When the roar of the explosion had tamed itself, a calm yet heavy atmosphere lingered in the surrounding area, which drenched Iris in cold sweat. Iris set forth toward the destroyed forest as she saw the desolated carnage.
The once lush scenery had turned into desolated fields, charred ground and gouged earth, no sign of plant or even animal carcasses in sight. What she saw was the motionless body of the black-haired boy lying on the ground.
"Jin?!".
Horror drained the color from her face; her breath stuck in her throat, heart gripped with a tight clutch that contorted her lips. However, her feet betrayed her heart as she stood beside the boy.
A sickening scent burnt Iris nose, charred skins, teared flesh, blood, her face contorted in tears. Iris scanned the boy's tattered body, his arms were stripped on his skins, raw twitching flesh glistening under the dim light, and Jin's chest rose and fell in rough gasp, barely keeping alive.
'...It's too late!'. She dropped to the ground, kneeling, watching the scene with fear. But, the moment when Iris thought everything was over, she found that the boy's chest was puffed out and in, still desperately clung to life.
With no time to waste, Iris, who planned to take the boys away from the place and hurriedly treat his wound, had to stop when she saw several black magic circles appear in her surroundings, spewing nasty tentacles.
"Tch, such troublesome". Iris slipped her hands under Jin's back and knees as she jumped to the side and turned around to see where the magic source was.
"You?!". She placed Jin on a level ground and clenched the bow.
Standing a bit far away from Iris, the robbed man, his smirk hidden beneath the hood, reveals his identity.
"It's been a while, Iris?".
The man flashed his refreshing smile, which Iris replied by knitting her brows in anger. She recognized the man. It happened when she was still Adventuring in the capital, enjoying a peaceful life with her daughter while exploring the dungeon.
At that time, Iris, who had to endure a hard time while raising little Nina and also lived as an adventurer, felt a bit burned. Then suddenly, she met the man who seemed persuasive and comfortable to talk to.
Initially, she was suspicious and even used her ability to detect the man's nature, but she found nothing that could threaten her life. The man was kind and honest, open to her and her daughter, Nina.
However, all of those events were nothing but a ploy to bring her into the pit of despair, which she must evacuate to this frontier town.
"Ramir, what are you doing here?". Iris took an arrow and pointed her anger and hatred into the man.
"...So cruel, aren't we party members once? Thus, why are you being so fierce…".
"Stop your nonsense, I ask you again, no. Did you are the one who pulled all the strings behind any of this madness?".
Iris' question was met with silence, but soon, her body stiffened upon witnessing the man's malicious smirk. Unconsciously, she released the arrows and flew in a straight line aimed at the man's head.
However, the man easily neutralized it using a third hand that appeared behind his back, something like a mollusc. It wrapped around the entire arrow before he split it with force. The man's brows lifted as he saw the stunned Iris.
"Khihi, are you surprised? Well, since this was our reunion in time, I will show it to you".
With a flick of his finger, the man's robbed disappearance reveals his humanoid appearance with multiple black tentacles on his back, wriggling like they have their own minds.
"You? What are you?!".
Iris shivered like an infant as she looked at the tentacles behind the man. The sight was creepy, and goosebumps crawled on her skin, but she had to face it, for this was her responsibility.
Instead of answering, the man leaked its black aura that wilts the ground around the area, sucking its life force. On his forehead, a symbol of a serpent body coiling around to the back of his forehead revealed its black scales as his eyes also turned black.
'This sensation?!'. Iris, familiar with the aura and malice that leaked from the man's body, evoked something inside her heart.
"Typhon cult?! You joined those damned organizations!".
"Oh, as expected of my partner, Iris. You sure are knowledgeable".
"Shut up! Who is your partner!".
After knowing what sort of identity her enemy possessed, Iris' swift hands blurred, she nocking arrow after arrow in quick succession, and each shot precisely aimed at the man's heart. But they were easily swatted by the tentacles, and if even one of them managed to pierce one of its tentacles, the man showed no sign of being hurt, which would indicate that it was not a body part but some power that was exclusive to him.
Giving up on using her arrow, Iris switched to magic; she cast several spells surrounding the man.
"Air pressure".
One of the spells is wind pressure that brings down the man to the ground. It was quite advanced wind magic, but Iris could use it with her thought, proof that her mastery over magic was superb.
"Vacuum Spear!".
