Chapter 002. Stories always begin with an introduction (2)

The surrounding gradually hushes into silence as they gathered in front of the barrier, waiting for the run outside the ruined vast outer lands to begin.

Now, it was plodded by all kinds of Leviaths, forcing the surviving population to seek refuge to the inner lands, Jemima and Keren.

It was an unprecedented event that shook the whole kingdom of Aeviternus.

The land of Keren, Jemima, and Keziah makes up the entire kingdom of Aeviternus with each land protected by a barrier of the same goddesses' namesake.

The source of the barrier's pure aurora is unknown to the public, tightly guarded inside a tower that linked the ends of every barrier together.

Not one would be able to get pass the barrier nor survive the pressure pressing their bodies to dust in the process of walking through. That's how the barrier perfectly keeps everything in and no way out, and probably for the best interest of everyone.

Even so, the barriers were ardently believed to originate from the actual three goddesses who gave a piece of their power as an act of pity for humanity's hopeless plight.

The church zealously proclaim it as the period of Enlightenment.

This is because the goddesses also gifted the manifestation of aurora to some people. The same aurora that protected the three lands and was the bane for Leviaths; inhibiting the Leviaths from going near the barrier.

Now, they are called Magnus, believed to be chosen ones of either three goddesses.

Nobody remembered how or when Leviaths appeared as history could not possibly record such events in the period of Enlightenment.

Nonetheless, the kingdom lived for a century in relative peace... that's until the fall of Keziah.

Miroh felt a lump in his throat realizing that he was about to step out and see the land of Keziah again.

The same memory hit him just like every run.

How their town's bell did rang six times, the warning bell, but it wasn't until the first wave of Leviaths appeared in their town right after the breakout that it dawned to them the gravity of the situation.

The barrier they thought to be indestructible was destroyed by a Valkyrie, a name they called for an atypical Leviath, who had appeared and disappeared like a phantom even with its distinctive towering height compared to normal Leviaths.

It smartly deflected the attacks of cannons imbued with aurora and completely destroyed the tower of Keziah by throwing a boulder as big as a house, showcasing its extraordinary intellect and strength.

It was certainly moving with a meticulous plan in mind and was even aware of the effect of the barrier's harmful aurora, a feat atypical from a normal Leviath.

Unfortunately, Keziah wasn't able to hold its ground as an overwhelming amount of high level Leviaths already stormed to nearby towns.

That's how majority of people's lives in Keziah changed that day.

"Hey, are you crying?" Caelum leaned over to whisper.

Miroh flinched and hastily wiped the corner of his left eye. "No. I just got something on my eye." Miroh sniffled, clearing his throat.

"You must be from Keziah." Caelum remarked with sad, knowing eyes.

Miroh nodded, avoiding his gaze by looking straight ahead. "I'm from the Masseh district. It's one of the districts who got wiped out immediately after the breakout."

"You're strong, greenie." Caelum remarked, patting him on the back.

They both looked over, hearing noises coming from the front of the crowd.

"Okay everybody, split up into two groups!" The woman from earlier announced on top of her horse.

"You follow me, greenie. We're in team A." Caelum stated, gesturing to follow him at a side.

"Yes!" Miroh pulled his horse to steer to the right, quickly sticking behind Caelum.

Now the party consists of two teams. Team A and Team B stood between two horse drawn wagons carrying the contraptions.

"Today we will set out to capture my babies—I mean—live Leviaths for experiment." The woman from earlier started.

"One last reminder, Cavaliers must draw their weapons at all times. And porters must stay within the party's perimeter at all times. At the time of the capturing operation, everyone should follow the same old protocol. Understood?"

"Yes!" They all chorused.

"What's the protocol?" Miroh asked his guide in confusion.

"It means porters must stay uninvolved in the operation. Cavaliers are the only people allowed in engaging the Leviath."

Miroh felt his insides freeze at this information. He couldn't even use his Tyrfing properly, how much more expect him to catch a live Leviath with it.

His hands had only started to turn clammy as panic was settling in, when a sharp whistle snap him back.

