Chapter 3: The Act of Surviving

The village was still standing.

For now.

Haito did not allow despair to take hold.

Chaos roared around him. The rain beating against the ground, explosions

dyeing the air red, the wind thrown into disarray by the presence of the

ships. Even so, his mind remained clear.

He breathed deeply.

And raised both arms.

The wind responded immediately.

Violent gusts rose from the ground, twisting in the air like living

currents, intercepting the red energy shots coming from the two ships

flanking the village. The projectiles collided against the invisible

wall of air and were deflected toward the sky or sent crashing into

uninhabited areas.

He didn’t manage to stop them all.

But most of them.

That was enough for now.

Then something changed.

The ship floating directly above him emitted a deep, metallic sound.

Haito looked up in time to see the lower structure begin to slowly open,

separating into sections.

From within, a platform descended through the curtain of rain with an

unsettling calm.

On it were several warriors.

They wore armor of an intense red, opaque and angular. Their faces were

completely hidden behind red and black helmets, with no visible

features, no eyes to read. Each one held in their hand a long black

object, with an oval shape that vaguely recalled a stylized trident.

The air grew heavy.

Haito stepped forward, instinctively placing himself in front of Eldren

and Lizena.

-Run! -he ordered without taking his eyes off the warriors-. Now!

But neither of them moved.

-Dad, no! -Lizena exclaimed, grabbing onto his tunic-. We’re not leaving

you!

Eldren shook his head firmly, teeth clenched, eyes fixed on the figures

still descending.

Haito tightened his fists.

-I told you to go! -he shouted, turning toward them-. This isn’t an

order, it’s a promise! I’ll come find you later… but if you stay

here…!

The wind burst around him, reflecting his urgency.

Finally, Lizena let go of his tunic. Her eyes were full of tears. Eldren

pressed his lips together, nodded with a contained rage that had nowhere

to go, and took his sister’s hand.

Both of them turned around.

And began to run through the rain.

Haito watched them go for just a moment.

Then he raised his gaze again toward the descending platform.

-Good… -he murmured-. Now then.

The battle was about to begin.

The red warriors raised their weapons in unison and charged.

The clash was immediate and brutal.

Several village inhabitants emerged through the rain to help. None

carried weapons, but all showed determination. They had learned to fight

hand to hand, and some could manipulate the natural elements with some

degree of control. They were not trained warriors.

But they were brave.

Haito moved.

The wind responded to his call with violence. A powerful spinning gust

expanded from his position, sending several red warriors flying through

the air. Another movement of his arms, and an invisible blade of air

crossed the field, knocking down two more.

But it wasn’t enough.

He saw it.

One by one, the inhabitants who had come to help him began to fall. Some

were knocked down by the brute force of the warriors. Others barely

managed to use their elements before being overwhelmed.

The enemy did not stop.

Haito gritted his teeth.

If things continued this way, no one would remain standing.

And he knew it.

Something inside him snapped.

The wind changed. No longer erratic.

Precise.

Two wind currents crossed in front of him, spinning at an impossible

speed. The breezes sharpened until they became invisible blades that

swept the battlefield in an instant.

The sound was dry, cutting, like metal being torn apart.

The red armor split open.

Bodies dropped.

Silence followed.

Haito remained standing, breathing with difficulty. He slowly lowered

his arms as the wind dissipated around him.

He believed it was over.

Then, from above, something fell.

A heavy impact shook the ground in front of him.

It was a warrior.

Wearing different armor, red, black and a dull dark gray, no helmet. His

face was exposed, expressionless, with a cold gaze that showed neither

pain nor surprise nor anything that could be read.

And then the pressure began.

It built gradually, like something tightening around the air itself. The

wind around Haito faltered. His vision blurred for barely an instant.

Haito frowned.

-What is this?

He ignored the sensation. Tightened his fists, forcing himself to stay

firm. The wind gathered around him again, though this time it didn’t

respond with the same fluidity as before.

He straightened up and adopted a combat stance.

-So there’s still one left… -he murmured.

The rain fell between them.

And the real fight was about to begin.

From the other two ships, the red warriors had already descended.

