Once lightning struck, illuminating the dark clouded sky, revealing all the oppressive hail of droplets that barraged the plains. A pale creature that towers over an ordinary person stealthily dashed through the rain as if it was effortlessly skating on the slippery grass. It was beginning to grow impatient.

 Volleys of droplets dulled its sense of touch, chilling it to the core. The overwhelming noise made its brain throb, causing its muscles to spasm unpredictably. Its sense of smell was obstructed by the wet scent of soil and grass, drowning out everything else; rage slowly accumulated throughout its body—the rain was tyrannical.

 As it split open its mouth, “Krrrriik—” shrieking, lightning struck.

—KRRRAAACK-BOOMMMM… RUMMMBLE...

 Thunder rumbled loudly and drowned out its cries—the creature was incredibly pitiable; its mana-fused cry was but obscure under the overbearing storm.

 “Krrrrch…” it growled, mildly exhausted after using a lot of mana.

 Infuriated, it stomped the ground, causing a small crater beneath its feet—but as it was about to howl again, a faint, pleasant, flavorful scent of blood roamed the air. It raised its head, sniffing to confirm.

 “Krrk-krrk-krrk…”

 As if laughing, the pale creature extruded its arm—three blade-like claws protruded from its skin—shrrcch! Three additional blades shot out of its pale flesh—krraack-booommm…! When the sky flashed brightly, the creature stood there. In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the dark.

 …

 ..

 Meanwhile, Alum slowly let go of Noel, who’d been half asleep, leaning onto his shoulder with his chin. “Mmm… just a little more…” he groused sleepily.

 “I have an upset stomach. I’ll be back soon.”

 “Okay~” Noel replied, rubbing his eyes.

 Alum closed his eyes, recalling the creature’s appearance in his mind. Based on the direction it was facing, it had likely headed toward where they had dumped the remains.

 Is it a scavenger? No. The claws told me otherwise, he mused as he slowly approached it.

 Alum had encapsulated himself in a water bubble, dampening the sound of his footsteps and serving as cover from the rain while also masking his scent—he was confident the creature didn’t have sight, or if it did, it would’ve been insignificant as it was unable to see the camp from a relatively close distance.

 In just a few minutes, the creature came into sight, lightly snacking on the intestines one piece at a time, savoring each bite since there wasn’t much to begin with.

 “Krrrra…” it ate joyfully.

 “…”

 In the meantime, Alum calmly analyzed it from a safe distance. It was tall and pale—its claws were the size of a human arm. Its skin was gray and smooth as water trickled down without a lot of friction. But then, it turned towards him, walking closer.

—Splash, splash, splash…

 Its steps were wet but light. “Krrrrrr…!” it seemed to growl, agitated, impatient, and presumably still hungry. It twitched; the rain was clearly testing its patience.

 In a few steps, it was practically beside Alum’s bubble, facing the direction of the camp—it sniffed the ground. Instantly, it jerked. Its claws cut through the air and tore through Alum’s bubble, causing him to step back—it missed but used the earlier momentum to spin—its other limb instantly twisted, aligning its blades, slashing as Alum narrowly avoided its second attack. However, the creature was relentless. After a full rotation, it landed; smaller glowing hot claws protruded from its feet, stomping the ground—BOOM! An eruption of flames emerged, steaming the surroundings as it lounged itself at him.

 He had turned slightly, watching as it sored passed him into the distance. In the brief exchange, Alum managed to dodge the final attack despite their close proximity.

 What revealed me? Was it the scent left by my shoes—did it pick it up from that height? How troublesome, he thought.

 As he watched the creature dig its claws into the ground to stop its own momentum, its flesh began to crack open, pulsating orange light as steam reeked from its body.

 “…” Alum frowned as the creature began to glow hot in faint light—entering some sort of combustion state—flames burst from its body.

 “KRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIK!”

 It shrieks—BOOM! It launched another explosive dash, rapidly approaching the youth with golden eyes as inorganic as the metal itself. But the creature suddenly struck its claws into the soil halfway through, trying to stop as fast as possible—krack-krack-shhhhrrr! It had entered frozen grounds; its claws dragged, tore, and shattered as its speed decreased—shhhh… a path of steam reeked behind it, its claws melting the faintly blue glowing ice beneath the hot glowing blades.

 “Krrr…!” it growled.

 “…”

 I suspected as much, Alum thought, his hands on the ground as he watched. Earlier, he’d deduced that the creature used echolocation—he could now understand. The pale abomination’s unique screech had extended the ability range. It must’ve revealed the massive ice pillar behind him when it closed the distance.

 “What a menace,” Alum murmured under his breath, vapors escaping his slightly parted lips. He got up on his, walking towards the creature—crunching the brittle grass beneath his feet.

