When I looked over at the noise, I saw something familiar, the Barren Moon’s group. They looked between us and I immediately heard Royse shout, followed by a quick succession of attacks to ‘the turbulent mana man.’ A bright white and dark flame lit up the forest, followed by another succession of attacks. I just stood there frozen, unsure of anything before me.

I wanted to run, move, escape, but my shaking limbs refused to do anything but. The fighting came to a stop, and a conversation ensued.

I’m left somewhat shocked by the words. What! He’s the lord. Didn’t the citizens think well of him? Are there two lords, or is he a lord from somewhere else? But the next set of words from the man leave me flabbergasted.

“I am taking care of the one who caused the destruction in my city.” And the man, supposedly the lord, stared directly at me. He’s further away than before with the turbulent mana easier to deal with, but the stare is uncomfortable and distressing to my very core, thrown off kilter by the chaotic mana.

I felt Royse, the one the lord called out, looking straight at me, and I shrank back, hiding halfway behind the tree. Her stare continued until her eyes opened wide. I don’t know what caused it, but her breathing immediately picked up as she averted her look to the lord and said one word, “Attack.”

Issac did a double take at Royse before she nodded back in affirmation. “To kill.”

Royse was the first one to act as I sensed an enormous wave of mana coming from her core, as it almost emptied itself in one go. It exploded out like a dam that could no longer hold water as it flew towards the lord. The particles phase into the physical world, turning into glistening ice spikes ready to stab the lord.

He didn’t stand there and take it, so he called on his turbulent mana to block it. It twirled into a thin sheet just as the ice made contact.

A blast of wind resounded from the impact as a white mist spread out. The next minute, filled with loud slashes of metal on metal contact and the mana cores draining quickly. The over-saturated mana environment made it difficult to sense anything, just a mess of leftover mana, but it was becoming clearer by the second, as the inertial volley stopped. I heard a few screams of pain before the mist completely dissipated, revealing the aftermath.

The Barren Moon's group were relatively unharmed, except for their heavy breathing and sweating forms or the few slash marks along Garnot’s armor. The lord was a different story altogether. He looked rough, with his suit no longer in its pristine form with blood dripping down from his other arm. The short sword was missing from his hands, as it was now embedded into a nearby tree. It looked good for me, except for one thing.

With the chaos calming down, the turbulent mana surrounding the lord decreased substantially in response to his mana usage, but not enough to deactivate my life savior, [Mana Gathering], but enough to reveal something within him, the Lord’s mana core. It matched the turbulent mana that exuded from his form, and he was the only one left with mana. Everyone else had but a few drops.

“Is this how you want to do it?” The lord said to the group, who re-armed their weapons in response, preparing for a second round.

He let out a sigh before darting a look between the group and myself. His face remained calm, calculating as he took a second. A strong breeze flowing through the trees accompanied it; the sun peeking from below the horizon, warming my skin, a singular hope with the desolate night ending.

“Fine, if that's how you want to play it. It’s such a shame that we couldn’t use it, but we never expected to have such a fine specimen in the first place, so I guess it’s fine.” He called upon most of his leftover mana while intently peering at Royse, confusion adorning her face. “What do you mean, fine specimen?” They looked at each other, but to no understanding as Royse asked out.

The lord offered no response and continued calling upon mana. It flowed outward, and the group tightened their muscles in response, preparing to face whatever may lie ahead.

The mana transitioned into a black mist as it shot off. Not towards the group of prepared fighters, but the one who least expected it, myself.

The mist rolled into itself as it crossed the distance, consuming itself. The lord still had some mana left after the ability, but the turbulent mana almost disappeared completely in response.

“GARNOT.” I heard Royse yell out in pure panic as her voice shook. Out of the corner of my vision, I saw him pulsate off the ground in response. He had his sword drawn while he flew, trying to block the mist heading directly towards me.

