I CARRY THE REFUGEES BACK TO SAFETY.

Beihal, Seiled, Herder, and the others are waiting at a small encampment atop one of the plateaus. There is a wall of wooden stakes propped up, pointing out like spears to impale any Zombies that get close. And at the very center of the wall is a bunker made of stone. A safe haven for the survivors of Warmthkeep to hide as the evacuation continues.

After all, they cannot be brought too far from the city just yet. It would be too inefficient since I am the only one capable of transporting them away via flight. For now, they will be safe here. I smile at one of the children as I settle the first group of survivors down in front of Seiled.

“You will be safe here,” I say. “Seiled will look after you.”

“Hey! Why am I on babysitting duty?” Seiled protests.

But the children flock to him. He blinks as the group of dirty boys and girls surround him, looking to him for safety. He may be just a little older than them— he may stand only a head taller than them— but still he is a beacon of protection for them. His rugged demeanor. The way he casually hefts around a lightshooter. They flock to him, and because of that, he gets flustered.

“I—” Seiled opens his mouth. Then he bites his tongue as he faces the children uncertainly. Finally, he groans, “Ugh, come here.”

I smile as I watch him go. My Aspect coalesces behind me. Beihal approaches me as the wings flutter into existence with ribbons of light coming together like ethereal feathers.

“Tian,” the burly man greets me. “Is Kalmat—”

“Kalmat is fine,” I reassure Beihal, cutting him off before he can ask his question. “He’s your leader.” I pause, then correct myself. “Our leader. Have faith in him.”

He hesitates. He glances over towards the city— towards the sound of battle. Our view is blocked by the walls erected around this small encampment, but we can hear the ferocity of the fighting. Kalmat is by himself out there, fending off thousands of Zombies on his own. That is why I make haste.

“Right,” Beihal says, shifting uncomfortable as he adjusts the lightshooter slung around his back. “Have faith in him.”

I can see that my words alone are not enough to convince him. So, I pat him on the shoulder as I ascend into the sky.

“Kalmat can hold his own. However, if you really wish, you can help him from afar. Put that aim of yours into good use.” I grin as I break away from the burly man. “Maybe test out more of your trinkets as well.”

“That’s…” He pauses. Then he nods, a determined look on his face.

And I fly off. I soar straight back towards Warmthkeep. I glance back only once as I see Beihal mounting a machine— a contraption that looks like a larger lightshooter— atop the wall around the bunker. With that, I return back to my task at hand.

Kalmat stands alone amidst the sea of Zombies. There are still thousands converging on him, despite having already hacked down countless of those undead creatures. Even with his Aspect— even with his Feats— he cannot kill them fast enough.

He spins in a circle as his Aura flares out. It sends a wave of pure energy exploding in all directions, taking out a hundred of the Zombies in one single attack. He twirls to a stop and plants his heels on the ground before raising his blade. It grows in size, larger than it already is, before slicing down with an intensity that shakes the earth.

Yet, it is this clamor— this sound of battle— which betrays him. Because even if he exterminates the Zombies plaguing his position, more will come, attracted to the noise. To the tremor rocking Warmthkeep. To the lone man fighting for his life.

I know he cannot fight forever. Not against an endless horde of Zombies. While it is true that most of the Zombies have been led out of the city, some remnant of the original force remains. And while it may appear small, with a few strays gathered around each street of Warmthkeep. When they come running all at once, their numbers become non-insignificant.

That is why I have to hurry. Kalmat is buying me time to evacuate the rest of the refugees from their little hidden bunker. I descend back through the crack in the ceiling I made. A handful of men— the only men in this group of survivors— wait at the entrance with makeshift weapons raised. They lower the weapons in relief when they see it is just me.

“Worry not,” I say as I walk past them, with my wings still spread. “Kalmat has the Zombies preoccupied. They pose no threat for you right now.”

“I see,” an elderly man sighs in relief. “And the children are safe?”

“They are.” I proffer my hands to the refugees. “They will live. As will all of you here. Now, come with me.”

* * *

I make a few more trips back to Seiled, Herder, and the others, bringing dozens more children to safety until only the adults are left. Each time I fly over Warmthkeep, I keep a watchful eye on Kalmat as he progresses through the hordes of Zombies. He grows increasingly tired— evidently so. Still, despite being covered in grime and muck, he does not falter.

The leader of the Keepers of the Grove pants as he cuts down another dozen Zombies. His Aspect is faltering. His Feat ending a while ago. He lowers his blade for a moment, and a fast Zombie pounces on him. He kicks it aside just in time, but a second is on him.

Kalmat stumbles back from the overwhelming number of Zombies as my gaze focuses on him. I want to help him— I am just about to swoop down to save him. Then I see a flash of light.

