Chapter 21: Evacuation

After that night, Richie promised to do his best. He enthusiastically begged for money, begged for jobs, and secretly saved money. They would sleep in abandoned houses because they can't sleep in the streets. They had a hard life but it didn't stop them.

He trained his powers and got stronger. It was rather easy to train his powers as he has comprehend the power of darkness. At night, he would always play with Toriel using his powers.

*10 years later*

"Look Richie! I got to work at the Hospital because of my life element. Do you think I would do well in saving others?"

Richie looks at Toriel speechlessly.

'You saved me already, what stops you from saving others?'

But he smiles playfully and jokes.

"Of course, with your personality, maybe you'll say things like: "Hey! You're not allowed to die! Come back! If you won't come back, I'll kill you!" And then unsurprisingly, the patient would come back to life. The healers would then praise you "Wow, Lord Toriel is so awesome!"."

Hearing that, Toriel's ears were dyed red, but he smilingly looked at Richie.

"Do you really think so? I really think so too. Hahaha"

'Did I get it right? Oh no.'

However, it was this sweet smile that made Richie feel scared. He fawningly said:

"Hahaha, I'm just kidding. Don't take it to heart. With your abilities alone, millions of patients would come rushing into your arms, saying "Boss Toriel, please save us!"."

When Toriel smiled like that, Richie once saw how to beat someone to the point that they were unrecognizable.

If Toriel smiles sweetly when you said negative things to him, this was the sign that he was embarrassed and angry. When he looks angry, it is actually a sign that he is happy. Richie already knows him like the garden of his house, he always acts the opposite of what he feels.

"Hmph! Your compliment won't get you anywhere."

Toriel crossed his arms and looked annoyed, but the edge of his mouth was curling up.

Actually, in his training, Toriel said the exact same thing when he was trying to save the animal. (AN: They trained animals). That's why he was rather embarrassed.

Just like that.. . they went on with their everyday lives... working as a mercenary was hard, sometimes, Richie even almost died. He even helped some kids in the slum if he was lucky. But Richie never regretted it. He felt like he was alive every minute.

Alas, good times never last. The drums of wars came as the sound of screams was heard throughout the street.

It was daytime, yet it was more eerie than the night because of the clouds of smoke covering the sky. It was like the sign of an omen.

*Swoosh*

The sound of a sword slicing the air was heard as a head with a shocked expression dropped to the ground.

"Run to the nearest gathering point! I'm sure there will be healers there! I'll lead you there."

Richie was wearing dark leather armor as he held a sword covered in dark magic. He looked cooler and more healthy now. His eyes also have more life in them.

He was leading 2 parents carrying a wounded girl. They looked like a family and were injured.

"Thank you very much."

They quickly went to the nearest gathering point and saw many knights fighting. It was chaotic, there were screams, cries, blood, stealing, massacre, and others.

He went even deeper and when he got to a church, the people inside suddenly pointed their weapons at him.

"Who are you? Don't move if you don't wanna die."

Richie cooperated and he raised his hands and was about to explain himself when he heard someone help him.

"Wait! I know him, he is rather famous for his dark element. He is Richie, he can enter. But those wounded people behind us, we can only send a healer to them and watch them if they're going to stay here.

Richie looked at the source of sound and saw a middle aged man. He was wearing a hunter's equipment and looked rather keen and mature.

The people behind Richie bows in gratitude.

"It's more than enough, thank you very much."

The middle aged man nodded.

"Hmm... Follow me."

"Ummh.. Wait! Sir, how's the evacuation?"

Richie tries to get news from them. The middle aged man looked grim and sighs.

"Because we're near the border, the reinforcement will be late. I assume that mid-way the evacuation, many people would have to die or you either go a separate way before the reinforcements come."

"That's..."

Richie was shocked, he was worried if his friends would meet harm.

But before he even digest the news, more bomb was dropped.

"Also, we need to detour the [Mountain of Wandering Souls], which would result in fights with beasts, ghosts, enemy kingdom, lack of rations, and others. Which would cause even more to die."

Richie looked worried. He wanted to come but he still has to save others.

"You're still rather young, you should come with them, it may save your life and you still have a lot ahead of you."

The middle aged man persuaded.

"But—"

Richie tries to reject him but he is interrupted.

"No buts! Also, even if you help some, do you think they will survive? You're just prolonging their suffering! After you save them, then what? They'll worry day by day! Then what?! They won't get to eat food! Then they'll have to kill others to eat! Or they'll die from trying to get food! And if they succeeded, then what? It'll just repeat over and over again! It's useless! Just leave! You can't do anything! Don't you still have others waiting for you?"

The man shouted angrily. He was also helpless, but he saw Richie's talent and he doesn't want it to be wasted.

Richie felt helpless at his weakness. He wanted to help, but he was useless. But the end of the man's sentence hit him.

'That's right... Someone still needs me.'

His eyes that were clouded were cleared. His mind focused and he was like a bird that found his way back home.

"You're right... Thanks..."

The man smiles at him and pats his shoulder.

"Hahaha, that's all right, a young man like you has a boundless future. You must remember to live on."

The man amicably smiles at him.

"Oh that's right, you know the emergency tunnel right?"

Richie's smile froze.

"....No."

(-_-) *Sighs*

"Geez, it's common sense! I'm having 2nd thoughts about helping you. Just go under the kitchen sink inside the church."

"Thanks!"

2 days later.

*Cricket* *Rustle*

The bright sun was shining above the clouds, giving life to all living things beneath. The sound of insects and leaves swaying with the breeze was heard now and then.

