[Onward to Viesyu]

What lies beyond strength is weakness.

The power to define that which is absolute.

This particular element is always present, no matter what reality.

No matter how tall a building is, another one will definitely surpass it in the future.

The same goes for an individual. Those who linger in the apex wouldn't do so forever.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PRINCE

"Ha... I'm beat."

After journeying and fighting for hours, we finally decided to rest in one of the houses near Central Viesyu. I don't know whom this house belong to, but since it was abandoned, and the owner is probably dead anyway, I figured that it would be fine to rest and set up camp here. 

Fortunately, the house is big enough to accommodate us five, even allowing us to have our own separate rest space. Having a good night sleep is our reward for this day's rigorous adventure. As I slowly drift off my consciousness, I recalled the things that happened earlier.

[Prince! There are two beast up north. Both are white with a mixture of yellow cats. They have two tails and are as big as a car.]

Despite being confident in our victory, I didn't dare to be careless one bit. I can kill a hundred of those, but they would only need to kill me once and it's over. Being too overcautious never was a bad thing.

[Marvin, you engage the one on the left. Should it prove to be too difficult to slay, then try to stall for time while I try to finish the other one.]

It was a good thing that I brought Marvin with me. In our group, only he and I are capable of fighting in close combat. Despite being an Awakened, Marvin's strength is no less than mine. Although our fighting style varies, we're about equally matched in terms of strength.

[You two, Sky and Ralph, focus on protecting my sister. Don't let anything even touch a hair in her body. Got it?]

[Yeah.] x2

One of the reasons why I am also being careful in this expedition is because my sister is travelling with me. Her safety is my utmost priority, not only because she is my sibling, but also because her ability is too beneficial for us to lose.

Due to this, I refrained from letting Sky and Ralph from fighting and tasked them to protect her instead. Yes, the fight might be easier with the four of us fighting together, but the risk of losing the ability of healing was just too big.

Who knows how powerful her healing would be once she get even more stronger? Maybe one day she might be able to restore even severed limbs, or perhaps... bring back those who had perished already. Her power was an irregularity, something that we have to look forward at.

[Let's go.]

With a charge of mana, I quickly dashed onto the cat on the right. It noticed me right away after sensing the changes in mana in the surroundings but I didn't care. It was not like I was trying to be stealthy anyway. The quicker I finished this fight, the sooner I would be able to see my family again.

The cat clawed at me with its paw, but I just dodged in the side, and counterattacked with a punch to its head. However, the cat proved itself to be nimble enough to dodge and attack at the same time. It quickly pulled back its body to dodge my fist, and stomped at me with its paw.

[Pyrotechnic Wave!]

I released a bunch of fire pellets, similar to how a fireworks explodes, directly at it. This skill doesn't use much mana but its range and efficiency are pretty high. The attack burned the paw that it used to try to stomped me. 

Due to the pain, the cat went on an outburst and started attacking me with its remaining paws. I managed to dodge the first few attacks, but it proved to be to difficult to dodge all of them. One paw struck me directly in the stomach which sent me tumbling down the ground.

*Boom!*

I rolled over to the side, just in time to prevent my head from being crushed by the cat's leg. I quickly stood up, and dashed again, while preparing another attack. The creature swung its tail at me, but I just tanked it with my body, so I could get closer.

[Burning Pillar!]

A giant pillar of fire rose from the ground directly below the monster. The flame was so powerful that it even pierced through the cat's insides, and poke through its back. Of course, this kind of attack used a heck ton of mana, but it does get the job done easily.

After making sure that the beast was completely dead, I hurriedly went over to Marvin's side to see how he was holding up. 

[RAAAA! TAKE THIS!]

Unlike me who was more evident in dodging, Marvin's way of fighting was more barbaric. He infused his fist with mana, and exchanged blows after blows with the monstrous feline. Its similar to how Anime characters fight. Maybe the result of him watching too much of it.

The cat struck Marvin to the head but it didn't seem like he felt any pain. He reacted and threw a jab at its eyes that immobilized it for a few seconds. This proved to be an opportunity for him to finish it.

['Wait a minute... does Marvin even have a finishing move?']

I never seen him use any skill at all, so I was not sure if he was capable of finishing the beast quickly. I was about to jump in and help him finish it when I felt his mana gathering at the back of his foot. With a jump, he was suddenly up in the air, and was crashing down into the beast.

[HAAAAA!]

[DIE! | Skull Crusher!|

The mana infused foot directly struck the back of the creature's head completely plummeting it. The impact was so strong that it even left a crater in the ground directly below the monster's head. Despite being a one-trick person, Marvin still managed to win in the end.

After making sure that there were no enemies nearby, we continued our journey, and when night time arrived, soon decided to stop here in this house. Now that I think about it, that fight was pretty exciting.

And was a little frightening as well.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ANGEL

Finally, after walking for what felt like eternity, we are finally taking a rest. Boy, that fight earlier sure was hectic. My heart skipped a beat every time Prince was nearly crushed by the cat's legs. However, it all worked out in the end, so it's all good.

Truthfully speaking, I am too scared right now to even continue this journey. I want to see my parents, yes, but the academy became somewhat of a safe house for me. I feel like I am untouchable when I am inside it. No one will hurt me because I am surrounded by a lot of powerful people.

It's not that I don't have confidence in Prince and everyone else. It's just that there is this thought that 'What if I just stayed in the academy' kind of thought. I wonder how they are in the academy right now. Is every one asleep already? Did they manage to have a meal?

There are a lot of things that I want to know. A lot of people I want to talk to. However, is it worth abandoning the hope of seeing my parents? I'm not sure anymore. I'm not even sure if my parents are still alive or not, and even if they are... What can they do in this situation?

No! I am becoming an ungrateful child. I can't just leave my parents behind just because they might prove to be incompetent in terms of fighting! Strength is not everything in this world. Sure, they might not be as strong as others but they are still my parents!

The one who bore and raised me. They were the ones who fed me my first food, taught me my first word, and were the first one I saw. My family, my hope. Still... What is this feeling? Like they are somehow being kept in the back of my mind.

Like they are becoming less and less important in each passing second. Something trivial, something irrelevant. My mind are being filled with images of the people in the academy. How Ramielle guides the people there right now. How I talk and laugh with Sam as we eat together. How I talk with Kevin and the other boys.

It was just a short of four days since this world change but it somehow felt like we've been fighting together for months. It feels like countless hours have passed since I last saw my parents that they somehow became less important for me.

I couldn't fathom the thought of living without my parents before, but now? That thought doesn't seem that impossible. The academy will be my home, and everyone in there will be my family. Not only that, I can even explore this new world with them!

A world with countless opportunities and possibilities. I could explore the whole world without needing to fly in a plane. Hell, I might be able to fly myself one day with the use of mana. Everything seems possible and probable.

BUT!

These are all just thoughts. I still love and need my parents nonetheless. I want to be able to see them every time I wake up and before I go to sleep. I don't feel fine if I won't be able to do so. As a woman who grew up with my heart in my family, being with them is the best moments my life.

That's why I have to continue and move forward,

so that I can meet them again.

"Tomorrow. We will reach Viesyu."

@2023TheWorldBeyondCatastrophe. All Rights Reserved.