The cries around Ezra froze him where he stood as the dust dissipated to reveal more monstrosities. Particles of dirt forced him to wheeze as he tried to take deep breaths. He wanted air. He needed air. Taking in another breath, Ezra coughed and leaned against a wooden crate. He gasped, and another explosion went off farther away. The noise rang in his ears, and his mind constricted inward. We killed it. It should be dead. Why? Why isn’t it dead? He felt around his pocket, and his fingers brushed against a golden lighter. The one Malack had given to him. Tears began to form, and Ezra convinced himself the dust was reaching his eyes.

A hand gripped his shoulder and ripped him from the crate. The tears stopped, and a massive creature shattered the tent behind.

“Focus, kid. We’re not going to die here.” Zoe frowned but kept her eyes forward. “Ryan, you need to gather every piece of junk in this camp and do your thing. I want as many people armed as possible.”

She whipped around to find Leo running beside her. His wide-brimmed hat bobbing up and down. “Leo,” she insisted, almost pleading, “I don’t care if you bring the entire workshop down. Start draining that tree till it’s dry.”

He nodded and beelined for the center of camp. Ezra glanced back, hoping to see Audrus, but he could barely make out anything in the chaos.

“It’s not possible to kill all of them,” Caleb said.

Zoe continued to scan ahead. “I know.”

“Then what’s your goal?”

“To live.”

Another section of rusted wall came crashing down. Metallic claws ripped through them like softened wax. The fire began to spread through several tents. Some desperately tried to put it out while others fled.

What’s the point, Ezra wondered. What are they trying to save? Zoe gripped tighter, and he could feel his feet falling behind. A foot slammed on the ground behind them, and Zoe pulled him forward. Wooden splinters exploded into the air, and Ezra, face down, covered the back of his head. Looking up, the beast, neither machine nor organism, towered above.

Bullets pelleted the other side of the creature, and it turned its spindly neck towards the oncoming fire. Several hunters held vibro-crystal guns while Ryan ripped apart a sheet of metal behind them. Every chunk he took off glowed hot white in his hands until it twisted into a bullet.

The beast bore sharp fangs and charged towards the group. Ryan threw down the piece of metal and picked up the massive gun slung on his side. Leaning back, he unloaded a hail of projectiles. Armor flew off from the beast as it continued its assault. Ryan screamed until the sound of his gun drowned out his cries, and the monster’s shrieks filled Ezra’s ears. Not content to let the monster take him, Ryan stormed through the line of hunters. Sweat trickled down his face, and fear didn’t touch him. He slid underneath and blasted the beast’s belly. The creature shook as its internal organs were ripped to shreds. Black and red liquid seeped out, but Ryan kept up his attack. The beast shook violently and without warning exploded into a fiery inferno, taking Ryan with it.

Zoe tugged at Ezra, and he shouted, “Time scale!” The words cracked like his throat was full of sand, and his mind focused on no specific object. He didn’t want to lose someone again. “Time scale!” Still, nothing happened. The laws of the abyss were supposed to be his to shape. “Time scale!” The scene faded into dust, and more mechanical beasts came through the walls.

“We need to go for the hammer,” Caleb yelled. “It’s our only option.”

“No, we need to escape.” Zoe’s hair hung in front of her face as she scanned for an escape route. “Those things came for that beacon. It was some sort of signal. If we leave, they won’t follow us.”

“She’s right,” Milo said. “I saw it myself.”

“It was in the Lumber Catcher,” Ezra added.

“But what about Leo?” Caleb’s question made Zoe pause. “Or Audrus. Are we going leave them behind?”

“We’ll clear an escape route and then come back. That’s our only option.” Zeo coughed and then continued forward.

Caleb grabbed her shoulder. “But if we use the hammer…”

“That’s our last resort. You know what happens when it’s used.”

Hesitation crossed Caleb’s face, and he bit his lip in frustration.

Dried wood shattered, and a deafening crack whipped across the encampment. Leaves, sapped of all their moisture, fell around them, crunching as people stampeded towards the perimeter.

