Flight(4)

"Hey, are you okay?" Chimsy asked moments after the battle.

The taste of triumph was still fresh in her mouth but she had to ask this total stranger how he was doing.

He nodded slowly, his gaze drifting towards Chimsy . "Yeah...I'm good," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Chimsy's eyes narrowed, her gaze scrutinizing Jackson Lee's battered form.

He said he was okay but it did nothing to reduce Chimsy's worries.

She was worried about this stranger, this warrior who had fought alongside her with a ferocity that bordered on madness.

They had shared no stories, no laughter, no moments of vulnerability when they were on earth. Heck they didn't know each other then. Yet, in this strange, desolate world, they had found a common purpose: Survival.

With a gentle nod, Chimsy reached out and placed a hand on Jackson Lee's shoulder.

It wasn't just a gesture of solidarity, of understanding, of friendship forged in the fire of battle, it was something more.

Chimsy willed her aura to envelope Jackson Lee and extended it to the rest of us.

We weren't that far from each other, so her aura didn't extend widely outwards.

Jackson Lee and Dae-su Han gazed at Chimsy with profound gratitude.

Her healing aura, enveloped them, soothing their wounds and revitalizing their exhausted bodies.

The aura couldn't be seen but once the effect was on the person , the person would definitely feel it.

The coolness of her aura was a balm to Dae-su Han and Jackson Lee's battered souls, a reminder that they weren't alone in this desolate planet.

Chimsy's reserved energy, expanded by her recent leveling up, flowed freely, nourishing her companions.

As her aura enveloped them, Jackson Lee and Dae-su Han felt their wounds healing and the pain from these wounds melting away like mist in the sun.

I, on the other hand felt like I had been moved from a boiling pot into a cool room.

The aura from Chimsy wasn't only healing, it generally protected one from the planet's harsh environment.

During the last battle when I carried the infant from the arms of Chimsy whose aura had offered great protection to the little one, the fragile form immediately struggled to cope with the raw nature of the planet's environment.

Her tiny body trembled, her fragile yellow skin reddening as she struggled to cope with the harsh, hot environment.

Her small lungs labored to extract oxygen from the scorching air, her breaths coming in short, gasping pants.

Her eyes, once bright and curious, dulled, her gaze unfocusing as her body succumbed to the overwhelming heat.

Her tiny fists clenched, her arms and legs flailing weakly as she fought to maintain consciousness.

Her skin, soft and delicate, felt like it was on fire, the heat searing through her fragile form like a branding iron.

Her cries, once loud and insistent, grew fainter, her voice hoarse from the dry, burning air.

As the heat closed in, the baby's struggles grew weaker, her body trembling with exhaustion.

Her eyes fluttered closed, her chest rising and falling in shallow, labored breaths.

It seemed as though she might succumb to the harsh environment at any moment, her tiny form overwhelmed by the unforgiving world around her.

The infant, exposed to the harsh conditions, wobbled precariously on the brink of consciousness.

But there was nothing I could do then, during the fight, given that Chimsy had at some point during the fight withdrawn her aura to focus on the fight, and this left even herself exposed to the planet's harsh environment.

But then you couldn't compare our handling the environment to an infant's.

We were years older so there was more chance for us to survive the environment than the tiny human.

Out of the five of us the one that benefited the most from Chimsy's healing aura was the infant.

As Chimsy's aura enveloped the baby, a remarkable transformation took place.

The infant's trembling ceased, her fragile body relaxing into the cool, comforting energy.

Her eyes, once dull and unfocused, gradually brightened, her gaze locking onto Chimsy's face with a newfound sense of calm.

Her tiny chest rose and fell with deeper, more rhythmic breaths, her lungs filling with the nourishing air, an air filtered by Chimsy's aura.

Her skin, once reddened and parched, softened, her pores drinking in the moisture and comfort that Chimsy's aura provided.

The baby's cries, once weak and faltering, ceased altogether, replaced by a gentle cooing that seemed to harmonize with the hum of Chimsy's energy.

Her tiny fists unclenched, her arms and legs relaxing into a peaceful stillness. In matter of moments the tiny human fell asleep.

As we basked in the warmth of Chimsy's healing aura, we forgot momentarily about the situation that we were in and how these ash hawk carcasses scattered around us would serve as an invitation to more of these creatures coming off to feast on the free meal presented before them.

But just like the planet had pity on our state, it granted us a moment of rest.

Jackson Lee was starting to feel like himself again.

It seemed that Chimsy's aura also replaced the benefit that came from killing the creatures.

But that seemed to take its toll on Chimsy; as her aura left her it made the reserved energy in her tissues and her soul reduce.

Each time they killed a creature, a surge of energy was introduced into their souls.

At first, the energy would stay in their souls and then, steadily, the energy would seep into their tissues, infusing their bodies with a renewed sense of vitality and strength.

Like a gentle rain, the energy would soak into their muscles, tendons, and bones, rejuvenating their physical forms and imbuing them with a sense of resilience and vigor.

But this energy did nothing to heal their wounds.

The only ones who could do that were people like Chimsy who had healing features.

Moments passed by in silence until it was broken by Dae-su Han's question to Jackson Lee.

"Why is this happening? What has the world gotten into?" Dae-su Han asked.

The silence that followed Dae-su Han's question was palpable, a heavy stillness that seemed to weigh upon our shoulders.

It was as if the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for an answer that seemed elusive, if not impossible.

Jackson Lee's gaze drifted towards the space beyond, his eyes squinting as if searching for a glimmer of understanding.

Chimsy's eyes dimmed, her gaze turned inward as if seeking answers in the recesses of her own mind.

Even I, a being with access to countless stories, felt the weight of my own ignorance, my entire being scrambling to find a thread of purpose of this whole ordeal.

The question itself seemed too ambiguous, to be answered.

But still, in the deepest part of my consciousness, a question lingered, refusing to be silenced: " What was that darkness that had consumed the world after we had gone into the scenario?"

The silence stretched on, a heavy blanket that seemed to suffocate them.

It was as if they were all waiting for someone, anyone, to provide a answer, a thread of hope to cling to in this chaotic series of happening.

"I think we should start planning to move. " I said moments after the mind boggling question was asked.

"It's not wise to remain in a place in this kind of situation, especially since we are in the midst of dead ash hawks."

These weren't just empty words.

They were backed by proof.

It had played over and over again over the ten scenarios, a situation where any group or individual that wasn't so fast or steady on the move was bound to be caught up by some creature.