The atmosphere instantly fell silent, with only the cold, gentle whisper of the wind rustling through the ruins. After several tense seconds that felt like an eternity, Leon decided to approach the source of the sound.
When he arrived behind the stone wreckage of a building, he saw a boy sitting there, hugging himself, trembling violently. He had frizzy hair and many red pimples on his cheeks. The boy looked like a fragile remnant of the destruction.
"It's alright, kid. I'm human," Leon said softly. He slowly approached him, sheathing his black sword, an effort to show he wasn't dangerous.
"Wh-where is my mom?" Tears started to stream from the boy's eyes, forming two small rivers on his dirty cheeks.
Extending his hand, Leon offered only a faint smile, a comforting sight amidst the chaos. "What's your name, kid?"
The boy hesitated, his red, swollen eyes fixed on Leon's outstretched hand, before finally taking it. Leon helped him stand up carefully.
"My name is Hanz."
"Hi, Hanz! My name is Leon. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The boy only nodded, his gaze quick and wary, then looked at us standing in the distance.
The day was growing darker. The sun had swallowed itself on the dusty horizon, leaving behind a gloomy purple light. We began searching for wood to start a fire. The task wasn't difficult, actually. The area here was quite far from the ocean of fire where I met Rika, but the darkening weather made the surroundings hard to see. This was because only a few lights were still shining. Most streetlights were broken, hanging helplessly or shattered on the ground.
Since Leon was the only one among us with a sword and unquestionable strength, I decided to call him over.
"Did you find any?" he asked as I approached him.
"Yeah. There's a fallen tree over there."
Without further ado, he unsheathed his black sword. Its dark blade caught the faint twilight, flashing menacingly. With a single, swift swing, he sliced the tree trunk. At first, I thought he'd failed—his sword seemed to pass through without resistance. However, a moment later, the trunk split and fell away into neatly cut smaller pieces of wood. I gaped at the sight, instinctively inhaled the cold air, and coughed as a mosquito flew in.
"Uhukkk..."
"What is it, Cael?" he turned to me, his head slightly tilted, an amused expression on his face.
"Uh, nothing," I replied, trying to hide my embarrassment and admiration.
Leon just chuckled softly before walking towards the ruins of the building. "Come on! Rika and Hanz are waiting. They need warmth."
I nodded and followed him from behind. We walked while carrying the wood he had split. After arriving and dropping the logs, Leon crouched near the pile of wood. From his pocket, he pulled out a small, dark red stone—like a fragment of something that once burned in the heart of the earth. He tapped the stone against his sword. A quick, strong spark instantly appeared, dancing in the air before touching the dry wood shavings. Within seconds, the small orange flame grew, driving back the shadows, reflecting on the ruined walls around us.
A gust of night wind briefly made the fire waver, but Leon cupped his hands around the flame, protecting it as if it were a fragile, newborn creature. His face was illuminated by the warm light, revealing a subtle scar on his cheek.
"Now... we have a little light," he said, his voice quiet and content.
We stared at the fire, its warmth beginning to penetrate the cold night. The atmosphere became silent, perhaps because we had all just met and were still overshadowed by trauma. This silence felt heavy, filled with unspoken words. This is bad, I thought, if only my social skills were better.
"Leon, what stone did you use to light this fire just now?" I asked, intending to break the ice and liven up the mood.
"Ah, this?" He looked at the dark red stone. "It's called an Ignis Shard. It is one of the two magical stones discovered by humans."
"Magical stone?" Hanz suddenly asked. He leaned towards Leon, momentarily forgetting his fear. His face was now filled with pure curiosity.
Looks like my social skills are improving.
Seeing Hanz's curiosity, the corner of Leon's lips curved up slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Let me explain. Not long ago, humans discovered crystalline cores called Elemental Cores."
"Elemental Cores? I've heard of that. I thought it was just a made-up thing, some kind of old myth," I said.
"No, it's real. These are stones that hold the raw energy of nature, a miracle trapped in crystal."
"Wow, that's cool! Does that mean there are lots of magical stones?" Hanz said, his voice excited.
"Perhaps. But right now, humans have only found two magical stones: the Ignis Shard and the Aqua Shard. Ignis is for creating fire, and Aqua is for creating water. Considering they come from nature, there might still be many other stones waiting to be discovered."
"Cool, cool!" Hanz's face lit up, the firelight reflecting in his eyes. For some reason, I was happy to see him joyful, as if a little life had returned to this world. "I hope I can find the other stones!" he continued.
