When the three of them managed to go out of the town’s gate, Gray took a quick glance behind. His home was already gone. Fire was raging, dead people with their eyes opened wide…
How could things turn into this?!
“Gray! We don’t have time!” Sierra snapped impatiently, which was a pretty rare situation. They ran towards the woods, tried to blend in with the surroundings. At some point, the bad soldiers were coming out from the town with horses. They wanted to hunt the three survivors.
Sierra annoyedly looked behind as an arrow whoosh passed her shoulder. “That damn bastards!”
“Gray!” She looked at the boy with hazel eyes. “Use your power to block it or we’re going to have holes in our back!”
“Wha- I can’t!” He answered panickily, but at the same time, relief as an arrow flied passed his body. “Yes, you can, Gray!” Leon also roared behind him, panti
“Where’s Gray?”Leon finally sat down in the small room that Sierra rented. It felt like the heavy luggage that he carried was gone. Sierra stared at him intently, as if she wanted to scan the younger boy. His face was dirty, and he was thinner than the last time she saw him.“I don’t know. You’re the second one to arrive after me.”Hearing that, Leon furrowed his eyebrows, “He’s going to be fine, right?”Sierra didn’t answer and shrugged her shoulders, “We still have two days left. If he doesn’t arrive, I’ll go out to search for him.”Leon nodded his head and started to play with his fingers. “Leon, what’s wrong?”It was silence for a long time until he hoarsely spoke, “I- I don’t know what happen to my family.”“That night, it happened too fast. I couldn’t sneak pass the soldiers. I was too afraid
The other man was a handsome, tall man. He was young, maybe not that different with Leonโs age. However, his force was really strong; choking the boy to the wall without any mercy.โCome on, Xion! Thatโs a little kid!โThe muscular man, who appeared drunk a minute ago, now seemed sober and aware. At that moment, Leon understood that he fell into their traps. They might be the soldiers who massacred his family! The man called Xion didnโt loosen his grip, instead he answered back coldly, โWell, Keith. At this age and time, you would never know what a kid capable of.โโOh, man! Do you think they born from war era?! See! Heโs turning blue!โThe man called Xion didnโt hear his companion words. With a serious face, he asked to the kid he pinned, โYou. Why are you following us? Do you know s-โBefore he could finish his words, an arrow flied to his head in a fast speed. That tall man was really fast, jumping backward to separate himself from Leon. Both of the men pulled their swords, cutting
“S-sorry?” Keith clearly caught off guard; he was sure he spoke in a really quiet voice, almost none in fact, since he was trained to do that for years. Also, for some reasons, his back started to sweat with his lips getting dried.“Sierra!!” Gray stood out from his bed, standing in front of the lady and held her hands. She was different from the time they spent their time together; another side that new to him and Leon. However, he could understand it. They hadn’t had easy nights these past weeks.“They’re nice guys. You have to trust me, okay? There’s time when I’m in danger, but they save me over and over again.”“Why would you be in danger?” Sierra snorted. She was sure no stupid soldiers crawled alive from her hell that night.“Because we-uh, entered a wrong cave?” Gray smiled stupidly, scratching his head as he looked at tallest man in the room, “What was that
โIโm fine with it, seriously,โ Gray told Sierra in the most cheerful tone. Since the discussion almost turned into fist fight, Gray asked the men to step outside for a bit while he explained the whole things to Sierra and Leon. Xion didnโt like it, but Keith, with his bloody face, pushed his friend out from the room.โAnd Iโm not stupid,โ he continued, โIโm not doing it for free. They-uhโฆ they said they can clear my name in the stateโs court.โโWow, really?!โ Leon went excited, โSierra, it means good, right?โโHow come youโre so sure about that?โ She crossed her arms, eyes narrowed judgingly. โHavenโt you learnt your lesson back then? Do I need to remind you?โ She didnโt stop, and shot her words like a venom, โGray, I seriously expect something better than to foolishly trust two strangers.โThe boys were used to hear her scolding, but this timeโฆ for some reasons, her words really cut deep into their bones; even Leon felt like he almost cried, he wondered what about his friend next to
Great. Just great. Xion wanted to travel fast, took rest only if necessary, but now? He had to scrap those plans.He felt like he’s walking with a band of weird people. Two underage kids, his weird friend, and one woman with temper issues. The next day, they departed right away to the state and he firmly stated, “Follow us both closely. If you were left behind,” then he made sure to stare at Sierra and Leon, “We don’t give a damn, alright?”In his side, Keith nudged him strongly, “Man, that’s harsh.”“Shut up.”Sierra rolled her eyes lazily, her bow on her back and she ready to go. Gray and Leon couldn’t hide their excitement as this was their first time to travel to the State of Etherna. They took off early in the morning, with steady pace on this ‘great mission’ of the mercenaries.In the woods, Leon asked the men, “How long we’re going on foot?”
