The Other Side: A Second Chance

Insanity. That's what it was. What I did was insane. Zora blew sharply into her whistle, and the order to charge was cast, and like a massive wave of soft meat, we all charged out from the safety of the cover and into the open field. At least a few hundred yards away was our only bit of cover—a handful of non-destroyed houses.

For the first few seconds, as the echoing war cries of the men and women sounded around me as we ran forward, things appeared to be going smoothly. I had focused as hard as possible on maintaining my shield, which I tried to project around myself, Isa, and the others in my squad. Yet I could feel the ether within me draining rapidly, similar to your stomach sinking to the floor when anxiety settles in. It was a very apt feeling for what had happened next. She ran for probably the first hundred yards without issue, a feat I never could've performed in my old body. Even now, this young elven form was struggling by this point, yet as I pumped my little legs alongside the fully grown men and women, the soreness that was affecting me would soon vanish upon sight of the thousands of red bolts of energy that began to scream in our direction.

It happened in an instant. Those not shielded within my bubble began to drop. A man a few feet away from me, sprinting at full speed, abruptly dipped forward, his face slamming into the grassy dirt, unmoving. A woman to my left's battle cry would be abruptly cut short as I saw the top of her head and helmet split open just as her helmet pinged and her body spun as if clumsily doing a pirouette before hitting the earth.

I stifled a cry of fear as the woman crumpled dozens upon dozens of bullets and began to slam against my bubble shield. "Keep rushing!" Zora shouted. "Focus on the task at hand!" She thrust her staff forward and sent a magical gust of air outward. A massive cloud of dust kicked up around us, obscuring us from our enemy as we proceeded forward.

My mind was locked up with fear; the only thing I could focus on was the one thing that was keeping us alive. The shield. I couldn't comprehend how the enemy was blasting us with so much firepower despite still being hundreds of yards out with such precision. Zora had warned of sharpshooters, yet I had only envisioned a couple. Not every single Rusivite soldier.

"Stick close to your casters!" Zora screamed once more as more soldiers caught out in the open dropped like heavy sacks. Left and right, I watched as people's lives ended in mere seconds.

No, no! I said I would save them. I said I would try and keep them alive.

"It told you that doing such a thing is improbable." The voice of the master said, "There are nearly a thousand souls out here, hundreds of feet, if not miles, all around you. All of which are fighting and dying. Trying to save each other is a fool's errand; now focus on moving."

You're not fucking helping me here?! I panicked and whined as my foot slammed into something I cried and stumbled forward. My face smashed into the dirt as I rolled forward. Turning back, I noticed I had tripped over a body. Frisch's body. The man was lying on his side, eyes wide. I could see he was still holding on to life, but barely, as in his chest was what looked like a golf ball-sized hole.

"Luna!" Isa shouted in front of me. "The shield; your shield dropped!" I heard her panicked cry as suddenly another blast of air and dust formed around us to act as a makeshift cover.

"H-Hold on!" I yelled back as I crawled over to the dying man and planted my hands on him. "I got you; don't die." I quickly began to mutter the incantation, yet the sounds of bullets whizzing over my head and past my ears caused me to flinch and whimper.

I fumbled the words, yet I tried my hardest to focus as I channeled my magic into Firsch. The young lad's eyes dimmed as the wound in his chest began to magically stitch itself shut.

"Luna!" I heard Zora shout for me this time. "We need to keep moving!"

"Hold on!" I screamed once more. "I'm almost—"

My hearing vanished, replaced with the sharp ring of tinnitus as the force of a semi-truck slammed into me. My knees and legs left the ground as the force of an explosion rocketed me at least a dozen feet backward. My vision spun before suddenly my back slammed into the grassy dirt, mud, and hot chunks of something sprinkled around me.

I was so stunned and amazed to be alive after what happened that I didn't even scream or cry. I was gazing up at the beautiful blue sky. I shifted, coughed, and sputtered. I brought a hand to my face. I took a blood-soaked, dirty hand, placed it on my pointed right ear, and began to mutter what I thought was restoration again. Once more, my hearing began to return.

"Mortars! Mortars!" I heard someone shouting.

Suddenly, I felt a hand aggressively grab me and yank me off the ground. I gasped as I saw Gord, the large orc, throwing me over his shoulder. "Are you hurt?" He shouted.

"N-No." I squeaked out as my eyes glanced at where I was. A decently sized shell hole that was once where Frisch had been laying was all that remained, and chunks of what I hoped were charred dirt.