A man covered in a dark robe was inspecting the ground.

'These.... There are concentrated footprints here, and most of them are headed this way. And they are rather new, but I should be able to meet them this way after hours of running.'

Richie was following the evacuating team. They went away days earlier than Richie but he still caught up. With his element, he can catch up rather easily at night, and he only needed to take care of himself.

Richie modified the foot prints and made them go the other way.

After that, he ran for hours and ate fruits along the way.

'This.... Why are they going here? I thought they were going away from the mountain.'

Seiki thought as he looked at the [Mountain of the Wandering Souls] in front of him. It was famous for their wandering ghosts and alike. Legends said that you could get lost there for eternity and never find your way.

'Whatever.'

Richie continued his journey, after an hour of running, he was about to rest when he heard the sound of screaming.

'Hmm? They're here!'

Hurriedly, Richie went to the source of scream. He saw people running away and being chased by maniacally laughing people.

What was weird was that they were not being killed but caught instead. What was even weider was that they were not putting up a fight.

'This.... They're all healers! But why? Oh no! Is Toriel one of them?'

He looked around looking for Toriel, but he was not able to find him. But this did not help to calm his nerves.

'Toriel, where are you?!'

Richie kept looking around. No one was able to find Richie because he was using his dark element to camouflage his aura.

Suddenly, he heard 2 idle knights chatting.

"Hey, the one that escaped, where did he go? Did they catch him?"

A young knight asks.

"Nope, they're still playing a game. They're still playing a game of hide-and-seek and let him escape. He was really persistent and they still haven't found him."

The senior knight answered.

"Oh, where did they go?"

Suddenly, there was a different voice, but the senior knight subconsciously answered.

"There!"

"Thanks!"

The senior knight looks at Richie, who's behind them. He suddenly realizes that he was unfamiliar.

"Wait! Who are you?"

*Plop*

2 Shocked heads fell off the ground as a shadow sliced their neck.

Hearing their topic, Richie already decided to kill them. He controlled his shadow to discreetly climb their bodies and prepare to slice their neck.

This was the power of darkness. Everyone has a shadow, they just don't put much attention on them. Richie has already comprehended this since young.

But that was not what was inside his mind. There was a flash of nervousness, worry, and fear in his eyes.

'Toriel.... I hope you're okay....'

He followed the direction the knight pointed. He went on and on until a quarter of an hour later when he saw someone. He was leisurely following a deep set of footprints.

Richie looked at him and the knight instinctively turned around.

'Hmm? Was it my imagination? Or did I feel something?'

He tested it and sent a breeze around him. It traveled the surroundings starting from him as the center.

*Swoosh*

'Hmm... That's weird... I only felt the breathing of insects and felt the figures of plants, trees and rocks... Did I miss something?'

This was the way wind element users locate something. They sense the airflow and sense the obstructions the breeze felt, forming a faint image in their mind. It was similar to a radar.

What he didn't know was that when he looked back, Richie quickly squeezed himself in a fetal position, making his figure as small as possible. After that, he covered himself in a barrier made of darkness.

Richie knows this technique already and made the barrier the shape of a boulder. He also knows that they sense the airflow so he didn't breath for 5 minutes when the enemy used this technique.(AN: The mana heart can use its energy to imitate the function of lungs to a certain extent)

After feeling the enemy leave. Richie picked up a stone with good lethality and good for throwing. It was the size of a baseball. He hollowed it inside and filled it with his dark magic.

After that, he followed the enemy 50 meters away. This was to not get caught in his radar.

*30 minutes later*

"Ha! Found you, B*tch! You made me run for an hour just to catch you! I'm gonna teach you a lesson that you will learn for the rest of your life."

The knight said smirkingly as he looked at the running young man. The young man grunted angrily and ran even faster.

"Damn it!"

The knight swung his hands in the air as the wind distorted and formed a faint shape of a blade. This was invisible but the wind aura it was radiating made it obvious.

*Swoosh*

'A chance!'

Richie reacted quickly, this whole 30 minutes, he was following him without looking away. And now, he found a chance.

Richie went into a stance and threw the rock at the enemy like a pitcher. After that, he quickly dashed towards the enemy.

*Swish*

The enemy was planning to send wind blades at the running young man, when he suddenly felt the wind aura vibrating behind him. Wind element users are sensitive to wind aura, so they can sense the slightest undulations in it.

The knight looked back and saw a rock aiming towards his face. He quickly ducked down to dodge the attack.

*Boom!*

But unexpectedly, there was dark magic inside, which caused it to explode and hit the knight.

Unfortunately though, the knight's head was only scratched from the small power. After a moment, the knight stood up and was about to attack when he saw that Richie was actually already in front of him.

Richie covered his hands in dark magic and pierced it towards the enemy like a spear.

*Swish*

But with the help of wind energy, the enemy was fast enough to jump away.

Unexpectedly, Richie already anticipated this as under the enemy, a spike made by dark magic pierced him so fast. The spike pierced his body but he still escaped.

*Swish*

"Damn you! You're gonna pay for this!"

The enemy reminds him as he runs off. It is said that when a wind element user runs, almost no one can catch him.

'A pity I wasn't able to kill him.'

Richie looks regretfully at the escaping enemy.

"R-Richie?"

He faintly hears a shaky voice. It was a parched voice like it was the voice of an old person but he immediately recognizes it.

"Toriel?"

He turned around only to see a thin young man, bleeding and full of scratches. His bones can be faintly seen.

He looked rather pitiful, but his eyes were shining brightly. He looked like he finally saw an oasis in the middle of a hot desert.