Approaching eclipseion

The birds are chirping. Is it morning already?

Toki's eyes flutter open slowly, still reeling in from last night's events. Beside him, Hiwo still lay fast asleep; he wasn’t the type to get up early anyway.

I am still tired, and the wound hurts even more now.

He sits himself up slowly, taking a look around the closed tent, and silence hangs all around him. Without anything else to do, he decides it's best to get some fresh air.

He plants himself on top of his legs, slowly walking over and unzipping the tent, slowly making sure not to make any sound. His eyes are met with the campfire and its logs still being in a triangle shape from the summoning of the goddess.

Why is this seating area rearranged?

Scanning the area around the campfire, he hears a soft voice speaking.

“Thank you for everything.” The voice was quiet with a speck of gratitude. Toki decides to get closer.

His eyes widen slightly as he sees a red- and ash-haired girl on her knees facing towards the rising sun, away into the grassy fields. “It's a beautiful sunrise, isn’t it?”

Quickly turning around with a shocked expression, Shina takes in Toki standing behind her, switching instantly to an annoyed scoff, “Don't interrupt my peace.”

It seems the annoyance hasn't changed even after yesterday.

“Is Ayuri awake yet?” His gaze wanders towards her tent.

Before letting another annoyed scoff out, Shina answers, “Yes, now leave already.”

Toki walks away from the ice queen's attitude, making his way in front of the tent, leaning in slightly to get a closer look, his eyes widening at the sight.

Ayuri's orange eyes were half closed, and her white hair was ruffled all around, flung around her school uniform's shirt with the top button pressed. The sun baked the side of her face, highlighting her sleepy face. Noticing someone enter, Ayuri turns to meet them.

“Are you done with your ritual, Shina?” Her eyes flicker quickly; the frame being much larger and taller than Shina, the black hair and greyed eyes staring down at her already sent a jolt of embarrassment.

“I’m sorry!” Toki took on an embarrassed tone as he quickly turned around and left Ayuri to fully clean herself up. His face flushed a slight red tint as his cheeks turned on fire.

Shina immediately noticed him walking out with that look on his face. She didn’t want to take any chances, so she got up from her knees, walking quickly towards Toki.

Her eyes flared with a deadly look. “What did you do to her?”

I didn't do anything! 

The silence fills the air with tension before Toki feels a pat on his shoulder. Turning around, he sees Ayuri, who has fixed up her appearance. She also had a rather flushed face; however, it was more apparent than Toki's several times over.

“It’s fine… Shina, I just didn’t have time to fix myself up; that's all right?” Her eyes look up at Toki as if wanting him to affirm her statement.

“We promise…” He was telling the truth, Shina could tell, but that tone he had while saying it was another problem for later.

Shina takes one last look before leaving towards Hiwo, still sleeping in the tent. She enters without saying a word, only for a grunt of pain to be heard from inside and a half-awake Hiwo.

“What's your problem?” Hiwo was clearly upset about the rude awakening he recovered from, but he could not get another word out; another grunt was heard, this time louder.

Am I seeing a live murder play out?

Hiwo raises his voice louder. “Alright, I'm getting up; just get out already.”

Shina left the tent, glaring at the onlookers. Clearly, she wasn't in the best of moods. In a couple of minutes, as Ayuri and Toki were reading over the new guidebooks on their area, it looked like Hiwo was finally getting out.

A yawn escaped his mouth as he walked over to the pair. “Anything useful in those maps?”

“There is apparently a river in the middle of each forest. We should wash our clothes in there when we get time,” Toki points into the distance, the forest two hundred metres away, where Ona, the last member, escaped during their chase.

Ayuri adds, “At the other side of the forest, there is also another group.”

Taking a good look around, Hiwo knows that the meaning is that two teams are surrounding them behind the forests.

“We got rid of one, most likely,” Hiwo quickly says as he turns towards the campfire, knowing that the goddess told them to summon her early on.

Ayuri’s face lit up once she looked where Hiwo was staring with his eyes. “We have to summon the goddess since we're all here.”

I heard they summoned her yesterday, which is why we got these maps. I can't help; however, it's because she needs us alive for her other purposes; she's a tricky goddess after all.

In a moment, they hear a match light up as Shina comes out from behind the campfire into their view. “It's ready.”

Giving her a glance of surprise at how fast she came on board with the idea baffled them. She went from annoyed to serious in a matter of moments.

Shina, this time, begins the chant with the guidance of the guidebook: “Goddess, we, your representatives, seek your guidance at this moment. Please give us your knowledge. Give us your strength!”

The same things occur, the smoke darkens, and an ominous aura appears. And a figure starts to tear itself into their world. Falsity exits the smoking campfire, floating down towards them. Instinctively, they all bowed down except Toki, who just stared.

“Skip the show and pleasantries,” her voice resonating with authority. At her order, they all stop bowing and look towards her like a normal person would.

Shina begins her conversation with the goddess, “Please tell us about the event”

“Your beloved goddess has come to give you important information, of course.”

Toki looks over the goddess's face; a smirk lies on her pale complexion.

“There will be an event called eclipseion. There will be some meteors that rain down and have magical abominations in them. Any questions?” There was a happy tone within her, as if she wanted them to suffer.

The silence was deafening.

“There will be two hours where they besiege this world and two hours where they lie inactive all the way towards midnight in intervals.”

Are the beings so powerful that we would not stand even a chance without anyone else?

Toki's mouth falters slightly at the emerging thoughts that started to consume him, the goddess seeing the turmoil within the squad starting to form to already ease them.

“They are intelligent, so they won't attack you mostly during the first two hours unless provoked, but Shina should be able to tap them with her orb to kill them. Nonbeliever, your spear can also cut through them with ease since it cuts all magic.”

another mission focused on me, even when I'm injured…

Hiwo glances to his side before putting his hand on Toki's shoulder. “I will handle the spear this time; my ability has no use. I'm going to assume.”

Nodding back towards him, the goddess continues.

“Summon me around this time, and I will continue feeding you information. I have a new contract which should prove useful to your journey.”

With the flick of her hand, the goddess vanished from their sight, leaving them alone in a silent tension, her aura disappearing and the smoke dying out.

“We should go to the forest now,” Toki suggests.

They nod in agreement. Over the course of the next couple of hours, they managed to go towards the forest where the lady escaped, thinking it's less likely that people are there since that's where she escaped to for safety.

Cleaning their clothes with the central river of the forest, finding berries and herbs as medicine and a food source, hunting for fish using Toki's spear and gathering water, time flew by, and before they knew it, they were back at the camp. The sun was right above their camp, symbolising midday.