An invisible spear made by compressed winds pierced each tentacle, struggling to break free. Once all the preparation was ready, Iris poured a large amount of mana into the remaining magic circle that gleamed ferociously below the man.
"Storm Drago…".
"Khihihiahahaha! It's no use".
Malicious laughter filled the entire field while miasma flooded the whole place, eating away the mana and the magic that retrained his freedom. As the man broke free from his restraints, he glanced at Iris, who spat a mouthful of blood because of rebounded magic that failed to cast.
With a swift move from his hand, several black circles appeared around Iris and Jins, prompting her to act rashly by creating a magic barrier from the wind, but the property of enemies' magic could not even neutralize it; she let herself wide open when the shield broke and one tentacle scraped around her left wrist.
"Kuh!". Iris' face contorted in pain as she felt something pierce his wrist along with the warm liquid that was drowning her heart in the chilling cold.
She looked at her wrist and found a nasty tooth etched itself into her skin and flesh, sucking out her mana and life force. Iris' other hand tensed as her palm formed a spear coated with a compressed wind.
In one fell swoop, Iris cut the tentacles and the other tentacles that closely creep nearby by destroying its magic circles. Despite the threat being over, her face keeps losing its healthy colour of the still sticking tentacle part on her wrist.
"...What now, Iris? I got you and the boy behind you".
Her body flinched, and Iris jerked her gaze back and saw Jin was being held captive by many tentacles wrapped around his limbs, sucking out his life force. Iris could feel it slightly as the temperature started leaving her body by the horror of losing the boy.
'No…?!' Conflict started to hammer her mind, along with the fear of losing, creating a mess that short-circuited her brain and drowned her in the pit of despair.
Multiple screens began to play, and all the darkness contained deep within her heart. All she could do was stare at it with vacant eyes, unable to do anything. She witnessed the tragedies at that time with little Nina in her arms.
She leaves her hometown, arguing with her parents, experiencing betrayal, and recently having a meeting with Jin, who single-handedly clears the problems that plague her and even protects the one thing she holds precious, Nina, without an ounce of compensation.
Darkness pressed in, the fog was getting thicker it hindered her thoughts and action. Fear started to gnaw at her heart, prickling on her skin. All of a sudden, a flash of memory from the past brightened her vision.
*****
A vast grass plain, stretching endlessly like the clear blue sky without an ounce of clouds. Its rustling melody soothed her ears, and the earthy scent brought a sense of nostalgic feeling for her race.
"What? Giving up already?".
Two little figures of young elves were playing together on the field. Each of their hands held a bow made by the elder. The older girl looked at the struggling little one warmly and affectionately.
"But, big sis, I couldn't do it as well as you".
"Nishishi, of course, because this big sis of yours is a genius, one in a thousand".
"Again, with your boasting".
"Well, that was the truth, after all".
Even though her cheek was inflated, the little one began to practice once more with a cheerful heart but soon gave up and grumbled in protest.
"Aakh, no way, no. I give up, bow, and simple magic is all I need". The little one lay on the grassy field enjoying the earthy smell and rustling grass that soothed her anger.
"Jeez, you are such a troublesome little sister".
"Leave me alone; I am not as gifted as you anyway, so let's just be grateful for what I have".
A huge shadow blocked her view, and the little one saw her big sister's furrowing brows. She felt a soft touch on her forehead before the stinging pain from the flick jolted her body.
"Ouch! What was that for?". The little one protested with tears in the corner of her eye, rubbing her forehead.
"That is for saying stupid things. Listen, Irisdina. You are also talented, just like me or even more, so don't try to downgrade yourself by saying such stupid things. Because I will be angry."
The look in her big sister's eyes soon dawned on her just how much she was loved and grateful for her sister's existence, who always stayed by her side as a mother figure.
"I'm sorry, Big sis…".
"Mm, good. Listen, Irisdina. In spirit magic, all you do is believe and ask for help. I'm sure in time, you will also be able to do it."
"So simple? But can I do it, Bis sis?".
"Yeah, trust your big sis…".
*****
The space around her began to distort as Iris returned to the reality she was currently facing. Iris was dazed for a moment because of the memories that just played. She was happy to see her big sister for such a long time but also furious that, of all things, she had to see that.
Iris glanced at the boy before she closed her eyes and concentrated deeply.
"Great Wind Spirit Zephyros, I request your help?".