As I was sitting on the bench, a loud siren suddenly sounded. Then, a series of alerts came.

[Alert! Alert! Attention all citizens, an Orange-grade leyline has been formed in the city.]

[We urge all residents to take immediate precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones. Please stay indoors, and if you are already outdoors, proceed immediately to the nearest evacuation center.]

[The situation is being monitored closely, and Mavens will be deployed soon to contain the situation. However, we need your cooperation to ensure everyone's safety.]

[Please stay alert, stay informed, and follow all instructions from local authorities. Thank you for your cooperation.]

As if on cue, the ground suddenly shook violently as if an earthquake had just struck. The atmosphere became grim almost instantly as everyone was in disarray and ran franticly toward a specific direction, which I presume was the evacuation center.

I looked towards the sky, and it turned to a deep shade of blood red, sending shivers down my spine. The once peaceful and serene park was now filled with chaos and fear as the loud siren continued blaring in the distance.

If a leyline has formed nearby, then I need to get to a safe place fast. Without hesitation, I stood up from the bench and started running towards the nearest shelter, along with the rest of the panicked citizens.

As I ran with the frantic crowd, I could feel the fear and desperation in the air. People were pushing and shoving each other with no regard for who they were, all trying to find their way to safety.

The ground shook once more, and sounds of destruction echoed all around us. Curious, I looked behind me and saw a horde of monsters in pursuit, their wiry frames moving with unnatural speed and agility. Their skin was a sickly green, and their mouths were filled with sharp, elongated teeth that protruded menacingly. They had razor-sharp claws and fangs, which they used to tear apart anything in their way.

Seeing them made my heart sink as I cursed out loud. The people around me also noticed the monsters and became even more chaotic.

Amid the chaos, I saw a young girl get shoved aside and fall to her knees as she got separated from her mother. The mother desperately tried to reach out to her, but the crowd was carrying her in the opposite direction.

"Mommy!" The little girl reached out her hand toward her mother with tears streaming down her face. Without thinking, I ran towards her and scooped her up in my arms.

Luckily, the child was small and light,t so I easily carried her despite my current size.

She struggled in my chest, obviously wanting her mother. I could feel her tiny hands grasping at my shirt, trying to push herself away from me. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out for her mother.

"Don't worry," I said as I gently patted her head, hoping it would calm her down. "I'll get you to your mother. So, just sit tight, alright?"

As destruction ensued around us, the child whimpered from seeing all of it. I reassured her to close her eyes and held her close. It seemed to have worked as she calmed down, wrapping her arms around my neck. It was an uncomfortable position, but I didn't mind as long as she behaved.

The monsters caught up to us, tearing the civilians at the back apart. I ran faster, trying to get us to safety.

More monsters caught up and attacked from the sides. Clicking my tongue, given their appearance, they should be ghouls from the Hellgrimm race. They are the weakest species of their kind, yet their numbers and ferocity were still a challenge, even for Mavens.

As we ran through the chaotic streets, more ghouls appeared from different corners of the street. The situation was getting out of hand, and the panic of the people was contagious. I had no idea where we were going, but I needed to get the child to safety at the very least.

Just where the hell are the Mavens? If we were to follow my story, a leyline shouldn't have escalated this much as the guilds and government would be aware of such a phenomenon before it can actually form, so when the leyline actually formed, they will be prepared. And in a city like this, it should even be more improbable that the situation would escalate. Where are the people with guns and swords I saw before?

I looked back to see a ghoul eyeing me, with its teeth bared and eyes glowing with malevolent hunger. Every hair on my body stood on end as it slowly crept closer.

Then, panic came over me when it lunged towards me with its jaws wide open. I immediately jumped to the side to avoid its attack, followed by a roll on the ground, ensuring that the child's head was safely tucked in my arm. The gravel scratched my skin as I hit the ground, but I quickly regained my footing and was about to prepare myself for the next attack when I saw it attack the person at my previous location.

