亚洲综合中美

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” replied she stuck winding the moments leading to her friend’s death.

“Don’t fret too much,” they leaped off the wall, “-all if this happened because we were weak. Good men died protecting the youth, no way can we back down.” An elaborate lie to put the fearful mind at rest when in pain, either combat with another fiercer emotion or let it ruin thyself, or so he thought. Now, the world through the shiny-white eyes felt different. Everything seemed to have a different form, a nostalgic feeling. Halfway till the camp, Origin stopped talking and said to call on him if ever things got out of hand. Thinking nothing of it, they continued. Occasionally trampling over perished men; disfigures, disembowel, others, just an arm or leg. Thus, on Monday the 8th of March X100, the sun rose bashfully to the east, lighting the road coming from Stonegrove. Stamina ran low, mana was naught, not to mention, a pretty lady on his back. Putting another foot forward, the once deserted road came in view. Trucks and ambulances went up and down, the aftermath of the battle was handled with much experience. Teams, mostly the military, broke off to handle and care for the injured. A makeshift healer’s camp settled at the center of the outpost. Damage sustained was to the defensive walls and watchtower. Reforge stood without much harm. The fires were unfortunate trucks caught under attack.

“Heal my comrade, please, he’s barely alive,” cried one.

“Are you dumb, my wife has priority, is that how you treat her for having served your useless asses for years?” screamed another.

‘What is this?’ ash and dust hovered from the ground, people in bandages were left to rest under the shadow of broken walls. Both men and women buckled under the pressure, supplies ran low – few arguments broke. Unable to see much, they passed the main gate. Lines separated injured, only a limited number of ambulances were present. Those considered at death’s door were given priority, however, those without hope of rescue were left to die a painful death. The triage held no regard for gender, race, and age. To make matters worse, the curse of monsters grew to infect more than a few.

.....

“You there,” voiced Corporal Zoey, “-is that Ling?”

“Yes,” answered he curtly, “-she’s sleeping.”

“Good, take her inside, Corporal Tommy’s waiting,” to which, her strong gesture continued in guiding the survivors. The strain on healers wasn’t to be desired, forced to drink mana potions and heal without rest. Casting a wince of discomfort; the door opened to the cleaner interior of the headquarters. Medics ran along the halls, another makeshift medical camp for injuries beyond magic’s reach.

“Is she injured?” asked a flustered nurse, “-take her inside, follow me.”

“No, no,” he interrupted her jog, “-I need to see Corporal Tommy, this here is his sister, she’s just exhausted.”

“I see,” glancing up and down, “-fine, sorry. The influx of patients is too much – I wonder where the doctor is. Take care,” and off she scurried with a knee-high uniform and curly hair. Watching her felt even more exhausting, running here and there to engage anyone who entered, trying her best to save the lives lost.

*Knock, knock,*

“Come in,” said a rough voice.

“Excuse me,” said Igna, “-Corporal Tommy, I’ve brought Ling,” the table wasn’t alone, as the guests spun in curiosity.

‘Viola, a sergeant, and the corporal.’

“I see,” said Tommy, “-thank you for bringing her, is she alright?”

“Might have sprained her ankle, apart from that, she’s ok.”

“Good put her on the couch. I’ll ask the officers to prepare a reward.”

“No,” he refused, “-use the money for more supplies. Outside’s a mess. They could start fighting any second.”

“Well Corporal,” voiced the sergeant, “-that’s the boy I was talking about. He single-handedly killed a few Crawlers by reports from the Wall-Guardian and adventurers. A very courageous lad, there’s another report about him rescuing three girls and running off into the fog to bait the beasts.” Though the words felt encouraging, the mannerism and tone didn’t match. A suspicious glare, hard-pressed brows, and a rigid stance.

“Come out and say it,” said Igna nonchalantly, “-what’s the underlying intent. Let me guess, you think I’m a traitor... I guess having survived the fog, killed the threat, and rescued a few girls isn’t enough, now is it. A Silver-ranked adventurer should have been on the front lines, not a porcelain rank. Tell me how that is fair, huh?” slamming the table, “-I tried to save my friends, but they were killed. Ling over there barely managed to survive; do you know how bad the fucking battle was... I guess not, you were busy fighting amidst yourself.”

“Igna,” voiced Viola.

“No, I’m not done giving my report. Guess what, a low-tiered demon was behind the summoning, we barely escaped, everyone else died. Still, I’m a traitor; or so what sergeant Appy figured. Matter of fact, I wish I was the one responsible for this fucking massacre, culling the incompetent is one way to get rid of bastards like you off the continent.”

“That’s enough,” voiced Tommy, “-Sergeant, the boy has a point.”

‘Why did I lash out... I thought I lost my emotions...’

‘Hey, being heartless isn’t good for discussions. Leave that side to me,’ said a faint whisper.

‘Origin’s doing, whatever, still my doing.’

“I apologize,” he side-glanced the window and spun, “-if not for some imbeciles, this could have been avoided.”

“Sergeant, with all due respect, I find it hard the adventurers would instigate a rebellion for the sake of fighting. I was there, I know how hard it was.”

“No, Tommy, there’s someone behind it, a voice that birthed all this misunderstanding.”

“Should I really be hearing this?” inquired Igna.

