With only one miracle in the tank, the two adventurers were walking on eggshells. Cautious of their surroundings, they were getting closer to Dalvan Town, where they could freely enter the anti-fiend barrier.
Their frantic footsteps alerted the fiends, from the newborns, and mature's. The nightmarish creatures chased after them, slow in their pace, which gave them the chance to escape without worry.
However, too many started to gather together, coming from all sides.
A horde came from the left, another horde at the right. Some had even appeared in front of them out of the darkness of the night, charging at the two survivors, but Thomas took care of them.
"Lumenta!!"
Thrusting his incantation stone forward, a flash of light would vanquish the grotesque creatures around them.
Thomas only had a few more usages of the incantation stone before it wore out, and he knew it as well.
"Don't overuse it, Thomas! The Incantation stone is quickly draining mana. If you continue to use it, it'll be useless."
"S-Sorry about that...!"
"Just let me handle them."
Fumiko, with a blade in hand, prepared for the next wave of fiends. She would die protecting him out of honor. She promised to escort Thomas to where he needed to be, and that's exactly what she was going to do.
"So... this is where you two have been stirring up trouble."
A deep, demonic voice reached their ears, rooting them in place. Fumiko stomped her foot forward, halting her momentum, as Thomas tripped, falling flat on his face, but quickly got to his hands and knees, as if he was in the presence of a king.
"Perfect timing. I couldn't find any humans out here to refuel my mana, but you two are foolish enough to be out at night. How magnificent!"
The sounds of wings flapped until heavy metal clanked against the ground. The fiend had landed and now approached them.
"State your name, Elder Fiend!" Shouted Fumiko.
"So you realized?" The Elder Fiend chuckled, slowly approaching them in its heavy armor.
"E-Elder Fiend?! Oh man... oh man! You have to be kidding me!!" Thomas started panicking, crawling away to hide behind the samurai's calves. "We're fucking screwed!"
He came into view, standing in the moonlight. It had no facial features, and wore a dark hoodie, with black armor, and dark wings.
Fumiko realized what she was dealing with.
Anybody who knew their history would realize who this fiend was.
"…You're one of the Dark Angels of the night?; The group of fiends who destroyed entire kingdoms." Muttered the samurai, shocked in her voice.
"Ah, yes. We go by many names, but refer to me as my real name, Gabriel."
"I see, but what is an elder fiend doing in the forest? Your kind usually gathers around large towns and kingdoms, waiting for any possible prey to reveal itself. Humans are the ones that refuel your mana better than animals, are they not?" Said Fumiko.
"Indeed." Gabriel stopped in his tracks, holding a sword in his hand. "Fiends cannot sustain their life without the mana of other creatures. Some newborn fiends usually die within the first two nights, unable to consume mana from you sniveling pests hiding inside your barriers. Even the animals adapted to this world, finding locations that my kind cannot reach." Gabriel scoffed. "But, that's all going to change, real soon."
Thomas stuck his head out from behind Fumiko's calf, saying, "C-Change? How is that going to change?"
"Hahahaha! I am unable to provide that information, but since you'll be dying tonight, I shall tell you, human!" He lifted both arms side by side, leaning his head back in joy. "My master! My glorious master! He is building a new utopia! A world where we fiends can spread our dark essence, and corrupt this world in our presence! He has already mastered Chaos Magic, so there is nothing that he cannot do in this world! Nothing! Ahahahaha!!"
"This Fiend is insane…" Muttered Thomas, visibly shaken in his voice.
"Soon, there will be no anti-fiend barriers! He will remove them all, and let us feast upon the mortals of this world. Once he gathers enough mana from the villagers, and townspeople that we have consumed, he will finally be able to create his spell." He lowered his head, staring at the two of them. "His spell to block out the sun, forever!"
Fumiko gasped through her mask, as Thomas stood up, running away.
"Nooo! I can't do this, no way in hell! I'm outta here!"
