The monsters didn't last long after that.
Alec's blade cut the first down in a quick swing. Jenna's water blast threw the next off balance just long enough for Karis to drive a boot into its chest. Mina's staff lit with a quick flash of light--then she panicked and smacked her target with the handle instead.
Little Julien swept through the last one with sharp, practiced footwork, his sword carving a line through its ribs, and just like that the fight was over.
There were monsters on both sides… I might not have made it back in time if not for those kids.
As Julien came back, Ray let out a relieved breath. "You five are insane."
Jenna straightened. "We heard fighting. Thought we could help."
"I told you to stay put," Julien said. His voice was calm, but they all shifted uncomfortably at the sound of it. The system softened the words before they left his mouth.
[Character Guidance: Active (Partial Override]
Julien looked each of them over. A few scrapes, torn clothes, dirt streaks. But they were standing strong and proud. Even Mina, who still looked jumpy, had her staff at the ready.
"Thank you for helping," he said finally. "But you should've stayed back with the group."
Alec nodded sheepishly. "Sorry, sir. We just couldn't stay there, not knowing what was going on. It was risky, we know…"
Jenna spoke up next. "We left the others in a small cave, so they should be safe. Zain's using his skills to hide them, and they've still got their supplies in their inventories."
Damn kids. If things had gone wrong, they really could've gotten hurt. But I would have done the same… I can't be too angry at them.
"We can discuss this later. But since you're all here now, we need to go find the rest of Ray's group."
Julien glanced back at the three students they'd recovered. That made four total from Ray's group accounted for, including the girl they'd met earlier. Which meant there were still eleven out there.
Ray seemed to realize it at the same time. "We can't stick around too long. We need to find the rest."
Julien nodded. "Let's get moving."
They split quickly. Jenna stayed behind with the wounded, crouching beside Ben. "I'll try to heal him. My skill's still not working perfectly, but I think I can still help a bit here."
"Alright. You four, stay in pairs," Julien said. "Shout if anything happens. We'll sweep the area in a wide circle--look for signs, noise, torn branches or leaves. They can't have gone far."
The forest was thick, but the signs were there. Marks in the dirt, a piece of shredded cloth, a broken bow. They followed them carefully. One by one, they started to emerge.
Two students crouched beneath a collapsed tree. Another three waved weakly from a rocky ledge where they'd taken cover. One of them had an acid burned arm and a bloodied hand.
An hour passed. Eventually, the last few stumbled out of the fog, clinging to each other and staring like they hadn't believed help would come. Luckily, nobody was missing. No one was dead.
Ray stared at the full group, relief flooding his face. "You're all here!"
"All accounted for, thank goodness," Julien said quietly.
Then the system chimed in his mind.
[Main Quest: "The Beginning" – Part II]
[Optional Objective: Prevent unexpected casualties]
[Progress: 20% Complete]
Twenty percent. There were ten groups in total. That must mean Ray's group counted as one. So with mine, that makes twenty percent.
So that's what it meant. Unexpected casualties. He hadn't fully understood it before, but now it was obvious. He turned toward the others. Some of them were bleeding. Most were shaking, but they were here and alive.
I've still got to help the rest.
"There are others left," he said. "I'll go ahead." He began to move, but a voice called after him.
"We're coming too, this time," said Little Julien.
Julien paused. "No."
Karis stepped forward. "We're not just tagging along, sir. We can help."
"You've done enough," Julien said, firmer this time. "Just stay here. They need your help more than I do."
"But Ray's here," Alec said, frowning. "And you haven't had a break at all since this thing started."
Julien met his eyes. "Ray is injured, and there's no time for breaks."
"We know you're the strongest," Mina said quickly. "But you're still just one person. There are more than a hundred people out there. What if someone's hiding, or too scared to shout? You need more eyes."
Julien hesitated. "It's still too dangerous."
"We're not defenseless! We fought a bunch of monsters on the way here, and helped kill the ones attacking you all by ourselves," Little Julien argued.
"It probably doesn't look that way to you… but we can follow orders, I promise," Karis added. "You don't have to watch us like children."
Julien looked at them again. All of them stood straight, eyes locked on his.
They weren't unscathed, but they weren't trembling either. Alec's sword was still drawn. Mina's grip on her staff had steadied. Even Karis, who usually joked through most things, was dead serious now.
"And besides…" Little Julien spoke softer this time. "If you were in our place, you wouldn't wait around either, would you?"
…He got me.
I know they always were talented. I thought they met their ends because I wasn't strong enough back then. But now if anything happens, I can change it this time. So… no matter how much I want to deny it, there's no need for me to push them away this time.
[Character Guidance: Stability maintained.]
"Fine," Julien said at last. "But no splitting off or rushing ahead. Stay close, alright?"
They nodded, delighted.
