“We’re out! We just need to make it to Xu and warn everyone!”

I took over controlling the Girax after finding out Lemi ‘s condition had worsened. Her body was growing cold and I already blanketed her with anything I could spare.

Halsgrof was surrounded by tall walls. That’s why I couldn’t feel the cold wind smacking us until we rode past the gates. It was nearing the end of autumn. The grassy plains have turned yellowish and the skies were dull in color with great strokes of grey clouds looming over the fields. Rain could come down at any moment.

“Hang in there, I’ll find us a safe space to get some rest.”

“N-no. Keep going.

“But you’ll-.”

“I’m fine! We can’t afford to stop.”

I’m just worried how much longer Lemi could keep up. She’s never been burdened with this much stress before.

I’m still naïve. My whole life, I’ve looked forward to walking on lands outside my village to meet new people and see new things. As someone who spent most their time in the village, I haven’t fully been accustomed to the world. Kridas and Shiba were the first to shed light what a wonderful world I could be looking at. Not something like this. Not that something like the Shadows threatening everything and everyone.

I’ve only experienced a portion what the land outside the village was like before this shitstorm. Everything and everyone are being taken away from me!

Fueled by anger, I whip the Girax to move at a faster pace.

I looked back after we’ve moved about an hour away. Just when I thought we were at a safe distance, I saw a hole tore through the city’s tall walls. Bright light radiated from the opening. A beam of light coursed through the skies above us.

-That Shadow Wizard can still reach us!

“Kihet!”

“Yah! Move!”

I quickly whip the Girax to gallop towards the opposite direction. That Shadow Wizard was using magic to close off our path.

The beam of light went ‘Pew to Bang!’, a missile into fireworks. Slow falling burning orbs rained down on the field. Ruptures of white light struck the horizon as if the world is about to end. The falling orbs of light were about twenty meters in diameter. They detonated upon contact with the ground, unleashing devastating shockwaves and consumed five times their surface area around them.

-There’s too many! It’d be a miracle if we can survive this!

Death came across my mind. My friends and I were supposed to fight those Shadows, but the difference in strength was too much to close the gap. Maybe the Oracle… but there wasn’t an Oracle. The Creator only chosen the eight of us and two we’re about to be killed!

I steered the Girax away from the erupting path and into the grassland. The sky was dropping burning stars in every direction I looked at. I barely dodged one, but then two of them collided in front of us. My vision whirled, finding myself flung off the Girax.

I saw a star covering my view.

Everything went bright.

 

---

 

I was miraculously alive. How long did I blackout?

 “*Cough* Lemi. Lemi, are you alright?”

I prayed as I climbed up from a crater and looked at patches of dug up earth. All I could saw were craters miles down into the horizon. This kind of power should be impossible. That Shadow Wizard was a walking disaster on its own. I’ve only seen two of its kind. How many more were there?

The sleeves of my clothes had torn off and one of my boots went missing. Perhaps it was burnt off. Fresh cuts painted all over my body. My hair oily and my mouth was dry.

“Lemi!” I shouted.

There was no response, only whistling wind. The lush land of grasses was completely barren.

A chill ran down my spine as I desperately limped around the high grounds looking for her. I minded my step, carefully maneuvering the perimeter around me to look for Lemi.

 “Please, no…!”

She was in a few craters next to mine.

But when I saw her, I stood still.

Her legs were blown off. She clutched onto a magic stone by her chest which was the reason I’m not as injured as her. She must’ve erected a barrier to save me.

She was still breathing, but standing next to her was the Shadow Wizard, looking down at her.

“Lemi!”

I recklessly ran at the Shadow with my dagger, suddenly slamming my face into a wall of ice that popped out of nowhere.

I staggered back and shook off my headache. I supported myself, leaning against the glacial wall dividing us. The Shadow Wizard continued standing next to Lemi, but it looked at me.

Weak, I’m weak. Why couldn’t anything go the way I want for once? Why am I always getting protected and babied by everyone else? For once, I want to be able to stand on my own!

 “Get, away from her!”

I went into a mad rage. By the time I realized, silver flames combusted out of my arms. It set the ice on fire, melting the wall and allowed me to charge at it.

The Shadow Wizard summoned earth spikes to impale me, but the flames disintegrated its magic on contact. It didn’t burn away the magic, instead, decaying it. The rock spikes barely touched the tip of flames before crumbling.

Shocked, it attempted to flee by floating away. I was faster and dragged it back down, stabbing the wizard’s shoulder with my dagger.

The flames spread from my arms to my weapon and onto the wizard. The fire burned against the cloak of black miasma.