They attacked the Intellectual village without distinction. Their

movements were cold, methodical, devoid of all mercy. Some inhabitants

ran desperately through the rain. Others stayed behind trying to face

the enemy.

None of them managed to stop them.

A red warrior had a villager pinned to the ground, weapon raised, ready

to end it all.

Before he could do so, a figure burst onto the scene.

The Grand Intellectual appeared through the rain and chaos.

His attack was precise and decisive. In an instant, the enemy warrior

was thrown aside and lay unconscious on the ground. Yemon bent down

without losing his calm and helped the villager to their feet.

-Run -he ordered firmly-. And don’t look back.

The villager didn’t hesitate. They disappeared into the rain.

Zurame reached his side, her face pale.

-What are you thinking of doing? -she asked, her voice trembling.

Yemon remained silent for a few seconds.

-What I feared most is happening.

Zurame pressed her lips together.

-Help the villagers abandon the village -he said-. I will do the same.

A brief pause.

-Now is not the time to fight.

Another pause, shorter, heavier.

-It is time to survive.

Zor and Nioxoma stepped out of their home upon hearing a loud explosion.

The ships floated over the village, imposing, and their colors left no

room for doubt.

Both of them stood motionless for a moment.

They knew exactly what it meant.

Zor was the first to react. He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the

sky.

Nioxoma stopped and went back inside.

-Mozir -she called urgently.

The boy appeared immediately, his face full of confusion.

-What’s happening?

Nioxoma crouched in front of him and placed both hands on his shoulders.

-Intruders are attacking the village. Stay inside. Don’t go out under

any circumstances.

Mozir frowned.

-But… I’m strong too. I can fight.

Nioxoma shook her head immediately.

-No. There may be very dangerous beings out there.

Her voice softened just slightly.

-If you go out, I won’t be able to protect you.

Mozir lowered his gaze.

He didn’t like the idea of staying behind. But he understood the

seriousness in his mother’s eyes.

-…Alright.

Nioxoma gave him one last look before standing up.

-Don’t go out -she repeated-. Promise me.

Mozir nodded.

The door closed behind her.

And the distant sound of explosions continued to shake the village,

indifferent to promises.

Nioxoma ran through the trees, heading toward the explosions.

Suddenly, a scream tore through the air.

She stopped abruptly. A heavy, malevolent presence enveloped her

completely. She turned toward a home set a little apart from the rest.

Without wasting a second, she ran toward it.

When she arrived, the scene hit her with brutality.

The bodies of the villagers lay outside the home, scattered across the

ground. Some had tried to flee, others to defend themselves, none had

succeeded.

The home behind them was open.

Silent.

And standing before all of that was the one responsible.

A female being of thick build and tall stature, pale skin. Her yellow

hair spiked only at the center of her head, while the sides remained

completely bare. She wore armor in shades of red, black and dark gray,

and held a giant gray hammer resting against the ground as if it weighed

absolutely nothing.

But what froze Nioxoma’s blood was not the destruction.

It was the enemy’s face.

An expression of complete satisfaction. A twisted smile that made no

attempt to hide itself, openly betraying the pleasure she had felt in

taking the lives of those innocent beings.

Nioxoma saw it all.

The rage rose through her chest like a contained fire. Her fists

tightened until her knuckles tensed under the rain.

She didn’t think.

Her body launched forward.

The enemy felt it at the last second.

She turned her face.

Too late.

Nioxoma’s fist crashed into her face with brutal force. The impact

resonated dry, heavy. The enemy’s head snapped violently and her body

was sent flying backward.

She crossed through the air and slammed into the home.

The structure did not hold.

The wood cracked, split and collapsed. The home came down in a rain of

rubble that fell over the enemy, covering her beneath broken planks and

wet earth.

Nioxoma stood there, breathing hard.

She approached slowly. Stopped beside the bodies and, under the rain,

lowered her head slightly.

-Sorry… -she murmured, her voice low and tense-. I arrived too late.

A pause.

-And… I also destroyed your home.

The rain continued to fall over the place in silence.

Behind her, among the rubble of the collapsed home, something remained

hidden beneath the wood and mud.

Motionless.

For now.