H-How am I alive…? Why is he dead?

"Don't think about it." The master growled. "You only got lucky."

 

---

 

Gord's body slammed against the wall of the abandoned house, positioning himself beside Isa and the few remaining others as he dropped me by his side. Finding a brief moment of safety, we took deep breaths as Isa came over to me and snarled.

"What were you doing?" She asked me. "What was that? Why did you stop? Are you trying to die?"

"I was trying to help Frisch!" I stammered.

Isa bit her lower lip and shook her head. "There's no time for that!" Isa snapped. "Do you not see what's happening?" She gestured out to the field. I could see corpses everywhere, as well as a few stragglers stumbling to catch up.

I whimpered. "I made a promise to help—"

Isa kneeled and grabbed me by the shoulders. "You need to focus on the goal," she hissed. "If you get distracted, you're putting us in danger as well." Isa gestured to herself and the others. "I know you want to be the hero. I know you have great potential, but now is not the time to play that hero, Luna; this is war; you cannot save everyone."

I stammered incoherently before biting my lower lip. I sniffed, wiped my eyes, and nodded slowly. Isa took a deep breath and pushed herself to her feet. "I'm concerned for your safety, Luna," Isa said. "We cannot stop moving. Not out in the open like that."

"Speaking of which," Zora spoke, "we need to keep pushing." She peered around the edge of the house. "A tower, on the point of the star facing us. There are two auto-guns; those are what's chopping us down so quick."

Isa grabbed her rifle and moved over to Zora. "Where exactly again?"

Zora passed her the binoculars and pointed. "Directly north. You can see the red flash of their guns; there's a small gap, and they're currently not looking this way."

Isa peered through the binoculars for a few seconds, nodded, and passed them back to Zora. "I can hit them." She dropped to her knees and hoisted her gun. Taking a deep breath, she aimed, held it for a second, then fired. Her rifle kicked back against her shoulder, and immediately she cranked the lever on her rifle and chambered a new round. She then aimed once more as the machine gun began to spray bullets in our direction.

Gord yanked me back, yet Isa remained put, unflinching, as she fired her next shot, and the gun went silent. She chambered another round and said, "Both guns are down. It won't be long till they replace them."

Zora smirked. "As to be expected from Talon, alright, let's get moving!" She shouted as she placed her hand on her communication stone and spoke softly into it.

I took a deep breath as I once again began to concentrate on the magical shield I enveloped us all in and began to rush forward behind the others. We rushed out onto the main street under a hail of bullets. I clenched my teeth and groaned as every bullet that ricochetted off my shield sent a shock through my body as the ether within quickly rushed to repair the damage.

The fortress was vast. The star-shaped fortifications stood nearly at least a few dozen feet tall and were made of metal similar to that of the fighting machines: gray with a purple sheen. Cannon fire from the lorry guns zipped over our heads, slamming into the outer plating, chipping and denting the structure in various areas. Yet up ahead, down the main street of Dresden, I could see what was once the main entrance to the fort, blown open and collapsed in on itself.

As we rushed down the street, more squads joined in with us as the voice of the Rusivite commissar raged loudly over some kind of intercom system. His rage drowned out the Klaxon alarm as I noticed them standing on top of the fortifications. For the first time, I caught a good look at the invaders—the true monsters who were destroying my new home. They were dressed in dark gray and red uniforms and armor; some of them were large, others were small. Yet all of them wore some kind of mask, a glossy mask. I couldn't quite make it out from where I was, nor did I have the time to focus. Yet all of them were uniform in appearance, with little to no difference aside from size. Like Stormtroopers.

Over a dozen of them sat on top of the wall, their weapons pointed at us. Within seconds of aiming, they all began to fire at an exceptional rate. Dozens of bolts of red energy slammed into my shield, and I cried out as literal pain shot through me and my shield began to crack.

Semi-automatic! I panicked. I don't think I can stand against all of this!

"Just keep focusing and pushing!" The voice urged me.

"Stay close to Luna!" Zora shouted. "Keep pushing!" Her voice was soon drowned out by the booming voice of the commissar, who was shouting even angrier now as we neared the blown-out entrance.

A swarm of Rusivite soldiers formed in front of the broken entryway, taking cover behind sheets of metal and debris. Their rifles trained on us, and the semi-auto guns began sending wave after wave of bullets our way. All of which slammed against my shield, breaking my resolve even more as glowing white fissures began to form with each successive hit.

