ã€ŠIn Search of Xanaduã€‹


 Tuesday

    Of all the 7 days of the week, Tuesdays are the worst in my opinion. Although Mondays are a drag, Tuesdays are usually where trouble begins and it doesn¡¯t let up until the sweet release of Friday, with the weekends providing some much needed reprieve before the cycle repeats when Monday returns.

    Right now though, this rain only serves to prove my point. Tuesdays are the worst and it seems like this young man shares in my melancholy as he seems to be so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the concrete wall he was about to collide with until the very last second. Intriguing that his face betrays a sense of disturbance in his mind which makes me wonder if he¡¯s involved in this incident as well. He shakes his head and fixes his scarlet hair a bit as the echoes of his brisk walking joins in the chorus of random noises uttered by the building¡¯s residents.

    ¡°No reply in over an hour¡­¡± he muttered after checking his phone. ¡°...What did you do that got her into this mess?¡±

    Noticing several steel doors with window slits, the young man couldn¡¯t help but fix his blazer and necktie as loud ramblings and maniacal laughter emanated behind some of those doors while an assortment of babble and noise permeated from the others.

    ¡°I wonder why they took her and the others straight to the quarantine facilities?¡± the man uttered as he turned to a particular steel door protected by two human guards.

    ¡°May I help you?¡± one of the guards asked.

    ¡°Bryce Mariano, Senior Investigator, Spellcaster Protection and Enforcement Department, Philippine Casterbulary¡± the man answered, presenting his ID. ¡°I have business with Ms. Marie Luna Pancho of the Taskforce Andres¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t informed of any visitors today. I¡¯m sorry but you are not allowed to visit the patient, elders¡¯ orders¡±

    ¡°What? The elders? Why?¡±

    ¡°She and her team are currently under heavy surveillance. They were exposed to dangerous levels of Oizite particles without adequate protection. They are currently under strict observation for Pravus Syndrome.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t their exposure classified under ¡®safe¡¯ levels? Protocol doesn¡¯t constitute this kind of response.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir. We¡¯re just following orders¡±

    The young man ponders the oddity of the situation as he notices snow particles thinly surrounding the guard¡¯s right fingers. That incident was only a few hours old and even if the isolation is part of protocol, there are already adequate barriers that can be used to shield the visitor from infection¡­ As far as I know¡­

    ¡°I see¡­¡± he responds after a few seconds of silence ¡°I¡¯ll be off then¡±

    As he turns the corner in the hallway, the young man randomly approaches one of the steel doors before slowly opening the window slit a bit.

    Inside is a tall, pale, thin young woman wearing a hospital gown tapping a corner of the wall. A purplish aura emanated around her as the man noticed her abnormally elongated fingers on her right ¡®hand¡¯ which looked like it was charred.

    He quietly closes the slit, uttering a small prayer to the poor soul that¡¯s probably beyond saving behind that door.

    ¡°She and the others definitely don¡¯t belong here.¡± he muttered ¡°I don¡¯t believe she and her team are too far gone or ¡®infectious¡¯, even with such an intense exposure.¡±

    Traffic congestion is almost ingrained in Metro Manila¡¯s roads though this Tuesday¡¯s congestion is awfully unusual as streets are filled to the brim with vehicles that won¡¯t seem to be moving any time soon.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    At the very least, the young man could take solace in the fact that the roads on his route aren¡¯t mired by flash floods that frequent the cities during intense rain.

    Faced with this traffic jam, the man¡¯s glance keeps going back and forth between the road and the stack of documents neatly organized on the passenger seat next to him. After a few minutes of back and forth, he grabs the bottom most document in the pile.

    ¡°To think it¡¯s only been a couple of months¡­¡± he muttered, opening the document ¡°The incident, his strange message, and now the elders¡¯ orders¡­ There¡¯s more to this story than a group of college kids and rookies being exposed¡­¡±

    He then sifts through the documents until coming across a report dated January 13, 2020.

    ¡°Traffic¡¯s not letting up so I might as well start by retracing her steps¡­¡±

    Oh, I remember that particular Monday. How could I forget? That was when most of these shenanigans began and I was particularly lucky to just so happen to be around to witness it all unfold.

    It was a calm Monday early morning in Las Pi?as City. Luna had drifted into the world of dreams, finding herself in a small village scorched by fire and littered with craters as the sounds of gunfire, explosions, panicked cries, and monstrous roars created a twisted orchestra of terror that permeated throughout the trees.

    Four children, with various dark purplish crystalline growths on their arms and neck though their faces were obscured by the dark sky and the shadows of the woods, were running for their lives through a thick forest. Chasing them were various humanoid monsters that have sharp blade-like appendages sticking out their shoulders. Their heads seemingly grew into such proportions that it formed a permanent ¡®smile¡¯ and a pair of sinister glowing yellow eyes that stared straight into the soul.

    Luckily for the children, a soldier was ready to defend them. Dressed in a brownish standing-collared shirt, a cap with an insignia depicting two black feathered eagles side by side with the left one holding a scepter and the right holding a golden orb, the soldier gripped his Mosin Nagant tightly as the creatures lunged at him. The protector demonstrated his marksmanship, landing headshot after headshot. Though with each fallen monster, more seemed to emerge from the woodland, almost as if the forest itself was sheltering or, even, creating them.

    Nevertheless, this proud soldier refused to be overwhelmed. He instructed the children to hide inside a small crevice by the rocks as 2 creatures got dangerously close. The soldier earned another headshot but did not have enough time to pull his bolt before another creature pounced on him. With his rifle being the only thing between his face and the creature¡¯s gaping mouth, the soldier quickly moved his head to the side as one of the creature¡¯s appendages landed on the spot his head was on.

    Unable to normally reach his sidearm, the soldier takes a deep breath as he uses all of his strength and wit to keep the monster¡¯s sharp teeth and appendages from piercing his skin. Soon, the buckle keeping his Nagant M1895 in place was undone and the sidearm quietly floated out of his holster before the barrel was aimed at the back of the creature¡¯s head before the trigger pulled back on its own.

    Wasting no time, the young man threw the dead creature to the side as more arrived. With his right hand somewhat stretched out and the revolver floating just close to him, he imitated the mannerism and stance of firing a pistol while the revolver was still floating in midair to which it behaved exactly as if he actually held it. Sadly, six headshots was not enough to thin the horde.

    Realizing this, the soldier snapped his fingers as bullets floated out of his pouches and the revolver reloaded itself as he pulled the bolt back on his rifle and proceeded to use his rifle in tandem with the floating revolver, demonstrating his mobility in the process. Although unnecessary, the soldier¡¯s fighting style seemed to involve rotating between his rifle and pistol stances when switching between the firearms.

    Despite his skills, it looked like he was doomed to be overwhelmed by the monsters had it not been for the timely arrival of reinforcements, giving the soldier some reprieve. With the area seemingly clear, the children emerge from the crevice, being spotted by the other soldiers. To the protector¡¯s absolute horror, the moment his saviors laid their eyes upon the children, they immediately raised their rifles, seemingly ready to subject the little ones to a spontaneous firing squad.

    A fierce standoff ensued for a good minute before a bright blue light diverted everyone¡¯s attention towards a beam hitting the part of the woods near them, completely obliterating the area before slowly engulfing more and more of the land.

    The soldiers disperse as the protector motioned the children to start running. Ran as they did, it was ultimately futile as the beam was too fast for them. The last thing Luna saw in this dream was the sight of the protector looking back and seeing the beam about to engulf them.

 Monday - The Opening

    The next thing she knew, Luna found herself waking up in her bed. She instinctively held her head while she sat upright for a moment and attempted to normalize her breathing before she turned on the lights and checked the mirror. Other than her long black hair being the victim of a bedhead and some redding on her eyes, the young lady looked alright though she couldn¡¯t shake this sense of dread that was emanating from within her.

    She tried to lie back down, tossed and turned in her bed looking for that comfort zone to send her back to the memento realm. Unfortunately, her heart would not stop beating fast and that sense of dread would not go away. Unable to sleep in her own bed, which I might add is being stared at by several dolls around the room, the young lady fixed her long black hair before picking up her pillows and blanket.

    She slowly crept into the middle hallway, illuminated by the automatic light detecting her presence. She crept to her brother¡¯s room next door and, like some kind of seasoned infiltrator, Luna picked up the key on the altar located at the end of the hallway and right next to her brother¡¯s door.

    Inside, her brother was facing away from the door and Luna silently pulled a bedsheet from under his bed. She placed her pillows and blanket onto the freshly pulled bedsheet before returning to the world of dreams and mementos, her brother none the wiser.

    Of course, her actions have consequences as the second the sun shone inside the room, her brother accidentally stepped on her stomach as he was waking up.

    ¡°Luna?!¡± he exclaimed.

    ¡°Hi kuya¡­¡± Luna replied after a chuckle and cough.

    ¡°What are you doing there?! I thought I locked the¡­¡±

    He cut mid-sentence, spotting the key to his door on top of his computer desk. ¡°You actually used the key¡­¡±

    ¡°I had a bad dream and couldn¡¯t sleep¡­¡±

    ¡°Luna¡­ You¡¯re about to be 22 years old. Hell, you¡¯re a psychology student damn it!¡±

    The young lady responds to her brother¡¯s statement with a chuckle and a shrug.

    Her brother sighs in turn. ¡°...Fine. I¡¯ll get up now. You have class in the morning, right? You should get up too.¡±

    ¡°Ok¡± Luna responded as she stretched while lying down.

    On her way to the dining room, Luna spotted her brother¡¯s college diploma framed on the wall alongside his graduation photos from 2 years ago. Filbert Laurence Yeshua Pancho: Bachelor of Science in Development Communication, Graduation Batch 2018.

    Seeing the framed photos of her brother¡¯s graduation ceremony gave Luna a sense of pride as she remembered his 7-year struggle to graduate from the University of the Philippines Los Ba?os.

    Reaching the dining room, the siblings¡¯ parents were nowhere in sight but the rice, tocino, and sunny side-ups were neatly served on the table alongside the plates and utensils.

    ¡°Where¡¯s mama and papa?¡± Luna asked.

    ¡°Papa already left for work and mama went out grocery shopping¡± her brother answered. ¡°She¡¯ll be back home once you¡¯re done with your classes¡±

    ¡°Ah ok. Will papa still fetch me later?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He said he¡¯ll be there around 7, 7:30¡±

    ¡°Ok then. Should I eat dinner there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Mama should be at home by then¡±

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go eat!¡±

    To the chagrin of her brother, Luna takes her public appearances seriously to the point of taking almost an hour of showering, getting dressed, and applying makeup. Honestly, I am on the side of the brother for this one as she was only putting on a black coat over a white blouse and a light blue skirt, her university uniform. Why take your time to put things on such simple clothing especially since she isn¡¯t going to a fashion show anyway?

    Nonetheless, she wasn¡¯t in too much of a hurry as the professor in her first class wasn¡¯t the most punctual teacher in the university though that wasn¡¯t much comfort for her brother, who had to wait the entire time before the two locked up the house and left for Makati.

    For the most part, this Monday was no different from any other Monday in Luna¡¯s school life. She would take a bus to PITX then take another bus to EDSA Carousel and drop down in Makati where a jeep will take her to St. Dymphna University.

    Once there, she had Social psychology in the morning, psychological statistics shortly after lunch, and, her dreaded subject, general zoology near the 2pm mark. Keeping with that theme, most of that day wasn¡¯t anything to write home about¡­ That is until 2pm struck.

    Walking into the laboratory, Luna couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous as she sat down on her chair. While her classmates chatted with smiles and laughter, the young lady languished with each passing second, strongly wishing for the class to be canceled for the day. It bears to note that particular Monday wasn¡¯t an exam day nor was there any kind of event happening in class.

    At long last, the professor finally arrived with jars of frogs neatly placed on a trolley cart. The second her and a frog¡¯s gazes met, a chill ran down Luna¡¯s spine.

    ¡°There¡¯s no escaping this¡­¡± she muttered with a defeated sigh.

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    Without much dilly dally, the professor distributed the jarred frogs to each student. I think we can all surmise what is about to happen here¡­ While the other students began placing their frogs on their respective trays, Luna spent a good 2 minutes staring at hers, contemplating on what she should do next.

    With the class¡¯ pressure upon her, she finally plucked up the courage to open the jar though she clearly hesitated dipping her hand inside. Nonetheless, she eventually grabbed her frog and strapped it on the tray. Applying the necessary sedatives, Luna hovers her scalpel over the now-sleeping animal.

    The young lady began to manually breathe as she slowly and shakily descended her scalpel over the frog¡¯s stomach area. She was about to cut an incision but hesitated at the last moment. Feeling a sense of intense pressure, she was desperately fighting to reacquire the courage to proceed with the action especially since her classmates were almost halfway finished with their current lab work. She began to inhale deeply and exhale rather quickly through her mouth instead of her nose. Tunnel vision set in as she unconsciously focused on the frog¡¯s stomach area. She swallowed her anxiety as her scalpel descended and, to her surprise, she found a droplet of water suddenly appeared at her scalpel¡¯s target destination.

    ¡°Ms. Pancho?¡± the professor said as he approached the young lady. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡± she responded as she jolted upward like a soldier standing in formation after being called by the drill instructor.

    ¡°Why are you crying?¡±

    ¡°Crying¡­?¡±

    Perplexed, Luna felt something run down the side of cheek and upon feeling what it was, she uttered ¡°tears?¡±

    Realizing what was happening, Luna tried to quickly wipe her tears away but, like a hydra, more tears left her eyes with each wipe. Needless to say, she created a scene in class and, lucky for her, the professor was considerate enough to excuse her early for the day and allowed her to not proceed with the dissection.

    Causing quite the scene in the classroom left the young lady embarrassed to no end. The moment she found her opening, Luna briskly walked her way out of that classroom, hoping to salvage whatever dignity she thought she had left.

    Influenced by her embarrassment, Luna avoided the more populated parts of the university, going through the biology building to the top floor of the sociology building. The young lady sat down by the chairs in front of an empty classroom.

    She lets out a disappointed sigh. ¡°What the hell am I doing¡­?¡±

    Before her thoughts could continue, a male voice echoes from the stairs to her right. ¡°Well first off, you walked right into a deserted part of the university¡±

    Startled, Luna let out a scream as a brown haired young man emerged from the stairs. ¡°Damn it, Nathan! You scared me!¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± the young man said as he fixed his glasses. ¡°Sorry. I was just checking up on you. Are you ok?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? You saw what happened at the lab¡­¡±

    ¡°Well uh¡­ Why did you start crying anyway?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hurt the frog.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®that¡¯s it¡¯?! A frog is still a living thing!¡±

    Nathan let out a sigh for a moment before offering a chocolate bar. ¡°Yes I know and I¡¯m not really into hurting animals either but¡­ we¡¯re gonna have to do this again at the end of the semester. You do realize that, right?¡±

    Luna pocketed the chocolate bar as she let out her own sigh. ¡°The final exams, I know¡­ but¡­ there has to be another way¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s admirable that you don¡¯t want to hurt the animal but¡­ maybe sometimes we have to do things we don¡¯t like to get the things we need, you know¡±

    ¡°I know we¡¯re gonna have to dissect some frogs again for the finals but¡­ I just can¡¯t¡­ hurting another living being is just¡­¡±

    Luna¡¯s thoughts were then interrupted when a student emerged from the same stairs on the right. Nathan and Luna both stared at the young lady. She had a blank expression on her face, the uniform was a bit disheveled with the patch depicting the insignia that marks her as a first year having a few black spots, and her long black hair was sloppily tied into a ponytail.

