-Callen-

  With my one good wing, I broke off from my circling and flew right for the helicopter, fighting to keep as much altitude as I could, but we were dropping fast. We dropped below the helicopter before we could reach it. However, the dangling rope was close enough. Brought us as close as I could and grabbed Hew. With a desperate leap I closed the gap, holding onto the bottom of the rope, the enchantment of my new arm activating, gripping with enough force to hold on despite the poor circumstances. Using one hand, I pulled both of us up the rope until Hew was able to grab on and hold himself up.

  Glancing up, I see Callia at work picking off the last of the pursuing birds. Below us the backwash of the river flood is finally gone, and more trees than I would’ve expected survived. Only trees near the beginning of the tsunami had actually been ripped out, with those next to them tilted at odd angles but still standing and still planted. Sis must’ve seen the same because she took back over control of the helicopter and slowly lowered us back down towards the ground.

  Sis didn’t struggle at all finding an open clearing in the wake of the devastation. Hew and I reached the ground first, and the old mayor didn’t waste any time at all hugging the ground like it was his long-lost child. Paul followed shortly after, and up close I could see the whole fight had left that man cut all over from claws and beaks. I pulled him and Hew aside for treatment and to clear space for Callia to land. It hit the ground hard as Callia collapsed in the driver's seat just moments into the final descent. I knew why even before the helicopter hit the ground. It was Callia’s first time overtaxing her mana; she was nearly dry. Philip pulled her out in a hurry, bringing her over to me for treatment, but the best I could do for now was let her rest.

  With everything as sorted as it was going to get in the short time, I let myself lean back against the trunk of a collapsed tree. Since it was Callia’s first mana exhaustion, there was no knowing how long she would be unconscious for. When I had my first collapse, I was out for two or three days, but there were plenty of differences in circumstance between me back then and Sis now. Ideally she’ll be back up soon. At least most of the animals and monsters in this portion of the woods should have been driven out or killed in the wave.

  “Callia’s fine; she exhausted her mana, so all she needs is some time. However, I’m not sure how long that will be. The big question now is do we take advantage of the flood clearing most animals to cover more ground and potentially make it to the city, or do we wait for Callia to recover? Either way I need at least a couple of hours; I’m nearly dry myself.” Most of the fight against the birds hadn’t been too taxing, but using the lighting runes and pouring more mana into the glider's engine had taken a toll.

  My focus was a bit scattered between watching the woods and listening to Hew, Paul, and Philip debate between the options. The biggest issue being I had thrown the travel shelter at the birds. Note to self: invest in storing big objects. I had only used the shelter like that because nothing else in the void was bigger, and even throwing a building wasn’t enough to clear the whole group. At that moment I felt a calming, almost serene presence at my side.

  -Callia-

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  (before the landing)

  I set and launched arrows as fast as my arm would let me. Callen had drawn the attention of the majority of the birds attacking us and was now circling our craft, giving me a clear shot to rip the crowd apart with. My priority for targeting was simple: if the birds aligned to let me hit multiple, I hit that shot first; otherwise, I tried to clear whichever birds were closest to threatening Callen. However, I had to consistently pull out more quivers from the void, which took both time and mana.

  To make matters worse, I noticed that Callen’s glider was starting to slow down and the birds were beginning to encroach on it. I disregarded my mana as I shot as fast as I could, but just as the group was thinning, one got through, ripping apart Callens wing. I finished off the last of the birds as Callen dove towards and then under the helicopter. Thankfully he made the jump onto the rope hanging below, but the helicopter couldn’t handle the weight.

  Immediately we began tilting as I kicked the guard out of the cockpit to take control. The onboard battery had lasted long enough for me to fight the swarm, but as I pushed the helicopter to its limits, I had to start feeding in what little mana I had left. I kept us moving slowly as I watched the water below settle back into the river. As carefully as I could, I brought us down, but in my focus I had lost track of my mana. One second I was landing the helicopter, and the next everything went black.

  Waking up, I felt none of the grogginess or confusion waking up after collapsing would seemingly entail, but I did find myself somewhere I was very familiar with. I was in the small clearing Grandpa had set up for me to train with when I was little. I moved forward, looking around, and saw myself as a child dodging blocks and shooting arrows. Did I die? It didn’t take long for the scene to change, and bit by bit I saw all the moments in my life in which I had used a bow. The youth tournament, hunting the frog, hunting the big fish, fighting my way back to Port Town after getting shot down, fighting the army invading Port Town, and so many more moments. Behind me a voice whispered. It wasn’t a sudden voice but a soothing one.

  “Little Callia, you’ve put in a lot of hard work.” The voice whispered like a mirage but was thick with care and love, and the presence was even more familiar than Callen. “Let me teach you a trick as a reward for all your effort.” The field vanished into an expanse of white, and in my hands a white bow with a golden string materialized. On instinct I grabbed an arrow from a quiver that appeared just as I started reaching for one. A short distance away an indescribable shadow appeared, rushing towards me. My body was moving on autopilot, casually taking the time to face the shadow. Slowly I drew the bow, and in a flash of light it penetrated the shadow’s defenses, leaving it to dissolve in the light.

  The memory of how to shoot such an arrow seemed to imprint in my body, and the knowledge was offered to my mind. “Blessed are you who acts with kindness and righteousness. My daughter, you may stumble, but your heart has sought to uphold my teachings and morals even in this new life. Be careful, for the darkness of your world is relentless and will pursue any trace of good. However, know that you will never be alone, for my spirit resides with you.” I wanted to respond, but the next moment my eyes opened.

  Lilia’s forest stroll

  Lillia’s first choice when told to go to her father was to contradict the voice, but she didn’t know where else she could go. Callen and Callia wouldn’t forgive her; why would they when she ate Callen’s arm? Still, she was hesitant to listen to the voice. Conveniently, it seemed most monsters did everything in their power to avoid her ever since she fused with the voice.

  “Lilia, you’ll come around sooner or later. It’s the only real option you have.” Lilia tried to ignore it, but when patrols of soldiers hunting her and Freema started searching the area, she finally gave in. Hopefully Father might be able to do something about the voice.

  Meanwhile, Freema was unsure which path to take. Something was clearly wrong with her mind, but whenever she asked, Lexia assured her that she wouldn’t regret following her. After a week in the forest, Lexia, or as she now preferred to be called, Lilia, finally set off towards the south. Together they crossed large stretches of land entirely unimpeded; eventually the forest broke away and they crossed into the open. Just ahead stood the fortress of Nox City.

  abounding in love to all who call to you.

  Hear my prayer, Lord;

  listen to my cry for mercy.

  When I am in distress, I call to you,

  because you answer me.