"We should retreat." I suggested, changing my mind.
"Of course we should! Especially after some guy just approach me and said we're all going to die!"
"What do you mean?" I frowned.
"He looks weak, so I thought he's just spewing empty threats. However, after knowing three of our guys died, I realized he's not uttering some empty words!"
"Dre, calm down. Does that person carry a blue sword and wear a black robe?"
"Yeah. Wait, how did you know?"
"Is there anything else he told you?"
"Yeah, but how did you know his looks?"
"Just forget that and answer." I urged him.
"Withdraw your team or we'll be wiped out."
He said the same thing as that woman. Could the two of them be working together? I thought to myself when I pinched my chin.
"So, what should we do?" Miem looked at me.
"We should ask Eve."
I didn't waste time and called Eve through the watch.
"Eve-"
[I've heard.]
Before I could say what I wanted, she responded quickly. Her words were brief, but I could sense the hidden rage and sadness. I feel the same.
"What should we do?" When I asked, my voice came out weak. Which I found surprising.
[Retreat.] She responded without hesitation.
I had prepared for such a response, yet I still find myself doubtful. Is it the right decision? Yes, we lacked man power, but when you think about the danger of such a device ending up in the wrong hands, is retreating a good choice? And our fallen members.
What was Goo Han's death for? He died for nothing. Like hell I can accept that! But, deep inside me, I knew I had to accept it. We couldn't win, not now.
[I'm aware. Sunny, I know your concerns. If it ends up in the wrong hands, millions of people will die. However, if we continue the mission, we'll die meaninglessly. Is that what you want?]
Of course not. I'm just testing you, I responded to her words in my heart.
"Then what about their deaths? Are we going to gloss over them?" Hakku slightly increased his voice.
"Their death isn't meaningless, nor are we going to gloss over it. We'll achieve victory, but not now. Retreat doesn't mean a defeat, but a form of calculated victory." I said to Hakku in a reassured manner.
Hakku calmed after hearing me, "Yeah, you're right."
Then, I located Eve. She's moving away to the outskirts of the mist.
"Eve has already retreated. We should move. Hmm, Miem, what's wrong?"
I noticed Miem stare blankly to the distance. No, after following her eyes, it lead to the undead dragon. She hasn't banish it, I wonder why. Speaking of that, I also haven't let Puffy rest. He has been in my back this whole time.
"Miem, did something happened to your dragon?"
"Sunny, what should I do? I can't dismiss it. Oh no, oh no. It happens again." Her expression changed to panic and fear. She is overcome by them, causing her to walk a few steps back rather carelessly and trip.
Sweat trickled down across her cheeks. She covered her face with her hands.
"Hey, calm down. Tell me what's going on." I hastily came to her side.
"This is why I don't want to participate in dangerous missions. I thought it would be fine. I thought I have become stronger, better, but in fact, nothing changed!" She yelled. Ridicule and anger evident, but aimed at herself.
I looked at Dre for answers. He shrugged his shoulders.
Just then, the undead dragon roared and proceed to burn everything with its breath. Its massive tail swayed about, wiping clean the buildings. Debris flew everywhere and thick dust filled the area.
"Hey, this is bad. If this keeps going, it will destroy the entire district!" Dre freaked out.
"Miem, we need to stop it, and we can't do it without you. Tell us what we need to do. We'll discuss why you lost control later."
Miem stay silent. It seemed she remembered something awful and couldn't act normally. However, just when I was about to move on, I heard her taking a deep breath.
Her eyes revitalized and all of a sudden, she slapped herself. She appeared to be motivated. Perhaps she just got flashbacks like those in fiction, and it made her strong. It was good nevertheless.
"No need, I'll tell you. I'll lose control of my undead beings if I'm being too stressed or emotionally unstable. The death of our friends put a huge toll on myself. I'm sorry,everyone."
"You don't have to. Are you okay?" Hakku asked worriedly.
"Yes, I'm okay. For one more time, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused."
"It's okay, Miem. What should we do to stop it?" Hakku pondered.
"You guys…" Miem looked at her friends. They weren't mad because of her mistake. It made her smile. She then continued, "Every time I summon a mythical beast, I would need an anchor. It is the bone of the said beast and I called it Primal Bone. We take it out and the beast will vanish."
"Okay, where is the bone at?" I continued
"Its chest. However, we have to hurry. Without my control, the dragon will gain its consciousness and recover itself."
"Isn't it dead?"
"Yes. To understand it better, when I summon it, a fragment of its soul descend into its body. Else, I only control an empty vessel that can't do nothing."
If Miem lost control of that fragmented soul, it will try to repair itself and heal the body. My knowledge is lacking, but this must require a powerful soul to reach such a feat.
I nodded slightly, "That won't be a problem. How much time do we have?"
"Five minutes."
I grunted in acknowledgement and shifted my eyes to Dre, "Can you shoot it?"
"I'm not sure if it's powerful enough to take the bone out." Dre responded.
"Not powerful?"
"Yeah, the ability is to launch a giant arrow."
"Let me see."
Dre showed us and an arrow materialized out of a strange energy.
This energy... I muttered to myself
I abruptly remembered the guy who attacked me. He also conjured swords of same energy as this arrow, and those swords were powerful. I'm not sure why Dre thinks the arrow was weak.