Chapter 9: Chapter 12

"Salamanders to your right!" Cerdic shouted.

We were engaged with a group of 4  reptilian like cryptids. Their skin where black and scaly and their back had long spikes that glowed as there were about to unleash their fire breath.

Swiftly, Enan dashes forward and uses his wind magic to redirect the fire. Seeing that its attack had been foiled, it backed up into the middle of its group, seeking help with dealing with the draco boy.

The biggest of the salamanders who were ahead of its group rushed Cedrick, swiping its claw wildly. Dust and dead leaves scatter around the two.

"Screeee" it screeched as it tries to tried to keep him pinned down with its flurry of attacks.

Cedric, almost unfazed by the torrent of claws, goes straight for the salamander's neck, stabbing it straight through its throat with his broadsword. Its blood spirts from its mouth as it struggled to breathe but it could do nothing. Its body slumped to the ground before it faded away into dust.

Enan was currently engaged with the two smaller salamanders. He glided through their attacks like a leaf in the wind. His thin double-edged sword sliced through both the salamanders' limbs as they struggled to keep up with his swift movements.

Senna, wasting no time, shot two arrows that pierced through both their chests simultaneously. Her arrows were like lances.

It had almost been a day and during our time here I had come to know their abilities, Senna used her innate affinity to earth to conjure earth arrows which honestly looked more like small spears and when In battle would cast a quick chant spell called Wind assist.

This spell imbues her earth spears with wind drastically increasing its speed, a lethal combination that has a short downtime. It wasn't uncommon to see these earth arrows completely pierce through weaker cryptids.

Enan's fighting style was much more similar to mine. He used a wind type Magical arts that let him maneuver through his enemies. This confirmed my hunches about him being a Draco as I recognized the techniques he used as a common martial art used in Linguo.

Linguo is one of the most powerful nations in Gaia. It is home to the Tianlong and Yunlong draco, which are the two of the three subspecies the draco place themselves under. The members of the draco race are considered one of the most powerful beings on this planet. Some say they are second only to the nephilim.

The third type of draco differs completely from the Yunlong and Tianlong in appearance and culture, the eastern dracos call them Shanlong. But they refer to themselves as the Gamma Draco, they live in a different nation called Daliostor.

And then there's Cedric. He only wielded a broadsword, but his Qi was much more refined than everyone in the group. He hadn't used any magic up to that point and mostly just kept the bigger cryptids focused on him, while Enan and Senna eliminated the smaller and more agile ones. I could tell he had honed his swordsman ship to a superb level, as he would handle every enemy with ease, using only his skill and battle sense.

I was getting was basically getting carried around and mostly just collecting herbs and fruits. They more or less took care of everything and since Ennan and Cedric dealt with the cryptids easily, they rarely got to senna.

"Alright, this should do," Cedric said as he checked the amulet on his arm.

"1058 points. I would say that's good for a first day."

"Yeah, most of us," Sanna said with her arms crossed

She said this while looking at me, implying that I have done little to help the group.

The last few rays of light blanketed the forest. We had gone through most of the day with no major problems and were now about to set up camp before it got too dark. During the day, I' had collected a few ingredients as I had a lot of idle time. This was a domain of someone in the real world, meaning that a lot of plants and animals that existed here also existed on Gaia.

After we finished setting up, I had gone to work preparing meals for everyone. I can't be completely useless.

"Here you go Enan. This one is yours," I said as I handed him a bowl of soup made from vegetables and the meat of a rabbit senna had hunted.

"Hmm, that's pretty good," Enan said, his face buried in his bowl.

Cedric sat quietly while he ate.

I handed senna her share, and she just looked at me as if conflicted.

"You're not hungry?" I asked.

"I am, thanks I guess." She said as she took the bowl from my hands.

A few minutes after eating, everyone gathered around the campfire to discuss the next day.

"Alright, based on this map, we should be around here."

"And based on the terrain that's ahead of us, he would have to decide which path we take."

