GTS Summoner Ch 5: A Dire Sprint, Run Mark Run!

(Mark)

The streets were chaos incarnate. Blood slicked the cracked pavement, pooling around the mangled bodies of those who had been caught in the destruction. People screamed, running in every direction-some trying to escape, others collapsing to the ground, too injured or terrified to go on. The deep trenches carved into the earth from that giant knight's earlier swings made the ground uneven, forcing me to leap over cracks and scramble around debris.

And yet, I kept running.

I wasn't running for safety like a sane person. No, that would've been smart, and l've never been accused of being particularly smart. My legs were carrying me straight toward the chaos, my lungs burning as I darted past broken cars and twisted lamp posts. My only thought-the only thing keeping me moving-was the hospital.

Saint Guryon's. That was where my sister was, lying in her hospital bed, unresponsive as always. She had been like that for two years now, ever since the accident. And if that place wasn't still standing when I got there, if she wasn't still inside... I shook my head, refusing to let the thought take hold.

"Please still be there," I muttered to myself, the words a mantra that kept me going. My throat was dry, my heart hammering against my ribs as I sprinted past a trench that seemed bottomless.

Then, just as I climbed over a toppled traffic light, I saw her.

She loomed in the distance, her towering form visible even between the broken buildings. The knight. Her silver armor reflected the weak sunlight, and her golden hair-tied back in a bun— shone like it hadn't even been touched by the dust cloud that choked the rest of us. She stood taller than before, impossibly massive, her body framed against the horizon like some kind of apocalyptic painting.

My feet slowed. My breath caught.

"I-is she bigger?" I stammered aloud, unable to look away. She was easily twice the size she'd been earlier. Her massive figure dwarfed the skyscrapers that were still standing, and her shadow stretched across the city like an omen.

As I stood there, frozen, the air around me suddenly exploded with sound. Jets roared above, their engines deafening as they circled her. A series of rockets streaked toward her, bright trails of smoke cutting through the sky.

The explosions lit up her body in bursts of orange and yellow, the shockwaves rattling the earth beneath me. But she didn't even flinch. The missiles seemed to do little more than irritate her-like someone throwing pebbles at a mountain.

"What a beast," I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away.

Suddenly, her voice boomed through the air, louder than the jets, louder than anything else.

"Is this all you can do?" she bellowed, her tone dripping with mockery. Her glowing red eyes tracked the circling aircraft like a predator sizing up its prey.

Her sword began to glow, the intricate symbols along the blade shining brighter and brighter as she raised it high above her head. She laughed, a deep, rolling sound that shook the very ground I stood on.

"You'll have to do better!" she roared, her words carrying across the city.

The vibrations from her voice alone were enough to shatter the remaining windows in the buildings around me. I ducked, covering my head as shards of glass rained down, clinking off the pavement like deadly little raindrops.

"Get it together, Mark," I muttered to myself, shaking the fear off as best I could. I couldn't afford to stop now. Not when I was so close.

I forced myself to keep running, my legs trembling as I pushed forward. The hospital wasn't far now, and my focus narrowed on it, blocking out the destruction around me.

When I finally reached Saint Guryon's, my heart dropped.

The building was in ruins. The left side had collapsed entirely, a heap of crumbled concrete and twisted metal spilling out onto the street. The windows that hadn't been shattered before were now completely gone, leaving empty frames that stared at me like hollow eyes. Smoke curled out from somewhere inside, a faint orange glow visible in the lower floors.

But it was still standing. Barely.

"I'm coming, Lidiya!" I yelled, sprinting toward the entrance.

Lidiya. My sister. The only family I had left. Her name on my lips gave me the last bit of strength I needed to push through.

The hospital doors were blown open, one of them hanging off its hinges. I stumbled inside, coughing as the acrid smell of smoke hit me. The lobby was a disaster-chairs overturned, the front desk half-buried under debris.

"Lidiya!" I shouted, my voice cracking as I navigated the wreckage.

I didn't wait for an answer-didn't even expect one. I knew where her room was, had visited it so many times I could've found it blindfolded. Room 217, just up the stairs.

But as I reached the base of the staircase, I froze.

The ceiling above me groaned, the supports barely holding up the weight of the floors above. Dust trickled down in thin streams, and the faint sound of creaking metal filled the air.

"Damn it," I muttered, gripping the railing. My hand was slick with sweat, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst.

Every instinct screamed at me to turn back, to run. But I couldn't.

"I'm coming," I said again, my voice steadier this time.

I climbed the stairs two at a time, my body running on pure adrenaline. Every step felt like a gamble, the structure beneath me threatening to give way at any moment. But I kept moving, focusing on Lidiya's room, on the promise l'd made to myself to protect her, no matter what.

When I finally reached the second floor, I could barely breathe. The hallway was a mess-ceiling tiles scattered across the floor, medical equipment overturned, wires sparking in the dim light. But I saw the sign for Room 217, just a few doors down.

"Almost there," I whispered, forcing my legs to keep moving.

The floor beneath me groaned with every step, but I didn't care. Lidiya was all that mattered.

When I reached her door, I shoved it open, my heart in my throat.

There she was, lying in her bed just as she always was. Her pale face was peaceful, her dark hair spread out on the pillow. The machines around her beeped faintly, somehow still functioning despite everything.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"You're okay," I said, my voice breaking.

I stumbled to her side, dropping to my knees as relief flooded through me.

"You're okay."

But as the building groaned again, louder this time, I realized we weren't out of danger yet.

"Hang on, Lidiya," | said, gripping her hand. "'ll get us out of here. I promise."