CHAPTER 39: Mistakes
"Agh!"
Kerra's knees buckled slightly under the sheer weight of the mana she was pulling from the atmosphere. The pain was sharp—a thousand needles pricking her skin—as the blue radiance from the arrow grew so intense it washed out the colors of the forest. To her left, the black-haired girl lay unmoving, a silent reminder of the cost of failure. Kerra gritted her teeth, her vision tunneling until only the monster remained.
"Magic Type: Chain!" Kerra hissed.
The arrow underwent a terrifying metamorphosis. The wooden shaft dissolved into pure, crystalline mana, lengthening and humming with a frequency that made the very air vibrate. It was no longer a tool of archery; it was a condensed bolt of lightning, a pure blue lance of destruction that threatened to tear itself apart before she could even release it.
The Warning in the Earth
Far behind her, Louisa watched the build-up with growing dread. While the sheer scale of Kerra's magic was impressive, it was a tactical disaster. The "Ordinary" elf's ears twitched, catching a sound that was far more dangerous than the hum of Kerra's arrow.
Rumble... rumble...
"Where is that coming from?" Louisa whispered.
She closed her eyes, blocking out the blinding blue light. The sound was low, a rhythmic grinding beneath the soil that shouldn't exist in a forest this still. Louisa dropped her bow and arrow, falling to her knees. She pressed both palms flat against the dirt, extending her senses into the ground like the roots of the trees she loved.
Her eyes shot open, pupils dilated in shock. The vibrations weren't coming from the monster's visible body. They were coming from everywhere.
"This isn't good," she breathed, her gaze snapping back to Kerra.
"Almost there..." Kerra muttered, her arms shaking so violently she had to use every ounce of her willpower to keep the bow steady. The lance of blue energy was now a level of power that bordered on the suicidal.
The Monster slowly turns its massive eye toward her, but it didn't move to attack. It seemed almost to be smiling.
"Level 6 Sorcery Spell!" Kerra announced, her voice echoing with the authority.
"Shoot it!"
The scream came from the right. Kelvin was leaning against a tree, his face contorted in pain, his eyes wide with desperate urgency. "Just shoot, Kerra! Don't wait!"
Kerra glanced at her brother, her focus flickering for a fraction of a second. That was all the monster needed.
"LIGHTNING OVER—"
Before she could finish the command, the ground beneath her erupted. Three thick, bark-covered tentacles shot upward like breaching whales. They coiled around her ankles with lightning speed, snaking up her thighs and cinching around her waist before she could even register the movement.
Kerra gasped, her balance stolen. She struggled to keep the bow leveled at the eye, but the tentacles were relentless. They jerked her backward, arching her spine in a painful, unnatural curve.
"Ahh!" she cried out, the air being squeezed from her lungs as the vines tightened around her midsection.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"
The scream was one of pure agony as the tentacles hoisted her into the air. In the involuntary spasm of her muscles, Kerra's fingers slipped. She let go of the string.
The magic-fused arrow didn't hit the monster. Released at a slanted angle, it shot upward like a sapphire rocket. It tore through the canopy, leaving a trail of blue fire in its wake, and soared over the monster's head like a fallen star. Seconds later, it reached the apex of its flight and exploded in a gargantuan blue flash, illuminating the entire sector with crackling lightning and a thunderous boom that shook the very foundations of the forest.
---
Miles away, Zerav was walking with Diane. The girl was clinging to his arm, her eyes bright as she peppered him with questions. Zerav, despite his dark nature, found himself wearing a devilish, handsome smile.
"So, what do you do when you're free?" Diane asked, her voice cheerful.
Behind them, Ben and the other boy walked in a brooding silence, their expressions sour as they watched the display of camaraderie. Ben looked as if he wanted to breathe fire, his eyes burning into Zerav's back.
Suddenly, the sky turned a brilliant, artificial blue. A massive crackle of lightning echoed through the trees, followed by a shockwave that made the leaves dance.
Ben and the other boy hit the ground instantly, shielding their heads. Diane gasped, clutching Zerav's arm even tighter. Zerav, however, stood perfectly still. He didn't flinch. His eyes, sharp and calculating, tracked the direction of the flash.
"Seems like a storm's coming," Diane whispered, her voice trembling.
"A storm? Unlikely," Zerav said, his voice cold and analytical. "I don't smell any rain clouds. So where could that flash have come from?"
He stopped, realizing he had spoken his internal monologue aloud. Diane looked up at him, her eyes wide with confusion—and a hint of awe.
"What? You can smell rain clouds?" she asked.
Zerav froze for a heartbeat. Crap. "Smell rain clouds? That's... ridiculous," he stammered, his mind racing. "No, it's just... a spell. A dark affinity spell that helps to... manipulate the storm."
The silence that followed was heavy. Zerav held his breath, watching her face.
"Is it because of your dark magic affinity?" Diane asked finally.
Zerav gave a reassuring, casual smile. "Yes. The arts of darkness are a pretty broad topic. I'm not surprised if dark sorcerers can create black holes or even voids of despair."
"True," Diane agreed, her tension melting. "But light always prevails against darkness."
She dragged him forward again, her pace quickening. "Come on, the others are far ahead of us!"
As she pulled him along, Zerav turned his head back toward the site of the explosion. His smile faded into a look of genuine concern. Louisa... please be okay.
---
Back in the clearing, the disaster was complete. Kerra hung limp in the air, her mana exhausted, her body held captive by the very creature she had tried to destroy.
Kelvin, seeing his sister's plight, dragged himself toward the monster. He limped, his breath coming in wet gasps, his right hand stretched forward. "I call on thee... oh holy great... to cast down the storm of—"
THUD.
A tentacle erupted from beneath him, coiling around his waist. It didn't just hold him; it slammed him into the ground with bone-shattering force.
Kelvin's body went limp. Blood dripped from his mouth as the vine lifted him into the air to join his sister. Within moments, the last girl was snatched up as well, her screams for help echoing through the trees until they were cut short by the tightening grip of the monster.
Louisa, watching from the edge of the clearing, saw the beast looking around for its final prize. She realized she was the only one left standing—or rather, sitting.
Thinking quickly, she let her bow slide into the grass and slumped back against the tree. She closed her eyes and let her head fall to the side, masquerading as just another unconscious victim.