Author's Preface
The next morning came quicker than anyone had hoped for. The teams didn’t head toward a gate. Instead, they made their way toward the wall, toward the area where a gate break had occurred. Even from a distance, it was clear something had gone wrong. A line of awakeners stood by a makeshift checkpoint just beyond the stronghold's wall. Association forces held formation, shoulder to shoulder. They held the monsters back, maintaining the line as best they could. That was their role. They weren’t meant to defeat the monsters or hunt down the bosses that now roamed the streets. That was the guilds’ job. It was the agreement between the Association and the guilds across America. Aaron stood at the front, speaking with one of the suited officials. The man nodded as Aaron spoke, occasionally glancing toward the line of awakeners. Behind them stood Eve’s team, Derek’s, and two other A-rank teams.
Aaron turned back to his guild members. “I’m not going in today,” he said. “I’ve got a few things I need to look into.” He looked across them all. “Be safe. Have each other’s backs. If it gets too dangerous, pull back.” He paused. “All the executives are clearing S-rank gates, so there won’t be any backup.” That settled over them. “Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” they answered in unison.
Eve looked back at her team. “You heard him. Stay together. Our goal isn’t to clear this in one day. We move slow and deliberate.” Everyone nodded. Chris moved first, leading the team forward as they passed the line of Association awakeners. Derek fell in beside Eve, his team following close behind. “Twelve is better than six, right, Eve?” Eve didn’t answer right away. Instead, she glanced at Darrien, who stood just off her shoulder. Darrien grinned. “I suppose that’s only true half the time.” Before anyone could respond, Darrien took off, sprinting ahead toward Chris. On the way, he clipped the back of Blue’s knee, sending him stumbling forward. “Oh... you son of a...” Blue caught himself, then immediately gave chase.
Chris turned, he shouted something sharp at both of them. Whatever it was, it worked. They straightened up quickly, and fell back into line. Eve brought a hand to her mouth, unable to hide the small laugh that slipped out. “You seem pretty fond of the new guy already,” Derek said, watching her. He gestured loosely toward his own team. “We like to have fun too, but… is this really the time or place?”
Eve finally looked at him. There wasn’t much in her expression. “Excuse me for a moment.” She stepped away before he could say anything else, moving past him and placing herself between Samantha and Cynthia. Both of them looked irritated. Samantha’s hand had already shifted, a faint blue glow forming as thin icicles gathered along her fingers.
One of Derek’s team members noticed immediately. “…Boss,” he muttered under his breath, eyes fixed on Samantha, “that one’s crazy. Maybe we should fall back for now.”
After walking for around a mile Eve told everyone to stop. “Blue… Darrien, go scout ahead,” Eve called out. “And Blue, don’t start a fight out there on your own. Please.” They were already moving before she finished. Both of them disappeared without a trace. Derek, still walking behind, glanced at his vice squad leaders and gave a small smile. Then he vanished as well. Blue came to a stop on a rooftop nearly half a mile ahead of the team. From that height, he could see it clearly. The street below was flooded with monsters... too many to count. They spilled out into the open, breaking into shops, tearing through anything they could find. Some fought each other over scraps scattered across the ground, snapping and clawing without restraint. They were different out here. More chaotic. Less controlled than anything inside a gate. Blue watched for another second, taking it in, then turned to head back.
As he turned, a large explosion rocked the street. Followed by a loud boom and a shockwave. It had drawn the monsters attention. Heads snapped up. All at once. Their eyes locked onto Blue. The nearest ones started moving first, clawing their way up the sides of the buildings. Others followed immediately after, scrambling over each other as they began to climb. Blue didn’t wait. He took off, moving fast across the rooftops, heading back toward his team.
Darrien returned first, sliding to a stop beside Eve. “North side’s clear for about a mile,” he said. “Just a few stragglers.” Derek reappeared a moment later near his team. “Didn’t see much to the south,” he added casually. His eyes shifted past Eve. “Where’s your new guy?” They heard Blue before they saw him. “Horde!” he shouted. “A lot of them, get ready!”
