CHAPTER FOUR: DREADFUL MASSACRE

By the time Mika arrived at Andania’s gates, the world she knew had already tilted into nightmare. The once lively town had become a screaming battlefield of chaos, flames licking the edges of wooden buildings and smoke curling into the red-tinged sky like a death omen.

Horrifying screams echoed through the streets—raw, jagged pleas from civilians and warriors alike. People ran in every direction, blood staining the cobblestones, their desperate cries overshadowed only by the shrieking Spirits that swooped down like harbingers of death.

Mika stumbled to a halt, eyes wide in disbelief at the carnage before her. Her breath caught in her throat as a Spirit tore through a group of townsmen with razor-sharp claws, leaving nothing but shredded fabric and silence in its wake. Gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, she drew it from its sheath in one swift motion. Her knuckles whitened as she scanned the area, mind struggling to process the battlefield that now sprawled before her.

This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn’t the plan.

Mika bit her lip hard. The sting grounded her. She knew Luna had spoken in fear, not cruelty. But it didn’t change the fact that she had run, and Mika was here—alone. She couldn’t afford to wallow in doubt. Not now. With a cry, Mika lunged into the fray.

Steel met flesh.

A bloodthirsty Spirit leapt toward her, jaws wide and shrieking. Mika met its advance with her blade, parrying its strike with both hands. The shock of impact sent tremors up her arms. Her footing slid on blood-slick stones. She gritted her teeth, twisted, and slammed her boot into the Spirit’s midsection. It fell with a screech, wings crumpling beneath it. Without hesitation, Mika drove her blade down, ending its life.

A shrill, terrified scream cut through the din.

Mika whirled. A small girl stood frozen at the mouth of an alley, her white dress soaked in crimson, her lips trembling around silent sobs. Five hooded Spirits stalked toward her, their fangs glinting, acidic drool sizzling against the ground. They hissed in delight, circling her like vultures.

The girl shut her eyes tight.

They leapt.

SHLAT!

One by one, the Spirits fell mid-air, blood spraying across the walls as Mika’s blade cut them down with surgical precision. She landed lightly beside the girl, chest heaving, her blade soaked with their blackened blood. The last of them let out a gurgling cry before collapsing.

Silence reigned.

The stench of death clung to the air.

The little girl, eyes still squeezed shut, whimpered.

Mika crouched beside her.

“You’re safe now,” she murmured, her voice softer than she’d ever heard it.

The girl blinked up at her, recognition dawning as she saw the crest on Mika’s chest—Knight of Luyas. She lunged into Mika’s arms. Mika caught her with a soft grunt and pulled her close, her heart aching at the child’s silent sobs.

Rising, she cradled the girl against her chest, murmuring, “Hold tight. I’ll get you out.”

They made their way deeper into the ruined town, dodging collapsing beams and Spirit corpses as the sounds of battle raged around them. They finally reached a designated Safe House: a squat stone building reinforced with magical barriers that shimmered faintly in the air.

A seasoned Luyas Knight stood guard at the door. A grizzled man named Bud who raised his brows in weary surprise.

“Found her near the square,” Mika said, handing the girl over to him. “No family left.”

Bud’s expression darkened as he glanced down at the girl, then up at Mika. His eyes flickered with unspoken accusation. Mika didn’t flinch. She leaned in and gently brushed the girl’s hair back. “The Safe House should protects her. Make sure the barriers stay active.”

Before Bud could respond, Mika turned and disappeared back into the chaos.

***

A single shot rang out across the blackened field, loud enough to cut through the moans of the dying. The bullet flew true, shattering a Spirit's skull with a clean, practiced precision that spoke of years on the run and blood on the hands. Shinji Karou lowered his weapon, plum-coloured eyes scanning the charred terrain, now strewn with twisted corpses—both human and otherwise.

The stench was unbearable. Burned hair. Sulphur. Blood soaked deep into soil that would never grow again.