It was already night, so the castle was pretty much empty; only the guards who stood still in front of the doors. Now, all of them stood in front of the main door before they met the president. Sierra took a deep breath as she talked with the group lowly, โSo, should we just tell the truth or what? Can we trust him?โโHim? The president, you mean?โ Xion unconsciously showed his tone of disbelief. โOf course, we tell him the truth. Heโs the president.โโBeing a president doesnโt mean that heโs trusted with this soon-to-be war situation,โ Sierra narrowed her eyes. Xion was already opening his mouth when Gray walked to their middle, โOkay! Guys, calm down.โHe turned his head to look at the lady, โSierra, Iโm sorry, but this time, I think we have to agree with Xion. Itโs best to speak about the truth.โSierra could swear that she saw that manโs lips curved a lot for one second before he changed his expression back. โFine,โ she gritted her teeth. After that, with Keith in the front, they
Leon expected that the president was going to be an old, fat, bald man, but turned out he was pretty much in shape, like a retired soldier. Gray also couldnโt hide his curious stares to the man.โState your business with Lord Adam.โ The woman right next to the president, which Sierra assumed as Xionโs friend, stared at them nicely.โGreetings, Lord Adam,โ Xion took a step as he placed his fist on his heart. โAs we have mentioned before in the letter, we afraid a war is going to happen soon between the State of Etherna and Kingdom of Bealaris.โSierra closely watched the president; he was definitely pissed at the news. And she was right; the next moment, Adam slammed his fist to his royal chair and spoke loudly, โHow dare that poor country killed my people, ignoring the peace treaty that our ancestors signed!โThen he proceeded to curse at the country until the assistant reminded him with a small cough. โSo, whoโs the leader of the army?โ That man asked.โWe believe itโs Prince Heath h
โWhat do you want to know, then?โ Sierra raised her eyebrows. Surely, this man didnโt come only to praise her amazing works.โWhy did you do it?โโWhy? To protect the boys,โMalcolm gulped down hardly as he stuttered, โD- do you have to burn them like that?โSierra snorted, โSorry, fire isnโt exactly filled with mercy.โMalcolm grunted as he had heard about this type of blessing. Fire, the fiercest of all. If the bearer didnโt have strong mind, it would burn down everything around. In his army, only two soldiers that bear the fire blessing. Often, they would accidentally burn their own comrades.However, he saw Sierraโs remnants. It was a perfect circle, and it meant she was a master. He never saw anyone who could control fire thatโฆ beautifully and terrifyingly. Of course, as a soldier he couldnโt waste this chance.โIf thereโs war comingโฆโ He started, trying not to sound too eager, โI want you to join us.โโAh,โ Sierra opened her mouth, clearly unimpressed by this sudden invitation t
While Gray and Zed had their sudden meeting with the strategist, Sierra purposefully stood outside the castle to wait for Xion. She was embarrassed, but somehow, she felt that she was supposed to do this and comfort the man. And she didnโt regret it. The moment she saw Xion, the otherโs face beamed with relief and happiness. They hugged and kissed for a short time as Sierra rubbed his back. โYou thought I was dead?โ She tried to lighten up the situation a little. Xion snorted, โYeahโฆโ He paused as he stared at Sierraโs face, โBut I think Iโm stupid to think about it. Youโre probably the strongest being ever, you know that, right?โ His expression was tired, definitely lack of sleep, but his smile was bright; his voice showed a clear proudness. Sierra didnโt want to imagine what happened with this man while sheโs gone for a moment. They talked for a moment while holding hands. Xion cleared his throat, โHey, Sierra. I need to talk to you.โ She titled her head, confusion was appeared o