As the mist got too close for comfort, I finally reacted in the only way I could. Considering my body's refusal to move properly, I only had one option: down. I let my legs collapse right before the mist stuck my head, dipping just below the blackness.

As I fell to the dirt below me, the mist turned in on itself and curved into a bubble like fashion, aiming right back to my head. I compromised all other options by falling to the ground, so it left me with nothing. I still saw Garnot heading towards me, but he’s too far away to do anything.

I felt hopeless as the mist got ever closer, and I hit the ground, but my eyes remained glued to the encroaching mist. It enveloped my vision and as I felt it brush along the surface of my pupils. The individual mist particles embody the turbulent mana, corruption in its very nature. Each and every infected particle made its way into my eyes.

When the first particle made its way through, breaking the surface of my eyes, it caused nothing but pain as it etches into my pupils. “AHHHHHHGHHHHAHH.”

I let out a scream of pain as I threw my arms over my eyes, but it’s too late as I squirmed on the ground, flopping in the dirt as I try to lessen the pain.

Something wrapped around me before long, but my focus is on nothing else besides the pain.

“AAAGAGGGGGGGHHHHHGHHSHGHHG!" My [Mana Gathering] ability failed as my concentration was cut. I felt what's left of the chaotic mana, but it’s unable to invade my core, as the strength was now a fraction of its previous form.

“AHHHHHHGHHhghhh.” Every second felt worse as the mist aggravated my eyes further. I felt something pop from within them and I screamed even louder. I heard some noise and shuffling around me as it continued on for what felt like forever. The hyperventilating made everything light and fuzzy, but I continued to writhe as the world was ending.

Everything just went blank after a while and I could no longer hold on to… on to anything, falling into a black void.

Garnot reached down a bit too late as the mist hit Alya's head. The smoke immediately enveloped her face as his arm reached around her, lifting her up. He barely avoided the mist himself as he carried her screaming and squirming form away.

The mist mostly stayed behind as she’s essentially yanked away from it, but a small set of black clouds remained in the crux of her eyes. Ayla madly twirled around in his arms, but Garnot’s grip remained firm.

After watching Aylsia get picked up by Garnot, Royse immediately turned back to the lord. It wasn’t long, but the Lord no longer remained, gone. “FUCK! Where did he go?” she madly moved her head around to find some clue.

“He’s gone. The mist distracted me as well.” Issac replied as he moved around, looking for any sign.

“AHHHHHhHghahsaha.” The squirming and yelling of Alysia cut off their conversation.

It’s too late for that now. Royse immediately turned and rushed to meet Garnot in the middle, fear growing in her eyes. “PLACE HER DOWN GARNOT!” Garnot tried to gently lay her down, but the squirming made it difficult, almost flopping out of his hands. Royse scrambled into her cloak and took out a small vial, a crystal clear liquid.

Upon seeing the vial, Issac reacted on instinct, reaching out and grabbing her wrist before she could open the vile. “What are you doing, Royse! You can’t use that on her!” She whipped her head around and stared daggers at Isaac, trying to yank her arm out of his grip.

“LET ME THE FUCK GO ISSAC AND LOOK AT HER FUCKING HAND!” Although they were not the strongest Barren Moons group, they’ve worked together long enough to make up for their deficits. Her mana sense alone was already the best warning you could ever ask for, so she normally remained the calmest of the three.

The yelling unsettled Issac, but he did what she said. His eyes darted from Royse to the squirming hand of the form below. When the hand turned, it revealed something on her middle finger.

He caught his next breath as his face immediately turned white, letting go immediately as he pulled his arm back, afraid that his interference would cause irreparable damages to the one before them.

Royse fumbled open the cork and held it just above Alysia's face. “HOLD HER DOWN SO I CAN SEE HER EYES.” Issac jumped to her legs and Garnot took her hands off her face and held them to the dirt below. The back mists around her eyes showed an uncomfortable sight, eating away at her flesh.

