A low, guttural moan echoes. The monster staggers backward, its massive frame trembling with each laboured breath. Black ichor oozing from the gaping wound in its neck, pooling beneath its clawed feet. With one final, shuddering exhale, the creature slumps to its side, its body sinking into the soil with a heavy thud.
With a sharp downward swing of his spear, the black blood clinging to its blade splatters across the dirt, thick and tar-like. Ike turns to us, his expression is calm and unbothered as he bobs his head sideways, "Let's go."
And without a word, we all move forward.
My gaze lingers on the fallen corpse for a while, it's huge, and it looks really tough. Nothing like the smaller ones we faced earlier. The dying energy of this monster is stronger than the horde of all the smaller ones combined.
My eyes trace back to Ike's walking figure ahead. To think he faced that thing on his lonesome. And he is not the least bit tired.
I know that Ike is strong, he is certainly the strongest person in this group. And I wonder… just how strong is he?
"Hey, you alright?"
I turn to Ewa and shake my head. "I am. Just, out of breath. I have never had to channel that much essence in such a short amount of time before. It will take some time before I get used to it."
"Don't push yourself too much. You are doing pretty good already," she says, giving me a thumbs up. "It sure is nice to have someone who shields from every threat, I could never just focus on attacking before."
"Is that so?" I say idly, glancing back at the corpse.
"I wonder why there are so many Junjus now, they never attacked during the day before. Was I wrong to assume as such, or does it depend on the region, perhaps?"
"They never attack the day," Sazayi confirms. "They seem to have a profound fear of it. I once heard that they were on the point to completely overtake a small town long ago but fled minutes before dawn rose."
"Well," I raise my head to the covered sky, "there is no sun."
"You don't understand Vyswe'eyaga." Kayin shakes his head, "Junjus never appear the day, even when it rains and the sky is completely dark, they never come. Only at night."
"…Humm… So, it is this place." I sigh. Why does it seem like everything that could go wrong will go wrong… It feels like a curse.
"There is something else I am curious about; where do the Junjus even come from? They always seem to pop out of thin air."
I wait for someone to respond, then wait some more.
"Is something wrong?" I ask when the silence stretches longer than expected. They all wear similarly grim expressions. And for some reason… it puts me on edge.
"That's a bit tricky to answer," Kayin says.
"The thing is, they literally pop out of thin air." Gamba locks eyes with me, his expression dead serious.
"…What?"
"It is just as he said," N'jobu huffs, "People had tried to uncover where exactly the Junjus came from, whole squads were structured for that goal, to purge them out for good. But when dawn arrives, they vanish in a dark cloud. The cloud is untraceable—both from arcane detection techniques and other auxiliary methods—it simply scatters into nothingness."
This means they can virtually appear anywhere. How eerie.
"Folktales often described the Nguo as a forsaken, cursed land… But I never heard of Junjus wandering in broad daylight." Kayin muses.
"Maybe because all those who witnessed it are, you know… dead?" Ewa offers.
"Still," then he looks at me, "Vyswe'eyaga, do you sense anything out of place?"
"Umm… Give me a moment." I stop in my tracks.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes; I don't really need to close them to use my Spiritual senses, but I find it better for concentration than to stare into nothing… especially with people surrounding me.
I soon keep those thoughts at the back of my mind.
I delve deep into myself, attuning to the flow of essence coursing through my body. Slowly, I extend my awareness outward, sensing the Spiritual essence radiating out of Kayin, Sazayi, and N'jobu. They shine bright and unrestrained, like open bonfires. I feel the essence of Ewa, Gamba, Azikiwe, and Ike. Though the energy coming out of them is different from what I know, it still feels familiar in a way I can't put into words. It is as warm and bright as the Spiritual essence from Kayin and the others, if a little fiercer in the way it radiates.
Ike, on the other hand, is in a league of his own. The energy he radiates is not erratic; it flows uniformly, extending just a few centimetres from his body. This is a clear sign that he has control over his essence—something I have learned sorcerers from this era lack. Not only that, but the pressure exuding from him is palpable. I have always felt it when near him, the way the air seemed to… bend around him. It is barely noticeable, but something tells me that it is him deliberately repressing himself.
A part of me is curious to know how he looks unleashed, yet another part is just as wary.
However, I shut down all those thoughts when I feel Ike looking at me. Not with his eyes, not directly, but I am certain I feel his Gaze on me. How can he do that? He is not a sorcerer… or perhaps warriors have abilities other than their extraordinary strength?
I take another deep breath and focus on the task at hand.
I expand my Gaze further, past our group, past the plants and trees surrounding us, past the vile essence emanating from those straggling abominations… but deep into the fog covering the mountain.
I am not sure what I am trying to find, but my intuition tells me that whatever abnormality I am looking for, I will find it in the mist. So, I Gaze as far as I can but soon reach my limit score of kilometres ahead.
I don't give up, nonetheless, examining the mist for what feels like hours. It is vast, expansive, almost boundless… Now I am sure this is no ordinary mist. The way it ebbs and flows, it feels like it has a mind of its own or is controlled by something sentient. Whichever it is, the mist is there to hide something.
