Chapter 45.

Mr Adrian looked to her one last time before warning her and Rifana, "Please brace yourselves."

Raphtalia nodded and Rifana followed her lead after a moment. She hoped that the village wasn't in as bad a condition as Rabier had shown her but even if it was she needed to see it one last time.

Mr Adrian looked like he was about to say something but shook his head and said, "Portal."

His sword began to glow a bright blue and the world around them wavered. It was like she could see a transparent version of her village, a village in ruin before they were suddenlyright there.

It was the first time she had experienced the magic of teleportation but she barely paid any attention to it. She immediately realized that she was standing in front of Miss Alaya's house. The older woman had been the best tailor in town and Timol had been one of her friends. She looked away from their home. It was destroyed. One of the walls had been knocked down and the roof had crushed everything inside.

"Wow!" said Trystan, "This place is a total wreck-Ow! Hey sis-"

He was quickly shut down by his sister who had shocked him. She grabbed him by the ear and dragged him to the edge of the village. Isis sent Raphtalia an apologetic look. The demi-human nodded before starting to move around her village hand in hand with Rifana. She ignored the painful grip her friend had on her.

Mr Adrian walked with them. He kept himself at a distance but ensured that he was within her line of sight. Gratitude surged. He knew that she felt safe with him.

That emotion was brutally smothered as she saw her home.

It was in ruins like every other house but she could see the signs of what it had been before the Wave, signs of all the work she and the others had done to fix it after the Catastrophe andevidence of the soldiers that had attacked them. Raphtalia wiped her tears away and kept moving, slowly but surely trying her best to remember every single member of her village. It didn't matter who they were or if she liked them. She wanted to remember them all.

Rifana was staring blankly at the destroyed village. She didn't react when they arrived at her home. She said nothing as they stared at the ruined village centre and she merely glanced at the fields in which they used to play in. Raphtalia wondered if her idea of returning here, for one last time, before they fought the Wave tomorrow had been stupid. Mr Adrian had warned against it, stating that it could be either positive or negative and it might be wise to leave it be for another day, but she hadn't been able to drive away her fear that tomorrow would be her last day and that this was her very last chance to see Lurolana again.

Raphtalia slowly tugged Rifana towards the makeshift graveyard for those who had died during the Wave. She wasn't surprised when she saw that it had been vandalized but she couldn't help the tears that were falling. Raphtalia swiped her hands across her face roughly but she couldn't help it as she saw her parents resting place destroyed.

It had been nothing more than a set of empty graves with some of their favourite things set on a small stone but it had been the best she had been able to do. Something heavy pressed her chest. She couldn't breathe. Raphtalia didn't know if it was the rage at the scum who had done this or despair that her parents couldn't even have this much.

She heard Rifana's voice-no, not her voice- her cries as she knelt at her parents' grave. It had been defiled as well.

Raphtalia jumped as Mr Adrian made his presence known, "Raphtalia," he said, "When I came here before with Isis there were some things we had taken care of. If you can identify them then we can put them to rest."

He waved towards a small cluster of graves which had a small, but well made, headstone. She hadn't noticed them because they had been slightly out of the way but. there were at least two dozen-no more than that.

She looked to him, unsure of what to say, but he simply said, "Illusion Sword will allow you to see the remains without having to disturb their rest."

Raphtalia nodded and saw that Rifana had heard him as well. Mr Adrian didn't smile but she could tell that he was pleased when they both got up. He projected image after image and then created a Sword for them to use so that they could carve the right names onto the gravestones. It took them nearly an hour to make sure it was all right and then clean up the other graves that had been vandalized but when she was done Raphtalia felt...lighter. Not better but at least she didn't feel like something was going to burst from her chest.

"Did you make them when you created a portal marker here?" she asked.

He nodded but kept his attention on Rifana who was staring at her parents' grave. They both stood in silence for a minute before Mr Adrian said, "Do you think it's alright if I create some plants around here to keep this place safe? Nothing extreme," he added after her worried look emerged once he had asked his question, "just to make sure that no one disturbs this place."