“Should’ve stayed in the kitchen,” Shinji muttered. He reached into the inner pocket of his long brown overcoat and pulled out a crumpled box of cigarettes. He lit one with a flick of his thumb against a battered lighter. The flame wavered in the wind, like his patience.

He’d almost died earlier. His gut feeling — sharp and urgent — had saved him. If he'd hesitated even a breath longer in the Forbidden Forest, if he'd paused to indulge in the distraction she’d caused in his mind, he'd be nothing more than another corpse.

“Still a walking disaster,” he muttered, smoke curling from his lips. “Tch.”

Shinji exhaled sharply and moved forward.

***

Elsewhere, the aftermath of the battle lingered.

Andania was battered but not yet broken. Knights tended to the wounded while some townsfolk, with shaky hands, poured drinks outside what remained of the town's tavern. Laughter—jagged and forced—filtered from their huddled circle.

Mika passed them quietly.

One man raised a hand. “There she is! Our hero! Come, join us!”

Mika paused, startled by the sudden cheer. She offered a polite smile, her voice steady despite the exhaustion weighing her limbs.

“Thank you, but I still have areas to check. Stay safe.”

Another man hollered, “Come back when you're done! We’ll keep a drink waiting for ya!”

Mika nodded, then moved on. Her boots crunched over broken stone and ash. She found Lee and Karl near the east sector, tending to the last batch of wounded. Both had chosen to fight alongside her when Luna faltered.

Karl spotted her first. “Captain,” he said with a brief salute.

Mika’s eyes widened before she shook her head rapidly. “I’m not a Captain.”

“Oh, we know. But not for long.” Karl winks.

“Be careful,” Lee added, voice low. “The air still feels wrong.”

Mika gave a faint nod. “I’ll check around the perimeters.” She then disappeared down the alley.

Fifteen minutes passed. No Spirits. No shadows. Just as Mika began to relax, a sudden blur shot past her peripheral vision.

Fast. Too fast.

Mika stopped, hand on her blade. Instinct roared.

The once cheerful crowd slowly died down when a few of the men stepped outside and approached Mika slowly from where she stood. Cautiously, she approached the entrance gates. Lee and Karl were at her side in seconds.

“Sense something?” Karl asked.

Her senses alerted.

“Everyone back!” Mika barked. Her voice snapped like a whip. The civilians and a few junior knights nearby didn’t hesitate. They scattered just as the earth groaned.

Cracks split through the ground. A winged Spirit, larger than the Spirits they’d encountered, burst forth, screeching. Its single cyclopean eye glowing like a furnace. Before Mika could strike, it caught her blade mid-swing and threw it aside with inhuman strength.

The Spirit’s claws tore through her thigh. Mika screamed at the pain.

The Spirit was on her, wings curling around them like a tomb. It grabbed her by the hair, sniffing her neck. Acidic drool sizzled on her skin. Mika’s leg shot out for her sword, tapping the hilt of her blade —

BANG! A silver bullet tore into the Spirit’s shoulder. It shrieked, recoiling.

Mika didn’t hesitate. She lunged with blade in hand, and drove it into the Spirit’s eye.The beast howled. Its body convulsed before collapsing into itself. Mika staggered back, panting, hand clutching on her now bleeding neck. She barely heard the shout that followed.

“MOVE!”

Her head snapped toward the voice. A man stood several paces away, gun raised. His eyes locked on hers — unfamiliar, unreadable.

She moved rapidly. A mighty force suddenly hit on her back, causing her to trip and fall on the ground. Groaning at the pains she suffered — few scratches on her face and right elbow, and a bleeding left knee, Mika was up on her feet when she paused.

The now blind Spirit stood a few away from her, floating in the air. It hissed at her in raw rage. Mika momentarily recalled her battle instructor’s wise words:

An enemy without sight is known to be more dangerous as their sensitivities and awareness greatly increased.

