As William gathered his materials, Ifrit watched from the couch. It had been about a month since his brother's funeral, and he was already death threats on how he should've been the one to die, how he should've been dead.
William slings his bag over as his inventory is full of stuff. He signals Ifrit to come over and she doesn't.
"Come here, we're leaving," William told her frustratedly.
"And why should I? Why should I listen to you?" She asked imprudently.
"Because your father asked me to take care of you! Now come on!" Ifrit clicks her tongue and gets up. William opens the door and Ifrit follows close behind.
"Where are we going?" Ifrit asked, seemingly showing no interest.
"We're going to the land of the water," William told her.
"Why though?" Ifrit asked she was a bit more curious now.
"So I can obtain the rune of life," William tells her.
"The rune of life? Why would you nee that?" Ifrit asked.
"It buffs my healing spells," William explained.
"Okay, but I already know healing spells," Ifrit tells him.
"I don't care. What I want is only achievable by me, no one else can do it."
"Okay, but why?" Ifrit asked.
"Shut up! Stop asking me! It's none of your business! Just don't get in my way." They continued walking and soon they reached a gate. At the gate, there were a few men dressed in all black. They had black capes, black armor, and black hoods.
They surrounded Ifrit and William. William readied his blade and Ifrit seemed like she didn't care. They all charged and William fought them off but was getting weaker and weaker.
One guy swings his sword down and William blocks but the guy keeps pushing. "Ifrit! Help me!" William yelled. He slips the guy's sword away and hits him in the temple with a hammer fist.
"And why should I?" She asked, not even looking at what was happening. Then one of the men swung down on Ifrit and cut her face. The wound healed quickly but she looked up at him angrily.
"Did you just strike me?" Ifrit asked.
The man stepped back in fear but his body was instantly set ablaze by Ifrit. She stomps on the ground, creating a blast of fire that kills all of the goons but damages William as well.
"Ifrit! Stop! That's enough!" The flames kept raging on. William gets on his feet while trembling painfully as he fights against the fire. He slaps her in the face, stopping the fires.
"I said stop!" William yells at her.
"Okay! You don't have to slap me!"
"I already yelled at you once and you still didn't stop!" William rebutted.
"Who cares? Let's just go." She says frustratedly. William groans and he sheathes his sword and they continue walking.
They trekked through the rough mountains that encapsulated the valley where humans and elves lived. William looks out into the distance as they ascend the mountain. His sweat rolled down his face. Dirt and grime covered his knees and gloves. His legs were aching, but he pushed through and they made it to the top.
"Can we stop?" Ifrit groaned impatiently.
"Yeah. Just gotta find some flat land." William and Ifrit walked around a bit more and eventually found a flat area under a relatively short tree. They set up camp and Ifrit immediately went to sleep. William sat on a big rock as he stared at the rising moon.
"Huh? The fuck?" William squinted his eyes and noticed that the moon was a bit larger than before. He activates his mana sensory skill and sees a faint but visible aura around the moon itself. He stands up quickly and tries to assess how fast the moon is dilating.
"Fuck, 10 miles per hour. It's moving ten miles per hour. That means it'll only take a bit more than two and a half years for it to reach us." William paced back and forth debating on whether he should intervene or not.
William finally stopped and sat in front of the tent. He sighs, "I'll worry about that shit later."
He gets into the tent and lays down next to Ifrit who is fast asleep. He is restless, constantly tossing and turning, stressing over his duties as a guardian and the imposing danger of the moon. He eventually fell asleep after an hour or so.
The next morning, William awoke and saw that Ifrit wasn't next to him. He quickly put his armor back on and left the tent. He places around the tent, frantically looking for her.
"Ifrit! Where are you!" He yells out anxiously.
"I'm right here!" Ifrit said from the top of the tree. She jumps down and lands next to him. She looked a bit more mature though, she was also about a centimeter taller.
"Did you grow?" William asked her.