โGray!โ Sierra grabbed Grayโs shoulder and squeezed it gently. The soldiers already started scattered around and broke the formations; even the mages couldnโt protect them from the monsters below.โArgh!โ Someone got sucked below, and Sierra knew that person had already gone. Amidst the chaos, Sierra could feel a familiar power around them; just like the last time when she felt Grayโs True Blessing on the underground. And she finally understood, why the barrier around, that was summoned almost perfectly didnโt work.โItโs a True Blessing!โ Sierra yelled as she kicked her leg from monsterโs grab. โWhat?โ Gray was confused. โItโs an Earth True Blessing. Thatโs why the barrier wonโt work. It could pierce anything! We have to fall back!โGray quickly understood and he screamed, โFall back to the north gate!โ The soldiers were relying the message to each other. Those who cherished their lives quickly abandoned the formation and ran. The earth kept trembling and people started to sway and f
โThat idiot!โ Sierra snapped at the news. โI canโt believe he reject it. I wonder what his mother said to him!โNevertheless, the next day, they marched to the gate to retake the capital. It wasnโt a hard fight because for the first time ever, they won by numbers. The enemy also lacked their leaders so it was pretty easy to break into their defence and controlled the castle. Many of the soldiers were surrendering as they wanted to trade it with their lives.Gray nodded appreciatively as they surrendered. โItโs nice not to kill someone,โ He grinned to Sierra at the main room.From that day, the they took back State of Ethernaโs freedom. People in the capital were cheering as they were freed from the oppressions. However, Grayโs liberation army still couldnโt relax at all. They still had the north area to retake and Kingdom of Bealaris to attack. The north gate was still shut tight.Then, Walter advised that they took a break after the long, continues fights. They also had to reunite wi
โHowโs the kid?โ Sierra crossed her arms impatiently in front Grayโs bedroom. A healer just came out, and he nodded his head in delight. โLady Sierra, you donโt have to worry about anything. Thanks to his Blessing, the explosion didnโt do much damage to his body. Right now, heโs just sleeping.โHearing the news, Sierra huffed a relief breath. Then, she decided to let the kid rest and find Xion. Frankly speaking, she didnโt do much at this fight because her main task was to defend the fortress. Thatโs why, she was in a good condition and everyone relied on her more because she was the only general who still alive and in perfect condition.As far as she knew, Keith was passed out from massive blood loss. Thatโs why, she moved to find the other one. Thankfully, Xion didnโt hurt that bad. He was wrapped in bandages, but he was practically fine.Seeing Sierraโs presence in the yard made his cold face cracked into a warm expression. He waved at her, and Sierra also smiled softly. โHowโs you
Everyone became aware how dangerous the situation was. Gray frowned and cold sweats already dripped down from his forehead. Sierra quickly took control, โOkay, kid. Donโt force yourself. You still have to fight at the frontline. Let us handle it.โGray bit his bottom lip; but then he nodded. The mages were ready as they chanted the spell. โOn three, just let your power go.โโOneโฆโโTwoโฆโโThree!โGrayโs let go of his Blessing, but the lightnings were still under control. โSee? Weโre good at what weโre doing.โ Sierra smiled. Since the first wall of protection had fell, Gray quickly moved to join his own troops.โLady Sierra,โ Walter appeared behind her, nodding appreciatively, โYou really level up your troops abilities.โSierra snorted at the words, and she grabbed her bow. This time, she didnโt bother to hide the exquisite design of it, making the archers stared with envy. โItโs family heirloom,โ She added awkwardly.โArchers! Prepare your arrow!โThousand of arrows were prepared, poi
