chapter 2

The dark hall reeked of blood and death. A cacophony of roars, snarls, and screams reverberated through the air, creating a nightmarish orchestra of chaos. Shambling forms moved in the flickering firelight—hulking, monstrous figures with grotesque features that seemed ripped straight from a fairy tale’s darkest pages.

A group of imps skittered across the floor on spindly limbs. Their sharp claws glinted in the dim light, and their red, beady eyes burned with a feral hunger. Goblins followed in their wake, squat and deformed, their gray-green skin glistening with sweat. They cackled as they swung crude weapons—rusted daggers, clubs studded with nails, and jagged shards of metal.

Behind them, a trio of orcs lumbered forward. Each of these brutish creatures towered over the knights, their skin a sickly shade of green. Their tusks jutted out of wide, snarling mouths, and their muscular arms swung massive axes and spiked maces, crushing anything in their path.

And then there was the minotaur. Standing at 3 meters tall, it was a towering mass of raw muscle and fury. Its bull-like head was crowned with twisted horns, and its snout flared as it let out a thunderous roar. It clutched an enormous battle axe, its blade gleaming with fresh blood. Every step it took seemed to shake the very ground beneath them.

The defenders were being slaughtered. Knights, magicians, and servants alike fell one by one, overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the monstrous horde. Fireballs and lightning bolts streaked through the air as magicians unleashed their magic, but for every monster killed, three more took its place.

Alessandra, Yumi, and Reika stood huddled together, their bodies stiff with fear. They had no weapons, no plan, and nowhere to run. The carnage around them felt unreal, like a twisted dream they couldn’t wake from.

One of the goblins noticed them. Its yellow teeth gleamed as it let out a screeching laugh, raising its jagged dagger as it skulked toward them.

“Stay behind me!” Alessandra ordered, stepping forward. Her sharp eyes darted around for anything she could use. She grabbed a broken bench from the wreckage of the changing room and held it in front of her like a shield.

The goblin lunged, its dagger slamming against the wood with a sickening crunch. Alessandra gritted her teeth and shoved it back, but her makeshift weapon wouldn’t hold for long.

Suddenly, the elven girl, still lying on the ground, raised a weak, trembling hand. Her voice, barely audible, whispered foreign words that resonated in the air.

A glow emerged from the floor, and a small rock spirit materialized beside her. The spirit, no larger than a child, had a stocky, stone body and carried a crude stone shield in its hands. It immediately stepped in front of Alessandra, blocking the goblin’s next attack. The goblin screeched in frustration, only to be struck down by the spirit’s powerful counterattack.

the elven girl fell unconscious again, her body limp and pale.

“That… was magic,” Reika murmured, her dark eyes wide with awe. Her hands shook as she clutched her skirt. It was magic, just like in the books she loved so much. Was this real? Could she do it too?

Their moment of reprieve was short-lived. The horde surged closer, their monstrous forms nearly upon them.

Alessandra struggled to fend them off, using the bench to block strikes from imps and goblins that darted around the rock spirit. An orc swung a club toward her, and she barely ducked in time, the bench splintering from the impact.

Yumi watched helplessly, her breathing ragged as panic set in. Tears blurred her vision as she whispered, “We’re going to die… We’re all going to die…”

But then her eyes fell on the fallen archer knight beside them. His lifeless body lay still, but his bow and a quiver of arrows rested just within reach.

Clenching her fists, Yumi forced herself to move. Her legs felt like lead as she stumbled toward the weapons. She picked up the bow with trembling hands, her breath hitching. Memories of her old archery days came flooding back—the tension of the string, the focus, the precision. But it had been years. Could she even do this?

“Yumi, what are you doing?!” Alessandra yelled, glancing back at her.

Yumi didn’t respond. Her hands shook as she nocked an arrow. She pulled the string back, her arms straining against the unfamiliar weight.

The first shot missed completely, the arrow clattering harmlessly to the ground.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Her glasses fogged with sweat and tears, and she could barely see. Frustrated, she tore them off and tossed them aside. For the first time, her vision cleared. Her nearsighted eyes, freed from the smudged lenses, sharpened like never before. She could see everything—the monsters, the fear etched on Alessandra’s face, the desperate situation they were in.

This time, she focused with all her might. Her breathing steadied as she pulled the string taut again.

“Please… hit,” she whispered.

She released the arrow, and it soared through the air with a sharp whistle. The arrow struck true, embedding itself deep into the eye of an orc. The creature let out a guttural roar, stumbling back as it clawed at its face.

“Got it!” Yumi gasped, her heart pounding with exhilaration and terror.

Alessandra grabbed a fallen shield from the rubble and rushed to stand in front of the girls. “Keep shooting, Yumi! We’ll hold them off!”

Reika, inspired by the scene unfolding before her, clenched her fists. Magic. The elven girl had used magic. Could she? She closed her eyes and focused, trying to imitate the faint words she had heard the girl whisper.

