1 Chapter 1: Exposition (1)

'Help…'

A loud voice rang through my ears.

"Ei, I think we should go back." Says Exi.

"Why?" Ei asked in reply with a question mark buried on her face.

"I feel strange. We should probably continue hunting tomorrow, the Elders might get mad"

"Okay." Ei nonchalantly said. She was looking at me with curiosity.

The two children jumped by the trees of the forest to find their way home. As quickly as they had traveled, a bright light flashed right in their eyes, and yet again, they hear screams.

"The Elders might have caught one of a beast to have that much scream echo throughout the forest. The fire is blazingly burning too, maybe it is dinner!"

Ei said with her glee.

Seeing her face, my worried thoughts rested. However, my face is still poisoned with my horrific expression.

"Are you okay, Ei?" I reached out my hand to her back trying to calm her down. Though, it was my intention. I couldn't calm down either.

"I'm fine, Exi. Let's just go forward."

"Your face looks, pal-"

"Get the children somewhere safe!" A familiar voice shouted with an alarming tone.

And once again, my thoughts were stained with worry. The sweat that had backed down once in Ei's words appeared again. As I looked at Ei, discomfort began to wrap around her face.

"W-what's h-happening" Tears began to unfold in Ei's eyes, and her legs became stiffer with every step she takes. She hurried her steps, while I was left behind shaking heavily in fear.

The burning light is becoming fiercer and as we come close to the light, the screams that we have heard did not resemble a monster anymore. But rather, it resembled the cries of the Elders.

The scene of the land I grew up in unfolded right in front of my eyes, however, its beauty is now scorched with a colossal fire. A massive one that left our home to ashes and the people to bones.

"What happened?" I exclaimed as I witness the massive fire in our village.

My worries that were once behaved became violently disturbing, my eyes became teary and my mind was devoured with a lot of thoughts.

"The Elders, Mika, Exi, the others! Where are they?" Once again, I exclaimed, looking for the people in the village while my legs were painfully stiff. I looked back and forth and the only person I can see was Ei who is crying. Other than her, not one breathing person can be seen.

'Did they all burn that fast? Tsk.'

'It's a pity we didn't get to see their faces beg for help.'

As the voices approached us, I grabbed Ei quickly to the bushes and trees, hiding from the unfamiliar-sounding men. I looked at Ei and told her to stop crying first. I peeked through the bushes and two figures exhibited right in front of my eyes. There were two tall men, aged in their 20s, with a black uniform with a badge on both shoulders, a black hat, and a symbol of the Royal Empire in their chests.

"The Royal Knights? I must quickly ask for help!" I said to Ei. "He-!"

Thinking that they are enforced to help in the situation. I almost revealed our location and ask them for help not until someone grabbed the heel of my toe and pulled me inwardly.

"Shh." A man in a hood said whispery.

"Teacher! What happened to the-" He put his hand on my lips and shuttled me off, he put his index finger straight up to his lips telling me to go silent for the moment.

We waited for moments to pass by and suddenly, the teacher grabbed us in our waists and sneaked through the grassy forest. As I look down at his foot, it was surrounded by a glowing force.

'Maybe he's using aether' I thought.

Teacher, or should I say, Mister Plex, has been teaching us how aether works for months now. He's grown tired of our unrested nature to not learn it at all.

Getting dizzy by the fast pace of how the Teacher was traveling, I looked up at his face to ask him about the situation. However, the Teacher who was only seen to smile all the time had a grieving expression and a teary eye.

I looked at him worriedly and asked him gently about what was happening, but before I was able to open my mouth. We have already arrived at where we are headed to.

"Teacher, where are we?" I said while looking at his back.

And once again, he responded with silence. He moved straight to a strange house with the same expression and what we could only do is to follow him.

I looked beside me and the teary Ei had calmed down a bit, she swept off her tears and looked back at me. I can't do anything to raise her morale amid the situation, thus, the only thing that unfolded on her face was a bitter expression of mine.

I looked back once again to the teacher and followed his step. The aether in his feet was gone and I can now clearly hear his footsteps.

'It was a stealth…'

I pondered, admiring the nature of the aether.

And once I was back from the situation, there was a door in front of me, Ei, and Teacher. The Teacher grabbed something from his pocket and opened the door. The time he was clicking the key through the lock, it looked like the time slowed down bit by bit. And yet again, I felt tensed as he open the door.

'Ting… ting… ting…' A bell rang as the door was pushed back and a dark room unfolded as we enter.

'Sniff… sniff…' A noise emerged in the middle of the dark silence.

"Ei? Exi?" A familiar voice called out our names with a worried tone.

Teacher, who was still left with a grieving face, turned to the left side of the door and lit the whole room with fire, and there, an unfortunate scene of my friends is the scene. Some were bloodied, crying, and injured.

Ei who was calm once again broke down and quickly hugged everyone. While I, who felt devastated once again regained my smile. I happily cried seeing them alive.

"How are you? I was so worried, what happened, what's with the fire?" I nervously asked the children who were younger than me.

As the room lightened up with our appearance, my sudden question once made the room feel dark. The expressions of my friends turned disheartened, and I and Ei, who was uninformed stared at each other questioning the sudden change in their faces.

"Why? What happened? Tell me!"

The atmosphere got heavier, and none of their mouths dared to open and talk about the situation.

"We've been massacred."

A despondent voice replied to my exclaimed question. I turned my back slowly to see his face. It was the teacher. The unchanging expression, who once told me earlier of how serious the situation is, slapped me once again. And again, I felt devoured by grief.

"The Elders? Where are they?" I shivered to realize they are not around.

"I can't save them." My face, which was seeking an answer, broke heavily.

I fell silent, with my eyes dry, all I could think is why this happened. I looked outside the door and fell into my deep thoughts.

'It must be them, right?'

'Right? Hahahaha'

Without realizing it, I was laughing like a crazy patient.

Everyone was looking at me, even the teacher, who pitied my expression.

I stepped closer outside the door and the teacher was grabbing both of my arms, pulling me inside. But when I looked at him, his face was left with shock. On my way outside, my eyes became blurry and it was too late when I realized that I collapsed.

-

As my eyes were closed, I felt a hot ray piercing my skin.

'Did the fire grow bigger?!'

I sweated and became worried again thinking about the kids behind me. But as I looked behind me, there was no one, not even Ei or the teacher. I withdrew my steps and everything felt empty, the floors and walls then began tearing up and I fell.

"Everyone!"

I shouted as I woke up in an unfamiliar wooden cabin.

There was no one. Not one around me.

Sweat then began to take over my face. I slapped myself, checking if this is still a dream. However, it's not.

'Am I alone now?' I said, contemplating.

I looked at my body and it seemed like all the burn and scratches I got was healing. I looked into my palm thinking if I was the only one who survived when suddenly the door creaked open and a leg exhibited itself, entering the wooden cabin.

"Exi?" It was the teacher.

He looked at me worriedly yet happy at the same time, it looked like he was waiting for me to wake up.

"Do you know how long have you been asleep? I was worried!"

I looked at him blankly.

'Is this really the teacher from a few days ago? He looked too happy compared to before…' I thought.

"T-teacher?" My mouth ached a bit making me stutter.

"Are you fine?"

I nodded to him.

"That's good!"

"Ah, wait for me. I'll tell everyone you are awake now!" He said as he rapidly hurry outside with ear-to-ear glee.

Phew.

Seeing as how he mentioned everyone, it looked like everyone is safe. For a moment, I thought my dreams were warping through reality.