"Hmm..."
Waking up with a tired grumble, Vigil sat up from his previous position of sleeping on the side of his face and gave a quick stretch.
Before he passed out from exhaustion, Vigil didn't see where he was running, not the direction nor his current surroundings.
So, after stretching, he looked around to try and assess his current situation.
Around him was a view that he'd not seen in what felt like years, even though it was only for about a week and some days.
Below his feet was a field of grass that seemed to expand forever in all directions, with different kinds of plants and flora growing about.
'When did I get here? I didn't even notice anything different when I fell asleep...'
After taking a few moments to think about it Vigil decided to let it go.
"Hah... lets not dwell on... it..."
As Vigil was talking to himself he noticed that, not only was the ground different from normal, but there was also a very distinct anomaly with the sky overhead.
Above him wasn't the morning sun that would continuously beat down on his skin.
Instead, what greeted him was the sight of a beautifully clear, starry night sky.
Or that's what it should've been...
"What the hell are those..."
Vigil couldn't help but softly exclaim under his breath.
Although soon after expressing his thoughts aloud, he felt an immediate sense of regret and fear.
Looking around an even wider range, what met Vigil was the same sight for as far as the eye could see.
A few dozen meters off the ground were hundreds, if not thousands, of large creatures floating in a vertical position.
With large fins extending out of their sides and a long tail pointed towards the ground, the creatures seemed to closely resemble the whales that Vigil had seen in picture books.
Well, at least they did in shape...
Each of these floating whales were at least 25 meters (~82 ft) in length.
Covering the entirety of their bodies were large pieces of chitin, almost like an exoskeleton. Each piece had the same dull grey color that lightly shone in the moonlight.
At the moment, Vigil didn't know what to do.
Should he grab his things and go, or should he stay put and wait for the herd to pass by?
In the end, Vigil chose the former option.
This was mainly due to the fact that he wasn't dead yet.
After all, he was sure that those creatures weren't there when he'd passed out. Which means that they showed up when Vigil was asleep. This made him believe that, if they hadn't killed him yet, then they probably wouldn't kill him later.
These thoughts made him loosen up a little bit, just enough to not panic .
As Vigil started walking through the herd of gargantuan creatures, he couldn't help but think about what they really were.
'Are they fish? Maybe birds? No, they don't have wings so they can't be... But they also can't be fish because they clearly don't live in water...'
With thoughts like this circling in his mind keeping it occupied, Vigil kept walking while taking long glances at the floating creatures.
Throughout this time thinking to himself, Vigil came to a few conclusions.
'I don't think that they are fish, I mean they breathe air... Right? Also, I'm pretty sure that they're herbivores. I mean, I wasn't eaten so they've got to be herbivores... That or they just weren't hungry...'
With that last thought in his head, Vigil stopped for a moment and slowly looked up at the creatures again.
'Please just be herbivores...'
With that last thought, he shook his head to clear his thoughts, looked forward, and started walking once more.
A few hours passed by with him just walking when he finally noticed something odd with the giant floating whales sitting around him.
For some reason, these ones had grown to be about two times larger than the ones he'd originally seen a few hours ago.
Not only that, but their chitinous shells had cracks as well as different color stains all over the place.
Vigil didn't know exactly what the stains were from, but something told him that they didn't appear because of something pretty.
On the contrary, Vigil thought that they were most likely to be blood stains.
'But if those really are blood stains, then that means that these ones are most likely the herds fighters or protectors. But then, why are they all clumped up together like this..? No, that doesn't matter at the moment.'
He thought while shaking his head.
It didn't matter what they were, not to Vigil at least.
As of this moment, his top priority was getting away from this herd.
Now with that in mind the first thing he should've done is turn around and go the opposite way. After all, if he was getting closer to the center of the herd going in the direction he currently was, then turning around would probably get him out of the area the fastest.
But just as Vigil was about to turn around, something caught his eye making him pause for a moment.
Out in the distance, he saw a floating whale that looked vastly different from the rest of them.
To begin with, this one's size was by far the largest of the lot. Based on what Vigil could see, unlike the rest that were somewhere between 25 to 50 meters long, this one's body spanned to be at least 200 meters (~656 feet) in length.
However, not only was there a ginormous size difference, its color and shape also lacked similarities.
Instead of the dull grey chitin that the rest sported, the larger one's carapace was a beautifully soft shade of midnight purple.
Running along the length of its back was a mass of amethyst colored crystals, with two extremely large chunks protruding from the floating whale's head.
Almost as if they were a pair of horns.
While looking at the giant floating whale, Vigil couldn't help but move closer to it. It was as if he was entranced, wanting to get a better view.
After walking for a few moments he came to a halt.
Looking up at the giant creature with the stars in background and the shining moon raised above its head, one could only think that a view like this came straight out of-
"A fairy tale..."
Vigil was enamored by the sight that lay before him. It was as if a fairy tale had truly come to life.
For as long as he could, Vigil stared at the picturesque scene.
However, all things must come to an end.
