Smoke.

Fire.

Desperation.

Nothing else came to mind when she thought back to then. Under the rubble. At the brink of death.

Smoke leaked through the small, insignificant gaps in between the wood and rock. It entered her lungs, suffocating not only her but Za’Lia too—the person she couldn’t allow to die. A fire she could not see raged outside, threatening to consume not only her but Za’Lia too—the person she couldn’t allow to die. Desperation filled her chest, not to save herself, but to safe Za’Lia—the one person she could not allow to die…

Little mana was left in Eleanor’s body. If she was smart with it, clearing a way for Za’Lia to escape shouldn’t be impossible if she waited for the fire to burn a hole through the rubble. In that situation, Eleanor more likely than not would die, but at least Za’Lia would be safe.

This can’t end like this… she’d prayed in her mind. The prayers weren’t for anyone in particular. Deep inside she knew that nothing would come from praying. No higher power had ever helped before. No higher power would help her now.

So, even after the crackling of the fire suddenly stopped, she didn’t thank the Goddess for it. When a breath of fresh air finally reached her lungs, she didn’t thank the Goddess for it. The tears running down her face weren’t of happiness that the Goddess had listened.

None of it was thanks to her.

“You are Goddess Arra’s Angels!” A woman exclaimed, holding both of Eleanor’s hands. The woman’s face was bloody, but there was a relieved smile across it. The blood in her hands stained Eleanor’s red, but she didn’t react in the slightest.

“Please go to safety, we got it from here,” she said to the woman with a smile and a light bow. Her actions might’ve betrayed her true feelings, but she knew this wasn’t the time or place to let her emotions overpower her.

Letting go of the woman, she made her way down the tattered street.

Arra, the entity the woman had mentioned, was none other than the Goddess most of the populace believed in. In fact, it was taken as a fact she existed, somewhere on the planet aptly named after her. To Eleanor however, Arra was no Goddess. It wasn’t a thought she’d vocalize, but her feelings over the matter were set in stone.

There was no better proof her feelings held merit than the scene unfolding before her. This small town was being assaulted by a group of bandits. From the little she was able to pick up while helping people in the town, there were murmurs that the bandits were the feared Rings of Eternity.

Eleanor was quite familiar with that group. They were the exact people that raided the town that night. Like before, they were once again attempting to exterminate an entire town.

How could a supposed Goddess let that happen?

Running down the smooth stone streets, she passed by a few knights who nodded at her, giving her a silent thanks. The further she got from the center of the town, the more the wooden buildings became evident with battle damage. Even the streets themselves were stained red with blood.

Upon reaching the main gate, she looked off into the horizon.

It was still evening, the sun high in the sky, but just moments away from dimming for the day. Against the backdrop of the trees and blue sky, it was almost a beautiful sight, if it wasn’t for the group of raging savages rushing towards the town.

Sprinting down the grassy plains, she finally caught up with her two partners.

“How’s it going?” she asked as she unsheathed her dagger.

Striking down one of the bandits was a man with brown skin, long pointy ears, grass-green hair, and eyes sharper than the blade he smoothly swung. This man was Gaspard, the man who served as Eleanor’s guardian.

“Nicely, I’d say,” he smiled. “The guards are taking on the ones that broke away and the main force here is almost gone.” Effortlessly, he blocked the strike of another bandit before slicing at his chest.

Standing by his side, wearing a blue outfit and bandages around their eyes was Eleanor’s best friend, Za’Lia. Her white hair was covered with both blood and dirt, the same as her sharp silver nails.

“Mh-Hm,” the girl nodded, agreeing to Gaspard’s assessment.

A tinge of worry filled Eleanor’s chest. She’d been adamantly against Za’Lia participating in battles, but it had become impossible to stop her from doing so. Gaspard thought it wasn’t too bad of an idea either, so Eleanor was outnumbered every way she saw it.

She wasn’t happy about it, but she simply gritted her teeth before continuing. “Sorry for taking so long. Everyone has been taken to the bunker.”

“Thanks for that,” Gaspard smiled. “At least now we can go all out, right?”

Za’Lia nodded, “Right.”

Eleanor sighed, “Yeah…let’s do that.” She turned to the group of people running their way. It was evident by their armor that they weren’t civilians. Their swords aloft, they charged with a roar.

The words the woman spoke earlier reverberated in her mind, Goddess Arra’s Angels.

It was true the three of them had made it their livelihood to protect this town, and although she understood why some might see them that way, she wouldn’t call herself an angel. Especially not one belonging to Arra.

The last thing she wanted was to be associated with Arra in any way…

Yet again…

Eleanor blocked a swing with her dagger, her arms vibrated violently. Gaspard quickly came in and struck down her assailant before launching himself toward another target.

Blood splattered against her face. Although at some point, the deaths of even people like them left her feeling guilty, it’d been a long time since she’d last felt that way. These people were evil. There was no point feeling bad over their deaths, she concluded.

“Raa!!” A man coming from Eleanor’s flank suddenly swung at her, forcing her to dodge. After ducking, she launched herself off the ground towards the man’s body. She placed her free hand against his chest and—

“—erupt,” she murmured.

The steel on the man’s armor melted in an instant. A whirlwind of fire shot right through him. Eleanor pushed his limp body off to the side before rushing the woman behind him.

Unlike someone like Gaspard or Za’Lia, Eleanor wasn’t as physically strong. Her main strength lied in magic, something thought to her by her family from a young age—well, younger age. She was seen as gifted, a curse that dragged her life down for as long as she could remember. Now that curse hadn’t changed, but the reason for it had.

After sheathing her dagger and clapping her hands, she pulled them away, revealing a ball of flame. It was unnecessary to use both hands, her magic was strong enough with a single one, but her mind was clouded over with her thoughts.

Invoke fundamental forces, she said in her mind.

“—Erupt!” she yelled.

A flash of light.

Silence.

Explosion.

Massive red flames engulfed her palms before launching at the woman and enveloping her in fire. The blast continued past her to the few behind her. The air burned with the heat of her flames, even the top layer of the floor turned to ash.

Magic was her strength. Magic was a fundamental part of this world. But…magic came directly from Arra herself.

Supposedly.

The incantation for magic required a supposed “blessing” from Arra. Thankfully for Eleanor, a skilled magic user could condense the incantation till there was no incantation left. Although she wasn’t skillful enough for that, she was able to at least get to a point where she’d cut out the reference to Arra.

For now, that would have to be enough.

“Haa…” she panted as the heat from the flames subsided, but the one in her chest simply grew.