*Kevin's POV

I had two plans in mind. The first was to take Carter as far away from Calmora's territory as possible so no one could find us. Or, the second plan was to take Carter as close to the main field area but on the other side of the forest, which the enemy would never expect. With this plan, I was confident that the outcome of my gamble would only depend on whether Barton and Wanda could lead the attacking team to win the game. That's why I preferred the second plan. We just needed to wait at the border and watch, and then I would join the attack when the opportunity arose.

I chose the second plan and kept pulling Carter's hand, running as fast as we could through the dark forest, with the chaotic sounds of battle echoing in the distance. Sometimes the sounds were faint, and sometimes they were close enough to startle us. I could have carried Carter to move faster, but he couldn't detect approaching enemies if his feet didn't touch the ground. After six minutes of running, Carter had detected nearly fifty people, all of whom I successfully avoided.

The forest was quite dark at that time. The torch Carter carried occasionally made us detectable by enemies, so I quickly changed direction. The sounds of battle grew louder in the forest depth, coming from our fortress's location behind us. I knew Alex would surely launch a major attack. Typically, Alex would evenly divide the team so the group protecting the King in the fortress remained strong. Carter's grip tightened as we ran. I slowed down and waited for his instructions. But the boy said nothing until we stopped. His face looked pale, and his breathing was ragged. I thought I had indeed pushed him to run quite far. For a child on his age, running that long without complaining was commendable.

"Something's wrong," he muttered, then looked at me and grabbed my hand. "Kevin, they're in danger!"

"Okay, what kind of danger exactly?" Then a 'Boom' deep in the forest followed by a bright burst of fire appeared as the answer. I swallowed nervously. Even if they suddenly became overly enthusiastic, throwing such a big fire was too much. The possibilities were either something was wrong there, or they had gone mad. Carter's eyes welled up as he looked at the distant flames spreading through the trees. I knew he was worried about his brother, so I grabbed his shoulder and made him look at me. "Hey, listen. Your brother is on the attack team; he's probably at the main field now. That's why we need to go there too, okay?"

Carter nodded.

"Good." I grabbed his hand again and was about to run when something odd caught the corner of my eye. Two meters beside me, well-hidden by the forest's darkness, the creature stared at me with its two purple glowing eyes. Everything happened so fast in my eyes. The beast screeched with a shrill, sickening sound. Carter screamed in panic behind me. I was thrown sideways, far enough to hit a tree that, unfortunately, was quite sturdy.

I quickly regained consciousness, noticing a hole in my left bicep, emitting thin black smoke, a remnant of the creature's attack. It wasn't too big, but enough to make my body tremble and jerks in pain. Where I had stood before, the beast now looked at Carter, who was sitting on the ground.

My whole body tensed up immediately. Nien, how could that monster be here? I was sure we were still in Calmora's territory. Could it have accidentally slipped through the protective magic and got lost? But perhaps the havoc I heard earlier was also due to Nien's presence.

Forget the pain; someone was about to die in front of me. I extended my right hand towards the beast. Nien screeched again and lunged at Carter with its body, a mass of dynamic black smoke. Carter glanced at me in a moment of despair.

The timing had to be perfect. If not, the beast would reform and attack us again. So just as the blackthorns began forming on Nien's body, moving towards Carter to shred him into smoking chunks, I snapped my fingers. A small lightning ball appeared between Carter and Nien, then exploded into a flash of lightning and light that instantly obliterated the beast. I was sure the timing was right. It disappeared while its body was solid. But Carter was also affected. He screamed in pain, clutching his eyes. I hurried to him, apologizing and trying to calm him down. The fabric on his sleeve was partially torn, a result of my struck, wich mean Layla's magic is still work.

While Carter was still crying in shock, footsteps on the muddy ground approached us. I turned and saw Alex emerging from the forest's darkness carrying a torch. He almost got scorched because I panicked and was about to strike him with lightning. Unfortunately, Alex was not in good shape either. There were blood stains on his forehead and chin. His Calmora uniform was dirty with soil, blood, and black stains. Honestly, this was the first time I was grateful to see Alex.

"So it was you," Alex said, approaching us. "I saw a blue light from here."

"What happened?"

"I don't know either," he replied, occasionally glancing around to assure no Nien is approaching. "The atmosphere has been weird since sunset. Even Layla ran straight into the forest without us."

"You mean she's alone?"

"We all got separated after entering the forest. Nien attacked, and everyone scattered. I tried to go to your fortress to inform the others, but all I found were ruins."

My body tensed up again. "No..."

"I still have enough Atma to fly the three of us to the main field," Alex explained. "I think that's the only thing we can do now."

Carter grabbed my shirt. "Is my brother safe?"

Alex looked at me briefly before his expression turned concerned. Then he squatted and gently touched Carter's cheek. "He's probably at the main field too."

Guilt filled my chest. I hated moments like this because I would start overthinking.

Alex cupped his hands, creating a small whirlwind that would grow and fly us to the main field.

"You go first," I said before Alex waved his hand. "I'll find the others; they're in danger."