Nothing happened.

“Why isn’t it working?” she muttered, frustration bubbling up.

Then she remembered the novels she loved so dearly. Magic wasn’t just words or gestures—it was imagination, belief, and willpower. Her thoughts raced as she pictured the scene before her: monsters, destruction, fear. What could stop them?

“Lightning,” she murmured, her voice trembling. “I need lightning.”

She raised her hand and imagined it—a crackling bolt of electricity surging through her fingers, striking her enemies with raw, unrelenting power.

Suddenly, a spark flickered at her fingertips. It grew brighter and brighter until a bolt of lightning erupted from her hand, striking an imp directly in its chest. The creature screamed as it was blown backward, smoke rising from its scorched body.

“I… did it,” Reika whispered, staring at her hand in disbelief.

Alessandra smirked despite the chaos. “Not bad, girls. Now let’s keep it up!”

The monsters surged forward again, but this time, the girls fought back ...

The air in the hall was thick with the stench of blood and sweat. The girls had found their rhythm, fighting back against the seemingly endless tide of monsters.

Yumi loosed arrows as quickly as her shaking hands could nock them, each shot growing more precise as her instincts took over. The sight of her arrows piercing through imps and goblins filled her with a fleeting sense of control amidst the chaos.

Reika summoned bolt after bolt of lightning, her strikes surging with raw energy. Though her aim was inconsistent, each successful hit sent monsters convulsing and crashing to the ground.

Alessandra stood at the front, wielding her shield like a bulwark. She bashed goblins aside with the force of desperation, her body straining under the relentless attacks. Every blow she took made her stagger, but she refused to fall.

But it wasn’t enough.

The minotaur stepped forward, its massive frame blocking out the light of the torches. Its furious eyes glowed like embers, its snarls shaking the very air. The girls froze as the beast roared, its massive battle axe slicing through one of its own goblin allies in its path.

The fight paused for a brief, dreadful moment. The girls’ breathing quickened as they realized the truth: they couldn’t defeat it.

“Stay back!” Alessandra yelled, though her voice wavered with exhaustion. She raised her shield, knowing it wouldn’t be enough.

The minotaur lumbered toward them, its hooves shaking the floor with every step. The ground seemed to quake beneath their feet. It swung its axe, narrowly missing Reika, who dove out of the way with a yelp.

“We’re going to die,” Yumi whispered, her legs trembling as her hands went slack.

“No… no! We can’t!” Reika cried out, her voice filled with desperation. She tried to summon another spell, but her hands faltered.

The minotaur raised its axe again, a glint of malice in its fiery eyes.

Suddenly, a blur of movement caught Yumi’s eye.

“What was that?” she muttered.

A figure darted through the chaos, moving like a shadow amidst the carnage. An arm reached out, snatching two daggers from the floor. The figure didn’t stop—it leaped onto the wall, scaling it with cat-like agility, the daggers clenched tightly in its grip.

“Who…?” Reika began, her voice barely a whisper.

Before anyone could react, the figure launched itself off the wall, grabbing onto a chandelier that dangled precariously above the minotaur. The chandelier swung wildly, giving the figure momentum as it let go and hurtled through the air.

The girls watched, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief, as the figure came crashing down onto the minotaur. The daggers drove deep into the beast’s eyes with a sickening crunch, the sheer force of the attack making the monster bellow in agony.

The hall went silent for a heartbeat.

The figure clung to the minotaur’s head, its weight driving the dagger deeper as the beast thrashed in pain.

“Who… is that?” Yumi stammered, her voice trembling with disbelief.

As the figure glanced down, the dim light revealed his face.

“Iryoku…?!” Alessandra gasped.

There he was, grinning defiantly despite the danger. His black hair clung to his sweat-soaked forehead, and his mean-looking eyes were sharp with focus.

“Miss me?” he called out, his voice laced with playful arrogance.

The minotaur roared in fury, shaking its massive head in an attempt to throw Iryoku off. Its berserk rage knew no bounds—it swung its axe wildly, crushing friend and foe alike in its blind fury. Goblins and orcs screeched as they were sent flying, trampled under the beast’s rampage.

Iryoku held on with all his strength, his arms straining as the minotaur bucked like a wild bull. “Fuck!, big guy! You’re not done yet, are you?” he taunted, though his grip on the daggers was beginning to falter.

The girls watched in stunned silence, their fear momentarily forgotten as they processed what was happening.

“He’s insane,” Reika muttered, her voice filled with a mix of awe and exasperation.

“He’s… saving us,” Yumi whispered, clutching her bow tightly.

Alessandra, her shield raised, let out a shaky laugh. “That idiot… he always knows how to make an entrance.”

The minotaur let out another enraged roar, thrashing harder than ever. Iryoku’s presence had turned the tide of the battle, but the fight was far from over. The monstrous horde was still closing in, and their survival hung by a thread.