Tiami panted as her palms stung with pain. After sending off that last blast of ice, her hands felt like she’d dunked them into a hot tub, cold to the point of burning. With another gasp for air, she pushed herself off the ground. Her jacket was covered in so much soot and dust that it’d be pointless to brush it off.
In front of her, a cougar corpse began to transform into smoke as usual, joining its kin. She didn’t expect to be nearly swarmed by them.
“Are you alright, Tiami?” Caexil helped to steady her. She liked to lean her head on his broad shoulders, even if he wasn’t much cleaner than her. Although they weren’t close before the monsters started appearing, he later became a trusted friend. He happened to be jogging at the park while she worked on shift as a ranger when the world fell to pieces. It was a stroke of pure luck.
She tried to smile. “I’m just a bit tired. No need to worry.” Clinging a little closer, Tiami took deep breaths to slow her rapid heartbeat. Lately, they’ve been spending more time together, away from the other survivors. Although she wanted to enjoy the moment, it’s not smart to stay separated from the others for long.
He frowned. “How much aura do you have left?” His concern warmed part of her heart while the rest felt guilty.
“Enough to get back to Vinayre. I’ll take a long rest once we’re there.” To prove it, Tiami shifted her weight off him and stumbled a bit.
Caexil gently pulled her back closer to him. “It’s fine, don’t strain yourself. Besides, if you die, I’m pretty much fucked. Do you think an accountant can survive outside his office for long?”
She giggled, remembering his deer-in-headlights expression in the past. “You did a pretty good job smacking that flesh-eating badger with your water bottle. Looked pretty cool even with all the screaming.”
“Not everyone can keep a straight face like you all the time.” Smiling sheepishly, he gave her a teasing nudge. “Remember how you stomped that snake-rat thing to death? I didn’t think snakes could scream. You’re really impressive, you know that right?”
Tiami looked away, cheeks warming with happiness. “You’re alright too, I guess. But we can’t get too cocky or we’ll end up dead. Let’s keep watching each others’ backs.”
Caexil sighed, “Of course.” Falling back into silence, they kept their ears pricked for any strange noises to prevent monsters from sneaking up on them. For the next couple of minutes, their walk back to Vinayre stayed quiet with only the river rushing beside them.
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A loud crash of water startled them, sending a spray of mist through the air. Upon turning towards the river, they saw a man with black hair and tanned skin bobbing on the surface. His eyes were shut, and it was hard to tell if he was breathing. Then the current pushed him beneath the surface.
“Oh my God!” Tiami yelled and reached out with a hand. Concentrating on the flowing water, she willed it to gather around the unconscious man and lift him onto the riverbank next to them. She examined him and found blood staining the back of his head. He wasn’t breathing.
With her first aid training, she managed to resuscitate him. Caexil removed his coat and wrapped it around the unconscious man. Between the two of them, they carried him back to city hall which they had claimed as shelter. They rested him upon a spare cot and waited for him to wake.
It was around dinner time when she finally heard sounds of movement from the cot. Caexil had left to scour the library for medical texts, so Tiami was writing down observations about the area they just explored today by herself. She set down her pen and went to check on the stranger.
The man looked dazed enough that she was worried about a possible concussion. When he finally noticed her, he croaked out a quiet question laced with fear, “Equinox?”
She scrunched her brow, totally confused. “I’m sorry?”
His expression relaxed, but he still looked out of it. “Oh, never mind. Where am I?”
“You’re in Vinayre, sir. My name is Tiami. My friend and I found you in the river near here. Do you remember how you got there?” Pulling up a chair, she sat next to the cot.
He blinked a few times. “There was this goddess called Equinox. She did some magic to push me through the portal. Did she also push you here?”
Tiami frowned, folding her hands tightly in her lap. While she was concerned about a concussion, she also wondered if he’s possibly telling the truth. Their powers from aura seemed to be enough proof that the supernatural exist in this world. “No, she didn’t. Do you know why she pushed you?”
“She said I had …something.” He shook his head and then winced, clutching at it. “Agh, that hurts.”
“Please take it easy. I need to check if you have a concussion. May you please try to watch my finger?” Holding a finger up and tracking his eye movements, Tiami pretty easily confirmed this man had the classic symptoms of a concussion. “You do show signs of it. Take it easy for now, and I’ll stay with you to make sure things are okay. Do you remember your name and where you’re from?”
He replied, “I’m Van, and I’m from L.A. Where is Vinayre? I’ve never heard of it.”
She tried to reassure him with a smile. “It was a small city in Siloquill. Pretty nice place before all the monsters showed up. We’ve got plenty of survivors though, so don’t worry. We protect each other.”
His brown eyes widened. “M-monsters?” Van clutched at his blankets, knuckles white. Although there’s still a layer of stupor to his expression, there’s a very real sense of fear.
“Yeah, there seems like a lot to catch you up on.”