The mountain's peak split apart with a sharp crack, throwing fire and stone into the air. The ridge collapsed away from the camp, but the debris didn't follow.
Chunks of rock came down like burning hail, cutting through the smoke and ash. Snow melted where they landed, steam rolling across the ground.
Julian didn't hesitate to move out of the way. However, not even two steps in, a sharp blade flew toward his neck.
Dodging the attack by the skin of his teeth, Julian skidded across the snow just as a sharp rock landed beside him.
The one who attacked him was none other than Virion, sporting a hateful expression.
But there was no time for words. Both of them knew that it was only a matter of time before they would get crushed.
Julian slowly continued ahead, and Virion didn't follow. Instead, he went deeper into the camp to rescue the people.
The ground was littered with blood and corpses within just a few seconds. It was a bloodbath, and all because of whatever was happening on the peak of the mountain.
Still, while Julian thought he could leave the campsite without trouble, he was soon met with two swordsmen. They were the same two swordsmen who had greeted him and Adam alongside Virion earlier.
They had blank expressions on their faces, but their killing intent was nothing to scoff at.
So, as the tremors and falling debris continued, the three locked themselves in a stalemate, which only lasted a brief moment as Julian dashed forward.
The swordsmen avoided a sharp rock from impaling them and entered defensive stances, prepared to counter Julian's advance.
Against all odds, Julian slipped past their blades, getting up in their faces. They were both surprised and wary, but while he was only an arm's length away from one swordsman, the other swordsman saw an opportunity and tried to cut him down.
However, all that managed to do was throw him off his stance as Julian shifted his body, making the blade miss.
Julian's eyes turned toward that momentary gap, and then, by clenching his fist, he sent a bolt whistling through the air.
The swordsman he was close to gasped, trying to raise his sword to defend his friend. But alas, Julian knew that something like that was going to happen. Because of that, the moment he let his guard down, Julian placed his knuckles against the swordsman's forehead and then clenched his fist.
Blood spurted from the hole in the swordsman's forehead, and on the other hand, the swordsman he had shot at first was now lying cold on the snow, a bolt sticking through his neck.
[You have slain a dormant human.]
[You have slain a dormant human.]
In the blink of an eye, two powerful swordsmen fell at his hands. Yet he didn't feel even an ounce of remorse, knowing that if he hadn't fought back, he would be the one killed.
Still, he had no time to reminisce as he reloaded his crossbows and borrowed a coat from one of the fallen soldiers. Then, he ran to the camp's exit, where several people were huddled around, trying to get past.
Just as Julian arrived, a giant boulder fell in front of him, crushing all the people there and blocking the exit. Fire rained down shortly after, some landing right beside his feet.
Or rather, that was how it seemed until he felt a scorching pain in his chest. Looking down, he realized a sharp rock had embedded itself straight through his heart.
His vision blurred, and his steps faltered.
It all happened so fast that he couldn't even react.
All he could do was let out a gasp and clutch his chest, feeling his consciousness fading. He fell to the ground, slowly bleeding out.
But whether it was because of the fight happening above or the destruction below, there was much more miasma in the air.
The skin tissue around his chest began to mend itself, but with the sharp rock through his heart, he couldn't heal himself.
Although Julian was on the verge of death, his mind was strangely clear. His body moved on its own, only slightly guided by his thoughts.
He rose to his knees, and amidst the death and destruction around him, Julian raised his trembling hands, clutching the tip of the rock that pierced his heart.
The tip pierced through his palms, but even then, with shallow breaths, he pushed the sharp rock out of his chest.
And when it landed on the ground, Julian saw the hole in his chest close within seconds. His heart mended itself, and not long after, the cuts, bruises, and fatigue all vanished.
He took a few deep breaths and then rose from the ground, completely unscathed yet conflicted.
It was impossible to survive that, whether he was an evil spirit or a human. The heart was a vital organ for all creatures, including him.
But...
'I'm alive... There's not an injury on me, and aside from the hole in my clothes... it doesn't look like I was ever hit.'
He had many speculations since this wasn't the first time something odd had happened. But in all instances, his curiosity led him to what his parents did.
Snapping him out of his thoughts was the clang of a blade in front of him. As he turned toward it, he saw Virion, who, with his left eye gone, stared at Julian as though he had seen a ghost.
Virion opened his mouth, trying to utter a word. But that was when another tremor spread across the ground. A shadow was cast over them, and when Julian glanced up, he saw a boulder the size of the entire camp falling directly on him.
'Shit... If he saw what happened and he tells everyone else, then—'
Before he could even finish that thought, he felt a tug on his coat. He was lifted off the ground and, like a ragdoll, dragged across the ruined camp, dodging the incoming debris, and finally reaching the biggest tent of them all—the armory.
He was dragged through the fiery tent and finally reached the armory itself. Weapons and more were scattered around, but most importantly, this armory was hidden inside the mountain.
So, as Julian was finally released, plopping down on the ground, Julian barely had time to raise his head before the light outside dimmed, then vanished.
The entrance darkened completely, and what followed was a loud explosion, destroying his eardrums.
But as his ears buzzed, dust flew inside the armory, coating everything in gray. The ground kept shaking, and pieces of rock fell from the ceiling. Julian covered his head, coughing through the thick air as his hearing gradually returned.
When the tremors finally stopped, only silence remained. The entrance was gone, buried under solid stone.
Julian sat there for a moment, shocked. Though, at least he was alive, and his eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness.
But when he turned toward the person who dragged him here, he couldn't help but express his annoyance.
"Adam... What the fuck?"