Raphtalia almost agreed but hesitated and turned towards Rifana.

Mr Adrian noticed, "Talk to her." he said, "I'll go check in on Isis and Trystan."

She barely finished nodding before he vanished but her desire to speak vanished when she saw that Rifana was crying again, silent tears falling down her cheeks but Rifana didn't even notice or if she did, she didn't care.

Raphtalia did the obvious thing. She went up to Rifana and hugged her and tried to ignore how odd it felt to realize that she was taller and older than her best friend. Rifana latched on quickly and within a minute, both of them were sitting in front of the remnants of their families, crying as they held each other. After a few minutes their tears dried up and though Raphtalia felt a little better she couldn't help but think that she had been really stupid to come here. Adrian had been right. This had been a risky move and she should have left this for later...and yet had she not arrived here today than wouldn't her parent's rest still be disturbed?

"Are you really going to fight the Waves?" asked Rifana from within Raphtalia's arms.

Raphtalia almost flinched at the sudden question before nodding in response. Rifana held on even more tightly and said, "I want to fight as well."

Surprised, she pulled back from the hug and stared at Rifana. Raphtalia knew that Rifana hated fighting. She had always been one to avoid getting too rowdy with the boys while Raphtalia had eagerly jumped in. It was incredibly odd to hear that she wanted to fight.

But she understood. She remembered what it was like to just watch as everything was taken from them. Fighting was tiring and messy and needed her to be very careful but it felt empowering. It felt real in a way that normal life just didn't.

She understood what it was like to be weak and the need to be strong.

So, even though she was scared to have Rifana on the battlefield, she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll talk to Mr Adrian."

The tremulous smile was a bittersweet victory.

____

Raphtalia

"Last equipment checks everyone," said Mr Adrian, "we have about half an hour, so make sure you have everything you need."

Raphtalia took in a deep breath as double-checked her equipment. It didn't take very long. Armour, Stamina, Health and healing potions around her belt and her Sword and Short Sword. The back-ups were going to be Mr Adrian's responsibility so they were not her concern. She did take a moment to study Isis and Trystan, they were ready as well. And then turned her gaze upon Mr Adrian who was sitting on top of one of the many trees he had planted around the Hourglass that Fitoria had led them to.

Once she was done she turned to Rifana who was looking at her nervously. Raphtalia hoped that she wasn't looking as scared as the girl in front of her. The teenager looked really spooked but Raphtalia knew that it was simply because she was being forced, once again, to watch as other went into battle. Mr Adrian had agreed to help Rifana out, just as she had expected, but he had made it clear that she had absolutely no combat skill right now and her level was simply too low at the moment to fight in a Wave when she had no skills nor practice working with team members. Raphtalia had seen the logic in his statement and she could tell that Rifana did as well, but that didn't stop Rifana from feeling bad about it.

"We'll be fine," she promised her friend. It was a genuine promise that she was certain that she could keep. Raphtalia was scared but she was fighting with Mr Adrian, Trystan and Isis. She didn't think that anyone could beat the three of them.

Rifana nodded, "I know," she said, but her voice wavered.

"Don't be scared!" both of them heard, and turned to see that Trystan, in his human form for once, had snuck up on them, "I'll protect her and Big Bro will protect us all and kill all the monsters."

Raphtalia had to smile at that, especially since she had seen how powerful both Trystan and his sister were since their Class Up.

"Thank you," she said, patting his head, "I'll do my best to help as well."

He smiled and then started chatting with Rifana, who slowly responded to the energetic filolial. Raphtalia turned to see Isis looking at them, who quickly turned away, once she saw Raphtalia looking, and walked up to her father, who was speaking to Fitoria. Raphtalia felt a small smile emerge when she realized that Isis must have noticed their tension and sent Trystan over to help.

That girl was a lot like her father. Kind but preferring to act from a distance.

Raphtalia took another deep breath and joined in the conversation with Trystan and Rifana. Reassuring her friend and mustering her resolve. They were why she fought. Her friend and her new family.