I breathe in, then out, tuning out everything around me. Focusing wholly on piercing through the mist. Nothing else exists—Just the mist, and what is inside. And suddenly, I manage to probe into its defences. I, I can't believe it, I did it. It was easier than I had expected. A flicker of triumph sparks in my chest.
But it dies instantly.
My mind is frozen in place. A crushing weight slams down on me. I can't think straight, I don't know what to do, I don't even understand what is happening.
I-I, I'm scared.
My gaze is locked on the swirling mist. I can't see anything—yet I feel it. A presence. Something is staring back. Then I am hit with a violent killing intent. So vicious and unquenchable. Full of hatred. And I am its sole target. It wants me gone, tear me apart in the most gruesome and painful way possible.
I am going to die.
"Snap out of it!"
I blink.
Through the tears, I recognize Ike standing before me. I feel his hands holding firm on my trembling shoulders; concern carved into his face.
"Can you hear me?"
My heart is beating so loudly in my ears. Am I the one breathing so heavily? I think I am sweating too, yet my body feels so cold. Everything is so blurry—Ah. Yes, I am crying.
I look down. Oh, my staff is the ground. When did I drop it?
A hand gently tilts my head up, back to Ike's blurry face. "Vyswe'eyaga… Look at me."
I register a second later that he is calling my name. I open my mouth, but only a distraught sob escapes. Finally, my legs give out, but I don't collapse like I expected to, Ike gently lowers me to the ground. He is kneeling before me, his hands still on my shoulders.
I feel a lump in my throat—I can't speak. Hot tears are streaming down my face. With trembling fingers, I wipe them away, but more keep coming.
This is so embarrassing. Everyone is looking at me.
"It's alright," Ike says. "Just breathe in and out, slowly. You are safe." His words have the opposite effect, and more tears burst out. I am such a mess.
"We, we have to leave," I sniff.
"Vyswe'eyaga," Kayin calls, "what… are you—"
"—We have to leave! Right now!"
Kayin stares at me. The others look among themselves in confusion.
"Please. Anywhere but here… If it finds us, we are… w-we are all going to die—Please!"
"Understood." Ike picks me up as he stands, but my legs still feel shaky, so he sweeps me off my feet, and I find myself cradled in his arms. Then he walks off.
~~~~~~~~~~~
We trek for several more hours down a rocky slope, the mist getting thicker the further we advance. And my anxiety with it.
I know I said we should go anywhere, but I had hoped we would leave this place entirely, never to return again. Why did they have to go deeper into it? Why?
There is something dangerous here, dangerous and chillingly terrifying. And we are heading straight to it. To our death.
I want to scream. I want to plead and beg to leave this place. Even cry if it works. But I don't have a choice. Everyone here is willingly walking into this when they do not need to; they are risking their lives as much as I am. So how selfish will I be to say I want out of this? All I can do is swallow back all my fear.
A light squeeze on my thigh interrupts my train of thought. I reflexively look up before quickly turning away, my embarrassment growing by the second when I remember my situation.
Ike seems focused on walking ahead; maybe he squeezed me without realizing it.
I can't believe I got myself in this position. I, a thirty-five-year-old woman, am being carried like a baby, after crying my eyes out… like a baby. I am so ashamed, I wish I could disappear into a hole and never come back.
And now I don't even dare to ask to be let down. He was kind to me, and I don't want to appear ungrateful or rude, or both. I don't know what to say. And I don't know why I am carried like this by him feels so intimate. I have never been more aware of him right now. I can literally feel the subtle movement of his chest as he breathes, and the light bulge of his arms as he carries me, and—Why do I keep having these strange thoughts around him?! I am a grown woman. I am well past that stage of life, for goodness' sake! Control yourself Vywe'eyaga!
"Is something the matter?" He asks, startling me.
"N-No, no. Everything is fine."
He looks down at me for another second before nodding and focusing forward.
"We will be stopping soon," he says.
I look up, confused. "Why?"
"There is a large body of water down ahead. The path ends there."
He was right.
About half an hour later, the road was blocked by what seemed like a giant lake. Which is strange. There had never been a lake here in the past. Normally, behind these mountains should be the coastal city, Bonaberi. But now, the city has all but disappeared, having been seemingly swallowed by the ocean.
I can accept that the geography may change over time, especially after 6000years. But this is too odd.
I kick the dirt beneath my feet. Some pebbles bounce off and into the water, causing small ripples to spread across the still water and disappear into the mist.
"This is getting more complicated," exclaims N'jobu. He stands next to me and crosses his arms. "Are you sure this is the right direction?"
"Yes," I nod, "that is where the compass points to."
There is a long silence before he speaks again. "How are you feeling?"
"…I'm fine."
"…Glad to hear that." He seems to hesitate before adding, "what, what did you see?"
I do not respond immediately, opting to observe him instead. His arms are wrapped tight around his torso, and his posture is stiff. He must be really anxious about what I saw… Given the meltdown I had. Ah, I really do not want to think about it.
"I think it is best to wait for the rest, I will explain everything then."
Ewa, Gamba, Azikiwe, and Ike went off to scout the area, while Kayin and Sazayi discussing something not far away.
N'jobu nods, accepting my words silently.