The cafeteria crumbled apart as the putrid smell of sulphur filled the air.
Falling rocks and debris crushed many, though most were saved by the pre-installed protection systems of the school.
Looking around, the world of Pangea, as it once was, had completely changed. The sky was now smeared with red, with an enormous rift in reality stretching across the blood-red expanse, its ominous energy radiating untold horrors beyond it. Instantly, the students, who had been laughing at the comedic scene moments before, were thrust into a doomsday scenario, too terrified to move a muscle.
The chaos only amplified as another rift appeared, this one smaller than the first but still terrifying, right between Temp and Lucia. From it, a horned, humanoid beast, towering above both of them, clawed its way out.
Temp, whose fear of losing Lucia greatly overshadowed any primal fear the cracks in reality could instil in him, threw a quick right jab at the manifesting demon, landing square in its grotesquely disfigured face, disorienting it. Grabbing Lucia by the wrist, he was the first who, despite his introverted nature, sprang into action. “Evacuation protocol, NOW!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Professors and students instantly registered the reality of the situation, following the planned evacuation routine to a tee, though a bit more disorderly than their usual drills—and much more chaotic. As the Elf mages and Fairy healers assembled in the centre of the formation, huddled around Lucia, who Temp had unceremoniously dragged to the first professor he could find.
The Dwarf and Human knights quickly followed, protecting the non-combatant Gnomes along the way, organising themselves to ensure the civilians were at the very centre of the circle, followed by the important backline of damage-dealing Elves, supporting Fairies, and Lucia. The tanky Dwarves formed the frontline, while humans were slotted in wherever they were specialised, serving as jacks of all trades. Temp, a non-combatant, was placed at the centre of the formation, directly behind Lucia.
As the entire formation organised themselves and began summoning their Familiars, Temp was the only one who could not, for his was too weak and frail—being an infant dragon, the weakest of all. But, if raised to adulthood, would become menacing harbingers of doom.
Lucia herself summoned her elusive Phoenix—instantly raising the average temperature in the hall by a couple of degrees—and at the same time began chanting her signature spell, Fissure, which would burn the very ground she targeted, leaving nothing but ashes in her wake.
***
After what seemed like an eternity, another burst of immolating heat scorched the earth below, incinerating yet another vile demon along with its abominable companions. “There’s just too many!” Lucia shouted, exhausted as she tapped into what seemed like her endless reserves of mana. Her Familiar Phoenix wreaked havoc on the hordes of demons, burning everything to a crisp before disappearing into the warmth of its summoner’s soul.
The rift had closed long ago, and along with it, many more demons clawing through its unsettling depths. However, the many surviving demons still roamed about the once-grand halls of the cafeteria.
Temp, in the chaos of the battle, found himself inadvertently cut off from the safety of the group. As the formation of the battle shifted in order to protect the retreating injured frontline, a momentary distraction—a misstep—and the protective circle around him was broken, leaving him isolated and vulnerable in the face of the many advancing demons.
Thus far, he had neglected the use of his Unique Ability. Though a regular civilian, his Unique Ability was still an incredible boon, granting him a fivefold increase in strength, speed, and durability while also granting him some powers of his future self—essentially harnessing his fully realised potential powers. But the drawbacks were equally horrible. He’d experienced them firsthand when he first enrolled in the Schwertwache sword school back in the countryside when he was still young and naive. He had wanted to stand on par with Lucia—not as a magician, but as her knight in shining armour, protecting the damsel from any dangers they may face in the future.
His dreams were abruptly shattered the first time he used his Unique Ability.
Temp picked up a sword from the ground, a remembrance of a fellow student. Facing a demon, he swung his sword in a horizontal slash, moving as if the lightweight steel sword was a heavy tungsten greatsword, moving his entire body along its path. He managed to barely cut his horned foe in half. ‘May your soul find peace,’ he prayed for his departed schoolmate. Two more demons approached from his flank, and Temp, oblivious to their surprise attack, fell prey to one of their lunges. Its claws sinking deep into his right forearm.
For a moment, all Temp could think of was the blinding pain. He froze, momentarily stunned by the demon’s attack. But that was all the demon needed to prepare another devastating blow. With its claws still embedded in his forearm, it opened its mouth wide, showcasing pristine white jagged teeth, and sank them straight into Temp’s left shoulder. A sharp pain exploded through his body, dragging his mind back to that horrific day—the day he first used his Unique Ability. The brutal scene of the Dwarf’s battered body flashed in his memory, the sheer terror of what he’d done, and the vow he made to never use his Unique Ability again.
As more blood flowed from the two grievous wounds, Temp, who was covered in dust and blood—both his and foreign origin—steeled himself. He brought the cool steel of the sword above his head, using gravity to accelerate the sword, cutting the demon cleanly in half.
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A familiar voice whispered to Temp, its allure breaking his laser focus for a moment. ‘Use me.’
Shaking his head, Temp hardened his will, not relenting to the temptations of his future self, clenching his bloody, uncalloused hands around the leather grip of the sword until his knuckles turned white.