“SHIT.” Royse poured the solution right into the back mists. Upon contact, the clear liquid reacted as it glowed. The black mist shrieked back, afraid of the clear liquid, and it left Aylsia’s eyes, fading into the surroundings in just an instant.

What's left was not a pretty sight. Half of each eye was missing, singed by a black crusting. Gaping open for the world to see.

The liquid did its job, but it was far too late. The corruption of a [Controller] was just too powerful, and they just happened upon a rather potent one.

Aylsia’s thrashing and screaming stopped during the reaction as she passed out.

Royse’s uneven breathing sounded out in the silence as her gaze remained fixed. Garnot sat back with the same expression adorning his face.

The silence continued until Issac spoke up in a soft tone with his face even paler than Royse’s. “What… what do we do?” His voice, barely audible.

The words go unanswered, as Royse doesn’t know how to respond. Their mission failure was not the worst thing as they figured out who, or rather, what the lord was, but they let the [Villager] get hurt, and this was no ordinary [Villager].

Royse closed her eyes and pulled back her racing mind. The thoughts twirling around became a mess and it would be of no help from here on out if she didn’t control them. After a few calming breaths, she opened her eyes and moved to grab Aylsia’s hand. She cradles gently, afraid of harming her more, and she removes the simple ring. It comes off successfully for a moment before disappearing from between Royse’s fingers and reappearing back on the [Villagers]. A Soul Bound Ring.

An audible gulp sounded out from the three. She knew what would happen, but it was still shocking, nonetheless.

The silence continued as the sun rose above the trees, warming the surroundings after the long night. Another few breaths later and Royse looked at Issac with resolution in her eyes. “Hand me your knife.”

He did a double take between her and the girl laying on the ground. “I hope… hope you aren't doing what I’m think… thinking.” The words came out softly, ending in an unceasing shake.

“We need to finish the job.” She said strongly.

Issac paused, finally agreeing as he handed over the knife. Royse unsheathed it and hovered it over Aylsia’s face. “Garnot, get out the bandages… it’s going to get messy.”

“Ahhhhh. What a fucking wreck.” The situation resolved itself, but not without its sacrifices. One hell of a cleanup, probably going to take the next month. Most of the buildings were undamaged, but a few caught fire or were annihilated.

The individuals inside the city were another story. Ilbertus’s hand tightened around his sheathed sword at the thought. A failure on his part to prevent it before it got to this point, but the bigger question was still there. The missing lord.

The lord still hadn’t revealed himself, but by now, Ilbertus was getting suspicious. The man he knew wouldn’t do this, rather stabbing himself then allowing his people to suffer, so something was terribly off. Worst case, he’s dead, and this city is going to shit for the next few months. He sent a batch of chevaliers to the lord's mansion, but they’ve yet to return, taking longer than expected, a concerning thought.

Another mystery of the night was the magical girl. He didn’t think the young girl was lying, but he ended up wasting an hour with no luck. He followed a pair of human footsteps among a set of Myconids.

Eventually leading to a damaged window sill with a few scuff marks on the roof next to it, but that's where it ended. The magical girl escaped the pursuit, but following along the rooftops without direct markers was a fool's errand, unless a scout came along. But he wasn’t so fortunate.

The sun graced the city once again as it raised over the wall he was standing on. He came over to inspect the wall and insure the groups of civilians that everything was indeed over. A difficult speech, but he would do everything to save the survivors. It all seemed calm with the chaos ending, but the stressful days would continue for some time.

Taking in another breath, he prepared himself to start the city's recovery, but a tumbling of stones sounded from behind. Turning around, a man greeted him, one that disappeared for the entire night. One that seemed to abandon his city.

The Lord, Elano.

He didn’t look good, especially with both of his arms dangling at his sides. The blood was still fresh, but he was stable, holding the same face as he always did. At least he’s alive. “I’m glad you're alive. But I’m going to need some answers to make sense of this night.” Ilbertus was angry, but he held it in, something he learned long ago.

