Beyond Phantasia

"Watch out!" I yelled as the massive creature lunged.

The sloakard charged. The ground trembled under its weight, and the air was filled with the sound of its snarls.

“Hold your ground!” Novian yelled, raising his socrilium in shield mode.

Kaeygo, still in his water form, darted forward, shifting from water to solid as he slashed at the sloakard’s legs.

“Damn! Its skin is too thick!” Kaeygo shouted, desperation edging his voice as the sloakard barely flinched from the strikes.

Aurelia and Elara provided cover fire, but nothing seemed to work. The sloakard was relentless. With a furious roar, it tore through everything, continuing to charge and attack the group.

“Iris, now!” I shouted as the sloakard drew closer.

Iris, who had been hanging back, quickly activated her drones. They buzzed into action, swarming around the sloakard and firing bursts of energy at the creature. The air around the creature shimmered with the impact of the blasts, but the sloakard showed no signs of slowing down or weakness.

“We’re not stopping it!” Elara gritted her teeth, swinging her axe in a desperate arc.

The blade connected with the sloakard’s side, but instead of cutting deep, it glanced off the creature’s bony hide, sparks flying as the metal screeched against the hardened flesh.

The sloakard roared again, this time louder, more furious. It lowered its head, preparing to ram into Novian and Elara, who stood directly in its path. Novian planted his feet firmly, his shield raised, and lightning crackling along its edges.

“Get ready to jump back!” Novian ordered.

The timing was going to be close — too close. The sloakard was moving too fast, and we were too close to evade it completely.

“Lucien, get out of here!” Iris yelled, panic creeping into her voice.

She was still trying to keep the drones focused on the creature, but the sloakard was too strong that even the drones were ineffective.

Shit.

Then it happened.

The sloakard closed the final distance in a heartbeat, its massive body crashing into the group like we were nothing. Novian, Elara, and Kaeygo were thrown back, their weapons torn from their grasp as they were sent sprawling across the battlefield. The impact was so powerful that the shockwave alone was enough to knock me off my feet, sending me tumbling backward.

But the sloakard wasn’t done. Its red eyes locked onto me, and with a savage snarl, it turned its full attention toward me. I barely had time to react before it charged at me.

“Lucien, move!” someone screamed — maybe Iris, maybe Elara, I don’t know — but it was too late.

The sloakard’s massive claws struck me. It felt like every bone in my body shattered at once. The impact was so devastating, that all I could register was pure, blinding agony. My ribs caved under the force, and I heard the sickening crunch of bones breaking — maybe several bones — inside me.

As I was hurled through the air, time seemed to stretch out painfully, every second dragging on as the pain consumed me. The wind was knocked from my lungs, leaving me gasping, desperate for air that wouldn’t come. My vision blurred, dark spots danced at the edges, and the world spun.

When I finally slammed into the ground, the pain only multiplied. The earth hit me like a wall, driving into my back and sending another shockwave of torment through my already battered body. My head struck something hard, and for a moment, everything went black. I drifted in and out of awareness, barely clinging to consciousness as I flickered in and out of focus.

Every breath was torture, sharp, stabbing pains tearing through my chest with each attempt to inhale. I could taste blood, metallic and bitter, coating the back of my throat. My ears were ringing, drowning out the sounds of battle around me.

Ha…h…h…ah…ha…h…Fu…ck…

I tried to scream, but no sound came out. My entire body felt like it was on fire, and my muscles screamed in protest when I tried to move. Everything in my body hurts. Through the haze of pain, I could see the characters quickly getting back up and fighting.

Dam…mit…I n…eed to help…

Despair and desperation welled up inside me as I realized just how helpless I was against this creature, this world. The darkness crept closer, threatening to swallow me whole. My old traumas began to resurface, dragging me further into this suffocating abyss.

River…

<><><><><>

“Hey, Hien, do you ever wonder if joining the military was the right choice?”

“No.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because this is all I have left.”

“Huh?”

I put down my book.

“The friends, the camaraderie, the enjoyment from time to time is great— .”

“What about the politics and all the other bullshit though?” River chimed in.

“I was getting to that,” I said. “Yeah, it sucks, but remember we joined out of our own volition.”

“So, if you had a choice to turn back time, would you still serve?”

"In a heartbeat. Overall, this might suck, but with you guys, for our families back home during this time of war, I’d do it over and over again."

"Woah, Hien, you're surprisingly deep when you want to be, huh?" River said with a grin.

“Fuck you.” I smirked.

"Anyway, what are you reading?" River asked, leaning over to peek at the book in my hands. "I swear, all you ever do is read or shoot."

"The World’s Greatest Weapons: A Compendium of Different Weapons Throughout History," I replied.

"Nerd," River said, taking the book and flipping through the pages. "Oh! This one looks sick. Yo Hien, what’s this one? You think we have one here?"

“Huh? Let me see.”

<><><><><>

My mind snapped back into consciousness.

The world around me was still a blur. The heavy scent of earth and blood filled my nostrils, and all I could hear was the distant roar of the sloakard and the sounds of bullets and metal clashing. My body lay immobile, pinned beneath the weight of the monster's attack. The pain continued to course through my body.

As I lay there, a flicker of movement caught my eye. A small creature emerged from the shadows, the socrix with black scales and yellow eyes. The one that’s been with me since I’ve got to the Prism.

“You’re out of time, human. Your life energy is fleeting,” the socrix said, its voice solemn and unlike its usual joking tone. “You need to make a decision.”

I stared at the creature, locking my gaze with its piercing eyes. With every last ounce of strength I could muster, I reached out my arm toward it, my voice barely a whisper as I mouthed the words, “Sync.”