The smell of blood stings my nose, and the air feels thinner with each agonizing breath.
"I did it," I mutter, my hands still burning as the crimson lightning fades to nothing. "I can do it." I huff, more to convince myself than anyone else.
The system dings repeatedly, but my vision swims, blurring the items flashing before me. I try to focus, but it's all just a haze—stone statues, fragments of words, and distorted images.
Nothing but blurs.
I hear muffled cheers, Ricka's voice ringing out in victory. Yet something feels off. A strange vision flickers before my eyes—not of a person, but something… more. Something hauntingly captivating.
As I reach for it, it slips away, leaving behind nothing but the inescapable pulse of fear crawling through my veins—not from the unknown memory I can't grasp, but from the sheer terror of what I cannot see.
I close my eyes, focusing on my breathing, counting to five as I inhale, then another five as I exhale. It's a skill my mother taught me, a way to keep tears at bay when my father's harsh gaze fell on me. To him, any sign of weakness was a nuisance.
My parents…
It's been a while since I thought of them. The memories replay in my mind, the good and the bad, flashing like a reel I can't stop.
Gradually, the world around me sharpens again. But instead of cheers, I hear raised voices. They're no longer celebrating, they're fighting. I hear accusations, words steeped in bitterness and betrayal.
"You can't just leave us behind!" someone yells. "We helped get you here! We led the first assault!"
"Yeah, but Cipher defeated it!" Ricka snaps back, fury edging his voice.
"You think that means anything?" a man barks back. "You'd be dead without us softening it up first. We risked our lives!"
"And we saved them," Ricka retorts. "You wouldn't even be standing here if we hadn't finished it off!"
"You think that makes you better than us?" another voice sneers. "You've been riding on luck this entire time."
"Luck?" Avidia's voice sharpens. "Is that what you're calling it? We bled, just like you. Don't act like you're the only ones who sacrificed, we fought to bring you guys here and that's the thanks we get."
"Well, we're not walking away empty-handed." The first man steps forward, his voice dark and full of malice. "The swords belong to all of us. We'll take our share, and if you try to stop us—"
"You'll what?" Ricka growls. "Fight us? We earned this."
"We fought just as hard!" someone else shouts. "Why should you be the only ones to walk away with the prize?"
"Because we're the ones who finished the damn thing!" Ricka's voice cracks with frustration. "You stood there while we faced the final blow!"
"It was a team effort!" the man snaps. "We deserve a share. You can't hog all the glory, and we're not letting you walk away with everything."
The crunch of grass under heavy boots signals their approach, their numbers closing in. Ricka's ears perked up and Avdia's finger twitched by her weapon, her stance rigid, ready for a fight.
"No one's walking away with anything," the lead man sneers. "Unless you want to hand over those swords, we'll take them from your corpses."
I step forward, every muscle in my body relaxed as if I didn't see them as a threat. Ricka is breathing hard, his eyes darting from one face to another. "Back off. This doesn't have to end like this." I say while heaving a sigh.
"Oh, but it does." The leader steps closer, his lips curling into a cruel grin. "You don't think we've seen your type before? Heroes, thinking you're special. Well, out here, you're nothing. This world doesn't care about your little victories. We'll take what we deserve, and you'll be lucky if we let you live."
"We saved you," Ricka hisses through gritted teeth. "If it wasn't for us—"
"If it wasn't for you," the man cuts him off, "we would've killed it anyway. You just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
"Enough." My voice, sharp and cold, cuts through the rising tension. "You think we're heros then fine." My fist tightening, I knew I wasn't a hero. "Don't get a hero mixed up with someone who would kill you in an instant to get what he wants, so if you want what we fought for? Then come and take it."
The man laughs, a low, bitter sound. "Gladly."
They move to advance.
"Humans…" I whisper, a sudden surge of power bursting forth as my voice deepens with resolve.
The air crackles around me, the red lightning flaring to life once more. My eyes glow with intensity, and before any of them can react, the lightning arcs outward, carving through the air with precision. The bolts avoid Ricka and Avidia, but strike with deadly accuracy at the advancing group.
Screams pierce the air, bodies convulsing as the raw power fries them where they stand. Elga, silent as ever, watches as the electricity rips through their ranks, leaving the grass scorched and the air thick with the smell of burnt flesh.
I breathe heavily, my hands trembling as the last of the lightning dissipates.
"Always so greedy."