Sinbound: Abandoned by the Light

Waking from my slumber, I sat up and looked around. I was in a medium-sized tent. Stepping outside, found my companions sitting on small logs—seven logs arranged in a circle around the campfire.

Night had fallen.

"Hey, you're finally awake," Hebrew said with a smile, carrying a wooden box full of food.

"Are you feeling okay now?" Raven asked gently.

I gave a small nod in reply.

I sat down on one of the logs.

The others sitting around the campfire waved at me. I looked around and found the Priestess. She was sitting quietly and eating, looking much better.

"Don't worry about her, she's fine now. The wounds are gone thanks to the healing potion she took earlier," Raven explained.

"I'm glad," I replied, looking at the Priestess.

"Here's your food and water," Raven said, handing me a wooden box filled with food and a water flask.

I noticed Raven was also fine after being hit by the Mother Slime's acid.

"Since we don't know each other that well, we should properly introduce ourselves," she continued.

"I am Raven, the Headmistress's daughter, and I want to thank our Priestess for bravely throwing that stone at the Mother Slime earlier.

If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to do this," she said, giving Hebrew's head a hard pat. She then sat on her log.

Everyone laughed as they saw Hebrew's annoyed reaction.

"Don't worry about it!" the Priestess said in a calm voice.

"We're a team, right? Together, we're unstoppable!"

Everyone smiled and nodded. Her words made us feel a little stronger—even after everything we'd been through.

The Priestess stood up next. She gave a small, graceful curtsy and smiled kindly at everyone.

"I'm Sofia, your Priestess. I'm happy to meet you all," she said in a calm and gentle voice.

A few people clapped, and I saw warm smiles around the fire. Her kindness made everyone feel at ease.

Then, the young man with the scythe stood up. He looked a little nervous but tried his best to look brave.

"I am Efren," he said, giving a polite bow. He placed his scythe beside him as he spoke. "I'm really sorry I couldn't help much during the fight earlier. I'm still new to this, and I've got a lot to learn."

There was a short silence—but then someone laughed in a friendly way.

"That's alright!" said another young man, who stood up next. He had wild red hair and carried a long staff that looked like it had fire runes carved into it.

Everyone chuckled as he smiled and raised his staff.

"My name's Pyro," he said proudly. "Nice to meet you all!"

No wonder he's a Fire Mage—his name is kinda connected to fire.

More clapping followed, and even Efren smiled, looking a little less shy now.

Then, suddenly, Hebrew jumped to his feet with a loud voice.

"Hahaha! Step aside, peasants! Hebrew, the future Master of Arcane Spells, has arrived!"

He raised his magic rod high in the air. The rod had a design made of twisted vines and a nature-carved orb. He struck a silly pose and flexed his arm like he was showing off muscles.

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Master of Arcane Spells?" Raven said, giggling. "You can't even move a single rock!"

Raven laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, nice try, Earth boy!"

"Hey! I told you already—my name is Hebrew, not Earth boy!" he pouted, crossing his arms.

The teasing continued, and laughter filled the camp. For the first time since everything went crazy, it felt like we were safe. Like we were really a team.

Their teasing intensified the atmosphere.; they looked like a married couple fighting with each other.

The playful chaos subsided when the Wind Mage introduced himself. "I am Windel. Nice to meet you all," he said, standing shyly before sitting back down. A ripple of applause followed.

"Don't be shy, my man," Hebrew said with a grin, putting an arm around Windel's shoulders in a friendly way. "I'm the one who helped you regain your balance earlier, remember? You looked like you were going to fall over after using your magic."

Windel gave a small nod, his face turning a little red as he looked down. The others smiled, trying to make him feel more at ease.

His name is also connected to his magic.

Is that the trend now?

Like, if your name is Aqua, you're automatically a Water Mage? What's next—someone named Burn becoming a Fire Mage?

I stood up slowly, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I am Klera," I said, my voice a little shaky. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but I tried to stay calm.

"I apologize for collapsing earlier," I continued, placing a hand on my chest. "My body was probably overwhelmed… Everything happened so fast, and I pushed myself too hard."

There was a short silence, but it didn't feel awkward. It felt like everyone understood.

"Mother told us not to push our limits," Raven said firmly. "For now, we should focus on practicing simple magic and not force powerful abilities, skills, or spells. Powerful magic is risky—especially when our bodies and minds aren't ready to handle it yet."

She paused for a moment, then smiled warmly.

"But even so... thanks to both of you, we were saved by your powers earlier," Raven added, looking at Windel and me. "If you hadn't stepped in when you did, things might have ended very differently."

Windel looked down shyly, and I gave a small nod. Deep down, I knew she was right—we weren't ready for such strong magic yet. But even so, I was glad we had been able to help.

We spent the night talking with each other while sitting around the campfire in the middle of the woods.

The fire was kept low and gentle, just enough to keep us warm and see each other's faces. We didn't want it to burn too brightly—the flames might attract monsters nearby, and none of us wanted to fight again tonight.

Hebrew shared horror stories whenever the woods produced loud, eerie noises.

Even though we were all tired, it felt nice to talk. We shared stories, laughed quietly, and learned more about one another. The crackling fire, the cool night air, and the sound of crickets made the moment feel a little tense.

The Priestess reassured us that she had already cast a special enchantment over our camp. It was a Divine spell meant to hide us from nearby monsters and keep us safe while we rested. Thanks to her magic, our presence would be harder to detect in the dark forest. Knowing that helped us feel a little more at ease, even though the woods still felt spooky and full of strange sounds.

---

"Right, let's get some rest," Hebrew said with a big yawn, stretching his arms. "It's been a long, tiring day."

Raven nodded and looked around the dark woods carefully. The firelight flickered across her face. "Someone still needs to stay awake and keep watch," she said seriously. "We don't know what kind of monsters might be out there. It's safer if we take turns guarding the camp while the others sleep."

"I'll take the first watch," Efren said, standing up. There was a small, confident smirk on his face. "I didn't really fight like a real swordsman earlier… but this is my chance to make up for that. I want to protect everyone, at least for tonight."

Hebrew gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Well, good luck, my man. Keep those eyes sharp."

One by one, the rest of our group got up from their logs and headed toward the tent. Blankets rustled, soft voices whispered goodnight, and soon the tent was quiet.

Raven and I volunteered to help Efren keep watch while the others slept.

We sat near the low-burning fire, our eyes scanning the shadows between the trees. The forest was loud with many howls of monsters, and every crack of a twig or distant rustle made our hearts beat a little faster.

Even though it was peaceful for now, we knew anything could happen. So we stayed alert, listening, watching, and waiting—just in case.