Belenos District (2)

When the beasts attacked the Belenos district a few months ago, the sentries were able to perceive with their abilities the unsettling number of creatures approaching in the distance, so they had time to evacuate the civilians in the area and warn the Assault and Defense Corps, thus avoiding fatalities. Even so, dozens were wounded and several buildings near the walls were damaged, such as the border post in front of the Darvaza Gate. 

However, what Emir was witnessing at that moment was chaos and terror in its purest form.

There were hundreds of injured, if not dead, people everywhere, as well as completely destroyed stores, and houses on fire. Whether they were people from the security, surveillance, assault and defense, or rescue divisions; all available Civil Force personnel were helping to put out the flames and carrying the victims to the nearest hospitals, while healers dressed in their characteristic black uniforms went from one place to another treating the wounded.

Sobs, wails of pain and cries for help mixed together in a horrifying cacophony.

"W-What the…?" Emir could not believe the degree of destruction before his eyes.

"And that's not the only thing," Yamile added, pointing upward with his chin.

When Emir looked up, panic and fear welled up inside him as he saw that the sky was covered with what looked like golden snakes crawling through the air, and that these originated from a huge pillar of light that rose in the distance, in the direction of the rainforest.

Emir turned his gaze to his cousin in search of answers, but it was obvious that he and the rest of the inhabitants were in the same situation. No one understood what was happening or what that pillar of light was or what the auroras in the sky meant. All this could be the announcement of the beginning of a calamity or perhaps something else entirely.

Yamile had planned to carry his cousin to the Medical Brigade headquarters, where he could find some bandages and medicines to help Emir until a healer checked on him, however, someone intercepted them halfway.

"Emir! Yamile!" A woman called them urgently.

Both boys turned their heads when they recognized the voice of Aniela, Emir's older sister. Before Yamile could utter a word about Emir's condition, Aniela had already grabbed her brother and skillfully laid him down on the ground.

The girl was a few years older than both of them, but the left sleeve of her black uniform had several red rings embroidered on it, indicating her high rank within the Civil Forces Medical Brigade.

After examining and determining the amount and severity of Emir's injuries, Aniela rolled up the right sleeve of her uniform, exposing a delicate bracelet. This was made of a coppery metal that resembled the roots of a plant climbing up her skin, and along it were inset tiny white jewels that glinted in the light when she moved her wrist.

Aniela then began to mutter a couple of words in the archaic Anatta language, and at the same time, the jewels on her bracelet began to radiate a vaporous light.

Not many were familiar with this language nowadays. This was because not everyone had the qualifications to learn it. No matter how wealthy or well connected someone was, only those whose abilities were recognized by the kingdom were sent to special academies where they could develop their powers to the limit. Even if you tried to learn it on your own, the language and its use was so complicated that most gave up at first.

When Aniela fell silent, a small white circle filled with striking patterns and symbols floated beneath her palm. She then brought it closer to the affected areas, and they slowly began to heal as the circle spun counterclockwise. Once the treatment was complete, the three of them exhaled heavily, partly relieved and partly exhausted.

Aniela's stiff face finally softened and her tense body relaxed as she saw that her younger brother was out of danger. She smiled bitterly and, out of habit, placed her right hand on Emir's head, ruffling his hair forcefully to settle her restless heart.

"A-Ani, I'm fine now, don't worry." Emir would usually have complained and moved away from the hand that dared to mess up his perfectly groomed hair, but this time he let his sister do as she pleased, understanding her concern and distress.

Once she had enough, Aniela withdrew her hand and proceeded to heal the scratches on Yamile's body. When she was done, she quickly fixed the sleeve of her uniform and gave a series of orders to both boys.

Since the situation was so dire, they would need as much help as possible, so every available member of the Civil Force had to team up with a member of the Medical Brigade and assist as many people as possible.

"I received a message from Risna, and it seems that our district was not the only one that suffered damage." Aniela decided to explain what happened to them while they hurried to another area to help the civilians. "She informed me that even the capital is in the same condition, and that the regents have decided to put the kingdom under alert level one."

Loud gasps were heard on Aniela's sides, which was to be expected. The kingdom going on level one alert meant that the Disir army, made up of the four legions of Hathor's mightiest warriors, would spring into action.