The lord remained unchanged at the question, walking beside Ilbertus to view the destroyed city. “Yes, Ilbertus, but I’m going to need a few seconds to calm down. I’ve had some rough encounters, and the town needs our full attention.”

Ilbertus narrowed his eyes at the words. Elano, evading the question? Something this man wouldn’t do, but maybe he had a rougher night than even his damaged state would suggest. He moved to view the town, staring in the same direction as the lord.

The people traversed as the guards used shovels to move the mangled Myconid corpses into carts. The black and purple infection from inside the Evil Myconid was a mess to deal with, but nothing they couldn’t handle with time. Sending a group of chevaliers to the capital for a report was going to be a hassle, but nothing he hadn’t done before.

Ilbertus turned to look at the lord… but his form was no longer there. Before he could turn in the other direction, the sudden dizziness took over as he struggled to remain upright. His body couldn’t comply with his will as he fell to the ground with a thud, trying to think… think… think of something, but to no avail. Already too late.

The coldness of the stone transfers through his cheek as he is hopelessly still. A dull pain came from somewhere, but it disappeared shortly as the fuzziness took over. He remained still as his vision faded out for the last time, to be forever lost on the walls of Greycott. The long night had been hard on him. With his age and lack of sleep, his senses were lacking at this very important moment. One he would regret if he could.

“Ahhhhhh.” A sigh escaped Royse’s mouth as she rethought the day. It was only a little past noon, but it felt like a lifetime had already passed. The attack on the town and dealing with the lord were all within their capabilities, but the [Villager] changed everything.

She reacted too quickly and outright commanded Garnot and Issac to attack, not considering getting the [Villager] safely behind them before she reacted.

It was a failure on her part and one that would take a long time to get over, if she ever did, that is. But their [Villager] was somehow still alive, sleeping on the ground nearby. If they came to find a corpse, it would’ve been much worse. They saved her to an extent, but it could’ve gone better, much better.

“Come on, why did this have to happen at the worst time?” Royse hung her head in between her hands, only thinking of regret. “Come on, come on, COME ON!” She let out a puff of air in frustration at the events just a few hours ago. The words only aggravate her more, clenching her fists tightly.

When she finally looked up, Aylsia was lying on Issac's thick cloak. Her chest moved up and down at a rhythmic pace, but a handkerchief tied around her eyes with the bandages underneath soaked with blood told a different story. She was alive, but she would be almost useless without her vision. Maybe not useless, but she would half to adapt to the new hindrances.

The noise of branches cracking sounded out as Royse looked over. Issac and Garnot were returning with some food and traveling supplies from the town. They sat next to her as they opened up the packages, followed by the sound of silent chewing in the forest, and periodic glances at the sleeping individual next to them.

Some color returned to Issac’s face, but still paler than normal. He couldn’t help but think that his interjection, stopping Royse for just a few seconds, made things worse than they could’ve been if he didn’t. It clouded his mind, making it difficult to return to his normal brash character.

Garnot remained steadfast in the whole situation, still and calm. They were built on knowing and learning, letting that information flow to advance human understanding. That which was beyond their touch could be captured and understood. Things went backwards when kingdoms or organizations held back such information. Only letting the ones who had the ‘right’ to learn such things was always a hindrance.

It was all bullshit that hurt more than it could help. Just so the pricks could remain in power.

With the silence getting awkward, Issac was the first one to sound out. “Did we save or hurt her?”

Issac looked towards Garnot, and he gave a look before starting back to the ground. Issac then looked to Royse. “Save, but she’s supposed to be capable of protecting herself. At least having the ability. So I really don’t know.” Royse said.

“I agree. I’m not sure what was happening, but she could barely hold herself up. Needing the tree for support, so something was already wrong before we came. The lord was just ahead of us, so whatever happened, it happened briskly.” He took a second before continuing. “Your mana sense also went off as we approached the scene. Was it that which hurt the lord?”