I heard Lieutenant Zora curse. "Get the fuck out of our way!" As we charged forward, I began to buckle under the pressure. I couldn't keep up with repairing my shield; I was taking too much damage.

"I-I can't hold on much longer!" I cried out as I stumbled forward, yet a random soldier behind me caught me before I could trip.

"Zora!" I heard the man shout. "Lighten the load, will you?"

"On it!" The akumari replied as she hoisted her staff high and began an incantation. “By Margon's forge, where embers seethe, in fiery depths, where foes writhe beneath." She twirled the staff and pointed the end towards the barrier of soldiers in the entryway. "With flames of fury, enemies expire, Hellfire unleashed, in Margon's dire." I gritted my teeth and took deep breaths as I channeled my magic into the shield. "From the heart of the forge, let flames erupt; with scorching wrath, enemies corrupt." Suddenly, the air around us began to crackle, and the tip of Zora's staff ignited with the fiery light of the sun. "With each infernal blaze, their fate befall, Hellfire's vengeance, heed Margon's call." The soldiers on top of the wall and at the entrance ceased firing and instead turned their attention towards Zora, who stood at the edge of my shield. I could hear them shouting, and a few began to move out of the way. "By the forge's rage, let foes be consumed. In flames of judgment, their doom presumed. With each flicker of fire, their downfall, Hellfire's fury, let none stand tall. Hellfire!” Thrusting her staff forward, gouts of fire shot forth, and like a flamethrower, she doused the entrance with a searing, red flame. Those who did not move out of the way let off shrill cries as the flames engulfed them.

Pitching the staff upwards, she redirected the fire up towards the walls. The soldiers above dove for cover, yet like the ones below, those not fast enough screamed with agony as the fire devoured all in its path. Charging forward towards the flaming wreckage, Zora dispelled her magic and once again shot a blast of air ahead of us, this time to douse the fire and clear a path for us.

The spell had allowed me precious seconds to repair my shield as we finally rushed past the gate and into the compound. My legs burned, and my body ached more than any workout I had ever done in the past. I wanted to drop, to beg for rest, yet I knew I couldn't. I was so close. I'm here now. We just needed to find the prison, save Mother, and get the hell out of here.

Yet it wouldn't be that easy.

The moment we entered the compound, we were beset by the defenders. Rusivites from every angle began to open fire on us. I didn't even have time to take in my surroundings when I heard the sound of a machine gun opening up on us, and my shield was nearly shattered.

To our right and left, Rusivites armed with not firearms but swords, shovels, and shields charged at us. "Form a circle, protect Luna and the other casters!" Zora shouted, flicking the lower end of her staff upwards to crack a gasmask wearing Rusivite across the chin. She then swiftly backed up, drew her service pistol, and shot them three times in the chest.

Another man rushed towards Gord with a sharpened shovel, screaming something in his native tongue, but was quickly silenced when the orc's fist crushed his skull. Within seconds, everything devolved from a firefight into an intense, bloody melee.

My allies quickly formed a protective circle around me and what seemed to be two other spellcasters I didn't know. I did my best to focus on the shield as one of the other mages, a blond-haired girl, placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Focus, we have this, now channel with me." I heard her say.

Ch-channel with you? H-How the fuck do I do that?! I wasn't taught this! I panicked and looked away just in time to see Lexis get punched by one of the Rusivites. She stumbled back in a daze, yet before she could recover, another tackled her to the ground. Before anyone could react, the Rusivite drew a knife and rammed it into her belly. She tried to scream, yet the man slammed his fist into her mouth.

No, no! I screamed with fury. I was supposed to keep these people alive!

I tried to rush forward, yet the other spellcaster pulled me back. "What are you doing?! We need to keep the shield up, or else we'll all be killed!"

Yet I didn't listen. The fury within me was becoming too much to bear. Already, I lost one person in our group that I said I wanted to keep alive. I didn't want to lose another. I was being selfish, but I didn't care. I needed to do something. I needed to try something. All around me, my allies were being slaughtered.

I knew I couldn't fight—not physically, at least. Though I knew I could do more than just be a shield, I could heal and empower. I turned back to the stranger who tried to stop me, and I yelled over the chaos. "Focus on the shield! I have a plan, just keep me covered!"

The woman looked at me with wide eyes, a bout of skepticism crossed her face, yet after a moment she shook her head and said, "Fuck it, do what you need to do! Just make it quick!"