Feeling the thick, warm liquid flow down his arms, Temp tried to take a breath and assess his current circumstance.
Just as he did, the second, larger demon swung at him with its mighty claws. Temp, with the image of the broken and battered Dwarf etched into his memory, stayed true to his word and did not use his Unique Ability. He tried his best to defend against the sudden ambush of his adversary.
Letting out a sharp shriek, the demon’s long claws sliced across his abdomen. Students in the group finally diverted their attention to their bloody comrade, who was locked in combat with his enemy.
Lucia’s face paled at the discovery. She’d been so immersed in the scale of the battle that she lost sight of the one thing precious to her in this bleak world, rendered unable to even help due to her empty mana reserves. A few students channelled mana into their hamstrings and quadriceps, determined to save their recent drama protagonist in a burst of speed before quickly reuniting with the enclave. However, the professors in the group forbade it, physically blocking the others from trying anything, urging the body to move forward without looking back, to preserve the lives of as many students as possible—leaving the unfortunate Temp to fend for himself. Lucia tried to object, her vocal cords betraying her as she opened her mouth in protest, no words coming out due to her exhausted throat, a result of the many taxing spells she had cast.
***
Lucia was not one to believe in the Gods. Although she was blessed by the Magic God, she did not believe that the Gods were benevolent at all. For what benevolent being would strip innocent children of their parents and leave them to rot in a countryside orphanage? Even now, with all the talent in the world at her disposal, she could not protect the one she cared most about. In this moment of despair, the only thing she could pray for was a miracle.
‘Please… I can’t lose him. Anyone but him…’
Dropping to her knees, she brought her hands together and pressed them against her chest in earnest, closing her eyes and praying to any and all of the gods, begging for something to answer her prayers. Desperation clawed at her hoarse throat as she whispered to the silent heavens.
‘I have already been blessed so much, would it kill for you to bless someone else?’ The thought of her garnering all the attention due to her talents enraged Lucia. She had done absolutely nothing to deserve her place in life, relying solely on her talent to get into Pangea University. Meanwhile, Temp not only had to bust his ass studying, burning the midnight oil countless times to secure a spot at the academy, but his Unique Ability also had the worst possible drawback for someone of his nature. The Gods had blessed her so much with so little disadvantage, and for what? Her one and only companion was dying in front of her eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it. Tears streamed down her face as she bowed her head even further to the ground, ignoring the mayhem occurring around her, with one sole thought in her mind.
‘Just… just don’t abandon me again! Don’t be like them!’
***
By sheer luck, Temp had managed to instinctively angle the sword, minimising the impact of the foul fiends’ second blow, its claws bouncing off the steel sword like a child on a bouncy castle, however, he would not be so fortunate next time. Mere moments after, it launched yet another blow, this time aimed at his temple. Stumbling backwards to avoid the attack, Temp landed not so gracefully on his ass, loosening his grip on his sword in the chaos, losing it in the sea of debris.
Desperate to risk it all on one final gamble, Temp clumsily channelled his mana into his legs, damaging all sorts of nerves and muscles, kicking the demon with all his might, achieving his desired result of gaining distance between him and his horned rival while pushing him off of it towards the student group.
Temp, who was somehow able to think properly due to adrenaline coursing through his veins, formulated a crude plan and slowly lifted himself up, his bloodied body lighting up in pain, protesting against the arduous task of pushing off the uneven ground with both of his mangled arms, collapsing back onto the ground on his first attempt, before trying once again. In the end, Temp could only manage a limp, waddling towards the students.
The demon, still reeling from the impact, managed to recover deceptively quickly. Getting back up on its disproportionately long legs, the demon leapt through the air, rendering the distance between them all for naught.
Temp, looked up as the demon quickly closed in on him, its claws swiping through the air with lethal precision, his lips twisting into a crooked smile.
‘I’m sorry’ he internally thought to himself, feeling bad about what he was about to put his Familiar through.
Summoning it, the small, black, bat-winged cat-like animal appeared on top of Temp’s skull, and rammed itself into the demon, which was unable to change its course of travel, and slammed it into the ground. A dragon was a dragon after all, no matter how small and insignificant, the noble creatures would always have their impenetrable scales and sharp claws. Paralysed by the force of the impact, the demon laid motionless on the rubble, open to attacks by both the dragon and Temp himself, and succumbed to a swing of the dragons’ claws.
Just like that, the ringing sound of a bell sounded in the minds of everyone present, a notification window phasing into reality before him.
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You have cleared a Trial!
Goal: Kill all invading demons
Rewards: Skill Evolution, Familiar EXP
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Before Temp could process his rewards, yet another window popped up, like those annoying pop-up ads on certain adult websites.
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Your familiar is unlocking its potential!
Requirement: 1 Trial Clear
Reward: Familiar Evolution
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At that moment, Temp’s fatigue finally caught up with him, passing out cold on the uneven surface of the charred ground below him.