"I did. I grow from absorbing mana from the air and since you emanate tons of it in your sleep, I was able to evolve into a more mature form." Ifrit explained to him.
"I see. Well, c'mon, we have to get going." William disassembles the tent and puts it back in his inventory. They continue on their path towards the land of water.
As William and Ifrit descended the mountain, William's foot slipped and he fell to one knee. Ifrit laughs hysterically as she floats above the ground.
"Shut up." William groaned as he got back up. A mile further was the city. Once they got over a hill, they saw the city.
The walls were ginormous and encapsulated the entire city like a fence. There was a massive ramp where people, horses, and giants could walk on. It was about 200 meters in diameter and nearly a kilometer in length.
The area was barren though. No signs of life whatsoever, other than the bugs and orange trees. William and Ifrit approached the ramp when the ground turned into water.
The soil sank and water arose. It was about ankle height and was steaming. A mysterious woman stood on the water though. She wore a black hooded robe which split on the sides, allowing her legs to be seen. She had white leggings with rhombus holes on the thigh area. Her cuffs were puffed and her gloves were white. Her skin was pale but glistened in the sun. He white hair flowed in the wind, her blue eyes brighter than any light.
She stepped forward and stood in front of William. She was taller than him, much taller than him. William was about 5'5 but even on level ground, William's head only reached her chest.
She reaches down and lifts his chin.
"My my, what is a specimen like you doing in these parts of the lands? Oh, let me guess. You've come because of me, haven't you? You wish to have the opportunity to be a consort of mine. Well, you certainly can, seeing how handsome you are." She flirted with him. Her voice was mature and very clear. It had a deep commanding tone that still sounded soft and direct.
"Yeah, I'm here for you but not for that reason," William tells her.
"That's a shame, we could've had many beautiful children if you did choose to be my consort." She continues flirting despite being rejected.
"I need the rune of life," William tells her.
"For what purpose? Judging by your mana levels, you're already on par with the rune of life." The woman asked.
"I need it to perform a ritual," William tells her.
"And what would that be?" She asked suspiciously.
"A revival ritual," William tells her.
"Revival? And who are you seeking to revive?"
"The hero Lurial Kyary." When he said that, her eyes widened in surprise.
"Revive? When did he die?" She asked him nervously.
"A month ago," William answers.
"Do you know what this means!" The woman was more frantic than ever.
"No, what?"
"Lurial created a seal on the moon! It is said that once he died, the seal would be broken and the moon would crash into the world in two years!" She explained.
"Yeah, I noticed the moon was approaching," William said while thinking. He looks around for Ifrit and sees her chasing a bug. He snaps his fingers and Ifrit walks over annoyed.
"Hurry, we need to get to the rune of life! Follow me!" She starts ascending the ramp. William and Ifrit follow close behind. Once they got past the gates, the city was in ruins. But in the middle was a cathedral that still stood tall.
They sprint inside the cathedral and make it to the lowest floor. They busted down the door and inside was a pure marble room with a pedestal in the middle. On the pedestal was the rune of life.
The rune of life was a rock that had a fossil inside. It was created during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction 250 million years ago. It stores 2 percent of the world's entire mana supply and is said to hold the power of divine healing.
"Here! Take it! Leave now before this place collapses!" She disappeared into a puddle of water as the ground started rumbling. The walls cracked and it fell from the ceiling.
William and Ifrit sprinted out of there and made it out of the cathedral before it collapsed in on itself. The clock tower falls down and with a loud ring, a wall of dust and sand is pushed out as the bell falls.
"Finally." Panting heavily. "We have the rune of life. C'mon, let's get out of here." William walks away and Ifrit follows close behind.
From the top of the wall, that woman watched them. She smirks to herself and laughs mischievously.
"What an insolent fool thinking I'd give out the real rune of life. Have fun, see you at the end of the world." She plunges into the ground through a puddle of water and vanishes.