    Despite her appearance, Nathan paid no mind to her as she proceeded to walk towards one of the overlooks that have a beautiful view of the university below.

    ¡°Is she ok?¡± Luna wondered as the student leaned forward against the railings.

    ¡°I won¡¯t lie. She could use some work in dressing properly¡­¡±

    ¡°Nathan! That¡¯s not what I meant!¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you notice that there¡¯s something off about her¡­¡±

    Nathan then turned to the student and called out to her as he noticed that she was leaning on the railings. The student didn¡¯t so much as acknowledge his presence as she continued to lean dangerously close to the railing¡¯s edge, prompting him to brisk walk towards her. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s kinda dangerous. You might wanna ease off on the leaning¡­!¡±

    She continued her forward lean as Nathan instinctively reached out his hand in concern. Within the span of a few seconds, gravity finally got the best of the student and pulled her down.

    ¡°HEY!¡± Nathan shouted as his instincts kicked in, grabbing the young lady by her leg before she was completely out of reach.

    ¡°Nathan?!¡± Luna exclaimed as she ran to assist her friend

    ¡°Help me pull her up!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah!¡±

    Luna used the young man¡¯s jacket to reach closer to his waist before wrapping her arms around him as they both pulled with all their might. Nathan gripped the hapless student¡¯s leg with both hands while Luna pushed the railing with her right leg, hoping the momentum would give her enough strength to pull the two students. Throughout this ordeal, the student neither moved nor resisted and, though the two couldn¡¯t see it, her face showed no fear, no emotion.

    Despite their outwardly thin appearance, it seemed like those two were strong enough to slowly pull the student up. Just as they were about to succeed, a number of long ethereal arms with a purplish aura surrounding them emerged from the building¡¯s walls, one floor below.

    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Nathan shouted as the hands grabbed onto the young lady¡¯s head, shoulders, and arms before proceeding to pull her down.

    Locked in a tug of war, Nathan widened his legs and rested his feet on the concrete pillars.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Nathan?¡± Luna said as she realized that they were being pulled back towards the railings. ¡°Getting heavier¡­! Nathan? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Weird shit! Just keep pulling! I¡¯ll tell you later!¡±

    ¡°What are you talki-¡±

    Luna¡¯s sentence was cut short upon the sight of those same ethereal arms emerging from the floor. They moved with such speed that the second Luna let out a scream, they had already grabbed her and Nathan before proceeding to throw them off the railing.

    As the ground slowly grew larger with each foot they descended, a purplish portal opened up directly below the young students, swallowing them.

 Monday - The Opening (2)

    Everything went dark for a moment before Luna was greeted by the sight of a wooden ceiling, walls, and floor.

    Picking herself up, Luna¡¯s mind filled with questions on where she was and what had just happened.

    Regaining her bearings, the young lady¡¯s eyes lock onto an aging wooden table in the center of the room. There were 3 plates and numerous utensils scattered on top with a metal pot being the only one that seemed to be neatly placed in the center. For some odd reason, Luna¡¯s mind fixated on the pot, seemingly acquiring the urge to open the pot¡¯s lid.

    Nervous and with a drop of sweat running down the side of her face, the young lady felt compelled to investigate the pot, as if being led there by some invisible influence.

    She hesitated for a moment as the wooden floor creaked from the weight of her right foot pressing down upon it. The sound causes the young lady to let out a subdued yet clearly audible scream as her body jolts forward.

    ¡°Calm down, Luna¡­¡± she muttered while taking deep controlled breaths. ¡°You¡¯re being too jumpy. You¡¯re just inside some old rundown¡­ wooden house . That¡¯s all¡­¡±

    Taking about a minute to compose herself, Luna slowly reaches for the lid, her lips quivering throughout. As she wraps her fingers around the lid¡¯s handle, the young lady takes a deep breath before slowly lifting it up, revealing a faint light from inside.

    Luna hesitates for a moment before swallowing her anxiety and continuing. Eventually, her eyes were focused on a somewhat bright yellow orb inside the pot.

    ¡°A-An orb¡­?¡± she pondered while taking a step back. ¡°What the hell¡­¡±

    Odd as it may be, Luna did not feel like the mysterious orb was dangerous. In fact, seeing the pot¡¯s contents further piqued her curiosity. Though she would have wanted to further ponder the pros and cons of investigating further, the light orb had other plans as the young lady noticed it slowly shining brighter and beginning to float just shy above the pot. Luna could only let out a gasp before instinctively covering her eyes as a sudden blinding flash illuminated the room in an instant before fading away within milliseconds.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Luna uttered as she slowly put her arms down. The room was back to its original lighting and the orb was nowhere to be found. Perplexed, the young lady scanned her surroundings and patted her waist, back, arms, and legs. ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary¡­ I think¡­¡±

    As she takes her first step forward, Luna¡¯s vision suddenly blurred for a second. Instinctively, she held her head for a bit as a headache descended upon her before quickly being replaced by a sense of dread emanating from within her.

    ¡°What¡¯s this feeling?¡± she wondered as she got a ¡®gut feeling¡¯ that something dangerous lurked just behind the wall she was facing. ¡°S-Something there¡­? Calling out would be a horrible idea¡­ Do I hide or go somewhere safer? But where do I even go?¡±

    As if responding to her anxious questions, Luna¡¯s ¡®gut feeling¡¯ then points her north. ¡°Something there¡­? Yeah¡­ Something is there. But it¡¯s¡­ not dangerous¡­? How did I¡­?¡±

    Luna hesitated to move for a moment but the sound of some kind of sharp object scraping the wooden walls to her east forced the young lady to take action. She took a deep breath before walking to the wooden front door.

    She crouched and slowly opened the door a third of the way. Peeking from the small opening she made, Luna scans the otherside, seeing more wooden cabins and a paved stone road outside. Feeling that the coast is clear, the young lady emerged from the cabin and crept her way towards her destination, another wooden cabin located just in front of the one she came from.

    As the looming dread from her east gets dangerously closer, Luna quickened her pace, luckily the door was not locked and with shaking hands, she somewhat clumsily opens the door and enters the wooden cabin. She leans against the now closed door and presses her left ear against it, trying to connect a sound to this ¡®gut feeling¡¯.

    On the other side, she could hear footsteps though it seemed sporadic, sounding less like someone on patrol and more of something wandering clumsily and aimlessly.

    With a cocktail of adrenaline and anxiety still coursing through her, Luna slowly stepped away from the door while maintaining her crouching position. She jolted upon bumping into someone behind her, mustering all her strength to not scream.

    ¡°Easy. Easy.¡± A familiar voice whispered. ¡°It¡¯s me¡±

    ¡°Nathan?!¡± Luna whispered back with a hint of annoyance. ¡°I almost screamed! Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±

    ¡°And alert whatever¡¯s out there? Besides, even if I did call out, you¡¯d still jump. We both know how easy it is to startle you.¡±

    ¡°I¡­!¡±

    Incensed, Luna grumbled and turned her back on her friend.

    ¡°Come on.¡± Nathan responded. ¡°Are you really gonna pout at a time like this? Look. You can throw a tantrum after we get out of here. There¡¯s a backdoor in this cabin.¡±

    After another 10 seconds of looking away, Luna finally turned around. ¡°...Fine.¡±

    Once outside, Nathan leads both of them towards a nearby forested area while utilizing whatever cover they can to hide behind as the sounds of heavy footsteps and deep snarly breaths still echo around the seemingly small village.

    With the need for stealth, the duo were able to, more or less, take in the sights as Luna noticed the dark purple sky that shrouded the village though the place was oddly illuminated by a seemingly invisible moon as that is the only explanation she could come up with to make sense of this dark moonless sky. Thankfully, this light allowed them to see enough of the area to make careful steps forward. Nathan, for his part, noticed the tiny black particles that permeate the air, cosplaying pollen being gracefully carried by the wind. Cautious about this unknown substance, the young man instructed Luna to cover her mouth and nose as they continued their way.

    Luck was seemingly on their side as they had yet to even lay eyes upon the sources of these ghastly sounds. For a moment, I had thought they had experience in stealth maneuvers as they were on the backside of the last wooden cabin before the woods in no time, all that was left was to cross a small open area between the cabin¡¯s edge and the first set of trees. Nathan was about to make the crossing before Luna suddenly grabbed his arm.

    ¡°Wait¡­!¡± she whispered. ¡°There¡¯s something around the corner!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± the young man responded as he took a peek behind a barrel. His eyes then lock onto a humanoid figure several feet away from him. It was wearing ragged clothes though he couldn¡¯t recognize the design at all, probably because of all the grime covering it.

    ¡°Someone hasn¡¯t done any laundry in a while¡­¡± he quietly remarked as the creature turned around, revealing an abnormally large jaw with sharp teeth protruding from the lips and a long tentacle on where its right arm should be. ¡°What the hell¡­? And shit¡­ it smells like rotten garlic¡±

    Already unnerved at the ghastly appearance of this humanoid, Nathan felt a chill run down his spine as he stared down the creature¡¯s glowing yellow eyes. The young man couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. The creature before him seemed like it came right out of a space-themed horror game he once played.

    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± he whispered before turning to Luna. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±

    ¡°Hard to explain¡­¡± she replied. ¡°But I can sort of¡­ tell that it was there¡­¡±

    Nathan smirked. ¡°You gonna transform like a magical girl soon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Yeah. I believe you. Anyway, we gotta do something about this guy.¡±

    ¡°Any ideas?¡±

    ¡°Let me think¡­¡±

    After about a minute of looking around, Nathan wordlessly picked up a small piece of wood on the ground and chucked it over his head. It hit the side of the wooden cabin, attracting the creature¡¯s attention as it twitched and turned to the source of the sound.

    Immediately, the young man signaled Luna who promptly nodded as the two made a break for the woods. With the creatures none the wiser, the two picked up their pace, delving deep into the muddy forest.

    Though the mud reached half past their ankle, the two were more concerned with increasing their distance from the village though, in their haste, they failed to maintain their vigilance as the mud moved and churned with each brisk step they made.

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    A few minutes later, Nathan and Luna stopped under a large tree to catch their breaths.

    ¡°I think we should be far enough¡­¡± Nathan said as he took a deep breath. ¡°You alright, Luna?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m fi-¡± Luna cut her reply short as she immediately felt a sense of dread fall upon her. In an instant, a hand suddenly emerged from the mud and grabbed the young lady¡¯s right leg. ¡°GAH! No!¡±

    Luna tried to pull away but whoever grabbed her maintained its tight grip as its face partially emerged from the mud, in a manner that appeared to be right out of a classic zombie movie. The creature¡¯s gruesome face pops out of the ground and loudly snarls before attempting to bite the young lady.

    Thinking fast, Nathan drops his backpack right in front of the creature before it could sink its teeth into Luna. It begins chewing through the bag as the two hurriedly attempt to loosen the creature¡¯s grip on Luna though it was met with limited success as any kick, punch, and pull motion were ineffective against the creature.

    Desperate, Nathan reached into his bag, hoping to find something sharp enough to stab the creature, eventually bringing out a pair of scissors.

    ¡°It¡¯ll have to do!¡± he said as he stabbed the scissors onto the creature¡¯s arm, loosening its grip enough for Luna to escape. ¡°Are you ok?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m alright¡± the young lady answered as more of those zombie-like creatures popped out of the ground. ¡°Oh God¡­¡±

    ¡°Time to go!¡± Nathan exclaimed as he grabbed the young lady¡¯s arm and booked it deeper into the forest.

    The two sprinted for a good five minutes before their route was cut-off by more of those creatures popping from the ground. They immediately tried to circle back as even more popped out, cutting off their escape. Surrounded, Nathan instinctively motions Luna to get behind him as he brandished his scissors.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Luna asked as the creatures crept closer.

    ¡°We fight our way through¡± Nathan said as he took a deep breath.

    The young man was ready to lunge at these creatures with nothing but his scissors and experience in VR games. A noble and courageous feat but ultimately futile as mere scissors would only deal the equivalent of a bee sting to these creatures. It will be painful for them but it will not stop them.

    Normally, I wouldn¡¯t intervene in such matters especially considering the circumstances but a thought quickly raced through my head and allowed me to articulate a loophole that would allow me to intervene without going against my prior covenant.

    With that, and while imperceptible to all, I whispered in the young man¡¯s ear, utilizing the mysterious ghostly tones I saw in one of those horror movies. ¡°Those scissors will do little to save you. Believe in your imagination and conjure a flame strong enough to force these creatures of the dark back.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± the young man exclaimed as he quickly looked around him.

    ¡°Nathan?!¡± Luna said. ¡°Wh-What is it?¡±

    ¡°Did you hear that just now?¡±

    ¡°Hear what?¡±

    ¡°Someone whispering in my ear¡­¡±

    ¡°H-Hey! W-We have bigger problems to worry about than some nonexistent ghost!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious! I really¡­ argh!¡±

    In hindsight, maybe the tone and style of my delivery were too much as the young man seemed to be more focused on it than what I said for a few seconds. Luckily, the creatures¡¯ snarling noises reminded him of where his priorities should lie.

    ¡°Believe in my imagination?¡± he muttered as he kept his eyes trained on the creatures around them. ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡±

    I wonder if I had been too cryptic in my dialogue with the young man. It¡¯s a bit of a, supposedly, bad habit I acquired over the years but I¡¯d argue that spoon feeding information discourages critical thinking and removes a person¡¯s agency in the matter. Besides, if the young man could not figure out the answer to such a trivial puzzle, then those two would have had no hope of getting out of that domain alive.

    Luckily for them, Nathan has quite the critical imagination. Though he did take about a minute of pondering as the creatures slowly crept closer and Luna panicked throughout the ordeal as a result.

    ¡°I think I got it!¡± Nathan exclaimed.

    ¡°GOT WHAT?!¡± Luna shouted.

    Without so much as a single word, the young man closed his eyes, switched his scissors to his left hand, and clenched his right hand.

    ¡°Nathan? Wh-What are you doing?¡±

    The young man did not respond as he continued his current course, his right hand shaking throughout.

    ¡°Nathan!¡±

    The moment Luna shouted his name, one of the creatures lunged towards the young man, ready to swipe him with its sharpened right claw. In a split second, Nathan opened his eyes and with sheer confidence, he opened his right hand as a fireball formed just above the palm. It was small at first but it grew into the size of a basketball within around ten seconds. Once fully formed, he quickly threw it, hitting the creature in its face. The attack sent the creature back a few feet.

