[Defeated (Lesser Monstrous Gorilla - Level 8)]

[Defeated (Lesser Monstrous Gorilla - Level 9)]

[Defeated (Lesser Monstrous Gorilla - Level 10)]

[Defeated (Giant Cavern Wasp - Level 2)]

[Defeated (Giant Cavern Wasp - Level 4)]

[Defeated (Forsaken Ghoul - Level 6)]

[Defeated (Fomorian Hound - Level 3)]

[Total Reward: 75 Points]

[New Point Total: 171 Points]

 

[Congratulations! You’ve leveled up! You are now level 5!]

[Stat Points Available: 40]

 

A resounding flurry of notifications pounded in my head. For a moment, the clutter of system alerts provided a brief, welcome distraction from the dire situation at hand. It was a momentary reprieve, allowing me to regather my racing thoughts.

[Maito, now is not the time to wallow in self-flagellation. Lily needs you!] Helios's tone was sharp and urgent, breaking me from my daze.

"Helios... I-I don't know what to do," I whispered frantically, staring at Lily's pale face.

Helios responded, floating up to my eye level. [You have points. You can buy medical supplies from your Arcane Gate! Quickly, purchase a First Aid Vault (Common) for 100 points. You will also need a Pain-Relief Inhaler, an Emergency Clotting Spray, a Fragment Removal Kit, and a Lesser Gum of Restoration. Each of the three will cost 10 points, and the fragment removal kit will cost 5 points.]

 

“H-hurry,” I stammered. "Let’s get it done!"

 

[First Aid Vault (Common) Unlocked!]

[-100 Points]

[Purchased: Pain-Relief Inhaler]

[-10 Points]

[Purchased: Emergency Clot Spray]

[-10 Points]

[Purchased: Lesser Restoration Gum]

[-10 Points]

[Purchased: Fragment Removal Kit]
[-5 Points]

[Remaining Points: 36]

Words flashed in my vision along with the Familiar’s voice, and then a spot next to me on the ground began to glow.

A magic circle bloomed into existence with deep crimson light. It consisted of two concentric circles forming a thin ring filled with runic letters. The inner circle was wrapped around a Taiji drawn like my Familiar’s eyes had been, a yin yang swirl surrounded by the serrated flames of the sun. There was a hum from the magic circle, and a small matte black box rose from within its glowing interior. Then the circle dimmed until it disappeared completely.

I reached out and grabbed the box. It wasn’t big, maybe the size of two particularly thick hardcover books placed next to each other. There was a gold button placed in the center, between the seams, so I pressed it. With a click, the top came unlatched and popped open slightly. I pulled and flipped it the rest of the way, forcing myself up slightly as I looked inside.

It was filled with some kind of black foam that wrapped around three distinct items. The first looked like a simple inhaler, the second a spray paint can with a cone-shaped nozzle, and the third, a purple marble wrapped in a clear plastic wrapper. The inhaler and can were colored black, but both also had some kind of icon on them: a blazing with a silhouette of a bunny head around it, both in a metallic brass.

Swallowing hard as I picked up the can and inhaler, I asked, "How’s this work?"

[It's similar to regular inhalers,] Helios began, pausing for a moment as if searching for the simplest way to explain, [but it's filled with a specialized medication that acts swiftly. When inhaled, it'll target and numb nerves that are transmitting intense pain signals. Use it quickly, before the pain overwhelms her.]

Not wasting another second, I grabbed the inhaler and gently pushed it into Lily's mouth, pressing down to administer the medication. Her body relaxed slightly, a sign that the pain was subsiding a little.

Helios immediately motioned towards the canister. [That's the Emergency Clotting Spray. Listen carefully: You need to position the nozzle's cone snugly over the wound, then firmly press and hold the button on the canister's top. Do not release until the canister empties. It releases a rapid-hardening foam, which will seal the injury, halting any further damage. It’s essential, especially for the wound on her torso. For this situation we are in, I suggest you draw a single thin line around the edge of the wound, and use it sparingly. I will explain why in a minute.]

