"Turn left!"
"Brian, advance towards the front!"
The orders weren't coming from Lucid. They were being barked by Mary, her analytical mind snapping into a sharp, tactical focus as they ran. Lucid kept pace beside her, a wry thought crossing his mind. 'Well, guess she assumed the leader role anyway.'
"Look out!" Garfield yelled.
With surprising physical grace, he spun in the air, using his momentum to swing his huge longsword in a wide arc. Two grotesque, feathered creatures—Griffiths, scavenging Unfaithful Beasts that looked like nightmarish vultures—were sliced apart mid-dive. They dissolved into bright white motes of light before hitting the ground.
"Lucid, you should absorb it," Alice remarked in his mind.
"No," he thought back firmly. "We need to keep our powers hidden." Instead, he pulled out the grey stone the professors had issued and held it toward the fading essence. The light streamed into the rock. There was no monotonous system voice this time, just a double-digit number that glowed faintly on the stone's surface: *78*.
"Can't have people thinking we're Enlightened," he muttered.
Alice fell quiet for a moment. "Oh. Alright."
"And don't enhance me. Don't heal me. And I won't manifest the Chains of Heart."
"Lucid, that seems dangerous…"
"From now on, I'll have to rely on this polearm. Besides, you don't have an unlimited amount of Fate Essence."
"Those were mere F-ranked beasts," she countered.
"Well, even if it's a little, it all matters. It will help me reconstitute my old form—"
"Look out!" Mary screamed.
Lucid's head snapped toward the group. Brian was planted like a mountain, his broad back against a massive, shaggy bear. Lucid quickly assessed it without using his Chain of Heart perception. The beast's aura was thicker, more oppressive than the birds.
"E Rank…" he muttered.
"E+," Alice confirmed. "Be careful."
Brian was contesting the bear's space, his shield shuddering with each thunderous paw strike. Every blow pushed him back a few inches, his boots digging trenches in the soft earth. Lucid tightened his grip on his spear, a sudden, unfamiliar uncertainty freezing him for a second. What was the play?
Mary saw his hesitation. "Don't just stand there, Lucid! Go!"
He glanced around. Garfield was already flanking, moving with a predator's intent. He lunged from behind, his sword slicing a deep gash across the bear's back. The beast roared, a sound of pure rage, and slammed its front paws down. The resulting shockwave knocked everyone off their feet. Mary fell to her knees, clutching her staff. Lucid barely kept upright, bracing himself with his spear. Brian stood unyielding, though his legs trembled. Garfield was thrown back, catching himself on a low tree branch.
'Don't rush things,' Lucid told himself, forcing calm.
He quickly analyzed: four unawakened students, technically, he was Illuminated, but that was a secret, against one enraged bear.
The bear opened its maw, aiming to bite down on Brian's unrelenting shield.
"Brian, move!" Lucid yelled.
In the split second Brian sidestepped, the bear's momentum carried it forward. Instead of shield, it met the tip of Lucid's spear, which he drove up into the roof of its mouth.
It wasn't enough.
The bear bit down on the spear shaft with a crunch of wood. It whipped its head side to side, flinging Lucid like a ragdoll. He slammed into the trunk of a thick oak, the impact knocking the air from his lungs in a painful gasp. He felt something crack inside. He hit the ground, and a familiar green glow immediately started to envelop his ribs.
"No!" he hissed inwardly.
"But you're hurt!"
"Ignore it!" He pushed himself up, ignoring the sharp, fiery pain in his side. It hurt, but it was nothing he hadn't handled before. He still had his spear. The bear, now berserk, fixed its blood-red eyes on the biggest, meatiest target: Brian. But Brian was still recovering his footing, his huge frame struggling to pivot.
The bear charged.
Garfield dashed in, his longsword aiming for its flank, but the bear swatted him aside with a casual backhand. Garfield flew through the air and crashed into a bush with a pained grunt. The bear didn't even break stride. It was almost upon Brian when, from the corner of its eye, it saw Mary. She was still on the ground, clutching her staff, utterly frozen.
She was muttering, her voice a terrified whisper. "All strategic options are exhausted… This Unfaithful has outmatched us… by a third of our combined faith capacity…"
"Mary!" Lucid yelled.
She didn't respond, just hugged her knees to her chest, repeating, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Lucid ignored the screaming pain in his side. He pushed off, sprinting toward the bear. Knowledge, old habits from Earth and the rifts, resurfaced. Clear and cold.
'Fight dirty.'
'Fight with everything you've got.'
He closed the distance, planting his feet in the stance Garfield had drilled into them just yesterday. As the bear turned from Mary, he thrust the spear forward, not at its thick hide, but at its face. The tip scraped across one furious eye. The bear roared, swiveling its head toward this new, painful annoyance. It swiped.
Lucid twisted, bringing his polearm sideways, bracing for impact.
*CLANG!*
The shock traveled up his arms, jolting his bones. He skidded back.
Block.
Another swipe. Block again.
The bear reared up for a heavier, crushing blow. Its underside was exposed for a split second.