Vigil did not know how much time had passed when, in the distance, the sound of a high pitched whine could be heard. Almost as if something was crying-trying to call out to other creatures of its kind.
When Vigil heard this, he immediately turned his head to see what was going on.
But, it wasn't only Vigil that heard this supposed cry for help, because the second he turned his head towards the direction in which the noise had come from, the rest of the floating whales all cried out in a similar fashion.
With all of their cries combined, it was as if thousands of thunderclaps all joined together at once.
Vigil was immediately overwhelmed by the tidal wave of noise that came at him from all directions. So in order to keep his eardrums from bursting, he immediately took off his helmet and covered both of his ears, hoping that it'll ease the pain he felt in his head.
Sadly, his desperate action did not help all that much.
Soon, due to the pain he felt, Vigil was forced onto his knees while grinding his teeth together.
'Ugh... When is this... going to end..?! Please! Make it stop!'
As Vigil was thinking to himself, praying for the noises to finally come to an close, the herd of floating whales came to life.
Exiting their vertical sleeping positions, they soon started to move in the direction from which the first cry had come from.
In the meantime, the noises didn't stop. In fact, they got louder.
Much, much louder.
All because of a singular being...
...The giant floating whale.
When it had finally awoken from its slumber, Vigil felt as though a gaze, regal enough to command the utmost respect from anyone and anything, had fallen upon him.
But that feeling did not only command respect.
No, it also brought upon Vigil an inconceivable amount of fear. Enough to make him think that his body and soul would soon corrode itself just to get even a fraction of a nanoangstrom farther away from the being that had caused this feeling to well up inside him.
However, in less than a second, all of the pressure and fear he just felt, whether it be from the noises or the gaze that was locked solely on him, soon dispersed. Almost as if everything was created by his imagination.
Feeling the weight leave his shoulders, Vigil slowly looked up and gazed upon the giant floating whale, trying to understand what was happening.
What soon met his eyes was something that caused all of his thoughts to stop in their tracks.
Forming in between the two giant crystals acting as horns on the creature's head, was an endless void that led to nowhere. Almost as if everything it came in contact with would be sucked in, leading to nothing for all of eternity.
On its head, as well as running along the sides of its entire body, eyelids could be seen opening up. But what hid behind them were no eyes at all.
In place of its eyes were hundreds of stars, all shining brightly. As if the midnight sky lived in each and every eye socket.
Seeing how the creature looked when it was awake, made Vigil enamored in awe. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to take his eyes off of the majestic yet fearsome being.
Because he was so entranced by the floating whale, he didn't even notice how most of the herd had calmed down and entered a deep slumber once more.
But he was soon snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a soft, soothing voice echoing all around him.
"Young child of man, I hope that my children and I did not scare you too much. I do not wish to see harm befall one that does not intend to harm another."
Looking around to see where the voice had come from, Vigil called out:
"Who are you? No wait. Where are you?"
Hearing this, the voice responded in a tone that reminded Vigil of his late mother's. Not only that, but for some reason undenounced to him, he wanted to trust in the owner of that melodious voice.
But to Vigil, that made no sense. Just earlier he decided that he couldn't trust people so easily out here. Now, instead of taking his own advice, he wanted to go ahead and trust in this random stranger that he couldn't even see? How foolish was he?
Breaking Vigil out of his own thoughts was the mysterious voice.
"To answer your first question, I am known as the All-Mother, Maltena. As for the second, I am right above you, young one."
Vigil paused then slowly looked to the sky. Or more accurately, at the giant floating whale.
"Y-you... you're speaking to me...? You can talk? No, I must be going insane."
"Yes, yes, and no, you are not going insane. Anyway, since I've answered your questions, would you mind if I ask some of my own? For starters, what might your name be and why are you here?"
With his mind currently breaking down, Vigil couldn't help but subconsciously answer Maltena's question.
"M-my name's Vigil and I'm here because... well I don't really have a reason. I'm just trying to head west at the moment-."
'Wait... Why am I answering this things questions? No, let's not question it. I'm sure that if it wanted me dead then I'd already be dead... Alright, then I'll just play along and try to get out of here as soon as possible.'
After hearing the young boy answer her questions, Maltena spoke once more.
"West you say? So I take it that you are trying to reach Mercy. Am I correct in believing that?"
Nodding his head in response, Vigil asked in a polite tone so as not to offend the giant creature before him:
"Yes, you are indeed correct, how did you know that? And if I may be so bold as to ask, why am I still alive? I have been wanting to get that question out of the way for a while."
Maltena thought for a second before responding.
"Well to start, the reason as to why I knew that you are heading towards Mercy, is because all children who wander around War Field try to get there. If I'm not mistaken every child of man is taught to do just that in case push comes to shove."
After letting that information sink in for a moment, she continued.
"As for your second question, I am confused myself. How did you wind up here with only a few minor cuts on your face?"
After hearing this, Vigil could only stop and stare at her with his mouth left wide open in surprise and confusion.
And a lot of fear too.
"..."
"...Umm... Are you alright young Vigil?"
"...What do you mean, you're confused? Did you intend for your children(?) to kill me or something?"
