A while ago, Adrian and Winnie were hiding in a shelter made by Tiffany, which was about 300 meters away from the battleground. The ground was shaking from the spells and the clashes of swords sent shock waves through the air. They were scared when they heard their mother screaming "No!" However, because Tiffany told them not to come out no matter what, they stayed inside the shelter.
A moment later, they saw their mother hurried to the shelter and picked up a first aid kit. "Keep hiding in the shelter, do NOT come out!" said Tiffany to the children while she dashed back to Bob. She planned to perform first aid on Bob away from the children to keep them safe.
However, the children did not listen to Tiffany because they saw her covered in blood. They struggled to walk through the forest toward their mother’s direction. The spells Levitation and Enhance Strength allowed their parents to move fast on treetop. The Stoneskin spell made them impervious to sharp branches. However, for the children, casting those spells would drain all of their stamina in a few minutes. Walking through roots, branches, tall grasses, shrubs was challenging. A sharp branch could easily cut them and big root trunks were difficult to climb over. Adrian walked in front of Winnie. He did his best to step on the tall grasses and flatten the ground as he advanced so it would be slightly easier for Winnie to walk pass. Using his short sword, Adrian also cut off sharp branches that blocked their way.
It took a while for the children to reach their parents. There was an open area with fallen trees and flatten ground resulted from the fight between Bob and the Behemoth. The sound of N fighting Levi could be heard from there. Each of their spells and sword clashes contained so much Mana that the ground was shaking and the air was vibrating with shock waves. Sway Stone Bullets and flying slashes hit the trees around them from time to time. From afar, Adrian and Winnie saw Tiffany crying while trying to stop Bob’s bleeding. They immediately ran to their parents and started crying.
"Do you have anything to say to your dad?" Tiffany asked the children.
"Is dad going to be okay?" asked Winnie.
"No, he is not... If you have anything to say, say it now. He can still hear you, but he can’t talk anymore." Tiffany did her best to speak clearly.
Winnie knelt down, held his hand in hers and weeped, "Dad, you can’t leave us..."
Suddenly, the Leviathan and the Behemoth showed themselves one by one not far from the family and extended their Aura. Tiffany immediately extended her Divine Power to protect Bob and the children from the immense pressure.
Tiffany, Adrian, and Winnie looked upon the godly beasts in awe. Winnie looked back down, gripping her father’s hand tightly as she fought back tears. "Dad…."
"Two godly beasts at the same time? Is this the end?" Tiffany felt totally hopeless. She held onto the other hand of her husband and closed her eyes. "Our ancestors, if you’re still there, please help us." She prayed to her ancestors.
Adrian looked at his dying father; then shifted his gaze to the two godly beasts that towered over them behind the trees; then, he looked at his mother and his sister. His chest throbbed. He closed his eyes and started thinking. He wanted a way to save his father and his family. In a few seconds, it was as if his whole life flashed before him. He remembered that time when his father made toys for him; that time after he cut his fingertip, Tiffany gave him a bandage; there was another time, Bob scolded him for hitting Winnie when they fought over a toy; he also remembered his time in prison a few days ago. Lastly, Adrian remembered the cleric telling him that if he prayed to Goddess Liliana, she would answer. Then, he suddenly prayed. "Goddess Liliana, please help us, where are you when I need you?"
Adrian suddenly felt himself falling into the sky. In a few seconds, he saw ground above him and was falling into it. Adrian then felt an invisible force caught him and slowly put him down onto the ground safely.
"That piece of sheet is not going to help you." A woman in a white dress said haughtily. "But, I can."
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
"No foul language in front of children." A man wearing a black robe next to a water fountain scolded the woman.
"I said sheet!" the woman responded without any remorse; and the man rolled his eyes.
Adrian suddenly found himself standing in a garden. Winnie was sitting on the ground next to him, who stood up after noticing where she was. The children could hear the water fountain, smell the flowers and hear the wind blowing on the tree leaves. The warmth of the sun was very comfortable compared to the cold morning rain earlier. It was a calm serene place, unlike what they were experiencing just seconds earlier.