    ¡°Whoah¡­¡± Nathan said as he looked at his right hand with astonishment.

    ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Luna uttered with her eyes wide open. ¡°Wh-What just happened¡­?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea¡­ But I found a way to defend ourselves!¡±

    One again utilizing whatever technique he used to fuel his imagination, Nathan¡¯s right hand shook as he conjured another fireball to which he threw at the next creature that approached.

    Although these mindless monsters are beyond cognitive help, even they could see how much of a threat this young man had become. As such, they were much more wary of approaching with reckless abandon though they still continued to surround the duo.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Nathan shouted as he brandished the floating fireball at the creatures. ¡°You freaks want some more?!¡±

    The creatures maintained their distance but still continued to surround the duo, snarling at them throughout. Any that got too close were immediately hit with a fireball to their face. This tactic was enough to keep the creatures at bay for about a minute before they realized that getting closer one at a time was not the optimal way to get their prey.

    Damaging as his fireballs were, Nathan needed a few seconds to properly conjure a workable one. These creatures may be blinded by madness but they are not tactically stupid. They started slowly moving forward all at once. The young man responded accordingly but his attacks were seconds apart to which the creatures then sprinted towards the two. A few were hit by the fireballs but enough managed to close the distance.

    One lunged at the two to which Nathan quickly switched targets and hurled his fireball at it. But there was no time for reprieve as another wrapped its tentacle on the young man¡¯s ankle and began to pull him towards it as the others converged on Luna.

    ¡°Not today!¡± Nathan shouted as he threw a freshly conjured fireball on a creature that was close to mauling the young lady. ¡°Luna! Go!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Just go! RUN!¡±

    The young man was then lifted up by the tentacle and slammed his back hard onto the forest floor.

    ¡°GAH!¡± he exclaimed upon hitting the ground.

    ¡°Nathan!¡±

    The young man coughs for a moment. ¡°Goddamn it! I said GO!¡±

    Whether it was fear freezing her in place or her unwillingness to leave a friend behind, Luna stood there, shivering and hyperventilating as several creatures turned to her.

    One creature snarled before proceeding to lunge at the hapless young lady, who instinctively closed her eyes, turned her head away from the creature, and shielded the side of her head with both arms.

    The young lady instinctively braced herself as she felt a gust of wind blew past her but seconds went by and nothing happened. Slowly, she opened her eyes and put her arms down eventually leading to her staring up towards a 6 foot-tall humanoid mystic who had grabbed the creature by the throat. Its features are that of a horse¡¯s head with a muscular human torso, arms, and hands. Interestingly, or rather interesting to people like Luna, the mystic was wearing beige-colored jeans, a chest holster over a sleeveless unbuttoned shirt with a white tank top, bracers on his arms, brass knuckles on his hands, and steel-toed leather shoes.

    ¡°What the¡­?¡± she uttered as looks at this mystic. ¡°I-Is that a¡­ tikbalang¡­?¡±

    Without a word, the tikbalang crushed the creature¡¯s throat and immediately let go of its grip. As the creature touched the forest floor, the tikbalang cracked its knuckles before charging forward, accompanied by a loud thump with each step.

    One creature attempted to restrain the mystic using its tentacles but the tikbalang swatted them away with its arms before landing a punch straight to the center of the creature¡¯s face, sending it flying several feet before hitting a tree.

    With a bigger threat upon them, the creatures attacked the mystic all at once. The tikbalang crouched down as one of the creatures flew past it. It then switched into a boxer stance and proceeded to perform several punch combos on several creatures at once, all of which ended with a ¡®knockout¡¯ hit to their faces.

    Meanwhile, Nathan gripped his scissors tightly and stabbed the tentacle that grabbed him. The unexpected pain caused the creature to recoil a bit and loosened its grip on the young man, who proceeded to throw a fireball at it.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± the young man said as he recovered and approached Luna.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m alright¡­¡±

    ¡°Good!¡±

    A demonic-like roar then caught both of their attention as another creature lunged at them. Though Nathan would not be able to conjure a fireball in time, the tikbalang drop kicked the creature out of the way. It then turned to the two.

    ¡°Stay focused!¡± It said with a deep masculine voice. ¡°These zombies aren¡¯t down yet!¡±

    ¡°R-Right!¡± Nathan answered as he conjured another fireball. ¡°Luna get behind me.¡±

    Luna nods before following. ¡°Wh-What now?¡±

    ¡°We punch through these things¡± the tikbalang answered. ¡°I¡¯ll clear the way. Take care of any stragglers with your fire spells!¡±

    ¡°O-Ok!¡± Nathan responded before taking a deep breath.

    ¡°Follow my lead!¡±

    With a sudden burst of speed, the tikbalang sucker punched two creatures in quick succession before stomping its left hoof onto the ground. Upon impact, part of the ground rose up, creating an earthen wall on the left flank.

    The creatures did not let up, though, as one unleashed a jet of fire from its mouth. The mystic quickly gestured its right arm into a rising fist motion, subsequently creating an earthen pillar that protected it from the flame. It then slammed its palm onto the pillar, causing it to slide across the ground and hit the flame spewing creature like a car.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to gawk!¡± the tikbalang said, turning to Nathan and Luna. ¡°Come on!¡±

    ¡°A-Alright!¡± Nathan hurriedly replied. ¡°Luna! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

 Monday - The Opening (3)

    Following right behind the mystic, Nathan kept Luna on his left side, using his jacket in a futile attempt to protect her from whatever will come from their left flank. Meanwhile, the tikbalang lept upward and parkoured through the trees before dropping down on top of one creature and neutralizing another with an axe kick.

    ¡°Behind you!¡± Nathan shouted as he threw a fireball on a creature that was punching from behind the tikbalang. The attack hits its mark as the creature is sent flying a few feet forward.

    ¡°Nice throw!¡± the mystic said, giving the young man a thumbs up.

    As the trio continued to push through the horde, a lone creature stood in their way. Immediately, the tikbalang stomps his right hoof on the ground, causing a chunk of the soil to rise up. It then strikes the floating soil with its palm. The earthen projectile traveled at a great speed before collapsing into pieces just about a foot away from its intended target.

    ¡°Barrier!¡± the tikbalang exclaimed as the creature roared. Within a split second, the gravity within the radius of the trio became much heavier, slowing them down at best and outright immobilizing them at worst as the mere act of even standing up required the same level of effort as climbing stairs. ¡°A distortion type!¡±

    ¡°A what?¡± Nathan asked.

    The tikbalang glanced around before its pupils dilated for a moment. ¡°Grab my hand!¡±

    With Luna tightly holding onto Nathan¡¯s left arm, the young man, with great effort, grabbed the tikbalang¡¯s hand. Quickly, the mystic pulled the two close to it and, while shaking, it did the same rising fist motion.  Several earthen pillars rose up around them, completely shielding them from the threats outside at the cost of everything going dark as the pillars completely cover the trio from top to bottom.

    ¡°What now?¡± Nathan asked as the sound of claws grinding on rocks echoed inside. ¡°We¡¯re trapped¡±

    ¡°Wait for it¡­¡± the tikbalang answered as the trio felt a cold draft on their legs. ¡°There it is.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Luna uttered as she felt a different presence from the creatures. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ something else out there!¡±

    ¡°Something else?¡± Nathan asked as the sounds of battle permeated outside. ¡°Whoah¡­ How DO you actually pull that off?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I just¡­ I just feel it.¡±

    ¡°You feel it?¡±

    ¡°Sounds like clairvoyance.¡± the tikbalang answered with a nonchalant tone. ¡°Pretty rare for a caster to have a strong affinity for.¡±

    Perplexed, the duo synchronously said; ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®what¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Exactly as it is.¡± Nathan answered as parts of the earthen pillars started breaking, letting in some light. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ With that reaction, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re both late bloomers.¡±

    ¡°Late bloomers¡­?¡± Luna wondered.

    ¡°Have you two heard of Yamatai before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Normies.¡±

    Nathan crossed her arms. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do a debrief-¡± the tikbalang said as the earthen pillar fell apart around them. ¡°... later¡­¡±

    Nathan readied to throw another fireball. ¡°Alright, who wants some more?! Huh?¡±

    Though they are still surrounded, the creatures were farther away than they were before and between them and the trio stood a lone beautiful young woman wielding a shortsword and buckler made of pure ice.

    This one looks more human though her skin is much paler than normal. Standing at five feet four inches, her black outer hair reached all the way to her stomach area and, interestingly, it has a snow white underside though it seems like the white is slowly frosting out to the darker side of her hair. Breathable slacks, blue checkered shirt over a white undershirt, black short heels¡­ And most striking of her appearance are her sharp bluish-green eyes that shine with a pale crystal-like gleam. I could continue to analyze her features but her eyes give off such intensity that I feel like she¡¯ll start stabbing me with just that intense glare of hers though I should be imperceptible to all including mystics.

    ¡°Took you a while to get here¡± the tikabalang said as the young woman slightly turned her head towards the mystic.

    ¡°I do not have hooves or animal features to move that fast.¡± the woman replied with a firm cold tone. ¡°Besides, unlike you, I am not careless and vulnerable.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Who¡¯re you calling vulnerable?!¡± the tikbalang sighs. ¡°... Goddamn ice queen¡­¡±

    ¡°Call me what you want. It doesn¡¯t change facts¡­ Enough talk. There are still enemies to eliminate.¡±

    ¡°Straight to work¡­ You two alright?¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Nathan replied, checking his torso, arms, and legs. ¡°Y-Yeah! Luna?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m ok¡­¡±

    The tikbalang then cracked his knuckles. ¡°Good. Stay close and pick your targets. We¡¯re getting out of here!¡±

    ¡°W-Wait!¡± Luna said as her ¡®gut feeling¡¯ took her attention elsewhere. ¡°There¡¯s one¡­ more person¡­ in here! Nearby¡­ But there¡¯s something dangerous next to her!¡±

    ¡°One more?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ There were¡­ three of us when we got¡­ sucked into the portal.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a problem then¡­ Kaede!¡±

    ¡°... What?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one more lost puppy in the domain!¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the mission parameters. First priority is to evacuate civilians.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not sure about that¡­ Turns out this girl is clairvoyant, says that the third civvie is close by. We go in quick and evacuate all of em without needing to come back.¡±

    ¡°... Still, protocol dictates we evacuate the civilians first before going further down an Oizite Domain!¡±

    The tikbalang then turned to Luna. ¡°How close are they?¡±

    ¡°Not too far¡­¡± Luna replied pointing north of their position. ¡°But there¡¯s something¡­ dangerous getting closer to her! I-It feels much stronger than these other creatures¡­¡±

    ¡°You heard that, Kaede? That civvie is close and there¡¯s a meaner creature headed towards them! We can scoop them up and get out!¡±

    ¡°Protocols exist for a reason! Even if we reach the civilian, we might be forced into a fight with a stronger lost soul. Those three civilians will become a liability and-!¡±

    The woman stopped mid-sentence as she placed her index and middle finger just above her right ear. ¡°We read you, command. What? But sir protocol¡­! copy¡­¡±

    With a sigh, the woman turned to the trio. ¡°It is your lucky day. Command ordered all three civilians collected before extraction.¡±

    ¡°Ha! I knew Director Cadaing would see it my way!¡± the tikbalang said with a smirk.

    The woman shook her head before muttering: ¡°The Japanese bureau would not allow such unnecessary risk¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright¡± the tikbalang said as he turned to the duo and presented his ID. ¡°Name¡¯s Tacio Valdez. Spelled with a ¡®c¡¯ but pronounced as ¡®sh¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Nathan Domingo.¡±

    ¡°... And I¡¯m Luna Pancho¡±

    ¡°Nathan and Luna, huh? Nice to meet ya! The ice queen over there is Kaede Sugihara.¡±

    ¡°I would advise that we do not throw our names so carelessly.¡± the woman responded as she blocked an enemy attack with her ice buckler before stabbing the creature through its torso. ¡°I am honestly surprised you have not been punished for all the protocols you¡¯ve broken so far.¡±

    ¡°Pays to have a flexible leader.¡± the tikbalang responded as he blocked a fireball thrown at him with both his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. She¡¯s more booksmart than fieldsmart.¡±

    Kaede shook her head as she got into a battle stance and leapt high above before making an explosive landing in the middle of a group of creatures, generating ice shards and pillars around the landing site.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Tacio said as he punched the air on his left and right, creating two wide pillars on both sides. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Luna and Nathan nodded as the party made their way north, still pursued by the horde.

    ¡°H-Hey!¡± Luna shouted at Kaede. ¡°Eight of them! Dead ahead!¡±

    As if on cue, five creatures lunged from the trees. In an instant, Kaede reformed her shield and sword into a scythe before swiping all five at once though three more were quick to replace the fallen.

    Tacio conjured a pillar to erupt from the very ground his hooves were standing, catapulting him towards the new attackers. He punched one, kicked another, and did a bit of both to the third.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Nathan!¡± Luna shouted as she turned around. ¡°Behind us! Two more!¡±

    The young man quickly turned around and threw the fireball he had been hovering over his hand. His attack hit its mark and the creature was blown back but it did not go down. Meanwhile, the other creature, still sprinting towards the duo, swung its tentacle at them. Nathan dodged to his left before stabbing his scissors into the tentacle. The creature wailed in pain as the young man hurled a fireball, sending the creature flying back a few feet. For some reason, Nathan thought he had enough time to revel in his victory. He was quickly jolted back to reality by another creature¡¯s sharp appendages nearly burrowing into his forehead.

    Caught off-guard and disadvantaged by inexperience, Nathan stumbled and was having difficulties conjuring his counterattack. Lucky for him, he was not alone.

    ¡°Pay attention to your surroundings!¡± Kaede shouted as she reconfigured her scythe into a tower shield before blocking the attack. ¡°Death easily claims the imperceptive!¡±

    The creature continued to chip away at the tower shield with its sharp claws and appendages, it even placed itself against the shield which put more weight for the woman to hold back. As I expected of an agent, Kaede punched a hole on the other side of her tower shield before pulling a spear from the inside. With all of her strength, she pushed back the creature before quickly throwing her icicle spear, puncturing the creature in its heart.

    ¡°Looks like the horde¡¯s thinning!¡± Tacio said as he conjured an earthen pillar to erupt from a group of creatures¡¯ feet, sending them flying. ¡°How much further?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just past there!¡± Luna replied pointing towards a clearing. ¡°Be careful! There¡¯s something dangerous next to her!¡±

    ¡°Copy. Keade?¡±

    Without a word, the woman nodded as she transformed her tower shield and spear into an ice yumi and arrow.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± the tikbalang said as he turned to the duo. ¡°I¡¯ll take point. You two stay close to Kaede.¡±

    ¡°O-Ok¡­!¡± Luna replied.

    ¡°Be careful¡­¡± Nathan answered with a nod.

    Tacio nodded as he hid behind a tree while Kaede positioned herself on his left.