I turned back to Lexis just as Isa ran up and rammed the butt of her rifle into her assailant's face. As the man crumpled to the ground clutching his masked face, Isa fired two rounds into him just as another attacker rushed my mentor from the left. Noticing this, Isa deftly dodged out of the way before lashing out with her claws. In a literal blink of an eye, I watched as she slashed the invader's throat. The gasmask-wearing man choked and gripped at his throat before dropping to his knees.

Looking back at Lexis, who lay on the ground, moaning and clutching the knife in her belly, I knew I didn't have much time. Taking a deep breath, I clapped my hands together, closed my eyes, and dropped my concentration on the shield, hoping it wouldn't shatter immediately under the storm of machine gun fire.

I heard a gasp behind me and glanced back to see the stranger before straining as she concentrated on the bubble around us. Giving her a silent thanks, I turned my attention back to my plan, closed my eyes, and began the incantation.

“By the sacred springs, where life's currents entwine, In the heart of magic, where destinies align." I rubbed my palms together before stretching each hand out to my sides. "With boundless grace, let healing waters flow, Mass Rejuvenation, in Slyondra's soft glow." A warm buzz of magic began to bubble within me before surging throughout my body. "From the depths of hurt, to the heights of hope, Let the healing touch, by Slyondra's scope." A bright glow began to emit from beneath my feet as a swirl of magic began to form a runic circle, and from its light motes of light began to rise, dance, and swirl around me "In the embrace of magic, where spirits thrive, Mass Rejuvenation, may Slyondra's blessings arrive."

The booming voice of the commissar echoed loudly, nearly disrupting my concentration. His raging voice nagged and nagged, and I couldn't make out what he was saying, except from one word: Magister.

"With each whispered word, with each flickering light, Bring renewal forth, banish the night." I opened my eyes. My hands were glowing with a soft green and white light I mimicked the gestures Selena taught me as I brought my hands together as the motes of pixie light began to coalesce around my palms, forming a magical ball. "In the unity of souls, where life's currents strive, Mass Rejuvenation, in Slyondra's name, wounds revive. Mass Rejuvenation!” I thrust my palms upward, casting the magical ball of light into the air.

The glowing green and white ball shot upwards before exploding a few feet above our heads into hundreds of green motes of light which shot downwards at everyone, including myself. Those who hadn't already perished were struck with the mote of magical essence and jerked upwards. I could feel within myself as the aches and pains I had felt eased and vanished, instead, a new, invigorating energy filled me as well as those around me. Lexis, who still lay on the ground, gasped as the wound in her belly and the bruise on her face began to fade. The knife in her gut was plucked out by invisible hands and the wound was magically stitched closed. Others who were bleeding out now quickly pushed themselves to their feet, now granted a second chance at revenge.

Isa herself seemed more invigorated, as she took a brief second to smile at me wickedly before turning and diving back into the fray. I watched as she tackled a Rusivite beside Zora, and with her claws, she began to eradicate the invader. I panted heavily as my body tingled with magic, and I watched as the defenders began to pull back and rush for cover, though I couldn't speak the language, I could hear them repeatedly saying, "Magister," over and over.

I guess seeing the nearly dead rising as if nothing happened is pretty scary, huh? I thought to myself and smirked, my rage building within my gut. I wanted to join in now. I wanted to help. If I can just keep healing everyone like this, maybe we can overcome them.

At this point, I turned my attention toward a nearby watch tower, which housed the machine gun that had nearly shattered my shield upon entering. Not thinking, I pulled out my wand and pointed at it. I closed my eyes and began to concentrate, channeling my magic from my well up to my arm. I began to focus on what I had learned a few days ago, how I had transformed a simple mote into something greater.

To fuel that, power, I began to think about all the horrors I had seen. All the horrific acts these people, no monsters, had done. And as I gritted my teeth and opened my eyes, I saw how the tip of my ruby wand ignited into a fiery ball, and I whipped my arm back, before thrusting it forward aggressively, whirling the flaming sun at the tower.

For a brief second, I heard a cry of fear from the tower, which was cut off by an intense explosion as the top of the structure was blown to smithereens. Everyone around me flinched just as the explosion ignited, and I shielded my eyes. Immediately, the remaining Rusitives turned and ran for the prison structure and another building I was unaware of just ahead of us.

"Shoot the bastards!" I heard Drach shout from somewhere. "Gun them down like they did us!"

As my allies began to fire upon our fleeing enemies, I couldn't help but notice that even that raging commissar had finally fallen silent