Based on the map, it seems where here heading towards very steep terrain. Moving through there might take us much longer to get across. But a few miles to the south, we can pass through what looks like a valley. If we took that path, it could help us get through the mountainous area without sacrificing too much time.

Obviously we took the valley path even though it meant we may have to fight cryptids in more crapped space. It also meant that we would have constant access to water and food.

"Alright, it's settled. We will take the valley route."

After our short meeting, everyone had prepared to resign from their own personal space. Senna had constructed a small dome for everyone to sleep in.

"So unto the most important matter, who would be the first to be on lookout, "senna said with a serious face.

She then came up to the three of us holding 4 sticks.

"Here, three sticks of varying length, the shortest will go on lookout first, then followed up by the second shortest onwards."

"Let me do it," Enan said.

"Why? I can do it myself," Senna then answered.

"I don't trust you, you might cheat."

"Heh wha… why would I cheat?" she said as she averted her gaze. "Just take a damn stick,"

"No, let me do it or no deal," Enan said.

"Why are you so interested in doing it? I bet you are the one trying to cheat here?,"

"No, I'm not. Please don't make accusations you can't prove."

With a sigh, Cedric walked up to the two and opened his palms.

"Since you two are bickering so much, why don't we let Atsumi do it?"

Senna, hearing this, looked like she was about to protest, but ultimately relented to the idea.

Cedric then handed them over to me, which I then proceeded to shuffle around and held my hand out.

Everyone closed their eyes and picked.

Ennan had drawn the shortest, then me, then Senna. Cedric pulled out the longest one.

"Guess I'm going first."

"Don't worry, to be honest, I think it's actually better. You can go to sleep after knowing that you get to sleep for the rest of the night," I said as I patted him on the shoulder.

"I guess you're right," he said.

This was the first time I had looked at him directly, his face illuminated by the only source of light that we had all gathered around. For a moment, we locked eyes. His light blue eyes peered into mine. It was then I felt a slight ripple in his mana. It was subtle, but I could just barely perceive it.

He then looked towards the group and backed away from me almost awkwardly.

"Well, you guys get some rest. I'll be right here,"

I woke up laying on the ground with no one in sight. I had found myself alone in a vast white landscape. The sky was littered with stars and countless planetoids, some of which were half destroyed.

"Why do we suffer so?" a voice rang out in my head.

I stopped for a moment, wondering where the voice had come from. A Dark figure crawled out from the ground. It stood up on its feet and walked around aimlessly, then another one appeared. This time, it seemed to be a woman, then a child. One after another, these figures crawled out from the ground. Some emerged crying, others screaming, another laughing hysterically. But what truly terrified me were the ones that spoke.

"Descended from those born in the bosom of Aquila."

"Why must we bear the burden of our predecessors?"

More and more emerged from the ground. A red, bulbous mass of flesh formed on their bodies as it pulsated and spread its tendrils over the figures.

"Descended from Celestial hunters, Orion's bow, once our protector now aimed at our chest,"

A sharp pain bloomed at the site of my seal. I then looked at my body. The same red tendrils were spreading over my body. My body went stiff at the sight of this, fear that I had never felt before gripped my heart.

"Though we may pretend,"

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"Though we may act like we don't understand,"

"We all know the reason."

"It is because we are sinners,"

The mass of flesh exploded on their bodies, staining the previously pristine white ground they had crawled out from. With jerky, unnatural motions, they clamored in my direction, each one of them chanting the word.

"SINNERS"

"SINNERS"

"SINNERS"

I crumpled to the ground, the sound of their countless voices echoed in my skull. My eyes overflowed with tears as I started sobbing. I held my head, attempting to protect myself from the words that spilled from their mouthless faces.

"Stop leave me alone," I said, not realizing the futility in my words.

I was at the mercy of these creatures; they loomed over my body, their sick chants getting louder and louder, eating away at my sanity.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Said my mouth moved on its own.