I thought Alex would agree and praise me, but instead, he looked at me annoyed. "Do you think the situation is better at the main field?" he said, ignoring Carter's worry about his brother. "If the protective magic is broken, there's no safe place in Calmora anymore. Your strength is needed at the main field, Kevin."

I started to hesitate. "But Layla... I need to help her."

"Kevin, don't you underestimate her?"

I began to remember one thing. If dealing with a group of Nien, Layla was the most experienced. She was once given a special mission by the Director to protect an unnamed village from Nien for a year.

But still, my instinct screamed to return to the fortress. "I have to go."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Do you think you're in good shape to help Layla? Look at yourself!"

I realized the wound on my left bicep was still bleeding. The fabric on my arm was intact, which meant Nien's attack couldn't be deflected with magic.

"Our time is limited, Kevin. I'll take you now."

But my struck on Carter was still deflected to the fabric on his arm. That meant Layla's magic wasn't entirely gone.

Alex raised his hand again. The whirlwind started to form around me. "Sorry," I said, raising my right hand and waving it at Alex and Carter. Alex glared at me angrily but disappeared instantly after a lightning strike swept them both. They vanished, sent back to the main field. At least this was what I could do to save them.

***

Without light, the darkness of the night made it difficult for me. The only clues were the glow from the burning trees. I hurried my pace and arrived at the location of the first battle. The situation was chaotic. I didn't see any Weavers, but on the ground, remnants of black smoke continued to burn. Shouts and sounds of battle could still be heard in the distance, coming from the direction of the first fortress. I hoped they could still hold on.

Before rushing forward again, a shadow swiftly moved around me from a distance. There was only one. But for an ordinary Weaver, Nien was a terrifying menace. They couldn't be easily defeated and would continually reform. The beast appeared from the left. It screeched with a loud, annoying wail, then flew rapidly towards me. Its strange black hand extended and started transforming into something sharp. When it was just a meter away, I snapped my fingers. A large bolt of lightning erupted from within the creature, dispersing it instantly. I waited for a moment. Fortunately, it didn't return.

My steps were quicker this time. I didn't want to take a risks, knowing I had already wasted a lot of time. However, upon reaching the fortress, my knees went weak. The sight was truly pathetic. I saw many Weavers, but most were lying on the ground, with horrific wounds and black smoke continuously emanating from their disintegrating bodies, melting them slowly with torturing pain. Their muffled cries were still audible, desperate and in agony, unable to bear it any longer. The area was filled with Nien. Their numbers were excessive, constantly emerging from the darkness. The remaining Weavers were probably just a dozen, mostly Fire Weavers, an element associated with light. They managed to disperse some Nien, but their attacks were futile as the creatures always reformed and attacked again.

My eyes were drawn to the steps with two large boulders that I was sure were previously the bunker location. Below them, Barton's body lay lifeless. A large hole gaped in his abdomen, and as his pained, empty gaze stared, the black smoke also slowly disintegrated his body.

For us, atomization meant death. Nothing could be done once the process began. Even the strongest Atma magic couldn't stop it. Barton, I couldn't save him. He must have rushed here when the situation became chaotic, looking for his little brother. But...this is my fault. They all scattered with inadequate numbers because of my plan. They are all going to die, and it's my fault.

Amid the screams, my emotions broke loose. I could no longer control my Atma, causing the wooden staff I had been gripped tightly to crack. After that, everything happened rapidly in my eyes. I moved wildly, attacking every Nien I saw with large lightning bolts. I let out a scream of anger, filling the area with medium-sized lightning balls resonating and sending deadly strikes.

But as Layla once said, there was nothing I could do to change fate. At least I could understand why Layla always tried to keep silent of what she knew. Either because it was too terrifying or she just didn't want to raise false hopes and lead to disappointment. But I also couldn't just abandon them. In the past, I never considered this place my home. But during my three years here, even without direct interaction with them, I felt comfortable. I felt warmth. Except for Layla, I might not have a close friend here, but that didn't mean they hated me. For the first time since that day, I didn't feel worried here at all.

They may not understand us. But someday, you'll have a reason to protect this place, Layla said back then.

I understand her meaning now. It wasn't the place that made me feel all that, But their presence breathed life into it.

My Atma was completely drained. One more lightning strike and I might completely vanish. But there were still many Nien left. They attacked all the remaining Weavers desperately. My wooden staff was also destroyed. Not far in front of me, amidst all the chaos, I saw Layla. She kept running, avoiding Nien's attacks and striking every Weaver nearby, sending them to the main field instantly. But she also looked exhausted.

Our eyes met shortly afterward. Layla stood still, looking at me with a face that seemed to express an apology. I suddenly remembered the magic bag Layla had given me. My magic bag, Layla had given me my original weapon because she knew this would happen. I quickly reached for the bag on my lower back, opened it, and rummaged through it. But there was no iron rod I usually used. Instead, I grasped a transparent block glowing blue. Only a few seconds passed before its light grew and the block shattered in my hand, transforming into a narrow protective wall enclosing me from the outside world.

Now I understood the meaning of Layla's gaze. She had seen what would happen and this  was her way of preventing it. Trapping me with magic so I wouldn't do anything foolish that could get me killed. Even if it meant that everyone around me might be perish by night's end. []