Leon and I smiled at him. But one thing made my heart uneasy, and that was Rika's face, which still looked sad and gloomy, as if her heart had frozen over.
I decided to try engaging her in conversation. "Which stone are you interested in, Rika?" I asked carefully.
Again, the atmosphere fell silent. The three of us waited for her answer and looked at each other; the silence was heavier than before.
"None. Silly stones like that will eventually perish too, won't they?" Rika answered coldly. Her face now turned flat, as if she had decided not to care about anything anymore, including small hopes.
Looks like I failed completely. I looked at Leon, my eyes pleading with him to handle this escalating situation.
When he saw me, Leon smiled, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Hahahaha…" His laugh was crisp and loud.
"What are you laughing at?" Rika asked, her face now annoyed, a hint of anger successfully overriding her despair.
"Haha, no, no... I'm laughing because your thoughts are the same as mine when I first found out about these stones," Leon said, trying to soften his voice. "But, Elemental Cores will never perish, Rika. These stones are energy, and energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It only changes form."
"Oh. I don't understand," Rika said flatly, but this time there was a slight hint of hidden curiosity.
"It's natural if you don't understand." Leon then looked at the beautiful night sky. Stars were scattered among the clouds that were beginning to move aside, revealing the cosmic grandeur. "It's late. We should sleep."
On that beautiful night, Rika and Hanz finally fell fast asleep, curled up near the fire. We leaned against the cold rocks. I then looked at Leon, who was still sitting among the stones with his black sword, his eyes straight and vigilant, acting as our guard. Since I couldn't sleep, I went over to him.
"Can't sleep?" he asked without turning to me.
"Yeah." I immediately sat down beside him, feeling the contrasting warmth from the fire and his sword. "There's one thing I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Why didn't you use the Ignis Shard when fighting that demon?"
He turned and looked at me, smiling. "Because I'm strong. Haha…"
Well, his confidence is warranted.
"I see. Hahaha…"
That night, we talked about a few things about ourselves, sharing small secrets and fears under the blanket of stars. I didn't expect us to have some similarities. I felt that he was a version of me, only braver and better.
As time passed, the shadows of the night began to fade. The sun started to emerge from the east, illuminating the gray skies with the promise of dawn. We prepared ourselves.
"Alright, are you ready to head to the evacuation point?" Leon asked enthusiastically, his energy contagious.
"Ready!" Hanz and I answered simultaneously. Rika remained silent. Her eyes were still half-closed, and she kept yawning, looking utterly exhausted.
"You can sleep as much as you want there, Rika," Leon promised.
Rika only gave a small nod.
We started walking. There were many piles of human flesh, but not as many as before, only silent remnants of battle. It seemed more of the residents around here had survived. Well, that made sense, considering this place was more than 2 kilometers away from that hell.
After taking almost an hour, the faint toll of a silver bell from the north chimed softly, carrying a melody of hope. That was it—the human evacuation point.
The place was called Astraea Temple. Astraea Temple stood in the middle of a plateau shrouded in a soft fog that embraced the ground. Its building soared gracefully, made of gleaming white stone that reflected the morning sun like a water surface. Tall pillars supported a dome-shaped roof, where carvings of stars and angel wings decorated every arch. The building radiated a peace that felt foreign in a shattered world.
"Welcome to Astraea Temple," Leon said.
Hanz excitedly observed the area, his large eyes exploring the details of the carvings. Seeing Hanz's behavior, Rika's expression became annoyed, returning to her cynical nature.
We entered the temple. The inner walls were filled with ancient carvings, telling forgotten stories. Hundreds of citizens had gathered. Some sat leaning against the walls, some prayed with trembling hands, while children slept in their parents' arms. The air inside the temple felt warm and calm, a harbor in the middle of a storm.
"A pitiful sight," I murmured softly, seeing the exhaustion and fear plastered on every face.
"Leon!" A young man approached us. His hair was black, long enough to almost touch his shoulders. His eyes were dark blue, his gaze sharp, reflecting a soldier.
"Yo, Lucen!"
"What took you so long? We almost thought you failed," he asked, a tone of relief in his voice.
"Ah, this... They are citizens who were left behind during the evacuation," He pointed at us.
Lucen glanced at us briefly then approached us. He smiled. "You all alright? You look exhausted."
I nodded.
"Thank goodness. We apologize for not seeing you."
"No problem," I replied casually.
"Okay. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Lucen D'Arval. It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand to me.