THE two-hour battle against the Spirits had finally ended. Through a combined effort, the townspeople and stationed Knights of Andania had emerged victorious. However, the fight left its mark. Many suffered deep wounds inflicted by the creatures, and a somber mood hung heavy as they counted their casualties.
Mika, having just treated a wounded man, politely excused herself to inspect the surrounding areas. As she passed a group of townspeople celebrating their victory with drinks, one of them called out to her.
"There she is! Miss Knight! Come join us for a celebratory drink!"
Mika, surprised by the attention, offered a polite smile and a wave. "Thank you, but I still need to check some other areas. Please, enjoy yourselves!"
"Eh, what's the rush? We won!" one of the men chuckled. "But hey, whenever you're done, come back and join us. I'll get you a drink or two!"
Mika waved again and continued towards her destination. Soon, she spotted Lee and Karl, two veteran Knights from her assigned team, tending to the injured. They, too, had joined the fight alongside the other stationed Knights.
After the battle's conclusion, the two veterans were the first to approach her with congratulations. Lee spotted her from afar and signaled her to come closer. Mika, however, shook her head, politely declining. She explained her need to inspect the area first and assured them she'd report anything significant.
Fifteen minutes passed. After a thorough inspection that revealed no sign of remaining Spirits, Mika returned to where the Knights were celebrating. As she approached, a swift movement zipped past, catching everyone's attention. Mika instinctively switched to a defensive stance, sword drawn.
The once-cheery crowd quieted as a few men cautiously emerged from a building, their eyes fixed on something unseen. Mika, trusting her gut feeling, urged those near the entrance to clear the area. Within a moment, the path was free.
Standing behind Mika, Lee and Karl inquired, "Sense something?"
Mika shook her head. "No.. But I have a bad feeling... something terrible is about to happen."
The ground suddenly cracked open, and a creature erupted from the fissure. Chaos erupted as people scrambled to flee.
"SHIT!" Mika cursed, swinging her blade at the creature – a one-eyed flying Spirit with enormous bat-like wings. The Spirit intercepted her attack mid-air, its grip strong enough to disarm her. With a chilling chuckle, the Spirit tossed her sword several meters away.
Disarmed and desperate, Mika scrambled to retrieve her weapon. A sharp pain erupted in her legs as the Spirit's claws raked across them, dragging her roughly towards its grotesque form. Trapped beneath the Spirit's vast wings, Mika gasped in horror as the creature grabbed her hair and sniffed her neck.
The pungent smell of blood from her wounds sent the Spirit into a frenzy. Acidic drool dripped from its mouth, burning Mika's skin when a drop landed. Struggling with her only free limbs, Mika searched for her sword, her right leg brushing against the hilt.
The Spirit hissed at her attempt, its gaze shifting with an unsettling curiosity. It leaned closer, its fetid breath washing over her wounded flesh. Just as Mika braced for the worst, a loud BANG echoed through the air.
A silver bullet pierced the Spirit's right shoulder, eliciting a screech of pain. Seizing the opportunity, Mika shoved the creature away and lunged for her sword with her right leg, plunging it into the Spirit's lone eye.
The blinded Spirit shrieked in agony, clutching its bleeding eye. Mika stumbled back, a wave of guilt washing over her. A part of her felt remorse for slaying her own kind, yet another part insisted it was her duty as a Luyas Knight – to protect the innocent from harm. Right now, the Spirit was the enemy.
"You!" A man, a few years older than Mika, yelled at her, brandishing a weapon she recognized as a gun. "Finish it or get the hell out of there!"
Their eyes locked for a brief moment before Mika charged towards the gathering crowd. A powerful blow slammed into her back, sending her sprawling to the ground. Groaning in pain – scratches marred her face and right elbow, alongside a bleeding left knee – Mika pushed herself up, only to freeze.
The blinded Spirit, now hovering a few feet away, hissed at her with raw fury. Mika recalled her battle instructor's words: a sightless enemy relied more heavily on heightened senses, making them even more dangerous.
This held true for the Spirits. Despite never encountering one before, Mika knew their senses far surpassed those of humans. Gritting her teeth, Mika charged towards the blinded Spirit, letting out a fierce battle cry. But before she could reach it, a powerful shove sent her sprawling into a hidden pit. The deafening crack of a ballistic bolt echoed just where she had been standing a moment ago.
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SHINJI Karou coughed violently, spitting dirt out of his mouth. He cursed under his breath. In a risky maneuver, he'd pushed Mika aside, taking the brunt of an electrifying bolt himself before shoving her into the hidden pit. Now, the unconscious Knight lay limp in his arms after she'd hit her head during the fall.
