This story follows Saida Narira’s perspective.

 

Everything’s running smoothly! Well, at least for the time being. After an hour of continuously moving and wading through dense forests or tall grasses, we’ve stabilized into a somewhat consistent rotation of responsibilities.

Since Gallas really can’t abandon his duty of maintaining the golems and moving the whole group, he’s constantly on duty. I moved Ayen closer to him so he hopefully gets a better buff. Not sure if it works that way, but Ayen didn’t really mind moving. I wish I understood more, I really want to tinker with them too! Saint Magic… I just heard about it today. That’s so amazing!

With Ayen close to Gallas, she’s on a 10-to-20 minute rotation. 10 minutes of consistent regenerative buffing, then 20 minutes of rest. She’s on her second cycle now, just about to finish her resting period. She’s sweating profusely though. I’m not sure how much of this she can take. I think I have to re-think the whole ratio. Maybe a 10:30 ratio would be better? Hmm, I’m not sure the rest of us can survive with it anyway…

Aside from Gallas, who basically placed himself in a trance-like state to improve his concentration, all of us are standing on our last legs. With our constant movement, we get low-pressure areas and high-pressure areas with no consistency. Aside from what we’ve been told, the draining also comes at differing intensities. Some areas are just so strong that it almost feels like life is being sucked out of your own body.

If anything, Gallas is the real MVP of this whole operation. Without him, we wouldn’t stand a chance. The rest of us, despite somehow being capable of neutralizing or stunning the monsters long enough so that they don’t catch up to the moving earth, are basically just playing defenders.

I place my hand over Ayen’s forehead, making her flinch. She meets my eyes with surprise. She blushes but looks at me shyly before averting her gaze. Silly girl! Probably not used to skin contact with others. Don’t worry, I’ll fix that, hehehe. She’s burning up. As a Sky Elf, fever is not something that is common for us, but it certainly poses a worrying threat. I’m not too familiar with the constitution of Wood Elves, so I’m just assuming she’s still capable of holding on.

“If you can’t keep going, please let me know. Okay?” I tell her softly.

“I’ll be fine… *coughs* It’s just something I have to weather through… You have my gratitude, Saida. You’re a good friend.” She says smilingly.

I immediately stand up and walk to the rest of the attacking group. I am COMPLETELY red in the face. Did she just call me her friend?? I have a friend!? Oh, what wonderful news!! To think I’ll get two friends on my first day! Dear sister, you’ll never believe the day I’m having! Okay, calm down. Focus on the task at hand, Saida. I tap Idril’s shoulder, signaling him for a switch.

“Oh, finally! Thank you, Polar Magic girl… Let me get a little bit of shut-eye before the next rotation.” Idril thanks me before stepping inward and falling down to the ground.

I can feel his mana cloak having trouble maintaining itself. I can’t really blame him, outside of Ayen’s regenerative buff, maintaining a mana cloak in the ever-changing environment is a difficult task. He’s closing his eyes, but he’s definitely not asleep.

“Are you doing okay, Toross?” I ask the one that is arguably handling the mana pressure the worst.

“Stop that…” He says.

“Stop what?”

“This… This niceness that you’re doing. We’re only allies by association. You don’t need to be friendly. Besides, all this congeniality under false pretenses is something I am not going to fall for…” Toross mutters.

“False pretenses? Toross, I am not lying! My concern is genuine. I really want to — “

“Yeah, sure, Saida. I’ve been watching you too, you know. I can see how you try so hard to make connections and be nice to people.” He continues.

“Why is trying such a bad thing?” I say as a weight builds inside of my chest.

“Because nobody is nice in reality! Everybody wants something! If you think that anyone here is falling for your saintly acts, think again!” Toross shouts at me.

I bite my tongue. The salty and metallic taste of my own blood feels quite fitting for the situation. I feel like I’m drowning. Inhaling mouthfuls of seawater with no shore in sight. I’m not going to cry. You can’t break down now. I feel a hand grip my left shoulder. I look up and see Ayre.

He doesn’t say a word. His torn-up bracers graze on my overcoat. He sits down to my left, looking outward, joining me in the watch for beasts and monsters that manage to make chase. He says nothing, yet I feel his overwhelming warmth wash over any sense of doubt.

“My name is Ayre Vasatra, a fourteen-year-old human and anointed elf under the name of the headmaster herself!!”

I remember him diverting everyone’s attention to himself when they started ridiculing me. That was just this morning? Mysteries… It feels like ages ago! For a drowning girl in an endless sea, perhaps shore is not entirely what I needed.

 

Perhaps just sand beneath my feet would help me stand on my own.

 

I take a deep breath and form a smile.

“I pity you, Toross.” I say with a lightened heart.

“Pity me? What is there to pity? You jest.” He retorts.

“You grew up in a world where people only do good for the value of obtaining something in return. Seeing genuine care without the expectation of return just boggles your mind for you have not experienced it! Your heart cannot accept kindness for all you’ve known is deception.” I said softly.