 The pale abomination was stuck in position, not because of the ice, but because—kreeehhh… kreeehh… its chest moved up and down heavily as it gasps; steam reeked from its mouth—the cracked skin, which once pulsated with bright orange life flickered like a deprived flame. Exhausted, the creature had used its last resources to hunt the youth but ultimately failed—it could only listen to the loud, oppressive sound of his footsteps.

 “So? Can you communicate? Are you a local?” Alum tilted his head, peering at its kneeling posture—knowing it didn’t understand him. “I see. You’re scared.”

 With a tiny bit of strength, it swung its claws. However, there was barely any strength behind it, only slightly scratching the ice sheet Alum wore on his arm—its limbs slumped onto the ground, crunching the brittle ice.

 “You must’ve been lost, hungry, alone, and terrified,” Alum spoke calmly, placing his palm on its head—its glowing pulses slowly faded. “I’m sorry I caused you further suffering. It will be quick.” He created a highly compressed ice sphere filled with water, pressing it against the creature’s mouth—chomp! It tried to bite him but ate the ball as he quickly retracted his hand.

 The gray creature’s craws retracted to half their length—it recognized the amount of mana it had swallowed; its breathing calmed as if resigning. It likely knew Alum would never let it live—faint memories flashed through its mind. The days it spent proudly hunting prey, the days it was exiled from its tribe, the days it suffered starvation in an unfamiliar place—every scent it encountered was different, overwhelming, and every sound was new and disorienting.

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 Before encountering some leftovers, it tirelessly tried to escape a forest trying to consume it, and now—its fate was sealed.

 “It must’ve been an unfavorable situation for you. It is as if the world itself is against you. You seem to thrive in the blaze of flames, yet it rains. You cannot see, yet the loud storm disorients your eyes to the world. You have a strong sense of scent—you must be a proud hunter, but you must be tired from hunting. You can rest now.”

—Krack… PSHHH!

 The water inside the sphere vaporized; the instant expansion sent splintered ice—killing the gray creature instantly as its jaws relaxed. Even the blood pouring down its mouth was pale, almost white.

 It’s a pity. You might’ve survived. But the universe is nihilistically cruel even in this world… Alum thought as he gazed deep into the dark, cloud-filled sky. Can we eat it, though? He pondered, looking at the creature.

 …

 ..

 At the camp, Noel yawned. His friend took quite some time—it wasn’t unusual since he said he had an upset stomach, but—BOOM! Rumble… rumble… the sound of an explosion and rumbles jolted him awake.

 “?!” Noel frantically looked around, his sleepiness gone completely.

 “KRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIK!” A loud high-pitch screech entered his ears, sending shivers down his spine; his heart raced, jumping out of his chest as his breath hitched.

 Hurriedly, he jogged towards the privy, soaked and anxious. He knocked, but there was no reply—he waited a little but ultimately entered—nobody was there. He looked around some more, searching the bath area and the food storage—but he couldn’t find Alum. He rushed back to the main camp to awaken and inform them. But then, a strange sound of something grinding and shattering glass echoed in the distance.

—No… that’s ice! Noel thought, his eyes widened. Should I rush to… no, I first wake up the others… but… Conflicted about what to do, he clenched his fists, biting his lips. Yeah, I should tell the others first, he concluded.

 He rushed back, realizing they’d already come out, looking anxious as they spoke among themselves, wondering if they all heard the same thing. Emely tried to reassure the more easily scared students, but her eyes darted everywhere, searching for Alum. They locked with Noel’s.

 “Noel! Where is Al?!” She rushed toward him and slipped on the wet soil, gliding into his chest. She peered deep into his eyes, shaken.

 “I-I don’t know…” Noel quickly replied, averting his eyes in fear and shame—he was with him just a moment ago, but now… “I’m sorry… I dozed off…”

 Distraught, Emely’s shoulders raised as she covered her mouth, backing away, tearing up as her eyes flickered—the tears in the corner of her eyes were apparent even in the rain. She shook her head, wiping her tears even though it was somewhat useless in this storm.

 “I’ll look for him!” Noel exclaimed, causing everyone to become more anxious as even the class’ mood maker was in shambles, breathing heavily and soaking wet.

 “No, don’t! It’s dangerous! And…” sobs and hiccups escaped. “N-no matter w-w-where he is… he’ll… be…be fine…” Emely stated, trying to reassure herself as pressing her clenched fists onto her chest. “Noel, he’ll be fine,” she reiterated, noticing that Noel was as distraught himself.

 “Then what am I supposed to do?!” he shouted hoarsely.

 Emely froze—she realized that he was even more desperate than her. The others shared her sentiment, awkwardly staying silent.

 “I’ll go,” Noel declared, determined. “Whatever that screech was—”

 A hum of energy and a sharp swirl of winds whistled—in his hand was a jade-green double-edge sword that emitted a faint light.

 “…”

 Noel was equally surprised as the others. He hadn’t expected a sword to appear in his hand suddenly. It came just naturally.

 “I’ll go with you,” David joined, materializing the same spear he’d shown off.