I took the Emergency Clotting Spray, carefully positioning it over Lily's gashed torso. My hand hesitated for a moment before pressing down on the button, watching as the foam covered the wound, solidifying and sealing it from the open air.

“T-tickles,” Lily muttered weakly, her words slightly slurred from the pain-reliever. A hint of her fighting spirit bled through, hardening my nerves.

Trying to put on a brave face, despite the situation being grim and my overwhelming sense of guilt, I tried to reassure her. "You'll be okay, Lily. I'm here."

[Lastly, the Lesser Gum of Restoration. Put it in her mouth and make sure she chews it.] Helios's voice was still sharp, but I could sense an underlying concern.

I unwrapped the marble-sized gum and gently nudged Lily's mouth open, placing the gum inside. "Chew on this," I whispered to her.

"What's it for?" She mumbled, biting down and starting to chew with a little difficulty.

[It's a Lesser Gum of Restoration,] Helios explained, directing the answer to both of us. [It accelerates the body's production of blood and works on repairing internal damage and nerves. You should feel its effects fairly quickly.]

Carefully, I placed the gum into Lily's mouth, helping her to start chewing. Almost immediately, color started to return to her face.

I turned my attention to the Fragment Removal Kit I had purchased. It had a pair of small tweezers, antiseptic swabs, and a magnetized pad for pulling and holding metallic fragments.

My hands trembled, and I winced in pain, trying my hardest to ignore the pain in my calf as I started to work on the chunky piece of shrapnel in Lily’s leg. "I'm so sorry, Lily," I murmured, the weight of my previous decisions crushing me. I had put her in harm's way, and my improvised weapons had caused this.

"Shh, it’s not your fault," Lily whispered weakly as she finally opened her eyes.

But deep down, even as I tried to save her, I knew it was my fault. Still, her strength, her kindness, even now, baffled me. Why would someone like her, so radiant and full of life, reach out to someone like me? The guilt twisted inside me, and I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.

[Maito, you should take a puff of that inhaler as well. Your pain isn’t helping anyone right now,] Helios admonished.

Right. Pain relief inhaler.

I brought the inhaler to my mouth, pressing it once and inhaling deeply. The pain in my calf seemed to dull, becoming more manageable.

The Fragment Removal Kit almost seemed to work like magic - small fragments seemed to snap directly onto the magnet from correct angles, allowing me to extract them with precision. The process only took a minute or two, and my concentration never wavered.

Lily let out a deep huff, and sat up, looking a little surprised at her quick recovery as she scrambled to her knees. "Bloody hell, that was something," she remarked, her blue eyes scanning the surroundings even as she chewed.

I glanced down at my bleeding calf, the crimson seeping through the fabric of my trousers. With a sigh, I started to roll up my uniform pants to get a better look at the wound. A long, ugly gash ran from the back of my knee almost down to my ankle. It wasn't as deep as it could have been, but it was bleeding steadily.

Lily frowned. "Why haven't you healed that yet? You could use some of that...what was it? Clotting spray?"

My fingers danced over the canister, but I hesitated. "It's not a priority. You needed it more," I murmured.

Helios' voice pierced through my thoughts, sharp and to the point. [About that. Maito, I suggest you just let that wound sit for now. As for Miss Parker, I would also humbly request you spit out that Restoration Gum into its wrapper and let it sit, now that you are out of immediate danger. When we enter the shelter, the people there will undoubtedly be concerned about your appearance, especially if they see blood but no wounds. Some could catch on to the fact that Maito is a Magical Guardian. If they see visible wounds, it might be easier to blend in with minimal questions.]

I nodded in agreement, my chest tightening. The thought of being in a shelter full of people, especially when they'd see my physical state and the blood... I cringed. People were often cruel, and I wasn't exactly excited about it.

I hesitated for a moment, observing her. "You don't have to do this. Not for my sake. You shouldn’t have to suffer because of something like my privacy.”

But Lily had already spit out the gum, wrapping it up meticulously. The gash on her torso had mostly, but not completely closed up. The pinkish, partially healed flesh showed the severity of the injury, and even with the Restoration Gum's effects, I could tell she would have an uncomfortable time for a while.

