CHAPTER 80: TO THE BATTLE

Michael whistled as he called out to the windrazor eagle, its sound cutting through the sky.

Loud flaps began to be heard as the windrazor eagle flew towards them. Anna materialised her golden threads and commanded them to coil around Neo and Hanna.

The windrazor eagle lowered itself, Michael shouted.

"Get on!"

Anna didn’t need to be told twice; she jumped on the windrazor eagle and pulled on Neo and Hanna.

The duo let go of any resistance and landed on the windrazor eagle.

"You’d better tell me first before doing anything like this again," Hanna said as she glared at Anna.

Anna shook her head and looked at Neo as she asked.

"Are you alright?"

Neo frowned at the question but didn’t let it bother him for now.

"Yeah..."

"Hold tight," Michael said as he patted the back of the windrazor eagle.

The eagle let out a cry as it took flight.

The trio fell on their butts due to the sudden movement and grabbed its feathers.

"It’s fine, you can grab the feathers," Michael stated as he began piloting the windrazor eagle.

The windrazor eagle flew towards an island situated underneath Noctara.

As they neared the island, their eyes fell on sea star beasts making their way towards the island and the civilians and awakeneds of the island defending against them.

Anna looked at everything with a calm gaze as her thoughts churned.

’There are too many injured civilians already.’

’and these star beasts don’t look like they’ll stop soon.’

Her eyes glowed as she read the fate threads of the beasts...

"We can win... we just have to hold them long enough," Anna said with a brightened expression.

Michaell turned to look at her as he asked.

"What do you mean?"

Anna shook her head and replied.

"We can’t waste time, just trust me on this one."

Michael turned silent on his words.

"Just trust us!" Hanna stated as she gave Michael a determined look.

Michael heaved a sigh as he questioned.

"What’s the plan?"

"Drop Hanna within the settlement so she can heal the injured."

"Drop Neo at the eastern defence as it has fewer beasts than the western defence."

"I’ll go to western defence... and you, Sir Michael, go to the southern end."

"Southern end? But there’s no star beast there?" Michael questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"As I said, just trust me," Anna replied with a determined look.

Michael nodded and commanded the windrazor eagle to fly towards the eastern defence.

Neo nudged Anna as he questioned with a frown.

"Shouldn’t I come with you?"

Anna looked at him and shook her head as she explained.

"Join me afterwards..."

"We need to prove ourselves to the people of Aquadra, if we want to stay here without any objection from the civilians."

"Would they act against us? After all, we are guests of the Night Tower," Hanna reasoned with a solemn look.

"If Night Tower alone was enough to give them assurance, then all of the islanders of the grouped islands had already begun living in the moonveil city."

Neo and Hanna turned silent, and Michael gave a wry smile at her words.

Moments later, the windrazor eagle descended at the eastern defence, and Neo jumped from it.

"Make sure not to die," Anna stated with a smile.

"I’ve been protecting you long enough to know how to survive," Neo replied with a grin.

Anna and Hanna shook their heads at his words.

The windrazor eagle took flight towards the settlement at the centre of the island.

"Are you sure I can do this?" Hanna questioned with a dark expression as the memories of her dark past started to resurface.

Anna placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a reassuring tone.

"You can do this, Hanna... you are much stronger and you have better control over your power now."

Hanna looked at Anna and nodded.

Soon, the windrazor eagle descended near the settlement, and Hanna jumped from it.

All of the people, be it civilians or awakened, looked at the windrazor eagle in awe.

"It’s the guardians of the Night Tower!" one of them shouted, and soon the whole place started to shout the name of the Night Tower.

The windrazor eagle took flight once again and made its way towards the western defence.

"You don’t have to lower the eagle at the western defence," Anna said as she looked down from the side of the windrazor eagle.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Michael questioned with a puzzled face.

Anna gave a cryptic smile as her eyes glowed golden and threads started to materialise around her hands. She commanded the threads to move towards her back and take the form of wings.

"You can’t be serious, right?" Michael questioned with a bewildered look.

Anna shook her head in reply.

Michael heaved a sigh as he thought.

’Of course, she isn’t serious. Who would be dumb enough to jump from this height? And as a Seeker no less?’

But Anna’s next words made his mind go blank out of sheer absurdity.

"I am dead serious about it." Anna smiled as she said so.

’I take my thoughts back...’

’She also has an issue upstairs.’

He thought as he looked at Anna with sympathy.

Anna didn’t like the look on his face and scowled at him.

"Are you thinking something disrespectful?"

"No... I am not,"

’Can she read minds, too?’

"No, I can’t," Anna answered.

Michael turned towards her and questioned.

"You do know that your answer doesn’t help the case at all, right?"

Anna turned silent and began to channel star essence in the threads, turning them solid.

The windrazor eagle neared the western defence. Anna walked beside Michael as she spoke.

"Make sure not to die, Sir Michael."

She jumped and her wings glided her towards the western defence.

Michael looked at her with a deadpan look as he mumbled to himself.

"I’m pretty sure I would’ve been dead if I had made decisions like yours, Miss Aeliana."