The EL Project is but the first salvo fired in the war against senescence.

—Dr. Viktor Greve, "Future Engineering," The SciTech Channel

Sariel

It started with just little things.

First, when I mounted the dyr, the saddle strap broke. I’d be a sorry excuse of an S-class EL if I was clumsy enough to fall flat on my butt because of that, but I thought it was strange since the saddle was new.

Second, a flying monster kept flying over us and crapping on me. I killed it, obviously, but not before it covered me in its crap. It ignored the others.

Third, when I went to a stream to wash the crap off, a tiny monster with serrated teeth bit me. I didn’t get a good look at it before I bashed it against a rock, but it must have been a kyrag. Asteria cast cure on my leg, but it still felt swollen and tender from the poison.

Fourth, when a group of farmers passed us on the road to Hundested, we stopped to buy fresh fruit. When I bit into my atemoya, there was a worm inside. Or rather, there was half a worm inside.

Fifth, when we stopped for lunch, my rations were rotten. The camping food I bought came in one big box that had individual serving packets inside. Everyone else’s packets were okay.

“He’s too stubborn,” said Asteria to the others as we were crossing a bridge single file.

“Is it going to get worse?” asked Uriel. The big guy kept looking back and giving me worried looks.

“He’s not really going to die, is he?” asked Seraph. He was supposed to be the unflappable one, but I could tell he was anxious about Asteria’s warning even though the expression on his face was unreadable to most people.

“He’s not going to die,” I said. That was when the section of the bridge I was on fell out from under my dyr.

EL's reflexes are fast so I managed to grab a rock before I fell more than a few feet, but the rock that I clung to came loose. So did the next one. And the next. In fact, all of the rocks and tree roots I tried to grab came tumbling down with me.

Seraph jumped down and carried me out using wind magic. My mount rolled fifty feet down the ravine before Seraph rescued it.

My dyr got a few scratches while I dislocated both my shoulders and sprained my right foot.

Asteria didn’t say anything when she healed me and my dyr, but I could tell she wanted to say ,“I told you so.”

“Let’s just leave him alone. He’ll come around,” said Uriel.

Uriel was being annoying, but he knew me best and he wasn’t wrong. I was starting to wonder if there really was something to Asteria’s warning.

The final straw was the hotel at Kalundborg.

We stopped there for the night, and we had dinner in their outdoor restaurant. I had half-expected to be served spoiled meat, but the food was good and the wine was better. Perhaps the goddess’ curse was mitigated by the fact that night had fallen. Elyon was a sun goddess, after all.

I had a bit of a laugh when Seraph tried to persuade Asteria that it would be safer for them to stay in the same room. She was adamant on secrecy, as always, and we’d separated near the town. Asteria arrived alone and booked a room for herself. We’d had to pretend to be friends who met each other in the hotel lobby, instead of a group travelling together.

“Ely, please! You sound like a pervert,” said Asteria to Seraph.

“Everyone at the hotel saw you arrive alone. It’s safer with me,” said Seraph.

He did have a point. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if one of the town ne'er-do-wells tried to scam or harass her. Women didn’t travel alone in these parts since the countryside was teeming with monsters. Hunters normally traveled in groups.

“Don’t open the door if someone knocks unless you know it’s one of us,” said Uriel. “Don’t forget to lock-.”

“Please stop. I’m not a child,” said Asteria. “I’ll lock the door and I won’t accept candy from strangers. You should be more worried about Sariel. Someone needs to stay with him at all times.”

That was how I ended up in a twin room with Uriel. Despite the day’s difficulties, I instantly fell asleep the moment I lay down on the bed.

I was awakened by water dripping on my face. Damn, the roof was leaking. I got up and checked the ceiling. There were no water marks, so the leak must be new. Water was falling in only one spot, the center of my pillow. I was debating the merits of asking for a new room or just getting up since dawn was near when it happened.

The windows shattered then all I saw was white. A flash of light momentarily blinded me then I heard a deafening boom. I was frozen in place as excruciating pain surged through my body. Time seemed to stop. I could see Uriel moving towards me in slow motion. White light surrounded me and pinned me in place for what seemed like an eternity of agony.

The light receded.

I could see Uriel’s mouth opening and closing, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I moved my right arm, which was smoking, towards him but when he grabbed my hand, I couldn’t feel it.

Seraph and Asteria arrived together. They also tried to speak to me but I couldn’t hear anything.

I couldn’t move my legs. I couldn’t feel anything.

Green light surrounded me when Asteria cast her heal spell. My hearing returned.

“-hear me? Sariel?”

“Yes, I can hear you.”

“Stay calm. Uriel, help him sit down on that chair.”

“I can’t feel my legs.” Only then did I start to panic. “I can’t feel my legs. I-”

“Shhh, you’re okay. I can heal that, too.”

More green light. This time the healing took longer and by the end of it, the feeling returned to my legs.

“See? You’re fine.”

I don’t remember the rest of the night. I know I finally prayed to the goddess for forgiveness and promised to never interfere with her plans again.