"Yeah, back in our generation, there were three or four hundred young men alone. Nothing like now—the whole village barely has two hundred people."
"In those days, this kind of flood was nothing to us. It's such a shame... We never thought to create these sandbags back then. So many people were swept away..."
The elders began to reminisce one after another, their minds drifting back to the village's most prosperous era.
Back then, the village had been ten times larger than it was now. But after decades and countless floods, lives were taken again and again. Of their generation, only thirty-two elders remained.
"We'll soon be able to reunite with them—but first, we have to send these children away."
"Let them see us as we were in our youth!"
At the village chief's words, the elders laughed together. Their wrinkled smiles carried not frailty but blazing fighting spirit.
"Alright!" they roared as one. It was as if adrenaline surged through their veins, and their frail, dried bodies brimmed with the strength of youth once more.
"Let go and move forward. I'll hold it here!" called the old man at the back of the line.
"Grandpa Pan..."
"I said move!!!!" The elder's furious shout startled the young man beside him.
Slowly, hesitantly, the young man loosened his grip, carefully releasing his hold.
The instant he let go, a crushing force slammed into Grandpa Pan, driving him half a step back. His already hunched figure seemed even more fragile.
Seeing this, the young man instinctively moved to take his place again—but before he could reach out, Grandpa Pan fixed him with a glare so fierce it felt like the eyes of a wild beast. A chill of fear froze the young man in place.
At last, he turned and walked toward the front of the line.
"You too! Let go and get out of here! Don't give me any of that useless talk!"
The second-to-last elder was far less patient. His explosive, angry bark made the young man beside him release his grip at once.
Then the third, the fourth...
One by one, more youths let go and moved forward.
Until it was Morax's turn.
"Good boy, go now. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
The gentle voice of the old grandmother reached his ears.
It was the last voice Morax wanted to hear.
Agony twisted through him. He couldn't stand it. He didn't want to see these people die, nor could he bear to watch them face death head-on.
After living in the village for three years, he had grown deeply attached to it. He knew every elder by name, knew their personalities, their quirks.
He remembered them all, down to the smallest detail.
In that moment, Morax's elemental power surged forth.
But before he could release it, a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Go," Elliot said.
"Brother..."
"My dear child, go. You've all done well. Live on," the grandmother urged, her frail body trembling as she forced out the words.
Morax felt as though a thousand arrows had pierced his heart. For the first time, he experienced pain that tore at both body and soul—dozens of times worse than any physical wound.
Looking at the masked Elliot, Morax suddenly recalled the time he had been run through by a spear without so much as a groan. Even when herbs were pressed into wounds that nearly made him faint, he had never uttered a word of pain.
And now, Morax understood.
"What are you two doing?! Hurry! We're waiting for you! Move!!"
An elder ahead of him shouted in urgency.
The youths in front had already gone, pushing forward to the front of the line. Only then might they have a chance of escaping during the brief lull between waves.
"Do you want to break our bet?" Elliot asked gravely.
"No, but—"
"Then go!" Elliot pulled Morax forward.
The moment he let go, the full force of the torrent slammed into the old grandmother.
"No... she won't last..." Morax's eyes reddened as he watched her grit her teeth, straining with every breath against the roaring water.
"This is humanity's trial. As a human, the only thing you must do... is survive."
"Don't fool yourself into thinking you can save them as a human. No human could endure this flood. Humanity is that small." Elliot dragged him along.
"No... that's not true! Humans are not insignificant at all!!!"
Morax roared, wrenching free from Elliot's grip.
In an instant, raging elemental power gathered around him. With a sweep of his arms, a brilliant golden light erupted, enveloping everyone.
At that moment, it was as if the mighty flood had vanished. The elders who had been straining to hold their ground suddenly stumbled, collapsing against the sandbags.
All eyes turned toward Morax. They stared in stunned silence, unable to believe what they saw.
BOOM!!!!!!
The second wave of floodwater came crashing down like the sky itself collapsing.