Chapter 015. In the perspective of the guardians seven years ago

It took another minute of Ayla convincing everyone to let her out of the bed for the last time before everybody finally stepped out of the tent.

”Are you really okay, Ayla? Maybe we should keep a medic close by just in case?” Vega leaned over Ayla as she was still hesitant to not do anything. She was treating her as if Ayla’s about to crumble to dust at any second.

Ayla released an exasperated sigh. Her hood was down, causing her hair to reflect brighter under the rising sun. “I forgot I used the barrier a while ago so I took it too far but I’m really fine, see?” She then jumped two times to prove her point.

Vega’s face fell before she really did acquiesce this time. “Okay. I’ll let you handle your spikes with Dabih. The new artillery sets should be ready by now.”

“As for you two,” Her sight fall on Caelum, Azah, and Miroh, who were still obviously haggard after doing the biggest task even if they tried to keep their backs straight, “you three should stay here and recuperate. Don’t do anything stupid, or I swear to the goddess Keren I’m gonna work you like dogs at my experiments!” She gave them a sincere warning look then called the rest of them with her to leave.

They slowly return back into the warm toasty tent with all the beds all to themselves. It was silent for a second until somebody snickered.

Azah suddenly placed a hand over his mouth to hide the large grin threatening to spill. “Shit! Why am I so moved?” He wanted to cry after experiencing Vega’s once in a blue moon grace period.

When you have an energetic leader guiding the whole team, of course, the team will have to match the leader’s energy. Ungodly hours is just a short-term for an early day shift in her dictionary.

“Just choose a bed.” Caelum laughed, mindfully rotating his shoulders to loosen the stiffness before glancing at Miroh.

“You to greenie. Pick wherever you want. I can wake you all up when they’re done so just sleep.”

Miroh shook his head hastily. His body wouldn’t relax while in a run anyway. “You also need rest too sir Caelum. I can still manage until we get back.”

”You sure?” Azah’s voice came from one of the beds. His face was already smothered to the pillow and was very well on his way to sleep.

“Yes sir. This much is not enough to exhaust a knight.” He said resolutely.

Caelum shrugged and didn’t insist in the subject anymore. “Then I’ll sleep for a while.” He hopped onto the nearest bed and undid the standard vest with padded metal plating on his torso. It was the common protective gear every person wears on a run.

His shoulder-length hair cascaded down on his back after he took off the low ponytail, giving him an androgynous feature.

“There’s tea over there. Hamal steeps it using foreign tea leaves. I don’t know if it suits your taste though.” Caelum shrugged and laid down lazily. He didn’t divulge that it was a plant that was secretly cultivated by his family.

“Ah, yes! Thank you.” Miroh shuffled to the table with the elegant tea set and snacks as if it was a command.

It didn’t take long before silence settle on the room aside from the occasional distant hollers from outside and the steady and low hum of the heater.

Miroh observed the tiny ripples of clear brownish liquid inside the teacup. He didn’t recognize the taste, but it was very refreshing unlike the bitterness of the kingdom’s teas.

It reminds him of a place distant and unknown from the kingdom’s plains and lowlands just like the taboo picture book he once read as a kid.

…

Slightly away from the group, a lone figure stood with their hood up, which conceals most of their facial structure. Their arms folded across their chest with an air of nonchalance. The person was facing the leviaths unmoving and equally as unbothered by the ruckus behind them.

"Hambal, hello. How can I help you?"

Ayla greeted the person with an incredible height of 203 centimeters, the wielder of the sharpest dual-bladed tyrfing of its kind, without straying her eyes away from the immobile leviaths.

Anybody could sense the presence of the giant no matter how discreet he tried to be yet the person seem so adamant to make it his life mission to sneak up on someone. And this guy takes every opportunity to try.

The giant shows only momentary disappointment at the unsuccessful prank before returning to its neutral expression.

"Miss Ayla, why are you hiding your pretty hair?" He asked with a tone of genuine curiosity.

She hummed, glancing up at the lightning sky. The sun had risen up a while ago. The first rays of the sun dissipating most of the morning chill. "I was told that it will be raining soon. So I don't want my hair to frizz up because of moisture."

Hambal nodded in understanding and didn't question further. He was aware of this miss' complex deterrent of any moisture coming to her hair.

Ayla raised a pale hand, her loose sleeves riding up to reveal starkly old whip marks on her pale wrist. A bluish stream of aurora trickled out of her hand and began doing slow flips above her palm.

This incredible safe sensation always soothes her body when she's in the range of the barrier like a warm comforting hug of a loved one.

Strangely enough, she could feel the barrier's aurora, which seems erratic today, using her keen sensitivity to any imbued inanimate object.

"Ayla dear, are you ready?" The bespectacled woman named Vega asked cheerily, hopping over the aloof person.

