Chapter: Time To Face Reality

The forest had finally grown silent, the chaos of battle replaced by the distant chirping of crickets. Captain Howard stood motionless, his rifle dangling from his grip as his mind raced. His breathing was heavy, and his chest ached—not from wounds, but from the weight of his failure.

“Please!” Howard turned to Miles and Astrid, his voice trembling. “Where are my men? You both carried them away! Tell me where they are!”

Astrid stepped forward, her expression calm but empathetic. “Sir, your men are okay,” she said, her voice steady. “Miles and I treated them. They’re a little bruised up, but overall, they’re fine.”

Howard’s legs nearly gave out as her words registered. Relief washed over him like a tidal wave, and he fell to his knees, his head bowed. Emotions he had buried not knowing if his men had made it surging to the surface—guilt, gratitude, and the overwhelming realization that his men had survived.

“How… how is that possible?” he stammered, looking up at her with wide, tear-filled eyes. “They were too injured to move. Some of them couldn’t even breathe!”

“That was likely the Fear skill the Goblin Warrior used earlier,” Astrid explained. “It causes paralysis, and since your men aren’t awakened, they probably felt the effects much harder than you did.”

Howard nodded, the pieces falling into place. “That makes sense,” he muttered, wiping his eyes.

Damian approached Astrid, his expression a mix of relief and frustration. “What were you thinking?” he demanded, his voice sharp. “You should’ve given me a few more seconds to plan!”

Astrid frowned, her shoulders slumping. “I couldn’t just stand there, Damian. They were being slaughtered. I had to do something.”

“You don’t have power, Astrid,” Damian snapped. “Not yet. You barely leveled up. I don’t even have power compared to that thing. We were kids playing at war, and we got lucky.”

Astrid’s face fell, and Damian sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I get it,” he said, his tone softening. “You wanted to help. But there’s a reason I’ve been taking this slow. The world is changing, and I don’t have all the answers. That’s why I’ve only told Mom, Dad, Uncle Ben, and Aunt Mary the basics. I can’t risk anyone else until I know more.”

Astrid looked up at him, her eyes glistening. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Damian placed a hand on her head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You’re okay. That’s what matters. We’ll take it slow from now on, I promise.”

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Astrid hugged him tightly, and Damian hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around her.

Miles, wiping away a tear, suddenly leaped into the hug. “You guys are amazing!” he said, grinning through his sniffles.

The moment of levity was short-lived as Howard cleared his throat, his expression a mix of confusion and determination. “Excuse me,” he said, his voice shaky. “Did you say… leveled up?”

Astrid nodded, meeting his gaze. “Yes. I leveled up.”

“That’s impossible,” Howard said, his jaw tightening. “We’ve been fighting these things for a week and haven’t figured out how to do that. How did you—”

Miles opened his mouth to explain, but Damian clamped a hand over it. “Sorry, that’s classified,” Damian said with a serious tone.

Miles mumbled something incoherent, looking annoyed, but Damian ignored him.

Howard’s hands curled into fists. “Do you have any idea how many lives could be saved if you told us? How many people are dying because we don’t understand this?”

Damian’s smirk faded. “I do,” he said quietly. “That’s why I’m not telling you. Knowledge is power, Captain, and in the wrong hands, power gets abused. I don’t know you, and I don’t know your motives. For all I know, you’ll take this information and turn it into a weapon against the wrong people.”

Howard’s shoulders sagged. He wanted to argue, but he couldn’t deny Damian’s logic. “So… what now?” he asked.

“For now, we take the spoils,” Damian replied, gesturing to the battlefield.

Reunion and Awakening

Damian and his team led Howard to his men, who were lying on the ground. As they approached, one of the soldiers, Garcia, sat up, his eyes wide with excitement.

“Captain!” Garcia called out. “We’re… we’re all awakened somehow!”

Howard’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”

“We don’t know what happened,” Garcia continued. “After we passed out, we woke up fully healed—and awakened!”

Howard turned to Astrid, his face a mixture of shock and suspicion. “What did you do to my men?”

Astrid smiled faintly. “To be honest, they were dying. Since they weren’t awakened, the strain on their bodies was too much. Miles and I used healing potions to stabilize them. We had to trigger their awakening however for them to work a bit better.”

“Healing potions?” Howard asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Astrid nodded, holding up a small vial. “Red ones like these. I’m surprised you haven’t figured out what they do.”

Howard frowned. “We’ve only identified the yellow ones. They cause paralysis from what we were told.”

Astrid laughed softly. “That’s because you haven’t been looking at the red ones properly. They heal wounds. Not by much, but enough to make a difference.”

Howard’s mind reeled. Everything was changing—his men were now awakened, and he had more questions than answers.

As Howard gathered his men to leave, Damian approached him. “Be careful out there,” Damian said. “Next time, there might not be someone to save you.”

Howard nodded, extending a hand. “Thank you. My name is Captain Howard Smith. If you ever need help with the government giving you a hard time find me. You have my word, I’ll assist you.”

Damian shook his hand but remained cautious. “Appreciate it, Captain.”

By the time they finished collecting mana stones and looting the battlefield, the sky was beginning to lighten. Exhausted but victorious, the team decided to stay at a nearby hotel in the next city to rest.

As Damian lay in bed, his mind raced with everything that had happened. The battle against the Goblin Warrior wasn’t a joke he needed to prepare for worst enemies.