*Aces POV*

The moment Ruth runs away I swoop Linali off the floor and places her on my back, piggyback style. I start running as fast as I can.

I have to get to shelter, I have to get Linali to safety! No monster ain't gonna get her! Please be safe Ruth...

I soon enter a crowded street, full of panicking people that are all trying to get to the shelter. Mothers carrying their children, merchants with their most valuable merchandise, nobles with their... noble stuff. I push forward ignoring every single person standing in my way. Getting Linali to the shelter is the only thing I care about!

Linali is whimpering on my back, obviously scared. I try to reassure her but I am of no help right now. Not when I am just as scared.

After a while we arrive at the shelter. It's an underground temple, formerly used as a prison block before it got reconstructed. I have only been in there one time before but I know that it's heavily fortified and no one can get out or in without permission. It's the safest place in the whole city. Some city guards are guiding the people in and I can see how stressed they are. They let us into the shelter without caring that much about us.

I run down some stairs before arriving in at a huge room. Hundred, no thousands of people are already down here. I can almost smell the fear in the air but it could just as well be the smell of sweat and puke.

Suddenly a huge explosion can be heard and the ground shakes. People scream in terror, some faint and complete panic erupts. The guards try to calm them down but to no avail. Linali squeeze my shoulders, crying and a wet spot appear on my back. She peed herself.

I let Linali off my back, goes down on my knees and grab her hands.

"Listen to my voice Linali, focus on me" I say, staring deep into her eyes. "The rest of the world does not exist. Just me and you, ok?". Linali nods, still crying. We sit down, leaning against one of the pillars in the room. I start talking to her about various things, such as what we should eat when we come home and how big the room is. Linali starts to calm down and rests her head on my shoulder.

"D-do you think Ruth-sama is okay?" she suddenly asks, looking up into my eyes, begging for an answer. I stop breathing for a second. I want to believe Ruth's promise to return but with everything going on...

"Ye-yeah!" I exclaim, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "She promised she would come back and besides; she's strong too! We will surely meet again!". Linali lightens up.

"You are right! Ruth-sama is strong, she will beat all those monsters and kick the Lich kings butt!". She pumps her hand into the air, making a heroic pose. "That means I can't cry! With Ruth-sama being so brave then I need to be brave too!". I can't help but smile a little. She's still so young, so full of hope... I have done my best to keep her this way, I don't want her to see the word as I see it. So dark and evil. Ruth is the only one I have met that offered us kindness without demanding anything back in return... I don't want her too die...

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I don't know how long we've been in here now. The rest of the crowd have calmed down and are now chattering nervously between each other. Shouts can sometimes be heard from above ground. I don't know which one it belongs to. Human or monster? Civilian or soldier?

Linali is staring to nod off. With everything going on it's draining her energy. I'm keeping her safe by embracing her all the time, giving her both warmth and comfort.

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Suddenly my chest starts to hurt. I grab my chest and when I look around I can see everyone else doing the same. With pale expressions they are holding their chests, gasping for air. Even the city guards are having a hard time.

"B-big brother..." Linali whimpers. I look down and see Linali looking up at me, about to cry out of pain. "Wh-what is going on?"

"T-this miasma..." a very old woman suddenly mutters.

"Do you know what is causing this?" I ask.

"I have only felt something similar to this before, a long time ago when I were still young..." she says before pausing, the pain in her chest forcing her to stop. "My village got attacked by undead and then... IT appeared..."

"What is "it"?". For a few seconds the old woman doesn't say anything. "Please, tell me" I beg. She takes a deep breath and then, almost whispering, she says;

"... a Lich king...". The moment those words leave her mouth the whole room goes into chaos once again. People screaming out in terror, going down on their knees to pray to gods they never believed in before. Linali yanks my shirt sleeve and look up at me, terrified. I can't hear what she's saying but I can read it on her lips.

"What about Ruth?". I say nothing.

"SILENCE!!!" a voice suddenly shouts, echoing through the room. The people stop what they are doing. The voice originates from a young city guard. He puts his hand up to his ear. "Don't you hear? It's silent" he says and everyone goes quiet before starting to listen.

He's right. There's no more shouting. Just... silence.

"I-It's over?" someone asks. Everybody starts talking.

"I will get up to the surface and check out the situation!" the same guard shouts once again. "If it's safe then I will let you know and if it isn't... then pray...". The guard heads up the stairs and the whole room holds their breaths, waiting for answers.

Only a few seconds pass but it feels like hours. Suddenly steps can be heard running down the stairs. It's the guard.

"WE WON!" he shouts."THE UNDEAD ARE GONE!"

It takes a few seconds before the words sink in. The moment they do the whole room breaks out in cheers and shouts of joy. Strangers hugging each other, people dancing and singing. I embrace my sister, crying tears of joy.

"It's over Linali, we are safe now..." I mumble.

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It's been two days since the battle. It was weird. In the midst of battle the Lich king suddenly appeared before disappearing as soon as it appeared. The undead then retreated and the battle ended.

Ruth have yet to show up. We went searching for her but she was nowhere to be seen. No one's seen her since then. I have been avoiding talking about her with my sister but she grows uneasy each day passing. I... I left Linali at home in order for search for Ruth's body.

Some volunteers have gathered the bodies of the fallen soldiers in the city centrum so that the families can bring them back to burry. They are also burning the bodies of the undead that fell in battle.

I walk along the rows of corpses and I have a hard time breathing. The smell, the sight... it's all too much. But I force myself to search for her. She's not from town so I know her family have come and picked her up.

She saved my sister, this is the least I can do. But I can't find her. I have been asking the volunteers if they have seen a girl with gray skin and silver hair but they just shook their heads. It's as if she vanished into thin air.

Ruth... just where did you go?