    ¡°You two. Hide behind me. Do not stray.¡± Kaede said as she readied her yumi. ¡°Positive visual on the target civilian and an unknown humanoid.¡±

    In the middle of the clearing was that girl who leapt some time ago. She was unconscious but uninjured though a tall figure loomed over her.

    Surrounded by a purplish aura, it stood around five feet and six inches tall and was wearing a faded brown standing-collared shirt, a patched hood with long lappets, and a seemingly old scarf long enough to obscure most of its face, scowling with its striking yellow eyes. With a bolt-action rifle on its right hand, the figure reached out to the unconscious girl, revealing a variety of small- and medium-sized black crystalline growths on its left arm.

    ¡°Unknown is looming over the civilian.¡± Kaede reported, aiming her yumi at the figure. ¡°It is showing at least Stage 3 symptoms of Pravus Syndrome. High probability of it being one of the Lost.¡±

    ¡°Solid copy.¡± Tacio responded. ¡°Can you ID our little unknown there?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ It is difficult to see however, the uniform is unmistakably military in design and it is showing signs of advanced wear and tear however I am able to spot a patch on the unknown¡¯s upper left arm. Seems to be an insignia. Too faded to properly identify though I am able to make out a two-headed bird in the design.¡±

    ¡°Two-headed bird huh¡­ Military too. Hmm¡­ Alright. Getting into position¡­ Hopefully I can make a quick smash-and-grab.¡±

    Crouching behind some bushes, the tikbalang observed that the unknown man was lifting the unconscious woman¡¯s arms before lifting her head to check her face. The tikbalang then took a deep breath before bursting from the bushes.

    He closed the distance within seconds and swung his fists in a sucker punch. Caught off-guard, the unknown humanoid instinctively grabbed the woman by her shirt and jumped out of the way, landing a few feet to the side.

    It quickly crouched and fired its rifle at the tikbalang, who responded by conjuring an earthen pillar to block the bullets. As soon as the pillar rose, the humanoid narrowly dodged an ice arrow to the side of its head. Consequently, it grabbed the unconscious woman and hid behind a nearby rock. It checked on the unconscious woman before turning to the mystic and shouting at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s talking?¡± Tacio said, unable to understand what the man was saying. ¡°Kaede you understand what it¡¯s saying?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± she replied, maintaining her focus on the rock.

    ¡°Sounds Russian. And it sounds coherent, might not be mindless.¡±

    Kaede then angled her aim and loosed another arrow, landing just off by a few feet to the enemy¡¯s right side. ¡°Does not matter. It is in the advanced stages of infection. Killing it is mercy at this point.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you know that? I can barely see its face.¡±

    ¡°It is inside the deeper parts of a domain filled with infected exhibiting Stage 4 symptoms and beyond. It is also exhibiting at least Stage 3 symptoms. IT is beyond saving.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Kaede¡­ This guy doesn¡¯t sound too far gone to me¡­ I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s actually a Lost.¡±

    ¡°Infected who have lost their minds do not necessarily lose the ability to communicate. If anything, many use that ability to lull friends and family into a false sense of security. You should know all this from the textbooks!¡±

    ¡°I know! I¡¯ve read the manuals and the books! It¡¯s just that¡­ there¡¯s something off about this guy.¡±

    At that moment, an object in the shape of a stick with some kind of pine cone stuck at its tip lands close to the tikbalang. ¡°Shit! Grenade!¡±

    The mystic leapt from his cover and braced himself as Kaede was still maintaining her sight on the rock. The moment she saw movement, she loosed her arrow, flying past the enemy who responded with a shot from his rifle. The bullet whizzed past the woman and hit the tree behind her. The woman moved her body a few degrees to the side, trying to evade another bullet on instinct, before hiding behind a tree.

    ¡°You two!¡± she said, turning her gaze upon Luna and Nathan. ¡°Stay down and stay behind cover!¡±

    Doing as she asked, the duo crawled their way towards a nearest tree. Nathan checked on Luna, who was deep in thought.

    ¡°Luna?¡± he called. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sensing something else¡­¡± she replied.

    ¡°Something else¡­?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a¡­ building¡­ Not far from here and there seems to be four people there.¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t explain it but¡­ my gut feeling tells me that we need to go there¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, Tacio was still in his bracing position when he realized that the ¡®grenade¡¯ had not gone off yet. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡±

    He quickly got back up to investigate the object, realizing that it was an actual stick with a pine cone stuck at its tip.

    ¡°Clever motherfucker¡­¡± he said, as he turned to see the enemy running off with the unconscious girl in the distance.

    Tacio wasted no time in chasing the enemy and his half-horse features allowed him to quickly close the distance. With the man holding the unconscious lady in a princess carry, the tikbalang expected little resistance as a bullet whizzed past him.

    ¡°Shit!¡± he exclaimed, diving into a bush. ¡°How¡¯s he able to¡­ Floating rifle¡­ I see¡­ Kaede! Be advised! Hostile is using distortion magic. One spell I¡¯m seeing is vector hands!¡±

    ¡°Copy. Proceed with caution.¡±

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Luna exclaimed as she turned around. ¡°Behind us! Those things again!¡±

    On cue, several creatures, some with bladed appendages sticking on their backs and others with tentacles and gaping maws on their stomachs, emerged from the woodland.

    Nathan hurled fireballs at the creatures and now that I think about it, I guess the young man lacked imagination as he simply focused on creating fireballs during the entire incident. Well¡­ I can¡¯t completely blame him. He is just a ¡®late bloomer¡¯ and I was rather cryptic. At times like these, I guess many would agree that it¡¯s safer to pick the tried and tested option.

    The young man¡¯s fireballs were able to keep about two or three away but these creatures are more than three. Fortunately, Kaede ensured that none of them got close to the duo. She charged forward with her ice buckler and shortsword, parrying an attack before plunging her sword into the creature¡¯s torso. She then turned around and slashed one after another in quick succession.

    ¡°Are you both alright?¡± Kaede asked as the creatures regrouped.

    ¡°We¡¯re fine!¡± Nathan answered as he turned to Luna.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m ok¡­¡± Luna replied as she turned her attention to the left. ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Kaede said, reforming her buckler into another shortsword. ¡°We are regrouping with Tacio-san. Move!¡±

    ¡°W-Wait! I-I¡¯m sensing four more people!¡± Luna replied, pointing to the northeast. ¡°That way!¡±

    ¡°You are making this mission more and more difficult¡­ That direction is unknown territory. We must regroup with Tacio-san first.¡±

    At that moment, I wondered what little Luna was hoping to accomplish when she took a step forward, especially wearing such an unconfident face. ¡°But¡­!¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Kaede shouted as she blocked a bladed appendage from piercing her neck. ¡°Protocols exist for a reason!¡±

    As if powered by anger, the woman managed to put enough force on her push to send the creature flying back. She then proceeded to slash her target numerous times while it was in midair. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say she put on a pretty great sword dance especially with the shifting dark clouds and red sky in the background.

    Without Tacio to interject, it seemed that this woman outright refuses to go against those fancy rules and regulations ratified all those centuries ago though the horde may not be so cooperative with her precious protocols. Quite the hard headed woman, honestly.

    On their way to regroup with the tikbalang, more and more creatures seem to be blocking their path the further they get closer to their ally and that girl¡¯s abductor.

    ¡°Three on the right!¡± Luna shouted as Kaede engaged the creatures in that direction, ending in a¡­ what should I call this? Sword-lock? Appendage-lock? Tentacle-lock?

    Meanwhile, about two more approached from behind her. Nathan, once again, threw fireballs at his problems. He managed to repel a few creatures here and there but the horde wasn¡¯t getting any thinner. ¡°There¡¯s too many of them!¡±

    ¡°More coming from that direction!¡± Luna exclaimed, pointing towards the route they were supposed to take.

    Frustrated, Kaede shattered her double shortswords into smaller icicle shards that then proceeded to float around her like satellites to a planet. She uttered a clearly angry invective in Japanese before turning to the two humans behind her. ¡°Get down, now!¡±

    The two comply and within a second, the icicle shards launched in all directions, stabbing many creatures around them. The horde was thinned¡­ somewhat but it didn¡¯t even last a minute as more of the creatures emerged from the woodland, all very eager to sink their teeth and bladed appendages into the trio.

    Kaede yelled a curse word in Japanese. ¡°... They just keep coming¡­¡±

    ¡°Kaede!¡± Nathan called. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can stick to the original plan! I think we should go to where Luna suggested!¡±

    The woman looked at the young man for a moment before turning her attention to the increasing number of creatures that are all ready to pick a fight. She then conjured a pair of ice daggers and a small group of floating icicle shards. I could tell that she was about to contact her handlers for advice.

    Though that is the most logical decision in that situation, I was rather curious about what would happen if this by-the-books agent would be forced to improvise and giving them a setback from the previous help I provided should balance out the meddling I had already done. Thus, I did a little trickery here and there that interfered with her connection to her handlers.

    ¡°Command! This is K-2.¡± Kaede said. ¡°We are unable to regroup with T-1. Requesting alternate routes! Command? Do you read?¡±

    And, of course, nothing but static answered her call. Nathan stood up with a look of disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re not seriously gonna stick to the plan, are you?!¡±

    The woman didn''t respond as she gripped her ice daggers tightly.

    ¡°Kaede!¡± Nathan yelled.

    Upon hearing her name, Kaede closed her eyes as her head and arms began to shake. Nathan continued to call her name, seemingly demanding an answer from the woman. At the same time, the horde was alarmingly increasing in number and threatening to attack the trio all at once. After what she felt was minutes of annoyance, the woman opened her eyes and boy, they were filled with fiery rage or at least that¡¯s the best way I can describe it. ¡°... FINE! Which direction, clairvoyant?!¡±

    ¡°Wh-What?!¡± Luna said as she stood in attention.

    ¡°WHERE DID YOU WANT US TO GO?!¡±

    Shaking from Kaede¡¯s loud angry tone, Luna pointed behind them towards a less enemy dense area. ¡°Th-That w-way!¡±

    The woman then pointed at Nathan. ¡°YOU! Throw a fireball at the creatures to our right!¡±

    ¡°O-Ok!¡± Nathan answered, complying. His fireballs hit their mark to which Kaede followed up with a forward dash. She sliced the necks of a couple of creatures that stood in her way before embedding the ice shards on the ground behind them, creating a temporary ice wall.

    With a path opened, the trio made their way towards the direction Luna pointed at.

 Monday - The Opening (4)

    Meanwhile, Tacio was still chasing down that unknown hostile. Despite his hooves and half-horse features allowing him to easily close the distance with this humanoid, he is always forced to take cover as though the hostile was princess carrying the unconscious woman, his powers allowed him to fire, cycle, and reload his bolt-action rifle and his revolver without so much as touching it with his hands. Throughout the time, the humanoid was continually shouting something at the tikbalang.

    ¡°What in God¡¯s name is he saying?¡± Tacio monologued before breaking cover. ¡°Command. This is T-1. I have an unknown hostile saying something I don¡¯t understand. Requesting a Russian interpreter!¡±

    ¡°T-1.¡± a soft but firm feminine voice responded. ¡°Why do you need an interpreter for the Lost?¡±

    ¡°I have reason to believe that this unknown is not a Lost just yet. It¡¯s seemingly speaking Russian, wearing a faded patched up military uniform with a two-headed bird on its patch on the upper left arm.¡±

    ¡°Two-headed bird¡­? No member nations today have that insignia. Are you certain?¡±

    ¡°Very. Both me and K-2 confirmed.¡±

    ¡°Two-headed bird¡­ Standby T-1.¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged.¡± Tacio replied as he slammed the ground with his hoof, causing a large rock to pop up from the ground before palm striking it towards his target.

    As the rock traveled at high speed towards the humanoid, it quickly turned around with his fist clenched. At first it looked like he was going to smack the rock away but a shadowy blade slowly revealed itself as its sleeve receded from the momentum of its turn, slicing the projectile in half.

    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Tacio remarked as a bullet barely flies past his right ear. ¡°Shit!¡±

    The tikbalang instinctively dove into cover, ending up in a small ditch. He tried to crawl his way through but bullets were raining on his position, holding him in place.

    ¡°Strategic¡­¡± he remarked again. ¡°This ain¡¯t no mindless Lost¡­ Command! I¡¯m pinned down by heavy fire. I REALLY need that interpreter! If you need more justification, unknown has demonstrated tactical thinking and is more cunning than a mindless monster. This is no ordinary Lost if it even is one!¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged.¡± Command replied. ¡°Switch to Secure Channel Musang.¡±

    Tacio breathes a sigh of relief. ¡°Roger that!¡±

    Acting quickly, the tikbalang erected an earthen wall in front of him as he rested his back against it while he fiddled with his radio.

    Reacting to this tactic, the humanoid then used its powers to throw another grenade-like figure at the mystic while it continued its retreat.

    ¡°Let me breathe!¡± Tacio exclaimed as he quickly leapt from his position, covering himself with whatever rocks and stones he could control. ¡°Another dud¡­ fuck!¡±

    He then stood his ground, ignoring the bullets that kept on ricocheting off his newly-made rock armor while he continued to fiddle with his radio. Realizing this, the humanoid threw a real grenade this time. The explosion rocked the tikbalang and shook off parts of the rock armor.

    ¡°You gotta be kidding me!¡±

    Faced with few options, the Tikbalang opted to take cover by several trees standing very close to one another.

    As for the humanoid, it gently placed the unconscious lady against a tree before recalling its rifle and pistol as it stalked its target through the woods, taking pot shots and throwing a combination of dud and real grenades to force the tikbalang¡¯s hand.

    Meanwhile, Tacio continued to fiddle with his radio and, after getting a signal, the humanoid charged towards him with a bayonet fixated on its rifle. Tacio instinctively kicked the rifle to the side as the hostile quickly let go and brought out a metal shovel.

    It swung the shovel with enough force to dislodge some of the rocks. Tacio responded with a combo of kicks and punches, all of which were either parried or dodged. After about two minutes of back and forth, the humanoid ducked ato evade a roundhouse kick, just barely dodging Tacio¡¯s hoof by a hair. It then gripped its shovel tightly and placed all its strength into that one swing, hitting rock armor in the torso area.

    Though the hit barely even dented the rocks, a shockwave permeated from the hit, sending the tikbalang flying a few feet back and creating a baseball-sized hole on the rock armor, exposing his chest.

    ¡°No mistaking it¡­¡± the tikbalang said as he used his magic to pick up the soil around him. ¡°... This is distortion magic!¡±

    Tacio then manipulated the soil to cover the hole in his armor while using the rest to create an external revolving barrier around him. The humanoid¡¯s revolver then left its holster and began firing at the tikbalang while the hostile ran in the opposite direction, occasionally jumping forward to swing its shovel once before jumping back and running in the same direction. The rifle, on the other hand, was also independently firing upon the tikbalang from behind.

    The mystic was undeterred despite being unable to land a blow and being hit with several pot shots. Under the backdrop of a cloudless red sky, he leapt from his position and with his right hoof forward, he descended to the earth with increasing speed. The humanoid jumped out of the way as the tikbalang landed hard on the ground, creating a small crater in the process.