“Because of you, you killed them! You killed Shiba, you killed Kridas, you killed Carmyn, Salith and Alam!” I roared.

I would like to say that I’ve won against the Wizard.

As I raise my dagger, I felt something grab my wrist. It was another Shadow. This one heaved a giant guillotine sword over its shoulder.

-A different… one?

This one resisted the fire sprouting from my arms. The black miasma consumed my flames instead of the other way around.

It threw me off the Wizard and threw me beside Lemi.

I can see it raise its sword, about to bring it down on us.

“I… I won’t, let,” Lemi coughed.

A bright flash blinded me as she grabbed my hand. The air felt different. It was felt thick and cloy.

This looks like the temple where the Elder prayed to the Creator. The statues were here and the incense pots as well.

It hit me when I suddenly remember the Elder’s words before my friends, and I left the village.

 

“There is one more thing regarding to the Crests. If by chance, the worst becomes the worst, the magic power within those Crest will summon a gate to bring your bodies back to the temple.”

 

-Does that mean…?

“L-Lemi… you’re joking right? You can’t possibly…”

Silent.

Blood poured out of her mouth. She had bit off her tongue to end her life early just so she could activate a teleportation spell imbedded in her crest to move me away.

Her body laid coldly still.

 

---

 

He spent half a day giving Lemi a burial and grieving for his losses.

Kihet could feel himself becoming a husk. His mind was spewing nonsense to end his own life. His body became numb to the cold weather. The world’s as dangerous as he hoped, but not as unfair as he imagined.

He returned to the village to find more bodies near the entrance. The Elder was the only one left standing half dead with fresh wounds on his body.

“Kihet! You… you’re barely alive.”

“Elder…” Kihet’s bagged eyes barely allowed him to express any feelings. “No… no!”

“I’m still alive…” He tried to move but his wounds began to split. Kihet attempted to dash towards the clinic but the Elder stopped him. He asked Kihet to stay near as he does not have much time left.

“I’m sorry…” Kihet casted his eyes downward. “I wasn’t able to protect her Lemi…”

The elder shakes his head and does his best to reach for Kihet’s hand. “Listen. The others…”

-What happened to the others?

He saw the Elder dip his chin to his chest. His eyelids were fluttering tempting him to fall into an eternal state of slumber.

“Four… of the eight crests connected to the village disappeared.” The Elder’s news had brought Kihet’s face pale, ghastly pale.

-N-no… Sorah, everyone!

His eyes widened with fear. “F-four died? You’re kidding right!?”

“I’m sorry Kihet…” He was wheezing, his breath became shorter and shorter. “I tried… I cannot contact… the Creator…”

“E-even the Creator…?” Kihet’s words stutter. He looked to the ruined temple with shadow veil casted above.

“I… I’m glad to have, see you one last time. Only you can,” The Elder sucked as much air as he could to continue speaking. “So… ig... sti… ive…”

The Elder could only speak so much until his body slumped forward.

“Elder, please! What are you talking about? Don’t die! What do you mean? Tell me!” Kihet cried but the Elder gave no response.

The Elder’s eyes became transparent, like glass with his fading eye color.

-The village-, what about Hannah?!

He prioritized to search for Hannah.

Kihet followed the trail of blood into his parent’s ruined home. He turned the corner and fell onto his bottom with an inhumane screech. His nightmare became a reality. In the corner buried by bits of broken table, Hannah, or what’s left of her laid there butchered. The unspeakable horror claimed his tongue, his ability to speak. His blood boiled with hatred.

He approached the corpse and slammed his fists onto the floor.

Kihet kneeled in front of Hannah and begged her to come back to life. He kept apologizing though it was not his fault.

To ease his soul, he cremated the entire village. One person could not bury this many bodies. Kihet felt like he would lose what’s left of his sanity if he’d stayed any longer. He stepped out of his home and gathered resources from the equipment shed. He burned the entire village. The flames had tranced him, reminded him about the time he accidently released the fiery fiend from his dream.

The flames had consumed as much of the village as it could before the rain doused them. He limped his body through the charred village and headed to the tower. It seemed something was subconsciously calling to him.

There was a small orb of light under the tower, whispering.

“This is your sin. Accept it and accomplish your task as the Oracle.”

Kihet carelessly approached it. Strings of light reached to Kihet’s hand and wrapped around his crest. The name plate on the tree glowed brightly with the same symbol on his arms.

He sat underneath the tower. His head feeling light, vision became hazy and legs became unresponsive.

He clenched onto Shibata’s crown tightly and closed his eyes as he thought of Sorah, Lily and Martha. Everything went dark.

As the last active Enui remaining… He became the Oracle by default. What an unfitting honor, fate had led him.