“Yeah. I can just do it from here.” She replied.

Ayla eyed some soldiers, who were busy piling up the last batch of steel tubes inside a barrel. The tubes were attached with a coiled metal wire with an arrowhead at the other ends pointed to the leviaths.

"Vega had devised a new method to dwindle a little the risk of soldiers from being eaten by setting traps like this." Hamal explained when he notice Ayla’s gaze.

"You finally did something worthwhile out of your days." She grinned sarcastically.

"Hey!" Vega protested, looking slightly offended by Ayla’s beguiling gaze.

“It took me four months to plan the layout of the artillery contraption. I'm deeply hurt Ayla. I thought we're friends?" She faked sob behind Leo’s shoulder, who was startled in the middle of staring at his notepad and directing the men.

“Okay, let’s begin the retrieval operation. Is that alright for you, Miss Vega?” Hamal interjected.

Vega snapped out of her tirade and raised her thumb to gesture that she’s on it. “Okay! Dabih and her team will jump on the leviaths to inject them the suppressant immediately so don’t use your aurora anymore.”

Vega advised her before running away to stay a couple of distance from where Ayla was standing. The others created a semi-circle behind, keeping an eye out in case something goes amiss.

“Everybody! At the count of 3! Eject the restrains!” Vega shouted with a very large grin on her face. Her eyes were wide with a playful glint while gazing at the leviaths.

”1…2…3!”

Ayla clenched her fist in front of her at the same time the crystalized spikes crumbled into almost transparent shimmers. They didn’t let the leviaths get a chance to move a muscle once they activated the contraption. Dozens of metal-tipped metal wires shoot out in succession.

Unlike Ayla’s emergency restrains, the metal cords were more efficient and practical in transporting the leviaths safely.

“I’m surprised it is still alive,” Hamal remarked, noticing the leviaths were unresponsive as they were once again pierced in every part of their body. This time it looks even more unbearable.

“That won’t be enough to kill them.” Ayla scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Dabih and her team landed on top of the leviaths after making sure everything is in its place. They injected the leviaths with a special serum to knock them out by imitating their body’s biological response during nighttime.

"Good job as always, Ayla." Vega cheered, coming up to her and patting her head softly.

People shortly began bustling around once Dabih gestured it was okay to approach. It was time for the biggest work they need to do, which was to take these hulking masses to the carrier wagon.

Vega’s eyes lost a little of their playful shine upon noticing something. "Help those porters carry the bodies, will you?" Vega asked randomly, looking behind her.

Ayla froze before nodding curtly. She followed Vega’s train of sight and approached a group of porters carrying bodies wrapped in white cloths in a wagon.

"You need help?" She asked without any emotions on her face, noticing their pained expression as they carried with them tattered cloaks.

"She's still a child after all," Hamal stated, looking at the hooded figure conversing with the porters. "She's vulnerable but likes to act brave and cold."

"We can't blame her. She grew up pretty damn fast after what happened. It's been seven years ever since we found her in their mansion." Vega stated as she recalled her first meeting with Xyra.

"Hey Keid, can we go back? We've patrolled this area a million times already." Vega groaned, stretching her sore back from hunching far too long. They've been going in circles, patrolling this part from the outskirt of Montserrat district.

"Why are we patrolling in here anyway? There seem to be no signs of life in this area. Shouldn't we patrol nearby towns rather than here?" Sirius question their friend’s strange objective, guiding their horses beside him. The thick roots and overgrown shrubs had made it impossible to travel by horse a long time ago.

They looked around the dark eerie forest that surrounds them. They didn't have any inkling why their friend had brought them here and for what. But somehow they find themselves trusting their friend’s judgment and didn't bother questioning his motives too much.

"I wished clean freak is here with us. It's pretty boring without somebody to annoy." Vega yawned, swatting a random overgrown leaf just for the heck of it.

"We don't need Levi in this mission since this is a pretty simple task. You two should be enough." Keid stated before he tensed up upon hearing something, raising his arms to warn his companions.

The two immediately stood in alarm noticing their friend’s demeanor. They soon know why. A barely audible gasp escaped the two, staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of them.

"W-what the hell happen here?" Vega breathed in horrification. She cupped her mouth urgently as bile threaten to rise up in her throat. She couldn’t breathe properly as if her lungs seem to have shrunken.

Describing the scene as gruesome is an understatement. Dead bodies lying haphazardly from the entrance of the lone manor with their heads crushed in an inexplicable way with chunks of human remains splattered all over the courtyard.

They found themselves thinking this was definitely not something a human can do.

"Who would do this?" Sirius asked.