It had been six months since Don departed from the fortress. The good news was he never failed to bring back victories. And the bad news? Thereโre so much things going on inside the fortress; refugees, soldiers, volunteers, travellers, even merchants, all came to them since Sierra had lifted her maze spell.Now, the fortress became really lively with crowds. Sierra could only shake her heads from the noise. โYou really hate people, huh?โ Xion chuckled as they stood at the third floor, staring at the yard.Both of them just got back from separate missions and now, they decided to rest together. Hearing the statement, Sierra couldnโt help, but smile softly, โNo, itโs not like that. This view somehow reminds me the last time Iโm here.โShe paused and her eyes wondered longingly. Xion just stared at her, savouring the beauty. โThis place used to be like this too. Buzzling with merchants, and peopleโฆ I just hope this will last; now that weโve made our location known.โXion smiled too; thes
โBring it on!!โ Gray roared as he braced himself from the destruction. Leon grinned wickedly; he was waiting for this moment of showdown. The wind was growing stronger around them and the woods around started to be plucked up by the whirls.โDamn it!โ Sierra cursed under her breath. It was getting harder to breath and open her eyes widely. โGray!! Donโt!!โ She could hear herself screaming at the kid. However, it was unclear whether the kid heard her or not.Thus, in that split second; when Leon unleashed his enhanced power, Sierra decided to call upon her own. She spread her arms wide and felt her fire brought to life. The wind still went strong, and now with the addition of big flames around.Gray sensed the power and then looked at her. Once again, Gray couldnโt help, but awe at the magnificent sight. No matter how many times he saw that big wrath of flame, he always amazed by her. Now, the snow was truly disappeared, melted down from the extreme heat.Sierra gritted her teeth; itโs
โSierra, you still look as pretty as ever,โ Leon gazed at the woman and smiled tenderly. However, it couldnโt fool her. Leon had changed. Totally. Whether the compliment was sincere or not, she didnโt want to think about that.โLeon! Come with us! Quick!โโGray, wait!โ Sierra tried to snatch his collar, but heโs already running towards his โfriendโ. Gosh, she could see the way Grayโs eyes sparkled with excitements. This fool literary forgot everything they had taught him about awareness.But who could blame the kid? Itโs been two years; not being able to see his childhood friend, with so many questions on his head about why were the reasons Leon left them that night.With only three, maybe two steps from Leon, suddenly a big wave of wind came around them and managed to knock Gray back until he hit the nearest tree. He was caught off guard; never in his life, he would imagine that Leon would hurt him with the intent to kill.โStupid kid!โ Xion cursed under his breath; with Don who pass
โWhatโs with this early meeting on snowy days?โ Keith yawned as he sat down in the meeting room. Gray rubbed his eyes tiredly, โDonโt know. Walter just sent the servants to each of us.โSierra, who wrapped in thick clothes commented too, โJudging that itโs only the four of us, I think he has special mission.โโSharp as always, Lady Sierra!โ Walter came in into the room right at the moment, while bringing a warm cup of coffee.โYou look horrible,โ Xion said to the strategist. The bags under Walterโs eyes were horribly dark and big; anyone would know that he didnโt get sleep. โYeah, itโs winter time. I have to think further to spring, you know.โโRight, now tell us whatโs with this morning arrangement?โ Sierra cut to the chase.โOkay, apparently. I just found out that a strong warrior was captured months ago by Bealaris.โ He started to explain, โHere. This town, West Land.โโWhoโs the warrior?โ Keith asked curiously; he might know one or two martial arts experts in this land.โHis name