David’s steps faltered as he approached the crossroads.

  He barely had time to react before a deafening explosion swallowed the night. The shockwave forced him to the ground. The sky turned to searing white, banishing the shadows, if only for a second. Something bad has happened at the barricades. The time was running out.

  He moved to push himself back up but glanced down at his hands—his claws. Crimson and black stained his fingertips, the sharp edges having already sliced through his own skin when he clenched his fists too tight. He swallowed hard, his thoughts spiraling.

  I can still turn back. If he could get to the smithy, he could figure this out. Grind them down. Hide this… whatever this is. No one had to know.

  But the image of Aura and Bert flashed through his mind, standing amid the chaos, searching for him in vain. What if they were in danger? What if they needed him? His guilt surged, crushing any other thought that dared arise.

  "I’ve been selfish enough lately," he muttered to himself, his voice bitter. He turned away from the smithy, his fists tightening even more as he pushed forward.

  His hands stung, torn where his own claws had dug too deep. Fresh crimson painted a vibrant trail against his blackened skin. It didn’t matter. As he ran, he kept looking towards the sky. The celestial giant still blocked the sun.

  The square came into view, lit faintly by the flickering of torches hastily placed around the area. It was chaos.

  A handful of fresh defenders, led by Darryl, were holding off the advancing monsters by using the buildings to funnel them into narrow chokepoints. Their efforts bought precious time, but even from here, David could see the strain in their movements, their growing exhaustion.

  In the center of the square, wounded villagers from the barricades were sprawled across the ground, some groaning, others eerily silent. The square stank of blood, sweat, and despair.

  Aura, along with many others, moved among the injured and the tired, her hands deftly applying tinctures and bandages. Her hair clung to her face, damp from exertion. She was moving so quickly, yet her hands trembled.

  Triage dictated her focus—those who could still fight were given priority, while those too far gone were stabilized just enough to fend for themselves.

  David pushed through the crowd, keeping his hands tucked close to his chest, his nails biting into his palms. He stood a few steps away from her and waited. Not wanting to interrupt.

  As she rose from the man’s now bandaged leg, she noticed him and jerked. “Marco!” She rushed to hug him despite the mud covering him. “Thank Goddess you’re okay!”

  Her arms wrapped around him tightly, and for a brief moment, the chaos of the square seemed to fade. The calming warmth enveloped his strained body. His eyes filled with tears and his throat caught. I can’t even tell her… anything.

  He clenched his fists, his claws digging into his flesh as he tried to hide them. She couldn’t have known everything that was going through his heart.

  As her relief settled, she pulled back to look at him. “What happened to you?”

  The question brought him down to earth instantly. In all the turmoil, he forgot to prepare any alibi. He was filthy, with scratches and wounds on his face and arms. How do I explain this?

  “I’m fine,” David lied. “I… Followed Darryl to help the guards.” He decided to stick as close to the truth as possible.

  Aura inhaled sharply. “Marco!” She brushed his hair out of his face. “This isn’t a game. You need to stay in safety.” She stared deep into his eyes. ” Please stay away from the fighting.”

  He was about to argue, but before he could respond, a commotion erupted. Bert and a few other men staggered back from the frontlines, their clothes soaked in sweat and streaked with blood.

  Another group rose to take their place, only slightly less tattered. Exhaustion was the base state for nearly everyone who remained.

  All around, despair was slowly setting in. The monsters seemed endless, their numbers swelling as they spread through the village. It was only a matter of time until they started coming from all sides.

  A chill ran down David’s spine. Even with every life on the line, how much longer could they hold?

  “Bert,” Aura said, her brows knit as her husband approached. She left David’s side briefly to meet him, quickly scanning him for injuries.

  Bert hid the wince of pain behind a tired smile. “Just scratches,” He sat on an empty box and chugged water. He had to rest before going back to that living hell.

  Aura cleaned herself off and started to dress the worst of his wounds.

  David’s gaze shifted back to his clenched hands. Fit as he were, he was still a child. Deadly claws or not, what was his worth? Five goblins? Just a drop in the bucket.

  The square erupted into chaos, interrupting his thoughts. Screeches filled the air, and a group of brutes appeared down a previously empty path. The square was surrounded.

