Theo stood restless, trying his best to not shift from side to side and stand still as the sun started to peek above the horizon.

The world was awash in bright oranges, and for a moment the green plains feel like they have potential to be more than a battlefield. They give a glimpse of the world once this is over, after the earth has been torn up and reduced to mud stained with blood. Where sunrise means a new start, and not the beginning of the end.

The glow fragmented between all the vines, casting shadows throughout Union City as if consumed by a toothsome beast.

They watched on in nervous anticipation, a collection of warriors prepared to rush out the moment the vines withdrew. The mages stood on the city walls, with the priests. The bards were wherever they were best stationed, so Theo stood in the front with Jade and Drew while most of their classmates were with the mages.

Etol’s forces waited some distance away from Union City. They maintained their boundary, waiting just far enough that the dome of tentacles would not be able to reach them.

The sun revealed itself in its violent totality. The earth rumbled as a lifetime of green limbs retracted into the earth, revealing Union City like a pearl.

Theo stifled a yawn.

Drew looked over, eyes filled with understanding.

Theo knew that the lack of sleep was starting impact him, but even so he didn’t feel too tired. His body felt cold, but his heart was beating faster than it had ever done before.

Steeling himself, he engaged Striding Wind and burst forth, heading straight for the oncoming army. He felt the earth beneath him constantly on the cusp of giving way, and the way his bones seemed to almost shift and warp from the pressure.

In an instant, he was at Etol’s front line. They hadn’t moved much, partially because only a few seconds had passed since the war officially began, and partially because they held their front line and advanced together.

That didn’t stop Theo, however.

He listened for their synchronised footfall. As they all put their right foot down for the second time, the ground beneath them exploded, cascading out from where he was. They lost their footing, thrown backwards and into their ranks by the force of the impact.

Theo wasn’t sure if he was glad or disappointed that no blood arced through the air. These were all sturdy warriors who were meant to take the brunt of the attack. They had strong bodies that weren’t going to explode from a backfire. Still, a solid chunk of the

He felt drained. As he took a second to breathe, he felt a tingling on his skin. There was enough magic being thrown around already, from conjured meteors to windstorms to thorny barriers growing out of the earth, for the mana density to skyrocket as reserves of magic were emptied over and over.

After a year, Theo’s practice with magic had grown in complexity. He now had no difficulty maintaining multiple kinds of internal magic while casting action magic on top of it.

That is to say, he activated Meditation, felt the world sharpen into focus, and the mana around him started to pull towards him.

In the moment he took to recover, warriors took advantage of the break in Etol’s ranks to push in. People rushed past him, including Jenny and her tell-tale backfire as she flew like a meteor into their midst, landing with a crash on top of an unfortunate soul.

Chaos reigned as formations broke. Jenny used backfires to give her blows more force than normal, using each explosion both to attack and also to pivot away, a frenetic hummingbird caving in armour and sending bodies flying.

Nearby, Jade and Sasha stepped through the sky as they worked together, covering each other’s backs as they planted a path of limbs limp like wilting flowers, earth moving underneath their feet to swallow any nearby enemies, moving between sky and earth as if there was no difference between them except the location of their enemies.

Drew used his giant hammer to strike any that came near (or were in his way), scything wheat as he moved in time to a beat he was creating himself, and with each strike the hammer rung. It grew louder and louder as it went, a blacksmith striking metal. As it did, Theo felt himself filled with more energy. Vigor Dance pulsed through Union City’s forces, as the already strong first strike turned into overwhelming might.

A hand darted out from the earth, and grasped the leg of an unsuspecting soldier, dragging them under. Without anything more than a strangled yelp, a warrior was buried alive. It was difficult to fight without solid ground underneath you, even moreso when it was actively hostile. Moments later, another disappeared a few companies over, as if a bud sprouting in reverse.

Sparrow created flashes of light, blinding those in their vicinity as they danced through the battlefield without getting a speck of blood on their suit.

A hail of all manner of projectiles flew out from the city walls, boulders side by side with frozen comets, next to clouds of poison gas. They landed far away from the frontlines, hitting the back of Etol’s army.

As the chaos grew, Etol was not static. Priests cast spells and archers loosed arrows, as shadows grew limbs and knives were dragged across throats. Not many managed to penetrate internal magic strengthened skin, but the assassins sprayed a cloud of paralytic toxin, uncaring if they were caught in the crossfire. Some were bisected or disembowelled or simply had their heads crushed, but all of them managed to either injure or incapacitate their targets. Those that survived sunk back into shadow and disappeared once more.

This was the first series of injuries on Union City’s side, and they were prepared. Kathy and a number of other runners rushed out at light speed, reaching each downed body and dragging it away before Etol could do anything in response. Any that did approach were incapacitated by Union City’s reverse-engineered version of Etol’s own toxin.

There was a lull as they left, pockets of statues both living and dead dotting the battlefield and marking a wide band where no man’s land was starting to form.

As Theo looked around, ducking the swing of a mace here and retaliating with a strike there, as blood coated his skin and the dirt under his feet, he realised that even as he fought off swathes of adversaries, as he singlehandedly battled against more people than he knew, he was only a speck in the greater scheme of things.

Every single warrior, every single person on the front lines was dealing with the same circumstance. Etol was trying to win through sheer numbers, almost throwing lives away. Warriors fell in groups as pilgrims were either captured or ran as those from Union City were unable to find the time as more warriors came to assault them.

So many were going to die before this was over.

Theo sent out another wave of backfires, clearing the space around him. He wasn’t going to be one of them.