Still Awake

"There's a strong stench of blood above this clip." Leah said warily. They only smelled the blood now because they were close to it. The sweet smell of the Nectar completely overpowered and masked the smell of blood.

Gin carefully surveyed the area while backing away slowly, the rest did the same. They completely forgot about the sweet Nectar beside them and only the thought of going back safely was on their mind.

While backing away Leah smelled another different kind of smell. It was a feral smell. And it's coming from behind them! "DODGE!!" she screamed!

She pulled Mary down which surprised her. But her surprise didn't stop there when she suddenly saw a gush of blood! "Wha-"

"BIG BROTHER GIN!!!"

-----

Back at the office.

"Please! Hurry!" Noah pleaded.

"What exactly happened?! Is Lu with them?!" Calir asked frantically.

"Where are they?" Lionell asked Noah as he stepped forward. His expression couldn't mask the concern he had right now.

"There's no time! Everyone's in dan- haah! A m-monste- haaah! attack- they… haaah! blood! Haaah! Haaah!" Noah hyperventilated as he tried to convince the others to save his friends.

"Noah, breathe. Breathe slowly. Relax and explain to us what happened." Auntie Jane said slowly as she rubbed Noah's back.

Noah tried his best to calm down and everyone waited patiently for him. There's nothing they could do, they knew that Noah's mind could be damaged right now so his state of mind is fragile, they couldn't stress him out too much and he also might have just been confused.

"Hoooh* We were at the Tree hole… " Noah began as he exhaled and calmed down. He told them everything his mind could remember. His brain would hurt every time he would think, nevertheless he still tried his best to remember every detail. And when he got to the part about how Leah brought a barrel of tonic nectar that she found outside the village, Lionell clenched his fist as he felt anger. He was angry Leah disobeyed him but the thing that he's most angry about was himself. He failed to teach his kids, he has been too lenient and now it came to this. Not only was Leah in danger, others kids are also in danger because o f what her daughter did. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something ever happened to her.

Noah then got to the part where Little Lu disappeared and went after the others. Luna, who was on Calir's arms suddenly spoke softly in a sobbing manner.

"..I'm s-sorry aunty.." Her eyes welled up as tears started flowing again. Luna woke up when Calir lost her cool and frantically asked Noah if Little Lu was with Mary and the others. Luna heard the whole conversation and then started blaming herself for not being able to find Little Lu. 'If only I'm fast enough. If only I'm big like the others. I would've been able to stop Lulu!' Right then there something awakened in her. Something unknown, sinister and dangerous, she didn't feel anything even Calir didn't manage to feel it. Calir embraced the little girl tightly as she caressed her head gently. "I'm not mad Luna. You're a good girl and good girls don't cry. Little Lu and the others are fine, I'm sure of it." Chris and Calir couldn't just stand anymore, so are the others. They looked at each other and nodded they were about to split up to look for the children when Noah suddenly shouted!

"AHHHH!"

"He's having another premonition!" Exclaimed Aunty Jane. At this point Noah might just break!

Noah once again saw the beast cornering Gin and the other's but now there's someone else there. He couldn't see who it was. The figure was blurred and only its silhouette was the thing he could make sense out of. Suddenly it looked towards him! Those abyss like pitch black eyes seem to peer into his very soul!

With that very last scene Noah finally collapsed unconscious but Aunty Jane managed to catch him in time.

Chris once again casted a healing spell on Noah. "He's just unconscious but I don't know when he'll wake up." Said Chris as he looked at the crying Aunty Jane. Tears rolled down from her blindfolded eyes.

"Let's find them immediately! I'll go south and head to the ruins." Lionell opened the window and jumped out. He doesn't want to waste anymore time.

"Take care of the kids." Calir put Luna down as she and Chris unleashed a profound aura and vanished. Heading to different directions. A dragon's silhouette emerged from Calir's back and a six winged angel emerged from Chris.

-----

"BIG BROTHER GIN!!!"

Leah saw Gin flew and smashed directly into the cliff. Rubbles scattered as the beast roared! "GRAAAARGH!"

Leah and Mary froze as blood flowed down from their ears. That roar just ruptured their eardrums. Their hearts beat like crazy as fear invaded their very core.

The beast towered over them! It's bat-like wings flapped slightly yet it produced a gale that almost swept Leah and Mary off their feet. The girls stumbled back not daring to look at the beast's eyes! The Beast growled and its drool dropped on the ground, corroding it in the process. It's saliva was mixed with blood that clearly came from somewhere else. It was about to sweep them with its snake-like tail when suddenly a crescent form of energy flew towards it.