Breathing heavily, I watched in a trance as it shredded the person into pieces, their blood and guts spilling everywhere.

After breaking out of my trance, I asked the child if she was fine, to which she nodded in response. She lifted her head and was about to look back, but I stopped her by placing her head to my chest as I said, "Don't look."

More of them were coming, so while the ghoul was busy mauling the unfortunate guy, I continued toward the evacuation center. A few minutes passed by, and the number of ghouls had decreased, so we were able to traverse with little worry, and eventually, we saw the evacuation center.

However, just as we were about to reach it, one last ghoul leaped out in front of us. I embraced the child and braced myself for the attack, but then, out of nowhere, an arrow pierced through the ghoul in the head, killing it instantly as its body crumpled to the ground with a loud thud.

I was taken aback by this sudden intervention and looked around to see who had saved us. My eyes met those of a young woman with a bow in her hand, her face flushed with the exertion of battle. She had blonde hair in a single braid and looked to be around 20 years old. Despite her petite body, there was a confidence about her that radiated strength.

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As she motioned for us to hurry inside, I couldn't help but feel grateful for her timely intervention. So, without wasting any more time, we went to the evacuation center.

Once we were inside, we collapsed against the wall, panting and exhausted from the harrowing experience. The child clung onto me tightly, her tears now dry but her breathing still shaky.

I, on the other hand, was in a slightly better position, despite having close encounters with death. Well, it's not my first encounter with death anyway, so it's a given that my condition is better, but that was seriously terrifying. No amount of military can ever prepare me for that.

As we caught our breath, the woman from before approached.

"Here, eat and drink this," she said, handing us some bread and water. "You both look exhausted."

We accepted the food and drink, and she stayed close to us, ensuring our safety and comfort, probably because we were kids caught up in this disaster.

After we had our fill, the child stayed close to me, gripping my shirt with her small hands as she sniffled.

We stayed like this for a while until she calmed down.

As for me, I just sighed deeply. This is just too much for me to handle in a short period of time. But I guess that proves that I really am in Vanteer.

As I was lost in a trance, the woman's gentle voice broke me out as she asked if we were alright.

'No, we're not alright. We were chased down by actual demons for a few kilometers and could've died if we weren't lucky.' That is what I'd like to say if she wasn't our savior, so I simply nodded my head.

I felt the child's hand tuck my shirt as she curled up, still trembling.

Seeing her like this reminded me of my kid, and I felt a rush of melancholy emotions. I was about to pat her hand, but the delicate hand of our savior beat me to it.

She spoke in a soft and gentle voice, "It'll be alright. You're safe now. Your big brother and sister here will be by your side, okay?"

The little girl said with a sniffle, "I want… mommy."

"It's alright," she comforted. "What's your name?"

"L-Lily."

"That's a beautiful name. Your big sister here is Sarah. We'll bring you back to your mommy. Okay, Lily?"

Lily nodded, and under the comfort of Sarah, she soon fell asleep.

Sarah held out her hand, and the silver ring on her middle finger began to glow. Suddenly, two small, lightweight mattresses emerged from the ring and unfolded themselves onto the floor.

Cool, that's a storage ring! But which type of storage ring is it, I wonder?

"May I?" she asked with both her hands slightly extended out towards Lily.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, go ahead."

Gently, she scooped up the sleeping child and carried her to the makeshift bed, tucking her in and placing a soft blanket over her.

She turned towards me and asked, "Do you want to take a rest here too?"

"No, I'm good," I declined. I'm not comfortable enough to sleep in an unknown place.

"Alright." With a wave of her hand, the second mattress dissolves back into her ring.

"So, how about you? What's your name?"

There was no reason for me to keep my name a secret, so I said, "Arthur Bennett."

"That's a unique name." She nodded with appreciation. She then turned her attention to the little girl, who was still sound asleep on the mattress. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm guessing she's not your sister?"