Adrian looked around and asked. "What is this place?"
"This is a space inside Mana; or more specifically inside the two of you." The man answered. "Siblings often share the same space. Isn't that your home?"
Adrian and Winnie looked at where the man was pointing at, and they could see the house they left behind a few days ago. Sadly, that was no longer their home.
"Demons! They just insulted Goddess Liliana!" Adrian realized after he rearranged his thoughts.
"We can save your father. However, to work with us, you will have to believe in us and forsake Liliana. If you want to save your father, the two of you, hold hands." The woman told the children.
"No. I will not follow a demon’s orders." said Adrian without a thought. "Why are we here? What do you want?" Adrian quickly moved in front of Winnie to protect her from the demons.
The woman and the man looked at each other. Then the woman spoke, "True, from your point of view, we are demons. However, would you let your father die? We are your ancestors and we are only here because of your intense will to save him."
"We will leave now if you insist." The man added.
"Please save dad, Adrian, please?" Winnie said with a begging voice. She pulled Adrian’s sleeves and looked at him with red eyes and tears all over her tiny face.
Just several days ago, Adrian promised himself to never betray the Goddess. He thought demons were always evil, greedy and could easily be bought with money or temptations. "What is temptation? Is my wish to save Dad a temptation?"
"Are the demons trying to tempt me? What do they want in return?"
"What do you want in return for saving dad? Why are you trying to help?" Adrian asked.
"Nothing. Do we need a reason to save our children and descendants?" The man answered.
"I don't believe you. I don't know you, you must have some hidden agenda." Adrian insisted.
"If we need a reason, is love toward our children not enough?" The man asked back.
"Aren't demons always greedy and evil? Why are they talking about love? What are demons anyway? Are people evil demons just for not believing in the Goddess?" Adrian wondered. "Even if they are evil and are really tempting me using Dad, should I watch Dad die in order to stay true with the Goddess? Well, why am I staying true to the Goddess anyway?"
Adrian continued to think. "To go to Heaven? Do people stay true to the Goddess just to go to Heaven? Well, if Heaven is full of people who would watch their fathers die without doing a thing, do I still want to go there?"
Adrian looked into Winnie’s eyes and smiled. "Ok, let’s save dad." He held hands with Winnie, who happily nodded at her brother with tears and snot on her face.
After seeing Adrian and Winnie holding hands, the woman continued. "We will forcibly awaken the inherited skill, Resurrection, in the two of you. It is beyond an Advanced skill. Both of you are still young, you do not have enough Mana to complete casting the spell. However, it should be enough to keep him alive until he arrives."
"Who's he?" Winnie asked as the man cleaned her face with a handkerchief.
"Your cousin. I know you have a lot of questions, but your father is dying. Let’s get started and talk next time." The woman smiled as she put her hands on top of the children’s head. The children nodded.
At this moment, the man also put his hands on the top of the children’s heads.
All of a sudden Adrian began falling into the sky again and soon he was sent back to the forest in the mountain. Adrian and Winnie were kneeling next to Bob, holding hands with each other. Silver colored Aura extended from them, covering Bob’s body. Silver Sparkles filled the air.
"Resurrection!" Adrian and Winnie said at the same time with their eyes glowing with silver light. Magical glyphs in silver color appeared on the children’s arms and bodies. Slowly, the sword on Bob’s chest was pulled out. His wound was slowly closed by stitches made of silver colored aura. The bleeding slowed. During the process, the children’s breathing got heavier and heavier.
"Relax, keep breathing. Let us handle the surgery." Adrian and Winnie could hear the voice from the black robed man.
"Just keep on breathing." the woman in white dress also said to the children.
"Thank you, our ancestors!" Tiffany closed her eyes and prayed for a second. Tears were dripping from her eyes. Then, suddenly, her facial expression changed. She pulled out her sword, readied her shield and stood between her family and the godly beasts.
After about a minute, the children collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. They both coughed occasionally, looking extremely exhausted.