"RUUUN!" Shouted Gin as he kept releasing sword slash toward the beast. He was covered in a sharp blue aura. His left arm was the only thing clutching tightly onto his small sword. His right arm was dangling on his side, it was badly damaged beyond repair and only a piece of muscle and skin was the only thing keeping it intact to his shoulder.

"G-Gi..." Mary stuttered. She never felt this weak and useless. Even though she was frozen due to fear she could still think somewhat straight. She wanted to carry Leah and run as fast as possible but her body wasn't listening to her.

Leah on the other hand had a look of utter dread as beads of tears flowed from her golden eyes! "Dad… save me.." She desperately called.

The Beast became enraged as it once again roared but this time a mix of mana was released from its mouth which blew Mary and Leah towards the cliff. They both smashed heavily on it. Gin on the other hand had also once again smashed into the cliff. Gin got up and ran towards Mary and Leah. He stood in front of the girls with bruises all over his body. His left eye was already half closed yet the light in them still burned brightly. He was clearly no match for the beast and he could run away at this very moment yet he stood there proud and unwavering. Even he didn't know why but when he was embedded into the cliff earlier after the Beast's first attack he wanted to run. But when the thought abandoning Mary and Leah crossed his mind he gritted his teeth and struggled to get up and ran towards them.

All those hellish training his father and him did wouldn't be for naught!

Initially Gin thought he managed to cause some damage to the Beast when he unleashed a flurry of sword slash because of the reaction of the beats yet at this moment when he finally got a good look… it didn't even manage to leave a single scratch on its skin worse it didn't seem like it penetrated its fur!

The beast walked slowly towards them and they finally got a good look at it. It has the head, feet and body of an Eagle yet instead of a beak it had a snout with razor sharp teeth and instead of feathers, messy brown fur covered its body. The beast had bat wings instead of feathered wings that can be typically found on Eagles. The Beast also had a scorpion tail twice the length of its body. What a monstrous appearance! But what struck them the most were its blood red eyes. It feels empty and blank, it's like they were looking at a dead animal's eyes.

Gin looked back and saw Mary and Leah in a sorry state. He then turned his sharp gaze at the Beast before saying "When I say go you run as fast as possible! Carry Leah and never look back. I'm going to use my strongest attack and hopefully hold this damn beast here. No! I'll make sure of it!"

A cliff was behind them so they could only run to the sides which was not the best idea as it would take more time but they didn't have any choice. The cliff was too high for them to climb quickly.

Mary looked at Gin's back, she trembled! 'Why? Why are you acting so tough when you're trembling in fear!' She thought.

She then looked at Leah who was clutching onto her arm and then it hit her. 'What am I doing?!' They were clearly in the same situation yet Gin managed to stand up even though he was also scared, unlike her who just cowered behind someone who she deemed an equal. She was always proud of her achievements, being able to form a mana core at a young age, learning spells quickly, she knows etiquette and she's well educated more yet what use were those accomplishments at the moment? She's useless and a burden.

After realising her flaw Mary then slowly stood up and she heavily stomped on the ground, she bit her lips and it bled.

"I.. I won't ran and leave you behin-"

"MARY!!!" Gin shouted as he interrupted Mary and calmly said. "I won't be able to run. I'll just drag you two down so please… at the very least you two should escap-"

"GIN!!!" Now it was Mary who interrupted Gin. "You do know I'm older than you. So don't tell me what to do." Mary said with a smile.

"Wha- what the hell does that even have to do in this situation?!" Gin was dumbstruck what hell is going on in her head? They could die at this rate if they stay here! Besides she was only older by a season.

Mary looked at Leah warmly as she ignored Gin. "Leah, can Big sis ask you a favour one last time?"

"Big sis…" Leah answered tearfully.

"Big sis wants you to run as fast as possible as soon as I say go. Leah's the fattest girl in the whole world so Big sis believes that you can definitely make it." Mary said as she wiped Leah's tears.

"Can you do that for me?" Leah warmly stroked Leah's head and seeing that smile, Leah couldn't help but just nod "hm"

Mary then turned towards Gin. He was about to persuade her to abandon the thought of staying when he saw her kind smile. It was kind yet at the same time helpless.

"Tch!" Gin didn't bother anymore and focused once more on the Beast. He was disgusted at himself for being so weak.