“It’s fine,” said Appy, “-go on, get some rest. The Lieutenant will handle the rest.”

“Alright, I’m off then.”

“Wait,” voiced Viola, “-here, have this. I’ll talk to you in a bit,” the door locked.

All the noise and confusion led him to a quiet boulder at the back of the cafeteria. Here, the shadow covered from the sun, and the ailing fighters weren’t complaining. Sat against the stone-brick, reality sank in. ‘Origin’s soul and mine are merged. I can see his memories, the amount of knowledge – a walking library. It’s like the Arcane Library from the Boon of divinity but way better. I wonder why he decided to sleep in the subconscious. That outburst earlier...’ the phone toggled on; ‘-Viola brought a spare battery. Scary how fast it swallowed the power.’ Accidentally pressing the front camera button, ‘-huh?’ opposed to the usual brown and crimson, the eyes were white and red. A white marred by little specks of light-blue, purple, and more running along to the pupil. Colors only noticeable up close. ‘The mark of Origin too, the increase in power earlier was nothing more than the Death-element healing itself. A boost from our binding, a rush of mana similar to a rush of adrenaline. I’m beat, he’s right and wrong. Even if he can’t fight, I was granted the greatest weapon of all, knowledge, unparallel and unrivaled. Noticed it early,’ the head hang back, ‘-the outburst was an automatic response. I didn’t think, only acted – had a few outcomes in my mind, and they turned out to be correct. Mana manipulation, the waves, the foundation of the arts I created, Mana Control, I can visualize them without effort now. The very core of what is real and what is not. From the ground, the sky, to the building, everything has mana and life bestowed on it. Maybe,’ holding up a finger, *Mana Control: Vortex,* the thin lines broke to lock onto the index, *Mana Control: Regeneration,* it swallowed to refill the element of which was a famine glutton. ‘Gathering mana from the outside is more effective than producing on its own since it’s more unlimited here. Plants to animals, everything produces mana, it’s like air. I wonder if there’s a way to bypass my element and conjure magic from memory alone...’ paused for a few minutes, ‘-there actually is a way to bypass it.’ Without effort, balls of different affinity of magic hovered over each finger. ‘-Origin, you’re an angel, I swear.’ *Dispell.*

An argument arose in the distance. “Come on, hand me that potion, my kid is about to die!”

“You damned fool, who brings a kid to the fucking outpost?”

“Dude, seriously,” the father drew sword, “-if my kid isn’t saved, I’ll slaughter everyone till I kill myself, you hear!”

“Sir!” interjected a few survivors, “-everyone’s doing their best to survive,” said Jen trying to break the fight.

“Shut up, I don’t want to hear anything from you, woman,” refuted the father; the intent grew murderous.

“Anyone who’s fool enough to bring kid must suffer. My wife is more important, she’s nearly dead, come on, the curse’s going to reach her brain any second, understand.”

“Come on,” added Frost, “-there’s no need to fight.”

“Shut up,” cried the father, “-my daughter’s going to die if you don’t give her the potion. The bleeding won’t stop, come on, take pity on her!”

“The doctors said they can’t help the girl,” added Rena, “-the wife has a chance at survival.”

“Yes, that’s why give me the damned potion,” the sword unsheathed, “-I’ll take it by force, I swear,” the eyes watered, “-I’m sorry panda, father has to take care of a few things.”

“Papa, i-it’s f-fine.”

“No, don’t worry, I’ll save you,” said he falling back to her side, “-I’ll get the potion and you can stay here with me.”

“No,” chubby rosy cheeks lifted in bliss, “-I’m going to see mother and the angels. Don’t worry papa, it’s fine.” Silence befell the medical camp, nurses and healers were ashamed. The adventurers hid in fear.

“All of this happened because a few idiots tried to save a dead body,” exclaimed the man, “-my daughter never did anything to deserve this. You fools rushed in to fight the military, how smart was that. Once you were defeated, you turned, ran, and shot my girl in the folly. ARE YOU SERIOUS? NOW THE ONE RESPONSIBLE IS DEMANDING TO SAVE HIS WIFE, A FUCKING WHORE WHO LED THE FIGHT. My girl and I sat and watched, we didn’t do anything... if you think I’m going to stand here and do nothing,” he stood, “-you’re wrong. I’ll kill the damned bitch if I need to!”

“My comrades were killed, doesn’t matter if I kill a father and his kid to save my wife, you hear.”

“Back-off,” cried Lampard, “-no one needs to get hurt.”

‘Is that what happened,’ he stood atop the cafeteria, ‘-Tommy did mention someone instigating the fight.’

“Come on,” the fighters split into halves, one for the kid and one for the wife,”-I’m going to kill YOU!” Overwhelmed, Rena drew her sword in self-defense – a traumatized helper leaped with a dagger in hand. *Slash,* blood-splattered both sides, Leonard turned to utmost horror.

“-R-Rena...”

“Chill out,” said Igna pinning the helper with a dagger through his back, “-this one’s a bit on the mental side.”

“Let me go,” he gritted till foam escaped, “-I have to avenge my sister, she died trying to save worthless pieces of shit.”

“Slow down there, buddy,” the dagger dug deeper forcing a deafening cry of help, “-else I’ll have to kill you.”