Changing Tides

The wind nips at my face, and the howling sounds menacingly banging on our iron armor. Arcana's army is on the land closer to the mountains, and we are waiting patiently for Clairemont's army to appear. It has been a couple hours now, and Arcana's soldiers are starting to feel the effects of the cold temperatures.

I, myself is chilled to the bone. But I am trying to keep everyone warm with some magic while at the same time trying to save my mana for the battle. It is better to save my mana for those circumstances.

Shouts are piercing the air from the front of our formation, and I immediately scan the area. Black shadows are materializing in thin air, and I gasp.

Shadow warriors? The aura of the area immediately darkens, and I cringe. Dark magic. A dark witch is on Clairemont's side. Not a good sign.

I am in the back ranks of the formations in charge of battlefield medicine. Our soldiers are being brought back quicker than I had anticipated.

In the white tents, I am scrambling along with my medical team. The wounds are not easily treated as they have to be dealt with mana, because of the shadow wounds.

I do not see much of the battle from all the way in the back, but some warriors from Clairemont come out.

Rae, the Valkyrie runs into the medical tents, a livid expression on her face.

"Lady Ardele. We need you out on the fields now. We are low on numbers."

I motion a finger up for a quick moment. I pull out a bullet out of a soldier's thigh, and he jerks in shock. I wipe the sweat from his head with a damp cloth before washing my hands.

To Greta, a doctor on my side of the tents, I point at my patient letting her know that he is not finished being treated. She jerks her head down in a quick nod.

Following Rae out, I take off of my white jacket and slip on some iron armor.

"Our numbers are going down twice as fast as theirs. We need another magic wielder battling on our side," Rae says, as she flaps her wings out.

I nod, and my sword materializing in my hand. The blade grows green, ready for a fight. I have to wield my sword carefully. If it takes in too much mana, it can endanger my fellow comrades.

The excess mana being absorbed through my body is a good medium to hold excess amount of mana. Meaning that sometimes, I can take more than I need to. From both the enemies side and my own.

Many witches are sometimes gifted with a specialty in something. Scout witches are gifted with scouting abilities, healer witches graced with healing touches, and so forth. Magic absorption is my blessing and curse.

Fallon is at the forefront with Josiah holding off the bigger opponents. Fallon said that he would not interfere, but matters have changed. If tides do not change soon, things will rapidly go downhill.

Rae spreads her wings out and launches into the air. I follow her guide beneath. Soon we are at the heart of the battle.

Metal meets metal. The clang rattles my bones and makes my heart soar. Pivoting on my heel, I smash the heel of my sword into someone's face, and I twist to slash the opponent to my left with my blade.

Slowly but surely, I make my way closer to Fallon and Josiah. The shadow warriors are dwindling down as the mana being collected are few with the low numbers of creatures on the field. The dark witch's mana is now likely depleted and recharging. This is their most vulnerable position.

I scan the surroundings trying to trace a magic wielder's steps. A magic wielders leave little traces of mana behind them wherever they go if they are not consciously disguising it. And like I hoped, I found a slight trace.

Slicing my way in that direction, I come across a familiar face. Lexie, a mercenary from Clairemont, hesitates for a second before attacking. I block her sword, and I grit my teeth when she pulls back a fraction to stab me with her minuscule blades on my pressure points. Being a pixie has their perks, and tiny weapons are one of them.

Lexie pulls back heaving from exertion. "I see that you look well, Ardele. It is a shame that we are on opposing sides."

I grimly smile. "Indeed."

My blade grows brighter, eating up the small particles of mana around her. I bring my sword down, and she meets my attack with three of her own. Boosting herself up in the air, she drills down in a series of attacks.

I place a speed spell on my feet, and I dodge her fractions of a second attacks. My mana is draining, and I grit my teeth when I place a final spell.

I suck in her pixie dust, and she falls to the ground. Pixie dust is a form of mana, but my body does not react well to that kind of magic. It is almost like a different breed, and it takes time for my body to adjust. We are now on an even playing field with only our steel blades to fight.

Her eyes fill with pain when I nick her arm. Blood spills, running down her arm eagerly. She yanks back and she attacks me with her remaining strength. But that is not enough. I strike her down with all the mana that I collected.

It feels as though everything has slowed down. The frames move in slow sections. Her eyes filling with tears before smiling. With a final breath, her body disintegrates into pixie dust, the wind caring it off with a gentle breeze.

Holden, another Clairemont mercenary, appears behind me, and I spin on my foot to block his arrow. The steel-tipped arrow gets driven to the ground, and he rapidly fires.

The force of the arrows knock me back, but I hold them off long enough for him to run out. He eventually drops to his knees.

"Why? Why? Did you really hate Clairemont that much, Ardele?"

I hesitate. "I did not. But I am fighting for justice, Holden. May God bless Lexie's soul in Heaven."

"Justice? What is justice? Is justice death? Because that is all this war is going to bring."

He does not understand, and my heart hurts for him. But there is nothing I can do. I want to avoid war, but sometimes it is inevitable.

"I am sorry, Holden. You are unfortunately caught on the wrong side."

His eyes start to get a twinge of hysteria and I instantly attack. I am afflicted as I know he has a good heart. Lexie did too. But they are too far gone on the other side.

He cries out in rage, and he hits me on the in the stomach with the head of his crossbow. The force knocks me down on my feet, and I dig out a dagger inside my armor.

Flipping upside down, I fling it his heart with all might. It hits him squarely in his chest, and he falls over. Blood is coming out of his mouth, and I feel his life force being swept inside in my body.

The wounds I have gathered closes, and I collapse on the bloodstained battlefield. Please have mercy on him, Lord.

The battle eventually ran dry, and soon it is only our numbers out in the field. I lost track of the traces of mana earlier when I was fighting Lexie and Holden. The mana seems to have thinned into a slight trace that I cannot follow. How unfortunate.

Rae out on the battlefield was a complete beast, annihilating at least a third of the troops on her own. Fallon comes back covered in grime and gore, and there is nothing left now.

Even though we won, it feels empty. Almost as if we didn't. And maybe didn't. Because in a sense, we lost more than we gained. I look over at the horizon and bodies litter the ground like rubbish.

There is a powerful magic force on Clairemont's side. And for some reason it feels oddly familiar. I do not recognize it, but somewhere deep inside, I know what we are fighting against. I just do not want to admit just yet. So that I can save myself.

But if I continue to do so, I will be dooming others.