The atmosphere of the group had become significantly more peaceful as soon as Hugo had left in his carriage. It seemed I wasn't the only one who disliked his personality, but I understood why he was recruited.
His bind control was around that of an A-rank, and if you were able to control that attitude of his, he could wipe out entire swarms of monsters with a single spell.
The one key aspect that kept him back was his arrogance, and when paired with his lack of experience, it created conflict within the group.
"We'll be setting up camp here," announced Mike, unpacking the backpack that he had brought with him.
I just sat against a tree, slightly separated from the group. I could tell the night was going to be cold, instinctively warming the air around me with bind. I glanced over at the rest of the team setting up tents and removing their armor.
I guess I'll be the lookout for the night, I thought. I doubted I'd be able to sleep anyway due to the presence of others, so at least I'd keep the others safe.
I waited until the rest of the team had entered their tents and turned off their lanterns before shifting my position. I waited, listened, observed.
The endless orchestra of insects echoed throughout the night, mesmerizing me with their performance. I occasionally heard a howl from a beast in the distance, but I wasn't able to feel any killing intent.
Harm or death directed at yourself was extremely easy to sense if you had a capable aura. As long as you remained calm, you'd sense a shift in the atmosphere around you, almost like the entire world had suddenly frozen, and the only things that remained untouched to the time freeze were you and your aggressor.
Time obviously didn't stop, but your perception of the world did, and as long as you were able to identify that feeling, you could always maintain a radar around yourself.
I heard rustling beside me, but I just smiled ever so slightly under my mask as Katherine popped out.
"Hey!" she whispered, "are you not cold?"
"Nope," I responded, maintaining my focus on surveying the area. My paranoia was unusually high right now, and I felt as if a war was about to commence right in front of me.
She sat beside me, closing her eyes and partaking in enjoying the sounds of nature.
After a few minutes of silence, she turned to me again, her usual cheeriness vanishing from her face.
"Darck, are you scared?" she asked. I could tell she wasn't joking due to her tone, but I couldn't understand the source of the question.
"Of the domain?" I asked, trying to understand the basis of her interrogation. Could her question reflect her own situation and emotions?
"Yea."
"I'm not," I responded truthfully, not knowing if it helped her whatsoever.
"And what about dying?"
Silence beset the scene at the question, the meaning of her words striking me. Was I afraid of dying? I had died before, but was I necessarily scared of it?
I believe I wasn't back on Earth, but now that I had people I cared for, and people I wanted to see again, maybe I was. This was my second chance at life, would I ever get another?
"I think so."
"I see," she said, thinking about how my answer reflected her own thoughts.
"So you want to live?" she finally asked. The answer seemed apparent from my previous response. Were the two questions different?
Did living mean escaping death? As long as you weren't technically dead, did that mean you were living? I had never asked myself the question, but it was a logical conclusion.
"I guess," I said, not sure of my own answer.
"I think living means treasuring what we have in life, whether that be a place, a person, or our relationships," said Katherine suddenly.
"You're awfully mature," I teased, not knowing how else to respond to a statement like that.
Katherine merely laughed at my comment, wondering what else to say before I rose to my feet.
I had let my guard down, Katherine's question taking me off my initial objective.
"We're surrounded," I whispered, Katherine instantly standing up beside me.
"I'll go call the others-"
I grabbed her arm before she could move, shaking my head.
"They'll only panic and attract more monsters. You and I can do this," I whispered.
I could tell the girl was slightly distressed by my choice, but she slowly nodded her head. She traced out the form of a longbow, the glimmering silver weapon appearing in her hands, and a quiver forming on her back.
I unsheathed my sword, preparing myself. Our goal was to eliminate the incoming threat silently and decisively, my mind instantly identifying wind as the element that would suit this situation the best.
Pairs of glowing yellow eyes suddenly appeared between the trees, low gnarling sounds echoing all around us.
"Kath, on the trees," I ordered, shortening her name for more efficient callouts.
The girl instantly launched herself into the air, landing on a thick branch and drawing her bow, an arrow already cocked.
A sharp whistling sound zipped past me as a sabertooth-looking monster dropped dead behind me, its position suggesting it was already pouncing on me.
She's good, I thought, smiling. There was no need to worry with an archer like that watching my every move.
I launched myself at the mob of beasts, bringing my silver longsword down onto their napes. Sickening cracks and howls echoed through the night as I slashed every single moving animal my eyes could see.
A silver wolf leaped at me, my body leaping up to avoid the blow.
I instantly realized my miscalculation, underestimating the power of the monster. I put my sword up to deflect the oncoming attack, but a sudden gust of wind, originating from my ally, pushed me just above the wolf. I recalculated the situation, bringing my sword right into the wolf's back midair. The weapon carved right through the beast's rough hide, finally disconnecting at the end of the body.
I looked over at Katherine, and the girl simply winked at me before refocusing her attention on an incoming enemy.
The monsters had begun reshifting their attention to the tents, the location where unarmed prey awaited them. I focused my energy, manipulating the air currents around me.
I launched myself at the wolves, a sudden boom echoing throughout the entire area from my speed. The pack of monsters suddenly froze, their bodies processing what had just happened before crumbling to pieces.
My still-saturated ears rung from the speed, my head felt like it could split open at any second.
Whimpering echoed around me, the monsters just having witnessed almost half their pack being massacred before their eyes could even focus on the target.
I instantly felt the change in atmosphere, the beasts retreating back into the depth of the woods. Katherine slid down the tree and ran up to me.
"You okay?" she gasped, worn out.
"I'm good. You?"
"I'm fine," she responded smugly, trying to hide the pride she felt for her own accomplishments. I smiled at her internal struggle.
"You did great," I commended her, the girl's face lighting up with happiness.
"You could've done better," she teased, springing laughter from both of us.
"I'll keep watch. You should get some rest," I suggested, the tired Katherine nodding as she yawned.
"Yea, I'm drained. I'll leave the rest to you," she muttered, tapping my shoulder before entering her tent.
I flicked my sword sideways, removing most of the blood from the blade before returning it into the sheath.
I turned around, my eyes locked right on a point of darkness amidst the trees.
"You can show yourself now."