The Chronicles Of New Havens

They arrived in the pitch-black forest without interruption. Elizabeth was like a walking corpse as she traversed the woods by muscle memory. To her, the world was already worth nothing in her eyes. Everything was already pointless. Her entire world hinged off her family. Outside of that, she had no one. Even if she escaped, she would know no one in the world below. In that case, why keep living? The thought of suicide had passed her mind more than once… She was made painfully aware how fragile life was.

Before long, they reached the place where Benedict crash landed at the edge of the forest. Benedict looked past the treeline and revealed a wry smile. Although he decided to believe his saviors, there was still some doubt lingering inside him. The mere idea of a floating island was so absurd to him, even in a world filled with magic, that he thought he was going insane and dreamt everything up. But when he saw the ever-expanding infinite horizon stretch unhindered, he realized how shallow his preconceptions were. He further solidified his resolve to protect this small family.

The knight walked over to the crash site and glanced at his glider, or what was left of it. The wings were snapped and ripped, and the metal frame was bent in awkward angles. Forget about flight. It might break if he picked it up again. He gave up on it immediately. You had to be completely comfortable with your glider to fly properly. A moment of doubt would be fatal. Benedict sighed. Of course, his glider could never handle an entire family hanging off it. The original plan was to fetch his glider and steal the remaining from the soldiers. Since the soldiers were not carrying their gliders, it was highly likely they were dropped off in a safe location near the edge of the island.

With that said, Edward returned with good news. He had spotted a lone soldier in the forest standing guard. The torchlight the man was holding easily gave away his position in the dark woods. Benedict nodded. That was their key to escaping the island. The three stealthily made their way over when Elizabeth nocked her bow. Her hands were frighteningly steady as she aimed at the soldier. With a decisive release, the arrow flew straight into the back of the soldier. Edward and Benedict rushed up to secure the location. The soldier was writhing on the ground in agony when Benedict mercilessly executed him. Much like Elizabeth, he was also entirely expressionless. He was already numb to such things.

"More than fifty gliders are here. The invasion force should be several squadrons," Benedict said. "This should be enough for us to escape." He gazed at the rumbling storm clouds and added, "We should wait until the storm blows over to leave. If we try to leave with these heavy winds, it'll be nearly impossible to reach the ground. I'll also need the time to teach you two how to use the Aero Gliders."

Edward bitterly shook his head. "That won't be necessary, Benedict. I won't be leaving."

Elizabeth recovered her senses after hearing that. "What are you saying, brother? We must leave! If we stay here, we'll be killed!"

"Elizabeth… Although we haven't been married yet, I can't leave my wife alone knowing she's somewhere waiting for me. I also need to find Aisa. Now that I know you're in the safe hands of Benedict, I can go in peace."

"Don't give me that nonsense!" she shouted as she grabbed Edward's collar, pulling him close. "You'll die if you go back! You don't even know if…" But the words got stuck in her throat. She could not say it.

In response, Edward could only wryly smile. "Even then, I still have to go."

"Then, I'll come with you!" she begged. "Please don't leave me alone! I'd rather die right here than go on further!"

Her brother slapped her. Elizabeth felt her red cheeks in shock. This was the first time her brother ever slapped her. "Don't ever think thoughts like that again. Our parents didn't sacrifice themselves so you could kill yourself. We need to live on."

"But you…" Elizabeth cried.

"Don't worry. Do you think they'll kill your big brother?" Edward laughed but Elizabeth could tell how blatantly he was lying. He was doing his very best to make her feel at ease, even though he felt despaired at the reality himself. Always worrying about others without worrying about himself… Elizabeth felt vexed. There were no words she could say to convince him to stay. But still!

"Please don't," she whimpered.

"Elizabeth, once you get down to the ground, find help. Find anyone. Bring them back here and avenge our family. We'll make sure to repay this debt a hundred times back!" Edward seethed with fury. "Promise me that you'll do that."

Elizabeth made an ugly smile. "Yes, I will, brother," she answered. She knew this was her brother's way of making her escape.

"In that case, take my short sword. If you get into a fight, it's far better than using your pitchfork."

"Thank you. Please take care of Elizabeth. Promise me that you'll keep her safe."

"You can trust in me. I will bring her safely to the ground."

"Then you two should leave as soon as possible," Eyeing his sister, he knew she would change her mind in due time. If that happened, there was no way Benedict could sway her otherwise.

Benedict had also thought about this carefully. The storm looked endless and it was only a matter of time before the soldiers came back for their gliders. Once they find one of their men dead, they would scour the forest for the killers. In his condition, there was no way to fend off the enemies. Furthermore, he could feel his injuries intensifying with the weather. If he stayed in this forest overnight with the cold and wet weather waiting for the storm to end, he would grow very sick. If that happened, there was no chance of a safe landing. There was a solution to this but… To call it stupid and suicidal was appropriate.

