Val's pupils constricted, sensing the danger in disguise. "Fall back, and hold your breaths!" echoed her voice, and everyone fell back into a tight formation.
"Wind users, repel the pollen!"
Again, a whirlwind arose, whirled for a few moments, and then inflated to sweep away the potentially venomous smoke. It grew bigger and bigger in diameter until the mages lost control of it. The smoke dispersed, revealing a devastated forest. Only the thick, giant trees stood unharmed, while the ground was littered with ashes and debris.
It was finally over, everyone could sigh in relief. But relief was not in their fate…
The witch, Barbara, sensed an ominous foreboding. Alert, she swept her sight everywhere, looking for any signs of danger, but to no avail.
"Big sis, it's not over yet!"
"What?" Val said in an annoyed tone. "I can sense no shit in the vicinity."
"Well, it might not be shit…" Quick in her actions, Barbara took three vials of yellow potions out of her witch hat and gulped them down. She stood straight and alert, ready to take necessary actions.
If the vines that barraged them from above were a part of that carnivorous monster, it was obvious how they caught their prey. But at the time of dying, what was the purpose of releasing their pollen? A flawed defense mechanism? That made no sense.
If they intended to bring their foes down along with them, the only purpose that served would be… fertilization!
But they swept the pollen away already. Why was she feeling this, apprehension? Unless…
"Hold your breaths!" Barbara screamed when she realized that the pollen could be sentient and they could return.
Alas, her voice got buried in the cheerful chatter of the crowd, and Val bragging to her son, Lyle.
"Haha! Did you witness mommy beat the shit out of a superbea-…" She fell limply on the ground.
One after the other, people standing at the outer layer of the formation started falling down.
Barbara quickly stuck her staff to the ground and a small, gray whirlwind arose. It thickened as dark gray smoke swirled outward to sweep the invisible pollen away. It inflated to the size of the formation and swirled for a few minutes. With the dark element possessing strong decaying properties, the pollen decomposed and died.
It was a perfect maneuver, but alas, 52 of the 84 had already fallen. When Barbara checked their states, fortunately, they weren't dead, but deep into hibernation.
…
Lyle saw his mom fall to the ground, and a jolt raced up his body. His greatest horror was coming true, right before his eyes, so abruptly, without any warning. His body jerked ahead, his feet began to advance, and he began to run wildly as if his intervention could save her.
[Suddenly, strength exploded from his whole being, helping him dash with unprecedented speed as he neared the monster that woke up once again. His mom's great sword was in his hands and he slashed it thrice in a blink. The monster fell and another one rose up, much stronger and bigger than the previous one, but it couldn't keep up with Lyle's quaking prowess. More monsters emerged, and he hacked and slashed and obliterated all of them.]
Of course, it all happened in his dream the moment his body had involuntarily moved earlier—just to trip and fall into unconsciousness.
His greatest horror had come true, and the trauma wasn't something a 6-year-old kid could bear, especially since the tension had been building up 2 months prior. His body forced a shutdown to cope with the stress.
When he woke up, he saw his second aunt, Malinda's weary, yet gently smiling face. The atmosphere was dim, and he could only see her face shining in the Incandescent Lumin Radiance nearby.
Taking a few moments to gather his memories, panic slowly crept into his heart. A sense of crisis flashed in his mind as if his world had crumbled, and all he did was fall asleep. He began to hyperventilate against the lump in his throat.
"A-aunt, where is m-mom?" He asked with quivering lips, somehow holding his breath.
Malinda cradled him into her embrace. Caressing his back, she said, "Calm down, child, she is all right. She is outside the cave, taking care of some things."
"I..." He hiccuped. "I want to meet her." Tightly hugging her neck, he decided to hold his tears and put up with the lump in his throat till he met his mother.
Malinda took him outside and as soon as he saw his mom's tall figure, he dashed with all his might to hug her tight.
It was when she took him into her arms and consoled his fears that his dam burst apart, and he bawled so hard that he choked between his hiccups.
He was so relieved she was all right. His world had not fallen.
...
But there was someone his age whose world was no more.
Daisy flapped her limbs, mustering more than her might as she screamed and wailed in unfathomable agony to see her world crumble apart.
Her father, who had consoled and cajoled her just this morning, had fallen unconscious like everyone else, battered and bruised by the intense fight.
If that wasn't enough, these damn people went and buried her dear father several feet under the ground, just like that?
How could they be so cruel? And they even held her in their clutches, separating her from her dad.
She could only wail her lungs out, till her voice cracked. Tears and snot made a mess on her face, and she could only writhe to escape from this man's grasp.
She cried till her throat screamed pain, shook her head till she felt so dizzy that her vision began to spin, and she slowly stopped her struggle till she was reduced to a quivering, hiccuping little mess.
A grandma cradled her in her embrace and shook her to sleep.
...
Lyle saw this horror happen before his eyes. Daisy was facing what he dreaded to his core. What if the next one to suffer like that was him?
His body trembled in fright, and he hugged his mother tight, burying his face in her neck.