate her. She used to think that Xian loathed her but after today, she was glad that they got to talk to one another.
"Let's get you clean up."
He smirks as he points towards the stream near them telling Tia to clean the blood that's been covering her body. She just realized she must've look filthy.
"Thank you, for saving me."
Tia turns around to face Xian as he turns his head away looking somehow shy. "Don't mention it. Oh and, nice sword you got there." Xian smirks as he walks away leaving Tia to clean herself. That somehow manage to make Tia broke into a little smile. Xian was keeping watch while Tia cleaned herself. He was watching her every move, like a prey. He doesn't understand why he did that but somehow, he felt at ease watching Tia in one peace after so long.
It was a nice view to see