“You don’t know anything about me!” He exclaims proudly.

“I know. Yet I know enough to see that you hide behind your sarcasm and quips to detach yourself from everyone around you. I understand. I understand why.” I speak to him warmly.

Everyone else isn’t looking, yet I can feel them paying close attention. Even the sleeping Idril has his eyes open wide. Toross doesn’t respond. He just stares out into the open.

“Even if we’re here in the chaos wilds. Arguably the most terrifying place for us young elves… well, and Ayre… but you’re safe here. There’s no one here that wants to harm you.” I smilingly said, meeting his eyes as he looks at me with conflict.

“Speak for yourself, Saida. Once I get the chance, I’ll beat the air out of your lungs, lightning dummy. If only you weren’t so useful with your lightning magic. Hyperreactive has really been saving our asses.” Idril joins in the conversation with a smile.

“If I weren’t so drained of mana from exploring that creature’s mind, I’d have already kicked your ass,” Geta adds from a little ways away, while covering his eyes.

“Pick yourself up from whatever scary place lies inside your mind, Toross. You said you wanted to beat the shit out of me, right? Can’t do that when you’re not your best self.” Ayre smiles, still looking at our trail.

Everyone fell silent. Smiles all around us. I look behind me to see Ayen observing with a smirking smile on her face. Everyone is happy. Somehow, in some way, everyone is bonding. I guess it makes sense. If we’re all going to die, why not make friends along the way! Can I really call them that?

 

Are they my friends now?

 

I smile to myself. Thinking that everything is going to be okay. Toross scoffs and buries his face in his arms. I glimpsed a smile before he could hide it.

“All of you are idiots,” Toross said in a muffled voice.

“Yeah? Well, you’re the biggest idiot of us all! You fit right in.” Idril says before laughing in a somewhat strained way because of his bodily strain.

About 10 minutes of peace pass. I’ve been switched from guard duties by Ayre. He’s there with Idril while Toross and I are swapped out. Geta is still out of commission, but he’s finally mobile. Ayen has her Ice Saint: Blizzard Cloak active, which makes things a little easier for all of us.

 

Until the golems stopped.

 

Gallas falls forward, intensely gasping for air as he frantically tried to get a hold of himself. He accidentally knocks over Ayen, canceling her magic momentarily. In the brief gap when the Ice Saint magic was not coating us, an intense looming fear gripped all of us.

“What the fuck…” Geta shakingly exclaimed.

“THAT THING… THERE’S SOMETHING OUTSIDE!!” Gallas frantically shouted, grabbing both of Ayen’s shoulders tight.

There is an undeniable fear behind those eyes. I’ve heard how much monks or even acolytes of the Church of Odaqith resist the pressure of external emotions, yet his eyes show intense fear. I don’t know what to feel.

“Gallas! Get a hold of yourself, man! What is it!? Why did we stop moving just because of a monster? Just mow them with the golems!” Idril runs to him as Gallas is slowly losing his mind.

“I haven’t stopped the golems… There’s something… holding them back with a single hand.” Gallas shakenly explains with absolute terror.

Everybody shook with fear. Is Ayen’s magic the only one preventing us from being absolutely destroyed? I don’t know what to do.

A moment later, Ayre’s mana explodes in a mixture of fear and urgency! His eyes coat with a golden aura as he disappears and then reappears near the front, where the backs of the golems are facing. He shouts as both of his hands glow in increasingly concentrated mana.

“Everyone!! Run for your lives!” Ayre shouts in desperation.

As his fists draw closer to the golems’ backs, the extremely durable Earth Saint Magic crumbles into perfectly cut diamond-shaped stones that all jet outward at blinding speeds. I have to do something!

I instinctively used Polar Magic: Displaced Repulsion to clear the path ahead of Ayre. I feel relief. Yet only for a second. Behind the rubble… Behind the dust I unintentionally created… There lies the personification of all horror. The actual target of Ayre’s attacks!

I thought they were just legends…

Things used to scare kids when they venture too far into the forest at night...

 

ENGKANTO!!

 

“Gallas!! I leave them all up to you!” Ayre says softly as both of his fists come into contact with one of the most powerful beings of mana.

I try to reach forward with my magic, but Gallas grabs onto me and pulls me back. I look into his eyes and see his calmness return as he gathers all of us together.

 

Gale Force Fists!!

 

Ayre shouts, destroying both of his arms after coming into contact with Engkanto’s wooden face. The bright explosion of golden mana was almost too beautiful. Without saying a word of warning, Gallas contains us all in tombs of earth and sends us flying away. No!!!

I kept using polar magic to push the rocks away, still giving me vision of what’s happening, but my feet are already being dragged away. Before the rocks could completely cover me, I saw the Engkanto stepping toward an armless Ayre and a trembling Gallas, with nothing but a minor single on his face.

No… SOMEONE SAVE US!!!