A concentrated beam of red energy shoots down, striking the horde of Zombies from behind. It mows them down in rows and rows. A thin little crimson blast that almost looks like a long blade. Kalmat blinks as the beam slices the Zombies encroaching on him in half. No blood splatters out from the corpses, their wounds sealed shut in an instant from the heat.

I look back up to see Beihal from all the way atop the plateau. At the top of the walls of the encampment. He is far away. So far that the Zombies are left utterly confused. Not only that, they are attacked by a silent death. There is no explosion. No sound. Only the red line, searing across the ranks of Zombies.

Kalmat sees it leading back to Beihal. He gets to his feet as his burden is partially alleviated. There are still countless of those undead creatures surrounding him, but they have lost their focus. They are stampeding in a crazed frenzy, attacking no one in particular. Because unlike Kalmat and I who can connect the beam of energy back to Beihal and his contraption, these Zombies are mindless.

They simply destroy everything they can in an attempt to find what is attacking them.

I glance up at Beihal once, nodding at him in approval from afar. It is likely he cannot see my gesture. After all, I see a spyglass connected to his contraption, helping him accurately target the Zombies even from a great distance. Nevertheless, I am grateful that he intervened and saved Kalmat. With my mind at ease, I can put all my focus into flying the remaining few survivors away from their underground bunker.

I dust my hands off once I have brought the last of them before Seiled. The surviving men. They run to the others as the boy grins at me.

“Good work, Tian. I’ll get them inside right away.”

“Thank you, Seiled,” I say as I smile at him.

He runs off with the survivors, reassuring them as he keeps them all in the stone bunker we have built. Then I ascend back into the sky. My eyes flash for a moment— a flicker of Indigo Essence is used.

“Next, the temple.” I look towards the second destination. Where another large group of survivors are hiding.

Kalmat still has the Zombies left in Warmthkeep distracted, and with Beihal’s help, he is able to fend them off. So I fly past the fighting. I continue to evacuate the refugees of Warmthkeep. Those who had the fortune to hide and survive this undead invasion.

I knew before we began evacuating the city that there is at least a thousand survivors left in the city. Now, I have managed to evacuate hundreds with the temple emptied. I then move on towards market street, where the third largest gathering of survivors are hiding away. But on my way there, I make three stops.

Because there are still others alive in the city. Not just in clusters. Not just in groups. I continuously scan the area with the School of Divination, and thanks to it, I manage to evacuate another three families before I get to market street.

When I arrive there, I dig up the road to find a large room hidden underneath the earth. This time, there is no running water. No intricate network of tunnels. Rather, it is a place for food storage. A large expansive cavern-like room with plenty of food kept away amongst the crowd of people.

I am once again greeted with the same suspicion as I have been greeted with before from all the survivors. The same look of terror— of distrust. The fear of losing more than they have already lost. Here, there are not just women, children, and the elderly. I see quite a few men— young and old— together with the group.

In fact, there are even a few Elementalists. They just about attack me with their magic, but I block the onslaught of fire and rock with ease, using my Aspect as a shield. They stare in shock as I emerge from the crater, unscathed.

“Do not be afraid,” I say as my wings unfurl behind me. “I am here to save you.”

The foremost Elementalist gapes for a moment. Then he points at me with wide eyes. “I know you— you’re Tian!”

“I am. And the Keepers of the Grove is here to bring you all to safety.” I gesture towards where Kalmat is fighting. To the cacophonous roar of battle.

They stare in awe. In shock. I let them have a moment to take it all in before I begin flying them out. But as I open my mouth and take a step forward, I sense the trembling of a small tremor beneath my feet. One so subtle, it is almost amidst Kalmat’s fighting.

But I sense it because I have kept the School of Divination active. After all, it enhances more than just my sight. I narrow my eyes, having an inkling of a feeling as to what it is. The survivors hesitate. They can see my change in demeanor. The way my brows crease as I look up.

“Wait here,” I say before ascending into the sky.

I cast my gaze towards the horizon, and I see a pair of shadows running back towards the city. Two figures sprinting at full speed down the valley towards Warmthkeep.

I recognize them, of course. They are my friends. My allies. Nindran and Nelrel. The two who volunteered to distract most of the Zombies in the city. At first, I am perplexed as to why they have returned so soon. After all, the plan was for them to keep the army of undead busy for a dozen cycles. Yet, in half that time, they have returned.

My question is answered soon enough as they turn around and send a blast of flames behind them. I blink, and I see the fiery attack bouncing off a towering figure. An amalgam of nightmares. An abomination of reality. Thousands of the Zombies, clung together, forming a giant monster.

It roars as it charges after Nindran and Nelrel, heading straight for Warmthkeep.