Light aura then leaked out of Mary's figure far stronger than that of Gin's as she performed incantations. She already developed her mana core. It was still at the initial stage but nonetheless it was far stronger than average.

"O' God of Light, heed my call and grant me strength to bless this brave fighter. Blessing! Heal!"

A magic circle appeared above Gin and Leah's head. Then light suddenly rained down on them. Gin could feel his strength rising and his wounds being healed, except for his dangling arm. It's going to take a lot more to repair it. Leah also felt the same, the small bruises and scratches she had healed quickly. The fear she felt had also lessened.

What Mary casted was a beginner buffing and healing skill learned by those who have light elements. Those who usually learned this were those who prefer to support rather than fight on the frontlines. It was a beginner spell yet what she casted was stronger than average.

After buffing Gin and Leah, Mary almost felt drained.

Resoluteness burned in Gin's eyes as a sharp aura leaked out of his body. He's going to perform his strongest move right now. They obviously won't last if they drag this out any longer. He wasn't hoping for much, he only wanted to create an opportunity for Leah to run away safely and not attract the Beast's attention.

As the Beast got closer it unfolded its gigantic wings. *Swoosh! They almost got swept away but they held their ground.

Leah got into a runners pose as she waited for the signal. Inside Leah's mind a jumble of emotions ran wild. Mary prepared another spell as she conjured a magic circle in front of her. It was glowing brightly which greatly irritated the Beast, then it pounced!

"NOW LEAH!!!" Exclaimed Mary as she waited for Gin to launch his attack!

"Second Stance: Sword Pierce!" Gin closed his eyes as a silhouette of a giant blue sword materializes and it follows Gin's movement as he stabs forward towards the Beast's eye! Mary immediately followed up with her spell as the magic circle in front of her glowed brightly like the sun!

"Blinding Light!"

Their plan was simple, Mary would blind the Beast as Gin pierce its eye so they could stop it for a moment. The Beast might close its eyes and its eyelids might be as tough as its hide but that's okay, they weren't confident enough to injure it in the first place when its roar was enough to deal with them. They were only looking for a few seconds to halt the Beast and get its attention so Leah could slip out safely. Their coordination was perfect. But in the process Gin would also be blinded by the light so he had to close his eyes. Same for Leah. A gamble!

Even though the Beast was powerful its eyes were still affected by the bright light. Gin was elated as he felt his technique make contact. But his elation suddenly turned to dread as he felt his technique collapse! "Wha-"

Leah was already a few meters from them when she suddenly felt her senses run wild and she felt the blinding light disappear. She looked back and saw Beast's tail skewered Mary onto the cliff!

"NOOO BIG SIS!!!" *Budump! Almost immediately a primal aura emerged from her body! *Budump! Her heart beat loudly as her golden eyes turned completely red and her messy black hair stood on ends. Her teeth sharpened while her nails turned black and elongated. She suddenly vanished from her position only to reappear beside Mary. She slashed using her hands, that attack actually managed to sever the Beast's tail. Mary then fell towards the ground but Gin managed to catch her.

"MARY!!!" Gin exclaimed as she clutched onto Mary. "G-Gin… I-I'm sorr.." Mary struggled to say as she vomited some blood.

Earlier just right after Gin felt his technique broke he suddenly felt someone push him to the side. He voluntarily opened his eyes only to see something blurry sweep past him and hear a bone crunching sound.

'Is this it?' Thought Mary as she stared at nothing.

"No"

She could see sparkling lights which were rays of light that peaked through the gaps between the leaves. It was beautiful yet she couldn't appreciate it. She was numb. She couldn't hear Gin anymore, the light in her eyes was fading slowly. 'I wish I could play with everyone one more time.'

"No!"

Tears fell from the corners of her eyes, she couldn't control it anymore.

"NO!"

Mary was raised to be strong and responsible. Even though she's young, she already witnessed the world's cruelty. That is why she strived to be better everyday. She acted like an adult because her Father was the epitome of strength she witnessed while growing up. When her Father was excommunicated and they were chased by the Church, she saw how calm her father was. She wondered why he's calm and never scared even if the whole world seemed to be against them. She wanted to be like that. That's why she always tries her best to be someone who can be relied on like how she relied on her father. But at the end of the day, she's just a child. She doesn't cry because crying won't solve anything. But at this moment she doesn't have the strength to control her tears from falling anymore. 'I'm sorry… Father'

"NO!!!"

Her eyes closed and her heart stopped.

But her mind was still awake! "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!! NO!! NO!" She screamed but there was no sound, no light only…

darkness.