"NOW!" Lucid yelled to no one in particular.
He planted his left foot forward, and as the bear began its downward strike, he didn't block. He swung the spear like an axe, using the sharpened edge on its side. He put his whole body into it, cutting a deep gash across the bear's stomach.
Blood sprayed. The bear groaned, stumbling.
Garfield, seizing the opening, brushed past Lucid. Lucid, knocked off-balance by his own swing, forced himself to stay upright. Garfield, all theatricality gone, muscles straining against his thin uniform, thrust his longsword with every ounce of his strength into the beast's bleeding side.
"AAAHHHH!" Garfield's cry was raw, full of effort and fear.
The bear shuddered, let out one final, wet breath, and collapsed. The E+ rank Unfaithful Beast was slain.
Panting, hunched over his spear, Lucid looked around. Brian was already back on his feet, looking battered but solid. Garfield wiped sweat and a smear of beast-blood from his forehead, his expression grim. Mary was still on the ground, clutching her staff, her face pale.
Garfield walked over to her, his steps heavy. He looked down, his voice flat, devoid of its usual dramatic flair. "Hey. For someone supposedly book-smart… you tuck your tail between your legs pretty quick." He wasn't playing. This was serious. "If you can't handle this, go back."
Brian walked over and put a heavy, calming hand on Garfield's shoulder. "Garfield… it's our first time slaying an Unfaithful Beast. Mine included. It's scary." His voice was gentle. "The black badges get private tutors and early experience. We don't."
Garfield shot Brian a glance, then sighed, the anger draining from his posture.
Lucid pulled his polearm from the ground, the movement sending a fresh twinge through his ribs. He slung it across his back. "C'mon," he said, his voice rough. "Let's go."
***
A blonde-haired boy ran through the blue forest, his boots crushing glowing moss and strange crystalline undergrowth.
"Behind that rock!" he commanded.
A boy with a squared face raised his hand. Grey threads of fate essence coiled around his palm, twisting into a spell formation. He thrust forward. The spell shot out and struck the boulder dead center.
The explosion scattered stone and fire. Four corrupted boars burst from the smoke, their eyes red and tusks dripping foam. Black veins pulsed beneath their skin. They charged the group of black-badge students in dark cloaks.
"Kill them all!" shouted the blonde boy.
One student crushed a rune-covered sphere. It detonated with a roar, washing the clearing in heat. The boars burned instantly, their flesh melting off bone, their bones turning to ash.
The blonde boy, Alaric, grinned like this was sport.
Struggling to keep up was another boy with a wolf tail and a silver badge. His sword was rusted and his clothes were ragged. He stumbled and fell.
"Hey. Meat shield."
Alaric's boots stopped inches from his face. "My parents paid a lot for you," he said, his voice casual. "They bought your contract. So you belong to us. You do what I say. Or else I'll turn you to dust. Same as those boars. Nobody would notice."
The wolf boy flinched. His tail curled tight.
"Alaric! Look!"
Alaric stood. "What is it?"
The square-faced boy pointed. "We're off trail. This zone is marked dangerous."
"Do you think I would be scared of a map?" Alaric's voice dripped contempt. He turned and pointed at the wolf boy. "Scout that area."
The forest there was dim and grey. The air looked stale.
The other students shoved the wolf boy forward. His legs shook.
Behind the thick trees, two purple eyes opened. Then another pair. Something massive moved in the shadows.
The wolf boy stopped. He raised his trembling sword.
"Shit," Alaric breathed.
"A golem!" screamed the third boy.
It was fifteen feet tall, made of stone and iron held together by pulsing purple veins. Its eyes burned with violet light. It raised one massive arm and brought it down.
The impact split the ground. Dirt and rock exploded. The wolf boy was thrown backward, his sword flying from his grip.
Alaric and the others had already retreated.
The wolf boy looked back, his eyes locking onto Alaric's. He reached out a shaking hand. A faint sound escaped his lips.
"Leave that filthy silver-badge dog," Alaric said flatly.
"We can't! The professors—"
"They'll what? Go against Fenshore?" Alaric laughed. "Use your teleport relic. Now."
The wolf boy scrambled forward on his hands and knees.
The golem's other arm swung sideways. It caught him in the abdomen. His body lifted and crashed through trees, limbs twisting. He slammed into a rocky outcrop with a wet crunch and slid down, leaving a red smear.
The golem stood over him. Its moss-covered exterior stank of rot. It raised one massive iron fist.
The wolf boy tried to move. His legs wouldn't respond. Blood filled his mouth.
He opened his mouth to scream.
The fist descended.
The crunch of bone echoed. Blood sprayed across the rock. The wolf boy's body jerked once, then went still. His silver badge was covered in blood.
The golem pulled its fist back slowly, bits of bone and tissue clinging to it. Then it turned and lumbered away.
The three black-badge students vanished in a flash of white.
The forest went quiet. The wolf boy's body lay crumpled against the rocks, his eyes staring at nothing. His rusted sword lay half-buried in moss.
The Cleansing had only just begun. And it was already brutal.