 “…”

—Shhhhh, krch-shhh…

 Suddenly, they heard a strange sound approaching. Noel and David prepared themselves, pointing their weapon towards the wet sound. Everyone else tensed up or ready to use their abilities, too. But what appeared as a youth surfing the ice, dragging something with him.

 “…?” The youth leaned his head to the side, confused.

 “…” It left the others speechless. But even more so when they laid their eyes on the pale creature he’d been dragging.

 The youth didn’t seem to care about their bewildered gazes—instead, his eyes focused on a certain girl with white hair and red eyes, his eyes latching onto hers.

 “Miu, is this thing edible?” he calmly inquired.

 “Al/Alum?! Where were you?!” Emely and Noel exclaimed. Both ran towards him; Emely jumped into his arms, sobbing as she thought something terrible had happened to him.

 “…Seriously,” Noel scratched his head in frustration, then pinched Alum’s cheek. “You should’ve told me if you were hunting something!” he rebuked, his voice hitched.

 “Mm? But it would’ve gotten away,” Alum replied promptly, giving them his reason.

 Emely squeezed him tighter. “Whatever the reason may be… hic… please don’t do this again… sob…”

 “…Got it.” Alum sighed as he reciprocated her warm embrace—even the storm seemed gentle in her arms.

…

 ..

 When Alum woke up the following morning, he found himself in somebody’s arms. He last recalled sleeping peacefully in the hut since using his powers strained him more than anticipated. Therefore, his head felt mushy and his body weak.

 “Noel…?” he calmly called his friend’s name as he groggily rubbed his eyes.

 “…”

 Noel didn’t respond; it was as though everyone had turned into statues. He noticed the girls holding tightly onto Emely—sobbing slightly. He noticed the grass to be ticklish beneath him; he glanced up briefly, seeing chaos and panic on everybody’s faces, filled with dread and terror.

 There was something enormous in the sky circling them—its scales were emerald-colored; its massive wings spread far and wide majestically.

 Alum instantly jumped to his feet—his heart hadn’t raced this fast since that day. He didn’t have time to question where all their structures went—it was as if they’d never been built.

 Now that everyone was practically holding their breaths—towering creatures watched them from a distance—the same species as the one hovering above them. But suddenly—

 “A-Alum?” Miu’s voice hitched as she called out to him.

 The others noticed as well—they couldn’t help but take their eyes off the giants with serpent-like eyes surrounding them to focus on the youth that caused shivers next to them—Alum’s eyes had a blue, glowing outline, and parts of his hair had turned white.

 “…” he didn’t reply but glared toward the sky.

 Everyone slowly backed away from him, even Noel and Emely, the two closest to him, unconsciously took a step back—cough, cough… Alum began to cough blood; his eyes and hair returned to normal as his face paled slightly.

 But then, the winged dragon-like creature in the sky began to dive toward them. Panicked, everybody targeted their elemental abilities at it, but it was futile as it dodged effortlessly. The students then noticed something peculiar—someone was riding it. Dragon closed the distance; the figure riding it jumped down—swooosh! A strong gust of wind caught the fully armored figure.

 “E-eep!” some of the students shrieked. “D-don’t come any closer!” they stammered, huddling together, quivering as the armored figure slowly walked closer.

 The armor was lime white, as was the helmet. On the armor's collar was a green emblem resembling a flower; the students then noticed the wearer looked feminine now that they were close enough.

 But it didn’t matter. The scared students fired off their abilities left and right, almost hitting one another. But the armored figure deflected the magic with their hand as if brushing off the dust, then leaned slightly to the side, dodging the students’ assault like it meant nothing as they advanced towards them.

 “…Who are you?” Noel voiced, stepping forth, his expression filled with suspicion and hostility. His green sword from the night before pointed at them, mumming with energy.

 The figure halted momentarily before placing a hand on their face; instantly, the helmet obstructing their complexion dematerialized—behind the helmet was a beautiful girl with sharp yet soft facial features. Her long silverish ash-brown hair flowed down to her waist—and her eyes were like gems—like light-colored emeralds.

 “…” they all were momentarily taken aback by her beautiful appearance.

image [https://i.postimg.cc/1mFpDG5q/Chely-Noel.png]

 “My, is that not rude?” the girl replied, frowning slightly while crossing her arms. “As a gentleman—or perhaps savage, do you perhaps have no manners?” she inquired, leaning her head slightly to the side. “You should at least introduce yourself to a lady before asking for her name,” she stated confidently, her voice melodic and clear.

 “…My name is Noel Karlsson.” Noel reluctantly gave his name away; he felt that lying wouldn’t get him anywhere either way.

 The girl seemed pleased and smiled confidently as she placed her left hand on the emblem. “My name is Chely Ilis. I am The Hero of The Lesich Empire,” Chely stated elegantly. “I welcome you to Lethren, Wanderers from another world.”