"Hey, you're looking out for me, aren't you?" she whispered, staring at me with a mischievous smirk. "You risked everything to get me and Brian to safety and just saved my life again. The least I can do is make things a tad bit easier for you."

I felt a pang of guilt, realizing that she was still trying to shield me from scrutiny, even after everything I had inadvertently put her through. "Lily," I began, voice trembling, "I'm sorry, for all of this. I never intended for you to get hurt."

She tilted her head, brushing her blonde hair from her eyes. "It's not your fault, Maito. Like I said before, we're a team and we’re in this together, remember? It's just the situation we're in, and I’ll never regret doing my part. We make choices, and sometimes things don't go according to plan. Besides, I don’t want to jinx it, but it looks like we’re in the home stretch now. We’ve just got to get back to Brian now."

[May I also suggest retrieving the ammunition you dropped?] Helios asked. [It would be best to consolidate what few resources we have available.]

“Oh. Yeah. Um…” I trailed off, taking a second to reorient myself. As I tried to get my bearings, glowing arrows made of viridian particles formed along the ground, and I blinked.

[I’ve taken the liberty of lighting waypoints through your eye's vision. I’ve also highlighted all your empty magazine locations with a red glow. I would recommend picking them up for now.]

“Why? To hide any evidence I might be a Magical Guardian?” I asked as I started following the arrows.

[Partially. You can also reuse the discarded magazines. Refilling them with ammunition is cheaper than buying individual magazines.]

I nodded as I walked over to retrieve my backpack, with Lily following closely behind me.

The mall was eerily silent, the ambient noises that were usually ever-present having all but vanished. The scent of burned material and the acrid sting of gunpowder permeated the air, and in the dim light, broken storefronts and strewn merchandise created obstacles.

"Hey, Maito," Lily started, stepping over a pile of broken glass, her voice trying to muster its usual confident tone, "About earlier… When you were talking with Helios, you said something about not deserving to be a Guardian. Why?"

I halted in my steps, fingers idly tracing the contour of an empty magazine, the weight of her gaze pressing down on me. A gust of cold air blew past us, but the chill inside my bones was from a different source.

"I…" My voice caught, choked by memories and scars that ran deeper than any physical wound. "When Helios offered me the chance to become a Guardian, it felt wrong, like they had the wrong guy.”

Lily's eyes widened, and she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why would you think that?"

"I mean, look at me," I murmured, gesturing to my frail figure. "I'm... not what heroes look like in the stories. I'm not strong, not courageous, just... just damaged." Memories of taunts and jibes from my past played like a broken record in my mind.

"Everyone's always told me I'm a burden, that I'm cursed. I guess I started to believe them."

Lily's expression softened. "Is that why you reacted so strongly earlier? Because you thought you didn't deserve to be a Guardian?"

I nodded, eyes downcast. "Among other things. In my mind, you should've been the one chosen. You're brave, strong, and... well, a lot of things I'm not."

She let out a soft chuckle, nudging me lightly. "Hey, you might not see it in yourself, but there's a reason Helios chose you as a partner. You've got a heart that cares deeply for others, even when it's not easy. And trust me, that's rarer than you think. You definitely helped me out before. I still remember that torn look on your face, before you finally approached me."

I gazed at her, the sincerity in her eyes piercing through the thick walls of self-doubt that I had erected over the years.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

"You really don’t remember, do you?” She asked with a small smile as she bent over and picked up one of my discarded empty magazines by the kiosk.

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to,” I admitted. My eyes scanned the dim corridor for any remaining threats, even though I knew Helios was monitoring the surroundings.

Lily leaned against a pillar, taking a deep breath before speaking. “Do you recall that one day when I was sitting alone after school, looking like the world had just ended?”

I hesitated, trying to sift through my scattered memories, "Vaguely, yes. You seemed... upset about something. I thought you'd want to be left alone."

She chuckled softly, "That's one way to put it. I was... at my lowest point. Everything just seemed to be crashing down on me. I felt so isolated and overwhelmed that day."

