In the stillness of the chilling night, the survivors of the Battle Maiden Sect stood huddled, their bodies casting long, wavering shadows across the meadow. In the heart of the group, Skye Sinclair was a silent statue, her gaze fixed on the spot where Aelina had vanished.
The echoes of Aelina's sharp words ricocheted within her, each syllable a splinter of ice lodged in her chest. The questions she had voiced now loomed over them, each one a specter that gnawed at the edges of their understanding.
The cold wind carried her murmurings, and one by one, the others began to stir, their faces a collage of confusion and doubt. Aelina's words had been a harsh wake-up call, a brutal reminder that the world they knew was not as they had believed.
The sect they had devoted their lives to, the sisterhood they had cherished—had it all been a facsimile of what they had imagined? Were they soldiers, not sisters? Were they expendable?
In the midst of this whirlpool of questions, Skye shook herself, her hands slapping her cheeks. The sting focused her thoughts, shaking loose the fog of confusion.
As Skye's mind began to calm, she realized the dissonance. Aelina was not one to squander lives for entertainment. Why, then, had she not intervened? Why had she waited until only a "few" of them remained?
She had spent her life hearing tales of Aelina, whispers of her exploits seeping into every corner of the sect.
Aelina, the enigmatic Battle Maiden Sect Master. The Ghost of the Ancient Wars. A strategist whose cunning and leadership had elevated the sect to a continental-wide power.
A woman whose every action had a purpose.
Skye's gaze swept over the survivors, taking in the faces etched with pain and determination. Among the strongest of their sect, she saw the younger ones, the ones in the Foundation and Core Formation Realms. They were injured, their bodies marked by the battle, yet they were alive. More importantly, they held a spark in their eyes, a flicker of fierce resolve that resonated with Skye.
A picture began to form in her mind, pieces of a puzzle falling into place. Could it be that Aelina had orchestrated this? Was this some sort of twisted test, a trial by fire to sort out the weak from the strong, the determined from the despairing?
Even if that were the case, why here and why now? Surely, there's a better way to test them.
Skye thought about it for a while longer, but unable to find an answer, she pushed it to the back of her mind.
'It's not like anything would change even if I knew,' Skye thought with a bitter smile, 'Now that I think about it, we could be considered lucky that Sect Master Aelina decided to intervene at all. If she decided to send out an army and deal with the enemy Sect Master herself, even if we won the war today, all of us would have died.'
In fact, no matter how she thought about it, Skye only foresaw her death if Aelina hadn't saved them when she did.
'I also don't know the limits of her power. Divine Sea Realm masters might be strong, but they aren't omnipotent. Maybe saving all of us wasn't even an option, to begin with.'
It only took Skye a few minutes to realize that she may have lashed out at Aelina a bit too early without knowing the entire situation.
The bitterness that had so quickly risen in her had subsided, replaced by a reluctant understanding. She might not agree with Aelina's methods, but it seemed she had judged her Sect Master too harshly, too quickly.
"Blaming Aelina won't bring back our fallen sisters..." Skye whispered to herself, her voice fading into the open field. Her fingers traced the faint scars on her arms, reminders of the battles she had survived, of the life she was still fortunate to possess.
There was a silence, then a slow inhale of breath. Skye stood tall, her gaze sweeping over the survivors once more. This time, she saw not just the pain and the determination but also the resilience, the spirit of survival, and the will to fight. It was the same spirit that now ignited within her.
***
Fifteen minutes later, Aelina appeared before the group, looking down at them with judgemental eyes.
She stood before them, her piercing gaze sweeping over the survivors, a silent challenge hanging in the air around them.
Yet, as her eyes met theirs, a slow, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. The fiery determination blazing in their eyes was an answer in itself.
As the survivors looked back at her, the air around them had changed. Their bodies were marred by the battle, but their spirits were unbroken. Their eyes held the glint of steel, a sharpness honed by the trials they had faced. There were a few outliers, those who didn't quite understand Aelina's intentions or those who had no intention of participating in another war, but they were in the minority.
Aelina, for all her stern demeanor, seemed to approve of this transformation. The flicker of satisfaction in her eyes was a silent acknowledgment of their resolve.
"So, have you made up your minds?" Aelina's voice cut through the silence, clear and commanding, echoing across the open field.
Skye stepped forward, her face calm and resolute. "We have," she responded, her voice clear and firm, a mirror to the resolve in her eyes.
"Good! Then it's time to put your experiences over the last few hours to good use!" Aelina exclaimed, the smile on her face growing. The disciples were confused by her words, but without explaining any further, Aelina turned around and ordered, "Now, follow me!"
With that, Aelina began flying in the opposite direction.
Skye and the others who decided to continue following Aelina and the Battle Maiden Sect looked at each other for a moment before nodding. The ones in better condition picked up those with more severe injuries and shot after Aelina, leaving behind those that decided to stay behind.
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