  They had to establish new chokepoints, and quickly. David froze, his eyes darting between the advancing creatures and the deathly tired defenders forcing themselves to stand once more.

  Even those who had collapsed moments ago were picking up weapons —if they could be called that. Planks, broken table legs, whatever their trembling hands could grip. Those too injured to stand handed their spears to others. Some kept moving recklessly forward, determined to serve as shields to buy time for their loved ones.

  It was no longer a trade of blows or a calculated defense. It was a desperate last stand.

  Bert and his group turned toward the least defended entry point “Hold it! We’re coming!” he bellowed, his voice hoarse. David’s heart tightened as he saw him disappear into the fray.

  "I’ll help!" David stepped forward. His claws scraped together faintly as his fists tightened, sending shivers through his arms.

  A hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned to see Aura, her face wet with cold sweat but resolute. “You stay here,” she said firmly. “With the children. You’ll be safe.”

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  David shook his head, his voice rising. “But—”

  “No buts, Marco.” Her tone softened for just a moment. “I need you to be strong and stay safe. For me. For your father. Promise me.”

  David stared at her, the words caught in his throat. He understood, but that didn’t lessen his frustration. The claws dug deeper into his palms, drawing blood. Reluctantly, he nodded. Aura stepped forward, but paused, her alchemical supplies clinking faintly in the satchel on her hip.

  David’s heart pounded. Was she going to fight, too? He couldn’t just sit and watch - He couldn’t let her face this alone.

  “I’m not helpless anymore” he muttered under his breath. His guilt swirled, but his resolve hardened. “I wish you let me help you more.”

  If he had to show everyone these monstrous claws to protect her, then so be it. And if the morning came and they burned him at the stake? He probably deserved it.

  Aura watched as all around her people fought and died. They were losing, even she could tell. If things continued as they are, no one here would see the dawn. Marco…

  I should have learned combat magic. She laughed at herself, and her thoughts turned to her past. Her mentor, who always chided her like a daughter. The headmaster of Ki-Elico’s temple of magic.

  She could almost see it – the old man clutching his nose with two fingers as he berated her. ‘If you blow up one more workbench, I’ll force you to change courses!’ – he’d threaten. A powerhouse, his golems would have turned the tide. But he wasn’t there.

  She scanned the surroundings – They were in a center of a very flammable village. A third year elementalist could turn it into a hellscape… But she couldn’t. She could only use tools she already had.

  Her hand involuntarily reached to her satchel. Fiddling with a small red gem, her graduation gift. If there was any chance for success, she had to try.

  She stepped forward, towards the newly attacked chokepoints. What if it’s not enough? She had one attempt. Reckless. The word echoed through her head.

  If that’s what it took to save Marco, she’d be as reckless as the very flames she wished to summon.

  She drew magnifying runes on the ground. Completely giving up control for… raw power. It was a gamble no sane mage would take. But she was an alchemist.

  The air was thick with the stench of sweat and blood, and the screeches of monsters were closing in.

  She turned toward Bert, her voice sharp and commanding, piercing the distance between them. “Cover me! I’ll burn them down!”

  Bert’s head snapped around. His face grew even paler as he took in her determined stance. “Aura, no!” he shouted, desperation creeping into his voice. “You’re too tired! You’ll kill us all. Don’t—”

  But she wasn’t listening. The weight of the situation was too great, and no risk was too high. Her thoughts flickered to Marco, safe with the children. For him, she would offer everything to the flames. She would make sure he had a future, no matter the cost.

  Her hands moved. Now the containment sigils. A semi-circle, to shield the rest of the square from what she was about to unleash. Mana pulsed through her fingertips as she etched the glowing runes into the ground.

  “Hold them off, Bert!” she snapped, her voice carrying over the chaos. ”I’m starting!”

  Her husband knew what had to be done. He threw his spear, piercing a hobgoblin archer through the chest. The only one that made it to this side… for now

  Aura had to finish before more could arrive. She had no hopes of success if there were arrows flying by. She pulled a bottle of dense oil from her satchel and hurled it into magnifying zone. The base. The bottle shattered, coating the ground in a viscous layer.

  She immediately followed it with another bottle—this one filled with living fire. The offering. The moment it struck, flames roared to life, climbing taller than her, their hungry tendrils licking at the air.

