Chapter 22: Awareness (3)

Chapter 22: Awareness (4)

The Black Fog – the very force that had taken Ariel’s parents from her.

It was an ominous energy capable of transforming any living being without magic or divine power into a monster. The name came from how it engulfed the bodies of those it consumed in a dense, black mist. Like a plague, it spread rapidly through entire groups, but its true cause remained unknown.

Once a creature was overtaken by the Black Fog, it underwent a monstrous transformation, gaining immense physical strength. Every other instinct was replaced by a single, all-consuming urge: slaughter. Anything that was not one of its own kind became prey.

There was no known way to reverse the transformation. Once infected, the only option was to put the creature down. The power that controlled them rendered magic ineffective; they could only be killed through sheer physical force. This was why heavily armed battalions were the ones dispatched to areas affected by the phenomenon.

When Ariel was eight years old, the Black Fog descended upon her village.

Her mother had been a skilled mage, but against these monsters, magic was meaningless. She could do nothing but cling to the terrified, crying children as she was impaled over and over again. Her father had been away, teaching his students, and was not there when disaster struck.

Fortunately, the military received word quickly, and soldiers arrived before the village was completely wiped out. Thanks to her mother’s desperate sacrifice, young Ariel and Aynkel survived.

But.

[“Mom… Dad…”]

After the catastrophe had passed, rain poured down like a waterfall. In the middle of the devastated village, amidst others who had met the same fate, their parents lay motionless beneath the open sky.

Their mother, who had given everything to shield the two of them but had been unable to save herself, had died from countless wounds piercing her body. Their father – she didn’t know. By the time she came to her senses, he was lying beside their mother, in the exact same state.

Both their parents had been claimed by the disaster. In an instant, Ariel and Aynkel had become orphans.

Even after nearly twenty years, the blood-soaked images of their lifeless bodies remained in Ariel’s mind, like a faded photograph. Time had dulled the pain, made it easier to bear but it had never erased the memory.

And now, out of nowhere, that memory had been dragged to the surface, leaving her momentarily disoriented. She steadied herself, pushing back the old emotions.

The man continued speaking.

“The Black Fog doesn’t spare us just because we’re in the middle of battle. It could turn an ally into a monster at any moment. That’s what you need to be most wary of in combat. Because when the person fighting beside you suddenly becomes your enemy, that’s when the real disaster begins.”

His expression darkened.

A scene flashed through her mind – neighbors who had just moments ago been smiling and greeting each other, suddenly transformed into monsters, lunging at her with murderous intent. The memory of them tearing into her mother as she shielded her.

Ariel thought she could understand, if only a little, what he must have felt.

“Of course, we’re armed and trained soldiers. With enough skill, it’s possible to take them down quickly without getting hurt. But cutting down someone who was just your comrade a moment ago… that’s not as easy as you’d think.”

“…”

“But remember this – if you hesitate, you die.”

Lifting his prosthetic hand to eye level, he spread his fingers.

“I hesitated for just a second. Half my team died, and I lost my wrist.”

A heavy silence fell over them. No one spoke.

“It’s rare, sure. And it’s not a pleasant topic. But knowing this might save your life. If it ever happens, I hope you’ll do what needs to be done.”

* * *

The areas near military outposts were often inhabited by non-human species. To keep them under control, the army conducted periodic extermination missions, similar to pest control. The frequency of these operations varied, from mere days to several months, depending on the creatures’ breeding rate.

The Rem Mountain Range, which formed the northern border of Dante, saw deployments roughly once a month. The timing was determined by when the giants living in the mountains started straying too close to the military bases.

When that happened, the mountains essentially became a den of giants. It was like cockroaches multiplying in the dark until their numbers grew too large to stay hidden.

Near the military outposts, only a handful of giants were typically spotted at a time. As long as one remained unseen, it was possible to avoid them altogether.

However—

“Remember this. Our mission is to exterminate as many of them as possible. Don’t think about avoiding them. Kill them all on sight.”

