C57
'Oh no.'
Armin was only 11 years old at the time, so he could only expand his Spirit Zone and avoid obstacles.
“Siena! Open your eyes! You can't lose your mind!”
“Brother! S-save…!'
Siena could not calm down.
It was impossible for the two young kids to cross the river with their physical abilities.
Armin realized he had to do it alone.
'We just have to get to the Delphons region like this. It becomes a delta from there, so the volume of water will decrease. At the speed we're going now, we will be there in about 20 minutes.'
20 minutes was too long.
Could he hold out from the rapid currents with a semiconscious Siena?
'How stupid.'
Of course, he had to do it. He had no choice but to do it.
His view was dimming. He was starting to see scenery that was distorted strangely.
They approached countless life-threatening objects.
Armin twisted his body with all his might.
He did not let his eyes stray away from the sight in front of him, even as muddy water pained his eyes, his body slammed against rocks, and broken trees tore his skin.
'Almost there.'
He felt Siena's tiny hand pinch his waist.
He felt extremely pressured knowing that a fragile life depended on him. But because of that, a greater sense of duty awakened in his mind.
He saw their destination lower down the stream.
However, there was no path. Trees that broke towards the river were brutally blocking their way to the delta.
“Siena, listen up. We have to pass under those trees. I will press you down, so you have to hold your breath for as long as you can. Swim as fast and as far as possible, okay?”
“Brother! I'm scared! I can't do it!”
“You can do it! You have to!”
As they passed between two whirlpools, the speed of the current doubled.
In the unexpected situation, Armin grit his teeth.
With only his head and neck above the water, all the debris as a result of the flood came at him like a behemoth.
He was trying to stay afloat so hard to the point he could feel a cramp coming to attack his legs.
Sharp objects scratched Armin's body as they passed by him. He was bleeding profusely.
His body temperature began to fall even faster. He was slowly losing consciousness.
Finally, they arrived at the tree that was blocking their way.
“Siena! Here we go!”
Armin calculated the distance and waited for the perfect timing.
Right as they were about to collide, he pressed down Siena's shoulders.
“Now!”
Siena's scream was drowned by the water. And Armin, who was barely holding on to his consciousness, noticed that the sharp base of a wet tree was getting bigger and bigger.
Even with that danger, he concentrated all his nerves on the hand that was pushing Siena under.
It wasn't until Siena got under enough trees that his hand went slack.
'Good job, Sie—'
CRASH!
At the same time as Armin smiled faintly, his face smashed into the tree…
Despite knowing he could lose everything, he still did not close his eyes.
“BROTHERRRR!”
He heard the sound of Siena's voice fading down the stream.
“…That's what happened.”
Shirone and his friends were at a loss for words.
“I was rescued by the villagers after being safely washed away to the Delphons region. There weren't any hurdles after I passed the woody area. Later, Brother Armin was also found. He was unconscious. People from the academy were mobilized to treat him, but the diagnosis was permanent eye damage. After the incident, Brother lost his eyesight.”
“I see… So that's what happened.”
“He personally taught me how to overcome fear. Thanks to him, I overcame Overflow… But the price for doing so was his light. He went from being the greatest genius in the history of the academy to… It ended just like that.”
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