  Monsters surged toward her, drawn by the light and heat, but the defenders understood the stakes. They threw themselves at their enemies with reckless abandon.

  A few goblins managed to spill through the defensive lines anyway, but they were far. They wouldn’t make it. Probably. There was no time to waste.

  Her hands hovered over the fire as she began pouring her mana into it, feeding its growth. The flames surged and twisted; erratic whispers began creeping into her mind. The elemental yearned for freedom.

  It was calling to her, testing her resolve. Back and forth, she pulled at the flames when they weakened, pushed when they threatened to consume her. It was much too strong to be controlled by her, she could only try and guide it.

  “Bert!” she screamed, her voice breaking. “GET CLEAR, IT’S ALMOST READY!” The villagers scrambled to run. With no one blocking them anymore, the monsters charged straight at her.

  The blaze surged ever higher. Aura hesitated for the briefest moment. Would the containment hold? If it failed, everything—everyone—would burn.

  She glanced at the incoming hordes. Do or die.

  Her hand trembled as she reached into her satchel, pulling out a tiny crystal, fiery soul burning within. The heart. A core of an element, containing the will of a bound creation. Such a waste. She stared at it for a heartbeat, then threw it into the inferno.

  The reaction was immediate. The flames erupted into a massive humanoid form, towering over the battlefield. The elemental’s roar split the night as a shockwave of heat and fire burst outward.

  Aura stood firm, her silhouette framed by a wall of roaring flames. The semi-circular containment shield shimmered faintly in the fiery glow, its protective energy the only thing keeping the inferno at bay. The elemental was free, whatever it did, she’d have to hold through it.

  It wasn’t just her life at stake anymore. Beyond the shield, the world was ablaze—a shockwave of fire that consumed everything in its path, charring buildings and monsters alike. She felt her fingertips burning from the sheer amount of mana she pushed through.

  The elemental’s form loomed in the heart of the flames, a volatile presence that radiated heat and destruction.

  The spirit erected walls of flames and breathed fire at everything unlucky enough to get its attention. The fire occasionally surged towards Aura, cracks forming in the shield, but it mostly ignored her.

  Behind her, the ground was untouched, a safe haven against the unleashed force.

  For a while, the roar of the flames was deafening, drowning out all other sounds as the elemental raged. But flames were fickle. Having burnt most of what it could, the elemental turned to the people gathered in the square. It wanted to continue but found someone in its path.

  Annoyed by her containment, it started throwing fireballs at Aura. Each explosion scorched her, threatening to kill her, but she held.

  And yet, she was growing weaker, paying a heavy price for every second. Fire streamed through her veins as the elemental tried to punish her – she had little time before she too would be consumed by it.

  Luckily, its fuel was running out. Unable to find more kindling, it started dissipating into the air. After just a few attacks on her, it fizzled out.

  Aura swayed on her feet, her vision blurred. She could feel her hair turning to ash and her ears were filled only by the crackle of burning wreckage. I did it. Her skin was burnt. Backlash from miscontrolled fire raged through her body.

  Bert was at her side in an instant, grabbing her and carrying her back toward the wounded. “Stay with me, Aura!” he shouted, his voice desperate.

  Her body was ravaged, pulsing with red light. She was… crumbling away. Bert splashed healing draughts on her, but they achieved nothing. Is this the end?

  If she fainted now, she would never wake. Her hand reached into the satchel. Her fingers brushed against a cold vial, but she was too weak to grab it. I… did enough.

  Everything was going black as the blaze raged within her….

  Bert was desperately going through the satchel. He grabbed the vial and uncorked it. He splashed half of it on her and forced her to drink the other half.

  Aura felt a wave crashing through her, quenching the flames. But destroying even more of her insides. Her body was torn apart. She struggled to open her eyes.

  The elemental turned half of Grainwick to ash. The molten ground was impassable, creating a barrier against the oncoming tides.

  Some defenders cheered as the fires died out. Some fell to their knees, seeing their houses turned to ash. But if it meant they’d live to see dawn? They were already moving. Overall, the morale was surging. Half the area to protect, hundreds of monsters burnt.

  Through the haze, she thought of Marco. Safe with the children. She clung to that thought as darkness claimed her.

  Praying it was not in vain.