They thought leviaths were the only creatures that define what is fear in this world—apparently not. That fleeting thought sent genuine chilling fear down their spine.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?!" They glanced at Vega to see her crouched down in front of a bawling girl surrounded by bodies.

"Keid, Sirius. There's a survivor!"

"Mommy...She's dead." The girl hiccuped, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.

"They…killed her and everyone." Vega’s felt her heart ached and sorry for the little girl's unexpected loss.

Any small child doesn’t deserve any of this tragedy to ruin their life. It was also at that moment when she vowed to protect this girl like her own family.

"Hey, hey, little girl? What's your name? Mine's Vega." Vega spoke brightly and pointed at herself.

She looked up hesitantly with her wide emerald green eyes still glistening with tears.

"Ayla..." The little girl mumbled softly. She seems to be the daughter of the house based on her high-quality capital-styled clothing.

"Sirius," Erwin stated as if to cue something.

Sirius immediately sniffed the air after crouching down to the little girl’s level. "She doesn’t smell like a human. She has a very powerful aurora." Sirius hummed before standing at his full height.

They looked at the little girl as realization crossed their face. This girl...

"I see,” Keid crouched down beside Vega."Hello, Ayla. My name is Keid Lakom, Major General of the Black Winter Moon." Keid gave out an amiable smile, offering a hand as a greeting.

The little girl looked at his hand in a trance, tilting her head to the side confusedly.

"Keid, this is not a formal meeting." Vega huffed.

"Jeez, these boring men will drive me crazy."

Keid paid no heed to the insult, instead, he focused his attention on the small child in front of him.

"Do you want to know who killed your parents?"

“It’s already this long since Ayla started her first run,” Hamal muttered. Even though he wasn’t one of the first people who met Ayla immediately. He wasn’t ignorant of the things that is related to Ayla.

Vega snorted. "In my eyes, she’s still the snotty ten years old I’ve met before."

…

The group of porters quickly noticed Ayla’s figure coming toward them. They become cautious since Ayla rarely communicates with anyone unless they went up to her first. And nobody would be brave enough to strike up a conversation to the big shot.

"Miss Ayla!" They exclaimed in unison, performing a hasty salute.

Ayla shook her head, dissuading them from saluting anymore. "Why are you saluting for? We’re not knights."

"But how can we show our respect!? Without you, many lives will be wasted in an unsuccessful run.” A girl with auburn hair twisted into twin tails insisted passionately. Her loud voice earning murmurs of approval with her squad mates.

"And you saved us from being eaten." A brunette porter mumbled softly, which sent the entire group in a tense silence.

Ayla paused as realization dawned on her. They must be one of the people from Caelum’s team earlier in the building. They were probably close with one of the bodies they were carrying.

She pursed her lips, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "You can't help it." She stated bluntly. That statement made them look at her in surprise. In this case, it was best to be painfully honest to maintain the group’s morale.

"You can’t help but feel relieved to survive. But you can't also help feeling guilty for being alive instead of your dead comrades." She expounded.

She runs her fingers over her old wrists thoughtfully. “It seems like that’s the reason why you all look undead to me.”

Their eyes were pale and lifeless as they staggered with their thoughts to orient themselves to the present. Their body is alive but their mentality had died after facing 5 valkyries. What’s the difference between undead to them?

They all stood rigid. The silence loudly admitting what Ayla said was true. One by one as if the crying of one just triggered the tear duct of the other. Everybody burst out crying.

"I'm sorry, Han. I wasn’t strong enough to save you." The same brunette wailed out loud, squeezing their eyes shut. Then each porter began to voice out their guilty conscience. Names of their dead comrade were uttered, while Ayla stood there numbly. Her bright green eyes carrying nothing but patience.

Vega really does things for a reason. In her own special way, she looks at every little detail and uses her resources precisely for a reason.

But Ayla wasn’t done yet. "Are you done?" She asked them after spending time letting them cry.

"If you're done, then push onward and use that pain as your strength to learn 'never again'. We don't know what the outcome of our decisions is, but choose a decision that you will likely never regret."

They nodded slowly. Finding a new reason within to look forward to the setting of the sun today albeit it would be a slow, agonizing crawl back up. But it was more than enough to keep the spirit burning.

"We choose to fight alongside you for humanity." They again saluted with pathetic tear-stained faces pinched up from crying too much. Their exuberance catching the attention of other soldiers.

"Then stick to your new resolve and live." She turned around. Her cloak flutters softly with her move. In their eyes, it was as if her small back emitted a radiant glow like a being who descended from Celestia.

"I wouldn't be surprised if miss Ayla is sent by the goddesses." The girl with the twin tails updo muttered to herself. The porters around her had to silently agree with her. More than an angel, it felt more like a gallant warrior gearing for a conquest.

The words humanity’s strongest weapon made another solemn impression to their minds.