It was then that he noticed something amiss. He glanced around, confused. "Where is the aurora neutralizing device, sir?" He asked hesitantly.

He expected to see that gigantic high powered gun to blast a hole to the barrier since they couldn't get through the barrier without it.

The Wintermoon always used it on their runs.

A private-organized run, who have close ties to the military, would have that in their disposable quite easily—more easily than Tyrfings which is inventoried daily.

"Nope, we have something better. Instead of neutralizing the barrier, we make it open for us." Caelum grinned smugly.

A petite figure wearing a white hood over their head break out from the group and stand right in front of the barrier.

"What are they doing?" Miroh asked, squinting his eyes.

"We call her as humanity's strongest weapon."

"Her?" He asked dumbly.

Caelum gestured him to stay quiet. "Just watch."

The person merely raised a palm over the barrier before a silent tremor occur after, sending ripples across the once calm aurora.

The bluish iridescent flow gradually lighten until it disappears completely, becoming a huge gaping opening.

The barrier who listens to no one willingly opens to someone!

Only when the sound of hooves and horse noises started did the Miroh broke out of his trance.

"Let's go!"

Caelum hollered cheerily, laughing at the person's dumbstruck expression as the whole party rushed forward through the opening and into the wasteland.

The rogue party eventually arrived at the end of the "safe radius", a certain point from the barrier up to a certain distance which is undisturbed by the Leviaths after traveling continuously in their horses.

Thanks to the barrier's inherently strong aurora, its abhorrent effect for Leviaths leaked out further for apporximately 1,000 meters, thus the creation of the "safe radius" demarcation.

Beyond the unmarked boundary, monster of all kinds of abomination thrived on what was left of Keziah.

They were in the vicinity of the old town of Krone. A rural village closer to the east barrier of Jemima, where they entered through. Thankfully, the knights were able to alert this place before any Leviaths get them. Now, this former small town of over 200 residents stood abandoned.

The whole party stopped suddenly as soon as the bespectacled woman raised her left arm.

"Everybody split into teams! Remember that our primary objective is to catch two high level Leviaths. This area is active with high level Leviaths based on reports. Engage on Leviaths if necessary, but subjugation is not allowed." The bespectacled woman announced over the stillness of the group.

Even the people who had been quite lax before wasn't in the mood of horsing around anymore and was assessing the surrounding with an air of levelheadedness.

"Move out!"

With no further instructions told, the two teams dispersed going on separate directions.

And just like that they crossed the remaining few meters of the safe radius.

...

"Are you sure we're in the right place, Sir Caelum?" Miroh asked with the tiniest of voice, eyeing his surroundings anxiously.

He didn't mean to be fretful. But they had been traveling for a good chunk of time now, but so far no Leviaths had appeared in them yet.

For an active zone, it was strangely too peaceful.

They should be fending off one or two Leviaths right now or already trying to catch a live Leviath. Not like he was looking forward to that.

The opposite team of the party also veered to the right without any questions, causing more confusion for him.

Why did they separated? Isn't it more efficient if they work together?

Or...is this a trap?

'They don't expect me to catch the Leviath, right?'

Miroh thought as he glanced warily at his team.

He couldn't even voiced out his worries to the blond man beside him as there are a lot of ears around them. And he probably won't give him a proper answer anyway.

"We're on the right track...I think?" Caelum stated but then mumbled the last part.

Miroh gaped at him. How is he his guide? He seems like he knows a lot more than others. But what is this?

Caelum gave him a look back, offended. "Hey, don't look at me like I'm a swindler. I'm not really sure what's going on either."

"Caelum, there's no sign of Leviaths in the vicinity." A cavalier, based on the imbued axe strapped on his back, stated once he neared them on his horse.

"Let's secure the perimeter first. If there's no Leviaths here, then we'll go further to the east." Caelum replied after giving it some thought.

"That's a good idea." The cavalier nodded before directing the orders to the other cavalier and porters.

"Are you really sure we should push through our plan?" Miroh asked reluctantly.

Caelum felt dizzy just by watching Miroh looking around widely in paranoia. "Hey, greenie, relax."