Lily paused, taking a deep breath. "I was on the verge of breaking, Maito. But then, you walked by and looked around, with that big sad sigh of yours. Then, you walked up to me and offered me a can of juice, leaving before I could even say anything. You probably thought it was just a small gesture, but for me, it was a lifeline. A sign that someone, even if just a stranger, cared. That can of juice kept me grounded, and stopped me from making a very bad decision."

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Lily had been struggling, and I had unknowingly helped her with a can of juice? It seemed too surreal, like something out of a cheesy YA novel.

I blinked, taken aback. "I... I remember that. But I thought it was just... I didn't think it meant anything. I’d been saving it for a while and you were... well, you looked like you needed it. I didn't think you'd even notice."

She shook her head with a smile. "That's the thing, Maito. It's the small gestures, the ones we think are insignificant, that can make the most difference. You might not think much of yourself, but that kindness has a way of touching people."

"But... why didn't you ever mention it to me?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.

Lily hesitated. "Katie. She was always around you, and honestly, she scared me a bit. She seemed so possessive, and I didn't want to cause any problems. So, I stayed away. But admittedly, that’s when I began to notice things weren’t quite right there with you and Katie. But that day... it stayed with me."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Katie... yeah. I’ll say things are pretty complicated there, as well."

Lily nodded in agreement, "Yes, but that doesn't take away from what you did for me. And I've seen how you've acted today, putting yourself in danger again and again for Brian and me. That's not something just anyone would do."

"I don't know what to say," I muttered, my fingers curling around the empty magazine as if it was a lifeline. "I'm… I’m just trying to do what's right. Thank you - that means a lot to me.”

Lily gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You're welcome. Just remember that you're not alone. You have Helios, you have me, and you've got more strength in you than you give yourself credit for."

I bit back tears, nodding, “I’ll try to remember that.”

Why did I just tear up?

I took a moment to glance down at the magazine, and blinked in surprise.

There was a white circle in the center of the metal rectangle, with two bunny ears poking off the circle going to the right. A hare's face itself was in the center, its exaggerated features evoking a sense of mania. It had sunglasses on, with whiskers splayed out like erratic sparks, and a grin that felt both sinister and jovial. The entire design looked like a black powder bomb, with its ears serving as a fuse. It was a stark contrast to the seriousness of our situation, yet its presence seemed oddly fitting.

“Helios… did you… did you create a Guardian brand logo for me already?!” I stammered as Lily turned around with another loaded magazine in hand.

Lily's eyes widened in surprise, noticing the logo as well, and she turned to look at the magazine in my hand. "What the..." she muttered, her lips pursing in confusion. "That's... unique."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her expression. "Helios has a sense of humor, that's for sure. I’m not sure how I feel about this. It’s pretty cool though.”

She nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, it is. And it's kind of fitting, isn't it? A mad hare with sunglasses twisted in a bomb logo. I think it captures the essence of what we're dealing with."

[Indeed! If you have a different symbol you would prefer, please let me know. Developing your personal brand as a Guardian is an important step, and it would be good to start early.]

I shook my head a little as I moved on. It still didn’t seem real to me, being a Magical Guardian. Sure, we had just fought and defeated a ton of Anathema, but all the realities of what it actually meant, of how my life would be changing… it just felt surreal to be thinking about.

But that was something to worry about later. For now, I had to finish my mission.

Collecting the remaining magazines didn’t take long for Lily and me, and we quickly reloaded our weapons. It was time to move on and face whatever else the Anathema had in store for us.

Thankfully, getting back to Brian was uneventful, and the door appeared untouched. I knocked on the door firmly, making a little pattern out of it, and waited.

After a few movements, the handle clicked, and the door slowly opened. Brian peered through the open crack, a terrified expression on his face that turned to joy and excitement. I gave him a gentle smile, pushing the door open, entering, and closing it behind me after we darted inside.

You’re back!” Brian exclaimed, almost hopping up and down. “Did you fight more of them? How many? Are we leaving soon?”