"See?" Little Julien whispered to Jenna. "Ian's the best. We can't waste this opportunity."
She scoffed. "Even in the midst of a disaster, you still want to impress your idol. Well, you do that. I'm staying here to try and heal them."
"Let's go," Julien called.
Julien led the way, with the first-years chatting behind him, a mix of seriousness, fear, and excitement. None of them noticed the first sign until they nearly stepped on it.
Alec's boot slid on something slick. He looked down. "…Is that blood?"
The group came to a sudden halt. Everyone stared at it.
Julien stepped forward, shielding his eyes. The weird light still hung in the air and at first, he couldn't tell what he was looking at.
Then his eyes adjusted, and a strange feeling entered his heart. The leaves were soaked through--a trail led up ahead, streaks of red dragging through the dirt. He followed it in silence, the others trailing behind.
They stumbled into another of the gate's many clearings. Or what had once been one. The grass had been torn apart, flattened in every direction. Chunks of stone and wood were scattered across the field like shrapnel.
Bodies were everywhere.
Fifteen students. All still, some with their eyes open.
Karis made a sharp, choked noise and staggered back a step. Mina froze in place, her mouth opening but no sound coming out.
Shit…! We're too late.
Julien went into the wreckage. His hands clenched at his sides, but his expression remained unchanged.
They'd formed a defensive circle, he realized. Some had fallen back to back, weapons raised in what must've been a final stand. But it hadn't been enough.
Farther out, at the edge of the field, was their fifth-year guide. Not someone he'd known, but the sight of him was jarring. He knelt in the dirt, slumped forward, sword fallen from his grip. His chest was pierced straight through, one clean wound. Judging by the angle, it could only have been self-inflicted.
But that wasn't what made Julien stop.
The other students' wounds were too clean. No shredded body parts or claw marks were visible. Neither elemental residue nor burn marks. Just organized cuts
He quietly checked one of the bodies. Then another, then the next.
"…These weren't monster attacks," he said quietly. "They were killed by a blade."
Alec stared, shaking his head. "That doesn't make any sense. They had a fifth-year. He was supposed to be strong. There's no way…"
"Why would he do this?" Mina whispered. "He wouldn't. That's not--he wouldn't hurt them."
Karis knelt down beside one of the students, his voice cracking. "She was just in the training room yesterday. She offered me her last oatmeal bar… and now she's just…"
Little Julien said nothing. Older Julien saw his outline standing near the edge of the field, facing down at the fifth-year's unmoving figure. His arms were slack at his sides, but he didn't turn his face away from the older boy.
Mina's knees buckled and she dropped to the ground. "No… This is wrong. It makes no sense…"
Julien sighed. If I'd known this is what we'd find, I wouldn't have taken them after all.
There was no trail of monsters beyond the clearing. Only the painfully bright and cheerful afternoon light, shining on the morbid scene before them. Julien continued to move through the wreckage. Death hadn't fazed him for years. He'd gotten used to it too young.
But something twisted in his chest anyway.
They were young… all young. Big eyes frozen in fear. Hands still reaching for friends that had already fallen. Spilled pouches, cracked mana stones, scratched uniforms… none of it mattered anymore.
He'd seen dozens of scenes like this before. Villages, towns, cities--all left behind in ruin, and him too late to stop it. Over and over again.
But this was the first time he'd seen it as Ian Mooring. It felt different.
The sky was too bright above them. The light caught in the dried blood. A breeze passed through, shaking the leaves like nothing had happened.
They're already dead. I'll need to investigate later, but right now, the living are more important.
[Character Guidance: Inactive]
The system didn't interfere. The moment was too heavy.
"I thought we were supposed to get stronger here," Mina said quietly. Her voice shook. "That's what they told us. That this was the best place for us to learn. But this isn't what we came here for."
Karis sat beside her, arms around his knees, not speaking. He wasn't crying yet--but he looked like he wanted to.
Alec hovered nearby, sword lowered. "We should bury them," he said hoarsely.
"There's no time," Julien said, his voice toneless. "We have to leave them. We can't stay here."
"But--"
"They're already gone." Julien's voice didn't rise. "What they need now is for us to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else."
After a brief silence, Little Julien approached the body of the older boy.
As if it were the least he could do, he wiped the blood from the blade slowly and steadily. After placing the sword on the fifth-year's lap, he took a step back.
Julien didn't miss it: the faint shake in the boy's shoulders.
He wanted to say something. A word of comfort or consolation, anything. But the right thing didn't exist. Not here--so he placed a hand on Little Julien's shoulder instead.
"Let's keep going," he said. "We can't let it end like this for anyone else."
Mina rose slowly to her feet. Karis followed, rubbing his face. Alec was already checking his blade. No one spoke.
They walked away from the clearing without looking back, but Julien didn't miss the way they kept glancing at the trees. Like the forest itself might turn on them next.