Everyone moved. Formations tightened. Weapons came up. Eve glanced back briefly, only to see the other two A-rank teams already breaking off on their own. That left her team. And Derek’s. “Looks like we’re working together,” she said, her eyes settling on Derek. He gave a short nod, though his attention had already shifted forward. “Yeah,” he replied. Then, with a faint smirk, he pointed toward Blue as he dropped back in beside Chris. “If you can keep that one under control.”
As the horde closed in, Chris glanced back. “Rift Crawlers!” Eve’s team had dealt with them before. Creatures that moved on all fours, built low to the ground. One large primary claw capable of tearing through concrete, with six smaller claws that let them scale whatever terrain surrounded them. Their teeth were jagged, scraping against each other as they snapped and bit. Eve’s team moved immediately, falling into formation. Derek’s team stepped in alongside them without hesitation. For the next twenty minutes, the two teams fought in unison. Blue found his rhythm quickly. He moved with Chris’s calls, syncing with his taunts, while working off Darrien’s speed. He baited monsters into Samantha’s area spells and kept constant awareness of Cynthia’s position, making sure nothing slipped through to her. He didn’t need to worry about Eve. Her spirits moved freely across the battlefield. Vines twisted up from the ground, wrapping and tangling anything that came too close. Nomi, her fox companion, darted between fighters, healing where it was needed most. Then something shifted. Blue felt it before he fully understood it. Eve brought two of her spirits together. Virelen, her earth spirit, and Cindyr, her fire spirit. For a brief moment, they merged. And then, a massive wall of molten rock crashed down from above, consuming the battlefield and wiping out what remained of the horde.
After the fight was over, Eve called on Rhyla, her water spirit, to put out the remaining fires. Steam rose in thin wisps as the last flames died down. She looked around, checking each of her teamates. No one was hurt. Nomi was already perched on Blue’s shoulders, wrapped comfortably around his neck, a spot she seemed to claim more often than not whenever Blue and Eve sparred. Eve let out a small laugh. “Good job, everyone.”
Shane, Derek’s vice captain, leaned slightly toward him. “Uh… I don’t think that newbie is a newbie,” he muttered. “Did you see him?” Another member spoke up. “And Eve... using her spirits like that? We can’t beat that.” Derek didn’t respond. He watched Eve. Then Blue. Then the rest of his team, taking in the way they looked at Eve’s group with admiration, with awe. “Tch.” He clicked his tongue, irritation slipping through.
Eve stepped in front of Blue, her earlier warmth gone. “I thought I told you not to start a fight, Blue,” she said. “Do you ever listen?”
Blue blinked, caught off guard. “But I didn’t-”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Eve cut him off. “We still have a lot to clear. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Blue stared at her, confused, then looked toward Chris. “I didn’t start that,” he said, frustration creeping in. “You guys believe me, right? That wasn’t my fault.”
Before anyone could answer, Derek stepped in beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, man,” he said lightly. “We’ve all struggled getting close to her. Want some pointers?” Blue knocked his hand away without hesitation. Then turned and walked off.
As the sun moved across the sky, the rest of the day went about as smoothly as it could. By the time evening settled in, they had cleared half of Dublin. When the moon rose over the horizon, exhaustion had set in across both teams. “Let’s head back for the day,” Eve said. “We’ll be at it again early tomorrow.” The teams began making their way back toward the checkpoint the Association had set up. Derek jogged up beside Eve. “Hey,” he said, a little more casual now. “Want to grab a bite? Maybe go over a plan for tomorrow?”
“I’d rather not,” Eve replied without looking at him. “Tomorrow we’re going to split up and cover more ground. Your team can handle that, right?” Derek gave a short laugh. “Of course we can. Who do you think we are?” He paused, then added, “Maybe tomorrow night, then?”
“…Maybe,” Eve said.
Samantha drifted up beside her as Derek walked away. “He doesn’t give up, does he?” she muttered. Cynthia joined them a moment later, hesitating slightly before speaking. “Um… Eve… I don’t think Blue caused that horde on purpose.” Eve didn’t answer right away. “Look at him.” Eve glanced back. The playful version of Blue from earlier was gone. He walked a few steps behind the group, head lowered, kicking at loose stones along the path without really looking up. “…Maybe you’re right,” Eve said quietly.
Then her gaze shifted forward again toward Derek, who was walking ahead with his team. Something about the whole situation didn’t sit right.