"I know how we can leave immediately but… Elizabeth will need to be strapped to me."

"Huh? What are you saying in this situation?" Elizabeth snapped causing Benedict meekly stepped back. "Why would I want to be strapped to you?"

"Please explain, Benedict." Elizabeth turned to glare at her brother, but his tone was dead serious.

"If we can share one glider, then we can skip teaching her how to use a glider. In addition, the extra weight will help counterbalance the strong winds of the storm. If we're lucky, we should be able to glide to the ground easier. But… This plan is beyond dangerous. The extra weight will burden the lightweight frame. It'll be a battle to see if the wings can survive the strain before we touch down."

Edward was silent for a moment. "What are the odds of success?"

Benedict offered an awkward smile. "Less than two times out of ten."

"And if we wait for the storm to clear?"

"That's hard to say… But probably worse."

"Then we'll go with your plan."

Edward made quick work, nabbing all the nearby straps from the other gliders to fasten Elizabeth and Benedict together like a sandwich. Rather than hugging, it was better to call it squeezing the two. She was so uncomfortably close to him that she could feel his every movement. It was gross. She wanted to protest, but she knew it was neither the time nor the place. She had no energy. So, she could only somberly stand there as her brother laboured away. It took five minutes when he finished his masterpiece. Besides their torsos and legs, their arms and heads were free to move. This was essential as Benedict needed to steer the glider by manipulating the wings. Thankfully, Elizabeth was a tad shorter, so Benedict had an unobstructed sightline ahead.

Knowing that their time was reaching an end, Elizabeth could only say this. "Please stay safe, brother. Until I return with help, don't do anything dangerous, okay?" It might have been an impossible wish, but she wished for it still. She wished to cling on to that impossible hope for as long as possible.

Edward tried to smile. "You know me. By the time you're back, I would've saved everyone already!" he joked before turning serious. "Promise me Elizabeth that no matter what happens, you'll always be strong. Promise me that." Through tears, she nodded. "Now, go! Go and live on!"

Benedict released the massive wings from his glider, fully deploying the contraption, and leapt from the island. In an instant, the pair disappeared as they plummeted through the cloud layer. The howling winds roared in their ears as the rain decorated them from all angles. They were dropping fast, far too fast. The knight grappled with the wings and forced them to a heel. The sound of screeching metal entered his ears. The wings were struggling with all their might against the vast storm. Fighting against the brutal wind nearly snapped both the wings and his arms.

Although the two were wearing googles, Benedict could barely make out shapes, much less the ground, in this weather. They were flying up and down, slow and fast, left and right, and in every conceivable way possible. The storm made them its plaything as they danced across the sky. There was no way he could control it! If this went on for much longer, then death was a certainty! He had to do something. Thinking this, he gritted his teeth and chose the most direct but dangerous decision. Mustering all his strength, he collapsed the wings together. Without the lift from the wings, they shot towards the ground like a meteor.

Normally, Elizabeth was okay with heights. After all, she made a habit of sitting on the edge of New Havens to gander at the vast limitless sky. But this… This was different. They were freefalling out of the sky at record-breaking speed! Even she felt terror fill her brain! Strapped to Benedict like a toy, she felt especially helpless as she screamed unrelentingly. The ground looked so distant, but because it was so distant, she felt despair. There was nothing she could do! She could only watch as the ground come closer as she dreamt of her fate. This was not how she imagined her escape into the world below would turn out! She screamed for so long that even she felt tired. They were that far away…

When the mountains grew in size and looked incomparably close, Benedict acted. He forced the wings out and poured all his concentration forth. Reacting to the updraft, their speed instantly dropped as the wings tore. Even Benedict, who was holding the wings felt his arms tear and his tendons break. Plenty of blood emerged from his old wounds, but he pushed through the pain. Relying on sheer willpower and disregarding his wounds, he latched onto the wings, f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y taming them. His efforts were rewarded as their descent became more controlled.

Slower! Slower! Please make it! He screamed as they approached the ground at stunning speed. A vast sea of pine trees grew larger and larger below them. He pulled on the wings harder, but he was getting tired and weaker. They were still far too fast. When they flew across the top of the forest, he felt his consciousness fading. As the wings lost their pilot, the winds started to pick them up and lift them higher. This is it! Before he lost consciousness, he strategically dropped the wings once more when they were closest to the ground. The pair crashed into the forest of trees and successfully landed in the world of Sor.

On K.A. 514, August 1st, New Havens had officially fallen into Xingyuu hands.

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