(EVE)

“Come on, we have to keep moving!” I heard Ryla yell through the buffeting wind. “There has to be some place we can take shelter close by!”

In the few days since I had awakened, I learned first hand just how different the Borderlands were from common sense.

Sure, my parents had told me plenty of stories from their days as adventurers about this place, but the bizarre and wondrous stories I loved to hear about as a kid didn’t come close to the real thing.

In simplest terms, the Borderlands were a sandy hell.

The weather was unpredictable, sometimes it was perfectly sunny with a slight breeze, then it would suddenly change into an excruciating heat, then just as fast it would turn cold as ice. I had to admit, I really missed the comfort of just staying somewhere with four walls. Hell, I’d settle for just one climate.

If that wasn’t bad enough, we had seen many beasts that were nearly as dangerous as the random weather. Dire wolves, sand worms with sharp teeth that burrowed under the sand like it was made of air, camouflaged snakes that must have been at least forty feet long yet were invisible to even mana senses until they wanted to be seen, and that was just to name the ones we’d encountered, and they didn’t even come close to the worst the Borderlands had to offer if what Ryla said is true.

I have to admit, when she was first explaining the upcoming journey, I had my doubts that a hellscape like this could exist. Surely the gods couldn’t have created a place like this.

But now? I think she held back the worst of it to keep us from running away. We had seen hundreds of mutilated corpses, dried and fresh gore, weapons and gear spewn around, and much more all buried in the sands, almost as if the monsters had been hunting for sport. Well, it’s not like people do anything different to the monsters.

‘If we didn’t have Ryla to guide us, would we have ended up like them? There’s no way Amelia and I could have made the decisions she has thus far.’ I thought to myself, as my eyes stayed glued to the back of the person my thoughts were about.

‘I should really talk to her when I can, there’s no telling what she’s going through right now.’

“Eve, do you need some help?” I heard Amelia shout next to me in my ear, though it sounded quiet and muffled in the torrential winds.

I hadn’t realized while in my thoughts, but they had started to slow down so I wouldn’t fall too far behind.

“No, I’m sorry I was just busy thinking.” Secretly cursing myself in my mind for bringing them down.

“I know you haven’t fully recovered yet, come on let me help you.” Not waiting for my response, she already began to lift my arm up across her shoulder.

Irritation bubbled up inside me, but I pushed it away. I knew she meant well. I nodded a thank you towards her, before we began to pick up our pace again, hoping to find some sort of shelter soon.

We had kept our now quickened pace up, for an unknown amount of time. After all, it was impossible to keep track of time when the sand blocked out the sky from the wind and the sun seemed to be overhead far longer than a normal day.

“There’s a cave up ahead, we’ll take cover over there until the weather clears.” Ryla said, as she pointed off in the distance.

I used mana to enhance my vision, and could barely make out the outline of what I assumed must be a cave.

