I didn't even feel myself hit the ground.
One moment I was on my feet—
the next, the world spun,
my ears rang,
and my chest felt like it had been caved in.
My consciousness flickered, fading in and out like a dying flame.
But I forced myself up.
My legs trembled.
My vision shook.
I could barely think.
Yet I stood.
For a minute, all I saw were the escort guards—
shield walls pressed tight,
desperately defending the two caravans with everything they had.
And something inside me snapped.
Move.
My body obeyed before my mind caught up.
I drew my sword and sprinted toward the chimeras—
six of them, hulking, twisted, wings half-feathered, half-flesh,
all focused on tearing through the guards' shields.
Good.
A distraction.
I jumped, landing on the back of the nearest chimera.
Before it could react, I drove my blade into its spine—
again
and again
and again—
until its screech choked off and it collapsed under me.
The remaining five turned toward me.
Their screeches ripped through the air—
so loud my ears rang and hot blood trickled down my neck.
I ignored it.
One lunged.
I shoved my blade into its throat, twisted,
and ripped its head clean off.
Four left.
They beat their mutated wings and took the air.
Airborne enemies.
Shit.
How do I fight something I can't reach?
They dove at me—
fast, unpredictable—
their claws slicing my skin in shallow cuts, not deep enough to kill…
but enough to shred my focus.
I managed a slash, grazing one, but it wasn't enough.
Then—
"Rain—!"
Elise stepped out of the caravan.
My heart dropped.
What is she doing?!
I didn't think.
I just ran.
I tore through the chimeras' dive path, pushing past their claws, and reached her as one swooped down at full speed.
I threw myself in front of her.
Pain exploded across my back and ribs, hot and searing.
I held my ground anyway.
Elise clung to me, sobbing into my torn shirt, muttering apologies through her tears.
I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stand tall.
That feeling again—
the one deep in my chest, sharp and burning—
Protect.
With one hand I swatted the chimera away, forcing it to circle back.
I scanned the caravans.
One was missing.
The Count's.
I shot Sullivan a demanding look.
"The Count went to get the border knights!" Sullivan shouted over the chaos.
"They should arrive soon!"
Relief crashed through me.
The Count hadn't abandoned us.
The chimeras circled overhead, watching us like vultures deciding how to pick apart their prey.
I grabbed Elise by the waist and tossed her back into the caravan.
"Stay inside!"
I motioned for the remaining guards to get in as well.
I stood alone now, staring up at the beasts.
One dove—
like a boulder launched from the sky.
I raised my sword—
CRASH!
The impact rattled my bones.
My arms shook violently.
I dug my feet into the dirt, but the chimera still pushed me back seven feet.
I grabbed its winged shoulder and slammed it toward the caravan.
Before it could rise—
I lunged and slashed it into three pieces.
I didn't have time to breathe.
Pain tore through me—
a hot spike ripping into my chest.
A beak.
Sharp and long enough to punch through my ribs.
But not quite enough to kill me.
I turned—
grabbing the chimera's neck as it tore its beak free—
and in one horizontal slash,
I cut its entire body in half.
Blood sprayed across the grass.
I staggered, clutching my chest, gasping.
Two were left.
"I can't die yet," I whispered.
"I won't."
Sullivan tossed something toward me.
A healing potion.
I snatched it midair and drank it in one gulp.
A burning heat spread through my body, the torn flesh knitting just enough to move again.
I spat the leftover blood from my mouth and raised my sword—
THUD.
The ground shook.
I spun.
They were here.
Border knights.
One knight leapt off his horse, sword blazing with red aura,
like flames wrapped around steel.
He swung once.
A chimera was sliced in half cleanly,
its body falling apart like melting butter.
I stared, wide-eyed.
Aura… with fire?
Another knight stepped forward, his blade coated in green aura—
vines twisting along the metal like living plants.
I blinked hard.
Was I hallucinating?
A knight beside me smirked.
"Shocking, huh?"
I nodded dumbly. "Why… Why are there vines in his aura?"
The knight barked a laugh.
"All auras have properties, kid. Flame, wind, earth, lightning—you name it."
He pointed with his chin.
"That one's an earth-vine type. The red knight? His aura's got flame traits."
I stared.
Everything I thought I knew about aura shattered in an instant.
I had thought aura was merely a coat of spiritual armor—
a thin layer of willpower.
I was wrong.
Very wrong.
Aura had depth.
Element.
Nature.
Something mine didn't even have a hint of yet.
I gritted my teeth as the border knights made quick work of the remaining two chimeras.
No injuries.
No hesitation.
No struggle.
Just effortless slaughter.
Meanwhile, I had been torn up, bloodied, gasping just to stay alive.
I lowered my sword.
My hands shook—
not from fear,
but from frustration.
I looked down.
My blood dripped onto the dirt.
This is the strength I must reach.
No…
I have to surpass it.
But right now?
Right now, I am still painfully weak.