Neoma 14th, 500 AE
A wave of relief washed over me as a flashing purple light darted through the air, zigzagging around the villagers, striking only the shadowy abominations.
The purple spell had devoured even the onyx plague that, until a moment ago, had coated the valley like a wet blanket.
In response to their newfound sight, the farmers began to form something akin to a battle formation.
Blood seeped from their tattered clothes as the men and women hunched over as if the purple lightning spell would give them a chance to catch their breath.
I attempted to join them, but when I tried to stand, pins and needles shot up my arms and legs.
My side burned cold, like ice pressed against my ribs, and blood still oozed from the wound as I collapsed onto my back.
The ashen world had been splattered with red and purple blood along with dimming rainbow crystals that whispered faintly in the twilight.
Gazing up at the sky, it felt like the first time I had seen the stars.
The Astral Tide was barely visible in the distance. Its speckled light shone with faint rainbow hues as it stretched from one edge of the horizon to the other.
It's kind of stupid, really, but sometimes it feels like I am just a star, swept up in the Tides' embrace, and bound to a story written long ago.
And sometimes it seems as though, no matter how much I might dream of a better future.
All I can do is hope that this endless river will one day take me there.
"Everett!" Ezra tore me back to reality, his tone desperate as he inspected my many open wounds. But despite being on his feet, Ezra wasn't in any better condition.
"Shit, let's get you back to the..."
His words were cut off as the onyx haze screeched through the lightning barrier, in a torrent of black death, looming over us.
Helpless, I watched as the toxic fog arced towards Ezra with uncanny precision.
The Abaddon's gangly talons lashed out of the shadows, swiping at Ezra's neck, yet before they could reach him, an explosion of pale white fire reduced them to cinders, forcing the fog back behind the tendrils of purple lightning.
Ezra wheezed in response, clasping the back of his neck. His body visibly shivered.
"OOI, WHAT N RAVARYN IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Ezra yelped.
"I-I don't know," A familiar voice chimed in the distance.
"WHAT YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW, THEY ALMOST KILLED ME!"
"Take a look for yourself," he said, slinging his bow over one shoulder.
"It's already half-light, and even with Grandma's barrier, they're still fighting relentlessly."
Neither of us responded to Cayden's remark. Instead, we watched as soft orange hues crept behind the distant mountains.
Even as night faded, the Phantoms didn't retreat. Instead, they continued to lunge through the fog's blurry surface, pushing it forward once again.
"C'mon, we've got to get him out of here," Ezra snapped to reality.
Without missing a beat, Cayden knelt beside me as the pair lifted me between their shoulders.
But before we could move even one step, several torrents of putrid fog dashed across the open ground. Not even quivering as it passed through the remaining tendrils of lightning.
I watched as Ezra's entire body spun forward as he pelted one of his daggers through the air. The small blade slashed its way through the smoky tentacle before arcing its way back to Ezra's hand.
Lumps of purple flesh sloshed across the ground as the torrent dispersed in Ezra's wake.
However, just as his blade circled back to him, another thick shadow loomed over his small frame.
Cayden wasted no time dropping me from his shoulder before firing a flaming white arrow with such speed that the mass of Phantoms was already in flames before I had even hit the ground.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" screams and wails erupted all around us. Only this time, they were human screams.
Several dozen tentacle-like limbs of black death weaved through the farmers' formation, tearing it apart in only a few swift blows.
With my body still frozen, I stared up at Cayden for answers. But in that moment, his usual sharp, knowing eyes were instead a pair of glowing holes revealing the scared boy hidden deep inside.
"RETREAT!" Cayden howled.
The entire battlefield fell silent, if only for a brief moment.
But the farmers didn't hesitate.
As they started sprinting back towards the wall, I could have sworn that I could hear the Phantoms laughing in our defeat, and they had no intention of letting us escape.
My heart hammered in my ears as the battle fell into pure chaos. People and beasts alike wailed in pain, painting the world in blood.
"GO!" Cayden bellowed.
Kneeling, Ezra grabbed the back of my collar before dragging me through the ashen grass.
As my head hung just inches above the ground, a single grotesque sound filled my ears. It took me a while to figure out what it was at first. A soft squelching from just beneath the soil.
But it was the cracking sound that made me realize.
All around us, the very land itself was devouring the dead, crushing them into consumable pieces.
My stomach lurched at the realization.
As Cayden single-handedly created an opening for all the villagers to escape, a lasting thought circled my mind. What if it were Cayden or Ezra that I watched get torn apart and eaten?
They're the ones who found me on the beach. Hell, they even carried me to the village. And now they're dragging me to safety like a heavy sack of potatoes.
Not sure what to do, I simply laughed hysterically before coughing blood.
Ezra gave me a wry look, but remained silent as he continued to haul me through the farmland.
I was lucky, though.
My would while big on the surface, wasn't life-threatening. It was more like an exaggerated scratch.
Twitching my finger, I had finally regained feeling in my hand. My right hand, however, was still clasped around Cayden's blade, frozen from the cold.
Without a second thought, I plunged my arm into the dying ground.
The wheat was brittle, snapping under my palms like bone. My fingers raked through the dirt, hunting for even the faintest glimmer of ether.
Every crystal that had been dropped during the fight was already dull, drained by the withering that crept through the soil.
As I watched the battle continue to unfold, Cayden and the redhead girl from before remained at the front line, fighting alone against the ever-growing number of Gossamer.
Although it's not like we were much closer to the village.
"Put me down," I said flatly.
"This ain't time for jokes, Everett."
"I'll be fine," I insisted before peering into Ezra's ocean blue eyes. His frown only deepened as his light brown bangs swayed over his brows.
"If you don't go and help Cayden..." My voice trailed off as Ezra searched my expression, but despite his immature sense of humor, he could tell how serious I was.
"And what will happen to you?" he snapped, letting go of my collar and causing my head to fall to the ground.
I grinned, bearing my bloodied teeth, before opening my hand to reveal the array of dimly glowing crystals.
"You worry me," Ezra sighed, but the corner of his mouth rose in amusement.
Without another word, Ezra drew his two small blades before charging back through the surge of retreating villagers.
Sometimes, I worry myself.
Without Ezra, I was sure that Cayden would struggle to hold off Abaddon's attack. And no matter what, I wasn't going to let myself become a burden.
"I have to at least heal this wound," I stifled.
As I lay limply in the wheat grain, I began inspecting the crystals I had managed to gather.
They were mostly elemental colors. Red, blue, yellow, and green.
Sadly, there were no crystals of any Astral properties, but considering these were all gifted to the villagers by the Aureline, I wasn't all that surprised.
Seven, I counted seven shard class crystals, all of dull and muted color, symbolizing their impurity.
I suppose this is the best I'm going to get, considering I can't exactly get up and find more. I stared at the bloodied wounds across my body.
My jaw clenched in anticipation as I placed the crystals in a neat pile on the ground.
"Curse the bloody Abaddon, curse this stupid body,"I bellowed.
Raising my fist above it, I struck down at the glassy stones with all the strength I had left, releasing the abundant Etherium within.
"This is going to suck!"