"We're all going to die, DIE!"
The residents of Greyrock's slum stood frozen, staring up at the barrier that had once protected their city.
Amidst the filth and chaos stood Thyr, a young man abandoned by his parents, working as a miner in the city and living in the slums.
He looked up too, and for the first time in a long while, he saw a crack forming in the barrier.
It grew slowly, steadily—and then toxic air began seeping into the city.
This was bad.
No one knew what to do. Everyone in the slums was weak. Worse, they were poor. The dregs of society.
They had no way to defend themselves against that toxic air. All families could do was hold each other close and cherish their final moments together.
Thyr spotted one of his friends. He was with his family—his parents and his younger brother, only twelve years old.
"I'll find a way to fix the barrier," Thyr told them.
His friend, Gerard, laughed bitterly.
"How are you gonna do that, brother? You're a great friend, and I'm grateful for everything we've been through together, but we're dead..."
Gerard placed a hand on Thyr's shoulder. "Shame we never found your parents..."
Everyone there had given up. Thyr hadn't. He stood up and ran toward the main gate.
The barrier had been damaged in a magical beast attack. Such attacks were common, but this time the beasts were too strong—and the barrier had paid the price.
It was the first time in fifty years the barrier had been damaged.
Greyrock was in complete chaos. People ran through the streets in every direction, desperate to find shelter from the toxic air.
Many fled to the noble district, gathering in front of the governor's mansion.
The governor's mansion had its own barrier. Not strong enough to stop beast attacks, but it could hold back the toxic air.
"Let us in!" people screamed. "We deserve to live too!"
It wasn't just the governor's mansion—many noble houses had their own barriers.
Thyr watched from a distance, his blood boiling.
"Those bastards... they're going to let everyone die..."
But even through his anger, he knew there was nothing those nobles could do. It wasn't as if they could shelter everyone in their homes.
As he walked through the streets, someone shoved past him—a merchant rushing toward his house.
The merchant glanced back to see who he'd knocked down. When he noticed Thyr's filthy, tattered clothes, his fear vanished.
"Out of the way, vermin!"
Thyr knew that merchant. He bought bread from him occasionally—when he had the coin—and the man had always seemed decent. Apparently, his true character emerged when death came knocking.
When Thyr finally reached the gates, he noticed something strange. A group of miners stood near a carriage while soldiers held up signs and shouted.
"Seeking miners for a life-or-death mission! High pay!"
Thyr approached one of the guards to ask what was happening.
"What's going on?"
The guard was about to tell him to piss off, but then he noticed the pickaxe strapped to Thyr's back.
"Oh, you're a miner from the city? We need your help. The mana stones from the local mine aren't enough to rebuild the barrier, so we're heading to a new mine we discovered nearby. Interested? High pay, but high risk too."
Thyr was intrigued by the guard's offer. He didn't have much in this life, and from what he could tell, the slum residents had seven days at most.
The toxic air killed slowly. Since only small amounts were seeping in, they still had a few days left.
Which meant maybe Thyr and the other miners on this mission could actually fix the barrier and save everyone.
But at the same time, it was dangerous. Thyr didn't want to die before finding his parents and demanding an answer for why they'd abandoned him.
He stood there, weighing the offer. The guard resumed his shouting, ignoring him once he realized Thyr wasn't responding.
Then one of Thyr's friends passed by—an older man who worked the city mines with him.
"Thyr?" the man called out.
Thyr snapped out of his daze and turned.
"Mr. Memphis, what are you doing here?" Thyr asked, eyes wide.
He hadn't expected to see Memphis at all.
"I'm going on this mission," Memphis said. "I need to fix the barrier and save my family... I can't let my granddaughters die like this."
There was a fierce determination in Memphis's weathered face. He walked up to the guard, handed over his identification token, and moved forward to join the other miners.
Another guard near the carriage handed Memphis a mask. It could protect him from the toxic air for a short time.
Thyr felt a pull in his chest. If Mr. Memphis, an elderly man, was going—why shouldn't he, a young man with strength to spare?
"How exactly are we supposed to survive out there?" Thyr asked. "That gas mask won't do much good."
"We have a mobile barrier surrounding the carriage to ensure no miner dies from the toxic air. We've already set up a rudimentary camp at the mine we discovered."
Everything was moving fast. The barrier had only been destroyed a few hours ago, and already they had a plan in motion.
Thyr took a deep breath. "I accept the mission."
He grabbed his identification token and joined the other miners. He stopped beside Mr. Memphis, who looked at him in surprise.
"Young man, you didn't have to come," Memphis said. "Let this old fool sacrifice himself on the mission. You have your whole life ahead of you."
Thyr shook his head.
"I have nothing to lose. And if I let my only friends die without doing something, I'll never sleep in peace again."
Despite his reservations about a young man sacrificing himself, Memphis understood where Thyr was coming from.
In that moment, all he could do was support him.
"We'll make it out of this alive," Memphis said.
Besides the two of them, thirteen other miners were present. The carriage could only carry that many.
Once they had everyone they needed, it was time to go.
"Put on your gas masks," one of the guards shouted, "and get in the carriage."
Thyr strapped on the mask like everyone else and made his way to the carriage. This was his first time leaving the city—his first time seeing the outside world.
He looked around, taking in the vegetation. Imposing. Massive. Green. All the plants had mutated from mana exposure, growing to enormous proportions—and often becoming dangerous predators in their own right.
One by one, they climbed into a carriage being pulled by two lizards, each seven meters long. These were magical beasts that had been tamed by humans.
The carriage had its own barrier that protected against the toxic air, so once they were inside, everyone removed their gas masks.
The guards—people who had awakened mana within their bodies—mounted smaller lizards and took position around the carriage, forming a convoy.
Since they had mana in their bodies and could withstand the toxic air—at least at this specific intensity—they didn't need the barrier's protection.
Thyr stared through the carriage's small window, watching the vegetation shift and change.
Memphis sat beside him.
"Did you know the mine we're heading to was discovered hundreds of years ago, but was shut down right after?" Memphis said quietly. "They say it's extremely dangerous in there."
Thyr turned to face him, eyes wide. "What?? Are you serious?"
That little detail hadn't been mentioned by the guards.