Shinji sighed deeply. He'd just told her to get away when he was suddenly surrounded by Spirits. Taking care of them hadn't taken long, but it had delayed him. Reaching the hillside, he'd been about to shoot the blinded Spirit when something made him turn around.
Two more Spirits, their forms flickering with a dangerous blue glow, swooped down from above. One of them had a crackling ball of energy forming in its mouth – an electrifying bolt, Shinji recognized with a grimace.
"Fuck!" He swore. Looking down at Mika, Shinji nudged her gently. "Hey!"
No response.
"Dammit, Mika. Wake up!"
Mika's fingers twitched. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes. "Who... who are you?"
"Good. You're awake." Shinji loosened his grip as she scrambled back. He noticed the deep gash on her neck.
"Tch." He muttered.
"What?" Mika asked, confused.
Without a word, Shinji raised two fingers to her neck. Their tips glowed a vibrant green, and the wound healed visibly, leaving behind only smooth, unmarked skin. Shinji repeated the process on the minor injuries on her knee and elbows.
Pulling his hand away, Shinji sighed again, rubbing his tired eyes. Using his energy, or chi as he called it, always left him drained, and sometimes even caused him to lose consciousness.
Still reeling from what she'd just witnessed, Mika frowned deeply. "How did you do that?"
Before Shinji could answer, the sound of approaching footsteps reached their ears.
"Stay here," he instructed, carefully climbing out of the pit. His plum-colored eyes scanned the area for any remaining Spirits. All clear.
Shinji was about to land on the ground when he spotted two Luyas Knights and a few townspeople rushing towards him.
"Over there!" one of the townspeople yelled, pointing towards Shinji and picking up his pace.
The townspeople took the lead, sprinting towards the young man. The Luyas Knights, however, remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings for any threats. They noticed Shinji waving his arms frantically and shouting something they couldn't quite understand from afar.
"What is he doing?" Karl whispered to Lee, exchanging a concerned look.
Lee mouthed the words Shinji seemed to be yelling, "Electrifying... bolt?" He frowned, trying to decipher the meaning. A sudden sense of dread washed over him.
"LOOK OUT!" Lee screamed.
Shinji watched in horror as a charged electrifying bolt shot straight towards them at high speed.
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OH how Luna wished the ground would swallow her whole. She stood stiffly, head bowed, facing the very last person she wanted to see at this moment: Commandant Grants Rogue.
Grants and his rescue team had rushed to Andania, hoping to find Captain Luna's unit safe and sound. When he finally found Luna, he pulled her into a tight hug, relieved to see she was unharmed. He quickly released her and demanded to know what had happened to the rest of her team. His face paled as he envisioned the worst.
Luna stammered through her explanation of the events following the collection of the two hundred swords. By the end of her report, Grants' face had contorted through a range of emotions – from disbelief to bewilderment, and finally, to burning rage that she had abandoned her comrades and the people of Andania in their time of need.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Grants took a deep breath. "Not only did you disobey my direct orders to return to Luyas immediately, but you, as Captain, chose to abandon your comrades?!"
Luna flinched. "H-How was I supposed to know you were sending us to a death sentence? We weren't trained to fight Spirits!"
"Grants' voice boomed with a fury that sent shivers down Luna's spine. "That's not the point! Whether you are prepared or not to face enemies, a Captain is always the last person to leave the battlefield! Your first priority was to make sure your teammates were never left behind! Have I not taught you the importance of teamwork? Fighting a battle against someone when you knew that can't win is a different matter. But for you as the Captain of the mission to be the first to run away from the battlefield while the rest of your comrades decide to stand on their ground and fight, that's cowardly and not to mentioned, selfish!"
Luna felt a wave of shame wash over her. Commandant Grants was right. She had failed her team, the people of Andania, and everything he had instilled in her. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision.
Grants had known Luna since she was a child and considered himself a father figure to her and her brother, perhaps even more so than their own father. A unit on the battlefield was like family: you live together, you die together.
Taking a deep breath to control his anger, Grants spoke in a low, firm voice. "You will be dismissed immediately for any missions until further notice. Return to Luyas now and call for reinforcements. We'll need all the help we can get now that the Spirits have arrived. Understood?"
Shamefaced, Luna could only manage a weak, "Understood… Commandant."
The weight of her decision hung heavy in the air as Luna watched the rescue team rush towards the scene of the recent battle. What awaited her comrades? And what horrors had the Spirits unleashed upon Andania? A knot of dread formed in her stomach as she turned and began the long trek back to Luyas, the weight of her failure a crushing burden on her shoulders.