    Not allowing its opponent to recover, the humanoid immediately closed the distance and swung its shovel. Though it hit its mark, the resulting magical shockwave was mitigated by the soil barrier, causing it to disperse, cover the humanoid¡¯s eyes with dirt, and envelope a small area with topsoil.

    Its eyes temporarily covered, the tikbalang quickly turned around for a punch to which the humanoid instinctively raised its arms to protect its head as the punch landed on them. Tacio continued his flurry of punches while his opponent covered its face like a boxer on the defensive though it refused to be brought down by its adversary. Seeing this, Tacio ended his combo with a front kick which his opponent promptly blocked with its arms, causing it to skid back.

    Honestly, this fight was a splendid display of tactics. Both used the best of their arsenal to gain the advantage though it seemed like their constant exchange of blows had started to tire them out as I observed that both are now, once again, embroiled in a staring contest while deeply catching their breaths.

    And quite the apt timing too as command had finally returned with some good news. ¡°T-1. This is Rosetta. Standing by to support.¡±

    ¡°Solid copy, Rosetta! I need the Russian word for friend!¡±

    ¡°§¥§â§å§Ô.¡± the Russian interpreter answered.

    With the confirmation, Tacio suddenly started repeatedly shouting; ¡°§¥§â§å§Ô! §¥§â§å§Ô!¡±

    Surprised and without a word, the humanoid maintained its guard, tightly gripping its shovel.

    ¡°§¥§â§å§Ô¡­¡± Tacio said again, this time with his hands halfway up.

    Shovel still raised, rifle aimed directly at Tacio¡¯s head, and the revolver floating nearby, the humanoid responded though Tacio couldn¡¯t understand a single word.

    ¡°Rosetta. What¡¯s it saying?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t believe you. It said that you attacked first.¡±

    ¡°How do I tell him that I¡¯m here to save civilians?¡±

    ¡°Can you repeat what I am about to say?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try!¡±

    ¡°§®§í §Ù§Õ§Ö§ã§î, §é§ä§à§Ò§í §ã§á§Ñ§ã§Ñ§ä§î §Ý§ð§Õ§Ö§Û. §®§í §ß§Ö §Ø§Ö§Ý§Ñ§Ö§Þ §Ú§Þ §Ù§Ý§Ñ.¡±

    Judging from that look on his face, I doubt he comprehended what he heard. And my suspicions were confirmed when he fumbled the first few syllables. Of course, his adversary was confused to hear such gibberish exit this mystic¡¯s mouth..

    ¡°R-Rosetta...¡± Tacio said with a hint of embarrassment. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do complete sentences. Simple words please. Give me the Russian word for rescue!¡±

    ¡°§³§á§Ñ§ã§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö¡±

    The tikbalang then pointed at the unconscious girl. ¡°§³§á§Ñ§ã§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö. §³§á§Ñ§ã§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö.¡±

    The humanoid made a quick glance at the unconscious woman before turning its attention back to the tikbalang.

    I like this mystic. Most casters would ditch diplomacy altogether and fight this clearly infected individual until death. And yet for the second time, it seemed that this tikbalang was willing to skirt around the rules and attempt diplomacy when he saw that there was even a small chance for one. Adaptability and flexibility are quite the virtues indeed. Virtues that Kaede lacked though I have no right to judge her though especially since I kind of understand her¡­ stiffness.

    Speaking of Kaede, the trio, by this time, were now just carefully trekking through the woods, no longer pursued by the horde. That little side trip she begrudgingly accepted took them to a two-storey derelict Neo-Georgian building  in the middle of a clearing. Apart from the vines creeping into the structure, it looked like it was only abandoned recently with the structure itself still more or less intact.

    ¡°This is where your gut feeling is taking ya?¡± Nathan asked, looking at around.

    Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­  Inside the building¡­¡±

    ¡°Inside?¡± Kaede said with a hint of annoyance. ¡°What are you sensing?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure¡­ I can only tell that there¡¯s four of them and they have the same feeling I get with you, Nathan, and that tikbalang¡­¡±

    Nathan walked closer to the front double door. ¡°Should we head inside, then?¡±

    The woman immediately frowned before approaching the young man. ¡°Recklessness will get you killed. Besides, we do not know what exactly is in there.¡±

    ¡°But Luna said that they¡¯re giving off friendly vibes.¡±

    ¡°First off, you both are late bloomers and just awakened to your magical capabilities so neither of you have any authority on the accuracy of your powers. Second, even if I were to believe in the accuracy of your clairvoyance, we can not just enter an unknown building with no plan!¡±

    Nathan sighed. ¡°For someone who has a literal cold aura around her and has ice magic, you really have no chill.¡±

    Incensed, Kaede frowned, crossed her arms, and tapped her right foot a couple of times. ¡°There is an appropriate time to be ¡®chill¡¯! You are in no position to lecture me on how to properly approach a situation such as this, especially considering you know nothing about how our world works!¡±

    ¡°You may have a point but seems to me that you¡¯re also not too familiar with¡­ field work?¡±

    I wonder if he had a sudden surge of bravado upon discovering his latent powers as his response involved raising his hands above his head and hanging his head low in what could also be interpreted as a bow.

    ¡°Do not think I do not see your attempt at provoking me.¡± the woman replied, conjuring ice daggers between her fingers before approaching the door . ¡°Besides, I did not say we will not enter. Given the situation, inside may be much safer than outside.¡±

    Despite her first impression, the woman seemed to demonstrate some level of restraint though I did notice her hands shaking for a moment there. A little more force and her fingers would be digging through her palm.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Ensure you have a fireball at the ready.¡± Kaede said as she slowly opened the door.She took a few slow steps forward, her eyes focusing on the two doors on each side of the room, the staircase in the center of the room, and the small balcony-esque area at the top of the stairs . With a fireball in hand, Nathan followed close behind and while Kaede was laser-focused on the doors and the second floor, Nathan¡¯s eyes, untrained and filled with curiosity, wandered throughout the room, seemingly enamored by the building¡¯s Neo-Georgian design.

    Luna¡¯s attention, on the other hand, was focused towards what looked like a reception table, specifically the lone typewriter sitting on top. Given how old the architecture was and its seemingly abandoned state, one would expect to see aging furniture slowly deteriorating as time went on but this particular typewriter did not have a single blot of rust on it, in fact it looked like it was recently cleaned.

    Now that she noticed it, there wasn¡¯t a speck of dirt anywhere nor was there any misplaced object in this room. Compared to that village, this building is immaculate in terms of cleanliness if you ignore the clearly aging concrete and the vines wrapping around the building outside.

    The vines and the architecture showing its age notwithstanding, everything else looked well-maintained though there wasn¡¯t a soul in sight but Luna could definitely sense at least four signatures inside this building though she doesn¡¯t know specifically where they are.

    Funny though that only Luna managed to connect the dots here and the seemingly trained Kaede was too focused on her task that she neglected this important detail. I was hoping she would tell the two of her observations but I guess she was either intimidated by Kaede¡¯s rather brash behavior or was just shy to express herself given the nonexistent hierarchy of experience that she may have thought had existed between her and Kaede.

    With the entrance area cleared, the brash woman guided the two towards the leftmost door on the first floor, which was engraved with a medieval knight wielding a kite shield but no weapon on the door itself. Ever cautious, Kaede opened that door while holding several ice daggers close to her face.

    Judging from the small pen area filled with a few straw dolls, whipping tops, and various wooden toys as well as a few benches outside said pen area, I¡¯m guessing this was a children¡¯s playroom. Just like with the previous room, Luna noticed how clean and orderly everything was and, once again, she was too timid to even express this clearly notable observation.

    In the far lower left corner of the room, she noticed a small table with four bowls and a pot sitting on top. Though the trio were quite the distance away from the corner, Luna could see that the bowls and pot were filled with something but she was too far away to make out what she was seeing.

    I must admit it was kind of excruciating to watch all that unfold especially considering that Luna¡¯s observations could make a lot of difference in their current circumstances. Nevertheless, I already intervened enough. These mortals must learn to fend for themselves. ¡®Teach a man to fish instead of giving him fish¡¯ as they say.

    ¡°Really eerie¡­¡± Nathan said, scanning around the room while oddly not realizing how unusually neat it is. ¡°... I¡¯m getting a sense of deja vu like I¡¯ve seen this play out somewhere before¡­¡±

    ¡°I doubt you have clairvoyance.¡± Kaede replied. ¡°Stay focused. There is-¡±

    In an instant, our little trained agent cut herself mid-sentence before throwing her ice daggers towards the partially opened door to their top right. ¡°Contact!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Nathan and Luna said synchronously as Kaede bolted towards said door, opening it with such force that it slammed hard on the wall.

    The door slamming seemed to have woken Nathan from his shock as he grabbed Luna by her arm and proceeded to run after Kaede. ¡°Oi! Wait for us!¡±

    Well¡­ She¡¯s not unobservant but it seemed she either lacked attention to detail or an out-of-the-box mentality to notice what an untrained and ¡®newly awakened late bloomer¡¯ saw. At the very least, when it came to being alert for potential threats, Kaede displayed enough perception.

    And ever the trained hunter, Kaede tracked down her target down within seconds though the barely candle-lit somewhat long hallway could only show her as an approximately three to four foot tall figure running away to the end of said hallway.

    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, the woman threw another set of daggers though given the figure¡¯s pace had not changed, she probably missed. Given how low the lighting was and her lack of specialized equipment, I didn¡¯t judge her for missing¡­ much despite the training I assume she underwent.

    At the same time, the two finally caught up with our intrepid hunter and finally laying her eyes upon the figure, Luna sensed that this figure was one of the four signatures she was detecting. ¡°That thing¡­!¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡± Nathan asked as Kaede threw another set of daggers, this time seemingly hitting the figure¡¯s leg as it began to hobble.

    ¡°Wait! Kaede!¡± the young woman shouted. ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous! It¡¯s one of the things I was sensing earlier!¡±

    Kaede, still in hot pursuit of her target, let out a clearly annoyed sigh, complete with her eyes closing for a good second. ¡°I can not take a single break today¡­¡±

    Unobservant and very by-the-books she may be, Kaede is, at the very least, pragmatic. She immediately relented her assault on her target though if she continued, it would have been overkill since she was already closing the distance rather quickly. That is what I would have said had another three to four foot figure with feathered wings emerged from the end of the hallway.

    Once again, the candle light barely illuminated any of this other figure¡¯s identifying features. It screamed something in Russian before the tables and picture frames in the hallway all flung themselves at Kaede.

    Of course, she masterfully dodged each projectile, looking like some kind of gymnast in the process. Luna and Nathan, on the other hand, hit the deck without a moment¡¯s hesitation, opting to stay prone until the onslaught ended.

    Even with the addition of a sudden gust of conjured wind, which I presumed came from the figure Kaede injured, only served to delay the woman momentarily though it seemed to be enough time for the two figures to escape to the room on the left of the hallway and with their exit, the projectiles stopped flying and all fell to the floor. She wasted no time though in preparing to breach that door which wasn¡¯t locked for some reason.

    Conjuring an icicle wakizashi, Kaede slowly opened the door and was immediately greeted with a projectile vase flying towards her. She instinctively closed the door, hearing the sound of the vase breaking as it hit the door. In response, she brought out a cylindrical grenade from her pouch.

    ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Nathan said as he and Luna positioned themselves behind the woman.

    Kaede then pulled the pin while firmly grasping the grenade on her hand. ¡°I only managed to see part of the room but it seems that there is no other way out. I will throw a flash grenade inside and we breach the room while they are disoriented.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± the young man replied, conjuring a fireball. ¡°Ready when you are!¡±

    Although it was the most tactically sound strategy at the time, especially given their current circumstances, I would wager that a flash grenade would have quite the adverse effect on the four figures inside that room and, once again, my covenant demanded I not interfere.

    Of course, it would be better to let things play out and allow these players to see the consequences of their actions but said consequences did not sit right with me¡­ Luckily, I found yet another loophole and it was quite the serendipity too as this loophole should aid in the growth of these players and with a snap of my finger, the original four ¡®non-hostile lifesigns¡¯ she has been detecting just got¡­ smaller.

    It truly warmed my heart to see that there was at least one perceptive individual among them as Luna¡¯s reaction to my non-covenant breaking meddling was immediate. ¡°G-Guys! Wait!¡±

    Nathan turned around while Kaede let out a clearly annoyed sigh. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s up, Luna?¡±

    ¡°Please tell me you are not about to say something that will interrupt our current plan¡­¡±

    ¡°W-Well¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry, Kaede but¡­ Those four things I¡¯m sensing are behind that room.¡±

    ¡°And? A flash grenade will only disorient them. It is our means to secure the targets.¡±

    ¡°U-Um¡­ M-My¡­ Uh¡­ clairvoyance? It¡¯s telling me that the four in that room are all children¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you certain? You just awoken to your clairvoyance, not to mention that you lack training in comprehending your new senses. If you are mistaken, we will be faced with four unknowns in close quarters combat.¡±

    You know, ¡®Ice Queen¡¯ truly describes who Kaede is. I have seen many by-the-books types but I admittedly have yet to see these types encounter a dissenting opinion from someone with¡­ ¡®lower credentials¡¯ so to speak. And, of course, I wasn¡¯t surprised when Kaede¡¯s eyebrows twitched to a frown for a good second the moment she heard ¡®children¡¯. I wonder if Luna noticed that twitch?

    Speaking of her, perceptive as she was, I was quite disappointed that she was timid in her response to Kaede. ¡°W-Well¡­ I-I don¡¯t know why I can tell but I¡­ I just can tell they¡¯re all kids! I don¡¯t think we should use a flash grenade on little kids!¡±

    ¡°Kaede.¡± Nathan interjected. ¡°Luna¡¯s inexperienced yes but so far, the things she said hasn¡¯t led us to fuck up yet. So I say we should give her a chance.¡±

    ¡°Both of you are truly making this mission unnecessarily difficult¡­ What do you suggest we do, then? Open our arms and hope the ¡®children¡¯ do not attack us?¡±

    Nathan pondered for a moment. ¡°Yes, actually.¡±

    ¡°Are you being serious?¡±

    ¡°I am serious. We need to look as unthreatening as possible. That way, we can diffuse the situation.¡±

    ¡°That is an idiotic plan. You expect nothing to happen especially if you let your guard down?¡±

    ¡°Situation¡¯s changed. I don¡¯t know if your organization follows the Geneva Convention but harming kids is kind of bad, right?¡±

    ¡°This is different. We are inside an Oizite Domain! You normals do not know it however these places are filled with monsters that will use whatever tactics to trick victims into a false sense of security. Besides, even if they are just children, a flash grenade will only deafen and blind them for a moment. It will not have any adverse effects.¡±

    ¡°Does the concept of ¡®excessive force¡¯ mean anything to you? Actually¡­ Aren¡¯t you some kind of trained magician or something? You weren¡¯t trained to improvise and adapt to situations changing? Is your training regiment so boneheadedly stiff that you shrivel at anything that deviates from your books?¡±

    ¡°H-How dare you insult my pride as a spellcaster! I have trained in the art and wisdom of spell combat since my childhood! I am knowledgeable in over several different combat situations! You are nothing more than a normal who just awakened to their magical abilities! What do you know?!¡±

    ¡°How old are you?¡±

    Luna immediately pulled Nathan by the collar of his shirt. ¡°Nathan! You don¡¯t ask that!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a legit question! So, Kaede. How many years wise are you?¡±

    Kaede frowned, crossed her arms, and, to my amazement, she actually went along with it. ¡°20¡±

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Nathan shouted for a moment before lowering his volume. ¡°You¡¯re younger than me? It¡¯s not so obvious with how you look. I wonder at what age do you people start going out on battlefields like-¡±

    ¡°Nathan!¡± Luna reprimanded with a light smack on the back of Nathan¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re going too far!¡±

    This young man is quite bold to be this ridiculously rude to Kaede. Her ¡®Ice Queen¡¯ persona notwithstanding, he was really teetering quite the thin line to, and I¡¯m assuming, provoke Kaede to go along with their plans or I could be wrong and he is simply too blunt for his own good.

