"Is everybody here?" A guard shouted. He picked up a cloth tied around luggage and put it in a cart full of people.
"Leave!" He commanded the horse cart. The cart driver glanced over his shoulder at the burning town as he sped the horses up.
"Sir, we have too many people, only four carts are available at the moment, rest are ox carts, which will be too slow!"
The guard dropped his own luggage bag at the corner of the northern gate as he commanded, "Let the children and woman on first!"
"Is everyone here?" Roderic came in from the left road, injured hand as he had escaped a beast.
The guard stood attention as he greeted Roderic.
"Sir! There may be survivors at the western gate! The houses there had not been broken yet!"
The other guard hit the screaming one with his elbow as he whispered, "How will we fit more people?!"
"Tsk."
Roderic turned around as he saw the ruined town. His eyes started to get blurry. "Is Virelle... alive?"
He started into the rainy atmosphere, which continuously extinguished the growing fire in the whole town. It was as if rain was trying to save the already dead town.
"The dead can't be saved anymore, so why is the rain still pouring out?"
As he closed his eyes and let out a tired breath, he muttered, "I'm going to save her..."
"Sir? Did you say anything?" Asked the guard.
"Send away three carts, I will be right back!"
Roderic ran at the speed he could, his body was giving up physically, not mentally.
...
"Old man! Teach me that! How did you defeat that man so easily?"
"Kid, you just need to be gifted." A younger Roderic smirked as he teased the six-year-old Virelle.
"I'm going to be wayyy stronger than you, old man!" Virelle declared, thrusting a hand toward the sky.
Roderic casually stepped in front of her, blocking her view.
"Stop thinking about reaching the top. Defeat me first. Then you can start dreaming about it."
"Old Man!!" Virelle shouted in frustration.
Roderic laughed.
Her pout quickly melted into a grin. Raising her hand again, she pointed directly at his face.
"Fine! I'll make you my goal for now. After I defeat you, maybe I'll let you come with me on my journey—if you're still a little good at fighting. Then you can't tell me I won't reach the top, Old Man!"
Roderic's laughter faded. For a moment, he simply looked at her. Then a warm smile appeared on his face.
He gently patted her head.
"I will..."
Virelle blinked, waiting expectantly.
"I will not be defeated by someone so short."
"OLD MAN!!"
Her tiny fists immediately began pounding against his knee.
Roderic burst into laughter.
Virelle crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks, looking like an angry squirrel.
"Hahaha..."
The sound echoed through the training grounds, carried away by the wind.
...
"I will save her! Even if I have to give up my own life!"
He continued running. "Virelle!!" He called out.
"Virelle."
Suddenly, a giant black claw hit him from the back, he instinctively brought out his sword as he blocked it. The force sent him flying.
He tightened his grip and released a breath. The monster stood 3 metres tall, it had a horrifying face.
"What kind of beast... are you?" He muttered as he lunged forward.
"Draen!"
He cut through it in a mere second, slitting his body vertically. The golden flow on his sword disappeared as he started his search again. The monster's body fell as the separated.
"Virelle!"
Another creature emerged in front of him. He didn't even identify what it looked like. The white creature was slit down quickly as he shouted, "Draen!"
His eyes reddened as he got more worried.
"Virelle!!"
He slayed down another beast.
"Virelle! Please..."
His voice started to get fainter.
...
"...Sir Knight?"
Roderic's eyes widened. He knew that voice. "Leon?"
"Is that... huff... you Sir Knight?"
Roderic turned around instantly. He saw a tired, injured Leon carrying an unconcious Virelle. Leon's eyes were bloodshot, and almost giving up. He was covered in cuts and bruises. Blood ran down his arms. A sigh was let out by Roderic, one that hinted overwhelming relief. Leon's body gave up, he fainted.
Roderic picked up both of them each in one hand covering their hips as he ran towards the northern gate. A monster blocked his path.
"Oh no..."