"T-Thomas!" Fumiko called for his name, watching him run through the forest.
"It seems your friend has abandoned you. Very well, I shall make quick work of you, then go after him next."
"I won't let you harm him. I promised to be his escort, and I will not let you destroy that promise! It is a code of honor, to my people!"
Gabriel looked to the sky, quiet.
"Only two hours of nighttime left. I have no time to be playing with you, human. I have already lost a battle against a witch, and I will not lose another one!!"
"A-A witch? Aren't they extinct-!"
Before Fumiko could finish her sentence, the dark angel charged at her.
***
"No… I can't die! I don't wanna die! Someone help me!! Gaia!!" Thomas ran through the forest, hearing the demonic howls of the fiends, and their otherworldly groans.
Bushes rattled around him, indicating how close they were to his vicinity.
"I'm not dying like this! Go after Fumiko, leave me alone!!" He turned around, witnessing the creatures chasing after him. Some appeared to be black dogs, with a dark mist emanating from their bodies, and glowing red eyes. Others looked like mutant animals, bulldozing towards him.
"Lumenta! Lumenta!! Lumenta!!!"
Out of desperation, he repeatedly used his Incantation stone, destroying the hordes of fiends behind them. He wiped out a fine portion of them, but some were smart enough to hide behind the trees or bushes.
"Anyone… can anyone hear me?!"
He yelled to the night sky, hoping for anyone to hear him, but there was no response.
Thomas had no choice but to run for a tree and climb it. His climbing skills were amateurish at best, but he did get to the top, resting on a branch.
He was breathing heavily… unable to catch his breath for a few minutes.
Most of his frantic breathing came from fear and overexertion, but he was lucky to be in a safe spot.
"…I beat you!"
Thomas looked down below, staring at the nightmarish creatures surrounding the tree.
"I beat all of you!!"
Happy for his escape, he mocked them, feeling superior to the cursed race.
"There was no way in hell I was going to die! Not to the likes of you! That's right, I'm faster, I'm stronger! I'm smarter!" Thomas smiled, still shaken up, but boastful of his accomplishment. He pointed down at the creatures whilst laying on the tree branch, yelling, "Kiss my ass, you shabby fucks! Hahahaha!"
Taking one final deep breath, he turned around, laying on his backside.
"Whew… that's finally over. I just need to wait out the night, and make it to Dalvan Town."
He closed his eyes… and hummed in delight.
…But everything felt eerie.
Thomas was forgetting something important, but he wanted to block it out. He didn't want to remember, because he knew it was his fault for forgetting that person.
For forgetting Fumiko.
"…"
He was quiet, crossing both arms behind his head, and looking into the starry sky above him.
"Man… this sucks."
He felt regret for leaving her back there.
Regret was the ultimate punishment that the brain could give its host. It was an inevitable feeling—
Especially from doing something you know you shouldn't.
"Why am I feeling this way? I left plenty of people behind in my life… especially when I was living my life as a bandit with Druic and Maggie."
His thoughts drowned out the sounds of the fiends and their ghoulish moans. Thomas was lost. For the first time in his life, he was feeling regret for the course of his actions.
"I don't like this feeling… it sucks."
He closed his eyes, biting his bottom lip in frustration.
("…It sucks, it sucks, it sucks! I fucking hate it…!")
Taking his hand from behind his head, he slammed it against the tree branch.
"Damnit… is this regret?!"
[Flashback]
"One day son, you will learn what regret is, and once you experience it, it will make you a better man. You're still a child, growing up, and not knowing what he wants to be, but one day… you will learn remorse."
"Oh shut up old man! I don't need any more of your rambling, I'm gonna do what I want, and when I want! I'd rather be a bandit than live my life as some blacksmith!"
[Present]
"…That old man, was he right?! Am I feeling that emotion right now? Am I really feeling… remorse?" Thomas sat up, letting his legs dangle off the branch, thinking to himself.