Miroh frowned, eyeing a certain area of the forest for a brief moment before they pass throught it.

How can he calm down? When he was only able to survive this long by trusting his survival instincts and nothing else. And he's gut instinct is telling him to get the heck out of here.

Not long after, the cavalier eventually came back to them now along with another cavalier.

"Azah will stay with you here just in case, while I scout the perimeter for any leviath." He stated before he pulled his horse away from the group to another direction.

The other cavalier, Azah, faced Miroh and introduced himself bluntly. "I'm Azah. I was prisoned for arson before."

'!!!'

"Azah, you don't have to mention your past conviction too." Caelum laughed awkwardly. He somehow felt bad for Miroh, who was hunched over in a coughing fit.

Somehow Vega's group exercise of admitting past convictions first to promote camaraderie and trust with others had become too effective.

"But isn't that our usual greeting?"

"Not to him." Caelum stated knowingly.

"Oh," Azah nodded vigorously, realizing Caelum's subtle meaning.

"Sorry for surprising you, buddy. I'm a good guy now, honest." He stated sheepishly, while placing a hand over his chest sincerely.

"It's fine. I was just surprised." Miroh sputtered weakly, recovering from his ordeal. He can't believe how lame he was choking on his own spit.

Ah. Nothing is seriously going well today!

Thankfully, it didn't take long for their team composing of twelve members to arrive at the center of the town's plaza.

It was surprisingly spacious for a small town with a good vantage point in all directions.

"Should we regroup back with others?" Miroh tried to suggest although he's expression lack any confidence in front of strangers. That sinking feeling still didn't go away, knowing they were out here in the open like this.

"Nah, we'll be fine. We usually separate in teams like this to finish the job quicker." Caelum stated still laidback as usual.

The whole team hopped off their horses to give the horses some brief rest, while others began exploring the plaza to look for an abandon water source just like usual.

Miroh gulped, looking around his surroundings for any signs of danger. The place was too silent to be normal. There isn't even a sight of birds flying in the sky nor any wild animal frolicking around.

Azah noticed his jittery manner and offer some words of comfort. "Don't worry, buddy. Look, others aren't that worried too. Just stay calm and you'll be paid in no time." Azah remarked, gesturing over the idling members at their side.

"Thank you, Sir Azah." Miroh cracked a small grin, grateful for his showof concern. But he couldn't help the anxiety from rising no matter how much he tried to dispel it.

Miroh rest his hand on the hilt of his sword anxiously, while shuffling on his feet involuntarily.

His gut feeling has been telling him something is horribly wrong since they separated from others.

"Run! Run for your lives!"

Something heavy dropped to his gut, hearing that ominous words. Nobody really wanted to hear that in any moment in their life. He was proven right yet again, but it was too late for them.

It was already a pandemonium set to reality.

A guttural shout with spine tingling desperation crashed to them, literally, in a form of a badly injured Ain as he rolled over the ledge of a house roof in a bloody mess to the ground.

It was the same cavalier who was supposed to secure the perimeter.

"Ain!"

Everybody let out their own horrified exclamations, taking a step back at the sight of blood.

Thankfully, Caelum and Azah quickly reacted to the situation and reached over the critically wounded cavalier and dragged him to the rest of the group.

Ain was groaning loudly with every pant as blood continues to seep out because of the deep laceration on his lower abdomen.

"Va-valkyrie...lots...coming...I...couldn't.." He heaved with great difficulty through rasped breath. He clenched his eyes to muffle out the pain as every breath he took seems to magnify the searing pain in his lungs.

"Don't move too much. The adrenaline is making your injury worst. Hang on." A porter consoled over the pained cries, while trying to add pressure on the wound.

"The blood isn't stopping!" The female porter cried as she let go of the bloody bandage shakily. The nerves eventually got the best of her.

Suddenly, there was the sound of consecutive inhuman screeches which sounds scarily near their location, causing their blood to run cold as realization sink in.

Miroh felt his mind go numb. His body seems to be incapable of moving nor anything seem remotely real. He felt like a spectator in a play that has nothing to do with him or maybe that was just his wishful thinking.

'I'm gonna die today.'