“Leo’s done. It’s coming down!” Zoe sprinted with the rest of the crowd, and Ezra felt compelled to do the same.

He didn’t dare look back for fear of getting crushed. A roaring boom and dust flying past his face signaled the tree had fallen. Finally turning, he saw darkened wood erupting into flames as soon as it touched a glowing ember. Several silver monsters were crushed under the gigantic trunk, their electronics and gory innards staining the ground.

The whole camp stood still for what felt like minutes until a white beam of energy flowing with green lighting burst forth from the base of the tree. The metal beasts melted on contact as the energy swept over half the camp. Ezra felt his face burning from the heat. Suddenly, the white flame winked out of existence. The several beasts left looked up as if expecting another deadly beam. After a brief moment of confusion, they all focused on the same spot.

Within seconds, the center of the camp was filled with writhing fleshy machines. Ezra’s lip quivered at the thought of Leo in the center of it, and Caleb shuddered as he took in a strained breath.

“Now’s our chance,” Zoe solemnly said. “We can escape and take the people to a safer place.”

“You knew this would happen. Didn’t you?” Sorrowful rage filled Caleb’s voice. “You sent him there to die.”

“I made a choice, and he accepted. As sky-seekers, we face death with pride. Would you have done the same?”

Caleb fell silent as he stared down at his trembling hands. “What about Audrus?”

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Ezra glared at Zoe. His stare demanded her to give a better answer. No more people need to die. He wanted to say that to her, but what could he do? Nothing came to mind and softened his gaze. I’m no different.

“He’ll make it out. He always does.” With that, she began to toward the collapsed wall.

They were almost out, and a clear path lay ahead. Among the crowd, Ezra spotted someone that looked familiar. A man with graying hair and round glasses smudged with machine oil held something in his hands. It was Hugo, Ezra realized. The mechanic was hunched over, holding something in a blanket. Barely, through the thin fabric, Ezra saw a scarlet light slowly flashing.

“He has the beacon.” Ezra declared as Zoe spun to see where he pointed.

Her wide eyes frantically took in her surroundings until she located the red light. As soon as she locked onto Hugo, he started running. Carrying a heavy object, he wasn’t able to get far before she jumped on top of him like a feral animal.

“I’m your employer.” He pleaded as he tried to hold onto the beacon. “Get off me this instant.”

She finally ripped the object from his hands and was ready to chuck it as he bit her leg. She kicked him, and he went flying into a collapsed tent. Blood trickled down Hugo’s face as he slowly got up.

“I need that. It attracts them. I know. But that is why it’s so valuable. Think of the capabilities it would give me in my research. I could advance biotech sciences by hundreds of years. Learn to harness the power the ancients took for granted. You're holding our future in your hands.”

He lunged at her, and she tossed the beacon towards the center of camp. But it was too little too late. The remaining beasts were already approaching. Ezra knew he should run, but that would only be a temporary solution. His heart pounded, knowing every second he stayed reduced his chances of survival. Move, he screamed at himself. Move!

“Leave now!” A voice shouted from the distance. Ezra expected it to be Zoe’s but it wasn’t. It was Audrus. “You have five seconds to leave. I’m talking to both you and the beasts.”

In his hands, he held Malack’s hammer. Zoe stared in disbelief, and she covered her mouth as she trembled. She almost looked sad. But why, Ezra wondered.

“Five, four, three.” Caleb pulled Zoe along, and on instinct, Ezra started running. “Two.” Electricity crackled. “This is for you, old friend. One!”

Lightning streaked overhead, and light brighter than the lighthouses at midnight surrounded the camp. As Ezra glanced back, he saw Audrus along with the beasts enveloped in the hammer’s energy, and as quickly as it appeared, so too did it leave. Most of the camp lay untouched, but Audrus and the beasts were gone.

“Why,” Ezra muttered. “How?”