Jin led the unit toward the mountains, crushing the skull of a nearby giant with a single shockwave. The giant, its eyes obliterated, the equivalent of a human losing their heart, collapsed instantly. Every word of his incantation doubled as instructions for the soldiers.

“Weapons out. Their numbers will only increase from here.”

If a giant entered Jin’s line of sight as he spoke, it died that very instant. His power was overwhelming. Even though his magic was not directed at them, the soldiers still felt a chill run down their spines.

Despite their unease, they obeyed, falling into formation and preparing for battle. Before long, they neared the mountains. Just as Jin had warned, the number of giants increased rapidly.

As their ranks swelled, the giants took notice of the human army and began to swarm from all directions.

The eerie sounds they made slithered into the soldiers’ ears—deep, guttural noises, like phlegm bubbling in their throats. It was an unbearable sound, like nails scraping against a chalkboard, sending shivers down their spines.

The veterans ignored it, focusing solely on attacking. The less experienced, unsettled by the unfamiliar noise, grimaced and hesitated for a split second before launching their own attacks.

Gunfire, explosions, war cries, and monstrous roars filled the battlefield in an instant.

When the chaos settled, the ground was littered with giant corpses. The soldiers had suffered not a single casualty.

It was only natural. They knew the giants’ weaknesses, and they were skilled enough to never miss. That was what their training had been for. And with their forces still intact, they had the numbers advantage as well.

Bullets whizzed through the air. Swords sliced through limbs without mercy. Giants fell. Blue blood splattered across the battlefield. Red eyes were pierced, and a path was carved forward.

Amidst the carnage, apart from Jin, one figure stood out – Ariel.

[Third line from the top.]

“Thirty-six.”

[Last word on the bottom of the next page.]

“Thirty-seven.”

Ariel stood beneath her protective barrier, chanting with a crazed grin as she followed Rayner’s rapid instructions, casting spell after spell.

She had never used anything but traditional incantations before, so when she struggled to come up with proper spell words, she defaulted to counting just as she had during her early training.

As the battle continued, she noticed something about Rayner. It wasn’t particularly useful information, but it was telling.

He had an incredibly specific preference: he never used the same spell twice. He constantly flipped through his pages, demanding a new spell every time. As a result, Ariel’s magic took on endless variations.

Moreover, he avoided spells that left the corpses disfigured. He preferred to crush the air around a giant’s eyes, exploding them instantly, or decapitate them cleanly with a single strike. When facing large numbers, he simply sliced through space itself. But spells that burned or electrocuted their bodies beyond recognition? He never used those.

Every strike was a one-hit kill.

Giants fell like autumn leaves before Ariel’s magic, their bodies torn apart in a tide of blue blood. Half the battlefield was painted in her handiwork. The scene was gruesome.

On the surface, Ariel appeared calm, reciting her spells with concise precision. But inside, she was a volcano on the verge of eruption.

It was a scene utterly foreign to the peaceful world she had known until now. At a glance, it didn’t seem dangerous at all, yet an unshakable sense of unease hung in the air, as natural as breathing, for death could come from anywhere at any moment.

A battlefield. She could finally grasp its true meaning. And in that moment, Ariel found herself understanding, even if only slightly, the emotions Aynkel must have felt before he died.

‘The place where you died must have been a battlefield like this. Even I, who barely cling to life, am afraid… How much greater must your fear have been, day after day, as you fought to suppress it? …I’m sorry. I was a fool not to understand. I’m so sorry.’

Grief, fury, and self-reproach surged within her, but her hands held no mercy. Nor did they waver. The focus born from vengeance was absolute. Even as a flood of emotions washed over her, she never lost sight of the giants before her.

For over ten minutes, she moved relentlessly, cutting down every giant that blocked her path. Only then did the 700 soldiers finally arrive at their true destination – the towering mountain ahead.

Just before they began their ascent, Jin, who had been leading them with his back turned, finally turned to face the group.

“From here, we’ll split up. Move together along your assigned routes. If nothing goes wrong, regroup at the summit in four hours.”

With those parting words, he vanished. Taking that as their signal, the remaining soldiers set off along their designated paths.