    ¡°Ow!  Anyway¡­ man¡­ Look. Luna¡¯s gut feeling hasn¡¯t failed us yet so I¡¯d rather be safe than escalate the situation even further than it needs to be. So how about you exercise a bit of that knowledge you¡¯re so proud of, learn to improvise, and deviate a bit from the norm?¡±

    ¡°I refuse to hear from this nonsense any further!¡±

    Nathan grabbed Kaede¡¯s arm. To his surprise, her arm was very cold, almost as if she had no body heat at all. ¡°Holy hell you¡¯re cold¡­ Whatever! Look! Luna¡¯s gut feeling hasn¡¯t put us in trouble yet. So please listen and, at least, consider something with less force.¡±

    ¡°You are suggesting something that will place our lives under unnecessary risk.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s the only alternative we got other than using a flashbang on kids besides, and I¡¯ll keep saying this, Luna hasn¡¯t been wrong with her gut feelings yet so you have no basis to doubt what she¡¯s sensing.¡±

    To be fair, given what they knew, the young man was correct. He was rude and blunt about his arguments but at the end of it all, he did have a point. And judging from Kaede¡¯s grumbling, continued downward movement of her eyebrow, and momentarily biting her lip, she seemed to see his point as well.

    ¡°... I will entertain your idea for a moment¡± she said, looking away for a moment before turning back to the young man. ¡°Say that we enter that room with our hands up and attempt a dialogue with them, how do we communicate without receiving so much as a scratch?¡±

    ¡°Well I won¡¯t guarantee that we won¡¯t get hurt but Luna is gonna try talking to them.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Luna responded, placing her right hand over her chest.

    ¡°Yes you.¡± Nathan replied, turning to her. ¡°You¡¯re the one with the hunch and you¡¯re much better with kids than me and, probably, Kaede over there.¡±

    ¡°And then what?¡± Kaede interjected. ¡°Hope they understand our intentions and lower their guard towards people they do not know, let alone trust?¡±

    Nathan turned to the woman with crossed arms. ¡°And you think blinding and deafening them before dropping them to the ground is gonna earn their trust in seconds?¡±

    Kaede didn¡¯t respond as Nathan continued. ¡°There are four kids in there. You think the three of us can keep them subdued? Who¡¯s gonna send backup? Command? How are we gonna transport four subdued people through an area crawling with those things?¡±

    A sound argument I must say. Nathan proved to be much more perceptive than I thought though his perception doesn¡¯t seem to include the sense of sight. Though Kaede¡¯s clearly annoyed expression told me that she wasn¡¯t about to let this ¡®normal¡¯ upstage her.

    ¡°You were not against this plan beforehand.¡± she said. ¡°Had it been four adults, you would have been willing to risk transporting them without support from Command.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Nathan answered nonchalantly. ¡°Because one: adults are a bit more resilient than kids and two: once we explain things and we¡¯re on the same page, they can help with defending against those things while we make our way out.¡±

    ¡°You were planning to negotiate with them from the beginning?¡±

    ¡°Of course! We may not be some super secret magic agent or something but Luna said from the beginning that they were friendly so I knew we had to talk to them somehow.¡±

    ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡±

    ¡°Not everything can be neatly planned out in a book! So do you see it now? How much more trouble we¡¯ll be in if we went with your plan?¡±

    Kaede closed her eyes for a moment and took a very deep breath before slowly exhaling. ¡°...Fine. We will proceed with your plan.¡±

    ¡°Nice!¡±

    ¡°However! If anything goes wrong, we WILL proceed with MY way!¡±

    ¡°Sure. Whatever.¡± Nathan said while rolling his eyes. ¡°Luna? You ready?¡±

    Luna¡¯s eyes widened for a moment. ¡°U-Uh¡­ Y-Yeah!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We have your back!¡±

    ¡°R-Right! Thanks!¡±

 Monday - The Opening (5)

    Kaede stepped back as Luna stood before the door. She was doing breathing exercises for a good minute before slowly reaching for the doorknob. Swallowing her anxiety, she slowly opened the door.

    ¡°H-Hello?¡± she said softly before slowly walking into the room with her hands up. ¡°I-I come in peace.¡±

    True to the upgrade on her power, the trio were indeed dealing with four children, with an equal ratio of male and female specifically; a male angel complete with white feathered wings, a female ratkin sporting a human face, and a seemingly regular male & female pair of humans. Their clothes were that of peasants though they weren¡¯t ragged by any means in fact, they were rather clean for a bunch of children trapped inside this realm.

    Hell, even their hairs, especially the angel¡¯s medium cut white hair and the ratkin¡¯s long medium brown hair, were so clean and pristine that I bet they¡¯ll reflect light when I shine a flashlight at them. That¡¯s not to say that the short purple hair of the female human and the short, almost crew cut, light brown hair of the male human were bad, they were just as well-maintained.

    Going back to the action, the angel and the male human took a step forward as the two girls hid behind them. The angel was yelling something in Russian but I totally forgot what he was saying, not like it matters since Luna could not understand a single word from him either.

    Luna slowly dropped her arms. ¡°A-Are you al-¡±

    The angel immediately threw a chair at her.

    ¡°W-Wait!¡± Luna exclaimed as she crouched and covered her head with her arms. ¡°I-I¡¯m not gonna hurt you.¡±

    The angel responded in Russian before throwing another chair at her. Of course, Luna jumped out of the way causing the chair to fly past the door. Nathan quickly turned to Kaede who already conjured several icicle daggers.

    ¡°Hold.¡± he said, raising both his hands in a stop motion.

    Kaede squinted her eyes as another chair flew past the door.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine.¡± he added, swallowing part of his anxiety.

    Inside, Luna continued to plead her case with the kids though the angel¡¯s reply always included an object being thrown her way. This exchange went on for a few minutes with Luna showcasing a surprising amount of stamina to be able to dodge all of the projectiles thrown her way while Nathan was quite¡­ preoccupied with an increasingly impatient Kaede.

    Then¡­ A break happened. After running out of liftable objects to throw at Luna, the children retreat to one corner of the room, the boys shielding the girls with so much courage.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± Luna spoke softly, approaching slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±

    Both boys grunted as the angel used his magic to grab a broken piece of a wooden chair. The human boy caught the wooden piece before brandishing it at the young lady.

    In response, Luna stood still and raised her hands. ¡°Ok. Ok. Please calm down. We¡¯re not going to hurt you. Do. You. Understand? No. Hurt. Not. Monster.¡±

    Both boys responded in Russian before the human charged forward and began hitting Luna several times with the wooden piece.

    The young lady instinctively shielded her head as the boy was just going to town with her to the point that the young lady had to crouch into a bracing position in an attempt to limit the damage.

    Hearing the commotion inside, Kaede raised her icicle daggers before taking a step forward.

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Nathan said, blocking the way. ¡°Let¡¯s not escalate the situation.¡±

    ¡°Your friend is being attacked inside.¡± Kaede replied, taking another step. ¡°I can hear her being hit with a blunt weapon. We must act or is your pride too great to the point of risking your friend¡¯s life?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m nowhere near as prideful as you, that¡¯s for sure! But I¡¯d like to believe that Luna will pull through!¡±

    Kaede grumbled for a moment before brandishing her icicle daggers. ¡°Do you think you can stop me?¡±

    Nathan sighs as a response. ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. But I¡¯d be damned if I don¡¯t try.¡±

    The young man then brandished the scissors at Kaede. I¡¯ll admit that I chuckled at the scene. Those scissors would have done very little to impede the very determined Kaede. It was amusing to see a young man who knew he had little hope of besting a spellcaster like her. His bravado actually made me reminisce of a bygone era in my life¡­ How naive and bold I was in my younger years¡­ And stupid too.

    Luckily for everyone involved, the ratkin stepped forward. Though the angel tried to stop her, she placed her hand on his arm before lowering it. She shook her head and spoke to the angel for a moment.

    As the two started a dialogue, the human boy stopped his attacks and joined the conversation from time to time. There was some back and forth between the three while the human girl simply stood behind the ratkin like a shy puppy. Luna noticed this change and slowly lifted her head though I doubt she understood a word, she seemed to have enough perception to feel the atmosphere.

    ¡°U-Um¡­¡± she said, standing up slowly with her hands still raised in a surrender pose. ¡°P-Please we¡¯re¡­ not¡­ here¡­ to hurt¡­ you. Friends. We are friends. We¡¯re here to help.¡±

    She then mimed holding up a shield before turning her back on the children. If I was her teacher, I would give her a grade of 75 for her attempts. They were good enough to pass a simple message along but, in the end, that would depend on the recipients and the kids were quite confused. I¡¯m not even sure they even realized what she was trying to mime.

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    The ratkin approached the young lady, eyes filled with curiosity. She tried reaching out her hand but the rodent mystic took a step back. In turn, Luna pulled her arm as the unmistakable sound of a grumbling stomach echoed around the room.

    Oddly, there was a three-second pause amongst everyone, as if that single grumble was some kind of omen. Or at least that was what I thought within those three seconds as the children all turned to the purple-haired one, who was seemingly so embarrassed that she crouched down and covered her stomach with her legs and arms.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Luna uttered, remembering the bowls and pot from earlier. ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    She then brought out the chocolate bar from her pocket and stretched her arm forward. ¡°Here. Food. Yum. Yum.¡±

    The children turned to the young woman once more. They looked at one another as the ratkin began reaching out for the chocolate bar. Immediately, the boys, in a rather aggressive tone, said something to the girl, stopping her attempt mid reach.

    ¡°No. No. Uh¡­¡± Luna said as she turned to her two companions standing against the doorframe. ¡°Nathan. You have more of these chocolate bars, right?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± he replied, turning his attention from Kaede to the young lady. ¡°Oh. Right. I have a few more. Yeah.¡±

    With a nod, Luna turned back to the children before taking a bite off the chocolate bar. ¡°Mmm. Food. Good. Yum.¡±

    The ratkin then spoke to the angel with a much more gentle tone as Luna took another bite from the chocolate bar before repeating the words she spoke earlier. The human boy then stepped forward and joined the conversation. There was a back and forth between the three while the human girl hid behind the ratkin, stomach still growling. Eventually, the human boy pointed to himself as he quickly turned to Luna and snatched the chocolate bar from her hand. The angel tried to reach out to the boy but the human had already taken a bite.

    It started out as a few slow and methodical chews before getting faster and faster. The first bite took him around twenty seconds of chewing before he swallowed, the second took half that time, the third cut another half, until he was devouring that chocolate bar as if he was the one whose stomach was growling a moment ago. He then turned around and, with teeth filled with chocolate, he smiled and seemingly gave his approval to the other children.

    The ratkin, with the human girl in tow, approached Luna and reached out their hand, seemingly asking for another. In turn, Luna smiled and nodded. ¡°Nathan. Give me three bars but move slowly.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Nathan replied as he complied with Luna¡¯s command. ¡°... Here.¡±

    Flashing her best smile, Luna offered the chocolate bars to the three remaining children. The ratkin and the human girl accepted it but the angel was still apprehensive to which the human boy was more than happy to take his share.

    The tension in the room was almost gone though the angel still had his guard up but as he watched the other children enjoy their snacks, his stomach couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit jealous as it made its opinion known to all in the room. The sound of another grumbling stomach caused the children to chuckle for a moment as the angel grumbled in embarrassment.

    Luna chuckled for a moment as she asked for another bar from Nathan, who already had another bar at the ready. ¡°Here. Come on. Don¡¯t be shy. It¡¯s good.¡±

    The angel still continued to hesitate until the ratkin grabbed him from behind and pushed him towards Luna, all the while speaking something to the boy. Now much closer to his stomach¡¯s object of envy, the angel stared at the bar for a good two seconds before the ratkin grabbed his arm and proceeded to guide his hand towards the food.

    With his hand hovering over the chocolate bar, the angel grabbed it and took a tiny bit off it, chewing it ever so slowly with his eyes closed. Upon swallowing that tiny portion, the angel finally dropped his guard and began munching on the chocolate bar. Though he tried to hide it, if you look closely in his eyes, you can see the absolute joy in them. I mean, what child would reject sweets right?

    With the situation diffused, Nathan turned to Kaede with a smug look on his face. ¡°See?¡±

    Kaede frowned and closed her eyes before letting out an annoyed sigh. ¡°... Fine. However, we must still find a way to make contact with Command and regroup with Tacio-san.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get to that but for now, let¡¯s keep this atmosphere up for a bit longer.¡±

    ¡°... I will give you all five minutes.¡±

    Kaede then walked back towards the hallway where she sat down and meditated.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Nathan muttered to himself. ¡°Didn¡¯t peg you to be a buddhist. Then again, given your personality, no one would.¡±

    As the children finished eating their respective chocolate bars, Luna stood up and pointed to herself. ¡°Name. Luna. Luna. What is your name?¡±

    The children looked at one another for a moment before the ratkin stepped forward.

    ¡°Nataliya.¡± she answered as she lightly tugged the human girl who was still hiding behind her.

    ¡°...S-S-So-So-Sofiya.¡± the human sheepishly said before hiding behind Nataliya again.

    Luna then turned to the boys who were still hesitating though Nataliya saw to that. For all intents and purposes, this ratkin had become the children¡¯s representative of sorts. After about a minute of conversation, the two boys finally face the young lady.

    ¡°Mikhail¡± the angel answered, followed by the human. ¡°Sasha.¡±

    Luna smiled and nodded as the tension in the room eased. She had about a minute or was it two of relief before her senses triggered again. ¡°Ha! No!¡±

    Nathan turned to the young lady. ¡°Luna? What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Those things are coming!¡±

    Right on the cue, the building began to shake as Kaede ran inside the room. ¡°Get ready! The Lost have returned!¡±

    ¡°The Lost?¡± Nathan responded, conjuring a fireball. ¡°It¡¯s those monsters, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Alright. Looks like it¡¯s time to rock!¡±

    Realizing the danger, Mikhail and Sasha joined Nathan and Kaede in barricading the hallway. Cabinets, tables, chairs, these furniture formed the bulk of the various makeshift cover and barricades that plug the hallway. They impressively coordinated their efforts and finished up the makeshift barricades in less than five minutes despite the language barrier. The four then position themselves on the far end of the hallway, close to the door that led to that dead end room with the girls.

