Sublimus leaped at Arian. The prince had no other option but to dodge. He threw himself to the side and screamed in shock.
To suspect that Sublimus wanted to attack him was one thing, but to see it actually happen was something else entirely.
Arian couldn't believe it when Sublimus had rejected him, but now, to see his former beast actively trying to hurt him, to maybe even kill him, was even more astonishing.
Arian had never felt fear towards Sublimus, not even when Sublimus had been wild and Arian had conquered him.
But now, Arian felt how goose bumps formed on his skin, as he hurriedly swam to the side.
Behind him, Sublimus plumped into the water.
His impact made Arian fall forward against his will. Unintentionally, he dived back under the water.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, what am I supposed to do?, the prince panicked as he tried to get back to the surface, hoping Sublimus's maw wouldn't greet him as soon as his head popped out.
It dawned on Arian how disadvantageous his situation was. There was the obvious factor of size. Sublimus was much larger and therefore stronger than Arian. And while Sublimus' scales provided a natural armour, he was naked. Nor did Arian possess fangs and antlers like his former beast.
He was utterly at a disadvantage, and Arian couldn't think of a way to turn the odds in his favor, especially when he didn't even have time to think about it.
As soon as Arian got his head above the surface, Sublimus attacked again. But not like Arian expected by snapping at him- instead, the qilin used his antlers to push him away.
The prince screamed in pain as he was catapulted into the air. He couldn't look at his body, but he was sure, Sublimus' sharp antlers had grazed him all over.
The short moment he was in the air, Arian was consumed by pain. He tried to orientate himself, or at least turn himself in the right way, so his impact on the water wouldn't hurt so much, but to no avail. He dived into the water with a belly splash.
Again, he screamed in pain when his scarred upper body hit the watersurface, allowing for water to flow into his mouth.
What a stupid mistake, the prince cursed. And again, the process repeated as he struggled to get to the surface before he choked out all the water and tried to catch his breath.
It can't carry on like this!
When he looked up, Arian noticed Sublimus hadn't caught up to him- a welcoming surprise, seeing Sublimus struggle to swim in his direction.
The beast seemed comically sluggish. As if time was moving slower for him.
He isn't familiar with swimming, Arian realized.
Arian wondered why Sublimus did not just jump out of the water and flew, after all, a qilin had the ability to walk on air.
But to do so, he needs to get out of the water. Maybe he already struggles with that step.
It was funny to imagine. A powerful beast like a qilin having problems with simple, seemingly mundane things like swimming.
On a different day, Arian might have laughed about the irony of the situation, but today his fear overruled his humor.
Instead, he used the few moments he had for catching his breath to think of a strategy.
Right now, he was only a tossing ball. And once Sublimus had figured out how to operate in the water, Arian would be done for.
So it would be the best course to finish off Sublimus while he still struggled in the water. But in there lay the problem for Arian, too.
How the hell should I attack Sublimus? I don't have any weapons. Hell, I can't even stand in these gods damned waters, let alone use my limbs to attack or shield myself, because I need to use them to stay afloat.
Given the circumstances, there was only one logical option Arian could think of: Use the time while Sublimus was distracted and get as far away as possible.
Most importantly, I need to get out of the water. Only on land can I fight and defend myself properly.
I need to get out of here!
Arian's thoughts raced. Quickly, the prince turned around and swam in the direction he suspected the shore was located, the place where Sublimus had stood only a moment ago. The distance Sublimus had crossed in one jump felt like an eternity to Arian.
By now, the qilin had also turned around and rushed towards Arian.
He seemed faster now, but still, he couldn't catch up to Arian. The prince was still too fast, his arm strokes were powerful, and his kicks were precise.
He glided over the water, which came as a surprise to Arian. He knew he was a good swimmer-or had been, when he could still use his legs-he would have imagined due to sitting in a wheelchair for the past few months, using his legs would feel Alien. But to his surprise, it felt perfectly normal.
He actually felt good- if one ignored the pain from all the scrapes on his wounded body.
Soon, he reached the point where his feet touched the ground, and from then on, he could run out of the water.
A triumphant feeling spread throughout his body because when he glanced back, the silhouette of Sublimus' body was far behind him.
I made it!, the prince celebrated in his mind...
...and then he fell.
Suddenly, all strength leaves his body. Arian plumps to the ground like a ripe apple, rolling over a few hard rocks before he comes to a halt.
His whole body aches. His wounds hurt, and his head is spinning.
One moment, he has overflowed with strength, and the next, he lies on the ground.
Panick overcomes him when he realizes his body feels like a sack of potatoes, unmovable and fat.
Arian tries to get up, tries his hardest, but already fails at coordinating his movements properly.
At the same time, the prince realizes he can't feel his legs. Again, he is paraplegic.
And with that, all his advantages are gone in the blink of an eye.
He can't do anything while Sublimus steadily advances.
His mind is filled with too many thoughts to comprehend the situation fully.
All Arian can think of is to put his head between two narrow rocks, so that Sublimus's maw isn't able to snap at his head or neck. He curses the gap for being too small for him to hide completely.
Simultaneously, he turns himself to the back, the only option he has to protect his vital organs.
And then the qilin, his former friend, his most trusted companion, is upon him.
Arian doesn't know what to do. He wants to do something, needs to do something, after all, he can't just let this happen to himself.
But he can't do anything. Not physically, since his body is crippled again.
So the only tool left to his disposal is his voice.
"Where are we? What is this place?!", Arian screams in panic. He doesn't really know what he's saying, nor does he particularly care about the answer in this moment. All he wants is to somehow stop his beast. Or at least make him halt.
But Sublimus doesn't hesitate.
"You should give me the answer, but I guess you don't understand yet," he answers calmly in his head while his teeth wrap around Arian's torso.
And then the beast bites down hard.
Arian experiences too much pain to scream. His eyes roll backwards and he feels how all power left in him, all defiance to fight, leaves him.
What can he, a mere human, do against a beast of the second-highest rank like Subimus?
More importantly, why is he fighting so hard to stay alive in the first place? A few weeks ago, he wanted to die, so why not now?
Isn't it time to let go? His life had turned into a nightmare ever since his best friend had chosen to betray him.
Isn't that what Arian wants, had fought for all this time, but hasn't achieved?
To die.
True, he had wanted to die on his own accord, but as proven, he wasn't able to do that. He was given three attempts, and he had failed all of them.
So maybe Sublimus is now only there to help me, so I can finally succeed.
With this thought, Arian lets go.