An Unbroken Promise

My hasty footsteps echoed throughout empty hall of the Lunastray manor as my legs took me as fast as they could.

"So, you're in the middle of a fight?" I spoke to myself regarding Lilac's predicament. "Damn it. I wish I could help, but this place is a maze. What's worse is that only Sieg has answered my calls through the card, he told me that he's in the middle of a fight also, and that Lyn is with him. But Nosora has been completely silent, Lilac hasn't said anything since her message either." 

I'd been lying had I said that I wasn't worried about them, but worrying wouldn't solve anything, I needed to find the guild master of Lunastray and put an end to this.

"I just hope this place is easier to navigate once they take care of those Spatial Manipulators. I hope that once we're done everything can go back to normal. And that nobody else dies."

As I ran past a turn, I saw a huge featureless jet-black door that gained my undivided attention.

"What is that? It doesn't have a doorknob or hinges; I have a feeling something Important is behind here."

 ********

 "Looks like you wised up." Nosora spoke in an attempt to make the voice speak once more to pinpoint his location.

'Damn it! Even if he speaks and I do land a fatal blow on him, his ally will just escape, and the manor will remain a maze. Spatial Casters are able to feel anything in their Spatial Domain, if we beat one of them the other would know immediately. But it seems they found out about the cards Sieg gave us after Lilac used hers before, now mine is jammed, and we have no way of communication.'

 "I bet you're feeling pretty good about yourself about now aren't you!?" Nosora's shout echoed throughout the halls and back at him.

 "You know what, I kinda am. You see, me and my brother have a bit of a friendly competition going on right now. We want to see just how long we can keep you guys alive in our manor. In the past I've always won, my brother's victims always go insane and kill themselves within the first week. But my method makes it, so they last almost an entire year!" The voice said allowing Nosora to find it and immediately pin it to the wall by what he assumed was its throat.

 "You're a real piece of work you know that! Lilac is stronger than anyone you've ever came up against! Your degenerate brother won't break her! As for me! I can keep going forever! As long as I need to in order take you out the same time as Lilac kills your brother!" Nosora roared with vigor.

 "Such a fool." The same voice spoke from behind the blue haired speedster. "This is my domain I'm a god here. You can't beat a god. I could kill you at any moment!"

 "But then you lose to your brother. And you're too stubborn for that, which is why I'm gonna kill you. Even if you are a god, and if Lilac needs me, I'll be over to help her so quick that your brother won't be able to run."

"I guess we'll see about that."

********

Lilac wandered aimlessly through the infinite halls of the manor, not because she actually believed the Spatial Caster dwelled in them, but so that she could formulate a plan to escape whatever illusion she was trapped in.

'I wish I could think like Kenki does. I bet she'd have at least five different ideas as to get out of here.'

The sound of her own footsteps had already been so monotonous that she could barely stand hearing them, yet the creepy voice still had them beat in terms of annoyance.

"Ohh, you're so close! If I were a snake, I'd have bitten you dead by now!"

Lilac swung her bow around herself in an attempt to strike the person behind the sinister voice, but it struck nothing but air.

"Feisty me likey, unfortunately for you though, I like to keep a good distance between myself and my prisoners. I'm sure my brother would've fallen for that though." The voice teased.

The mental and physical exhaustion had finally caught up to Lilac forcing her to rest on the carpet unable to keep going.

"Are you happy? At this rate I'll be dead in an hour, that's your plan, right?" Lilac said between pants.

"What!!! You can't die yet!" The voice panicked. "I won't lose again! What do you need? Water? Food?"

The voice took form as a ghostly aberration of mist as it kneeled in front of Lilac with a glass of water it conjured from thin air.

Lilac's hand cautiously reached for the glass putting a smile on the aberration's face.

She quickly grabbed its wrist and pulled an arrow from her quiver with her other hand and impaling the ghost through its chest.

"I can't believe you actually fell for that. Did your sadism rot your brain?" Lilac remarked as she grabbed her bow from the ground and nocked an arrow back. 

'If I don't act now, I may not get another chance, but if I do and the other one isn't being dealt with, we could be stuck here forever.' 

Lilac's arm began to shake as her nerves got the better of her.

The situation reminded Lilac of a time long since past.

She was back in the town she and Nosora grew up in, before Bastion recruited them.

Nosora had always protected Lilac even then, they were always close friends.

They were talking so casually, it felt like every other day, yet his words stuck with her.

"My dad says you shouldn't always be protecting me, that I should stand up for myself." Lilac spoke all those years ago as she braided Nosora's long blue hair unbeknownst to him while the two of them laid atop a bright green hill under the shade of its solitary maple tree.

"Oh yeah? Well, if you weren't so good at getting really strong people mad at you, I would have no problem letting you handle yourself." Nosora replied.

"But what if you go blind or deaf? What if you can't find me cause you're busy with something else? How would you help me then? I need to know how to defend myself against strong people too." Lilac argued.

"Lilac, I don't need to see or hear you to know if you need my help. No matter what happens to me you can always rely on me. I promise I won't ever let you down." Nosora said as his eyes remained completely fixated on the brilliant blue sky only obscured by the scarce gray clouds.

Lilac felt her cheeks warm up as they flushed red in embarrassment at Nosora's words.

"Hey Nosora. I think I may be in love with you." She spoke out of the blue. "Once we get older I wanna be your girlfriend."

Nosora immediately stood up his cheeks now just as flushed as her's.

"What! Your dad would kill me! Not to mention that's gross we're only ten! Why would you even say that!" He exclaimed which only made Lilac laugh. "And when did my hair become braided! Lilac when will you stop doing that damnit!"

Lilac's bow was aimed directly at the aberration's head, yet she didn't have the spirit to release it and risk trapping everyone in the manor forever.

'Can I depend on you now? I don't even know if you found him yet. Can I depend on you to help me now? Nosora?'

*********

 "Lilac." Nosora spoke with a weak voice as he nearly collapsed in exhaustion.

 "Not so easy to find me when I can throw my voice is it?" The voice taunted. "I'd rather you didn't kill yourself already, so if you don't mind you can stop now."

 "She's depending on me to do this, I...can't....let her down, I promised." Nosora struggled to say. "No matter what, I will beat you, and if she needs me, I'll be there for her too!"

 "Really? You're gonna kill yourself."

 Ether charged throughout Nosora's whole body like never before, his entire body glowed with a brilliant blue.

"Omnipresent Speed!"

 In an instant the Spatial Caster felt Nosora in every square foot around him even if he couldn't see him.

 "This speed, I guess that's why it has that name. You're going so quick that you're actually everywhere within a mile radius at this moment. Truly omnipresent. But as long as my brother is alive you will remain tra-"

The voice stopped as Nosora impaled him from behind with his bare hand.

 "Told you I could beat you with my eyes closed." Nosora said with a smirk.

At the same time Lilac finally mustered the courage to release her arrow defeating her foe and releasing the manor from the Spatial Manipulation spell.

 ********

Suddenly the towering black door creeped open revealing a dark staircase leading upwards.

 "The Spatial Domain has been lifted, Lilac and Nosora must've done it. I guess this door was tied to the spell which is why it opened." I surmised.

A voice came from atop the stairs, I couldn't explain why but it sounded familiar to me.

 "Kenki Asuma." It boomed out my name as though it was expecting me. "I'm glad it was you who found me, we have a lot to talk about. Princess."