I looked over at him with a tight smile. In the back of my head, I’d been worried that leaving him here would somehow have gone horribly wrong. Even though I hadn’t really had a choice, the idea of him getting scared and leaving to find me or an Anathema simply getting lucky and chancing upon him had gnawed at the back of my nerves.

Somehow, though, everything had turned out more or less fine. Even now, he seemed more excited than scared.

Brian released a strangled gasp when he finally noticed us, his eyes widening in shock and concern. “Oh no, are you hurt?! What happened? You're bleeding!"

The smile on my face softened a bit as I reached out and ruffled Brian’s hair.

“We fought a lot of them, Brian. The way's clear, and yeah, we’re almost ready to leave.” I replied. Lily and I were covered in wounds and blood, but I didn't want to worry Brian any more than he already was.

Brian’s eyes flicked from my face to my torn clothing, a frown creasing his forehead.

"Don't worry," Lily said reassuringly, putting a hand on Brian's shoulder. "It looks worse than it is. We'll be okay."

I nodded in agreement, trying to project as much confidence as I could muster.

"Yeah, we do. I'll... just need a second to get some of this gunk out of my hair."

I gave the invisible Helios a pointed look while Lily traced my gaze.

I made my way over to the small bathroom, closing the door behind me.

Letting out a sigh, I took off my backpack and set it on the floor as I took a look at myself in the mirror over the sink.

A haggard Japanese boy stared back at me, his shaggy, short hair damp with sweat and blood. His face was mildly bruised and cut, and his clothes were torn and stained with blood.

I could hardly recognize myself at the moment. I looked exhausted, and battle-worn.

[With the shelter in sight, perhaps it would be good to discuss how to hide your status as a Magical Guardian. Assuming you wish to keep your identity a secret for now?] Helios said, and I gave him a little nod.

[Very well. I think simply hiding your guns and ammunition in your backpack should suffice. Barring any insensitivity, I doubt they will search it.]

“What do you mean?” I whispered.

[You and Lily are teenagers arriving at a shelter with a young boy and, and both of you are covered in blood. It has been over an hour since the Usurpation began, and I believe anyone would correctly assume both of you have been through quite the traumatic experience to survive. While they may be curious as to how you managed to stay alive, they should leave you alone if you simply tell them you do not wish to talk about it. This is a mega shelter as well, meaning it has a small but professional security team managing it. Their protocols regarding survivors reaching the shelter should be quite clear.]

“They won’t think that one of us is a Magical Guardian for just managing to survive this long?”

[No. The biggest reason is that you are coming in injured and unadorned in a costume. Most would assume that if one of you were a Magical Guardian, you would be in full regalia and simply dropping off civilians before returning to fight. Because they do not know of your special circumstances in being unable to transform, the logical conclusion will simply be that you are resourceful survivors. Though, that will draw different kinds of attention from the people within.]

I gave a nod. That made sense. Misdirection had been my go-to method for avoiding attention for a long time, and it had always worked best when I had something else more attention grabbing prepared.

I sighed again and turned on the faucet, splashing cold water onto my face. It felt refreshing and rejuvenating, and I leaned against the sink, my eyes closed for a moment.

From a timid boy with no friends to a Magical Guardian, fighting off Anathema and protecting innocent people. It was a lot to take in, but I knew I couldn't back down now. This was what I had become.

A Guardian, fighting against the Anathema and risking my life for others.

As I finished cleaning myself up, I heard Lily and Brian talking quietly outside the bathroom door. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but their voices had a soothing quality to them that put me at ease. It was comforting to know that I had people by my side.

But the reality of our situation was still pressing. We needed to reach the shelter quickly. I dried my face off with a towel and stared at my reflection once more.

"I'm ready," I said to myself, taking a deep breath. It was time to face whatever lay ahead.

I loaded my guns and stowed them in my backpack, making sure they were well-hidden.

Faking a nonchalant attitude, I slung the bag onto my shoulder and took a deep breath as I exited the bathroom.

Lily and Brian were standing in the hallway, waiting for me.

"Let's go," I said to them with a nod and smile.