‘Finally, we’ll be able to get some rest.’ Even with mana augmenting my movement, my body was a wreck. Everything was so dry and I swear I even had sand between my joints. .

~~~~~~~~

As we got closer to the cave, I could feel the energy in my body begin to resurface and I gently removed my arm from Amelia’s shoulder, making sure to pat her thankfully, before running towards the cave.

I heard Ryla try to yell out something from behind me, but her voice was lost in the wind.

Then before I knew it, I reached the entrance to the cave. Ryla and Amelia quickly on my hills.

“Don’t run off like that, we don’t know what’s out here!”

“I’m sorry, I had sent a pulse of wind through it when I got close and detected nothing," I lied. "I'm happy we found cover, can we rest here?"

Ryla studied me for a long moment then took a deep breath. As she exhaled the area around us shimmered like heat waves and drifted towards Ryla. It twisted around her before silently vanishing within. She kept watching me with an eyebrow raised.

She had been reducing the effects of the storm around us this entire time. I couldn't begin to imagine how taxing that had been nor how much mana something like that required. Wait, that means she would have known if I searched with my own mana while in her field.

My face burned in embarrassment and I averted my eyes.

She laughed softly, "It's alright. Yes, this place seems safe to rest in. At least for the time being. Would you two start a fire while I settle my mana."

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"Are you mana strained?" I hurriedly asked, worried.

If she mana strained herself, by overusing her mana heart, we could be here for days while she recovers and is unable to use mana. It would have been protecting us from the harsh conditions here too. I couldn't help but feel guilty about complaining earlier.

She shook her head, "I used a lot so I'm going to give it time to rest so that doesn't happen."

I breathed a sigh of relief and bowed slightly, “Thank you.”

She smiled softly at the gesture. “Hurry with the fire, the temperature will drop soon.”

I hurried off without another word. Amelia, of course, had already laid out all our gear. Now she was creating a fire pit humming an unfamiliar tune to herself. To someone else she must seem rather content given everything that has happened. But I knew that wasn’t true, I had been with her long enough to notice the minor differences in her actions, her motions, her very demeanor.

I kneeled down beside her, causing her to stiffen for a moment, then she went back to placing the stones like nothing happened. I watched her for a bit without saying anything, taking in her stuttery movements, the slight tremor in her hands. I reached down and placed my hand on the stone she was struggling to straighten and helped her out. We worked for a while in silence but it was comfortable and a nice change of pace from our torturous walk across hell.

Amelia took first watch when we finally settled down to get some sleep despite Ryla’s insistence that she would. Ryla actually giving in proved just how tired she truly was. I knew I wouldn’t win an argument about me taking it so I just grumbled to myself until I fell asleep.

I woke up what must have been a few hours later because my first sight was Ryla’s back offset by the moonlit sky peeking in from the entrance.

‘Was she always that small?’

My eyelids started drooping again when the air shifted. Ryla was on her feet with shadows roiling out of her, filling the cave entrance.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Amelia asked, standing up from where she was probably lying awake the whole time.

I too was confused as I didn’t hear or see anything, until Ryla said something.

“Blood.”

I began to focus my senses, and immediately caught the scent that had been all too familiar to me.

“What should we d….”

I tried to ask, before an ear splitting yell rang out from deeper within the cave that sent a chill down my spine.

I wanted to try and run immediately, but my legs wouldn’t move. I looked over, and saw they were both in the same situation. Then as I looked at Ryla’s face I knew we were in a bad situation.

I could hear it walking through the cave towards us, it’s footsteps sounding like bombs going off.

Before I saw what it was, I saw two glowing red eyes floating in the darkness, then it made itself known.

I felt a fresh wave of fear run throughout my body, as my blood turned cold.

Towering over us was a black Minotaur. It had massive scars all across its massive muscles, showing it had battled and came out on top of many adventures.

‘How had we not sensed this monster before?!’

Both of us just stared at each other for what felt like eternity before, it let out another roar signaling the start of the battle.

I quickly nocked an arrow, and fired but the arrow just splintered off its hardened skin.

I imbued mana into my legs to try and quickly put distance between us. But I had a sudden realization.

‘My mana’s gone?! But that’s impossible!’ I felt fear take over me, as I saw the Minotaur begin to charge towards me.

I tried to think of what I could do, before I felt something barrel into me.

I quickly looked up as I fell to the ground, and saw Ryla standing over me.

“Snap out of it Eve, we nee…..”

I watched as blood shot out from her chest and onto my face as a large black horn pierced through her.

I could only look, as the Minotaur raised her up on its horn. Before taking one hand to grab her by the waist and the other by her neck.

It felt like the entire world slowed down, as the Minotaur ripped her apart. Only her upper torso was left on its horn, her blood pouring out across its face and body.

It snorted before tossing her lower half and head right in front, her head rolling next to my leg.

I looked into her lifeless eyes, and was frozen.

“Eve, come on we have to go!” Amelia shouted at me immediately.

I looked up, and saw Amelia charging towards the Minotaur.

“No! Amelia don’t!” Trying to stop her, but it was too late.

I watched the Minotaur turn immediately and back hand her into the side of the cave. Hearing her bones break as blood began to pour from her mouth.

I watched as the minotaur, like a gleeful hunter, stalked towards Amelia's writhing form.

Tears streamed down my face as I rapidly fired arrows into the Minotaurs back, but they all just splintered off its back until I ran out of arrows.

‘Come on just one more time, please work.’ Trying my hardest to call on my mana.

But it was no use, it was all gone like I was the same girl I was back in the village.

I could do nothing but watch as the Minotaur towered over Amelia.

Then I saw Amelia smile, and an ice spike shot out from the wall of the cave aimed directly at the Minotaur's head.

The Minotaur quickly dodged out of the way, and Amelia quickly rolled away.

“No!” I quickly screamed out.

The Minotaur caught her in the middle of her roll by the leg, and quickly whipped her back.

My words meant nothing, as Amelia’s body was pierced by the spike she had just formed on the wall.

Blood poured from her mouth as she went limp.

Amelia was dead.

The scene kept switching in my eyes, the village, the cave. It was all the same, I was too weak to stop it, I was too weak to save anyone. I haven’t changed at all.

Footsteps approached me, but I didn’t care. I had lost everything. My family, my friends, my home, Kalan, Ryla, Amelia. It was all gone.

‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’ I thought to myself as I looked up at the Minotaur.

Its hand quickly descended down towards me, and I closed my eyes ready to accept my fate.

But nothing came, and when I opened my eyes I found myself somewhere I had never seen, and had never heard of from any books I’d read.

‘Where am I?’ I thought to myself as I watched bluish grass sway back and forth.

“Find your freedom.”

A voice suddenly rang out.

Startled, I quickly began looking in all directions, but nobody was there.

“Who’s there? What do you mean by ``find my freedom?”

But no answer came.

My mind began to swirl, as I tried to piece everything together.

‘How did I get here? What happened to Amelia and Ryla? What’s going on?!’ Feeling like I was starting to go insane.

Then everything disappeared and I found myself sinking into a pit of darkness before I closed my eyes.

“Eve, Eve! Wake up!”

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

“You were screaming in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare? Are you okay?” Her hold on my hand tightened.

‘Oh thank the Heavens, it was just a dream.’ Quickly embracing Amelia into a hug.

“It’s okay, I’m fine. I’m sorry I startled you.”

Amelia gave no effort in hiding her expression of doubt, but seemed to decide against prying further.

“Well if you say so, you still have a few hours to sleep before it’s your turn to go on watch. You should try and go back to sleep.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep after that, but I decided to do what she said and went back to laying down.

I could feel her back against mine, as she laid back down next to me. And I felt relief wash over me, knowing it was all a dream.

‘I don’t know what I’d do without the two of you.’ I thought to myself, before my mind shifted back to what was said.

‘Find your freedom…’.