Spirits were no different. Though Mika never encountered anyone of her own kind before, she knew very well of how sensitive Spirits’ senses were compared to humans. Teeth gritted, Mika timed herself when the Spirit’s back is facing her. Then she charged toward it in full speed.

In the midst of her charge however, Mika felt something swift and heavy pushed her aside and tackled her into a hidden depth pit-hole, followed by the sound of a ballistic electrifying bolt hit on the ground, where she had been running a moment ago.

Mika hit the ground hard.

Pain. Then… nothing.

***

Shinji Karou spat severely dirt off his mouth and swore lowly for the millionth times. He had outrageously made a dangerous stunt by placing himself between an incoming electrifying bolt spat by a nearby Spirit, before he shoved both of them into a hidden depth pit hole.

Now said knight now laid unconsciously in his arms after she had landed pretty badly on the ground and hit in the head. A thin trickle of blood trailing down her temple.

Shinji sighed deeply. He’d barely managed to create a barrier to shield them from any incoming airborne attacks when he shoved her into the pit.

"Wake up," Shinji muttered, nudging Mika’s shoulder. "Come on, girl. I didn’t break my back saving you just so you can sleep through a massacre."

No response.

Shinji pressed his hand to her wound. A flash of green light — the bleeding stopped. Another wave sealed the rest. Sweat trickled down his neck.

“Damn it, you’re heavier than you look,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Always gotta save the troublemakers.”

Shinji could feel the drain almost immediately, sweat pooling at the back of his neck. A familiar voice stirred in his head — his sister's, scolding him for using so much chi in combat. "You’re not a damn medic, Shinji. Stop playing hero."

Just then, he stopped.

Footsteps.

Shinji looked up just in time to see two Knights and a handful of townsmen sprinting his way.

"Get back! Electrifying bolt! It’s charging again!" Shinji scrambled to stand on his feet and waved frantically, shouting at the top of his lungs while pointing above them.

Karl and Lee, the two veteran Knights, skidded to a halt, confusion etched into their bloodied faces. Lee read Shinji’s lips. "....Bolt?"

He didn’t get to ask again. A high-pitched whine shrieked through the air—then the sky erupted. A bolt of crackling blue energy streaked down like divine wrath. The townsmen never stood a chance.

Shinji quickly dove back into the pit for safety and extended his arms. The shield activated around himself and Mika. Above, the ground exploded in a burst of fire and shattered stone.

When the tremors stilled, silence fell. Shinji slowly rose and peered over the edge.

Charred ground. Smoke. Ash. Nothing but ruin.

He clenched his jaw. "I told you... Damn it."

***

How Luna had wished the ground would eat her alive at this very moment as she stood stiffly, with her head lowered in front none other than the last person she’d wanted to meet.

Commandant Grants Rogue and his Rescue Brigade had departed in great haste to Andania Town, hoping they would find Captain Luna’s unit still intact.

When Grants stumbled upon Luna halfway the journey, he didn’t hesitate to pull the young captain into a tight embrace and thanked the Heavens she was unharmed. But he quickly released her and demanded to know what happened to the rest of her teammates. He was bracing himself for the devastating news.

Stuttering, Luna reported the event that happened until the end when she and her teammates fell apart.

Grants’ face contoured between horror, bewilderment, and finally, stoic.

“You left your teammates behind,” Grants said flatly.

Luna flinched. “H-how was I supposed to know we’d face Spirits? We were never trained for that!”

“Silence!”

His shout cut through the air, but guilt softened it a beat later. “A captain stays until the end. Your brother would’ve—”

“I’m not Guy!” Luna shouted, tears spilling again. “I never wanted this! Any of this. I’d never asked to be a Knight!”

Grants froze. The words hung like a blade between them. “You’re dismissed from missions until further notice,” he said finally, voice frayed. “Return to Luyas and bring reinforcements to Andania. Now.”