I shook my head and explained that she was just a child I had rescued during the chaos after she separated from her mother.

"I see." Sarah nodded her head, her expression understanding.

More people started pouring into the evacuation center, some with wounds and injuries. Sarah was about excuse herself, but I stopped her as I remembered that I was supposed to be looking for the girl's mother.

I described to Sarah what Lily's mother looked like, hoping she might have seen her around the evacuation center.

"She's got long brown hair and wears a blue blouse with denim jeans," I explained.

"No, I haven't seen anyone like that in here," Sarah said.

That can't be. She should be way ahead of us. Was Sarah lying? I highly doubt it. There was no reason for her to lie, so maybe the mother took a detour. However, there was also that other scenario, and it made me nauseous. I hope it isn't that.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for her," she said with a reassuring smile.

"Sarah, we need help!" yelled one of the helpers.

"Coming!" she replied back. "I'm sorry, I have to go now."

She then rushed over to a woman with a deep gash on her arm and started attending to her wound, calmly talking to her and reassuring her that everything would be alright.

I watched as she moved from one person to the next, offering comfort and aid wherever she could. It was clear that she was well-trained and experienced in this kind of situation. Of course, there were also others helping her with the situation, but her calm and reassuring presence seemed to be a balm to the injured and the scared.

Half an hour passed by, and seeing that no other people had been going into the evacuation center for the past couple of minutes, she sat down near me.

Despite moving from place to place constantly, there were no signs of exhaustion on her. I guess that's one of the benefits of being a Maven.

"Nothing?" I asked, despite knowing the answer to the question.

"Nothing," she sighed.

As we both sat in silence, I decided to ask the thing that bothered me when all the chaos happened, "Hey, what really happened out there? Where were the other Mavens when the ghouls appeared?"

Sarah looked me in the eye before saying, "I'm sure you've heard the alert that a leyline has opened, right?"

Wait, she's actually willing to say the reason to a citizen, a 'child,' no less? Isn't that against the standard protocol so that people won't panic and cause disruption? Despite my thoughts, I answered, "Yeah. How could I not hear that?"

"How well do you know it?"

Oh, girl, you have no idea. However, I imagined that it would be strange for me to be overly familiar with it, so I simply said, "All I really know is that it's a one-way gate that lets monsters from different worlds go into ours."

It was the basic explanation I wrote on what a leyline is.

"I guess that makes explaining much easier." She explained, "The 'gate' that appeared wasn't a leyline. Instead of it being a one-way connection from the other worlds to here, the gate was a two-way connection—a rift."

"…I see." I nodded my head with that explanation. It would make sense that there were only a few Mavens helping out in the streets if a rift had formed, as it is more dangerous than a dungeon or a leyline.

She continued, "Most of us went in to control the situation from the inside. It's a flawed method of dealing with rifts, as you can see with what just happened, which is why I, along with a few others, didn't join with them. Well, admittedly, a few others were ordered to stay against their wills."

I hummed in response. Ignoring that last sentence, that's awfully nice and considerate of her, considering that she's a Maven.

Why? I wrote them to be arrogant and condescending towards citizens because of what they can do, despite them being the supernatural protectors of Vanteer. There are protocols and codes that are always to be upheld, though, but how they administer them is pretty lax.

Sarah looked at me and patted me on the head as she said, "Don't worry about it. It'll be over soon. From the information I got so far, there were only ghouls and a few lesser monsters that came out."

I shook her hand off my head. It was uncomfortable having a young lady treat me like a child.

Despite what I did, she still smiled at me. Sarah's phone then vibrated in her pocket. She fished it out and glanced at the screen, then excused herself to answer the call. I could hear the muffled sound of a voice on the other end. Sarah murmured a few replies and then, after about a minute, hung up. She turned back towards me and said with a smile, "The situation has been controlled; the rift should be disappearing in about an hour."

With that news, I heaved out a sigh of relief.