"I'm so sorry."

Why did I say this? I had no reason to apologize to these things, yet the words still escaped my lips.

I could feel the strength leaving my body and my will to resist was fading.

It was then I felt the embrace of an unknown figure. Compared to the creatures that surrounded us, this person gave off a pure white light. At first I expected my mother, but looking at me was the same white lady I had met on the lake. She wore her veil over her eyes, and all I could see were her thin lips. Her body was icy cold, yet it was still comforting.

She then gave me a gentle smile that signified that everything would be okay.

"Atsumi, why are you crying?" She said, her voice changing as she spoke.

"Atsumi what's wrong, get up, are you ok?"

I woke up to Enan gently shaking me.

My face was a mess of tears and mucus. The clothes that stuck to my body were damp and my skin slimy to the touch.

"What? Enan, what are you doing here?"

"It was your turn to do lookout, so I came to wake you up," he said, visibly disturbed. "When I came in, you screamed and started crying. You were saying I'm sorry repeatedly."

"I didn't know what was happening, so I woke you up."

"Oh, sorry, it was just a nightmare,"

"Is that so?" he said, looking unconvinced. "Your nightmares are pretty intense."

I then got up and went towards the campfire, Ennan trailing not too far behind me.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked.

"I'll be fine, just a dream,"

"If you say so," he replied.

"You can get some sleep now. I should be able to manage."

"I will soon. I'm just gonna finish my tea."

He then sat beside me and reached for a small kettle that was nestled within the fire."

"Hmm, where did you get that teapot from? You weren't carrying anything during the day."

"Oh, I have a storage rune. These are rather rare, but it was a gift from my master,"

"Would you like some?" he then asked

"Sure."

He then took the small kettle from the base of the fire and poured me some in a makeshift cup cut from bamboo. I took a sip, and I felt the heat permeate my cheeks.

"You like it?" he said while scanning my face.

"Yeah, the sleepiness is gone, but I also feel relaxed,"

"That's ginseng for ya. I left some for the others, so let them know when it's their time," he said.

We sat there for a moment, though it felt a little awkward. It was a good feeling to be in the company of someone, even though you consider them a complete stranger. Though the dream still dwelled within my memories.

Trying to forget what I had just experienced, I looked towards the fire and then towards the pitch black forest. The thought of a black figure moving through the trees just out of reach of the light caused me to look elsewhere.

I then looked at the boy next to me, his eyes focused on the fire in front of us. He had a slight baby face and reminded me of those pretty boy princes or the sons of noblemen that would visit the shrine from time to time. His skin was a little darker than mine and I could spot a small scar on his neck.

Alerted by my gaze, who then looked at me.

Realizing that I had been studying the boy next to me a little too closely, I averted my gaze and just stared at the cup in my hand.

"Uh, this may be a personal question and you don't have to answer, but I'm curious. Are you a half draco?"

He then looked at me, confused.

"No, I'm a full-blooded draco. Why do you ask?"

I then pointed to my forehead, feeling a little embarrassed. "You have a tail and no horns."

Normally, a draco would begin growing their horns by the age of nine, and I could tell by his height and physique that he was much older than me.

"Oh that, don't worry, they will come out soon enough. I'm just a late bloomer."

"Oh ok."

"Yeah, though I've been teased about it before. It's not really something I fret over."

We then turned to me.

"Let me ask you a question, since I answered yours."

I then shook my head, accepting his question.

"Where did you learn your martial arts? It's rare to see a human using a weapon like that."

"Oh, my mother and master taught me back when I lived in Haakuni."

"I was actually born in Haakuni, so I guess I just ended up learning it by circumstance."

"Most humans can't really learn Haakunian martial arts that well. You must be rather talented," he said in response.

"I'm not all that. I still have a long way to go."

"Hmm then, I wish you good luck," he said.

We then spent the rest of my shift just chatting away. I wasn't at all against this, as I enjoyed the company.

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