It didn't take long for Mr Adrian to declare, "Five minutes until the Wave Begins. Make absolutely sure that everything is ready."

But he didn't stop at that and made sure to speak to every member of his party. When it was her turn, she was surprised to find that she was really scared. Not of him but she knew that in less than two minutes they would be fighting underneath that red sky. A part of her still found it ridiculous that she was heading towards the monsters.

"Take a deep breath and relax," he said, hand on her shoulder, "we'll survive this. Between our power and Fitoria's aid, there is no real chance that we'll be harmed."

She nodded, "I know," she replied, looking at her feet, slightly ashamed of telling him that she was still scared despite all the help he had given her, "It's just...I can't believe that I'm about to fight a Wave."

"Then let this battle be the evidence you need." he said with a smile, "we'll be fine and once this is done we shall start looking into the survivors from your village."

Her head snapped towards him, "What?" she said and she could see Rifana turning towards him as well.

"You heard me," he said, his tone a little amused but quite serious, "consider that to be incentive Raphtalia. So please do your best and-It's time."

He cut himself off and then quickly drew upon a Disc. All of them, except Rifana, got on it after, while Rifana walked towards Fitoria and sat on one of the nearby Filolials after wishing them luck and a quick hug. They would all be teleported near the Wave but Rifana would be protected by what Mr Adrian had described as the most powerful being on the planet.

Then the world around them shattered and she was underneath a cracked red sky again. She had seen this place in her nightmares but witnessing it again for real made her realize just how dull her memories were.

They were in some sort of forest, she could see the mountains in the distance but she couldn't tell where she was, it didn't seem familiar at all.

"Curious…" muttered Mr Adrian as he drew them up into the sky and towards the rifts from which she could see monsters pouring out.

She turned towards him, wondering what he found curious, even as she drew her sword and held onto it, feeling a sense of comfort at the reminder that she could fight back.

He didn't explain, just kept moving and then said, "Isis, combination time, Lightning and Fire with Ten thousand Swords,"

The white-haired filolial nodded, and then both of them began to chant, the magical energy was palpable and it made the hair along her arms stand on end. She swallowed as she was reminded of the sheer power that both of her party members held.

Even as they chanted Mr Adrian created four swords and set them to float around them, he didn't bother using them to attack but Raphtalia found herself growing more and more tense as they neared the rifts. She could see the monsters now.

"Blade Storm," they intoned, their voices speaking in perfect unison and instantly hundreds of blades covered in fire or lightning began to manifest and start flying towards the monster. She thought it looked impressive as it travelled, streaks of blue or yellow moving at incredible speeds that she could barely see, but it was only when approached their targets that the corona of fire or lightning around them expanded and she realized just how insanely destructive the attack truly was.

Mr Adrian - no, this was the Sword Hero - vanished from her sight and she managed to find him again because he created another set of swords, wreathed in lightning and fire, around him at his new position and launched them as well.

Again she heard the screams and screeches from all around her as he kept on doing this again and again and again. He didn't take very long but by the time he was done and had returned she couldn't see any monsters but the impact of their attacks was obvious. The whole area around them looked like hell. The fires had gone out once the attack was over, a sign of how much control that casters had over them, but the damage was incredible. The entire area had been flattened as if a giant had stomped it and she could see hundreds- no, thousands - of bodies all around her, each and every one of them killed horrifically by either fire, lightning, both or a sword.

Mr Adrian casually surveyed the destruction and noted, "that was fairly successful. Plus we all leveled up. Isis, make sure to save enough power to do that at least once more."

Raphtalia felt herself relax a little at his matter-of-fact tone and checked her status magic.

Raphtalia Lv 48

Adrian Black Lv 54

Isis Lv 48

Trystan Lv 48

Rifana Lv 43

She blinked at the realization that she had leveled up twice while Rifana had gotten three levels. It had barely been two minutes since the Wave had started. Just how many monsters had Isis and Adrian killed?!

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