    Speaking of the girls, Luna positioned the ratkin and human towards the corner of the room closest to the door. She then crouched down and closed her eyes, putting all of her concentration in sensing the incoming threats.

    ¡°Ten are about to break down the main door!¡± she said as the building shook. ¡°They¡¯ll be by the door in that playroom soon!¡±

    Kaede readied her icicle bow, Nathan conjured his fireball, Mikhail floated several random light objects around him, and Sasha picked up a wooden board as the creatures began violently banging on the door.

 Monday - The Opening (6)

    ¡°§³§á§Ñ§ã§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö.¡± Tacio said again, raising his hands before gesturing to the humanoid to calm down. ¡°§¥§â§å§Ô.¡±

    The floating rifle¡¯s bolt pulled back by itself. The ejected bullet landed on the humanoid¡¯s feet as it clenched its fists.

    Sensing the increased tension, Tacio backed down a bit and even lowered his posture while still continuing to gesture to the humanoid to calm down.

    A tense silence then befalls this windless area as the two stared at one another. Focused, barely blinking, and eyes continually locked on one another, the two seemed to be waiting for the other to make a move first.

    This tension was broken by the sound of inhuman roars echoing around them. Immediately, the humanoid¡¯s eyes widened as it looked to its left. There were no threats in the area but the trees were swaying as if there was wind pushing the branches and leaves.

    The humanoid muttered a Russian profanity as it quickly shifted its focus between the trees, Tacio, and the unconscious girl.

    ¡°T-1!¡± Command radioed. ¡°Clairvoyance senses an abrupt change in Lost activity. K-2 has been unresponsive for the past few minutes!¡±

    ¡°Tsk. Copy that Command¡­¡± Tacio grunted as he turned to the humanoid. ¡°§³§á§Ñ§ã§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö! §¥§â§å§Ô! Come on¡­! Get the hint, goddamn it!¡±

    Another set of inhuman cries echoed once again. Immediately, the humanoid became more frantic, shifting its focus ever so faster until he finally broke his silence. ¡°§¥§Ö§ä§Ú §Ó §à§á§Ñ§ã§ß§à§ã§ä§Ú!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Tacio said, taking a single step forward. ¡°Command. What is he saying?¡±

    ¡°Children!¡± Command replied. ¡°T-1. The humanoid is saying there are children in danger!¡±

    ¡°Well shit¡­ Command. Can you translate ¡®I want to help¡¯?¡±

    As per his request, Command provided a translation to which the mystic promptly said to the humanoid, who quickly pointed to its left. Tacio nodded and asked the humanoid for its name.

    ¡°Andrei.¡± the humanoid replied.

    ¡°§±§â§Ú§ñ§ä§ß§à §á§à§Ù§ß§Ñ§Ü§à§Þ§Ú§ä§î§ã§ñ, §¡§ß§Õ§â§Ö§Û.¡± Tacio replied. ¡°§Á §´§Ñ§ã§Ú§à.¡±

    After about half an hour¡­? Forgive me for not being certain as I was more focused on Luna¡¯s group at the time but I believe my estimates here are correct. Anyhow, after about half an hour of back and forth, the two had finally reached a common ground and formed a truce. Tacio picked up the unconscious girl in a princess carry before following the humanoid towards the same building Luna¡¯s group was currently defending.

    ¡°Command.¡± Tacio said. ¡°Diplomacy has succeeded. Unknown is no longer hostile and is actively cooperating.¡±

    ¡°Solid copy, T-1. Demographic parameters changed. With K-2 still in the dark, ascertain their current status and eliminate all hostiles. If what this unknown is saying is true, secure additional civilians for evac. Cleansing squads are enroute.¡±

    ¡°T-1 copies! Moving out!¡±

    Unlike moments ago, the creatures had surrounded the structure, banging on the walls, doors,  and windows like the zombies that they are. Though the volume of this horde suggested a greater purpose than a random group of Lost stumbling upon prey.

    No. This horde was coordinated and though their strategy consisted of simply breaking into the building and overwhelming the people inside, I suspect that there was a¡­ sort of leadership at work.

    Wasting no time, the humanoid conjured two shadow wrist blades before slicing its way into the horde. It cut its way through several creatures before the horde began to react to its presence. A few tried to pounce it from behind but the floating rifle and pistol combo had its backside covered.

    Tacio, following close behind and burdened by the unconscious girl, was limited in his options when defending himself. He opened with a spinning kick before slamming his right hoof on the ground, conjuring several earthen spikes to erupt from the ground and impale the surrounding creatures.

    Meanwhile, Kaede, Nathan, and Mikhail loosed projectile after projectile at the horde that was slowly crowding the hallway, which was already breached halfway. Every creature they took down only served to tighten the space as the creatures began pushing their way past the corpses and even grinding against the walls, which was putting the building¡¯s structural integrity to the test.

    ¡°There¡¯s too many!¡± Nathan shouted, throwing another fireball. ¡°We can¡¯t sustain this!¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Kaede answered as her icicle bow dissipated. ¡°We must break through to more spacious ground!¡±

    Ice particles began to gather around the woman¡¯s palms as she brought her hands in front of her chest, as if she was holding a ball. The particles gathered at the space between her palms, slowly forming into snow while her arms were starting to shake. And with a deep inhale, Kaede stretched both arms forward and unleashed an intense blizzard down the hallway, freezing the creatures that

    She then conjured a tower shield and spear. ¡°Stay close to me! We will break through their lines!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Nathan said, turning to the girls. ¡°Luna! Stay close behind! We¡¯re leaving!¡±

    ¡°R-Right!¡± Luna answered as she directed the children to stay close to her though Mikhail and Sasha insisted on being close to Nathan.

    Within less than a minute, Kaede led the charge forward with her shield, smashing the frozen creatures in the hallway before breaking through the door to the playroom. Immediately, she skewered one creature with her spear.

    ¡°Look out!¡± Nathan exclaimed as he hit another creature that was about to pounce on the woman from the side. ¡°Watch that peripheral.¡±

    I think I remember seeing Nathan shoot a smug smile at Kaede for a moment though the action was fast and intense that if it did happen, it only lasted for about a second at most. Regardless, Kaede responded by squinting her eyes into a frown before throwing her spear in Nathan¡¯s direction. Of course, he instinctively moved his upper body out of the way as the spear landed on another creature¡¯s torso.

    ¡°Oh look at that.¡± she said with a mocking tone. ¡°You may want to keep an eye on your back.¡±

    Meanwhile, Mikhail hurled numerous plates and utensils at the horde while Sasha gripped the wooden board tightly before he screamed the loudest battle cry a little human boy could muster.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Luna exclaimed, grabbing the boy by the arm. ¡°Dangerous! You understand? Danger!¡±

    Sasha looked confused at first before making way for frustration as he tried to wrestle free of the young lady¡¯s grip. He would have probably escaped had Nataliya and Sofiya not grabbed the boy in time.

    As the battle continued, the group heard gunshots and felt the earth shake for moments at a time. There was a pause in the fighting as the creatures turned towards the windows. In an instant, Andrei and his floating guns burst through the windows in a scene so similar to an action movie. Good thing my eyes could see in slow motion as well because Andrei was rather quick in his movements at this moment.

    He plunged both of his shadow wrist blades into two creatures¡¯ necks as his rifle sniped the closest creature to the group and the pistol headshotted about three more. All this done within the span of a second and a half.

    ¡°Andrei!¡± the children called as the humanoid pulled down its scarf, revealing his face. I must say that despite the menacing look of his outfit, Andrei¡¯s face was the exact opposite, specifically that of a man in his early to mid 20s. Mustache was starting to get a bit thick and, from the looks of it, he hasn¡¯t shaved much, if at all. Sideburns were nowhere to be found though. But the most striking change was his eyes, from a piercing gaze to that of one that exuded of a worried caretaker. To further hammer the point, he even breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the children safe with Luna before turning around and confronting another set of creatures charging towards him.

    With his shadow wrist blade, he effortlessly sliced several of them despite the unconscoisu girl he was holding though one managed to get close enough to force him into a deadlock with the creature¡¯s mouth and blade-like appendages. This deadlock did not last long as Tacio leapt through the window and kicked the creature off of Andrei. He then conjured several earth pillars around them, momentarily covering the entire room and protecting them from the horde.

    ¡°Tacio!¡± Luna called to him.

    Tacio turned his head in Luna¡¯s direction. ¡°Luna? Kaede and Nathan, too! Great! We¡¯re all here!¡±

    ¡°Are you cooperating with that Lost?¡± Kaede inquired, aiming her spear at Andrei, who willed his rifle to aim at the woman in return.

    Immediately, the children protested the hostilities with Nataliya tugging Luna¡¯s uniform before pointing at Kaede and shaking her head. ¡°Wait, Kaede! I don¡¯t think that uh¡­ Lost is an enemy!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Tacio added. ¡°This is Andrei. Looks to me, he¡¯s these kids¡¯ guardian. He¡¯s no threat.¡±

    Despite this, Kaede still continued aiming her spear. ¡°His appearance and symptoms confirms that he has become one of the Lost.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Nathan shouted. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just have a conversation on adapting to new situations?!¡±

    His protests landed on deaf ears. Oh dear¡­ Her extremely dogmatic and hardheaded ways struck again. Luckily I remembered my little interference earlier and it looked like that was the best time to undo my meddling.

    ¡°K-2! Do you copy? K-2!¡± Command interjected with a firm tone. ¡°Stand down! I repeat! Stand down! Mission parameters have changed! Disengage! That is an order!¡±

    Kaede¡¯s eyes widened as she slowly put her weapon down. ¡°... Acknowledged, Command.¡±

    ¡°God fucking damn it¡­¡± Nathan said with a sigh. ¡°That was a close call. You really have got¡­ to-¡±

    Midway through his speech, the building shook for a moment before a small group of Lost, four to be exact, led by a monstrous angel burst through the earthen pillar in the corner near the door leading to the previous hallway Kaede froze.

    Like most infected, it was surrounded by a purplish aura and its glowing yellow eyes were a stark contrast to Andrei''s. While his eyes were that of someone who had seen many horrors yet still maintained a hint of care, this Lost angel¡¯s eyes were blank, pupiless, and it glistened a more intense yellow glow. Sadly, those were the only facial features visible as the rest were obscured by the purplish aura complemented by its tattered hood.

    As for its apparel, the creature¡¯s uniform bore a frightening resemblance to Andrei¡¯s apparel, save for the absence of any patches or identifying markers on it. Though its build was fairly average for an angel, the razor sharp claws that used to be its fingernails, jet black feathered wings, and the numerous black crystalline growths all over its body suggested that one would be a fool to dismiss as a ¡®regular¡¯ Lost.

    True to my observation, the creature didn¡¯t even give the party a second to even comprehend its entrance as it used its wings to propel itself towards the children, with Luna quickly getting the children behind her.

    Andrei fired a few shots at the monstrous angel only for the creature¡¯s eyes to turn in his direction before using its wings to backflip away from the bullet¡¯s trajectory. It then sent two of its subordinates to engage the Russian.

    He yelled a Russian curse word as he dodged several attacks from the two subordinates. Meanwhile, the creature still around a few meters away from Luna, suddenly loomed over her within a blink of an eye. Instinctively, the young lady shielded her face with her left arm while her right arm corralled the children to stay behind her as the creature raised its right claw, ready to swipe at whoever it reached first.

    The claw dug deep into Kaede¡¯s tower shield, just a few inches shy from scratching her skin. ¡°Go! Move to the back!¡±

    ¡°Th-Thank you!¡± Luna said as she and Nathan guided the children by the table with the pot. Andrei also went to them just to drop off the unconscious girl he was carrying before proceeding to engage the monstrous angel.

    Unabated, the creature plunged its other claw deep into the tower shield, still inches shy from scratching its adversary, before pressing its weight against it. Kaede, in turn, pushed back but quickly realized that the creature was too strong to hold back.

    She then crushed her icicle spear into smaller shards before dispersing them around both creature¡¯s flanks before pelting her target with a hailstorm of small ice shards. The creature then surrounded itself in an aura of flame, melting the icicle projectiles before they even touched its skin.

    Small cracks started forming around the tower shield, slowly but surely combining into bigger cracks as the flame aura slowly melted the ice.

    Before the creature could crumble Kaede¡¯s shield, Tacio came in from the side and tackled the creature away from her. The tikbalang covered both of his arms and fists with rocks before landing five punches to the creature¡¯s stomach area in quick succession.

    The creature barely flinched with each hit and allowed the mystic to land those hits without resistance. Upon Tacio landing the fifth punch, the creature raised its right claw and swiped downward. The tikbalang instinctively raised both his arms into a cross formation, absorbing the attack. He quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding a swipe from the creature¡¯s left claw. This was followed up with a leg sweep that managed to imbalance the creature¡¯s center of gravity. It was forced to crouch with one knee but the impact of its boot hitting the ground created a small but strong shockwave that forced the tikbalang back a few feet.

    ¡°This is one tough motherfucker¡­¡± Tacio uttered, wiping the lower part of his lip with the back of his hand. ¡°Command. What¡¯s the read out on this thing?¡±

    ¡°Hostile is a Class A Lost Soul.¡± Command replied. ¡°Exercise caution. Its companions are Class B. Advise you and your team to stall it until reinforcements arrive.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s a Class A, where¡¯s its core?¡±

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    ¡°The core is located in the torso. Center mass.¡±

    ¡°Copy. Kaede! Class A. Target the torso!¡±

    ¡°Acknowledged, Command.¡± Kaede said as the hostile extended its right arm and conjured a stream of flames aimed at Tacio.

    The tikbalang randomly pulled one of the rock pillars on the side and placed it right in front of him just as the flames reached his position.

    Kaede tried charging another blizzard but the other Lost quickly tore some of the crystalline growths in their skins and threw them at the woman, which then proceeded to line themselves up midair before flying towards their target.

    Quickly noticing, Kaede stopped mid-concentration and conjured a pair of icicle swords. She then spun them around in some kind of sword dance, slicing all the projectiles and avoiding injury.

    After cutting the last projectile in half, a medium-built human Lost with a gigantic curved but sharp crystal for a right arm swooped down from above. She backflipped, avoiding the attack as it damaged the wooden floor upon impact. Kaede then charged forward and attempted a rather elegant side slash, complete with some kind of dancing spin, though it was parried by her opponent¡¯s crystal arm with such strength that her right sword was flung out of her hand.

    She didn¡¯t miss a beat, though, since she used the momentum she already had to swing her left sword towards the creature¡¯s left flank, deeply stabbing the side of its torso. It tried to grab her face in retaliation but the woman simply moved her head to the side before conjuring an icicle stake and stabbing it into the creature¡¯s heart.