It was Caleb who answered. “It was Malack’s skill. All those years fighting, and never once did he release the energy he had built up in his hammer. At some point, it becomes too much energy for one person to handle.” He sat down next to Ezra and stared out at the rubble. “And I was too much of a coward to use it.”

“We thought we were brave, but the abyss doesn’t see it that way.” Ezra glanced back at the crowd of people. He recognized the old woman who had given Audrus food. At least some are favored by the abyss. His eyes widened as he remembered Sylvia and Emma. He scanned the crowd but couldn’t find them. “No. No, it can’t be.” He stood up and began walking towards the camp. I have to find them.

“Where are you going?” Caleb called after him.

He kept looking, turning over charred pieces of wood and ripping tent fabric to pieces. They had to be here. Mud, oil, and blood caked on his shoes, but he kept going. To the next tent and then the next one. Under every piece of wood, sheet of metal, or collapsed tree he searched until finally he reached the medical tent. In front of its door, a woman and her child lay on the ground. Sylvia had wrapped herself around Emma but neither of them was moving.

Dirt marred their faces, and an ugly gash ran down Sylvia’s back. Ezra bent down, hoping to see any sign of life, but there was none. He peeled Syliva’s arms from Emma and laid the little girl out. There were no major injuries that he could see, but still, she wasn’t breathing.

Caleb slowed to a jog as he approached the scene. “What are you…” He paused upon seeing Ezra hunched over the two bodies.

“You can heal her. Can’t you?” Ezra pleaded as his throat grew tighter. “I saw you do it with Zoe. Please. Please heal her. At least the girl.”

Caleb frowned as he bent down to examine Emma. A warm glow appeared around his hand as he moved it over her chest. “She’s dead. I can’t.”

Ezra’s hands shook as he considered Caleb’s words. “Sky-seekers aren’t bound by the rules of man or the abyss.”

“Death binds us all.” The words came out slowly as if even Caleb didn’t want to admit them. He stood up and began to leave the camp. “We should leave. We don’t know how many are out there. If we’re lucky, the third layer will let us in if we have Hugo’s clearance.”

There had to be something. Something he could do. So many people died today. So many he couldn’t save. He pulled out his pocket and pulled up his skill screen.

Skill [Time Scale]

When activated, the user can push time forward or backward for one inanimate object of their choosing. The effects last as long as the user has not selected another object. Time can be changed up to 30 seconds at the current level. [Rank up available at Level 30]

May you mold your future with careful consideration of the past.

The words inanimate object stood out as if to mock him. To tell him there was a chance only to rip that hope away. There were always so many limits and requirements. Sky-seekers were promised freedom, but the system was far from it. I don’t need the system to give me freedom.

He pulled out the Thorin-sphere and ran his fingers over its glossy silver surface. Ever since the day he had found it, he wondered what secrets it was hiding. He closed his eyes and imprinted every detail of it into his mind. He had only pushed objects backward in time, never forward, but that wasn’t a limit placed on him.

“Time-scale.”

The Thorin-sphere started to vibrate, and the screen flashed between red, green, and blue. He kept pushing as far as his ability would allow him until suddenly, the Thorin-sphere became still. The words on the screen read:

Clearance Level Five Activated

He didn’t know how much time he had, so he acted fast and pressed the Thorin-sphere against Emma’s chest. If it can absorb materials at level one, why not more at level five? Soon, her chest began to rise. He clicked through the menus and saw a crimson square in his inventory.

Fatal injury Lvl 3

It worked. It actually worked. Ezra marveled until the Thorin-sphere suddenly became hot, and he dropped it to the ground. Emma began to cough as air filled her lungs and warmth returned to her skin.

Caleb rushed back to Ezra as he heard another life. “How? You don’t even have a healing skill.”

“I…” Ezra stumbled over his words, still in disbelief at what he had done. “I broke the rules of the abyss.”

Emma opened her eyes and stared up at the canopy of fluorescent lights above. She truely was alive. Wonderfully and beautifully alive.

End of Arc 2: Living by Our Own Rules