Royse narrowed her eyes. “Unlikely, there were no signs of the lord's mana on her and no physical damage, so it was likely the event of which you speak caused the damage to the lord's arm. Even with all of us attacking, we could only impair his other arm. If he wasn’t already hurt, then it would’ve gotten quite tricky, so whatever happened before must’ve been pretty massive, considering what we had to do to get his other arm.”

“Yes, I would agree. He wasn’t really wearing armor as well, but his skin was tough enough. I’m not as offensively capable as Issac, but he withstood a direct attack with my claymore.” Garnot said with his gruff voice.

Royse leaned back into the tree. “Ok, we met her at the inn when the attack happened, so she got out of the town quickly. So, I would think she’s capable enough, but something else must’ve played a part which limited her options.”

She leaned forward again. “So, we definitely saved her, but I fucked up. If I didn’t act so quickly without thinking properly, we… we could have saved her without...” She looked over at the unconscious individual. “You know, all that.”

“Makes sense, but we still have something else. Why would the lord leave his mansion and directly head toward her? If the lord paid closer attention to her, then she would’ve been dead considering her state. He headed directly towards her, but didn’t outright kill her? Did she just catch his interest by accident? And he called her a fine specimen, whatever that is.” Issac said.

Royse responded. “He tried to kill her at the end with his controlling mist and probably thinks she’s already dead. I doubt he knew we had the Curing Phial on us, so he at least knew something. The fine specimen comment could just be some weird terminology among controllers.”

“Ahhhh.” Gatnot exclaimed.

“What is it?” Royse asked.

He looked up. “Wait guys, there's something else about her. Remember when we met last night? She asked us about our Barren Moons pins and what they signified. She was even nervous and stuttered throughout the conversation, not really the mark of a Curator.”

Royse placed her hand underneath her chin. “She could’ve been testing us or just hadn’t talked to anyone in a while. They're normally a bit different, so I’m not sure how much we can compare her to a regular person.” She seemed just like a curious villager, a bit out of the ordinary, but nothing to be concerned about. I got a weird mana signal, but was that her? Was I supposed to, or did she allow me? They live long lives and they’re quite proficient in combat, but powerful enough to trip my senses in such a way? A way to call out for help?

A moment later, Royse threw her hands down, realizing something.

Wait! I think I got it, or at least part of it. Royse looked back at her two companions. “Hey guys, I think I got it! She specifically asked how old Barren Moons was. That was the whole point of the conversation. She can’t remember how old she is, so she tried to figure it out. I’m not sure about the details, but I remember reading something about this. The vice leader should also know more about their behavior.” She took a breath before continuing.

“But that would mean she’s ancient and probably the oldest one if she refers to the creation date of Barren Moons. Not completely sure, but it made some sense with what I’ve learned.”

“Fuck me if that’s the case.” Issac whispered out. Come on, it just had to be the oldest and most important one. Fuck me, I really messed up this time. Issac wallowed in self pity at the realization Royse brought forward.

Garnot spoke out. “When you get that old, it’s probably difficult to keep everything in order, or she just can’t remember her early years. They’re not supposed to live this long, even with their… unique constitution.”

“Yes, exactly.” Royse spoke out in agreement.

She turned to Issac as his head hung down. “Don’t beat yourself up too much. I doubt the couple of seconds of delay would’ve allowed her to keep her eyes. It’s already done and over. Let’s make the best of what we have. She’s still alive and breathing, so all is not lost. We also don’t know if she is one of the older ones. It’s just a guess at this point.”

He looked back up, unconvinced. “...... What about our schedule?”

“We do whatever she wants when she wakes up. She is far more important than anything else we could be doing.” Royse said.

Issac looked down again, stopping halfway. “Ok, they might yell at us if we don’t have time to explain first. But I think we have a ‘get out of jail free card’ this time.”