    ¡°The core is no longer in there!¡± she uttered. ¡°Command! This is K-2. I request a scan of the hostile I am engaging! The core has moved!¡±

    ¡°Solid Copy, K-2. Standby for support scan!¡±

    While the scan was underway, her opponent screeched in pain before opening its mouth wide, revealing the rows of sharp almost shark-like teeth and attempting to bite Kaede¡¯s face off. She pulled her head away, using her left arm to keep those teeth away from her skin via the neck. It was a struggle and a half.

    Fortunately, Andrei threw one of the two defeated subordinates in the creature¡¯s direction.The Lost grabbed it with its free hand and slammed its downed subordinate to the ground without so much as moving an inch away from its initial position.

    The soldier then followed up with a shovel to the creature¡¯s face which the creature barely registered before a shockwave emerged from the point where the shovel¡¯s tip and the creature¡¯s skin met. It was sent flying back, giving Kaede some breathing room though it wouldn¡¯t have lasted long as it quickly recovered and was ready for another round.

    While charging towards his target, Andrei recalled his rifle back to his hand. Pulling the bolt back, Andrei willed his pistol to open fire on it. The creature shielded itself with its crystalline arm as it smashed it on the floor and reciprocated its opponent¡¯s charge.

    It attempted a shield bash-like maneuver but missed as Andrei slid under and fired a near point blank shot in the torso. It slashed the ground its opponent came from in retaliation before spinning towards him. Getting closer to its opponent, the creature stopped spinning and used its momentum in a massive swing of its crystal arm.

    Andrei quickly blocked the attack with his rifle¡¯s bayonet as the creature¡¯s free hand grabbed him by the throat. It lifted him up for a moment before smashing him into the floor. The creature then opened its mouth, ready to take a bite out of Andrei before a lucky shot from the soldier¡¯s pistol hit it in its left eye. He then conjured a shadow wrist blade and sliced the creature¡¯s left arm off before jumping back.

    ¡°K-2! Scan complete!¡± Command communicated to Kaede. ¡°The core is located midway through the creature¡¯s crystal arm, where its elbow should be!¡±

    ¡°I copy Command.¡± Kaede replied.

    ¡°The backside of that arm is one big soft spot! A piercing shot in the elbow area should be enough to neutralize it!¡±

    Kaede then moved parallel to Andrei. ¡°Acknowledged. I am proceeding with my attack.¡±

    Seeing her, Andrei spoke a sentence in Russian and, of course, Kaede didn¡¯t understand a word though she did respond by showing the underside of her arm and doing a stabbing motion on her elbow. The Russian seemed to have understood what she was trying to say as he had this determined look on his face before nodding.

    The two then face their adversary who roared loudly at them. Andrei opened with a bayonet charge, exchanging several blows with the creature before ending up on a deadlock. Kaede then created an ice path in front of her before using it to slide her way to the creature¡¯s backside. Conjuring an icicle bow, she did a front flip as the creature attempted a shoulder tackle.

    I slowed down time for a moment here just to observe this trick shot which honestly felt like I was watching a movie. Anyhow, with her body upside down and in midair, Kaede took a deep breath as she acquired her target located halfway through that arm.

    In that specific location lay a black oval-shaped crystal that seemed to be embedded in the arm. Several dark purple veins protrude from it and spread around the arm, like some kind of plant root. That was definitely a Void Core. So, with her target acquired, she loosed her ice arrow.

    She was sure that her arrow would hit its mark had it not been for the creature¡¯s left hand catching it while it was in transit. ¡°It has regenerated already?!¡±

    The creature smashed the ice arrow with just the grip of its left hand alone while it pressed its full weight upon Andrei. Kaede quickly conjured icicle daggers and threw one after another, still targeting the elbow area. The creature simply repositioned itself whenever Kaede would move, ensuring that her attacks would be absorbed by its back.

    With her ranged attacks not working, Kaede noticed the floating pistol. It wasn¡¯t firing but rather, subtly repositioning itself every few seconds. The woman took a quick glance at the struggling Andrei before equipping two of her daggers and charging towards her opponent. Several blackish spikes began to protrude all around her but she was agile enough to dodge them. After a minute of dodging, she jumped on the creature¡¯s back and stabbed one of her daggers on it. In retaliation, it attempted to grab Kaede with its free arm but the woman stabbed its free arm from the front of its face with her other dagger.

    It was at this moment that she met Andrei¡¯s gaze. For a moment, he squinted his eyes, looking at the dagger though this reduced his concentration a bit which allowed his adversary to slowly begin to overpower him. After about half a minute and with the creature¡¯s arm almost ready to cut him in his shoulder, Andrei¡¯s pistol fired a shot that landed on the core, slightly cracking it.

    His adversary screeched in pain as the pressure on him was alleviated a bit. The creature attempted to move its arm closer to its torso but another shot pierced through its elbow, this time coming from Andrei¡¯s floating rifle, creating a crater in the core. Seeing that it was weakened, Kaede conjured an icicle spear and plunged it deep into the creature¡¯s elbow, shattering the core completely. The moment that core shattered, the creature flailed and wailed for about two seconds before death finally claimed it.

    Around the same time, Tacio was still pinned down behind the earthen pillar. He had hoped that Kaede would back him up but he saw the human Lost engage her. ¡°Well¡­ There goes the backup¡­¡±

    Wiping the sweat off his head, the tikbalang could hear the loud sound of footsteps on wood, the monstrous angel was creeping ever so closer with each step. He quickly pulled three more pillars from random locations, creating a wider earthen shield, before hitting the center pillar with his palm, sending the entire group towards the creature.

    The creature then leapt upwards and almost immediately plunged back down with its claws stretched out. Tacio backflipped out of the way as the creature slashed the air, conjuring a few wind blades at the tikbalang.

    ¡°Figures¡­¡± Tacio remarked as he hastily shielded himself in midair with his arms and legs. The crossed arms covered his head, face, and neck while his legs protected the torso. The winds tore through his rock armor, bit by bit, as the creature continued to send one after another at him. Eventually, the armor gave way and parts of the tikbalang¡¯s arms were slashed by the conjured winds.

    The creature wasn¡¯t about to let its opponent rest though as the moment Tacio landed, it dashed forward using its wings and attempted to slash Tacio¡¯s face. Acting quickly, the tikbalang ducked and with one charged punch, he hit the creature in its center mass but his fist was met with a small barrier, preventing him from hitting the core.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Tacio uttered as he narrowly dodged a swipe like he was playing limbo. Using the momentum of his movement, the tikbalang backflipped away from the creature¡¯s claws.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re so confident in exposing your core like that¡­¡± he remarked as a fireball flew past him and hit the creature in its face.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Nathan shouted, as he charged forward and threw another fireball. ¡°Over here, bitch!¡±

    Brave as he was, Nathan¡¯s attacks, and by extension his bravado, was akin to that of an ant defying a human with a magnifying glass at the ready during a bright sunny day. Admirable effort and his attacks did inflict some damage but it was negligible and annoying at best. Granted it was annoying enough for the creature to switch targets as it seemingly forgot Tacio¡¯s presence and proceeded to let out a torrent of flame towards the young man.

    Seeing the flames heading towards him, Nathan dove under one of the tables. ¡°Oh shit!¡±

    Unfortunately, wooden tables tend to combust much faster when exposed to such flames so the young man found himself getting out of that table and running for his dear life, running parallel to the creature¡¯s left side, as the flames were close behind him.

    Seeing an opportunity, Tacio recalled another two pillars from both his left and right directions. I don¡¯t know if he calculated this but the right pillar he recalled momentarily got in Nathan¡¯s way as it whizzed past him. Of course, the surprise caused him to jump back as his backpack caught fire.

    Immediately noticing the flames, the young man jumped into a prone and started clumsily rolling to the side as the creature¡¯s flames were getting dangerously close to his skin. This predicament did not last long as the creature noticed the recalled pillars, stopped its attacks on Nathan, and extended both its arms. Tacio then dove forward and, after a little roll, covered his right arm and hand with rocks before punching at that same spot though the barrier still held.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Tacio yelled as he continued pressing his fist against the barrier, struggling to overpower it.

    The pillars hit hard but the creature proved to be stronger than what its seemingly thin frame suggested. Now it was a tug-of-war between the monstrous angel and the tikbalang, who curiously was still half standing before the creature. I say this because if he wins this tug-of-war he¡¯d be crushed alongside his opponent.

    ¡°Nathan!¡± he yelled. ¡°Can you get to me?¡±

    Nathan stood up and ran to the tikbalang¡¯s side. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°Place your hand over my elbow here! Create a fireball but don¡¯t complete it! Before it forms, I need you to cut your casting!¡±

    ¡°Cut my casting? How do I do that?¡±

    ¡°Remember how you create those fireballs? I need you to immediately think about stopping the casting!¡±

    ¡°So you want me to think of creating a fireball then suddenly think of canceling it?¡±

    ¡°Something like that! You think you can pull it off?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Good enough! It¡¯s do or die, Nathan!¡±

    ¡°R-Right!¡±

    Nathan pressed his hand over the tikbalang¡¯s right elbow. Just as he does, rocks began to envelope his whole body, it felt soft inside though the surface was very much hard. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡±

    ¡°... Just in case¡­¡±

    Getting a feeling on what will happen, Nathan swallowed his anxiety and began conjuring. The fireball grew slowly with each second and on the five second mark, Nathan immediately thought of canceling his spell. The fireball shook in place for a moment before exploding, sending him back a few feet. Thanks to the armor Tacio provided, the impact was absorbed by the rocks and the soft interior limited the force of the impact on his body.

    For his part, the explosion created a big enough force to allow the tikbalang to destroy the small barrier, punching a hole into the creature¡¯s center mass. He felt the crystal on his hand and with no delay, he crushed it. The creature writhed in pain as Tacio quickly jumped back before the stone pillars finally won that tug-of-war. Tacio then turned to Nathan, who was still on the ground.

    ¡°You ok?¡± he said, sticking out his hand.

    Nathan took the hand and stood up as his rock armor slowly and safely fell apart. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ Damn. You didn¡¯t tell me that would happen¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­ We were on a time limit. But yeah. Point of reference for you! When casting spells, don¡¯t halfass it or else!¡±

    ¡°How about you? Are you ok?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! My rock armor protected me for the most part!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Seeing that the monsters had been neutralized, Luna let out a relieved sigh though her clairvoyance acted up again. This time, it pointed her towards the window. There, she saw a horde of those monsters and towering over them was the silhouette of what I can only describe as a giant sloth.

    ¡°O-Oh no!¡± she said as the horde unexpectedly turned around. ¡°... What?¡±

    One by one, the creatures all left, going deeper into the woods. The last one to leave was the giant sloth. Though all of its features were obscured by the darkness outside, its bright yellow eyes clearly stared directly into Luna¡¯s. A chill went down her spine as their eyes met. But it was over just as it began. The creature turned around and walked away.

    With the area cleared, the non-Russians gathered around the center of the room though Luna kept on looking at the window, her mind still stuck in that moment she locked eyes with that giant sloth.

    ¡°... Luna? Luna?¡± Nathan called. ¡°Oi! Luna!¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Luna uttered, blinking her eyes and shaking her head in quick succession. ¡°Wh-What?¡±

    ¡°You ok? You¡¯ve been staring at the window for a while.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you see anything?¡±

    ¡°N-No¡­ I just saw the monsters suddenly leave¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh. They left? That¡¯s good! We¡¯re in the clear then!¡±

    ¡°The horde of Lost just left without reason?¡± Kaede interjected. ¡°It sounds suspicious. We must not let our guard down.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Tacio added as he turned to Nathan and Luna. ¡°But at least, we managed to hold them off. Good work you two. For fresh late bloomers, you both got quite a hold on your powers already.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Th-Thanks¡­¡± Luna replied followed by Nathan. ¡°Yeah. Not gonna lie, I¡¯m kinda curious on what I can do with this.¡±

    Tacio chuckled. ¡°After everything you¡¯ve been through¡­ Glad you¡¯re taking all of this well.¡±

    Kaede stepped forward and pointed at Andrei, who was talking to the four children by the play area. ¡°What does command plan to do with them?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re considered civilians now, Kaede.¡± Tacio replied with his arms crossed. ¡°Told you he was too coherent to be far gone.¡±

    The woman let out an annoyed sigh before she looked away.

    Tacio sighs in return. ¡°Ever the ice queen¡­¡±

    Those last two words from Tacio seemed to have triggered something in Nathan as his eyes widened for a moment. ¡°Oh right! I almost forgot. Kaede!¡±

    ¡°... What?¡±

    ¡°Are you ok? When I grabbed your hand a while back, you were really cold.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®and¡¯? That¡¯s not normal!¡±

    Tacio chuckled again as Nathan turned to him. ¡°Wait. Why are you laughing?¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡± the tikbalang replied before clearing his throat. ¡°With all the action, we never really got to properly introduce ourselves. Well you both know I¡¯m not human by just looking, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ Kaede ain¡¯t human either. She¡¯s actually a Yuki-Onna from Japan.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ A Yuki-Onna? You mean like that snow woman yokai?¡±

    ¡°The very same kind.¡±

    Nathan took about two seconds to comprehend that reply. ¡°Huh¡­ Suddenly everything makes sense¡­ Man¡­ So much information¡­¡±

    Tacio then walked towards Nathan before crouching and patting his back. ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in, I know. You and Luna rest up for now. Reinforcements will be here soon. We can talk more once you¡¯ve acclimated a bit.¡±

    ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± Nathan said, holding his head. ¡°Now that you mention it, I am feeling a bit tired all of a sudden¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the adrenaline wearing off. You two take it easy. Me and Kaede can take it from here.¡±

    ¡°R-Right. Thanks. Come on, Luna.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah!¡± Luna said as she turned to Tacio and Kaede, respectively. ¡°Thank you, Tacio. Thank you, Kaede. For rescuing us. I don¡¯t know what would have happened if you weren¡¯t here in time.¡±

    ¡°Part of the job.¡± Tacio answered with a thumbs up while Kaede shrugged. ¡°Come on. At least acknowledge the ¡®thank you¡¯.¡±

    Kaede placed her right finger over her right ear before walking away. ¡°Command. What is the estimated arrival of the reinforcements?¡±

    ¡°Five minutes out.¡± Command responded.

    Tacio sighed. ¡°Sorry, Luna. Kaede¡¯s personality is as cold as her body.¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s not a problem. Don¡¯t worry about it. I-I¡¯ll go take a break now¡­¡±

    ¡°You do that.¡±

    From there, reinforcements arrived and evacuated everyone to the exit portal. By the time they got out, the sun was starting to set. Nathan and Luna couldn¡¯t believe how much time had passed when they got out.

    Who¡¯d have thought that the simple and very human emotion of embarrassment would have led down to such a turn of events. All of that happened just within a few hours on what looked like a regular Monday.

    Well¡­ That is the nature of Mondays, afterall. And the butterfly was quite a flutter throughout the day. Nevertheless, I am glad to bear witness to what seems to be history in the making.