Its body was a repulsive combination of tendons and dark meat that was stretched over a skeleton that appeared to be bigger than its own skin. Its elongated, jagged limbs scraped the ground as they were attached to clawed feet resembling sharp meat hooks. All its actions were unnaturally fast, and its bones cracked every time it moved.
It had an awful-looking face composed of mismatched features. A huge maw cut through its head, from ear to ear, full of crooked teeth that were covered in blood. It had several pairs of white eyes scattered on its face, each one looking in a different direction.
...
"Mr. Roderic! Over here!"
Roderic's gaze snapped toward the voice.
It was Kael.
"Kael!"
A massive limb tore through the air toward him like a whip. Roderic burst forward, narrowly slipping past it as the impact shattered the ground behind him.
Reaching Kael, he pushed the children toward him.
"Here... take them to the evacuation carts. Hurry."
Kael caught the trembling children and frowned.
"What about you?"
Roderic didn't answer immediately.
For a brief moment, he stood still, his eyes drifting upward. Rainwater slid from the darkened sky, the droplets pattering softly against his face.
Then he smiled.
"Don't worry about me. Just go."
Something about that smile made Kael's chest tighten.
He nodded, gathered the children, and ran.
He never looked back.
Yet the image of Roderic standing alone amidst the rain refused to leave his mind.
"That look..." Kael muttered as he sprinted toward the carts. "Just what are you planning?"
---------------
The monster crashed down before him. Stone exploded beneath its weight. Its towering frame blocked the entire street, dozens of pale eyes fixing themselves upon Roderic.
Kael was already leading the children away.
Sigh
The beast let out a guttural roar and charged. The ground trembled beneath each step.
Roderic stood motionless as rain ran down his face.
His grip slowly tightened.
The monster swung. A claw large enough to tear apart a building descended upon him. Roderic raised his head. His eyes glowed gold.
"Draen."
The air itself had become solid.
Cracks of golden light spread across the sky.
The beast thrashed violently, but its movements only grew slower, as if the world was sinking onto its shoulders.
Roderic took a step forward.
The monster roared.
"DRAEN!"
Golden light erupted from beneath his feet. The street split apart. The clouds overhead twisted into a massive vortex. For a brief moment, it felt as though the heavens themselves had opened.
The monster's eyes widened.
-Fear-
It tried to retreat. Roderic thrust his hand forward.
The golden light condensed into a single point.
Then—
The world flashed.
No explosion followed.
No sound.
Just a blinding instant of light.
When the brilliance faded, a massive scar stretched across the ruined street. Everything in its path had vanished including the monster.
Roderic lowered his arm. His chest rose and fell heavily.
Roderic sprinted back toward the northern gate.
"Why aren't you gone yet?!"
Kael turned toward him. The frustration on his face eased slightly.
"The horse..." he said between breaths. "It was injured. Its leg is completely shattered. Someone... deliberately stabbed it while I was gone."
Roderic's expression darkened.
His gaze immediately shifted to the guards gathered by the gate.
Grabbing one by the shoulders, he barked,
"Is there no horse left?!"
The guard flinched.
"...No, sir."
"Not a single one?"
"There is an ox, sir."
Roderic clicked his tongue.
"At this point, we'd be better off running."
His eyes swept across the exhausted children.
"They wouldn't make it on foot."
"Kael."
"Yeah?"
"Take the children and leave with the ox."
He pointed toward the guard.
"You. Drive them to Quill."
The guard straightened immediately.
"Yes sir!"
Kael wiped the sweat from his brow.
"'Them'? What about you?"
His voice lowered.
"And even if we leave now, the monsters will catch us eventually..."
Realization dawned on his face.
"Don't tell me..."
Roderic looked up.
The moon hung above the ruined town, pale and distant behind drifting clouds.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Don't worry."
He turned away.
"I'll live."
Before Kael could respond, Roderic broke into a run. Not toward the road to Quill, but back toward the heart of the town.