There was a short pause before Vigil got his answer.
"Pfft... Hehe... Hehehehahahahah!!"
Hearing her hearty laughter left Vigil even more confused than he already was.
"What's so funny...?"
He said as he slowly started to unsheathe his sword with his now shaking hands.
"Hahahahhh... Oh that was good. Thank you for giving me a good laugh, truly."
She continued.
"Anyway, no, I had no intention of causing you any harm and neither did my children. I already told you this when we first met, didn't I? I refuse to let harm come your way as long as you have no intention to cause any. On the contrary, the reason why I decided for us to sleep here is to protect you. Now put your sword back in its scabbard before you get hurt, young man."
She spoke as if she was his mother, scolding him for doing something dangerous and irresponsible. So in response to her words, he quickly put his weapon back in its sheathe once again.
'Huh... why did I...?'
When Maltena saw him do this, she answered the other question that Vigil had asked.
"Now, the reason why I said that I was confused about how you seem to be so unharmed, is because of where you fell asleep."
That statement made Vigil tilt his head in confusion.
"Where I fell asleep? What does that mean..?"
Now it was time for Maltena to be confused.
"Huh? Don't tell me that you don't know where you are? Hah... People these days. Not even teaching their young the basics of War Field."
After saying this she paused for a moment and glanced around to look over at her children.
While she was doing this Vigil thought back to the lessons that Professor Shtil gave and why they felt so odd to him.
'Was the reason why the professor gave those weird lessons because he had to? Were those just basic classes? Just how dangerous is this place for lessons like that to be common practice?'
Giving his own question some thought, Vigil quickly came up with the answer.
'Yeah, after spending a few days in this place, I can't be surprised that most teachers give lessons about this place. I am sorry for calling your teachings odd, professor... But, if that's the case, then what about that law about being unable to wield a weapon until age nine?'
Snapping Vigil out of his thoughts was the sound of Maltena's voice.
"Young Vigil, how much do you know about War Field?"
Taking a second to think about it, Vigil gave her an answer.
"...Well, I know about the five superpowers and that I should head to Mercy in case something ever happens. Other than that... nothing of much importance."
Looking back at Vigil, Maltena asked:
"If I may, how old are you?"
Vigil quickly responded.
"I turned nine a little more than a week ago."
Hearing this made her pause for a minute.
'Only nine and he's already been forced to brave War Field? Oh you poor baby.'
Giving her thoughts some rest, Maltena spoke to Vigil in an even sweeter tone than she already was.
"I see, that makes sense then. Well, if you would, allow me to give you a quick rundown on where you are. Now first, take a look around you and tell me what you see. Besides my children and I, of course."
Taking a second to look around the vicinity, Vigil responded:
"I see grass and plant life."
"Good. Now why do you think that is? If the rest of War Field has been left a barren wasteland, why do you think there is still life of any kind here?"
After dwelling on that question for a few minutes Vigil came to a sound conclusion.
"Because you and your children are here?"
Hearing his response made Maltena nod her head in approval.
"That is partially correct. But to be more specific, it's because of all of the dangerous creatures that live around these parts. Not just my kin and I."
She then paused for a moment to see if Vigil was following along, then continued when she realized that he was doing so just fine.
"Due to the fact that these places house such dangerous and powerful beings, no one in their right mind comes here willingly. This has caused these places to be known as, No Man's Land's."
Nodding his head in understanding, Vigil couldn't help but think aloud to himself.
"I get it, so that's why she said that she was protecting me earlier. Wait... but why would she do that..?"
Overhearing his little conversation with himself, Maltena spoke to him once more.
"The reason as to why I decided to help you is because you are a child of war. I can't help but feel sad for you and the other kids in similar situations to yours. So, whenever I see that a child of war has stumbled into this no man's land, I try to help. But most of the time they just end up getting scared and run away."
Vigil nodded his head up and down again without even noticing the fact that she called him by an odd nickname, child of war.
Looking up at her again, Vigil spoke:
"Well then, thank you for helping me out, Maltena."
He said with a small smile on his face.
This was the first time in a while that he's been able to calm down and just relax, so it made him quite happy.
"Of course young Vigil. But for now, I want you to get some rest. I'll wake you up along with the rest of my children in the morning. Afterwards, we'll lead you out of here. Does that sound good?"
After hearing Maltena's offer, Vigil thought about it for a few moments then nodded his head in agreement.
"Sure, I'll take you up on that offer."
As he said this, Vigil laid down with his back on the grass and looked up at the starry night sky for a few moments.
He didn't know why he so readily accepted the offer of a stranger, and one that wasn't even a person at that.
Actually, he didn't know why he felt so comfortable around her in the first place.
But something told him that he would be safe no matter what happens. That she would protect him like a mother protecting her own.
So, when Vigil finally felt himself drifting off into sleep, he spoke one last time.
"Maltena. Have a good night."
Listening to the young boy's heartfelt wishes put a smile on her face.
"Yes, you too Vigil. Have a good night."
With that, Vigil dozed back to sleep.
This would be the last time he had a good night's rest for many nights to come.